Zhao Ying hung up as soon as she finished speaking. Yang Jiyan could not tell whether he ought to be pleased or not. How had he somehow become a professional fake boyfriend?

First Lin Yanhe, then Sun Jie, and now Zhao Ying—could it be that he had a latent talent for temp work? If he ever lost his job, he supposed he could open some sort of "contract lover" agency, renting out boyfriends. Still, this was hardly a major affair. All he had to do was help her muddle through, and it was far easier than that business with Sun Jie, going home with her to pose as her boyfriend. So Yang Shuoxuan saw no reason to refuse; besides, deep down, he rather wished his relationship with Zhao Ying could grow a little closer.

He thought over tomorrow's schedule. Though Chen Shutang's invitation and Lin Yanhe's had somewhat collided, if he arranged his time sensibly it ought to work out.

For instance, he could stay at Chen Shutang's home until eight in the evening, and then go on to Lin Yanhe's. It would not be too late by then.

Early the next morning, Yang Ce and Chen Shutang met at the entrance of Xinheng Department Store on the commercial street.

"Yang Ce!" Chen Shutang called out, a little embarrassed, to Yang Ce, who stood there craning his neck this way and that. The subway had been packed today, and she had not managed to squeeze onto the first train, so she was running a little late.

In truth, Yang Ce had spotted Chen Shutang long ago. Only when he saw her coming did he pretend to be anxiously scanning the crowd. Yang Shuoxuan had arrived only a few minutes earlier.

"Mengyan!" Yang Ce cried in feigned surprise, as though he had just caught sight of her.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little late," Chen Shutang apologized.

"It's nothing, I just got here myself." Yang Yanzhou said, "So, have you decided what you want to buy?"

"Just a sweater, I suppose." Chen Shutang took Yang Ce's arm, and together they entered Xinheng Department Store.

The two of them had come with a purpose and did not wander much, heading straight for the cashmere sweater counter on the third floor. Cashmere sweaters sold extremely well in the north; because the region was cold, sales surged every winter.

Especially in the days before the New Year, crowds pressed around the counter on every side. Yang Ce and Chen Shutang had a hard time squeezing to the front—but someone took exception to that.

"What are you shoving for, you little brat? You shoved my mother—I'll kill you!" a man of about thirty suddenly bellowed at Yang Ce and Chen Shutang.

Yang Wenru frowned. The man's mother was a good distance away from him—how could anyone have shoved her? And judging by that old woman's bulk, she stood there like a great gas tank; it was a wonder she wasn't shoving others.

"I'm sorry!" Chen Shutang, however, did not take offense. Seeing the man shout, she offered an apology—after all, she and Yan really had squeezed their way in.

"Hmph." The man gave a cold snort and rolled his eyes.

Yang Ce had meant to give him a piece of his mind, but since Chen Shutang had apologized, he let it drop.

Seeing the crowd, Yang Ce roughly discussed styles with Chen Shutang and then asked the salesgirl to write up the bill. Just as she was doing so, the gas-tank woman from before started shouting: "Here, miss, come over here and bring me that garment again so I can have another look."

"Just a moment, please. I'll fetch it for you once I've finished their bill," the salesgirl said.

"Bill, what bill? Isn't it first come, first served? We were here first—how can you write up someone else's bill before ours?" the gas-tank woman said, utterly unreasonable.

"Ma'am, that's a little unfair. Yes, you were here first, but you were trying on styles, and there are plenty of other customers at this counter. I can't serve only you," the salesgirl said, entirely reasonably—but the man would have none of it.

"You motherf—, do you even want this job? Do you know who I am? Damn it!" The man began cursing and swearing: "You're serving those two little bastards?"

Smack! A crisp sound rang out as Yang Puqi slapped him across the face. "Who are you cursing?" Yang Ce had long since taken a dislike to this fellow, and now his foul mouth had dragged both him and Chen Shutang into it—how could Yang Ce stand idly by?

Yang Juehuan's temper had always been the sort that answered violence with violence, so he said nothing at all and simply slapped the man until he saw stars.

"You dare hit me?" The man swung a fist at Yang Ce. Seeing the fight break out, the crowd that had packed the counter began to scatter to either side.

"So what if I hit you? A clumsy bear like you, and you're still strutting about?" Yang Moyi threw a single punch that sent blood spurting from the man's nose. Yang Ce had never taken him seriously at all—that little bit of brute strength, and he dared raise a hand against him?

"Security! Where's your manager, Zhu Wanli? Get him over here, now!" Then he jabbed a finger at Yang Ce: "You little brat, if you've got guts, don't you run. Just you watch how I'll finish you off in a minute, you motherf—. You dare hit me? Tired of living, are you?"

The salesgirl at the cashmere counter was startled to hear that this man actually knew the mall's manager. At this, a woman who looked like the shop supervisor hurried over: "Sir, please don't be angry—"

"Don't waste my time with useless talk. Get Zhu Wanli to see me," the man said arrogantly. "Here's my card. My name is Yi Chuncai."

"You moron!" Yang Xutang muttered behind him with a chuckle.

The supervisor glanced at the card in her hand and gave a start. Then she turned and said quietly to Yan, "Young man, I think you'd better apologize to him and see if you can settle this privately. This is a man you don't want to cross."

Yang Ce shook his head. In Songjiang, he had never yet met anyone he couldn't afford to cross. So he smiled and said, "Just write up my bill first. I'm in a hurry."

"Think you can slip away? Not so easy!" Yi Chuncai shouted. "If you've got guts, you'll stand right there."

"Who do you think you are?" Yang Ce laughed in anger. "You tell me to stand and I stand? If you fetch me a stool and let me sit a while, I might consider taking a rest."

"Get—get him a stool!" Yi Chuncai hesitated a moment, then said to the woman supervisor beside him.

From the few blows Yang Ce had thrown, Yi Chuncai had already seen that he was no match for the young man. He was well past thirty—how could he trade blows with a youngster? If Yang Ce really did turn and walk away now, he truly could not stop him.

Just then, a fat, fleshy-eared man came hurrying over with several security guards.

"President Yi, there you are! Why didn't you let me know before you came?" The fat man was Zhu Wanli, manager of Xinheng Mall.

"I'm making an incognito inspection, that's all. But the moment I walk in, I see your mall is poorly managed—you let in all sorts of people." Yi Chuncai pointed at Yang Ce. "These two troublemakers got in too."

Incognito inspection? Troublemakers? Yang Ce was dumbfounded. Did this fellow think he was the emperor?

"What's going on here, President Yi?" Zhu Wanli frowned, thinking to himself that the mall was open for business—anyone could come in and shop.

"Arrest these two first," Yi Chuncai said. "This brat struck someone. Take him to the security office—I don't believe I can't beat him into submission."

"President Yi, perhaps we should call the police about this," Zhu Wanli said. He was not as reckless as Yi Chuncai. If they arrested Yang Ce, Xinheng's reputation would be finished.

But this President Yi was a difficult man to deal with. Relying on being a relative of Vice President Yi of the parent company, he had become deputy manager of the trading department of Xinheng Group—the very position that put him in charge of the group's malls, hotels, and similar properties. Zhu Wanli did not dare offend him.