The elevator arrived at the underground parking garage.
He Yuan stepped out first, scanning the surroundings. It was quiet with no one in sight, but it could still be a trap.
He reached his hand back, signaling for Lin Yue to take it.
As soon as Lin Yue’s fingers brushed against He Yuan’s, he grasped her hand firmly.
Their palms pressed tightly together, and Lin Yue’s fingers curled slightly. She instinctively glanced at the back of He Yuan’s head.
Su Ying remained hidden in the corner of the elevator, not stepping out.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a commotion erupted outside. Su Ying saw that, as expected, someone had been lying in wait.
“Miss Su, is this your boyfriend?”
“Miss Su, Miss Su, is this the man you were dating by the river?”
“Miss Su…”
“Sir…”
A crowd rushed forward, firing questions while cameras flashed incessantly.
The moment the paparazzi emerged, He Yuan wrapped an arm around Lin Yue’s shoulders, pulling her close against him.
Not only that, but he also used his other hand to shield her face.
The sky-high heels were difficult to walk in, and Lin Yue was already unsteady in them. Worried she might be recognized as not being Su Ying, she stumbled and nearly fell. He Yuan gripped her shoulder firmly, preventing her from tumbling.
Fortunately, Su Ying was quick-witted and seized the opportunity to slip away unnoticed.
He Yuan escorted Lin Yue all the way to his car, helping her into the passenger seat before slamming the door shut.
The paparazzi weren’t about to let this chance slip, pressing against the car and trying to open the doors, but He Yuan blocked them.
“Everyone, listen to me.”
A few paparazzi, thinking he was about to spill some gossip, quieted down.
“First, the woman inside is not Su Ying. Second, I am not Su Ying’s boyfriend. Lastly, if even a single photo is leaked today, Stellar’s legal and PR departments will be ready to take action.”
After delivering this statement, He Yuan got into his car.
The paparazzi exchanged bewildered looks.
“What does that mean? The person inside isn’t Su Ying?”
“Are you stupid? Just because he says so, it must be true?”
“Stellar? The Stellar I know? The leading real estate company?”
“Holy shit, then he’s…”
“Holy shit, Su Ying’s boyfriend is the heir of Stellar?”
“What do we do now? Can we still run this story?”
While they were still confused, He Yuan had already driven off.
Meanwhile, the paparazzi received a call from colleagues stationed at the garage exit, reporting that Su Ying had already left.
“Holy shit, it really wasn’t Su Ying? We’ve been tricked.”
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
“…”
Lin Yue’s dress, already shortened by Su Ying’s adjustments, felt even shorter as she sat in the car.
She glanced furtively at He Yuan, then stealthily removed the hairpin holding up the hem and carefully let the skirt fall back into place.
Noticing her movements out of the corner of his eye, He Yuan let out a soft chuckle.
While waiting at the first traffic light, He Yuan called Su Ying and felt relieved to learn she had shaken off the paparazzi.
On the way back, Lin Yue’s stomach suddenly rumbled loudly.
The sound, echoing in the quiet, confined space of the car, made her wish she could jump out.
He Yuan said nothing but called Aunt Qian and asked her to prepare a light, easy-to-digest late-night snack.
Lin Yue wished she could sink through the floor. It was only ten o’clock—what midnight snack was there to eat?
Truth be told, she had a large appetite and often felt hungry, but to maintain her figure, she had no choice. People said you’d get used to hunger over time, but she still hadn’t.
Aunt Qian had prepared some millet congee, but He Yuan didn’t eat any. He went straight to his study to call his driver.
“I won’t need you for the next couple of days. Go investigate Zhong Mu’s whereabouts for me—find out if he’s still in the country or not.”
“Yes, sir.”
After hanging up, He Yuan reflected that most of the people around him served multiple purposes.
The He Family had two head bodyguards: one was Yu Zhao, the other Fu Han. However, Fu Han’s primary duties lay with other members of the He Family, while Yu Zhao had been assigned to him.
After finishing her meal and chatting briefly with Aunt Qian, Lin Yue returned to her room and called Qin Yan.
She was moving tomorrow after work and asked Qin Yan to accompany her. Qin Yan happily agreed.
Just as Lin Yue was about to bathe and rest, her door was knocked. She opened it to find Aunt Luo.
“Miss Lin, are you asleep?”
Lin Yue shook her head. “Not yet.”
Aunt Luo smiled somewhat apologetically. “I came to ask you something. I hope you don’t mind.”
Lin Yue stepped aside slightly. “Please, come in.”
Aunt Luo acknowledged and entered Lin Yue’s room.
“Miss Lin, you’re our sir’s secretary now? Where did you graduate from? What did you study?”
Her tone was gentle and sincere, so Lin Yue thought she was just making conversation and didn’t overthink it. “I studied education for my undergraduate degree and foreign languages for my master’s.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“What’s the matter, Aunt Luo? Do you have a child or relative preparing for graduate exams?”
“No, no.” Aunt Luo quickly waved her hands. “I have a niece who returned from abroad. She studied finance, has excellent grades, and is particularly outstanding. Hearing that I work for the He Family, she insisted I help her, but I’m just a housekeeper—I don’t understand any of this.”
Lin Yue understood. She offered a very earnest suggestion: “Aunt Luo, since your niece is so outstanding, you could have her submit her resume directly to Stellar. Stellar has always valued talent, and I believe she’ll surely be hired.”
Aunt Luo furrowed her slender brows. Wasn’t it said that secretaries were high-EQ positions? How could this Miss Lin not even understand such an obvious hint?
Lin Yue took a sip of warm water from her glass.
Did they really take her for a fool? How could a mere secretary like her influence Stellar’s hiring decisions? This Aunt Luo must have been turned down by He Yuan and was now trying her luck here.
“Miss Lin, that’s not what I meant. I meant—”
Knock, knock, knock—
The door was knocked again. Aunt Luo looked unwillingly toward the door but averted her gaze guiltily when she saw Aunt Qian.
Aunt Qian greeted Lin Yue and led Aunt Luo away.
Only then did Lin Yue breathe a sigh of relief, taking her towel into the bathroom.
Aunt Qian pulled Aunt Luo to the stairwell. “If you don’t want to work here anymore, just say so. The sir has been tolerant, putting up with your repeated attempts. He said the company has its own hiring procedures. If I catch you one more time, you and Old Dong can leave directly.”
“I was wrong, sister. I won’t dare again.”
Aunt Qian: “You’d better not dare again.”
“I won’t dare anymore, I absolutely won’t dare anymore. I was just feeling sorry for the child. I had no choice, but I promise I definitely won’t make this mistake again.”
Aunt Qian hummed in acknowledgment, but deep down she still felt somewhat uneasy. It seemed she would have to keep a close watch on this person. If she caught any evidence of wrongdoing, she would fire them immediately.
To avoid causing any trouble for the sir and the company.