The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

As dusk fell, Chen Dong and Wang Hao drove back to Jiangzhou. An Ruoling and her female bodyguard had joined their party, while Wang Caifu had stayed behind.

Wang Caifu's family was from Tianjiang, so after seeing that Liang Shiyu was doing well, he had no reason to return to Jiangzhou. Furthermore, Tang Dan had promised him a high-paying job, so he remained in Tianjiang to work under him.

An Ruoling's treatment could not be interrupted. Chen Dong thought traveling back and forth between the two cities would be a hassle, so he suggested she return with him, which explained the current scene.

The female bodyguard accompanying An Ruoling was named An Qiu. An Ruoling called her Sister Qiu, and there was more to her than met the eye.

She looked to be in her thirties, though her actual age was likely older. With a sallow complexion and sharp eyebrows, she wasn't conventionally beautiful, but her figure was lithe and her limbs were tough and powerful. Her Dantian overflowed with True Qi—she was a Grandmaster.

To have a Grandmaster as a bodyguard showed that An Ruoling's family was anything but ordinary.

After dropping An Ruoling off to stay at the Jiangzhou Hotel, Wang Hao then drove Chen Dong to Li Manor.

By the time Chen Dong returned to Li Manor, the sky had grown completely dark.

In the first-floor living room, Shen Gong was alone, watching television.

Shen Gong, still bruised and swollen, looked terrified upon seeing Chen Dong. He shot to his feet and stammered, "D-don't hit me! I was very well-behaved today. When Huiran came back, I rode in the bodyguards' car in the back. I didn't take your seat."

Chen Dong chuckled. "See? That's what I call well-behaved. As long as you listen, I won't hit you."

Shen Gong nodded hurriedly. "I'll listen. I'll be very obedient." He then scrambled back to his guest room, abandoning the television.

Chen Dong went up to the second floor. Li Huiran wasn't in her bedroom. As he passed the study, he heard the three members of the Li Family still in discussion. He paid them no mind and went to take a shower and go to sleep.

Inside the study, the three members of the Li Family wore troubled expressions.

Li Jianwen said furiously, "I went to see Liu Qi today. He's simply gone too far!"

"What happened?" Li Huiran asked.

"He's willing to sell us the materials, but at ten times the usual price! He even said to take it or leave it!"

Ten times the price for construction materials would guarantee a devastating loss.

As experts in the construction industry, Li Huiran and Li Qinghe would never accept such a price, and they both furrowed their brows tightly.

Li Qinghe asked, "What about the small-scale construction material retailers?"

Li Huiran shook her head. "Those small-time suppliers can't possibly meet our demand. Besides, many of them know we're the Li Clan and flat-out refuse to sell to us. They source their materials almost exclusively from Liu Qi, and selling to us would mean offending him."

"Even getting sand and gravel has become a problem. The supply from those small factories is substandard; it's barely good enough for paving roads. If we can't secure materials soon, all of our projects will have to shut down tomorrow."

Li Jianwen also pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "A shutdown of one or two days is manageable, but if it lasts any longer..." He ended with a heavy sigh.

Li Qinghe tapped the table. "Then our only choice is to source materials from farther away."

Li Huiran nodded. "I've already scheduled a meeting with a major supplier from Tianjiang City to discuss it tomorrow."

"Let's just hope they don't try to rip us off too."

When Li Huiran returned to her room, she saw Chen Dong already asleep on his mattress on the floor. "How did things go with the compensation money?" she asked, concerned.

His back was to Li Huiran, and without even opening his eyes, Chen Dong replied, "It's handled."

Li Huiran didn't press the matter.

A moment later, Chen Dong heard the sound of clothes rustling nearby. Puzzled, he turned his head to look and was instantly stunned.

He saw Li Huiran's graceful, slender back as her hands reached behind her, preparing to undo the clasp.

With a deft movement of her slender, beautiful hands, her last remaining undergarment fell away.

Her back alone was a vision of breathtaking elegance.

Li Huiran had been utterly exhausted these past two days. Just yesterday, she had been dealing with the bank loan, and today she had spent the entire day running around to various construction material suppliers.

She normally would have gone to the bathroom to change into her pajamas, but she was simply too tired to walk the few extra steps. Considering she was a bit of a germaphobe, the fact that she was too exhausted to even want to shower spoke volumes.

After changing into her pajamas, Li Huiran saw that Chen Dong was still facing away, curled up as if asleep. She didn't think much of it, though she couldn't help but feel a little shy and nervous. She never would have changed in front of him if she hadn't thought he was sound asleep.

That feeling vanished the moment her head hit the pillow, and she drifted into a deep sleep.

In her dream, Li Huiran found herself with a dapper gentleman on a white horse, galloping across a boundless, multicolored prairie. Countless crimson butterflies danced in the air around them.

The horse gradually slowed to a stop, and the gentleman lifted her down. She took his arm, and they strolled along the shore of a lake. She felt a genuine, deep-seated happiness. The gentleman kissed her hand and proposed. Just as she was about to accept, she finally saw his face clearly. It was Chen Dong.

She snapped awake!

It was already morning, and Xia Yi was outside her door, calling her for breakfast.

Li Huiran felt as though her beautiful dream had turned into a nightmare. She vigorously rubbed her groggy head. When she looked down, she saw that Chen Dong was gone and his floor mattress had already been tidied up.

It left her feeling frustrated with no one to blame.

After breakfast, the two of them headed to the company as usual.

The moment Chen Dong arrived at the general affairs office, Xu Qing brought him some pastries she had prepared, along with a freshly brewed cup of tea.

This only confirmed what Wang Hao, who was standing nearby, had been thinking. Wanting a clear answer, he even went over to ask Xu Qing, "Are you and Brother Dong...?"

Before Wang Hao could finish his question, Xu Qing blushed and ran away.

Xu Qing did, in fact, have a secret crush on Chen Dong. Ever since that time at the KTV, she had often fantasized, 'How wonderful would it be if Chen Dong was actually my boyfriend?'