"No, you are both women; you won't be happy."
This time it was Ye Chen. He forced his head up to look at Su Ci:
"Wanting, she's using a contract to blackmail your father. How is she any different from your father or Tang Cheng?"
"In her eyes, you're nothing more than a tradable commodity. Whatever you do, don't go with her."
"Besides, you've only met her once. You don't know her at all. Who knows what she might do to you? I'm the only one who truly loves you, Wanting!"
The current situation didn't allow him much time to think.
Given Su Ci and Jiang Li's attitudes toward him—which weren't just unfriendly but bordered on disgust—he would need a long-term plan to find a breakthrough and win them over.
If Su Ci took Lan Wanting away, what could possibly happen between two women?
Su Ci using the contract as leverage was undoubtedly a better opportunity to secure Lan Wanting.
See? Everyone treats you like a product.
I'm the only one who treats you like a human being.
Hurry and come lean on me!
Let me become the only solace in your heart.
By doing this, he wouldn't end up losing both the watermelon and the sesame seeds.
Su Ci watched as a wicked smirk curled on Ye Chen's lips while his eyes lost focus. She didn't need to think twice to know he was daydreaming.
Su Ci really wanted to rip his mouth apart, but she didn't want to dirty her or Jiang Su's hands, so she abandoned the idea.
She continued looking at Lan Wanting. "Have you decided? This offer won't last forever, unless you really want to marry into the Tang Family."
Of course, if Lan Wanting refused, she wouldn't hesitate to take her by force.
She would just take her away directly; the system rewards were still waiting for her.
She could have done that, but using a five-billion-dollar contract as leverage to buy out Lan Wanting's relationship with the Lan Family would prevent many plot developments.
Lan Wanting looked at Su Ci's well-defined, jade-white hand, a flash of struggle and hesitation in her eyes.
No matter what, the Lan Family had raised her for so many years; it wasn't something she could just cut ties with easily.
As for what Ye Chen said, she treated it all like hot air.
Seeing his daughter hesitating, Lan Hong couldn't help but call out Lan Wanting's nickname: "Wanting!"
Lan Wanting bit her lip and met Lan Hong's gaze, tears streaming down her face, filled with reluctance. "Father, as things stand, going with Miss Su is the greatest help I can provide for our branch of the family."
Without this contract, our branch will be suppressed by the other branches and might even be pushed out of the Lan Family's center of power.
While a marriage alliance would only consolidate our status, I'm doing all of this for you, for the sake of the Lan Family."
Lan Hong found these words incredibly familiar.
They were exactly the same words they had used when forcing Lan Wanting into the marriage alliance.
They had also told Lan Wanting that the alliance was for the sake of the Lan Family.
Now, it was just Lan Wanting saying them instead.
Having finished, Lan Wanting turned her face away, pursing her lips. Her shoulders trembled as if she had made up her mind. She grabbed Su Ci's hand and hurried out, her high heels clicking rhythmically against the floor.
Her silhouette looked so lonely and desolate, as if she had been abandoned by the world.
Even Lan Hong couldn't help but fall into self-reproach.
If he hadn't insisted on the marriage alliance with the Tang Family, would things have reached this point?
His daughter was gone, just like that.
As the two figures gradually disappeared at the end of the hall, Jiang Su looked down at Ye Chen and sent him flying with a single kick, knocking over several tables and chairs before quickly following after them.
Seeing the farce, the crowd tactfully said their goodbyes and left.
"The Lan Family... quite a family you have here. Very well then!"
Tang Father left those words behind and departed with the rest of the Tang Family.
Before leaving, Tang Cheng gave the Lan Family a hateful glare. "I'll make sure the Lan Family and Changsheng Biotechnology pay for this!"
Ye Chen stood up, feeling aches and pains all over, and stared at Lan Hong.
Lan Hong's chest heaved as he slumped weakly into his chair.
Looking at the mess on the floor and then at Ye Chen, he shouted with his last bit of strength, "Get out! The Lan Family has no room for a traitor like you!"
Ye Chen flared up instantly upon hearing this, clenching his fists. If it weren't for Wanting's concerns, the cooperation between the Lan Family and Changsheng Biotechnology would surely have left with him.
In the end, Ye Chen didn't lay a hand on Lan Hong.
He had always been very tolerant of his women's families. He muttered "endurance" to himself a few times and left quickly.
If he moved fast enough, he might still catch a glimpse of Su Ci's taillights.
That way, he could find clues to uncover Su Ci's identity and her movements.
As the Master of the Dragon God Hall, how could he fail to handle a mere CEO... [Ding! host's life choice successful. Congratulations on obtaining the Ciyang Physique, +5 Free Attribute Points, "Ciyang Taiqing Art," +20 Favorability from Lan Wanting. Current Favorability: 40. Ye Chen's Luck Value -2000, Luck Points +2000.]
[Warm Reminder: The breath concealment jade talisman has automatically masked the aura of the Ciyang Physique.]
The system's notification rang in Su Ci's mind.
Before her was Lan Wanting's beautiful back. Her figure was slender, and she no longer seemed as lonely or desolate as she had in the hall.
Instead, she exuded a sense of cheerfulness, like a butterfly dancing around flowers. She carried her white high heels in her hand, her rounded toes stepping onto the floor, inevitably picking up some dust.
Lan Wanting suddenly stopped and looked back, giving Su Ci a sweet smile.
The shattered light in her large, beautiful eyes had long since vanished, replaced by the joy of regained freedom, devoid of her usual career-woman persona.
As a normal person, Su Ci couldn't help but be dazed for a moment seeing Lan Wanting like this.
Beep beep!
Not far in front of Su Ci, a black maybach honked a few times and unlocked.
From her memories, Su Ci knew this was her car. She pointed at the maybach and said, "Get in. Let's get out of here."
Opening the rear door, Lan Wanting sat inside as if she were right at home.
Su Ci saw Jiang Su walking toward them with the maybach keys in hand, so she also sat in the back.
At that moment, she felt a fleeting, warm sensation on her face.
Su Ci realized what Lan Wanting had done. Her eyes widened slightly, and she touched her cheek, where a hint of moisture remained. "What are you doing?"
Jiang Li opened the driver's door and focused solely on driving the vehicle out of the manor.
Whether it was Tang Cheng or Ye Chen, when they came out of the hall, they only saw the red taillights growing smaller and smaller, unable to make out the license plate number.
Inside the car, Lan Wanting looked shy and bashful. Seeing Su Ci's look of disbelief, the tips of her ears turned slightly red as she said coyly:
"Didn't you say that from today on, I belong to you? I'm just putting those words into action."
Hearing this, as if imagining some romantic scene, Su Ci's neck couldn't help but turn red. This... this isn't right, is it?
At least, it shouldn't be progressing this fast!
What she had done was no different in nature from what the Lan Family did.
Why was she throwing herself at her like this?
But deep down, Su Ci's current mood was a mix of excitement and shyness.
Who would refuse a beautiful woman throwing herself into their arms?
Even if it wasn't a kiss, compared to the speed of the romance development with Ye Chen in the original work, this was already very fast.
"What, do you not like me?"