19 – vol.1 Cloud Top Cheese
Ding Yan left the coffee shop with a heavy heart.
He had never expected that, as the chief assistant to the president of Huarui Capital, he would one day be turned away.
And by such a small coffee shop at that.
Outside, a luxurious black sedan sat quietly in place. The sleek lines of the car shimmered with a silvery glow under the sunlight, while the emblem on the front gleamed with dazzling opulence.
Summer in Pucheng was scorching.
It made people restless and irritable.
Logically, Ding Yan should have hurried back into the car to enjoy the cool relief of the air conditioning, but he deliberately slowed his pace, trying to prolong the time it took to return to the vehicle.
He pondered how to broach the subject with his superior inside the car.
The door of the black sedan was now within arm’s reach, and the closer he got, the more hesitant Ding Yan became. He had truly never encountered such a tricky situation before.
Click.
The driver automatically opened the car door.
Ding Yan hesitated no longer. With a long stride, he stepped into the passenger seat.
The atmosphere inside the car was serene. The built-in air conditioner blew out a steady stream of cold air, and the rapid shift from heat to chill cleared his mind considerably.
Ding Yan placed his briefcase by his feet and turned his gaze toward his superior, who sat quietly in the back seat.
And his superior was none other than Pei Zhixiu.
The man leaned calmly against the back seat, dressed in a pure white silk shirt and well-fitted black trousers that accentuated his long, straight legs.
His deep-set features carried an expression that was both cool and stern.
In his hands, he held an iPad, his pale fingers slowly scrolling across the screen as he focused intently on the data and text of the company’s internal documents.
Ding Yan couldn’t gauge his current mood.
After silently rehearsing his explanation several times in his mind, Ding Yan steadied his voice and spoke respectfully, “Mr. Pei, as per your instructions, I’ve just inquired with the coffee shop staff about the collaboration.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed his superior’s fingers pause slightly, halting the scrolling motion.
However, Pei Zhixiu did not look up.
He remained with his head lowered, eyes fixed on the documents before him, and asked in a light, indifferent tone:
“How did it go?”
Ding Yan hesitated for a moment before steadying himself and explaining:
“The coffee shop owner happened to be absent today. I asked the staff for their contact information, but they said it wasn’t convenient to provide it.”
After a brief pause, he added, “Also… regarding the collaboration, the staff called the owner, who directly declined and said they aren’t considering any external partnerships at the moment.”
At this point, Ding Yan was also quite puzzled.
His superior, who was always methodical in his actions, had specifically detoured to this obscure little coffee shop before leaving Pucheng and asked him to go inside to discuss collaboration.
And the goal—was simply to obtain the coffee shop owner’s contact information.
This was almost unbelievable.
As the chief assistant of a top-tier domestic venture capital firm, he had countless ways to obtain such information.
Yet his superior had instructed him to use the most straightforward, least roundabout method—
simply walking in and asking.
Ding Yan had no idea what history or connection his superior, Pei Zhixiu, had with this shop.
He had been busy with a merger case at the headquarters in Beicheng a few days ago and hadn’t accompanied his superior to Pucheng. He had rushed over as soon as he finished yesterday, only to be assigned such an unbelievable task.Over the years, as Pei Zhixiu’s most capable assistant, he had grown accustomed to not asking too many questions, simply following orders from above.
However, today’s Pei Zhixiu left Ding Yan utterly perplexed.
He maintained a sideways posture, quietly observing his superior’s expression.
The man behind him expressionlessly placed the iPad aside on the seat, letting his right hand hang slowly by his side without uttering a word.
At this moment, Pei Zhixiu had already lifted his head, turning his face to gaze out the window.
Yet, his expression was stern, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his eyes held a profound, distant light.
As for the iPad placed beside him, the screen remained untouched by its owner’s fingers and soon dimmed.
For no apparent reason, Ding Yan sensed a surge of hostility rising between his superior’s brows.
It carried a chilling, somewhat intimidating aura.
In the minute that followed, the car fell into an even colder silence, with no one speaking a word.
The driver beside him sat rigidly in the driver’s seat, eyes fixed ahead, not daring to make a sound.
Ding Yan was not one to act rashly either.
He struggled to maintain a calm mind, waiting for his superior to speak.
After what felt like an eternity of cold, silent waiting, he saw Pei Zhixiu’s thin lips part slightly as he uttered:
“Has it been confirmed with her personally?”
Ding Yan was taken aback for a moment.
After a quick second of thought, he answered honestly, “Yes, I heard the staff call the café owner to confirm, and the other party explicitly stated they would not accept the collaboration.”
Pei Zhixiu still kept his head turned toward the window, listening indifferently to his report.
The man’s striking eyes were sharp, fixed unwaveringly on the sign of Café Vanilla.
The dark gray car window reflected a face devoid of expression, slightly aloof, with a straight nose and motionless eyelashes—his cold, handsome features exuding an unapproachable distance.
After a moment of contemplation, Ding Yan quickly proposed a new solution:
“Mr. Pei, would you like me to try obtaining the other party’s contact information through other channels?”
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhixiu slowly turned his head back.
Somehow, Ding Yan felt that amidst the hostility between his brows, there was an unusual hint of despondency.
After a long silence, the composed man finally spoke, “Forget it, no need.”
His voice was cold, devoid of any particular emotion, yet it sent a shiver down Ding Yan’s spine.
A moment later, Ding Yan heard Pei Zhixiu issue a cold command:
“Let’s go.”
Pei Zhixiu did not look at the scenery outside the window. Wordlessly, he leaned back against the rear seat, his face a picture of indifferent coolness, closing his eyes as he quickly sank into deep thought.
The driver, glancing at the boss’s cold expression in the rearview mirror, was unsure of his intentions and quietly asked Ding Yan, “Assistant Ding, where are we heading now?”
Ding Yan glanced at the driver and sighed.
He turned around and sat properly in the passenger seat, fastening his seatbelt. Based on his interpretation of his superior’s words, he said, “To the airport, then.”