The wind blew across the lake, carrying Lin Yue’s laughter.
CEO Yu and his assistant only noticed He Yuan’s pampering attitude, so naturally, even Secretary Lin didn’t dare to slack off.
After getting ashore, CEO Yu smiled, “President He? Did you have fun?”
He Yuan nodded slightly. “The scenery is nice.”
“That’s good. I’ve booked a table at the Elegant Pavilion—come and honor us.”
“No, thank you, CEO Yu,” He Yuan replied. “We have a full day of meetings at your company tomorrow. I’d like to rest early tonight and take advantage of the business trip to sneak in a little leisure.”
CEO Yu laughed heartily. “Alright, I won’t bother you then. The walking street is just behind this lake, and across the road behind the walking street is the hotel. President He can take Secretary Lin to experience the local culture before returning.”
He Yuan nodded slightly, shook hands with CEO Yu, and they left with his assistant.
Lin Yue asked, “President He, shall we return to the hotel now?”
“No. Since we’re here, let’s walk around nearby and grab a bite to eat before heading back.”
“Okay!” Lin Yue replied happily.
He Yuan’s lips curved slightly. “Let’s check out the walking street that CEO Yu mentioned.”
Lin Yue nodded, overjoyed—business trip expenses were covered by the boss, and she could get some sightseeing in. This was the ideal business trip.
The main entrance of the walking street had a large square with a giant green elephant made of balloons, surrounded by many people taking pictures.
Lin Yue had thought about taking a photo herself, but seeing the crowd, she gave up.
He Yuan glanced at her. “Secretary Lin, do you want to take a picture?”
Lin Yue felt a bit embarrassed. “There are too many people. President He, shall we go inside and browse first?”
He Yuan nodded. Maybe later, the crowd would be gone.
Walking inside, stalls lined both sides of the street, and colorful lights hung from the eaves, casting a soft glow on smiling faces passing by.
Fried squid, grilled gluten, spicy skewers, hot and sour noodles, takoyaki, cold noodles…
Lin Yue looked at He Yuan, wondering if he had eaten these foods before.
He Yuan looked back. ‘’Secretary Lin, want to try some?”
Lin Yue hesitated. “President He, have you eaten these before?”
She worried that if her boss got an upset stomach, it would affect work.
He Yuan smiled gently. “Most of them I haven’t, so I want to try.”
Alright, if the boss wants to eat, she would make sure he could.
“What would you like to try, President He?”
“I haven’t eaten them, you decide.”
Lin Yue took out some tissues from her bag and looked around. Street food could be messy, so she picked the round takoyaki.
Six pieces for fifteen yuan.
After He Yuan paid, the vendor quickly handed the takoyaki to Lin Yue.
She handed him a small transparent fork. “President He, try it. Be careful, it’s hot.”
He Yuan forked one directly into his mouth, nodding slightly. “Not bad.”
Lin Yue smiled and handed him a tissue.
He Yuan wiped his mouth, then wrapped the fork in the tissue. “You eat the rest.”
Lin Yue didn’t insist and finished the remaining five pieces herself.
They strolled along, reaching the end of the walking street, where an elderly man was selling beaded flower bracelets.
Lin Yue wandered over unconsciously.
The old man, toothless and smiling, said, “Miss, want a bracelet? I made them myself.”
Lin Yue smiled, her eyes landing on a green lily-of-the-valley bracelet.
The bracelet was woven with small pearls, even the flowers and leaves made of pearls, white and green, fresh and pure.
As Lin Yue reached for the bracelet to pay, He Yuan stopped her. “Secretary Lin, in a setting like this, I think it’s better if a gentleman pays. What do you think?”
The bracelet cost thirty yuan.
Lin Yue paused, assuming He Yuan was just being polite. She gestured for him to pay.
The old man assumed they were a couple. “Young man, put it on for her.”
The bracelet wasn’t elastic, so it was hard to put on alone.
He Yuan accepted willingly, taking the bracelet from Lin Yue’s hand. Softly, he said, “Give me your hand.”
Lin Yue raised her hand; her wrist was delicate and fair.
He Yuan clasped the chain and fastened the bracelet on her wrist.
Under the lights, her skin was like jade.
He Yuan’s gaze lingered on the bracelet. His voice dropped slightly: “Looks good.”
Their eyes met. He Yuan’s gaze turned intense, deep black, with a fleeting hint of aggression.
Lin Yue felt overwhelmed by her boss’s stare and quietly withdrew her hand, awkwardly looking away.
His look made her feel like prey and him the cunning hunter.
The playful atmosphere from earlier shifted into a subtle tension.
They continued walking.
He Yuan said, “Secretary Lin, let’s get something to eat.”
“Okay,” Lin Yue nodded.
She picked a clean, spacious noodle shop.
They found a corner to sit, and checking their phones, they noticed a thunderstorm predicted for tonight, even though the forecast had shown nothing before.
But summer storms passed quickly.
After dinner, they walked along the back of the street to the hotel. Lin Yue’s room was below He Yuan’s; they said goodbye in the elevator.
Back in her room, Lin Yue reviewed project materials, preparing for tomorrow’s meetings. Around ten o’clock, she showered.
She checked her phone, thinking: “It probably won’t really thunder.”
She drew the heavy curtains tight, blocking all light. Being neat-freaked, she had brought her own travel sheet, which folded into a small bag.
She wanted to sleep before the thunder and rain, so even if she couldn’t sleep later, at least she could rest now.
Her eyes began to close, drowsy.
Suddenly, a noise came from the door.
Her mind cleared briefly, but she was too tired to open her eyes.
When the door was knocked hard twice, Lin Yue instinctively knew something was wrong and opened her eyes.
She just stood when a group barged in.
Leading them was a woman with perfect makeup but a furious, fierce expression. Behind her were one man and two women; the man looked like a bodyguard, and one woman was in a hotel uniform, probably staff.
“Who are you?” Lin Yue raised her brows, questioning.
Her hands behind her back gripped her phone tightly, attempting to unlock it with her fingerprint.