Chapter Four: Honesty and Trust

When Ayu returned home, she saw the male lead watching TV in the living room. She took a deep breath, walked up to him, and said with a serious expression, "I have something to tell you, it's very important." The male lead was a little surprised to see Ayu's nervous appearance. He quickly turned off the TV, pulled Ayu to sit down, and said, "What's wrong? Why are you so serious? Go ahead and tell me."

Ayu recounted Qin Man's hints to her and the conspiracy she overheard about Qin Man earlier that day. Upon hearing this, the male protagonist frowned, his face darkening. He hadn't expected such a scheme to exist. However, seeing Ayu's worried and frightened expression, he took her hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid. Now that we know, we'll definitely find a way to deal with it. No matter who you are, what I care about is you. Besides, we've been through so much together; nothing can easily separate us."

Hearing the male lead's words, Ayu was deeply moved, and her eyes welled up with tears. "But if they really expose my identity, it will definitely affect your family business. I don't want you to be in trouble because of me." The male lead hugged Ayu. "Silly girl, now is not the time to talk about these things. We are husband and wife. We will face difficulties together."

After calming down, the two began to discuss their strategy. Leveraging his connections and resources in the business world, the male protagonist decided to first investigate who the man with Qin Man was, hoping to find incriminating evidence against them to prevent them from exposing Ayu's identity. Ayu, on the other hand, was responsible for monitoring Qin Man's every move at the company and reporting back to the male protagonist promptly.

Chapter Five: The Hidden Battle

In the days that followed, Ayu kept a close eye on Qin Man at the company. On the surface, she acted as usual, interacting with Qin Man normally, but secretly she noted down every unusual thing Qin Man did. Meanwhile, the male protagonist also discovered through various channels that the stranger was a high-ranking executive from a rival company. They did indeed want to use Ayu's identity to disrupt the male protagonist's family business in order to profit from an upcoming major project bidding.

While gathering evidence against them, the male protagonist also spread rumors in the business world, implying that if they dared to act recklessly, he would not be lenient and would expose their past malpractices. The other party seemed to have noticed the protagonist's actions, and for a time, the two sides were locked in a covert struggle.

Qin Man, seeing that A Yu seemed unresponsive for some time, secretly gloated, assuming A Yu was still unaware of the deception. She continued with her plan, intending to reveal A Yu's identity at the right moment. Little did she know, her every move was being controlled by A Yu and the male lead.

Once, the company organized a team-building activity, and everyone went to a resort in the suburbs. Qin Man thought this was a good opportunity, so she secretly contacted some media friends, hoping to create some noise during the team-building activity and expose A Yu's identity to everyone. However, her plan had already been discovered by A Yu, who told the male lead in advance. The male lead arranged for his people to keep watch near the resort, ready to stop Qin Man if she made any moves.

Chapter Six: Crisis Resolution

On the day of the team-building event, everyone had a great time. Qin Man, seeing that the time was right, prepared to call the media in. But just as she was about to make the call, the male lead's men appeared, stopped her, and warned her that if she dared to cause any more trouble, they would expose all her schemes. Qin Man's face changed drastically. She hadn't expected her plan to be exposed. She wanted to argue, but seeing the evidence in their hands, she immediately lost her confidence.

Ayu walked up to Qin Man, looking at the person who had once tried to ruin her life, her heart filled with mixed feelings. "Qin Man, I've always considered you a friend. I never expected you to treat me like this, resorting to any means for profit." Qin Man lowered his head, not daring to look Ayu in the eye. "I... I had no choice. I was just trying to survive in this industry."

The male protagonist walked over and said coldly, "Survival in this industry relies on ability and legitimate means, not on these underhanded schemes. I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time, don't blame me for being ruthless." Qin Man slunk away, and the crisis was finally temporarily averted.

Ayu breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the male lead with gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you. I really don't know what I would have done without you." The male lead smiled and patted Ayu's head. "What are you saying? We're husband and wife. No matter what happens in the future, we'll face it together."

After this incident, Ayu and the male protagonist's relationship deepened, and they cherished their hard-won peaceful life even more. Ayu no longer worried about her identity being exposed as before, but instead devoted herself wholeheartedly to building their life and career together with the male protagonist.

Chapter Seven: A New Beginning

With Qin Man's threat lifted, Ayu and the male protagonist's life gradually returned to its former warmth and peace. Ayu also became more adept at her work, earning her boss's recognition and even getting a promotion and a raise through her own efforts.

The male protagonist's family business successfully won the bid for that major project, thanks to its outstanding capabilities and excellent reputation. The entire family was immersed in joy, and Ayu gained even greater recognition and acceptance from the protagonist's family because of her contribution.

On a leisurely weekend, Ayu and the male protagonist went on a beach vacation. They strolled hand-in-hand along the sand, watching the sunset gradually paint the sea orange-red. Ayu leaned against the male protagonist's chest and whispered, "I never thought we could get through that difficult time so smoothly. I feel so happy now." The male protagonist hugged Ayu tightly, "Yes, there will be many more happy times in the future. Let's cherish these days together."

Days passed by, and Ayu and the male protagonist would occasionally reminisce about those crisis-ridden days. They were filled with emotion, knowing that their love had become even stronger through those hardships. And they would carry this love and trust with them, facing every challenge in their future lives together, writing their own beautiful story.