"Hello, Jiang Wan..." Su Shenglin's warm and deep voice came from beside him, just like the broadcasting voice that resounded throughout the campus during his student days, which made him feel like a spring breeze and even dispelled the chill in his body.

I gripped my phone, my mind starting to go blank. Just as I was about to speak, my speech suddenly went blank, and I managed to stammer out, "Uh, um... have you eaten?"

A laugh came from the other end, "I've eaten, what about you?"

"Me?" His question jolted me back to reality. "You don't know whether I've eaten or not?"

"What do you mean? I should know that?" Su Shenglin asked, puzzled.

I was stunned, and then I suddenly realized—Young Master Ye hadn't called him!

I was "tricked".

"Ah..." I groaned helplessly and embarrassedly, holding my forehead with one hand, "I was thinking too much and fell into Young Master Ye's trap."

"What scheme?" Su Shenglin was even more confused. "And who is Young Master Ye? Ye Yuntang?"

I removed my hand from my forehead and sat up to calm myself down.

Now that I'd started, I had to explain things properly. I paused for a moment and then proceeded to recount the whole story: "Today, after chatting with my colleagues about work, it got quite late, so we went out to eat together at a seafood hot pot restaurant. Near the end of our meal, we ran into Young Master Ye, and we exchanged a few pleasantries. But when it came time to pay, the waiter said that Young Master Ye had already paid for it. When I heard that…"

I hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I thought that as soon as Young Master Ye left, he would definitely contact you and say that he saw me having dinner with my colleagues—but who knew he didn't say anything..."

Su Shenglin understood, and cleverly asked, "So, the person you had dinner with was a male colleague?"

"Um."

"It's just the two of you?"

"Um……"

"Then why did you make this call..." He hesitated for a moment, his tone becoming more amused and cheerful, "Are you afraid that Ye Yuntang would exaggerate and make things up, and that I would misunderstand, so you came here specifically to explain?"

My face started to burn from the side of my phone that was pressed against it. Even though I was alone, I felt extremely embarrassed and ashamed.

He saw right through me again!

I groaned inwardly for a few seconds, then suddenly a thought struck me, and I quickly retorted, "Who said that? You're overthinking it. We're not related, so why should I explain to you? I called because I don't have Young Master Ye's contact information and wanted you to help me convey my gratitude. I'll treat Young Master Ye to dinner when I have the chance."

My attempt to cover up the truth only made it seem more childish and ridiculous in front of Su Shenglin.

I could hear his muffled, suppressed laughter, which showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

I was a little annoyed and embarrassed. "What are you laughing at! That's exactly why I called."

"Yes, I believe you." He forced a laugh and teased me, "I'll send you Ye Yuntang's phone number, you can thank him in person."

"No, no, no need!" I quickly refused. "Just pass on the message."

I'm not familiar with that person, so if I call them, I won't have anything to say, and it would be so awkward.

Then they laughed again.

"Hey, stop laughing, or I'll hang up." I was genuinely embarrassed and angry; everyone has some pride.

"Okay, I won't laugh anymore." He became serious again and asked very seriously, "The male colleague you had hot pot with alone, is he the one who worked overtime with you this afternoon?"

He did indeed inquire about it.

Could he really be jealous?

"Yes, he's our company's newly appointed professional manager. He's a young man who loves outdoor sports, has excellent business skills, and is responsible and hardworking. I feel like I've struck gold," I blurted out, unable to resist praising Yang Qianmu again.

But as soon as I said it, I realized it was inappropriate.

I actually praised another man in front of Su Shenglin.

"It seems you admire him." Su Shenglin's tone became quiet.

"Uh..." I racked my brains quickly, deliberately cracking a joke, "Of course, if I didn't appreciate him, why would I hire him at such a high salary?"

"That's true, it's not easy to find someone who shares your values."

He responded to me calmly, and then both of us suddenly fell silent.

Like-minded...

That sounded rather sarcastic, and I sensed something was off, but thankfully I could still hide it through the phone.

After a brief standoff, I coughed lightly, trying to evade the previous topic: "Um... it's getting late, I have to drive back now, you go ahead with your work—remember to thank Young Master Ye for me."

After saying that, I'm going to hang up.

But Su Shenglin suddenly called out to me: "Jiang Wan."

I tensed up and put the phone back to my ear: "Hmm?"

“I’ll get jealous if you praise other men in front of me. Don’t forget I was the one who expressed my feelings first. You have to be fair, just, and impartial, otherwise—”

His deep, gentle voice seemed to possess a bewitching magic, penetrating from the ears into the heart.

I was captivated by his deep, alluring voice and his gentle yet domineering threats.

"Otherwise... what would happen?" My heart was pounding, and I murmured in a daze, stiff voice.

He kept it a secret: "You'll find out when the time comes, but of course, I hope you never find out."

He spoke as if he were reciting a tongue twister, and my mind was already foggy, so I didn't understand it at first.

"The roads are slippery in the snow, drive carefully, and let me know you're home safely."

After he finished giving me his final instructions, I blankly said "Oh," and the call ended.

I slowly lowered my phone, frowned in confusion, and thought for a moment before suddenly understanding what he meant.

He meant that he was the one who expressed his feelings first, and that we should respect the order of things. If I am willing to leave the shadow of my marriage and talk about feelings again, it must be fair, just, and just—he should be given priority.

Otherwise, there will be some consequences.

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