Maybe It's Time to Lay Our Cards on the Table

On the street corner of the night market.

"This tastes pretty good!"

"Yeah, this isn't bad either."

Walking down the street, An Yi was having a great time eating, holding a squid skewer in his left hand and a cup of milk tea in his right.

Moments later, he let out a burp and handed the remaining snacks to Shen Muxuan next to him. "I'm stuffed. You can have the rest."

"Oh, okay."

Shen Muxuan finished the sticky rice ball in her hand in two or three bites and hurriedly took the snacks from him.

The people around the night market looked at An Yi as if they were looking at an animal.

Shen Muxuan was still dressed in her period costume. Coupled with her outstanding beauty, she attracted countless gazes along the way.

Passersby looked at An Yi with eyes full of jealousy.

Women, on the other hand, stared intently at An Yi.

After all, a man who was a solid 9 out of 10 wasn't someone you ran into every day.

"An Yi, why do you look so worn out?"

Shen Muxuan asked curiously, blinking her large eyes as she chewed on the grilled squid he had left.

"I'm not. That's pure slander!"

An Yi jolted and spoke with righteous conviction.

He was **An Shiliu**, after all!

Shen Muxuan took a sip of her milk tea. "Were you over at Ruoxi's place last night?"

Hearing this, An Yi asked in disbelief, "How did you know?"

"You forgot, I have Ruoxi's number!"

Shen Muxuan looked proud as she took out her phone to show off. "We added each other's contact info. We're good sisters now."

"Then... then what did she tell you?" An Yi couldn't help but feel curious.

Shen Muxuan said, "You didn't pick up the phone, so I asked her where you were. She said you were at the company."

An Yi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Er, he was indeed at the company. That certainly wasn't a lie.

"I didn't believe it at the time, so I called Ding Renfeng to verify," Shen Muxuan said while chewing on the squid.

Cold sweat broke out on An Yi's forehead.

What the hell! She actually checked with someone else!

Since when did this girl become so calculating!

"Ding Renfeng said that for the sake of the company's development, you were burning the midnight oil in the office."

Shen Muxuan looked serious and said excitedly, "I never expected that you actually have moments where you work hard!"

You called twice just to confirm that?

An Yi raised an eyebrow.

Girl, you are way too bored!

Hmm, I'll give Ding Renfeng a raise later!

"An Yi, I didn't expect that even though you look lazy, you're actually so capable!"

Shen Muxuan reached out and patted An Yi on the shoulder. "Good job. You're getting more and more of that Domineering CEO style."

In TV dramas, although the Domineering CEO is busy all day bickering with the heroine, creating misunderstandings, and dealing with mistresses, never actually seen doing any work, the character archetype is at least a workaholic.

Seeing that An Yi was no longer just loafing around waiting to die, Shen Muxuan felt very gratified.

"Um, Muxuan..."

An Yi hesitated, thinking he should probably come clean to this girl.

Otherwise, his conscience would be uneasy.

Shen Muxuan stared at him with her beautiful eyes. "What do you want to say?"

"Well..."

An Yi exhaled, ready to lay his cards on the table.

Just then, Shen Muxuan suddenly grabbed his arm and said, "Look over there, there's a performance."

An Yi said helplessly, "No, wait, you..."

"I want to see it!"

Shen Muxuan pouted, looking pitiful and aggrieved.

An Yi shrugged. "Fine."

It seemed to be a big internet celebrity singing on the street. It was a sea of people, surging forward. The entire road was crowded, and as far as the eye could see, it was just heads.

"What is that!"

Shen Muxuan stood on her tiptoes and said.

Her height of 1.68 meters was considered tall among girls.

But she was instantly swallowed up by the dark mass of heads.

"I can't see anything."

Shen Muxuan slurped her milk tea and decided not to watch.

An Yi crouched down and chuckled softly, "Hop on!"

"I... I'm very heavy," Shen Muxuan said, her small face flushing slightly hot.

"Are you getting on or not?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Shen Muxuan hugged An Yi's head and sat on his shoulders, her slender legs dangling as she looked ahead.

A man with disheveled hair, carrying a guitar and holding a microphone, was screaming his lungs out.

Beside him were a bassist, a keyboardist, and a drummer.

It was a fully equipped band.

Heavy metal music blasted through the venue! Countless people followed the rhythm, cheering and jumping for joy.

"What did you see?" An Yi asked curiously.

Shen Muxuan looked around and said, "I saw **Poker Face**, and also Yaoyao."

An Yi: "..."

What the hell!

...

"Wow, is this the new band signed by Yilan Media? The live rhythm is so explosive."

Xue Ruirui laughed with joy.

Beside her, Zhang Fan said helplessly, "Be careful."

He didn't want to let Xue Ruirui come to this kind of place, but he couldn't talk her out of it.

"Oh, don't look so grim. You're about to become a father. What if the child turns out like you in the future!"

Xue Ruirui reached out with both hands and pinched Zhang Fan's cheeks. "Smile, give me a smile..."

Zhang Fan smiled helplessly. "Listen to you. You're about to become a mother, yet you're still so energetic."

"Who told you that becoming a mother means you can't be young? I don't care. No matter how old I get, you are not allowed to disdain me!" Xue Ruirui huffed.

Zhang Fan raised his hand and said seriously, "I swear, I will absolutely never disdain you. In my heart, you will always be the most beautiful."

"S-suddenly getting so solemn for what?" Xue Ruirui's eyes turned slightly red.

This guy didn't know how to whisper sweet nothings, but inadvertently, he could always move her to tears.

Zhang Fan held Xue Ruirui's hand, the corners of his mouth rising into a faint smile.

When he was a child, his father died in a hospital riot, and his mother went mad.

He grew up at his grandfather's house; not an orphan, but close enough.

Later, his grandfather had no money for medical treatment.

He watched helplessly as his grandfather died of illness.

Zhang Fan had no affection for this world whatsoever.

He wanted to take revenge on the whole world... until he met Xue Ruirui.

For the first time, he truly felt the meaning of being alive.

Xue Ruirui's appearance was like a light, illuminating his dark and hopeless world.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Xue Ruirui laughed.

Zhang Fan looked at Xue Ruirui and said, "I was thinking, what should we name the child?"

"Don't tell me you're only thinking about this question now! I was thinking about it back when I first got pregnant." Xue Ruirui touched her protruding belly and smiled gently.

"Then have you decided on a name?" Zhang Fan asked softly.

Xue Ruirui shook her head and sighed. "No."

"It's okay, we still have a few months. We can think about it slowly."

Zhang Fan held Xue Ruirui's hand and said with a light laugh.

In a shadowy corner.

Two men were secretly watching Zhang Fan and Xue Ruirui, a vicious look emerging in their eyes.

"Damn it. We're out here living rough and sleeping on the streets, while this son of a bitch is hugging a pretty woman and canoodling right here!"

A man known as **Big Beard** said angrily.

The Poison Sect was originally established by Zhang Fan. They had finally managed to ride high for a while.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Fan withdrew just like that, plunging them back into the abyss once again.

This kind of anger was simply unbearable!

Now that they had finally found Zhang Fan, how could they let him off easy!

"Brother, what should the two of us do? How about..."

The other man, known as **Crew Cut**, revealed a sinister expression and made a throat-slitting gesture.

**Big Beard** glanced at him. "**Shan Pao**, can you beat Zhang Fan?"

Crew Cut said with a sinister expression, "Even if we can't beat Zhang Fan, surely we can handle his woman! I've already sent the signal. Our next move is..."

Thud!

Crew Cut collapsed to the ground.

Behind him appeared a young man with a cold, stern face, holding a T-shaped tonfa.

Big Beard's face changed abruptly, and he stumbled back two steps in fright. "You... who are you?"

"For people of the Poison Sect to dare strut around in public, you really have some nerve."

Lin Chen spoke icily, gripping his Cloud-Splitting Tonfa as he charged forward.