She looked at Lu Man, her eyes soft and vulnerable, and asked in a low voice, "Sister Man Man, can... can this really work?"

Seeing Yu Qiao Qiao take the bait, Lu Man said with a giggly smile, "Of course, it can."

She glanced at the kitchen door, quickly walked over, locked it firmly, and then returned to Yu Qiao Qiao's side to pick up the now-set chocolate on the table.

Then, right in front of Yu Qiao Qiao, she pulled down her own neckline and placed it into her cleavage.

After placing it, she arched her chest, and the chocolate was immediately clamped half inside, with half peeking out.

Then she switched on her acting skills, imitating Yu Qiao Qiao's weak, cute, Meng Meng-like demeanor, her cheeks slightly lowered, her gaze lifting, and in a frail voice she said, "Chen, Chen Yan, do you want to eat the chocolate I made with my own hands...?"

It had to be said, ever since Chen Yan had been feeding Lu Man the Professional Talent Potion non-stop, her innate acting talent visibly improved.

And what is called a talent?

That is, without effort, being able to achieve what ordinary people strive hard for.

A mere effort leads to improvements that can leave ordinary people in despair.

Chen Yan, in order to help Lu Man achieve her dream, truly gave her a lot of the Professional Talent Potion.

Therefore, even though she had never played Yu Qiao Qiao before, her impersonation was uncannily accurate.

Furthermore, perhaps because of her own stunning charm, the Yu Qiao Qiao she portrayed not only had vulnerability but also a hint of coquettishness, and she seemed even cuter than Yu Qiao Qiao herself by a mile.

This left Yu Qiao Qiao staring in a daze for a moment.

She was stunned for a good two to three seconds before coming to her senses, and couldn't help but sincerely compliment, "Sister Man Man, you're so pretty..."

Lu Man, who was always shameless and cheeky, actually blushed a little when she heard Yu Qiao Qiao's praise.

Then she pretended to be calm, coughed, and steered the conversation back to the main topic.

She took the chocolate out from her cleavage and asked, "How's that? Have you learned it?"

Yu Qiao Qiao came back to her senses, glanced at the chocolate in Lu Man's hand, and weakly asked, "But, Sister Man Man, what if the chocolate doesn't stick out?"

Hearing Yu Qiao Qiao's question, Lu Man was taken aback for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Why wouldn't it stick out?"

Yu Qiao Qiao took the chocolate from Lu Man's hand, then, imitating Lu Man's actions, she opened her neckline and placed the chocolate inside.

The half-exposed chocolate in Lu Man's possession was completely enveloped with ease by Yu Qiao Qiao. Then she looked at Lu Man with her doe-like eyes...

Lu Man: ...

That was careless.

Forgot about Qiao Qiao's talents.

Yu Qiao Qiao continued after a while, and in a soft voice added, "Also, Sister Man Man, chocolate tends to melt easily when it's placed here..."

"If it melts, what should I do?"

"Should I also place a few ice cubes in there?"

Lu Man: ???

If she didn't know Yu Qiao Qiao's subdued nature, Lu Man would have suspected that Yu Qiao Qiao was bragging.

Look at what she's saying.

Others can't even hold onto half, and she wrapped up the whole piece – even suggesting she could fit in a few ice cubes...

Wasn't she afraid of driving people to their graves!

But, to be fair, Lu Man had actually considered Yu Qiao Qiao's concern.

So after mentally complaining, she looked at Yu Qiao Qiao and explained, "Don't worry about the melting. It's actually better if it melts."

Saying this, she reached into Yu Qiao Qiao's cleavage, and amidst Yu Qiao Qiao's gasps of surprise, retrieved the piece of chocolate.

Indeed, after the body warmth of both, the edges of the chocolate had melted.

Lu Man, mimicking Chen Yan's actions and expressions, sniffed the chocolate that carried the scent of both their femininity, took a bite, and said, "So delicious."

After finishing, she copied Chen Yan's mannerisms, gave a sideways glance at the brown chocolate stain above Yu Qiao Qiao's chest, licked her lips, and said, "I didn't expect to find some here, too. I can't let this go to waste..."

She then leaned in closer to Yu Qiao Qiao, who had panicked eyes, as if she was about to perform the act of plucking chocolate from between her breasts.

Yu Qiao Qiao, her face already red enough to bleed, jitterily placed her hands on her chest, wanting to block but also feeling it impolite to do so since Lu Man was teaching her. She was momentarily unsure of what to do.

Fortunately, Lu Man stopped as she reached Yu Qiao Qiao's chest.

Then she lifted her head, looked at Yu Qiao Qiao, and asked, "Did you learn it?"

Yu Qiao Qiao quickly nodded her head frantically in response.

Lu Man handed her a tissue to wipe herself off, then said, "Okay, I've taught you everything you need to know. You continue making it."

Pausing as if she remembered something, she added, "By the way, if Chen Yan doesn't take the initiative in the second step, you need to be proactive."

Yu Qiao Qiao, looking confused, asked, "How do I be proactive?"

Lu Man gently tapped her on the head and said, "Are you silly? You just..."

She struck a slightly sultry pose, then gesturing towards an "imaginary Chen Yan," she coyly beckoned with her finger, saying, "Oh no, the chocolate has melted. Then why don't you... have the melted chocolate with me..."

Hearing Lu Man's words, Yu Qiao Qiao's face turned bright red, and her head started emitting steam as she exclaimed, "Oh, my goodness!"

Lu Man, seeing Yu Qiao Qiao's adorable reaction, laughed even more happily. She lifted Yu Qiao Qiao's chin, gave her a wink, and cheered, "Go for it. I'm rooting for you."

Yu Qiao Qiao blushed even more, and more steam appeared above her head...

After "instructing" Yu Qiao Qiao, Lu Man left the kitchen feeling elated.

She thought she was indeed quite clever.

She not only came up with the New Year's gift idea for Yu Qiao Qiao but also prepared her own gift.

One "gift" served two purposes – could there be a more worthwhile deal?

Thinking this, she left the kitchen with pride, planning to check on Chen Yan, that gift-receiver, to see what he was up to and if he was thinking of her.

However, as she left the kitchen and walked towards Chen Yan, Lu Man strangely felt like the ultimate playboy: rushing between two people, not wanting to neglect either...

Yep, just like Chen Yan. Pfft!

While mentally disparaging Chen Yan, Lu Man headed to the living room.

Upon arriving, Chen Yan was still watching TV.

Lu Man walked over, sat down, and Chen Yan glanced up at her.

For some reason, Lu Man always felt that Chen Yan's look was somewhat strange.

It was as if he knew the surprise gift she had planned.

But she had checked—when she left, Chen Yan was not by the kitchen door.

And looking at where Chen Yan was sitting now, she recalled his spot when she had left and thought it should be the same.

What's up with Chen Yan...?

...

Indeed, Chen Yan didn't know about the surprise gift Lu Man had for him.

Although he had his tricks, they weren't infallible. He couldn't have heard the conversation between Lu Man and Yu Qiao Qiao without moving.

He looked so odd because although he didn't know the gifts from Lu Man and Yu Qiao Qiao, he did know what had happened at the party that night.

Just now, when Chen Yan asked Lu Man about the party, he was trying to get her to recall the events so he could take the opportunity to listen in with the "Heart's Headphones."

During this time, he had also tried similar tactics with the other three women.

But after the party, Zhao Ying had gone to Tiandu, and Chen Yan hadn't had the chance to ask her anything.

And Yang Rou always paid close attention and was very restrained. Chen Yan had never been able to get much out of her using the "Heart's Headphones" before, and it was the same this time.

Therefore, Chen Yan's only breakthrough point was He Mengxue.

Weirdly enough, no matter how Chen Yan probed during this period, He Mengxue was unwilling to think back on that night.

At that time, Chen Yan faintly guessed that maybe something happened that night that made He Mengxue unwilling to recollect.

So, after hitting walls with the other women, he could only turn to Lu Man to understand the truth about that day's party.

And sure enough, Lu Man did not disappoint Chen Yan. Guided by him, Lu Man recalled the events of that night, and Chen Yan finally learned everything that happened.

However, because of this, Chen Yan felt he had somewhat "underestimated" Lu Man.

This goofball, although a bit reckless, actually had her delicate moments.

She handled the situation so beautifully that Chen Yan hadn't expected it to be so simple.

That was precisely why Chen Yan looked at Lu Man a bit oddly.

He wasn't thinking she was problematic as Lu Man supposed, but he was surprised by her cleverness: who would have thought a goofball could be so smart…

…

Because she couldn't guess what Chen Yan was thinking, Lu Man deliberately sat a bit farther from him, to avoid a sudden "onslaught" from him.

Seeing this, Chen Yan thought she was worried about being too close, which Yu Qiao Qiao might see.

So, he didn't mind it. Instead, he took the initiative to start a conversation, saying, "Man Man, have you felt like you've been getting smarter lately?"

Without even thinking, Lu Man quickly shook her head.

"Not at all. Not in the slightest."

Chen Yan grew curious. How come she didn't accept his compliment?

So he couldn't help but ask, "Why not?"

Lu Man said, "If I were smart, I should have stayed away from you, a fickle-hearted fellow. But now, I'm still trying to make you happy in every possible way. Where's the smart in that?"

Chen Yan: ...

At that moment, Chen Yan actually found himself at a loss for words.

Because, strangely, she made sense…

Blocked by Lu Man's words, Chen Yan became even more convinced that Lu Man's intelligence had indeed increased.

He planned to study the potion after some time to see if it truly had cognitive-enhancing effects…

In this way, the three of them spent the afternoon together, one busy in the kitchen and two chatting and watching TV in the living room.

For dinner, with Yu Qiao Qiao around, there was no cause for worry.

Yu Qiao Qiao's cooking skills had always been good, and they became even better after she lived with Chen Yan and Zhao Ying.

So, taking care of dinner for three was no problem at all.

Thus, after eating takeaways for N days, Lu Man finally had a home-cooked meal that was flavorful and delicious.

This made her eyes redden as she ate, as she expressed homesickness and said she wanted to go home for the New Year to spend quality time with her parents.

Normally, as a top celebrity, Lu Man would be very busy during the New Year period.

But she was the boss's wife, after all.

If she wanted a holiday, there weren't many in the company who dared to stop her.

And Chen Yan certainly didn't dare.

So, during dinner, Chen Yan agreed to her request for leave.

However, this goofball Lu Man clearly didn't understand what gratitude was.

Right after Chen Yan had agreed to her leave, she used the excuse of being tired and in need of rest to mercilessly kick them both out of the villa after dinner.

Yu Qiao Qiao knew the reason Lu Man kicked them out, so she blushed and went to gather her things.

Chen Yan, on the other hand, was baffled, not knowing what that goofball was up to this time…

Perhaps sensing Chen Yan's confusion while "sending off" both of them, Lu Man deliberately pulled Chen Yan back so that he was one step behind Yu Qiao Qiao.

As she was about to close the door, Lu Man quietly whispered to Chen Yan, "Happy New Year. I hope you like my gift."

Lu Man's head-scratching comment left Chen Yan completely bewildered. He was just about to reach out and ask Lu Man for the gift, but Lu Man had already slammed the door shut.

Chen Yan: ...

So what's the gift?

A brush-off?

Chen Yan was even more baffled.

But as confused as he was, there was another woman waiting for him ahead.

So, Chen Yan couldn't dwell on it and had to hurry to catch up with Yu Qiao Qiao.

Walking ahead, Yu Qiao Qiao, sensing Chen Yan's odd behavior, curiously asked after he caught up, "What's wrong, Chen Yan?"

Chen Yan gave an "oh" and casually found an excuse, "It's nothing. I just think Lu Man was acting a bit weird, so I got curious."

Hearing Chen Yan's response, Yu Qiao Qiao, who knew the truth, felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks.

Then in a voice as soft as a mosquito's, she said, "Maybe, maybe she's just tired."

Chen Yan gave Yu Qiao Qiao a puzzled look, feeling that this girl seemed to know something.

He was tempted to use "Heart's Headphones" to listen into Yu Qiao Qiao's thoughts but felt it would be rather dull to use it for everything.

So, in the end, he chose not to cheat.

The three of them actually lived not too far from each other, forming a stable triangle around the company.

Hence, leaving Lu Man's place, with the night just right, they didn't hail a taxi but instead walked hand in hand slowly along the road.

As they walked, Yu Qiao Qiao looked up at Chen Yan, and after another glance, she softly asked, "Chen Yan, I heard from Phoenix that you've been very busy lately and also not in a good mood."

"Is there something going on with the company?"

Hearing Yu Qiao Qiao's question, Chen Yan couldn't help but think of the phone call he received from Zhao Xuan today, mentioning Zhang Yonghao's situation.

He wanted to vent to Yu Qiao Qiao, but also didn't want to trouble her with his problems, so he hesitated for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, no."

"Just busy and a bit tired."

"It'll be better after a while."

But Yu Qiao Qiao didn't believe him. Using her deer-like sparkling eyes, she earnestly said, "Chen Yan, if something's up, you must tell me, okay? I can help you."

Hearing Yu Qiao Qiao's words, Chen Yan couldn't help but laugh.

This silly girl.

How could she help with problems even he found difficult to resolve?

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