Chapter 1

This was a world of pink: pink walls, a pink wardrobe, a pink mattress, pink sheets and duvet cover, and pink, ambiguous lighting...

Chen Yi, dressed in a pink silk nightgown, stood before Ye Ming, her face blushing and smiling, occasionally casting him a tender glance. Her plump, long arms were somewhat shy and uneasy, gathered at her chest, as if trying to cover the half-exposed, white bosom, or perhaps to soothe her agitated and expectant heart...

In this sea of pink temptation, Ye Ming felt dizzy and his blood rushed to his head. Suddenly, he extended his strong arms, pulling his goddess into his embrace. In her low, startled moan, he pressed his lips onto her moist, hot, red lips in a somewhat abrupt and domineering manner...

Chen Yi in his arms only struggled slightly, then began to tremble and respond to him: her arms tightly encircled his waist, her breath quickening as she extended her tongue to intertwine with Ye Ming's. The two began to kiss passionately...

Soon, Ye Ming felt he had reached the brink of passion. He could no longer hold back the vow he had made to himself never to offend or desecrate his goddess. He eagerly lifted Chen Yi's burning body and gently laid her on the pink mattress, then pressed himself down on top of her...

"Scraped jelly!"

Suddenly, a long, sharp cry from outside the window pulled Ye Ming from his passionate dream back to reality. He opened his eyes groggily, cursing the vendor who sold scraped jelly in the tax bureau's residential area every noon. He reached out his hands, clawing the air as if trying to catch the alluring figure of Chen Yi from his dream and continue their passionate scene...

But the alarm clock on the table rang inappropriately, shattering his dream. He lazily got out of bed, turned off the alarm, and sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought for a moment.

The dream, though absurd, felt so real and enticing that he still felt bone-soft and muscle-weak, as if he could still smell the intoxicating fragrance of Chen Yi and taste the fresh, sweet scent of her breath...

The weather outside was beautiful. Sunlight filtered through the slats of the blinds, casting dappled golden circles on the white walls of the dormitory.

The rays of sunlight woke Ye Ming up completely, and he suddenly felt a sense of guilt: Chen Yi was so dignified and elegant, so caring and considerate to him, and she had a husband. Why did he keep having these passionate dreams about her?

Although many people said that Chen Yi's multimillionaire husband was often away from home and frequently flirted with other women, Chen Yi never said a bad word about her husband in the bureau, nor did she ever show any signs of unhappiness in public. She remained calm, composed, elegant, and dignified...

It was this elegance and dignity that made Ye Ming regard her as a goddess and his standard for a partner. In the four years since he started working, he had dated three girlfriends, but all ended because he felt they were far from Chen Yi...

Of course, Ye Ming knew very well that there were definitely more than one man in the bureau who liked or even had a crush on Chen Yi.

Chen Yi was known as the "first flower of the K City Tax Bureau," and she was the perfect woman in Ye Ming's mind: her parents were university professors, making her a well-bred lady. She was tall and slender, with smooth, white skin, delicate and beautiful features, an elegant and dignified demeanor, and a gentle, soft-spoken voice that rivaled that of a CCTV news anchor... Her every aspect exuded a noble and elegant aura, making Ye Ming often feel inferior when he was in her presence.

According to Ye Ming's observations, the bureau's top leader, Li Li, had long been lusting after Chen Yi. He often used the pretext of concern to invite Chen Yi to his office for a talk. In front of many people, he would indignantly speak up for Chen Yi, saying that a girl as good as her was not worth marrying a man who didn't cherish her.

He said this so often that the bureau's staff began to notice and secretly laugh and gossip, saying that Director Li was a thief crying "catch the thief." He had several mistresses himself but righteously criticized Chen Yi's husband for being unfaithful, with the aim of breaking up Chen Yi's family so he could take advantage of the situation and make Chen Yi his next mistress...

However, Chen Yi seemed to be unimpressed by Li Li's advances. Although she didn't say anything offensive to him to his face, she would often show a look of anger and disdain after returning from talks with him in the director's office. When Li Li visited her office and tried to be friendly, she would be cold and distant, giving him no chance at all.

This made Ye Ming even more respectful of Chen Yi...

After a moment of reflection, Ye Ming got out of bed, dressed, and decided to go to the office. Although he had just returned from a six-month business training at the provincial bureau and was supposed to report to work the next day, the dream at noon had disturbed his thoughts. He was eager to see Chen Yi, whom he hadn't seen for half a year, and to share some interesting stories from his training, and to admire her beautiful face, elegant manners, and sweet, reserved smile...

When he entered the office, Chen Yi, who had just woken up from a nap on the sofa, was smoothing her slightly disheveled hair. Seeing Ye Ming push the door open, her eyes showed a moment of surprise. But the surprise quickly faded, and she soon resumed her usual composed and calm demeanor, smiling faintly and saying, "You're back!"

Seeing her in a blue tax uniform, her full chest strained against the tight top, Ye Ming's heart skipped a beat. The scenes from his dream suddenly floated back into his mind, and his face inexplicably turned red...

Chen Yi, seeing him staring at her with a dazed, infatuated look, blushed and scolded him softly, "Little Ye, did you go crazy during your six months of closed training at the provincial bureau? I'm talking to you!"

Ye Ming was startled, realizing he had lost his composure. He smiled awkwardly and said sincerely, "Chen Yi, you look really good in your uniform!"

Chen Yi smiled and said, "How many times have you said that? Don't you find it corny? By the way, you always say I look good in my uniform. Does that mean I look ugly in other clothes?"

Ye Ming quickly replied, "Absolutely not. You look dignified and beautiful in any clothes. But in your uniform, you look even more elegant and graceful."

Chen Yi smiled, a bit shyly, and looked down at a document on the table. After a long moment, she looked up and said to Ye Ming, "The bureau will be holding a mid-level cadre election in a few days. The election plan has been released. You should have a good chance this time!"

Ye Ming was shocked: such an important matter, why didn't Chen Weiping tell him while he was at the provincial bureau? He had spoken to him on the phone yesterday, telling him he would return today, but why didn't he mention the election at all?