Chapter 137: Getting Too Into the Act

Second floor of Plaza 66, outside the Hermès store.

“That person over there is my ex-husband, Lin Zichuan.” Le Man pointed toward a figure inside the store from a distance.

Zhang Yang looked into the store. A tall, slender figure was standing there with his arms slightly spread while a clerk helped him change clothes. His face couldn’t be seen clearly, but his height and long arms did give off a domineering CEO vibe.

“Let’s go. Remember, act well. Try to be a little more invested.” Zhang Yang casually wrapped an arm around Le Man’s slender waist and reminded her.

“Okay.” Le Man nodded lightly, her cheeks flushed.

Zhang Yang held her slim waist and walked into the Hermès store.

As they approached, Zhang Yang could vaguely sense the man’s impatience and agitation. He saw him occasionally take out his phone to check it, the joints of his fingers almost turning pale from clenching.

“Lin Zichuan.” Le Man mustered her courage and stepped forward.

Immediately, the man paused, then turned around, revealing a cold and proud face.

“You finally came. I thought you were going to hide forever.”

“Can you stop bothering me? Do you think this is interesting?” Le Man took a deep breath.

“And that dish from last time-teach me step by step. If you don’t want me calling you again next time.” Lin Zichuan adjusted his clothes on his own, completely ignoring what Le Man had just said.

He really was a very self-centered man.

“You…” Le Man’s chest rose and fell, feeling powerless.

She couldn’t warm his heart, and even after leaving him, he still kept entangling her. What exactly did he want?

Zhang Yang watched the man with amusement.

Seriously, did this guy really think he was some domineering CEO?

He had heard Le Man talk about Lin Zichuan’s family situation. They were indeed wealthy, but not the kind of family with several generations of immense fortune. Even their entire family assets were not as much as Zhang Yang’s current net worth, and Lin Zichuan hadn’t even inherited the family business yet.

So what exactly was he being arrogant about?

“Buddy, this is getting a little pointless.” Zhang Yang stepped forward with a smile and casually pulled Le Man into his arms.

Le Man, suddenly held in Zhang Yang’s embrace, instantly flushed bright red.

“Who are you!” Lin Zichuan’s gaze immediately turned dangerous.

He looked at the tall, handsome man in front of him and then at his nominal ex-wife now being held in this man’s arms. She even showed a hint of shyness.

A nameless anger instantly surged in his heart.

“You guess.” Zhang Yang smiled, his hand resting casually on Le Man’s waist.

Stories never follow the usual script.

In countless novels, when the male lead is dragged in as a temporary shield, he always ends up feeling inferior in front of the rich and powerful ex-boyfriend, silently lowering his head and eating.

Being a shield doesn’t frustrate readers, but being an incompetent shield does.

Zhang Yang calmly held the soft body in his arms, admiring the anger blazing in the eyes of this so-called little CEO.

“Pretty quick. Taking my money and already enjoying life with someone else?” Lin Zichuan said coldly to Le Man.

“That doesn’t seem to have anything to do with you.” Le Man felt Zhang Yang’s embrace and unexpectedly felt a sense of security. “I came here to tell you that everything between us is now completely over. Please have some self-respect.”

“No. I don’t agree.” Lin Zichuan blurted out.

Zhang Yang found it a little amusing. “Wait, explain something to me. What right do you have to say no? Because you used to be her husband?”

“I said no, so it’s no.” Lin Zichuan stared at Zhang Yang. “I’ll give you one hundred thousand. Leave her.”

Zhang Yang blinked, feeling rather curious.

Seriously? People actually did this in real life?

“Buddy, the feelings between Le Man and me can’t be measured with money. I suggest you give up that idea early. So what if you have money?” Zhang Yang suddenly felt playful and wanted to test Lin Zichuan’s limits.

“Hmph.” As expected, Lin Zichuan’s expression turned disdainful, as if he had seen right through Zhang Yang.

“Two hundred thousand.”

Zhang Yang shook his head, completely unmoved.

Le Man beside him was actually very nervous. After all, Zhang Yang had only come to help her act for a while. But facing temptations of one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, who could resist?

Was money really this unreasonable?

“I advise you not to be greedy.” Lin Zichuan’s eyes were cold. “Three hundred thousand.”

Zhang Yang wasn’t unmoved because he despised money. Who in this world could truly remain indifferent to money?

Zhang Yang certainly wasn’t some saint.

But trying to make him betray his principles for just three hundred thousand was seriously underestimating him.

Who did this guy think he was looking down on?

“Buddy, stop trying. I won’t repeat myself.” Zhang Yang said with a half-smile. “Even if you offered me a million, I might not agree.”

“A million!” Lin Zichuan exclaimed. “You really dare to dream!”

Le Man watched the whole scene quietly. Looking at Zhang Yang’s calm expression, she suddenly felt an indescribable emotion stirring inside her.

Lin Zichuan thought Zhang Yang refused to leave because he couldn’t resist three hundred thousand.

But the truth was that the two of them weren’t even friends, let alone a couple. Yet even under the temptation of three hundred thousand, Zhang Yang remained unmoved.

It was simply…

“The right person at the wrong time.” Le Man sighed silently and bit her lip. “Zhang Yang!”

“Hm?” Zhang Yang looked at her.

“Zhang Yang, let me buy you a piece of clothing.” Le Man stepped forward and looked up at him.

Lin Zichuan’s eyes immediately burned with anger.

He had been waiting here for Le Man to help him choose clothes, but now she was buying clothes for another man? And using the settlement money he had given her?

It was infuriating.

“That’s not necessary.” Zhang Yang politely declined.

“Did you forget?” Le Man lowered her voice and stood on tiptoe, whispering near his ear. “Didn’t you say we should get into the role? A girlfriend spending money on her boyfriend is only natural.”

She immediately pulled Zhang Yang over to try on clothes.

Zhang Yang naturally looked good in anything he wore.

Lin Zichuan stood there with a dark expression, watching Le Man-who once carefully picked out clothes for him-now choosing clothes for another man with such focus and seriousness.

For some reason, after the anger faded, a sudden emptiness filled his heart, as if he had lost something extremely important.

Scenes from the past three years flashed through his mind. Things he once took for granted now seemed distant and luxurious, completely unrelated to him anymore.

“Sir, do you still want the clothes?” a clerk cautiously asked.

“No.” Lin Zichuan’s voice sounded hoarse as he looked at Le Man in the distance, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

There were things he truly wanted to tell her face to face, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to say them.

Lin Zichuan stood there for a long time before finally turning and leaving.

Inside the store, Zhang Yang glanced at Lin Zichuan’s departing figure, then looked at Le Man, who was genuinely helping him choose clothes like a girlfriend shopping for her boyfriend.

“He’s already gone. No need to keep looking.”

“I said I’d buy you clothes. I won’t break my promise.” Le Man smiled gently. “You refused three hundred thousand just now. How could I let you suffer a loss?”

“But did you see the price of the one you picked?” Zhang Yang asked. “Seventy or eighty thousand…”

“Don’t talk about the price. Did you forget? I received more than ten million.” Le Man smiled. “Come look.”

She pulled Zhang Yang to stand in front of the mirror.

The young man in the mirror was the perfect clothes hanger.

The sales assistants nearby kept praising him, and it didn’t even sound polite-it sounded genuine.

“Looks great. Amazing. Let’s match it with some leather goods too.” Le Man truly looked like a little rich woman.

Standing there, Zhang Yang clearly felt the strange looks from the staff.

To be honest, he really wanted to argue a bit.

After all, he was an Hermès member. Even though he wasn’t a top-tier TR member who spent tens of millions annually, he had still spent several hundred thousand.

How could he be misunderstood like this?

He really wanted to flash his black card to prove it.

“Here, this bag suits you too.” Le Man smiled and picked up a men’s bag worth forty or fifty thousand for Zhang Yang.

Just like that, more than a hundred thousand was spent.

“That’s really not necessary. If you want to thank me, a meal would be enough.” Zhang Yang sighed softly.

“That won’t do.” Le Man’s voice was gentle but firm. “Otherwise I’ll feel guilty.”

“Alright, alright.” Zhang Yang said helplessly, thinking he could just return them later.

Soon after, Le Man took out her card and paid nearly 140,000.

Zhang Yang suddenly froze.

Because he realized he had forgotten something-the rebate system from before.

The total quota was 200 million. After previous spending, there was only about 15 million left in the quota, meaning he needed a woman to spend another 150,000 for him to receive the full rebate.

He had already given up on it. Asking girls to spend money for him indirectly always felt uncomfortable, even though the hundredfold rebate was satisfying.

So he had simply stopped caring about the remaining quota.

He thought it would go to waste, but unexpectedly it had been completed today in this way.

“This really is a case of unintended success.” Zhang Yang looked at the nearly 14 million rebate that had just arrived and felt deeply emotional.

The small remaining amount wasn’t even worth thinking about.

“Alright.” Le Man walked up to Zhang Yang holding two shopping bags and gently handed them to him.

“Thank you.” Zhang Yang looked at Le Man-who had helped him complete the final quota-and suddenly felt differently when looking at her.

Elegant, beautiful, and generous.

While buying him things, she had unknowingly helped him earn nearly 14 million.

“No need to thank me. You deserve it.” Le Man pressed her lips together and lowered her head slightly. “Our fake boyfriend-girlfriend relationship should end now. By the way, does this count as the shortest relationship in history? Even if we were only acting.”

Looking at Le Man’s slightly flushed face, Zhang Yang suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek.

Le Man instantly trembled, staring at him in disbelief before stepping back.

Then she turned around, facing away from him.

Zhang Yang looked at his hand, feeling slightly awkward.

He was just too spontaneous by nature. After getting into the act earlier, he was still in the mood and had forgotten they were only pretending.

Zhang Yang shook his head with a smile and quickly brushed off the awkwardness.

“Sorry about that just now.” Zhang Yang walked up and said it naturally.

“It’s fine.” Le Man lowered her head slightly. When she raised it again, her face was flushed. “Anyway, you’ve already held and hugged me, so I’ll just assume you were still in character.”

Zhang Yang and Le Man walked side by side for a while.

Along the way, Zhang Yang noticed her bare neck and wrist. “By the way, where are your necklace and watch? Did you return them?”

He didn’t doubt that Le Man had once owned such things.

After all, even though it had been a contract marriage, Lin Zichuan still needed appearances. With Le Man’s looks, she would certainly have had the proper accessories.

You could tell just by the luxury brands she was wearing.

“Yes, I returned them all.” Le Man smiled gently and raised her fair, slender wrist, lightly waving it in front of Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang glanced toward a Piaget watch boutique not far away, then turned back and grabbed Le Man’s hand.

“Come with me.”

Le Man followed him blankly as Zhang Yang led her into the Piaget boutique.

Inside the boutique, Zhang Yang looked at Le Man’s wrist and called over a sales assistant.

“Zhang Yang, what are you doing?” Le Man asked softly.

“You don’t understand the idea of returning a favor? I’m buying you a watch.” Zhang Yang smiled, pointed to several watches he liked, and asked the assistant to bring them out for her to try.

Each watch cost around five to six hundred thousand.

Le Man stood there like a puppet, watching Zhang Yang gently hold her wrist while helping her try on the watches.

“This white gold diamond one looks nice. Sparkly and very suitable for you.” Zhang Yang’s taste had become exceptional now-not only in clothing but in many other aspects as well.

“It’s fifty… fifty-two thousand-no, fifty-two hundred thousand.” Le Man gently removed the watch.

“I know.” Zhang Yang lightly patted the back of her hand and handed the watch to the assistant. “We’ll take this one.”

He stood up, walked over, swiped his card, and paid in one smooth motion.

The watch cost 520,000. It sounded like a lot, but he had just received about 14 million in cashback because of Le Man, so this gesture of thanks was actually far from enough.

“Here, it’s yours.” Zhang Yang handed the watch to Le Man.

Le Man felt completely dazed.

They had just been strolling around, and somehow ended up buying a watch worth more than half a million-and it was for her?

Even though she had just bought Zhang Yang things worth over a hundred thousand, this “returning the favor” felt a bit too much.

“It’s too expensive!” Le Man instinctively withdrew her hand.

“You can give me things worth over a hundred thousand, but I can’t give you something in return? As for expensive, it’s not that bad.” Zhang Yang casually showed his Centurion Black Card.

Although the domestic version of the Centurion Black Card had been weakened in many ways, it still wasn’t something just anyone could obtain.

As for the countless people online claiming to be black card holders, making it seem as if black cards were everywhere, that was simply an illusion.