Able to grace the grandest halls, yet bold enough to stand up to ruffians.

When she was out and about, Su Mengyao was entirely the embodiment of a pure, sweet, and sunny young beauty—sometimes with long, straight black hair, other times in twin ponytails, seemingly bare-faced but actually lightly made up, a clever little sprite whose pair of stunning, bright eyes made it impossible to guess that, behind the scenes, she was actually a “delicate, frail girl.”

“Brother Jie, this tastes so good…”

“So disgusting…”

“….”

Every time Li Jie heard her use those cutesy, repetitive words, he felt uneasy—not that he liked it, just that he was used to it. Of course, if those words changed to soft moans and whimpers, he would actually quite enjoy it.

He loved the sound.

Especially when Su Mengyao transformed into her “rocking” persona, often pairing it with an “ahegao” expression—how to describe it? The emotional value was off the charts.

He loved to watch.

Such a beautiful girl deserved to be cherished.

And she didn’t cost him a cent.

Even better, she could help him make money!

Perfect.

“This grilled meat is really good.”

After finishing a plate of barbecue, Li Jie ordered a plate of stir-fried water spinach—freshly cooked, the chef’s skill evident, neither overdone nor watery.

When he tackled the second plate of barbecue, the rice server enthusiastically recommended their homemade garlic sauce—a spicy sauce with a strong garlic flavor and mild heat, meant to highlight the garlic.

Spread a bit on the grilled meat, paired with a bowl of rice, and he could easily eat two more bowls.

Li Jie felt there was no need to cut carbs; his daily exercise was more than enough.

“Brother Jie, about what Grandpa’s campaign assistant mentioned… should we really agree?”

With “Masked Gourd Hero” gaining momentum and its theme firmly embracing “justice,” Su Yongzhi planned to ride the wave—not randomly, though. His slogan was “Protecting children like the Gourd Hero.”

He aimed to capture votes from families with children; his rivals wouldn’t be so quick to pick up on this angle, and even if they did, they lacked suitable tools or materials.

Even if they, like Su Yongzhi, thought “Masked Gourd Hero” was great, it would be too late.

First, now that the copyright fee for “Masked Gourd Hero” had risen—even if it wasn’t a blockbuster—it wasn’t something a district council candidate could casually spend on. Raising ten million for the campaign, only to spend over a million on Gourd Hero masks? Ridiculous.

Su Yongzhi was different; in theory, he could “borrow for free”—after all, it was his granddaughter’s husband’s business.

But he couldn’t truly get it for nothing; he had to promise something in return.

For example, if he were elected as Dragon District Councilor, he’d encourage outstanding children’s cultural works by granting tax relief…

At that point, the so-called Vermilion Bird District Creative Park would be irrelevant. Unless Su Yongzhi became a council member in Jianye City, it was “better others suffer than us.”

But to convince Li Jie to cooperate, Su Yongzhi knew the real challenge wasn’t Li Jie himself, but his granddaughter.

After all, Su Mengyao was well aware that the Su family was a “beggar lineage,” inheriting a tradition of only taking, never giving. The rare exception, Su Jianping, who only gave and never took, had turned the family into paupers.

So family values should not be lightly changed.

Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, rats are born to burrow—that’s the family legacy.

Knowing this, Su Mengyao immediately sold out the Su family. She couldn’t care less about their rise or fall—not only the Su clan, but everyone on her grandmother’s side had been blocked, including her mother, Gan Xingmei.

Now, with Brother Jie’s protection, she was happier than ever.

Since she was already happy, why add uncertainty?

Grandpa Su Yongzhi was an uncertainty.

He’d taken bribes, served time, and at over sixty still wanted to join society’s dance…

Ridiculous.

“Of course we’ll agree, why not? But I’m not agreeing blindly. He can use the ‘Gourd Hero’ IP for his campaign, but I need to plant my own people in the team.”

Leaning in, Li Jie whispered, “Yaoyao, you’ve met Counselor Guo Rong, right?”

“Yes.”

Su Mengyao nodded. “Isn’t he waiting for a promotion at your school, Brother Jie?”

“That doesn’t stop him from joining the campaign team. Once I finish the six-province college sports meet, and my results earn him a bit of prestige, even if there’s nothing for him at Jianyi, he can move straight into Grandpa’s council office as an assistant.”

“Just him? Brother Jie, isn’t that too few?”

“Of course not just him. Wu and Chen from the company will go too. Wu handles the set, Chen is the cameraman—both are low-key crew members. Unlike writers, who can bark a bit, have you ever heard a set manager or cameraman bark?”

“What’s the purpose of this?” Su Mengyao didn’t quite get why he was doing all this.

“With Grandpa’s limited funds and base of support, if he doesn’t take an unconventional path… he’s got no chance. Now he’s building a persona as someone who cares about the behind-the-scenes workers in film and art. ‘Votes’ are mostly mindless; people go with their gut. If they feel Grandpa is a compassionate, childlike old man—success.”

Having said that, Li Jie shoveled rice into his mouth, while Su Mengyao stared, her heart fluttering, her mind spinning, finally feeling a surge of springtime longing, wishing she could hurry home.

In public, she was still quite pure and graceful, obviously well brought up.

Especially when eating barbecue, she always cupped her hand under her bowl, as if fearing the meat juice might drip onto the table.

Watching her eat was a delight.

But outsiders had no idea what Su Mengyao was thinking—her hands forming a bowl, she was imagining her mouth filled with Brother Jie’s “crab roe,” slowly oozing from the corner of her lips, dripping onto her palm…

“Brother Jie, you’re really amazing…”

Though her expression was pure, the tone of her voice carried a wickedly seductive undertone.

Perfect!

Li Jie felt a surge of resolve: I’ll always love Yaoyao!

Having eaten his fill, Li Jie was wiping his mouth as Su Mengyao had already tidied up the dishes and carried them away.

Wow, this girl is really something!

Li Jie truly adored her.

Waiting at the elevator with one hand in his pocket, as the elevator dinged, Li Jie paused in surprise as passengers exited, and from the stairwell, three girls emerged, weaving through the crowd, moving straight toward him.

It wasn’t just approaching—it was overwhelming.

“Are you nuts? This is sexual harass—”

Smack!

A resounding slap. Li Jie stared in shock as Su Mengyao raised her hand, pointed at the girl who tried to touch him, and cursed, “Where did you come from, you slut? Don’t you have a man of your own? Just because you see a handsome guy, you crowd in?!”

“Huh?”

Li Jie’s mind stalled for three seconds. Wait, the vibe is all wrong…

“All of you with flower tattoos—no decent club would even pick you! Get lost! What are you looking at?! Scram!”

“You… you hit me?”

“So what if I did? If this weren’t school, I’d stab you.”

Su Mengyao glared coldly at her, then turned to pat Li Jie’s T-shirt where the girl had smeared her foundation. “Ugh, it’s filthy, Brother Jie. Just toss this shirt later.”

“Uh… okay.”

Li Jie was bewildered, and the three girls were equally stunned. After Li Jie and Su Mengyao went downstairs, the slapped girl finally came to her senses: “I didn’t even do anything, and I got slapped for nothing?!”