"Of course it's because I like you," Yi Anguo said without hesitation. "You're beautiful, you have an elegant demeanor, and you hold a Ph.D. in Finance and a Master of Laws. I admire you very much."

"I certainly hope you'll stay by my side, willingly become my woman. In return, I can provide you with a stage to fully showcase your talents.

"But the prerequisite for all of this is that it's only meaningful if you are willing. If you're reluctant and unwilling, there's no point in me forcing you to stay.

"You wouldn't genuinely want to help me or work for me, and I wouldn't dare to trust you fully. I'd worry that you harbor resentment and might seek revenge. I wouldn't be able to sleep soundly at night, wondering when you might take my life. Why would I put myself through that?

"Although you are indeed very beautiful, with enough money, it's not impossible to find women even more beautiful than you. Even top movie stars—if I have enough money, I can have them easily. So, why would I need to take that risk?

"Rather than risking keeping an unwilling woman like you by my side, I would much rather just spend money to hire someone more outstanding than you to work for me."

After a moment of silence, Ding Jing said, "Your goal is to completely conquer me. You want to possess not just my body but also my heart. You want to make me fall in love with you, to willingly stay by your side and be yours for a lifetime."

"You're right. That is my goal, and it's the best outcome I could hope for," Yi Anguo said candidly.

"Even if I were willing to stay with you and have your children, you still wouldn't marry me, would you?" Ding Jing asked again.

"To be honest, I've been deeply hurt by a woman before, so I have no plans to marry anyone," Yi Anguo said with a smile. "However, nothing is absolute. Perhaps one day, a woman will move me enough to make me change my mind and take her as my wife. It's not like I'm completely against marriage."

"I have a request! I hope you can agree to it," Ding Jing suddenly said.

"You can tell me, but I can't promise I'll agree," Yi Anguo replied with a nod.

"I hope that when the time comes, you can come with me to pick up my mother from the hospital and pretend to be my boyfriend. Can you do that?" Ding Jing asked, a rare, pleading look on her face.

"Can you tell me why?" Yi Anguo asked, not agreeing immediately.

"Because I told my mom I already have a boyfriend," Ding Jing said, looking a little embarrassed. "I told her the money for her surgery and to pay off my father's debts all came from him. I just said he was too busy with work to come visit her!"

"That way, when I come looking for you in the future and want to be with you, my mother won't get suspicious. I don't want her to know our relationship is just a transaction. Do you understand what I mean?"

Yi Anguo nodded. "I think I understand. I can play along, but you'll have to play along with me too, alright?"

"Play along with you? What do you need me to do?" Ding Jing asked, puzzled.

"Cooperate with me in being my woman, of course. Understand?" Yi Anguo said teasingly. "To play the part of your boyfriend well, shouldn't we practice a little first?"

"Does this really require practice?" Ding Jing asked, feeling a sudden, inexplicable nervousness.

"Of course it does. We're supposed to be a couple passionately in love. The way we interact has to be different from ordinary people. If we don't practice, your mother will easily see that something is off," Yi Anguo said, struggling to suppress a laugh.

"Then how should a couple in love act?" Ding Jing asked naively.

"A couple in love should be affectionate with each other. For example, hugging!" As Yi Anguo spoke, he suddenly pulled Ding Jing into his arms. "Couples in love hug each other often."

"And also..."

Yi Anguo held Ding Jing tighter and leaned in to kiss her.

"Couples who are deeply in love often can't resist kissing each other."

"You should be actively responding to me, not keeping your lips pressed so tightly together. Don't tell me you don't even know how to kiss?" Yi Anguo asked, exasperated.

"I'm sorry! I... I've never kissed anyone before," Ding Jing said nervously.

"Then listen to me. I'll teach you. Just do as I say," Yi Anguo instructed patiently.

「A few days later.」

Yi Anguo accompanied Ding Jing to pick up her mother from the hospital, moving her into a residence at Blue Coast Phase Three.

Ding Jing's mother, Bai Meizhen, was a woman of about fifty. Although she was still recovering from a serious illness and had not yet returned to her former self, it was easy to see that in her youth, she must have resembled Ding Jing. She was a tall woman with a slender figure.

Yi Anguo's performance deeply impressed Bai Meizhen, who was thoroughly satisfied with her daughter's boyfriend. Heaven hasn't been unfair to me and my daughter, she thought with a sigh of relief. Even though my husband died, left behind considerable debt, and I fell gravely ill, I thought we were headed for a tragic end. I was even prepared to take my own life to lessen my daughter's burden. But now, she has found such a good man. He not only paid for my surgery and cured me but also cleared all of my husband's debts.

Seeing her daughter with such a wonderful match, protected by such a good man, Bai Meizhen finally felt a sense of peace and security.

Upon her discharge, her daughter's boyfriend took the time to pick her up personally, busying himself with everything without complaint or fear of hard work. It's true what they say about a mother-in-law appraising her son-in-law—the more you look, the more you like him! Bai Meizhen thought delightedly.

After everything was settled, Yi Anguo said his goodbyes and left. The moment he was gone, Bai Meizhen took her daughter's hand.

"How far have you and Anguo progressed? Haven't you two been together yet?"

"Mom! We..." Ding Jing was at a loss for words.

"Sigh! My dear daughter, your mother has seen it all. I can tell that Yi Anguo is a rare find. Don't be foolish and let a man this good slip through your fingers. You'll regret it when it's too late," Bai Meizhen said, her anxiety for her daughter palpable. "Good men are in high demand. If you put on airs and aren't more proactive, another woman might just snatch him away."

"You're not getting any younger, and you don't have many advantages over those younger girls. You're very beautiful, yes, but there are plenty of women out there who are even more beautiful..."

Yi Anguo had no idea that Bai Meizhen was already so eager for him to become her son-in-law. After returning to his newly opened real estate agency in Blue Coast Phase Three, located in the former sales office, he turned on his computer to check on his state-owned stock holdings.

In late August and early September, Yi Anguo had once again purchased 5.8 million shares of National Liquor stock at an average price of 28.79 yuan per share, for a total market value of 167 million yuan.

Nearly two months had passed, and the stock price had risen again to 40.60 yuan, bringing his total assets to over 235 million yuan. Of course, he wouldn't get that exact amount upon selling. Even if the average selling price was two yuan lower per share, he would still have over 220 million yuan, netting a profit of nearly 50 million yuan—an excellent return.

The next few days were going to be busy. The current daily trading volume was only in the tens of millions of yuan, so he couldn't sell off his shares too aggressively.

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