"There are no 'buts'. Go if you want to. You can never earn all the money in the world. And now that you don't have the pressure of rent, it's okay to go out and relax once in a while."

Song Mai was already conflicted, and after hearing his advice, she couldn't help but be tempted.

Are you free next week?

She figured it was a trip for two, so there was no reason for her to go alone. After all, he was her husband in name only and had helped her so much. It wouldn't hurt for him to go on a trip with her if he had the time.

If he's not available, you can ask Lin Ran; if Lin Ran is willing to take time off, they can go together.

The man pretended to open his phone and glanced at his now-empty schedule.

"available."

Song Mai's eyes lit up: "Can we go together?"

Seeing the woman's delighted expression, the man's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

"good."

Once she made the decision, Song Mai quickly claimed her prize and took leave from work.

Ever since she was promoted, Fang Yu has disliked her in every way and has been looking for an opportunity to cause her trouble. However, she is always thorough in her work and is also a deputy manager, so no matter how uncomfortable Fang Yu feels, he can't do anything about it.

Now that she needs to take a week off so as not to get in Fang Yu's way, Fang Yu is naturally more than happy to do so and agrees without hesitation.

However, Zheng Yao reacted strongly when she heard it.

She sat up abruptly in bed, her beautiful eyes flashing with anger.

Why didn't you tell me about something so important?

Fang Yu was puzzled: "Let her take leave, do you think I want to see her? You didn't see her like that. Ever since she was promoted, she's become increasingly disrespectful to me. Most people in the department go to her for help. Who cares about me, the department manager? This is a good opportunity to reorganize things and let everyone know whose words are truly effective!"

Zheng Yao's eyes were sinister, and she pursed her lips, remaining silent.

Song Mai, that poor wretch, has always been reluctant to even eat expensive meals, so how could he be willing to take a week off in one go?

Keep in mind that perfect attendance plus taking leave will result in a deduction of a quarter of your salary, which is no small amount.

"Do you know why she took the leave?"

Fang Yu leaned against the bed, his hand caressing the woman's long, slender legs, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"I don't know, I agreed because she said she had something to do."

Zheng Yao felt a tightness in her chest from anger.

"Why didn't you ask anything? She must be hiding something. Now we don't even know why she took the leave!"

She was holding her breath, unable to fully release it, and her face looked terrible.

Fang Yu also sensed the reproach in the woman's tone. He moved his hand from the woman's leg to her waist and then pulled Zheng Yao into his arms.

Are you blaming me?

Zheng Yao was upset, but she forced herself to keep quiet.

"No."

Fang Yu snorted coldly:

“You’re blaming me for not asking clearly, but do you think that bitch Song Mai would tell me if she really had some unspeakable secret? If she wanted to keep it a secret, she could have just made up some excuse to take leave.”

Zheng Yao didn't reply, her mind racing as she kept guessing why Song Mai had asked for leave.

Could it be... that she's going to get a divorce and then marry that old man?

Zheng Yao couldn't think of anything else that could make Song Mai ask for leave.

But these past two days she hasn't seemed to have any such problem; on the contrary, she's been in a very good mood.

Seeing that she was distracted, Fang Yu used his strength to press her down.

"You're not allowed to think about anything else while you're with me."

After saying that, he tore open Zheng Yao's incredibly cool clothes and eagerly covered her with them.

Zheng Yao was in no mood to do such a thing and instinctively tried to push him away.

"Wasn't it already..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Fang Yu had already sealed her bright red lips with his, and his hands were already groping her body.

"That was just now, and this is now. Who said it can only happen once?"

In an instant, the room was filled with spring light.

The next day, Friday, Song Mai had already made a list of items she needed for the trip and was just waiting to go shopping after work.

The thought of going on a trip after today made Song Mai extremely happy.

She hummed a song as she stepped into the company, not even glancing at Zheng Yao at the front desk as she passed by.

Zheng Yao wanted to strike up a conversation, but when she saw Song Mai walk straight past her, she immediately turned pale and red, as if she had swallowed a fly.

During lunch, Lin Ran went over to talk to Song Mai.

"Is everything ready?"

"That's about enough. I'll buy some more after get off work today."

Zheng Yao took a cup and pretended to go to the tea room to pour herself a glass of water, but stopped at the door of Song Mai's office and listened to their conversation without making a sound.

While chatting casually with Song Mai, Lin Ran winked at her.

There was clearly someone standing behind the frosted glass.

Song Mai recognized the person at a glance; who else could it be but Zheng Yao?

She deliberately raised her voice: "Who's standing there? Is something wrong? Come in and talk."

Zheng Yao was surprised that she was discovered so quickly. She walked in with her cup, feeling a little embarrassed, and the smile on her face looked very unnatural.

"I went to get a glass of water, and when I came back I was standing next to someone talking to them. I'm fine."

Lin Ran gave a disdainful snort.

"Oh? Is that so? Were you talking to someone, or were you eavesdropping?"

Lin Ran bluntly exposed her lie, causing Zheng Yao's smile to vanish instantly. Like a mask, her face cracked, as if it were about to shatter at any moment.

She forced a forced smile to make herself look less unpleasant.

"I don't understand what you're saying. Of course I'm talking to someone else."

Lin Ran sat down on the sofa, her eyes filled with contempt as she looked at Zheng Yao.

"You'd better be."

As soon as she arrived, Lin Ran and Song Mai stopped talking. They glanced at Zheng Yao from time to time, as if waiting for her to leave.

But since Zheng Yao had come, she didn't intend to leave so easily. Although she felt a little awkward, she was still racking her brains to find something to say.

"I heard you're taking the week off?"

Song Mai smiled enigmatically: "You seem to be very well-informed. I don't think I've mentioned this to anyone else."

She hadn't told anyone except Fang Yu and Lin Ran.

Zheng Yao's eyes darted around, trying to glean some clues from Song Mai's office.

"I only found out when Manager Fang mentioned it during lunch. Why did you suddenly take leave, and for such a long time? Is something wrong?"

"You and Manager Fang are such good friends, how come he didn't tell you?"

Song Mai couldn't help but recall the time she and Chu Xing had witnessed her and Fang Yu being so intimate at the restaurant.

She didn't believe in Zheng Yao and Fang Yu's relationship until she saw it with her own eyes last time.