Jiang Ci looked around; there was no one else in the office.


    "I''m talking to you," Lu Yudong said.


    "What?"


    "Marry me," Lu Yudong reiterated.


    Jiang Ci''s mind finally caught up with the question of "marry me."


    She was still a bit dazed. She had thought about marriage before, but with a month left until graduation, it was completely off her radar now.


    Jiang Ci wondered if Lu Yudong was testing her. After all, for a President, sleeping with an intern might not be a loss, but it certainly wasn''t ideal. He probably wanted to see if Jiang Ci had any ulterior motives.


    Jiang Ci felt a bit conflicted. To her, Lu Yudong''s warm embrace and those eyes, combined with the unexpected night they spent together, made him different from other men. But she knew very well that in this life, or even the next, they were impossible.


    The reason Lu Yudong was proposing marriage to a woman so mismatched with him wasn''t because he liked her.


    She remembered the "advice" Lu Yudong gave her when he returned her phone, and Jiang Ci was even more convinced: he was afraid she''d cause trouble for him.


    So, she lied, "I have a boyfriend."


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    "Talking about marriage?" Lu Yudong asked again.


    "Oh, not yet. After all, I haven''t graduated, and I don''t have a financial foundation," Jiang Ci replied calmly.


    "How far have you progressed?" Lu Yudong showed unexpected interest in Jiang Ci''s personal affairs.


    Jiang Ci didn''t know what Lu Yudong meant, so she blurted out, "We... live together."


    The implication was: I have a boyfriend, and I''ve slept with him too. To avoid misunderstandings, I won''t keep talking about sleeping with another man. She intended to bury the team-building incident deep inside, reassuring Mr. Lu.


    "Live together?" Lu Yudong frowned slightly. That night, she was clearly...


    Seeing Lu Yudong''s doubt, Jiang Ci knew what he was thinking and quickly added, "This boyfriend and I have been together for years. We only started living together after the team-building event, having just moved out of the dorm and found a suitable place."


    "Aren''t you curious why I want to marry you?" Lu Yudong wasn''t surprised to hear Jiang Ci had a boyfriend.


    "Why?"


    "My grandfather is gravely ill, and he wants to see me married before he passes. But I don''t have a girlfriend. As for why I chose you, you know better than anyone. After searching around, you''re still the most suitable," Lu Yudong said, sitting in his office chair with an air of control.


    "The most suitable" inevitably hurt Jiang Ci''s pride. They had slept together, making her indeed the most "suitable." If he chose someone else, they might have many concerns, but choosing Jiang Ci skipped that step entirely.


    Although she knew Lu Yudong wasn''t marrying out of "love," hearing his reason still left Jiang Ci disappointed.


    It seemed that not only did he remember that night, but he remembered it clearly. Moreover, Lu Yudong''s tone slightly revealed disdain for Jiang Ci. Though he asked for her help, he still looked down on her.


    Of course, in his eyes, she was just a woman scheming to have a relationship with her boss. She had slept with him and "intentionally" left her phone in his room, pretending to be a "phony" while trying to catch a good catch. How could she expect him to respect her?


    "Name your terms, but don''t exceed five million," Lu Yudong said with a hint of disdain.


    Five million was indeed a large sum, but for Jiang Ci, it wasn''t entirely irresistible.


    After a moment of silence, she gently suggested, "Mr. Lu, you could consider getting a fake certificate."


    "If my grandfather finds out, it would be troublesome."


    "And the certificate is secondary. The key is finding someone to reassure him," Lu Yudong answered Jiang Ci''s question with patience.


    Jiang Ci slowly nodded, biting her lip as she thought about how to refuse.


    Seeing Jiang Ci''s hesitation, Lu Yudong added, "The marriage will have a time limit. If you agree, we can register tomorrow. As for the end date..."


    "I don''t agree!" Jiang Ci declared firmly.


    Lu Yudong: ...


    The words Lu Yudong wanted to say never got the chance. He just stared intently at Jiang Ci.


    For the first time, someone had refused him without hesitation.