Jiang Xun put down his water glass, stood up, and walked over to her.
He reached out and gently lifted her chin, which was slightly lowered due to nervousness, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"I don't need these."
His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable strength.
"Go, change into the outfit you wore to school today."
"Ah?"
Mu Qingxue's mind completely crashed.
The black professional skirt suit she wore to school today?
That was her battle attire as the "President of Tianqi Financial," a tool she used to display authority and professionalism.
To change into that outfit during this private, intimate time for just the two of them?
Was this some new test?
She couldn't understand at all.
"Why?"
She asked subconsciously, then immediately regretted it, afraid her questioning would displease Jiang Xun.
But Jiang Xun wasn't angry.
Other tastes could wait; tonight, he just wanted to savor the original flavor.
He just looked at her, his eyes holding a hint of playfulness, and a tenderness she had never seen before.
"Because, your original self, is already very beautiful."
Boom—
This sentence, like a thunderclap, exploded in Mu Qingxue's mind.
She froze completely.
Her original self… is already very beautiful?
He wasn't talking about those luxurious clothes, or those carefully prepared roles, but… herself?
Was it Mu Qingxue, the one who wore a rigid professional suit, always disguising herself with coldness and professionalism?
To gain Jiang Xun's approval, she had bet her entire fortune, painstakingly practiced various skills, and even sacrificed all her dignity, turning herself into a work of art to be admired.
She thought she had to constantly display value and provide novelty to keep this man.
But now he said… her original self, is already very beautiful.
A hot current suddenly rushed to her eyes.
Mu Qingxue's vision instantly blurred.
She desperately bit her lip, trying to suppress the sudden vulnerability and excitement, but tears, unbidden, fell one by one.
These were not tears of humiliation, nor tears of grievance.
Instead, they were tears of… being seen through, understood, and affirmed, a tremendous emotion.
She felt the tight string she had been holding onto all this time finally loosen at this moment.
It turned out, he understood everything… In the bedroom.
Mu Qingxue changed back into the black suit skirt.
The crisp suit jacket enveloped her shapely body, the buttons of the white silk blouse were fastened all the way to the top, and beneath the body-hugging short skirt were long legs encased in black stockings.
This attire, in an office, represented authority and abstinence.
But at this moment, in this bedroom belonging only to the two of them, it exuded a completely different, heart-pounding allure.
She stood awkwardly by the bed, like a child who had done something wrong.
Jiang Xun patted the spot beside him.
Mu Qingxue hesitated for a moment, then obediently sat down.
As soon as she sat down, Jiang Xun pulled her into his arms, and she fell onto the soft, large bed.
"Sir…"
"Still calling me sir?"
Jiang Xun's voice sounded in her ear, with a hint of teasing.
Mu Qingxue's face flushed instantly, and she buried her face in Jiang Xun's chest, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Jiang… Jiang Xun…"
"Mmm."
Jiang Xun responded and held her tighter.
His arms were like iron bands, impossible to break free from.
She was completely enveloped in his scent, with nowhere to escape.
A sense of pressure came from her chest.
The silk blouse, designed for the workplace, was now emitting a silent wail, its taut fabric outlining a breathtaking curve, as if protesting the confinement of this disguise.
Jiang Xun's palm rested on her back, and even through the suit jacket, he could feel her body tremble slightly.
Like a startled butterfly.
His fingertips slid down the hollow of her spine, inch by inch.
Bringing with it a series of fine shivers.
Mu Qingxue's breathing stopped.
She felt like a piece of appreciated porcelain, all disguises stripped away, leaving only her most fragile essence exposed in his palm.
His hand paused at her waist.
Then, his other hand, lifted her face.
The pad of his thumb, rough yet gentle, wiped away the last trace of moisture from the corner of her eye.
He said nothing.
He just looked at her quietly with those eyes that seemed to see through everything.
Watching the panic, confusion, and a hint of… surrender that she herself hadn't even noticed in her eyes.
Then, his fingers accurately found the top button of her shirt.
With a gentle flick.
"Click."
A corner of the restraint was undone.
The bedroom was quiet, with only the sound of their heartbeats.
After a long while, Jiang Xun finally spoke lazily.
"Do you really have to go to such lengths? Making it seem like a project report, with PPTs and KPIs."
Hearing this, Mu Qingxue's body stiffened slightly.
She was silent for a moment before speaking in a voice almost like a dream.
"Jiang Xun, you don't understand…"
"For most women, marriage is the most important project in life, bar none."
"From birth, I've been preparing for this project."
She looked up, her recently tear-stained eyes appearing especially bright and earnest under the light.
"I study management so I can help you manage your family business; I learn arts and crafts so I can please you; I work hard to earn money so I can provide you with the most generous dowry and allow you to live the best life."
"Everything I do is to increase my 'bid-winning rate'."
Jiang Xun listened quietly, without interrupting her.
"Do you know? The male-to-female ratio in Dragon Country has already exceeded one to ten thousand. And men like you… young, healthy, and… and so good-looking, are national treasures among national treasures."
As Mu Qingxue said this, a trace of lingering fear appeared in her eyes.
"To successfully match with you through the 'Tianhe Project', I've already used up all the luck and connections accumulated by the Mu Family for three generations. If I miss you, I will most likely become a 'Light Hole' in this lifetime."
"Light Hole?"
Jiang Xun repeated this unfamiliar term.
"Yes." Mu Qingxue's tone carried a hint of sadness, "It means a woman who never sees a man in her life, growing old alone, like an unfillable black hole. This is the most vicious curse for us women."
"So, I dare not be negligent in the slightest. I'm afraid… I'm afraid that if I don't do well enough, you won't be satisfied. I'm afraid that after the protection period ends in a month, I won't be able to compete with those girls who are younger, prettier, and better at pleasing people than me."
Her words deepened Jiang Xun's understanding of this world.
He finally understood where Mu Qingxue's almost obsessive "involution" and her deep-seated "KPI mindset" came from.
It wasn't simple flattery, but the deepest survival anxiety in this cruel world.
Jiang Xun sighed and reached out to stroke her soft, long hair.
"So, that half-truck of clothes was your 'arms race'?"
Mu Qingxue let out a giggle at his analogy, her tears still wet at the corners of her eyes, but her smile was like a rainbow after a spring shower.
"You could… say that."
She snuggled into his arms, like a kitten that had found its harbor.
"I just… wanted to give you all the best things I could think of."
"I don't need the best."
Jiang Xun lowered his head, looking into her eyes, and said each word distinctly.
"I only need what I want."
Mu Qingxue's heart was struck heavily again.
She gazed at him adoringly, feeling her entire being melt into his deep eyes.
[Ding! Detected that the host has completed a deep emotional connection with the female lead, Mu Qingxue! Favorability +10! Current Favorability: 90 (Deep Affection)!]
[Ding! Family Reputation +2000!]
The system's notification sounded in Jiang Xun's mind, but at this moment, he wasn't in the mood to pay attention to it.
He looked at the woman in his arms, who had shed all her armor and become soft and real, and for the first time, something called "responsibility" quietly began to sprout in his heart.
He lowered his head and kissed her lips.
This time, there was no "inspection," no "testing."
Only the purest tenderness and possession.