Shu Yuwei was on the verge of a breakdown.
If she hadn’t experienced it herself, she never would have imagined that such an absurd, melodramatic plot could happen to her!
It was the kind of mortifying drama that could set the internet ablaze and draw crowds of netizens eager to watch the spectacle!
Shu Yuwei couldn’t stop her mind from racing, all kinds of wild thoughts tumbling through it.
She even briefly forgot about the fierce typhoon raging outside.
As the night wore on, it gradually reached the small hours.
Shu Yuwei’s mind was so exhausted that it could barely function, and only then did she start to feel sleepy.
Some time later, she turned over, pressed herself into the corner by the wall, and closed her eyes.
At four in the morning, the powerful typhoon outside finally began to ease. The torrential rain let up too, pattering against the windows.
Shu Yuwei clutched the blanket and slept soundly.
Beside her, Fu Rongzheng still hadn’t closed his eyes.
He listened to Shu Yuwei’s steady breathing and caught the faint scent of her body wash…
Even his usually cool, restrained, expressionless face took on a faint flush.
…
The next morning, at nine.
Fu Rongzheng woke and looked to the side.
Shu Yuwei was still asleep.
She had kicked the blanket aside long ago, and now she was curled up by the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around herself as if she were cold.
Fu Rongzheng picked up the blanket and covered her with it.
Still asleep, Shu Yuwei instinctively grabbed the blanket, tugged it around herself, and settled into a comfortable position.
Fu Rongzheng watched her for a moment, then quietly got out of bed.
The floor was covered in water. The ceiling in the corner was leaking.
Fu Rongzheng used his key card to open the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Shu Yuwei had kicked the blanket off again.
He went back and covered her once more, then weighed down the edge of the blanket with his suitcase to keep her from kicking it away.
After watching her for a while, he left.
…
“Xiaonian!”
“Xiaogao!”
“Don’t run around!”
The sound of children playing came from outside.
Shu Yuwei opened her eyes, rubbed them, and checked her phone.
Good heavens, it was noon already!
She’d slept that long!
Fu Rongzheng was nowhere to be seen.
Could Boss have sneaked back to the company without telling her?
Shu Yuwei hurried out of bed, opened the door, and rushed outside.
She ran straight into Ye Lan, who was shepherding two children indoors.
“Oh, Yuwei, you’re awake?”
“Auntie Lan, I’m sorry I slept in. We were supposed to check out by noon, right?”
“No rush, no rush. This little village guesthouse of mine can’t compare with hotels in the city, and we don’t have those kinds of rules. Stay as long as you like and check out whenever you want.”
Auntie Lan waved a hand. “I only just found out your room was leaking last night. I’m so sorry. You probably didn’t get much sleep.”
“By the way, your husband went to find tools and materials this morning to fix the roof. I should be thanking you two, if anything.”
“Yuwei, your husband’s pretty handy! He even knows how to fix a roof!”
“Huh?”
Auntie Lan’s repeated references to “your husband” made Shu Yuwei blush.
At this point, she couldn’t just let it go without explaining.
“We’re not that kind of couple,” Shu Yuwei said. “He’s my boss, and I’m his assistant. We’re coworkers on a business trip, just passing through.”
Auntie Lan nodded. “I see. No wonder you were both dressed in suits.”
“Exactly.”
Shu Yuwei thought she’d cleared things up, only to hear Auntie Lan add:
“So he’s your boss. Why can’t he be your husband too?”
Shu Yuwei blinked. “What?”
Auntie Lan smiled. “I can tell. You’re not just boss and assistant—you’re also married or dating, right?”
“Lots of couples at the factories around here are boss and assistant. It’s nothing unusual.”
“Um…” Shu Yuwei was stunned. “That’s not our arrangement. We’re strictly in a boss-and-assistant relationship!”
Auntie Lan patted the two children on their bottoms and sent them inside, then gave Shu Yuwei a knowing look.
“Is that so? I saw your husband covering you with a blanket this morning!”
“If you were just coworkers, he wouldn’t care whether you caught a chill.”
“Not that I was trying to spy on you! The door was open when your husband came out, and I happened to be passing by.”
“But the most important thing is, the way you two are together just feels different. There’s that subtle, clingy sort of vibe…”
“Tsk. I’ve been around. How could I not see it?”
“What are you talking about, Auntie Lan…” Shu Yuwei’s toes curled with embarrassment. “We were just awkward…”
How could it not be awkward when a boss and his assistant ended up sharing a room—and even a bed—because of an accident?
“Hey, how do I explain this? We really aren’t…”
Shu Yuwei stammered for a long while.
Auntie Lan couldn’t help chuckling and handed her a bottle of water.
“All right, if you say you’re not, then you’re not. I understand!”
“Yuwei, go take your husband some water. He’s in the back courtyard.”
“…”
Fine. Let it be.
Shu Yuwei was out of energy and had no idea what else to do, so she took the water and headed outside.
The typhoon had left devastation everywhere.
Trees lay toppled in every direction; sheds and vehicles were damaged; deep pools of water remained after the torrential rain, and shattered window glass was scattered everywhere…
Shu Yuwei watched the ground carefully as she picked her way along.
In the back courtyard, Fu Rongzheng stood on a ladder, repairing the section of roof a tree had hit.
When she’d been with Boss before, it had always been in Fengchi Group’s executive office, in conference rooms, at industry summits, or at banquets.
He was aloof, commanding, the sort of person who gave orders and made others wary.
But this was the first time Shu Yuwei had seen Boss doing such down-to-earth physical labor.
Even so, Fu Rongzheng hadn’t lost an ounce of his imposing presence.
If anything, it gave him a different kind of appeal.
It was true: good-looking people drew attention no matter what they did.
Shu Yuwei thought as she watched him.
Fu Rongzheng noticed her and looked over. “You’re up?”
“Mm.”
Shu Yuwei nodded.
Thinking of last night, she felt a little embarrassed to meet his eyes.
She looked around aimlessly, stealing only the occasional glance at him.
Fu Rongzheng’s expression was perfectly calm.
They had shared a bed last night with a suitcase between them, but Fu Rongzheng showed no sign of being affected.
Shu Yuwei couldn’t keep acting awkward either.
It had been an unusual situation. If she kept being so stiff and embarrassed, how was she supposed to work with him afterward?
She cleared her mind of all the random thoughts and walked over with a normal expression.
“Boss, some water!”
Fu Rongzheng climbed down the ladder and rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing muscular forearms with prominent veins.
He took the bottle, unscrewed it, and drank half. His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Shu Yuwei quickly looked away.
“Boss, you know how to fix roofs too?”
“Mm. When I was a kid, I wanted to study civil engineering, but my family made me study automobile manufacturing instead. I later took it as a minor in college.”
After drinking, Fu Rongzheng went back to finish repairing the last bit of the roof.
Shu Yuwei stayed nearby, helping him from time to time.
Perhaps because the mood was relatively relaxed, Fu Rongzheng chatted a little about things outside work.
As she listened, Shu Yuwei started feeling envious again.
He’d even learned it that well as a minor! Being smart really did make all the difference!
No wonder his family had insisted he study automobile manufacturing.
Fengchi Group was such a huge automaker, a top player in the industry.
Fu Rongzheng was the group’s heir and a genius. If he didn’t inherit the family business, who would?
Shu Yuwei had also heard that after Fu Rongzheng joined Fengchi Headquarters, the new car models he launched went on to become bestsellers over the following years, sending the company’s stock straight to its daily limit.
“Boss, can’t you lend me that genius-level brain of yours?”
Shu Yuwei really couldn’t help feeling it was unfair.
She’d studied like crazy all her life, and still got an utterly average score on the college entrance exam. It was enough to make her laugh with frustration.
Hearing her complaint, Fu Rongzheng’s lips curved slightly. “Sure. Take it.”
“Hey, Boss, don’t tease me.”
Shu Yuwei knew it wasn’t possible.
“By the way, Boss, when are we checking out and going back to the company?”
Shu Yuwei remembered what mattered.
“I checked my phone. There’s still no signal, so we can’t get in touch with anyone at the company.”
“Our car was crushed by a tree too. There’s no way to repair it.”
“Maybe we should ask someone in the village if we can borrow a car to get back?”
As his assistant, Shu Yuwei went on to suggest a few more possible solutions.
Fu Rongzheng was silent for a while.
He climbed down the ladder, took off his gloves, and looked at her.
“There’s no way back for now.”
“I asked the locals this morning. The typhoon caused a landslide on the road from the resort into the city, and it’s impassable.”
Shu Yuwei froze. “What?”
They really were stranded here now, with no way back!
“Damn it, what kind of typhoon is this?”
“It needs to be retired! It has to be retired!”