Outside, the staff bustled about, busy from head to toe.Inside, the two of them were just as occupied.
In a space that was only half-private, excitement came more easily—and temptation was even harder to resist.
More than an hour later, the storm finally subsided. Outside, the staff had finished tidying up and gradually left.
Chen Xiaoxi leaned against the wall, her legs slightly weak. Strands of hair clung damply to her forehead, sticking softly to her skin.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her breathing slowly steadied. Both hands clutched tightly onto Zhang Yichen's arm, as if it were her only support.
Zhang Yichen lowered his head to look at her. The heat in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a trace of gentle remorse.
He reached out and brushed aside the damp strands of hair on her forehead, his voice hoarse yet soft.
"Sorry… did I hurt you?"
Chen Xiaoxi shook her head. Her cheeks were still flushed, but a faint smile curved at her lips.
"No… I'm just a little tired," she murmured, her voice as light as a whisper.
Zhang Yichen gently pulled her into his arms, resting his chin atop her head. Breathing in the faint fragrance of her hair, a deep, indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
"Xiaoxi… thank you for indulging my recklessness."
She closed her eyes and leaned against his chest, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat, feeling as though she were wrapped in warmth.
She reached out and lightly wrapped her arms around his waist, her voice carrying a hint of coquettishness.
"Since you know that… if you bully me again, I won't talk to you anymore."
Zhang Yichen laughed softly, his tone low and indulgent.
"How would I dare bully you? You're my treasure."
Her face flushed again. She lightly punched his chest and pretended to be annoyed.
"Smooth talker!"
Zhang Yichen caught her hand and gently kissed it, affection filling his eyes.
"For this lifetime, I'll only be smooth-talking to you."
"Alright."
They exchanged a smile, the air still filled with lingering warmth.
When they returned home, Li Yue was curled up on the sofa, playing with the baby.
Seeing them enter, she looked up, a trace of nervousness flickering across her face.
But the next second, her gaze landed on a faint red mark near Chen Xiaoxi's collarbone.
These two really had no sense of time or place.
Was that kind of thing really so addictive?
Li Yue frowned imperceptibly.
Forget it. They had just tasted forbidden fruit—losing control occasionally was understandable.
Or maybe… she should find a man sometime?
Li Yue shivered and immediately felt embarrassed by her own thoughts.
She quickly regained her composure and asked, slightly tense,
"How did it go? Nothing unexpected, right?"
Zhang Yichen walked over and sat across from her, casually picking up a cup of water from the coffee table and taking a sip.
"It went fairly smoothly. At least things should stay calm for a while."
"Those reporters aren't easy to deal with," Li Yue said, her anxiety evident.
"It was fine. Just average," Zhang Yichen replied with a faint smile, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.
He was quite satisfied with today's press conference. The mission had been essentially accomplished.
What needed clarification had been clarified.
What needed to be said had been said—and by tomorrow, it would likely spread everywhere.
The biggest gain was his first album. Thanks to the event, it had sold over five million copies.
A super platinum album—just like that.
He knew the rapid sales were partly due to riding Chen Xiaoxi's popularity.
But he didn't mind.
He was confident in his music.
With the press conference over, there were no urgent matters for the moment.
Li Yue was already preparing to aggressively expand the company.
Of course, she still needed the big boss's approval.
"What's the next plan?" she asked.
"Recruit streamers in large numbers. Expand the company aggressively. And it's time to launch the coin reward event," Zhang Yichen replied.
They were completely in sync.
"Alright." Li Yue nodded.
Zhang Yichen fell silent, his fingers lightly tapping against his knee, his brows slightly furrowed as he pondered something.
The room grew quiet, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves outside the window.
Li Yue occasionally glanced at him, clearly waiting for what came next.
"Have merchants started settling into the platform?" Zhang Yichen finally asked, his voice steady.
"They have," Li Yue nodded, her expression easing slightly."Thanks to your album sales during the livestream, quite a few merchants applied this morning."
"I see…" Zhang Yichen murmured. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Having merchants is good—but we must strictly control quality. Get rid of those just padding the numbers."
He paused, then smiled slightly.
"We can do something bigger. Let's create a 'Happy Shopping Festival.'"
"Happy Shopping Festival?" Li Yue raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"That's right." Zhang Yichen stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the distant skyline.
"Three months from now—November 11th. Turn it into a nationwide shopping festival."
Li Yue's eyes lit up—but soon she frowned again.
"A shopping festival that comes out of nowhere… the public might not be very interested."
"Not interested?" Zhang Yichen curled his lips faintly.
"Starting today, distribute full-discount coupons to every user—no expense spared. Then promote the 'lowest prices of the year.' Do you really think they won't be tempted?"
"But… going all out like this—are you sure our finances can handle it? What if—"
"There is no 'what if,'" Zhang Yichen interrupted firmly.
"As long as we push discounts to the extreme and combine them with massive promotion, users will flood in. And then the merchants…"
He deliberately stopped there.
He wanted to see how far Li Yue could think.
"And then… the merchants…?" Li Yue repeated.
She knew it—he was testing her again.
Advertising fees?
Like homepage promotions on music platforms?
Entertainment companies often paid huge sums for exposure.
No… too simple.
She rejected the idea immediately.
With Zhang Yichen's thinking, the plan had to be bigger—long-term.
What was it?
She focused.
Product categories…
Could merchants pay to be pinned at the top?
No—still too basic.
Categories… search…
Right. Search rankings.
Homepage recommendations. Category exposure. Search priority.
Advertising fees would skyrocket.
Li Yue's heart jolted, her pupils shrinking.
This—
This was a fortune beyond imagination.