If we swapped lives, I'd be the CEO and you'd take care of the kids.

After the meal, and after several rounds of traditional Chinese hospitality negotiations with the two business partners, Zhu Tingyue finally got the right to pay the bill.

After seeing the two off, Shi Yuan exhaled a deep breath, as if he wanted to expel all the weariness in his heart with that breath.

At this moment, Shi Yuan felt as if the meal he had just eaten was like going through a long and arduous battle, and he was completely exhausted.

However, in stark contrast to him, Shen Yanqiu remained completely calm and composed throughout.

Even in the face of such a silent situation, and it could even be said that this somewhat awkward atmosphere was entirely caused by "him".

But Shen Yanqiu showed no discomfort or embarrassment whatsoever.

He sat there quietly, his expression calm and serene, as if everything happening around him had nothing to do with him.

"Don't you want to say something?"

Shi Yuan, feeling weak and listless, began to attack "Shen Yanqiu".

"What did you say?" Zhu Tingyue looked completely innocent, her eyes wide and blinking rapidly.

Seeing "him" like this, Shi Yuan got goosebumps all over his body. He jumped back a long distance and shouted, "Shen Yanqiu, close your eyes! I'm straight, straighter than steel! Don't try that on me!"

"What does it matter to me whether you're straight or not? What's wrong with me having my eyes open? Is it illegal?"

Zhu Tingyue found him baffling. She wasn't blind, so why couldn't she open her eyes?

"No, you may be gay, but I'm not. I'm still a respectable married man! I'm an innocent person, and you can't defile me!"

He was so excited that his voice didn't drop at all, attracting a lot of attention.

The stares of passersby made him feel ashamed, so he grabbed Zhu Tingyue and ran to the car like lightning, closing the door tightly.

"What's wrong? Say what you have to say. Don't pull and shove in public."

He even claimed to be gay. Why would a grown man like him pull him along? Sure enough, people with ulterior motives see everything as dirty!

"Who was pulling or tugging at you? Can you stop lying through your teeth?"

Zhu Tingyue gestured with her eyes to his hand on her sleeve. Wasn't that obvious enough?

Shi Yuan let go as if he had been electrocuted, and wiped his hands on his clothes repeatedly, as if they had gotten dirty.

Like a startled rabbit, he quickly changed the subject, asking in a slightly trembling voice, "Where's the invoice?"

The person on the other end looked blank and asked in confusion, "What invoice?"

He raised his voice, sounding somewhat anxious, and said, "It's the receipt for the meal! Didn't you issue it?"

Zhu Tingyue's eyes widened, as if she had heard a question from the West, and she exclaimed in surprise, "You need a receipt for a meal?"

He was so angry he almost jumped up, pointing at the other person and yelling, "How can I reimburse you without an invoice? The company has regulations, you know!"

Zhu Tingyue, however, still wore an incredulous expression, muttering to herself, "Reimbursement?"

This was the first time Zhu Tingyue had heard of such a thing. Before, she either didn't have to pay or just swiped her card; no one had ever told her to get an invoice.

Shi Yuan was speechless. He glanced at her helplessly and couldn't help but roll his eyes at her all at once, a whole meal's worth of eye rolls.

"Company policy dictates that expenses must be reimbursed upon presentation of an invoice. Have you forgotten?"

Shi Yuan rolled his eyes so hard they twitched, but he finally gave up. He was still annoyed with Zhu Tingyue, wondering why he was so unlucky to run into such a dense blockhead.

"No, I was just in too much of a rush, so I won't be opening it this time," Zhu Tingyue quickly tried to salvage the situation.

"You're not going to open it this time? Don't think you can get away with it just because you're the boss. I disagree. We should set an example and not set a precedent." He spoke righteously and firmly against it.

"I didn't say I wanted reimbursement! Since no invoice was issued this time, I won't claim it!"

Zhu Tingyue didn't take it seriously. It was just a meal; she couldn't afford it.

Shi Yuan couldn't believe what he was hearing and leaned closer to Zhu Tingyue to ask, "How much did this meal cost?"

Zhu Tingyue leaned back in her chair, avoiding his close-up head, and answered his question in a calm voice: "It's alright, a little over three thousand."

"What?" Shi Yuan's voice boomed like thunder, making Zhu Tingyue's ears ring. "A meal cost over three thousand? Was it made of gold?"

"Don't you know whether it's gold or not?" Zhu Tingyue retorted to Shi Yuan, the person involved. "You didn't mind the price when you were eating it, what's the point of saying it now?"

Shi Yuan was stumped by her question and whispered in his defense, "I... I didn't expect it to be so expensive. How about this, I'll split the cost with you."

Zhu Tingyue wasn't a stingy person, and quickly declined his offer: "No need, I can do it myself."

Shi Yuan disagreed, shaking his head repeatedly, and said, "Where would you get the money? Your rich girlfriend isn't exactly generous. Let me tell you, we may be poor, but we're not poor in spirit. We can't lose face in front of her. I'll pay for it. You can keep your money for yourself. Don't let people look down on us."

How can this be considered praising one while belittling the other? Who said I'm not generous? I've never cared about these material things, okay?

She rolled her eyes at him and said coldly, "Stop talking nonsense and drive."

Shi Yuan started the car, his mouth still running: "Don't think I'm exaggerating and lying to you. Those rich heiresses are really annoying. They always like to play games with people. You'd better be careful not to get fooled by them!"

He spoke with such confidence and knowledge that Zhu Tingyue became slightly suspicious. She tilted her head and asked him, "How do you know so much about it? How exactly do they lie to people?"

"You haven't seen enough. They love to deceive the feelings of innocent young men like us. Sleeping with us isn't enough; they steal our hearts too. Once they've had their fun, they just wave their sleeves and casually say they don't like us, and that's it. Tell me, aren't they scumbags?"

Shi Yuan was quite indignant, and his long speech was full of genuine feelings, which made Zhu Tingyue even more curious.

"Have you been played?"

Startled by the question, Shi Yuan glanced at her briefly before falling silent.

Zhu Tingyue wouldn't give up, looking at him eagerly, her gossipy heart itching all over.

She said to Shi Yuan, "You tell me, I don't know him, I won't tell anyone."

Shi Yuan remained unmoved, not even glancing at her, focusing on driving and ignoring her words.

"Shi Yuan, handsome Shi, tell me about it. I want to learn from your experience. Given our relationship, can you really bear to see me get scammed?" Zhu Tingyue persisted, determined to get to the bottom of it.

Shi Yuan was so bothered by her that he couldn't take it anymore. He took a deep breath, paused for a long time, and then said, "I told you, you can't tell anyone else."

Zhu Tingyue raised three fingers as if swearing an oath, assuring him, "Don't worry, I will never tell a third person!"

She looked at Shi Yuan with such sincerity, and Shi Yuan closed his eyes, steeled his heart, and still told her his story.