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Originally, this area was a narrow path. Since many guests had already left, the lights dimmed, making the flash of light even more conspicuous.

Chen Yang immediately turned around, shielding Le Ya, who hadn’t yet reacted, behind him, his gaze fixed on the source of the flash.

There weren’t many obstacles here, so it was easy to find a hiding spot.

Le Ya asked, “What’s wrong?”

She hadn’t seen what just happened and tried to peek out, but Chen Yang blocked her with his hand, saying, “Someone was taking secret photos.”

Chen Yang said in a low voice, “Turn your back. I’ll go check it out.”

Before Le Ya could respond, another person came running out—it was Liang Qian, fixing her hair. “What’s going on?”

Chen Yang pointed ahead.

Having spent years together, they shared an unspoken understanding. Liang Qian quickly grasped the situation and ran toward the spot where a paparazzo was trying to escape.

Of course, he couldn’t outrun Liang Qian.

Liang Qian directly grabbed the man and snatched the camera from his hands. The man struggled, but all he managed to do was tear off his own clothes.

Liang Qian twisted the paparazzo’s arm and demanded, “Taking secret photos?”

The man stubbornly denied it, “No!”

Chen Yang walked over to his side and took the camera. As expected, the most recent photo was the one taken moments ago.

And the angle was perfect—capturing the moment when Chen Yang lifted Le Ya up, showing both their profiles clearly.

Though Chen Yang wanted to go public about their relationship, he didn’t want it to happen like this.

Liang Qian only glanced at the photo briefly before looking away.

To be honest, she didn’t understand why anyone would bother taking such photos. They weren’t celebrities; they weren’t in the public eye at all.

From behind, Le Ya could only hear them talking quietly. Chen Yang kept his head down, speaking in a low tone, his mood not particularly good.

The paparazzo’s expression turned pale.

Le Ya didn’t step forward but waited where she was.

Not long after, the paparazzo reluctantly took back the camera and deleted the photos inside. Before he could press the delete button, Chen Yang said something else.

The man looked up, confused, then agreed.

After all, he was now at their mercy, and Chen Yang’s request wasn’t unreasonable—just deleting a few photos.

As Le Ya watched, she felt there was something strange about the situation.

Once the paparazzo left, Liang Qian returned with Chen Yang. Chen Yang smirked slightly, “Let’s go.”

He took Le Ya’s hand.

Suspiciously, Le Ya asked, “What exactly did you guys say just now?”

Liang Qian laughed loudly beside her, “I’m not telling you.”

Le Ya: “….”

At this rate, Xie Qingyu might beat him up later.

Realizing how odd that sounded, Liang Qian awkwardly chuckled, recalling the earlier incident of sneaking snacks. He quickly made an excuse and slipped away.

On the way to the underground parking lot, Le Ya asked again, “Did you delete the photos just now?”

Chen Yang gave a small hum of confirmation.

The parking lot was quite dark, and Le Ya, wearing a long dress, accidentally stepped on something. She stumbled forward with a lurch.

Chen Yang acted quickly, catching her by the arm.

Le Ya instinctively clutched his hand, exclaiming, “You scared me… It’s all because of this long dress you picked.”

Her father, Le Yijian, had originally given her a knee-length dress.

Chen Yang paid no attention to her complaints. His eyes fell on her high heels, and without hesitation, he scooped her up by the waist.

Le Ya let out a soft “Ah.”

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Chen Yang’s neck as he carried her effortlessly toward the car.

The only other time he had done this kind of princess carry was back in school, when he had said something bizarre that she still remembered vividly to this day.

Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but blush.

Seeing her flushed face, Chen Yang chuckled softly, “Are you thinking about something again?”

Le Ya denied it, “Of course not.”

But her guilty conscience made her words weak and breathy, and combined with her outfit today, she looked absolutely stunning.

Noticing him staring at her, Le Ya’s ears twitched slightly, and she reminded him, “Watch where you’re going.”

Chen Yang raised an eyebrow.

The driver had been waiting in the car and saw Chen Yang carrying his girlfriend over. He widened his eyes in surprise but quickly pretended not to notice.

Chen Yang usually didn’t use a driver, but for formal events like tonight, he hired one occasionally.

He gently placed Le Ya in the back seat.

Le Ya had almost twisted her ankle earlier, though it wasn’t injured, it still hurt a little. She rubbed it gently.

Chen Yang lowered his head, pursed his lips, bent down, removed her high heels, and began massaging her ankle with one hand while supporting her foot with the other.

Le Ya reflexively tried to pull her foot back, but he held it firmly in place. His long fingers circled and pressed against her ankle, sending tingling sensations through her.

She whispered softly, “It doesn’t hurt.”

Chen Yang didn’t look up, “It’s red.”

Le Ya couldn’t see any redness herself and thought to herself—his eyesight must be incredible to see so clearly in this dim lighting.

The driver in the front kept his eyes forward, ignoring everything happening in the back.

Unbeknownst to them, Chen Yang suddenly pressed a sensitive spot, causing Le Ya to gasp and quickly cover her mouth.

Chen Yang glanced over, meeting her accusing glare.

Le Ya’s cheeks turned pink, and she shifted her foot slightly.

She never imagined Chen Yang, usually arrogant and aloof, would be massaging her foot like this.

In a low voice, Chen Yang murmured, “Don’t move.”

Le Ya froze instantly.

Silence filled the car for a while before she changed the subject, “What happened to that paparazzo earlier?”

She remembered they had stayed there for several minutes.

Chen Yang helped her put her shoe back on and explained, “He took a few photos, but they’ve all been deleted.”

Le Ya responded with an “Oh.”

Before she could say anything else, Chen Yang added, “But the photos have already been sent to me.”

Le Ya was incredulous, “You actually kept them?”

Chen Yang leaned closer to her and said, “Because you looked very beautiful in them.”

His warm breath brushed against her face, light yet intimate.

Le Ya couldn’t help but push him lightly, “Be serious.”

Chen Yang smiled, “I am being serious.”

The driver in the front seat could hear most of what was being said in the back. He genuinely thought this young couple had an incredibly affectionate relationship.

It was just that Chen Yang liked to tease the young woman.

He always made her blush deeply and speak in a shy, hesitant tone—some odd quirk of his, perhaps.

Unable to resist, the driver glanced at the rearview mirror but caught Chen Yang’s cool gaze. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked away, not daring to glance back again.

By the time the charity gala ended, it was nearly midnight.

As a public welfare event with significant corporate participation, the gala quickly trended online after being promoted by marketing accounts and official platforms.

The pre-event interview footage was also released by the media. Though the interviews were long, each participant only had about thirty seconds of edited content.

For some reason, Le Ya and her father, Le Yijian, were placed at the very end of the video. As a result, many viewers only remembered them, and the emotional question segment wasn’t cut out either.

Though internet users have short memories, they still recognized the face from two days ago—the same one that appeared in the live-stream screenshot during the “first love face” incident.

Since they hadn’t paid much attention to the matter afterward, seeing her at the charity gala came as a shock to many. Some even thought she had debuted as a celebrity.

Once they saw the final interview, everything clicked.

“This girl has such a refined demeanor—it’s no wonder! She’s not ordinary; turns out she’s rich and privileged!”

“Why do all the cute girls already have boyfriends?”

“Not boyfriend—fiancé.”

“Am I the only one who noticed how her dad looked at her when she mentioned her fiancé? And when the reporter asked about her boyfriend, too! Hahaha!”

“I noticed it too! Her dad must be so heartbroken!”

“I just want to know who her fiancé is. Is he handsome or… average? If he’s ordinary-looking, I’ll be so disappointed!”

“…”

Ever since watching the live stream of the charity gala, Jiang Mei hadn’t been able to shake off her unease. Thinking back to her earlier remarks, she felt both anxious and regretful.

She had mocked Le Ya, unaware that she was the daughter of the company’s CEO. When Wang Kefei had mentioned it before, Jiang Mei had laughed it off as being too far-fetched.

Reality hit hard.

The gala was held on Friday, and since there was no work on Saturday, Jiang Mei spent the weekend in a state of anxiety, eventually falling ill from stress.

By Monday, she looked terrible.

She arrived late to the office and overheard Wang Kefei and Huang Ya discussing, “I told you Le Ya was definitely wealthy and privileged.”

“I’m more interested in how well-matched she and her fiancé seem. It’s a shame we didn’t see them together during the gala livestream.”

As they spoke, they noticed Jiang Mei.

This was the first time Wang Kefei had seen Jiang Mei looking so haggard—she almost didn’t recognize her. The difference from her usual self was striking.

Without a word, Jiang Mei sat down at her desk.

Remembering Jiang Mei’s previous arrogance, Wang Kefei found the sight ironic. Glancing at the news on her screen, she decided to read aloud: “The daughter of renowned local entrepreneur Le Yijian makes a stunning appearance, openly admitting she is engaged—”

Though work hadn’t officially started yet, most people were already in the office.

Jiang Mei had vaguely watched the news at home, and now hearing Wang Kefei repeat it, she muttered, “Can you stop making noise?”

Wang Kefei shot back, “We’re not on the clock yet—you can’t tell me what to do.”

Everyone else silently observed the drama, staying quiet.

Jiang Mei had offended quite a few colleagues in the office before, but since their statuses were similar, nothing serious had ever happened.

This time, however, she had hit a wall.

No one had expected Le Ya to be the CEO’s daughter. Even their wildest guesses had only gone as far as relatives or romantic partners.

Jiang Mei had truly crossed the line.

Le Ya arrived at the office right on time.

The moment she stepped into the office, everyone’s eyes turned toward her, following her every move until she reached her seat. No one said a word.

Le Ya looked around, puzzled. “What’s going on?”

Everyone in the office shook their heads in unison.

Le Ya figured it out easily—they must have seen the news about the charity gala and were surprised.

She didn’t intend to hide her identity, but no one had approached her to ask. Announcing herself as Le Yijian’s daughter would’ve been overly dramatic.

She didn’t think much of it. Thankfully, her colleagues didn’t stare for too long and quickly returned to work.

Only Jiang Mei remained visibly uneasy.

When Le Ya returned from the break room, she noticed Jiang Mei’s pale face and dark circles—she looked like a panda. It was unsettling.

Seeing Le Ya staring, Wang Kefei whispered, “She’s been shaken up by the charity gala incident.”

Le Ya softly replied, “But I didn’t mean to scare her.”

She took a sip of water, blinking innocently.

Wang Kefei found her adorable and quickly reassured her, “Of course not! She’s scaring herself. Just ignore her.”

Le Ya obediently nodded. “Okay.”

Throughout the morning, every time Le Ya glanced over, Jiang Mei would guiltily avert her gaze.

At noon, Zhang Qiu appeared and said, “Jiang Mei, come with me.”

Everyone in the office turned to look.

Jiang Mei knew she was in trouble. As she left, she couldn’t help but shoot a resentful glare at Le Ya.

Le Ya was utterly confused.

She had no idea what she’d done to offend Jiang Mei.

Whispers filled the office, though no one knew exactly what was happening.

Since their usual tasks mainly involved drawing plans, Wang Kefei enjoyed browsing Weibo during downtime. Today, she spent all her time searching for posts related to Le Ya.

To her surprise, she found something new.

She quietly whispered, “Did you see this?”

Huang Ya leaned over, thinking it was something fresh. After taking a look, she gasped and instinctively glanced at Le Ya across the room.

Noticing the gaze, Le Ya asked, “What’s wrong?”

Huang Ya hesitated but decided to speak up. “Well… a lot of your photos have been leaked online, including ones from abroad and… last night.”

Wang Kefei chimed in, “Last night, someone posted pictures of the jewelry you wore, claiming it was a gift from someone who saw you and fell head over heels for you. Now, there are rumors speculating about your love story—things like love at first sight.”

Le Ya let out a small gasp, completely baffled by the situation.

After explaining, Wang Kefei sent Le Ya the Weibo link. They had added each other on WeChat before but hadn’t talked much.

Le Ya opened the link immediately.

The first thing she saw was a picture taken during the gala when she was with Liang Qian. The photo clearly captured the necklace and earrings she was wearing.

Next to the image was an explanation of the jewelry.

By the time she finished reading the entire article, Le Ya had to admire the blogger’s imagination. They had concocted a story where Chen Yang was so captivated by her during a business collaboration that he spent 20 million yuan on the jewelry just to make her smile.

Le Ya: “….”

This fabricated plot was even more absurd than Liang Qian’s usual daydreams.

It was as if they had turned Chen Yang into a lovesick emperor and her into a bewitching concubine.

Though ridiculous, it was amusing.

Finding it entertaining, Le Ya took a screenshot and sent it to Chen Yang with the message, “Look, you’ve been portrayed as a lovesick emperor. Next time, don’t be so flashy.”

Chen Yang was probably busy with work, as he didn’t reply immediately.

A few minutes later, her phone vibrated. Le Ya opened the message to see Chen Yang’s reply:

“Only yours, my empress.”