The next day, at Shang Corporation.
Shi Ying arrived relatively early. There were barely any people in the first-floor lobby yet. When the elevator doors opened in front of her, the man inside was revealed wearing a black silk shirt.
Seeing Shang Chenyan so suddenly, Shi Ying’s first reaction was to glance at the elevator buttons.
That was right. This was the employee elevator.
“Hurry up and come in.” As the elevator doors began to close, Shang Chenyan’s long fingers pressed against the edge of the doorframe.
The scene from last night abruptly surfaced in her mind again. A chill ran down Shi Ying’s spine as she walked into the elevator with stiff steps.
“Good morning, President Shang,” she greeted softly before quietly edging herself toward the corner.
Through the reflective elevator doors, Shang Chenyan noticed her movement.
A faint smile still lingered on his face, but the hand hanging by his side unconsciously curled slightly, his fingertips slowly rubbing together.
It seemed that what happened last night had still frightened her.
Liu Yong really deserved to die.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Shang Chenyan turned his head slightly and smiled at her. “You don’t look too well. Do you need to go home and rest?”
“No, no.” Shi Ying hurriedly explained in a small voice, “It’s not that I didn’t sleep well. I just got a little carsick on the way here this morning.”
Shang Chenyan gave a vague hum and lifted a hand to rub at his brow. “I didn’t sleep very well either.”
“I had people send him to the police station last night. Spent a long time giving statements.”
Shi Ying froze for a second before realizing who he was talking about.
Staring at the tips of her shoes, she let out a quiet “oh.”
“Will they hold you responsible for hitting him?”
Hearing such an innocent question, Shang Chenyan smiled silently.
“Maybe. If he files a counterclaim.” He sighed lightly. “Looks like I really shouldn’t act so impulsively in the future.”
The moment Shi Ying heard that, she immediately looked up at him.
“He’s going to sue you back too? That’s shameless.”
If it had been her, if someone had scammed away the salary she worked so hard for all month, she would definitely want to beat that person up too.
Thinking about it that way, Shang Chenyan had lost so much money—just beating him up was already going easy on him.
Watching her expression shift over and over before finally turning indignant on his behalf, Shang Chenyan’s lips curved upward.
Ding.
The elevator stopped, and the doors slid open.
Following behind the man, Shi Ying had barely stepped out when she saw Jiang Wen walking out of the office.
“Secretary Jiang? You’re back?” Shi Ying instantly brightened up.
If Jiang Wen was back, then she wouldn’t have to stay in the president’s office every single day anymore.
Jiang Wen’s back stiffened.
For the past few days, President Shang hadn’t allowed him to appear at the company. Today, he had specifically come early to retrieve some documents.
Who would’ve thought Shi Ying would arrive this early too?
Shang Chenyan said nothing, but his eyes were clearly filled with coldness.
Jiang Wen scratched his head and stammered awkwardly, “I-I just came back to grab something. I’ll leave immediately.”
“You’re leaving again?” Shi Ying sounded disappointed.
“Yes, yes. President Shang assigned me to the branch office. I only came back to get some files.”
Under Shang Chenyan’s increasingly unfriendly gaze, Jiang Wen slowly backed away, grabbed his briefcase, and fled at top speed.
His voice drifted back through the air:
“Miss Shi, I’ll trouble you to continue filling in for me these next few days!”
Shi Ying: “……”
Only then was Shang Chenyan satisfied.
“Come in.”
He tugged lightly at the collar of his shirt before taking the lead into the office.
Shi Ying looked like she was about to cry as she spent yet another morning trapped in his office.
She was so bored she felt like mold was about to grow on her.
If only he gave her more work to do. But Shang Chenyan barely assigned her anything, leaving her to secretly play boring little games at the computer.
Sunlight streamed through the windows and fell warmly across her body, making her drowsy.
Resting one cheek against her palm, Shi Ying’s head began bobbing uncontrollably.
The moment her eyelids finally sealed shut, her head tipped sideways.
Just as she was about to slam into the desk, a large hand gently caught her face.
Shang Chenyan carefully supported her head and placed a cushion on the desk so she could sleep against it.
Now that she was asleep, he could look at her as much as he wanted.
The man’s expression darkened slightly as his deep black eyes remained fixed on her, as though he could never look enough.
The emotions that had accumulated day and night over the past five years made him greedily want to pull her into his arms, to claim her for himself immediately.
Sunlight spilled across her face.
The girl’s butterfly-like lashes trembled slightly, her sleep far from peaceful.
Shang Chenyan lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight.
Unable to control himself, his fingers drifted to her cheek, his thumb lingering against her soft lips.
At this moment, only one thought existed in his mind.
He wanted to kiss her so badly.
Wanted to touch her, caress her, cherish her.
Suppressing the overwhelming emotions surging inside him with all his strength, Shang Chenyan felt as though even his bones ached from restraint.
Just then, his phone rang, stopping him before he crossed the line completely.
It was Aunt Zhang calling.
During the day, when he wasn’t home, Aunt Zhang usually took care of Shang Nian. Unless something urgent happened, she would never call him.
He answered.
After listening to what Aunt Zhang said, Shang Chenyan glanced at Shi Ying before finally saying, “Bring her over.”
***
When Shi Ying woke up, the moment she opened her eyes, she met a pair of round, sparkling eyes staring directly at her.
She jumped in fright and shot upright.
“Nian Nian?”
Shi Ying rubbed her eyes, almost thinking she was dreaming.
She looked around.
The office door was closed, and there was a small cushion where she’d been sleeping. Shang Chenyan’s chair was empty.
Standing in front of her, Shang Nian reached out and tugged lightly at her sleeve.
Shi Ying crouched down in front of her. “Nian Nian, why are you here?”
Shang Nian didn’t speak. She pointed toward the chair behind the desk.
“President Shang brought you here?”
Shang Nian nodded.
“Where is he?”
Shang Nian pointed toward the closed office door again.
Before she could lower her hand, the door opened and Shang Chenyan walked back inside.
Shi Ying hurriedly stood up, nervously twisting her fingers together. The moment she remembered she had actually fallen asleep earlier, she wanted nothing more than for the ground to crack open so she could crawl inside.
Yet the very first thing Shang Chenyan said when he entered was:
“You’re awake?”
Shi Ying’s face instantly turned scarlet.
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum. “I’m sorry, President Shang… I won’t do it again…”
Shang Chenyan set his teacup down on the desk and lowered his gaze toward her, his tone gentle.
“I’m not going to hold it against you. Everyone gets sleepy sometimes after just starting work.”
At that moment, Shi Ying suddenly felt that he wasn’t nearly as cold, ruthless, and difficult to approach as Jiang Mingxue and the others always complained he was.
“The nanny at home took leave, so I brought Shang Nianto the company. Help me look after her for a while.”
“Okay!” Shi Ying nodded rapidly.
“No one else in the company knows about Nian Nian’s existence. I also don’t want my daughter exposed to the public.”
Shi Ying immediately understood. “If anyone sees us, I’ll just say she’s my little niece.”
Shang Chenyan nodded. “I still have meetings later. It’s almost lunchtime, so take her downstairs to eat something.”
He lowered his head and tapped on his phone for a moment.
Then Shi Ying saw a transfer notification appear on her screen.
One zero. Two zeros. Three zeros. Four zeros…
Shi Ying looked up in shock. “President Shang?”
Shang Chenyan rubbed Shang Nian’s head and smiled warmly.
“If I’m asking you to take care of her, I can’t exactly make you spend your own money too, can I?”