Xu Yan quickly replied to Tang Shufang, “We can have lunch together, but I’m not free at night.”
Tang Shufang responded immediately, “Are you busy every night these days?”
“Yes.”
“What are you busy with? Tell your mom. Are you dating someone?”
“No!” Xu Yan replied firmly.
Tang Shufang pressed on, “Then what do you do every night?”
“Work.”
“What kind of work?”
“Researching information, you should know, right? Before Xin’an Energy hit the limit down, I sold it in time. That was the result of my nightly research.”
Tang Shufang sighed in disappointment. “So, you’re really not dating? When I was your age, you were already one year old.”
Reading these messages, Xu Yan suddenly remembered Lu Fei’s face when he was sleeping that morning, and the way his hand had been on her stomach… She shook her head violently. Stop thinking about it! She felt numb and immediately ended the conversation. “Mom, I’m not you. I still have work to do. If you’re free at noon, I’ll join you for lunch. If not, we’ll do it another day.”
Tang Shufang sensed her daughter didn’t want to continue the conversation, so she respected her choice. “Alright, let’s talk about it another day.”
“Okay.”
But after putting down the phone, Tang Shufang still felt uneasy. “No, I need to check where she’s been these days.” She instructed her assistant, “Arrange two people to roughly find out where she’s been going lately.” She didn’t want to monitor Xu Yan too closely, but as a mother, she was worried and simply wanted to ensure her daughter’s safety.
Meanwhile, Xu Yan let out a long sigh, leaned back in her chair, and placed her hand over her chest. “Luckily, I managed to fool her.” But inside, her heart felt more and more chaotic.
Ever since she started going to Lu Fei’s house, she couldn’t shake off this odd feeling. She had never experienced anything like it before. Now, whenever she saw Lu Fei or even just thought about him, her heart would beat faster. “It must be the dog man’s fault,” she muttered, clenching her teeth. The thought of him made her feel itchy with frustration. She was determined to bite him as soon as she got back today. This chapter is updated first at NovelPing.
“Work!” Xu Yan forced herself to calm down and focused back on her tasks.
At noon, Lu Fei stretched lazily. His work was done. He had completed the market analysis and trend forecast for six stocks. For his colleagues, such work would take at least seven to eight hours, but Lu Fei usually finished it in just three. Feeling refreshed, he said, “Let’s go for lunch.”
Zhou Song stood up enthusiastically. Even though he hadn’t finished his work, that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for food. To him, if you’re not passionate about eating, you’ve got a problem. “Let’s go,” he called out.
Two other colleagues joined them. Lu Fei, always popular among his peers, chatted with them as they found a restaurant. He ordered a rice bowl with tomato and beef brisket. The weather in the imperial capital during September was comfortable—hot under the sun but with occasional cool breezes. Especially after finishing his work, a light wind and a good meal put Lu Fei in a very pleasant mood.
After a leisurely lunch and a short rest, Lu Fei and his colleagues returned to the office. He kept an eye on the stock market. At 2:15 in the afternoon, he got up to get some water.
While he was gone, the team leader gathered everyone. “Everyone, listen up,” the team leader announced. “There’s a seminar at 2:30. Our group needs to send two people to attend. It’s said that CEO Xu will be there this time. Who wants to go?”
Most colleagues weren’t interested. These seminars were mainly for high-performing employees to share their experiences, which was great for recognition, but for others, it was a waste of time that disrupted their work.
Zhou Song, however, sprang up and raised his hand high. The team leader looked at him, surprised. “You want to go?”
“No, I’m signing up Lu Fei!” Zhou Song said excitedly. This was the perfect chance to create an encounter between Lu Fei and Xu Yan. CP fans unite!
“Alright, is there anyone else?” the team leader asked.
There was no response.
“Then he can go alone.”
The team leader turned around and submitted Lu Fei’s name to the department.
When Lu Fei returned, Zhou Song rushed over. “Brother Fei, I’ve got great news for you!”
“You’re going to a seminar soon.”
“What?”
“CEO Xu will also be attending. This is your chance! You look great today, and you don’t even need to get dressed up.”
Lu Fei stared at him. “You signed me up?”
Zhou Song nodded eagerly. “Brother Fei, you’re the most handsome guy in the company. No, I think you’re even more handsome than any celebrity. Go show your face. CEO Xu will definitely remember you. Who knows, maybe this will be your big opportunity.”
Lu Fei looked at the team leader. “Can I skip it?”
The team leader shook his head. “Your name has already been submitted.”
Lu Fei chuckled bitterly and looked at Zhou Song. “You owe me a hot pot meal.”
Zhou Song sighed and nodded. “Fine!”
Attending a 20-minute seminar in exchange for a hot pot dinner—fair enough.
Lu Fei grabbed a pen, a notebook, put on his badge, and headed to the conference room. There were four meeting rooms in the second department, and the seminar was in Conference Room A, the largest one. Lu Fei walked in, found a seat in the corner, and planned to slip away as soon as it was over.
At exactly 2:30, the conference room door opened, and Xu Yan entered with Chen Yu. Everyone stood up.
“Good afternoon, CEO Xu,” they greeted.
Xu Yan kept her expression calm as she scanned the room, about to let everyone sit down. But then her gaze fell on Lu Fei sitting quietly in the crowd. She froze.
“Dog…” she blurted internally.
Why was the dog man here?!