"Lily Zhao, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Zane had spent the entire evening setting the stage.
He had taken her out to dinner, given her roses, and gone for a walk with her through the park.
When the two of them finally sat down on a park bench to enjoy the moonlight, Zane revealed his true purpose. He dropped to one knee with a blue rose between his lips and confessed to Lily Zhao with heartfelt sincerity.
"Zane, are you serious?"
Even though she had seen it coming, Lily Zhao still covered her mouth in surprise when he confessed, her eyes widening.
"My sincerity is beyond question. The sun and moon are my witnesses!"
Zane raised four fingers and swore an oath beneath the moon.
"But I'm thirteen years older than you, and I'm not some wealthy woman..." Lily Zhao blushed shyly.
"A woman three years older brings you a fortune," Zane replied without a care. "A woman thirteen years older raises you straight to immortality!"
"You really know what to say!" Lily Zhao chided playfully, but a trace of sadness appeared in her eyes. "Still, it won't work."
"Why not?!"
"Because there's something I haven't been honest with you about. I actually have a husband and children. My son is about to start college, and my daughter is already in middle school, so..."
Zane was dumbfounded.
This was not how things were supposed to go.
Lily Zhao took such good care of herself that when she said she was single, he had believed her without question.
Being the other man and destroying someone else's family was completely different from two single people freely falling in love.
Had Lily Zhao told him from the start that she was married, he never would have resorted to this plan.
Then another thought occurred to him.
Lily Zhao clearly had a family, yet she pretended to be single and had even gone on a date with him. That alone proved she was no saint either.
So why should he feel guilty?
This was only an act to him anyway.
At first, he had thought deceiving Lily Zhao like this was unfair to her.
Now he felt she had no one to blame but herself.
"What does that matter?" With his guilt gone, Zane's mind immediately became much more flexible, and he said something astonishing. "At home, you're your husband's wife. Outside, you're my little darling. A wife and a little darling aren't the same thing. Besides, our relationship will stay within the company. Your husband will never find out."
Rather than rejecting him, Lily Zhao began to seriously consider his words.
There was no comparison between her husband and Zane. One was already bald and knew how to do nothing but drink. The other was a handsome, brooding older man who was supposedly an excellent pilot and had plenty of money.
Even a fool would know whom to choose.
"You really do know how to talk."
Lily Zhao quickly made her decision and nestled against Zane. At that moment, she felt as though she were twenty years old again.
People said falling in love made you feel younger. Apparently, it was true.
Zane wrapped an arm around Lily Zhao's waist, but his thoughts were already focused on the next stage of his plan.
The bomb and smoke grenades were ready.
Once he gained Lily Zhao's trust, he would have plenty of time to arrange everything.
Ideally, he would steal the Awakening Serum without anyone noticing. But if a Mecha Girl or a Human Federation soldier discovered him, a confrontation would be unavoidable.
With smoke grenades and bombs covering his retreat, perhaps he could still escape.
He only needed to survive until Derek Su became a Techmaster.
With the authority of a Techmaster, Derek Su should have no trouble protecting him.
Zane suddenly felt something strange against his chest. When he looked down, he realized Lily Zhao's hands had begun to wander.
His scalp tingled, and he cleared his throat twice.
Noticing his gaze, Lily Zhao smiled coyly. "With such a beautiful night, shouldn't we do something? It's already so late. Look..."
As her hand moved across Zane's chest, she was pleasantly surprised. She had not expected a man nearing forty to be in such good shape.
Surely he must have plenty of stamina as well.
She could hardly wait to find out.
Unfortunately, Zane had no such intentions.
Using his looks did not mean he had to sell his body too.
Besides, they were in the middle of nowhere. Did she seriously want to feed the mosquitoes out here?
He took Lily Zhao's hand and spoke with a solemn expression.
"I didn't ask you out tonight because I wanted to do anything to you. Do I look like that kind of shameless man? A man who truly loves you wouldn't only desire your body. What I love even more is your soul!"
Lily Zhao opened her mouth. "But I..."
"No buts."
Zane gazed at her affectionately and pressed one finger against her lips.
"Please don't taint our love with a physical relationship!"
Lily Zhao was both speechless and somewhat moved.
She took such good care of herself that many employees at the company could not resist taking a second look at her.
Yet Zane alone remained so innocent.
In that case, she could wait.
Their feelings had not developed far enough yet, and forcing things would only ruin the experience. Besides, getting him the moment he confessed would offer no challenge at all.
The more she thought about it, the more interested she became in Zane.
"All right. I'll listen to you."
She curled up obediently in his arms, like a shy young woman experiencing her first romance.
The two remained close for a while. Seeing how agreeable Lily Zhao had become, Zane felt that the time was right and cautiously tested the waters.
"Lily, there's something I'd like your help with."
"Call me baby~"
"Uh... baby."
"What is it? Tell me."
"Could you transfer me to Warehouse No. 1?" Zane asked carefully. "My current work is a little too exhausting. You know I'm getting older. If I keep this up, it'll be bad for my health, and I won't have any energy left later."
Lily Zhao had expected some major request, but that was all?
He merely wanted an easier job. Arranging that would be effortless for her.
The moment she heard that Zane might lose his energy, however, she became concerned.
"Why don't you become my assistant instead? You won't have to do anything. You can just sit beside me and chat with me every day."
Zane immediately thought, Then how am I supposed to steal the Awakening Serum?
He rejected the offer at once.
"People would gossip about us. What would happen if your husband found out?
"Besides, a reasonable amount of exercise helps keep me fit. Staying active is the key to a healthy life!"
Lily Zhao immediately latched onto the important words.
Keep fit. Stay active.
Her heart fluttered, and she agreed without another thought.
"Fine. You can start working at Warehouse No. 1 from now on. I'll arrange the transfer tomorrow morning."
"Lily, you're so good to me."
Zane looked deeply moved.
Damn it. This had not been easy.
At Zuanka Tech, he had first spent more than two months as a guinea pig and nearly lost half his life.
Now he was dating a woman thirteen years older than him.
At last, he was close to achieving his goal.
He could almost picture himself obtaining the Awakening Serum and escaping Zuanka Tech unharmed.
A touched smile appeared on Zane's lips, and his eyes even grew slightly moist.
From Lily Zhao's perspective, Zane must simply have been overwhelmed with happiness after finally winning her over.
Just look at how delighted he was.
That only made her feel she should treasure such an innocent man even more.
It was decided.
She would go home tonight and start a fight with her husband.
With any luck, it would end in divorce!
...
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