Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

Chen Shutang and Zhou Yanning were sitting on the living room sofa watching TV. Seeing Yang Ce come in, Chen Shutang smiled openly, while Zhou Yanning lowered her head shyly.

Well, well—the girl could actually be shy. Incredible, really. Bold as she'd been before, taking a bullet for him and even confessing her feelings, and now here she was all flustered.

Yang Ce had long since made up his mind to take good care of Zhou Yanning in this life and to love her properly, so he walked over naturally and plopped himself down beside her. "Jiajia, how are you feeling? Still dizzy? Have you eaten? Been to the bathroom? Uh—sorry, slip of the tongue."

When Yang Ce got excited, he talked too much, and he nearly said the wrong thing.

Seeing him like that, Zhou Yanning's face went red at once. She gave a soft "Mm," nodded, and said, "I'm fine. I just ate with Mengyan."

"Good, that's good. Eat more—look at you, all that time in the hospital and you've gotten thin. Here, let me hold you and see if you've lost any flesh." Yang Ce lecherously spread his arms and pulled Zhou Yanning into a solid embrace.

Since Chen Shutang had already told Zhou Yanning that he was her boyfriend, Yang Ce had to play the part properly. Boyfriend and girlfriend hugging each other—nothing wrong with that, surely.

Zhou Yanning had never expected Yang Ce to be so brazen. She'd hinted at him several times before and the fellow had been utterly unmoved; who'd have thought he had such a naughty side? She was both delighted and embarrassed. Held in his arms, she gave a little "mmph" and ducked her head, not daring to look up.

Chen Shutang was right there beside them, and Zhou Yanning felt nervous, afraid of what Chen Shutang might think.

"Mm, let me examine you again, just to make sure there's nothing else wrong." As he spoke, Yang Ce began running his hands over Zhou Yanning's body, and as he groped, his right hand drifted toward her chest. Once it was there, he even kneaded it a couple of times, making Zhou Yanning's face burn like fire. She had no idea what to do—refuse him, or let him keep going?

Zhou Yanning found it strange, too. Why was it that ever since she'd woken up, everyone around her seemed to have traveled through time? She had inexplicably become Yang Ce's girlfriend, and Chen Shutang was so very courteous to her. So she was afraid that if she refused Yang Ce now, it would make him unhappy—after all, if they really were boyfriend and girlfriend, then Yang Ce would probably do this to her often.

As she sat there in her dilemma, she heard Yang Ce say, "Not bad, not bad—nothing missing here."

Zhou Yanning felt as if her whole body had turned to scalding heat, like a red-hot lump of charcoal. Yang Ce really was impossible—the things that came out of his mouth!

Seeing her state, Yang Ce understood the principle that haste makes waste. Only after he'd had his fill of taking liberties did he say, deadpan, "Jiajia, don't overthink it. You've lost your memory right now, and I would never take advantage of you without your consent. Of course, if you do consent, that's another matter. Right now I'm just examining you—it's a very sacred, very scientific procedure, with nothing complicated mixed in. You can rest easy about that."

"Ah!" Zhou Yanning squeezed her eyes shut, unable to take another word of Yang Ce's nonsense. She fled to Chen Shutang's side and pressed herself tightly against her.

Chen Shutang glared at Yang Ce. This fellow certainly knew how to seize an opening, she thought—but she couldn't say such things in front of Zhou Yanning. So she said, "Jiajia, ignore him. That's just how he is, never serious for a single day."

"Mm." Zhou Yanning answered faintly, without a shred of strength left in her body. After being fondled by Yang Ce for so long, she felt she'd turned into some kind of boneless creature.

"Mm, physical examination for Zhou Yanning complete. Next up, it's the turn of my eldest wife, Yanyan." Yang Ce stood up with a chuckle and sat down on Chen Shutang's other side.

Yang Ce's whole absurd performance had actually been carefully considered. The best way to get Chen Shutang to bond with the other girls, he reasoned, was for the three of them to do something beyond friendship together—that way, once each had seen the others' awkwardness, their relationships would naturally grow closer.

"Why would you examine me?" Chen Shutang's face flushed and she spat out, "I haven't been hospitalized."

"Regular checkups—you don't have to be sick for a checkup. Prevention is better than cure." Yang Ce spoke without a trace of shame.

"If you dare examine me, I'll—I'll never let you hear the end of it!" How could Chen Shutang allow Yang Ce to run wild like that? She was the thin-skinned sort, and she also had to uphold her image as mistress of the harem, so she cared about these things a great deal.

"Jiajia's already been examined. If you don't get examined, it wouldn't be fair." Yang Ce said, "I'm the kind of man who always holds the bowl level—I don't favor this one, and I don't favor that one. Isn't that right, Jiajia?"

"Ah?" Zhou Yanning was still in the throes of embarrassment and hadn't registered a word Yang Ce said. When she suddenly heard him call her name and ask if she agreed, she nodded instinctively.

"See? Jiajia's all in favor," Yang Ce said to Chen Shutang.

"You wicked girl—and after all my kindness to you!" Chen Shutang shot Zhou Yanning a look of furious disappointment. "All that talking I did with you, and the moment you step onto the battlefield, you're with the traitors—just like Sister Lin."

Yang Ce nearly burst out laughing at Chen Shutang's words. So the little girl had struck some sort of pact with Zhou Yanning—and Zhou Yanning, who hadn't the faintest idea what was going on, had gone and sold her out.

"Ah? I didn't!" Zhou Yanning stared at Chen Shutang, bewildered. "Sister Mengyan, what did I do?"

"What did you do? How could you agree to Yang Ce examining my body?" Chen Shutang said angrily.

"I—" Only then did Zhou Yanning realize what was going on. So that was what Yang Ce's "isn't that right" had meant. But she had nodded, so she couldn't blame Chen Shutang for being angry.

"Forget it." Seeing Zhou Yanning's aggrieved look, Chen Shutang knew she hadn't meant any harm—how could she really hold it against her? She shook her head helplessly and vented her anger on Yang Ce instead. "You wretch, all you ever do is torment us. I'm telling you, once Lin Yanhe moves in too, you'll get what's coming to you."

Yang Ce just chuckled, not caring in the least. As if that sweet little Lin Yanhe could be turned against him just because you said so! When the time came, if he so much as said the word, your little faction would collapse on the spot.

Chen Shutang seemed to sense Yang Ce's thoughts but was helpless to do anything about them. She'd assumed that a night together with Zhou Yanning would forge a sisterly bond and a united front between them. And a sisterly bond had indeed formed—it was just that whether they were a united front depended on the target. Against Yang Ce, it would be a wonder if it didn't fall apart. Fortunately, dealing with Yang Ce wasn't Chen Shutang's main objective anyway.

Chen Shutang's real aim was to preserve her own rightful position. It wasn't that she wanted to compete for anything—it was just that Su Ya and Lan Ling, those two unknown threats, left her feeling rather uneasy.

Chen Shutang was confident that she was still first in Yang Ce's heart, but what about when Su Ya arrived? Would Su Ya compete with her for something? Chen Shutang had no confidence at all. Yang Ce didn't know about Chen Shutang's little worries—but even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. The harem truly was a harmonious place; he hoped it would stay that way forever.