Lin Yue set down her work and walked over to He Yuan’s desk.
“President He, Ms. Su Ying has invited you to Cloud Star Hotel at 8 PM tonight. She didn’t mention the room number and hung up before waiting for your reply.”
He Yuan’s pen paused mid-stroke, his brow furrowing slightly.
He looked up at Lin Yue. “Su Ying?”
“Yes.” Lin Yue nodded.
He Yuan tossed his fountain pen aside. What was Zhong Mu up to now? If he’d resorted to having Su Ying invite him out, he must have run out of options.
He really didn’t want to get involved in their affairs, but since Su Ying and Zhong Mu had met at his birthday party, and now Su Ying was completely smitten, he felt somewhat responsible.
After a long moment, He Yuan said, “Understood. You’ll accompany me tonight.”
“Ah?”
This was the first time Lin Yue had questioned He Yuan’s instructions. “Me too? That might be… inconvenient.”
He Yuan looked at Lin Yue. Their eyes met across the room, and with just one glance, he knew she had misunderstood.
“Su Ying is a girl my grandmother sponsored. She’s three years older than me. Since I grew up studying abroad, she’s become like a sister to my mother.”
Lin Yue blinked, blurting out: “L-little aunt?”
He Yuan suddenly couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “You could think of it that way.”
Lin Yue felt embarrassed – a “little aunt” only three years her senior.
He Yuan added, “By the way, go to Vice President Wei’s office. I’ve already discussed your company dormitory arrangement with her.”
“Alright, I’ll go right away.”
Wei Jia was extremely busy herself. After greeting Lin Yue briefly, she directly called the administration department supervisor and had Lin Yue go there herself.
After filling out forms in the administration department, Lin Yue returned to the office to find He Yuan searching through a cabinet.
She approached him. “President He, what are you looking for? Perhaps I can help.”
He Yuan extended his hand, and Lin Yue exclaimed in surprise: “You’re bleeding?”
He Yuan: “It’s nothing, just a paper cut from a folder. I’m looking for a bandage.”
“I have one, please wait a moment.” Lin Yue hurried back to her desk and retrieved a bandage from her drawer.
However—
The bandage had a pattern of little bears on it. If she remembered correctly, these were the bandages Qin Yan always bought, and she had taken two for herself.
For such an important executive who had a square signing ceremony to attend this afternoon—even though He Yuan wasn’t a celebrity, there would still be media present—if people saw him wearing such a cute bandage, it might lead to unnecessary speculation. But for now, it would have to do.
Lin Yue approached He Yuan and said, “I’m sorry, President He, this is the only kind of bandage I have.”
He Yuan glanced at the bandage featuring several bears with different expressions.
“I’ll go buy you a new one during lunch break, I…”
“No need. They serve the same function.” He Yuan took the bandage from her hand.
Seeing him tear open the packaging, Lin Yue said, “President He, let me help you put it on.”
He Yuan extended his hand, and Lin Yue carefully applied the bandage to his wound.
Zhou Yun Ce pushed the door open and saw He Yuan wearing a gentle smile, looking down at Lin Yue as she tended to his injury.
Damn!
He had chosen the worst possible time to arrive.
After Lin Yue finished applying the bandage, she noticed Zhou Yun Ce and gave him a slight smile before returning to her workstation.
Just then, someone from another department arrived with documents. Not wanting to disturb their discussion, Lin Yue led the person to the outer office.
Zhou Yun Ce glanced briefly at the bandage on He Yuan’s finger and joked, a rare occurrence during work hours, “If you’d waited any longer to put that on, the wound would’ve healed by itself.”
He Yuan shot him a sidelong look. “Wasn’t the work report scheduled for this afternoon? What brings you here now?”
Zhou Yun Ce clicked his tongue twice. “Are you already disgusted with me?” It’s always about the new favorite laughing while the old one weeps.”
Just as He Yuan was about to shoo him away, Zhou Yun Ce sat down with a serious expression. Their discussion wrapped up in about ten minutes.
As soon as Zhou Yun Ce stepped out, He Yuan called him back.
“Do you know where Zhong Mu went?”
“How would I know? You’re aware of how he is – he’s always been wild. Who could possibly tie him down?”
He Yuan sighed helplessly. “Su Ying called the president’s office.”
Zhou Yun Ce grinned mischievously. “She knows you won’t pick up her calls, so Secretary Lin answered?”
He Yuan nodded.
“Damn, Secretary Lin won’t misunderstand, will she? Did you explain?”
“I explained.”
Only then did Zhou Yun Ce feel relieved. But remembering how rushed He Yuan had been last night, he couldn’t resist teasing. “As the saying goes, the moon favors the one who’s nearest. Since the moon has already landed in your courtyard, don’t tell me you can’t catch it.”
He Yuan: “…Wei Jia already had the admin department help her apply for a dormitory.”
Zhou Yun Ce: “…Why did you let her move into the apartments? With your intelligence, you could’ve come up with at least a hundred reasons to make her stay.”
He Yuan looked at him with “disdain.” “What do you know? What do you take her for? She’s a young woman – living with her superior, especially when we’re just ordinary boss and subordinate for now? If word got out, the gossip alone would drown her.”
Zhou Yun Ce nodded repeatedly in agreement. “You’re really considerate. I’m not worthy.”
He Yuan: “Indeed. For me, your excellent work performance is enough.”
Zhou Yun Ce: “What about Secretary Lin? What are your expectations for her? Also, you seem serious about this, but could it be that since you’ve never been in a relationship before, everything just feels novel? He Yuan, she’s just an ordinary girl from a regular family. You need to think carefully – the gap between you is too wide. While Cinderella’s fairy tale isn’t realistic, it still fools plenty of people.”He Yuan didn’t get angry at his doubts, only gently rebutted: ‘Who defines this gap?” What you’re talking about are practical concerns, but for me, they’re not issues.”
He clearly understood what kind of person he was. The only thing that concerned him was whether Lin Yue could accept him.
He never assumed his superior conditions meant he couldn’t be rejected by someone he liked.
When love first began, he too had been too cautious to approach – no different from any ordinary man falling for someone.
Zhou Yun Ce remained curious. “Can love at first sight really determine your entire life?”
He Yuan chuckled softly. “I wouldn’t have believed it myself, but the truth is right before me. The moment I met her, I absurdly wanted to marry her.”
Perhaps it was the humid evening breeze that day, or perhaps it was the serene sunset—by sheer coincidence, someone appeared within his line of sight. Leaves rustled, sunset clouds drifted, yet only the person before him remained perfectly still.
At that moment, a thought abruptly pierced through his mind—
It’s her!