"Not yet," Wen Ruan replied firmly. "What do I need a man for? I just want to make money! Build my career!" Wen Ruan thought to herself.

Song Yan's eyes suddenly lit up. He thought that if that were the case, then he still had a chance! Especially since he occupied the position of Wen Ruan's husband, anyone with a modicum of morality would have virtually no chance. If anyone showed any interest in Wen Ruan, it meant that person's character was questionable. He wanted to tell Wen Ruan that she absolutely mustn't date this kind of person; he wasn't worthy of her affection.

But the worst-case scenario is that Ruan Ruan might suddenly develop feelings for a man.

Song Yan frowned, so he had to find a way to make Wen Ruan fall in love with him again before that happened.

After their conversation, Song Yan returned home and locked himself in his study to think of a solution.

When Song's mother saw Song Yan enter the door, she was surprised. The two had greeted each other when Song Yan returned from his business trip at noon. Afterwards, he quickly washed and tidied himself up and hurriedly went out. Although there was no expression on his face, his hurried steps showed his urgency.

She knew her son best. Song Yan was clearly excited and eager to see someone. After thinking for a moment, Song's mother realized that her son was rushing out to see Ruan Ruan! Seeing the two of them getting along well made her very happy.

However, she was puzzled. She had just returned from going out that afternoon and didn't know what had happened. Her son seemed to have suddenly suffered some kind of blow, and Song's mother was somewhat worried.

When Mr. Song returned from get off work, Mrs. Song quickly went up to him and told him about Song Yan's condition.

Mr. Song was a little curious. He wondered who his youngest son took after. He had always been very steady and mature since he was a child. He rarely showed his emotions since he was old enough to understand things. He could quickly find a way to solve every problem he encountered and never caused his parents any worry.

By the way, aside from the marriage with the Wen family, it seems that the two of them got along very well, and Song Yan didn't seem to be in any way reluctant.

So what exactly happened? Mr. Song decided to check on his son.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Song Yan heard a knock on the door and said, "Come in."

"You're back. Did you get everything done on your business trip to Shanghai?" Mr. Song walked into the study, found a chair not far from Song Yan, and asked.

"Yes, everything's taken care of. I went there because I heard that the Shanghai Steel Plant had bought some machines from Germany. I happen to have a senior from university who's the head of the purchasing department there, so I thought I'd go and take a look. Surprisingly, I even made contact with the German guy, and he said he'll be visiting the Beijing Steel Plant soon. I think this is an opportunity for us," Song Yan replied.

Mr. Song was very satisfied. His son had never caused the family any worry about his work ability.

"I heard from your mother that you went out this afternoon and came back in a bad mood?" Song's father looked Song Yan up and down and said.

Song Yan was feeling down, unsure how to treat Wen Ruan in the future. He didn't know anyone around him who was married, and he didn't know who to ask. He was anxious and clueless, feeling it was even harder than tackling a major project at the factory. Now his father had come to ask for his advice, and he decided to ask him for some ideas.

Song Yan, somewhat embarrassed, thought for a moment and said, "I have a friend who grew up with his fiancée. His fiancée likes him a lot, but he only sees her as a younger sister. Later, their families arranged a wedding for them. My friend gradually fell in love with her during their time together, but today she told him that her feelings for him are just friendship. My friend is very anxious and asked me to help him think of a solution." He then looked at Song's father expectantly, concealing some of the shocking things Wen Ruan had said to people today.

Mr. Song found it somewhat amusing; he knew exactly who they were talking about just by hearing the name—those two young people who were always causing trouble.

"So, cough cough, I mean, what does your friend think? Does he want to give up?" Mr. Song asked.

“Of course he won’t give up, but he doesn’t know what to do, so he’s very troubled,” Song Yan said quickly.

In his opinion, Song's father was probably the most experienced person around him. Back then, his father, as a poor boy from a carpenter's family, was able to successfully marry his mother, the daughter of a national capitalist. Besides Song's father's good looks, he must have had some other outstanding qualities. Song Yan decided to learn from him.

Mr. Song found the two young people quite amusing and wanted to laugh, but considering his son's feelings, he had to hold back. Instead, he decided to offer some advice, saying, "People are different, but when it comes to pursuing someone, there's one thing everyone likes and understands: treat her well and cater to her preferences. Son, think about it carefully." With that, Mr. Song walked out of the study.

Song Yan quickly looked up, a hint of embarrassment in his voice, and said, "I told you I was asking for my friend! I'll pass it on to him!"

Mr. Song did not respond, but laughed and left.

Song Yan sat alone in his study, carefully considering the phrase "catering to someone's preferences." Recalling his interactions with Wen Ruan, he gradually formed some thoughts and seemed to have discovered something.

The next day happened to be the weekend, and Song Yan arrived at the Wen family early in the morning. Wen's mother hadn't seen Song Yan for a long time and was very enthusiastic and concerned about him. Song Yan handed her a large cloth bag, saying that it contained gifts he had brought back from Shanghai for the Wen family.

Wen's mother said somewhat reproachfully, "Why bring things when you come to your aunt's house? You don't need to be so polite. Take them home when you leave." Wen's mother declined.

Just then, Wen Ruan entered the living room after washing up and heard Song Yan say, "I left my share for my mom. Everyone gets a share of this. I was thinking of bringing it yesterday, but I rushed out to find Ruan Ruan and forgot it at home. I only brought it today."

Wen Ruan paused, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. She was surprised by Song Yan's words, wondering what had suddenly triggered him today.

After hearing what Song Yan said, Wen's mother felt a little embarrassed. When she saw Wen Ruan come in, she quickly gave the two of them some space, left, and invited Song Yan to stay for breakfast.

Song Yan nodded in agreement.

When Song Yan saw Wen Ruan come in, he quickly stood up and said, "I was on a business trip in Shanghai these past few days. Before I came back, I rushed to the department store and the foreign exchange store and picked out some things. Come and see if you like them."

As he spoke, he opened the bag and took out a pink dress, an autumn trench coat, a box of chocolates, a whole set of Pechoin jewelry for Wen's mother, two bottles of wine for Wen's father, and a box of Xinghualou mooncakes. It was clear that he had carefully selected each item, not just picked them randomly as he claimed.

Wen Ruan looked at Song Yan and felt that he seemed different from usual today. He was wearing a crisp white shirt, the hem of which was tucked into his black trousers. He was tall and slender, and the morning sun shone through the window onto Song Yan. He was bathed in sunlight, which seemed to reflect his well-defined and smooth muscles.

Wen Ruan stared blankly at Song Yan, somewhat unable to come to her senses. Wen Ruan began to feel her face getting hot, and even felt that the room was a little stuffy.

Song Yan lowered his gaze to her, a smile suddenly spreading across his face, a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

"As expected," Song Yan thought, "it seems it was effective after all."