Although Yi Anguo wasn't a celebrity chaser, he knew a few stars who were too famous to ignore. After all, entertainment news was the media's favorite topic to hype, making it nearly impossible not to be aware of it.

Even after becoming wealthy, he had never thought of following celebrities. He had just never expected to become involved with a future superstar under such circumstances.

In his previous life, there were very few scandals about Zhao Liying, and even when rumors surfaced, they were quickly proven false. It wasn't until 2018 that she married and had a child, only to announce her divorce just three years later. However, Yi Anguo had no way of knowing if, on this very day in his past life, Zhao Liying had gone through something similar. He didn't know if that other man had taken advantage of her, or if his own rebirth had altered the trajectory of her fate. An incident like this had simply never occurred in his previous life, leaving him completely uncertain.

But now, through a coincidence, Zhao Liying had become his woman. He had to decide how to handle their relationship. Would she be willing to follow his arrangements? Or should he just walk away now, pretending he had never met Zhao Liying and that nothing had happened between them?

No, this won't do. Zhao Liying is already my woman; how can I act like nothing has happened? Yi Anguo immediately rejected the thought. The idea of my woman becoming someone else's wife, the mother of another man's children, makes me burn with jealousy.

Once, a woman named Wang Liping had left him for another man. Yi Anguo hadn't said much, but he had been deeply upset. Back then, he had no skills or money and was powerless to keep her, forced to simply watch her walk away.

But things are different now. I have money and status. Am I really going to watch my woman become someone else's? If Zhao Liying wasn't a virgin, if I wasn't her first man, then it would be one thing. But the fact is, she was, and I am. Under these circumstances, I really can't just let her go. What's the big deal, anyway? Doesn't Zhao Liying love acting? I'll just invest in her career and let her act to her heart's content.

Once he had sorted this out, Yang Hai arrived with the clothes. Yi Anguo simply got back into bed, cuddling with Zhao Liying to get a little more sleep.

When Yi Anguo woke up, Zhao Liying was no longer beside him, but he could faintly hear the sound of running water from the bathroom. A stir in his heart, Yi Anguo got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.

"Ah! What are you doing? Get out right now!"

Zhao Liying was vigorously washing her body when she was startled by a man walking in—a man who was also stark naked. She quickly grabbed a bath towel to cover her chest and shouted at him to leave.

"Who was it that clung to me so tightly last night, not letting me go?" Yi Anguo leaned against the bathroom doorway, a helpless expression on his face. "Now that you've had your way with me, you want to just toss me aside? You can't be that irresponsible!"

"I...! So what do you want? You're a man, you didn't lose anything," Zhao Liying said, her eyes darting away guiltily. She had some vague memories of what happened last night. But thinking about how her innocence, preserved for twenty-one years, had been ruined in a single night, she was clearly the one who had lost out. So why did he look like he was the one who had been terribly wronged?

"Who says a man doesn't lose anything?" Yi Anguo said, amused. "By your logic, should I be thrilled any time a woman wants to sleep with me? When a man forces a woman, it's a crime—it's rape. But when a woman forces a man, it's nothing at all? The man is even considered lucky? We're not only supposed to not blame you but actually thank you for it. Is that how it works?"

Zhao Liying was at a loss for words. "Then what do you want? Are you going to call the police?"

"The police? That's an idea. I could also call the reporters. Then tomorrow's headlines would read: '18th-Tier Actress Zhao Liying Forces Man to Sleep with Her, Then Abandons Him After Having Her Way.'" Yi Anguo nodded, feigning a sudden realization.

"You...! What do you want? How do you expect me to take responsibility?" Zhao Liying was on the verge of tears. If he really called the police, if reporters found out, if this became a headline, she would rather die. How could she live with the shame? Her acting career would be over.

"Simple. Help me wash, and to be fair, I'll help you wash," Yi Anguo said with a smile. "Since I'm already yours, you'll be my woman from now on, and I'll be your man. That way, neither of us loses out!"

"No way! We don't even know each other. There are no feelings between us, how can we be together!" Zhao Liying protested.

"We weren't close before, but aren't we intimate now? There's a piece of you in me, and a piece of me in you," Yi Anguo retorted shamelessly.

Faced with Yi Anguo's shamelessness, Zhao Liying had no choice but to surrender. She definitely didn't want the police involved, and even less did she want him to call the media. Besides giving in to him, she had no other option. This surrender, of course, went far beyond simple bathing; he couldn't help himself. The youthful and beautiful Zhao Liying was simply too tempting for Yi Anguo.

It was in that moment that Yi Anguo truly understood why the emperors of old would forsake their morning court duties. Even Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, who faced political upheaval with enemies both within and without, spent a full three days and nights with Chen Yuanyuan, one of the Four Great Beauties, upon their first meeting.

While not as extreme, Yi Anguo and Zhao Liying remained passionately entangled for a day and two nights until she was thoroughly conquered.

Zhao Liying had never imagined that a random man she encountered would turn out to be a super-rich tycoon. More importantly, she could feel that Yi Anguo was genuinely good to her—sincerely so. Apart from being a bit too greedy and insatiably demanding, he was incredibly gentle with her. She found herself sinking deep into his tenderness, unable to pull away, unable to hate him in the slightest.

Thinking it over, she realized that aside from his age—he was a full fourteen years her senior—Yi Anguo was actually quite handsome and tall, a good six feet, which was tall even for a northerner. He was also incredibly gentle and knew how to dote on her. Zhao Liying discovered that, unconsciously, she was beginning to like him.

At first, when Yi Anguo told her he was going to start a film and television company to invest in dramas, hire famous directors, cast her as the lead to make her famous, and sign her as the brand ambassador for Huaxing smartphones, Zhao Liying thought he was joking. He certainly looked rich—anyone who could afford a five-star hotel couldn't be poor—but when she learned that he was the owner of Huaxing Company, she could no longer remain calm.

"Are you already married with children? When you say you like me, you just want to keep me as your mistress, don't you?" Zhao Liying asked, her tone serious and stern.

"I don't want to keep you as my mistress," Yi Anguo said, shaking his head. "If you don't like me, I won't force you to stay by my side."

"So... you really *are* already married then?" For some reason, Zhao Liying felt a pang in her heart as she asked this.

"No! I'm not married. I have never been married."

"Really?" Zhao Liying asked in disbelief, unaware that her heart was beginning to race with excitement.

"I have no reason to lie to you," Yi Anguo stated confidently.

"I think... I'm really starting to fall for you."

With that, Zhao Liying took the initiative, stepping forward to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him passionately.

"Ah! ...Stop! Haven't you had enough yet?"

"Never. I feel like a lifetime won't be enough."

"If you were an emperor in ancient times, you'd definitely be a fatuous one."

"And if I were a fatuous emperor, you'd be the femme fatale who brings ruin to the country."

"Alright! Stop it, I can't take it anymore. Please, spare me!"

「A few days later.」

Zhao Liying announced the termination of her contract with her former agency. For a minor artist at her level, the penalty for breaking the contract was not substantial. Subsequently, she established her own studio in Shenzhen. Huaxing Communications Company then announced that they had signed Zhao Liying as the brand ambassador for Huaxing smartphones.

Zhao Liying's pure and elegant image, holding a Huaxing smartphone, soon appeared across all major media outlets. Her fame skyrocketed, and she became a familiar face to countless people across the country.

"This Zhao Liying girl has a very nice image and temperament. Where did you find her?" Hu Jing asked Yi Anguo as she watched the Huaxing phone commercial on TV.

"How would I know? I rarely get involved in Huaxing Company's affairs," Yi Anguo feigned ignorance.

"That's true," Hu Jing nodded with a sigh. "You don't get involved with any of the companies. You just focus on making money and investing, leaving everything else alone."

"How could I manage everything if I had to oversee the minutiae of each company?" Yi Anguo said with a smile. "I just need to manage the overall direction. I can't possibly handle the specific management myself. Besides, even if I tried, I wouldn't know what I was doing, so I don't interfere and give nonsensical orders."

Hu Jing nodded. "If you don't understand, then I certainly don't either. I've also stopped meddling in the company's day-to-day management. However, tomorrow is the grand opening of the 1,000th Anjing Convenience Store. As the company's vice chairman, I have to be there. You're the chairman. If you aren't busy, shouldn't you attend as well?"

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