The two of them finally had a bit of free time, so He Yuan followed Zhou Yunce and took a short break amid their busy schedule.
“I really couldn’t tell—you like someone like Secretary Lin, and you’re even into love at first sight.”
He Yuan took a light sip of tea. The image of Lin Yue under the sunset came back to his mind. His gaze fell on the green plant in the corner as he said softly, “Love at first sight sounds a bit romantic, but you know I’m not a romantic person. I’d rather call it a feeling.”
Zhou Yunce said, “People nowadays say love at first sight is just attraction based on looks.”
He Yuan smiled. “I don’t deny that. A 27-year-old man who feels attracted to a woman can’t possibly remain as calm as a still lake.”
Love at first sight was only his initial attraction to Lin Yue. True love, in his view, still needed to be developed through time spent together.
That was how he rationalized it. But whenever Secretary Lin appeared, his eyes would unconsciously search for her figure.
The feeling was like invisible vines—clingy and persistent. Every time he paid attention to her unconsciously, another vine would wrap itself around his heart.
Whenever He Yuan thought about it, he couldn’t help but look forward to the day when those vines would completely fill every gap. What kind of form would his feelings take then?
“Actually, during the interview that day, I just said something casually,” Zhou Yunce said, looking at He Yuan. “Who knew you would really keep her? But she is indeed quite good. Sometimes people who appear too perfect are actually hard to read.”
“It wasn’t me who kept her—it was her ability,” He Yuan corrected. “And what you said is also true. If I had rejected her directly, that would have been unfair. This kind of relationship may affect work, but that’s my problem.”
After all, Lin Yue didn’t know any of this. She only saw him as her boss and worked diligently every day.
“Good luck,” Zhou Yunce said, patting He Yuan’s shoulder. “Try to win her over as soon as possible.”
He Yuan smiled. “Let’s wait. If I make it clear now, it might seem like I’m trying to take advantage of her.”
Zhou Yunce burst out laughing. “If that were the case, Secretary Lin would probably twist your head off. You’ve worked together for over three months—don’t tell me you haven’t noticed she’s completely different at work and after work.”
He Yuan rubbed the rim of his cup and said quietly, “She’s quite cute.”
Two sides? Not really. She even likes to cry.
Zhou Yunce laughed freely again.
Meanwhile, Secretary Lin, worried that something might go wrong with the afternoon client reception, was carefully checking every corner of the second meeting room. After all, the client was said to have severe cleanliness and obsessive tendencies.
So she had no idea that her two bosses were discussing her.
In fact, Lin Yue herself had a slight cleanliness habit, though not too serious.
When He Yuan returned to the office, Lin Yue was not there. He looked around but couldn’t find her.
He then walked outside and happened to see her back, so he called out to her.
“Secretary Lin.”
Lin Yue turned around. “Mr. He.”
He Yuan glanced at the white cloth in her hand. His eyes moved upward to her long-sleeved shirt, which was slightly rolled up to her forearms. She looked like she was about to clean.
“You are…?”
He Yuan hesitated.
Lin Yue paused for a moment before saying, “I’m going to wipe the meeting room again. Assistant Zhou told me that Mr. Zhao from Dachuang has both obsessive tendencies and cleanliness issues. It’s not working hours yet, so it won’t affect my work.”
Unexpectedly, He Yuan frowned slightly. “Come in with me first.”
Lin Yue’s heart skipped a beat. Did she do something wrong by cleaning?
She didn’t dare delay and quickly followed He Yuan into the office.
“Mr. He,” Lin Yue called out nervously.
After three months of working together, although Lin Yue didn’t understand He Yuan as well as Zhou Yunce did, she knew that his good temper was only on the surface. When dealing with subordinates, he didn’t bother putting on an arrogant attitude—it was simply his upbringing and self-discipline.
But she still clearly remembered the time during her internship when He Yuan lost his temper during a meeting.
At that time, Zhou Yunce was not present, so she had to take meeting notes and handle the PPT. It was her first time in the meeting room, and she witnessed the decisiveness and authority of the young CEO.
He didn’t raise his voice. He simply used his deep gaze to look at others, sharply pointing out the flaws in their plans with precise and cutting remarks, then offering his own opinions and suggestions.
Department heads who were older than him—even by ten years—were left red-faced and unable to argue back.
Lin Yue remembered that before ending the meeting, He Yuan had said lightly:
“Hengxing is currently at a critical stage of transformation from heavy to light industries. What we need are people who can ride the waves, not those who hang their heads in defeat.”
At the time, Lin Yue thought it was incredibly cool. She never expected that now it would be her turn to be criticized.
As soon as He Yuan looked up, he noticed a trace of grievance in Lin Yue’s eyes. He thought his serious expression had frightened her. He covered his mouth lightly with his fist and coughed.
“Secretary Lin, the meeting room is cleaned by designated staff. No matter what kind of client it is, as my secretary, there’s no need for you to do the cleaning yourself.”
Lin Yue could only nod, though she felt wronged inside.
It wasn’t that she wanted to clean. The cleaning staff simply hadn’t been careful. Normally it wouldn’t matter—most people weren’t overly particular, so wiping the table and mopping the floor once was enough.
But today’s client was important, according to Assistant Zhou. As He Yuan’s secretary, helping receive clients was part of her job.
It was true that cleaning wasn’t her responsibility, but she couldn’t openly complain about the cleaner and risk someone losing their job, so she decided to do it herself during lunch break.
“You should go rest first. That way, you’ll be in your best condition to receive the client this afternoon.”
Lin Yue softly replied, “Okay.”
As soon as she returned to her desk, He Yuan pressed the company’s internal intercom.
“Ask Vice President Wei to come here.”
Since they were in the same office area, Lin Yue naturally heard him.
Vice President Wei, named Wei Jia, was in charge of functional departments. Under He Yuan, there were four vice presidents, and Wei Jia was the only female executive.
She managed the office, human resources, corporate culture, and administrative departments of Hengxing Group.
Soon, Wei Jia knocked on the CEO’s office door. Lin Yue stood up to greet her, and Wei Jia smiled and nodded.
“Mr. He, you were looking for me?”
He Yuan responded, “At 3 p.m., Mr. Zhao from Dachuang will visit. It’s almost 2 p.m., yet my secretary was about to roll up her sleeves and clean the meeting room tables.”
Wei Jia’s expression changed. Cleaning staff were under her administrative department. He Yuan wouldn’t deal with lower-level staff directly, so he contacted her instead.
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it immediately. It will be taken care of before 3 p.m.”
“Mm.”
Lin Yue’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at He Yuan with admiration. So he knew?
He Yuan looked at her admiring gaze and slightly curved his lips.