After the company crisis was resolved, Su Qingyuan’s attitude toward Chen Yan changed once again.
Previously, whenever she returned home from work, she would sit briefly in the living room before heading upstairs. Now, every time she came home, she would stop outside the kitchen for a few moments and quietly watch him cook.
Before, she would finish every meal in silence. Now, she occasionally asked simple questions like, “What did you do today?” or “What should we eat tomorrow?”
The changes were subtle, almost impossible to notice.
But Chen Yan noticed all of them.
Another ordinary workday arrived.
When Su Qingyuan left for work that morning, her expression was unusually tense.
Chen Yan noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes were heavier than usual, and she seemed distracted throughout breakfast.
Still, he did not ask questions.
When she finally returned home that evening, her expression looked even worse.
The moment she entered the house, she casually tossed her handbag onto the sofa and collapsed into the cushions, staring blankly at the ceiling in exhaustion.
Chen Yan leaned slightly out from the kitchen.
“Dinner’s ready.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Chen Yan glanced at the clock on the wall.
It was already past eight o’clock.
From noon until now, she had not eaten a single thing.
After thinking for a moment, he silently returned to the kitchen.
Half an hour later, he placed the freshly prepared dishes onto the table before walking over to her.
“Time to eat.”
She remained motionless on the sofa.
“I said I’m not hungry.”
“You didn’t touch your lunch today.”
Su Qingyuan froze slightly and looked at him.
“How do you know that?”
“The lunchbox I packed for you this morning came back untouched.”
Her eyes shifted toward the lunchbox sitting on the coffee table.
That morning, he had handed it to her before she left.
But she had spent the entire day trapped in meetings. By noon, she had completely lost her appetite and never opened it.
“Come eat,” Chen Yan repeated calmly.
This time, his tone left no room for refusal.
After several seconds, Su Qingyuan finally stood and walked to the dining table.
Chen Yan sat across from her quietly.
She ate very slowly, clearly lacking any appetite. Halfway through the meal, she suddenly stopped moving.
“Chen Yan.”
“Yes?”
“There’s a serious problem at the company.”
Chen Yan looked at her silently.
She slowly put down her chopsticks and leaned back against the chair.
“One of our major suppliers suddenly cut off deliveries today, claiming production issues. But after investigating, I discovered they immediately redirected the materials to one of our competitors.”
Chen Yan listened quietly.
“That supplier is the largest in the entire domestic market,” she continued tiredly. “If deliveries stop, our production lines will shut down very soon. The executives have been scrambling for solutions all day, but no one has found a way out yet.”
She pressed her fingers against her temples, exhaustion written all over her face.
After a brief silence, Chen Yan asked calmly, “Do you have backup suppliers?”
“We do, but their production capacity is limited. Even at maximum output, they can only sustain us for one month. After that, our production lines will still stop.”
“And your competitor, what did they offer to take your supply?”
She looked at him in slight surprise.
“A five percent price increase above our current contract.”
Chen Yan nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing him fall silent again, Su Qingyuan continued eating.
After dinner, she went upstairs while Chen Yan cleaned the dishes.
That night, Chen Yan lay awake for a long time thinking about the situation.
The next morning, he prepared breakfast and waited for Su Qingyuan downstairs.
When she finally appeared, the exhaustion on her face had deepened even further.
Chen Yan placed breakfast in front of her.
“There’s something I’d like to say,” he began calmly. “Though I’m not sure if it’s appropriate.”
Su Qingyuan immediately looked up.
“Go ahead.”
“The supplier you mentioned yesterday, is it Huasheng?”
She froze instantly.
“How do you know that name?”
Chen Yan did not answer directly.
“The owner of Huasheng is surnamed Zhou. Five years ago, his company was investigated for tax evasion, though he managed to suppress the issue through connections. Shortly afterward, his company signed a long-term supply agreement with the Su Group.”
The shock in Su Qingyuan’s eyes deepened.
“You investigated my suppliers?”
Chen Yan shook his head.
“No. I simply happen to know some things about the industry.”
She stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
After a brief pause, Chen Yan asked, “Your contract with Huasheng expires soon, correct?”
“Next month.”
“Then the solution is simple.”
Su Qingyuan frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
Chen Yan calmly explained.
“Right now, everyone in your company is panicking because your production lines can’t stop. But Huasheng is equally anxious. Their contract with you is about to expire, and they need the renewal to stabilize their future projections.”
Su Qingyuan nodded slowly.
“So?”
“The best thing you can do right now is not beg them for immediate deliveries,” Chen Yan said. “Instead, you should begin discussing contract renewal.”
She frowned more deeply.
“They’re choking our supply chain right now. Why would they agree to renewal discussions?”
Chen Yan shook his head lightly.
“The point isn’t to renew the contract.”
Su Qingyuan paused.
“The point is to make them believe you no longer intend to renew it.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“What do you mean?”
Chen Yan explained patiently.
“The more desperate you appear, the more leverage they gain. But if they think you’ve already found a replacement supplier and no longer need them, then they’ll start panicking instead.”
He looked directly at her.
“If they permanently lose a major client like the Su Group, who will buy the massive amount of inventory sitting in their warehouses?”
A bright realization instantly appeared in Su Qingyuan’s eyes.
“You mean… use the renewal contract itself as leverage?”
Chen Yan nodded.
“Right now, they believe you cannot survive without them. That confidence allows them to act recklessly. But the moment they think you’ve already secured another path, they’ll begin calculating whether short-term profits are really worth losing a long-term partner forever.”
Su Qingyuan stared at him silently.
For the first time, there was unmistakable admiration in her eyes.
“How did you come up with something like this?”
Chen Yan smiled faintly.
“I saw a similar tactic in a television drama once.”
She looked at him with obvious disbelief.
But once again, she chose not to ask further.
The moment she arrived at the company, she immediately called for an emergency executive meeting.
During the meeting, she decisively ordered all negotiations with Huasheng suspended. At the same time, she activated backup suppliers and deliberately leaked information suggesting the Su Group had already secured a new long-term strategic partner.
The news spread through the industry almost immediately.
Before the workday even ended, Huasheng panicked.
At exactly five in the afternoon, Director Zhou personally called Su Qingyuan.
“CEO Su! This is all a misunderstanding!” he hurriedly explained. “The delivery issue was purely due to temporary production problems. We never intentionally withheld materials. Our companies have worked together for years, we can’t let a small misunderstanding damage our relationship!”
Listening to his anxious explanation, Su Qingyuan’s lips curved faintly upward.
“Director Zhou, I understand,” she replied calmly. “But unfortunately, our company has already finalized a new supply agreement. Once our current contract expires next month, we won’t be renewing with Huasheng.”
Silence filled the line.
Several seconds later, Director Zhou’s tone changed completely.
“CEO Su, what exactly do you mean? We’ve cooperated for so many years…”
“Director Zhou,” Su Qingyuan interrupted coldly, “when you redirected our materials to my competitor for a higher price, did you think about our years of cooperation then?”
The other side immediately fell silent again.
After a long pause, Director Zhou finally lowered his voice.
“CEO Su… we can prioritize your deliveries immediately. At the original contract price.”
Su Qingyuan laughed softly.
“Director Zhou, the issue is no longer the original price. We already signed with another supplier.” She paused deliberately before continuing, “However, if Huasheng lowers prices by another three percent, perhaps I can delay onboarding the new partner.”
Director Zhou inhaled sharply.
“CEO Su, you’re robbing us while we’re already burning.”
“You lit the fire first,” she replied calmly.
Another long silence followed.
Finally, Director Zhou gritted out, “Two percent. That’s my limit.”
After calculating briefly, Su Qingyuan nodded.
“Deal.”
The moment the call ended, she leaned back in her chair and released a long breath of relief.
Her assistant, Xiao Chen, rushed into the office excitedly.
“CEO Su! It worked? We actually pulled it off?”
Su Qingyuan nodded.
Assistant Chen nearly jumped in excitement.
“This is incredible! That strategy was genius!”
Su Qingyuan remained silent.
As she stared out the office windows, her thoughts drifted entirely toward Chen Yan.
She remembered him standing calmly in the kitchen that morning, casually explaining such a brilliant strategy as though it were nothing special.
As though corporate warfare was simply another ordinary daily task to him.
Who exactly are you?
That evening, when Su Qingyuan returned home, she immediately saw Chen Yan cooking in the kitchen.
She stopped at the doorway and silently watched him.
His knife skills were exceptionally smooth and practiced. Every slice was clean, fast, and precise.
For some reason, she suddenly remembered the dark alley from before, the moment he effortlessly subdued those attackers.
The same clean precision.
“You’re back?” Chen Yan asked calmly without turning around.
“Yes.”
She walked into the kitchen and stood beside him.
He was currently slicing potatoes into thin, perfectly even strips.
“About today… thank you.”
The movement of his knife never stopped.
“There’s no need to thank me. I only made a casual suggestion.”
“A casual suggestion?” She stared at his side profile. “Your casual suggestion solved a major corporate crisis. If you actually took something seriously, what exactly would you be capable of?”
Chen Yan chuckled softly without answering.
She remained standing beside him while he switched from slicing potatoes to green peppers.
“Chen Yan.”
“Yes?”
“Who exactly are you?”
For the briefest moment, the movement of his knife paused.
Then it resumed normally.
“My name is Chen Yan. I’m twenty-six years old, single, unemployed in any corporate sense, and currently working as your lifestyle assistant.”
She stared directly at him.
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
After a moment of silence, she said quietly, “I don’t believe you.”
Chen Yan finally put down the knife and turned to face her.
“Then what answer are you hoping for?”
Su Qingyuan looked into his eyes.
But suddenly, she realized she did not know how to answer.
Did she want him to reveal his past?
Did she want him to expose all his secrets?
What right did she have to demand that?
Lowering her gaze slowly, she murmured softly, “Nothing.”
Chen Yan watched her quietly for a moment before turning back to continue cooking.
Su Qingyuan left the kitchen and sat down in the living room.
The television was on, playing some ordinary celebrity variety show.
But her attention was nowhere near the screen.
Her thoughts remained trapped in that brief moment inside the kitchen.
The instant Chen Yan had turned around and looked at her, she had experienced an indescribable feeling.
It felt as though a massive locked door stood before her.
And behind that door was an entirely unknown world.
A world she desperately wanted to step into.
When dinner was ready, the two sat down to eat together.
Halfway through the meal, Su Qingyuan suddenly spoke.
“Chen Yan, have you ever considered changing jobs?”
Chen Yan looked up.
“What kind of job?”
“Come work for me directly,” she said calmly. “Become my special executive assistant.”
Chen Yan froze briefly.
“I’m a lifestyle assistant.”
“It’s easy to transfer internally,” she replied without hesitation. “You understand corporate strategy, psychology, and negotiation better than most executives in my company.”
Chen Yan remained silent for several seconds before shaking his head.
“I have to refuse.”
Su Qingyuan frowned.
“Why?”
After thinking briefly, Chen Yan answered calmly.
“I like my current life.”
She looked at him in confusion.
“Cooking, cleaning the house, taking care of your daily routine,” he said lightly. “It’s simple and peaceful. I don’t need to think too much.”
Su Qingyuan stared at him carefully, trying to find hidden emotions or ulterior motives in his expression.
But there was nothing.
Only calmness.
In the end, she dropped the topic entirely.
After dinner, she prepared to go upstairs.
But halfway up the staircase, she suddenly stopped.
“Chen Yan.”
“Yes?”
“I have no intention of giving up.”
Chen Yan looked toward her.
Standing beneath the staircase light, her eyes shone with unwavering determination.
“If you don’t want to tell me your past right now, that’s fine. But sooner or later, I’ll uncover the truth myself.”
After saying that, she turned and walked upstairs.
Chen Yan stood quietly in the living room, watching her figure disappear.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.
Sooner or later?
Perhaps.