17. Her Hand Touched Something Soft.
Outside the office, the President’s Office was holding a regular meeting, discussing how to specifically redistribute the work Han Zhao had been responsible for.
Ling Xi raised her arm. “Director Jiang, I prepared breakfast for President Zhou this morning. He didn’t seem very satisfied. Assistant Han’s mother is about to undergo surgery, so it’s not convenient to disturb him. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Not satisfied? He didn’t eat it?”
“From his tone, it sounded like he didn’t want to eat.”
Jiang Huai scratched his head. “In the past, the boss never asked anyone to prepare breakfast for him. Sometimes when he didn’t come to the office, Assistant Han would make arrangements depending on the situation.”
Xu Jing thought for a moment. “How about this? The four of us take turns. We’ll see whose breakfast President Zhou likes, and then we’ll follow that standard afterward.”
Ling Xi and Mr. Wang both agreed. “Okay!”
Ling Xi had no idea that she had already become a person of suspicion.
She went to work as usual and even took advantage of opportunities to slack off a bit.
The next morning, Xu Jing bought a sandwich. Ling Xi placed some fruit beside it and helped her add a little decoration.
Who would have thought that after Xu Jing brought it in, Zhou Mingye didn’t even look at it.
At noon, Zhou Mingye came out of his office and saw several people from the President’s Office all looking straight at him.
The one with brown hair was smiling at him.
Zhou Mingye suddenly recalled yesterday, when he had sat in front of his computer and opened video after video.
Ling Xi walked past his office door, deliberately slowing her steps and peeking inside.
When getting off work, she stood up and looked in his direction first for a while.
Before entering his office, she hovered at the door, looking nervous.
And on the day before the holiday, she pressed herself against the glass. To see more clearly, she even bounced in place a few times.
Now the main character in those videos was standing right in front of him, staring at him with bright eyes, making the hair on his back prickle.
After Zhou Mingye walked away, several people from the President’s Office gathered together, frowning and discussing the situation.
Over the next two days, the breakfasts Jiang Huai and Mr. Wang brought in were not touched either.
Everyone felt that what they prepared was quite good, yet no one knew where the problem lay.
In the end, they reached a conclusion: the boss only ate breakfasts made by Assistant Han.
The matter spread from the President’s Office, and as it spread, it gradually took on a different tone.
*
To prevent Lingmou from being poached again by competitors, the acquisition team held several meetings with the law firm and came up with a new plan.
Zhou Mingye accepted the Public Relations Department’s suggestion and agreed to an interview with a financial magazine.
The interview was handled by Ling Xi and conducted in Zhou Mingye’s office.
In the two days prior, Ling Xi had gone through the list of interview questions with the reporter in charge and had also confirmed Zhou Mingye’s outfit style with the magazine’s photographer in advance.
After the interview officially began, she stepped back into a corner to wait, in case assistance was needed.
The interview was very efficient. Zhou Mingye’s answers were concise and packed with information, requiring the other party to respond quickly.
After more than ten questions were finished, Ling Xi caught sight of the young woman letting out a small breath of relief.
According to the process, the photographer still needed to take a few solo shots of Zhou Mingye and asked him to move to the window.
Once he was in position, the photographer brought over a magazine as a prop and accidentally bumped into Zhou Mingye’s tie, causing the tie clip to fall to the floor.
Ling Xi hurriedly picked it up. She stepped forward, and out of an assistant’s instinct, said softly, “President Zhou, I’ll help you.”
Just as she moved closer, Zhou Mingye reached out and took the tie clip from her, saying coldly, “I’ll do it myself.”
The movement was extremely quick, and his expression was indifferent.
Ling Xi stepped aside, her face full of confusion. She had only been helping to clip on a tie clip. Why did Zhou Mingye look as though he were facing a major threat?
As early as last week, she had noticed that Zhou Mingye was acting a bit strangely. He had been speaking normally with others, but the moment he saw her, his face would immediately stiffen, as though he were deliberately giving her the cold shoulder.
Ling Xi could not figure it out. In the end, she could only attribute it to Assistant Han being on leave and him being in a bad mood.
*
A few days later, the reporter sent the first draft to Ling Xi for review.
After carefully reading it, she marked several inappropriate points and asked the other party to make adjustments.
After several rounds of revisions, once she confirmed there were no issues, Ling Xi finally sent it to Zhou Mingye for review.
She had thought that the day’s work was over, but who would have expected that half an hour later, an internal email popped up with Zhou Mingye’s feedback.
Ling Xi was stunned when she saw it. Zhou Mingye had marked more than ten places in red.
Some parts expanded on his answers, which he felt were not accurate enough. There were also several sections involving industry matters where the descriptions were not rigorous.
On the last line, Zhou Mingye wrote a sentence: Do not send half-finished products to me.
Ling Xi sighed. What half-finished product? This had clearly been revised by her several times already.
Zhou Mingye really was a stickler for details. She even started to wonder whether he had majored in Chinese Language and Literature in university.
Ling Xi organized the issues Zhou Mingye had marked and sent them to the reporter coordinating with the magazine. The other party was on a business trip out of town and said she would revise it as soon as she returned to her hotel that evening.
At twelve o’clock on Saturday night, just before going to bed, Ling Xi received the revised version that the reporter had sent over. The young woman had not gone to sleep yet and messaged her: “Sister Xi, the final version is due on Monday. Do you see any other problems?”
Ling Xi got out of bed and turned on her computer, going through the content once more. From her perspective, it was acceptable.
But with someone like Zhou Mingye, he might still be able to pick out something to criticize.
Ling Xi did not want to waste time going back and forth again. On Sunday morning, she called Zhou Mingye.
Zhou Mingye had only fallen asleep shortly before dawn. Being woken up in his sleep, his tone was impatient. “What is it?”
“President Zhou, sorry to disturb you. I wanted to synchronize with you and discuss the interview draft.”
“Send it to my email. I’ll look at it when I go to the office tomorrow.”
Ling Xi hesitated. “They need to finalize it tomorrow. If it’s any later, it’ll be a bit rushed.”
“That’s because she’s inefficient.”
By now, Ling Xi had more or less figured out Zhou Mingye’s temperament. She knew he would not deliberately make things difficult for people at work, so she continued, “When would you be available?”
After a brief pause, Zhou Mingye replied lazily on the other end of the line, “Come to Yunqi this afternoon. We’ll revise it in person.”
Ling Xi froze for a moment. What she had meant was to communicate over the phone, or even go to the office if needed. She had not expected Zhou Mingye to ask her to go to his home.
She thought it over. “Alright, I’ll come over this afternoon.”
Although Ling Xi had thought many times before about how to infiltrate the enemy’s territory and secretly observe things for herself, now that she was suddenly being sent straight to the front line, she still felt a bit nervous.
*
After lunch, Ling Xi took a taxi to Zhou Mingye’s house.
After she rang the doorbell and waited a moment, the iron gate opened from the inside.
Zhou Mingye seemed to have just woken up. His hair fell casually over his forehead. He was wearing a thin hoodie and casual pants. He did not look as aloof as usual and instead resembled a male college student.
Ling Xi followed Zhou Mingye inside, her gaze sweeping over everything she passed.
From the courtyard to the living room, it was quiet all the way.
Ling Xi was very curious about Zhou Mingye’s home. What interested her most was whether there were signs of anyone else living there.
But after changing into slippers, before she had time to observe carefully, Zhou Mingye led her straight into the study.
When the door opened, Ling Xi was startled by how spacious the study was.
Two walls of bookshelves were filled with books of all kinds. Against the window on the opposite side stood a desk, and in the middle, there was also a long sofa.
Zhou Mingye pointed at the oversized monitor. “Open the document.”
Ling Xi set down her bag and sat in the ergonomic chair. Once she opened her laptop, she heard movement beside her as Zhou Mingye sat down next to her.
He looked at Ling Xi. “What would you like to drink?”
“No need. I brought water.”
A faint scent of shower gel drifted to her nose. Ling Xi felt a bit uneasy. She focused on the screen and opened the draft.
Communicating face-to-face about the manuscript was very efficient.
Every time Zhou Mingye pointed out an issue, Ling Xi immediately revised it.
The study was quiet, with only the sound of the keyboard clicking.
Zhou Mingye rested his chin on his hand, sitting to the side, watching Ling Xi type away. He suddenly asked her, “Was your previous job related to writing?”
“Yes. I did copywriting and planning.”
“Why didn’t you continue?”
Hearing this, Ling Xi’s heart tightened. Why was he suddenly asking this?
“My boss wanted to transfer me to another city, and I didn’t want to go,” she said honestly.
Zhou Mingye’s gaze fell on Ling Xi’s profile as he observed her expression.
After speaking, Ling Xi giggled. Mixing truth into her words, she added, “Your company has good benefits, and besides, following you, I can learn things.”
“Flattering me?” Zhou Mingye let out a short laugh.
Ling Xi looked at Zhou Mingye with clear eyes. “Really. I’m not lying.”
Zhou Mingye withdrew his gaze, his expression unreadable.
Ling Xi secretly glanced at him. Seeing the glow of the computer screen reflected in his dark pupils and the superior lines of his profile, she felt struck once again by how exquisitely handsome Zhou Mingye’s features were.
Even though she faced this face every day, she was still affected by it.
It was not the first time she had been alone with Zhou Mingye, yet today, for some reason, Ling Xi felt that something was off.
From the moment she entered, Zhou Mingye’s gaze swept over her from time to time, carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Ling Xi did not dare say much and continued typing at the computer. Soon, she finished the final revisions to the manuscript.
Zhou Mingye went out midway to take a phone call. Ling Xi finally relaxed her back and picked up her phone to message Su Wanwan: Reporting in! Zhou Mingye’s place is in a minimalist style, and the sofa in his study is ridiculously expensive.
Su Wanwan replied: An evil capitalist.
Ling Xi sent another message: The house is very clean, but also kind of empty. It looks like he lives alone.
Su Wanwan replied: Keep investigating and report back.
Ling Xi lowered her head to type. Zhou Mingye’s footsteps were light, and she did not hear him come back in.
She was focused on her phone and did not notice a system notification pop up on the screen. Her arm brushed against it, and the computer had already started updating automatically.
Ling Xi was asking Su Wanwan when she planned to go to Han Zhao’s hometown when she suddenly sensed someone approaching.
She looked up. Zhou Mingye suddenly leaned in, looking at the computer.
Ling Xi was startled and instinctively set her phone aside.
Zhou Mingye moved too close too suddenly. In that situation, Ling Xi’s panicked expression could not be hidden at all, and it fell fully into Zhou Mingye’s eyes.
“Did you save it just now? The computer can’t be used for the moment.” Zhou Mingye frowned slightly as he stared at the screen.
Only then did Ling Xi come back to her senses. “What happened?”
“It’s updating.”
Ling Xi nodded. “It’s synced on the phone app.”
“Give me the phone. I’ll go through it again. If there are problems, you can note them down.”
Zhou Mingye’s tone was casual, but Ling Xi instantly stiffened.
The phone was not locked. It was still on the chat record between her and Su Wanwan, and it was right by Zhou Mingye’s hand. As long as he lowered his gaze, he would be able to see the entire conversation clearly.
Seeing that Ling Xi did not move, he grew a little impatient and raised his arm as if to take the phone.
“Wait!”
Just as Zhou Mingye’s hand touched the phone, Ling Xi suddenly stood up and blocked him. Her hand pressed heavily down on the back of his hand.
A wave of warmth spread instantly, and Ling Xi’s mind went blank.
Because she stood up too hastily, nearly half of her body leaned forward. Zhou Mingye instinctively caught her by the waist. His body swayed back, and he sat down into the chair.
His palm felt soft beneath his hand. Ling Xi’s hair brushed across his face, and he could clearly smell a sweet, clean fragrance.
Zhou Mingye’s heartbeat suddenly sped up.
He suppressed the emotions surging inside him, his hand still bracing Ling Xi.
This again?
Had she not gotten enough advantage last time at the gym, and now she was touching him outright? Judging by this posture, was she even planning to sit on his lap?
To avoid falling into Zhou Mingye’s arms, Ling Xi planted her other arm between Zhou Mingye’s legs, pressing down just like that.
She grabbed her phone and quickly stood up, swiping away the chat page. She did not realize at all that when she braced herself against the chair, her hand had touched something soft.
After Ling Xi pulled up the interview draft, she heard Zhou Mingye’s voice, tinged with anger. “Why are you panicking?”
“I just saw that the phone was about to fall to the floor and grabbed it.” Ling Xi forced herself to explain.
Zhou Mingye was no longer in a hurry now. His Adam’s apple rolled. He avoided Ling Xi’s gaze and went outside.
In the corridor, Zhou Mingye took several deep breaths. After two minutes, the pain from being struck earlier finally began to fade.
He braced one hand against the hallway railing, forcing himself to calm down.
If even this was deliberate, then Ling Xi was truly terrifying.
When he returned to the study, Ling Xi acted as if nothing had happened. She opened her phone and placed it by Zhou Mingye’s hand, smiling at him. “President Zhou, please take a look.”
Zhou Mingye cleared his throat and sat down beside Ling Xi, reviewing the manuscript with a composed expression.
Ling Xi sat next to him, pretending to read along seriously, when in fact not a single word registered.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly. While Zhou Mingye had gone out earlier to get some water, she had already deleted the chat history completely.
Zhou Mingye went through the manuscript at an extremely fast pace, then tossed out a single sentence. “That’s fine. No need to revise it.”
Ling Xi beamed with joy. “Got it!”
With the work settled, Ling Xi packed up her things and followed Zhou Mingye out of the study. She heard him say, “Sit wherever you like.”
Ling Xi went downstairs to the living room. Leaning back against the sofa, she sent a message to Ling Xiangsong, telling him she had finished working overtime.
When she looked up, her gaze suddenly stopped on the coffee table beside the armrest.
The familiar cake-shaped candle sat there. The candle body bore obvious traces of having been burned, and when she leaned closer, there was still a faint, lingering scent in the air.
Ling Xi suddenly realized that the reason Zhou Mingye’s scent had seemed familiar the last time was because it was the candle’s fragrance.
She could not help curling her lips. It looked like he had lit it plenty of times already, yet he still claimed he had never used it.
Were men all this contradictory, saying one thing and meaning another?
Zhou Mingye came down the stairs and saw Ling Xi narrowing her eyes as she examined him. With his hands in his pockets, he asked, “What is it?”
Ling Xi picked up the candle with both hands and smiled slyly. “The little cake looks like someone’s eaten it. There’s less of it now.”
When Zhou Mingye saw what she was holding, a flash of awkwardness crossed his face. He turned and walked toward the kitchen, tossing out a line behind him. “The aunt lit it.”
“Is that so?” Ling Xi wore an expression that clearly said she had seen through him. Just as she was about to tease him a bit more, she caught the warning look Zhou Mingye shot her.
Better not pluck hairs off a lion.
Ling Xi set the candle down. “Looks like the aunt uses it often. She has good taste.”
Zhou Mingye took a tactical sip of water and did not respond.
Ling Xi’s eyes lit up, her tone sincere. “The aunt must really like this candle. Next time I’ll make another one and give it to her.”
Zhou Mingye choked on her words. He set his cup down. “Ling Xi, are you very free?”
Normally, when Zhou Mingye snapped at her, Ling Xi would not talk back. But today she had the upper hand. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, looking at him. “Yes.”
Seeing her smug smile, the corner of Zhou Mingye’s mouth lifted as well.
If she had ulterior motives, was the happiness on her face right now real, or was it all an act?
With the work done, it would not be appropriate for Ling Xi to stay any longer.
She stood up, went to the entryway to change her shoes, and said goodbye to Zhou Mingye. “President Zhou, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out.”
“Wait.” Zhou Mingye stopped her.
He walked to the door and opened the shoe cabinet. “I’m going out for a run. I’ll give you a ride on the way.”
Ling Xi lifted her head and realized that at some point Zhou Mingye had already changed into a pair of athletic pants. He took out a pair of shoes from the neatly arranged cabinet, put them on, straightened his clothes, and said, “Let’s go.”
In the autumn afternoon, the air was crisp, carrying a hint of coolness.
Ling Xi zipped up her jacket and walked beside Zhou Mingye.
Zhou Mingye asked casually, “How are you getting back, taxi?”
“Someone’s picking me up.”
Zhou Mingye glanced sideways at her and saw her take out her phone and lower her head to send a message, a smile still on her face.
He suddenly grew curious about who was coming to pick her up.
If she had a boyfriend, he would not let her do something like probing a competitor’s acquisition quote, would he? It was neither proper nor without legal risk.
Zhou Mingye wanted to verify his guess.
He slowed his steps and asked, as if unintentionally, “Who’s picking you up?”
Ling Xi sent a voice message on her phone. “I’m almost at the gate.”
Then she looked up, her clear eyes carrying a hint of confusion. “What did you say?”
Zhou Mingye cleared his throat lightly and looked straight ahead. “I asked who’s picking you up. Your boyfriend?”
Ling Xi slipped her phone into her bag. “My dad.”
She then added, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Just as he had guessed.
If she had a boyfriend, would she really be working overtime so often, taking the subway home, and leaving him behind during the National Day holiday to go abroad for a concert?
Zhou Mingye said nothing more.
The two of them walked to the entrance of the residential complex. From afar, Ling Xi spotted her family’s car, and Ling Xiangsong also saw her. He slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road.
Ling Xi turned her head. “I’m leaving, President Zhou.”
Zhou Mingye remained where he was, showing no intention of leaving. He glanced toward the entrance. “I’ll go say hello.”
Ling Xi wanted to say there was really no need.
Before she could stop him, Ling Xiangsong had already gotten out of the car.
“Dad,” Ling Xi called out.
The middle-aged man walked over to her with a smile, took her bag from her hands, and then looked at Zhou Mingye.
Ling Xi could only introduce him to her father. “Dad, this is my boss.”
Zhou Mingye raised his hand politely. “Hello, Uncle.”
Ling Xiangsong had once run a small-to-medium-sized business himself. Seeing that his daughter’s supervisor was tall and well-presented, he smiled and shook Zhou Mingye’s hand. “Hello. Ling Xi will need your guidance at work.”
“You’re too kind, Uncle. Ling Xi’s work is excellent.”
Excellent? Ling Xi widened her eyes. This was unbelievable. Zhou Mingye had actually praised her as excellent?
Then she thought about it again. Just polite talk. Why was she taking it seriously?
Ling Xi looped her arm through Ling Xiangsong’s and waved at Zhou Mingye. “President Zhou, you can go for your run. I’m heading home.”
She could not wait to get home as quickly as possible.
Hearing that Zhou Mingye was still going to exercise, Ling Xiangsong also smiled and bid him farewell. “Then we won’t hold you up. Goodbye.”
Zhou Mingye nodded politely. “Goodbye, Uncle.”
After Ling Xi and Ling Xiangsong got into the car, the smile on Zhou Mingye’s face gradually faded. He turned and jogged toward the tree-lined path inside the complex.
Over the years of building his business, Zhou Mingye had met many people, and he prided himself on never having made a mistake in judging character.
In his interactions with Ling Xi, he could see in her a kind of innocence and ease that had never been bullied out of her by life.
Ling Xi’s father stood straight and strong, drove a low-key car, and personally came to pick up his daughter after overtime work.
Would a family like that have their daughter steal information from another company?
As Zhou Mingye ran through the residential complex, he silently affirmed that his conclusion was well-founded and could not be wrong.
*
Han Zhao was not present, so the parts of the meeting that required him to speak on Zhou Mingye’s behalf fell to Ling Xi instead.
The bug fixes for the company’s new product were completed, and the product launch proceeded as scheduled.
Before that, a final internal review meeting was held. Ling Xi needed to explain the launch process to the company’s senior management on Zhou Mingye’s behalf, including market positioning, the core promotional slogan, and comparisons with competing products.
The new product was an intelligent analysis box for production environment safety supervision. It provided hundreds of high-quality self-developed algorithms, with its primary application scenarios in factory operations.
Ling Xi worked overtime for two consecutive days, reviewing materials, writing reports, and preparing thoroughly.
When the meeting first began, Ling Xi spoke for a few moments. Seeing a room full of senior executives staring at her, she felt somewhat nervous at first.
Soon, her gaze swept over Zhou Mingye. Seeing that he was listening attentively, with a focused expression and no sign of dissatisfaction, she gradually relaxed.
When Ling Xi switched the content to the “Core Promotional Slogan” slide, she presented the copy written by the advertising agency, aimed at highlighting the advantages of Ruisii Technology’s “Intelligent Analysis Box.”
Before she could finish speaking, she heard a light chuckle from someone in the conference room. She paused and met the gaze of Business Director Zhao Xiaohui.
Zhao Xiaohui was close to Xu Lei, and he was also aware of Xu Lei’s suspicion that Ling Xi had leaked the acquisition quotation.
He looked at Ling Xi, his tone far from polite. “Xiao Ling, why do I feel there’s a problem with the order of what you’re presenting? For a product launch, what’s the most important thing? The features of the new product. You’ve spent ten full minutes introducing the market and promotion. President Zhou places great importance on meeting efficiency.”
After saying that, he exchanged a look with Xu Lei. “Young people still need to put more of their focus on the business itself.”
Being called out like this in such a meeting instantly made Ling Xi feel a little embarrassed. After steadying herself for a few seconds, she paused.
The atmosphere in the conference room immediately became subtle. Several executives who caught the implication behind Zhao Xiaohui’s words exchanged glances.
Ling Xi, however, had already blocked out the reactions from the others. Her mind was racing, thinking about what to do next, and she did not pick up at all on the faint note of mockery in Zhao Xiaohui’s tone.
Ling Xi gave Zhao Xiaohui a small smile and nodded very sincerely. “Director Zhao, you’re right to point that out. I was too focused on explaining this part clearly and ended up putting the cart before the horse. I’ll wrap this up briefly, then move on to the new product features and pick up the pace.”
Zhou Mingye, who had been sitting to the side, had not said a word the entire time. He was calmly observing Ling Xi’s reaction.
The night before, just as he was preparing to leave work, Zhou Mingye had received an email from Ling Xi asking him several professional questions about the new product. He had been about to shut down his computer, but ended up sitting back down and replying to each question in detail.
Zhao Xiaohui’s words were clearly pointed, yet Ling Xi was completely unaware and responded with sincerity.
This further confirmed Zhou Mingye’s suspicion.
He suddenly spoke up. “Continue at your own pace.”
Hearing that, Ling Xi seemed encouraged. She nodded toward him. “Okay, President Zhou.”
After the meeting ended, everyone filed out one after another.
Xu Lei was stopped by Zhou Mingye. “How are things going with Lingmou?”
“We should be able to sign next week.”
During this period, Xu Lei and the law firm had adjusted their strategy, applying pressure on Ling Mou using Ruisii Technology’s advantages. The signing date for the acquisition agreement had now been confirmed.
As Zhou Mingye walked toward his office, his expression was serious. “When will you give me the investigation results?”
Having worked with Zhou Mingye for a long time, Xu Lei could tell that he was displeased with Zhao Xiaohui’s behavior during the meeting.
Xu Lei gave a slight nod. “I already have a general direction. I’ll be able to give you a reply soon.”
*
A few days later, the acquisition agreement was formally signed, and the product launch was held as scheduled.
To celebrate, the company temporarily issued a bonus to all employees.
The day after the bonus was credited, a manager from the business department resigned.
After narrowing down several suspects, Xu Lei retrieved all access logs for personnel who had come into contact with the quotation documents.
He also checked email records and internal communication software logs.
One evening after work, he happened to see this manager meeting with people from Qichen Technology.
Through continued observation from multiple angles, Xu Lei discovered that the man’s wife had been purchasing luxury goods frequently in recent times.
After obtaining some solid evidence, Xu Lei handed the matter over to the legal department.
In the President’s Office, after Xu Lei finished his report, he originally thought Zhou Mingye would fly into a rage and criticize him for being careless and misjudging people.
Instead, Zhou Mingye did not say much at all, only leaving behind a single sentence. “As long as it’s clarified, that’s enough. Let the lawyers handle the rest.”
When Xu Lei looked at Zhou Mingye again, he realized that Zhou Mingye was staring at the computer screen and was actually smiling.
Xu Lei was full of surprise and could only assume that Zhou Mingye was in a good mood because the acquisition had been completed.
After the door closed, the video on the screen was played again.
Watching these scenes now, a smile appeared in Zhou Mingye’s eyes, which gradually turned into a confident sense of understanding.
She lingered outside his office door, looking over again and again from her workstation.
Before entering, she would lower her head to think, then gather her courage and knock.
Sometimes, when she discovered he was not at the company, she would even feel disappointed.
Ling Xi was not the one who leaked the quotation. Then there was only one explanation for all these behaviors.
Zhou Mingye looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath.
He had actually doubted her before. Was that not going too far?
*
Ling Xi knew nothing about all this.
After arriving at the company, she was called over by Jiang Huai. “President Zhou said we don’t need to worry about his breakfast anymore. From now on, you just need to make him a cup of coffee every day.”
The others in the office felt instantly relieved. At last, they no longer had to rack their brains every morning.
With her skills recognized, Ling Xi happily went to the pantry and even deliberately tried a new latte art design.
As soon as she carried it into the office, Ling Xi felt that Zhou Mingye’s gaze today was a little strange.
Before, his eyes would never linger on her, but today, the moment she walked in, Ling Xi noticed his gaze following her. She was so startled that her hand almost slipped, nearly spilling the coffee.
After placing the tray on the desk, Zhou Mingye glanced at the coffee, his brows knitting slightly. “Why did you change the design today?”
There was no heart anymore, just a leaf.
“Huh?” Ling Xi froze for a moment. Did Zhou Mingye have some kind of compulsion, where even the latte art had to be the same every day?
“I just did it casually.”
Zhou Mingye nodded and took a sip.
He thought to himself that he must have been too cold toward her recently, so she felt disappointed.
He decided to show some mercy and praise her a little. “The heart you did last time was pretty good.”
Ling Xi immediately beamed with joy. “Really? Thank you.”
She then asked, “So you like hearts?”
Zhou Mingye froze. She was really good at reading people’s hearts.
He had only praised her once, and she immediately pressed him for an answer. He was not about to surrender so easily.
Zhou Mingye raised an eyebrow and gave a casual “Mm.”
With her latte art acknowledged, Ling Xi left in high spirits.
Zhou Mingye watched the back of her head as she walked away. The low bun she had tied swayed gently, and the corners of his lips curved slightly.
*
On the way home that evening, Ling Xi sent Su Wanwan a message to ask about Han Zhao’s mother’s condition.
Su Wanwan and Han Zhao had not openly confronted each other yet. In front of the elders, appearances still had to be maintained.
A few days earlier, she had taken leave to return to Han Zhao’s hometown to visit her sick mother-in-law.
Su Wanwan was at the hospital. She stepped out of the ward and sent Ling Xi a message. “The surgery time was just confirmed. Her condition has been fairly stable these past few days.”
“I hope Auntie’s surgery goes smoothly.”
Ling Xi had once met Su Wanwan’s mother-in-law at her home. She was a very kind elderly woman who treated Su Wanwan like her own daughter.
On the other end of the phone, Su Wanwan’s voice was very low. “Xixi, I think Han Zhao is a bit strange.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Last month, he paid off more than half of the mortgage in advance. He even told me to quit my part-time job and not put so much pressure on myself. Can he still be thinking about me like this?”
Ling Xi did not want to assume the worst about someone. “After all, you still have feelings for each other. Maybe he just doesn’t want you to work so hard.”
Su Wanwan sighed. “Maybe.”
*
After the company’s new product was launched, Zhou Mingye received a call from a classmate from his graduate school days, inviting him to visit his factory.
This classmate had returned to China after graduation to take over the family business. The scale of their industry was quite large, and he wanted to cooperate with Ruisii Technology.
Zhou Mingye informed two people from the business department to go along, just in time to develop the local market.
When Jiang Huai went to report the work, he asked Zhou Mingye whom he would bring as an assistant.
In the past, it was always Han Zhao. Now that Han Zhao was not around, among the Presidential Office staff, Ling Xi was clearly the most suitable.
Considering that Zhou Mingye did not like bringing female employees on business trips, Jiang Huai asked tentatively, “What about Ling Xi?”
Zhou Mingye stared at the computer, thinking.
Ling Xi really did handle things properly. She had also made an effort before to secure opportunities to work with him. He could not be too heartless.
After a moment’s consideration, Zhou Mingye nodded. “Alright.”
Although letting Ling Xi travel with him was a bit risky, he was a grown man. What could she possibly do to him?
At noon, after Ling Xi finished eating, Jiang Huai informed her that she would be going on a business trip next week, and it would be together with Zhou Mingye.
She was instantly dumbfounded.
Business trips were tiring enough, and on top of that, there was a hard-to-serve boss.
Ling Xi sighed toward the sky.
That evening, Ling Xi packed her luggage with a troubled expression when she saw a message from Su Wanwan asking if she was busy.
Ling Xi: Go ahead.
After a few seconds of silence on Su Wanwan’s side, she sent Ling Xi several images.
These past few days, Su Wanwan had been staying at the hospital, and Han Zhao was there as well. The two of them did not communicate much in private.
Yesterday, Su Wanwan had accidentally heard Han Zhao making a phone call late at night. After hanging up, he took out his phone again to send messages.
Tormented by endless suspicion, Su Wanwan secretly glanced at his screen while Han Zhao was not paying attention. Originally, she only wanted to confirm whether the person he was chatting with was Zhou Mingye.
Instead, she discovered that the other party’s profile picture belonged to a woman.
After Han Zhao fell asleep, Su Wanwan lifted his finger and used his fingerprint to unlock the phone.
The images in the chat window were the photos Su Wanwan had taken from Han Zhao’s phone.
In the pictures was a middle-aged woman’s Moments feed, filled with content about travel and afternoon tea.
Su Wanwan said, “I can be sure he’s been chatting with this person these past couple of days, but when I looked, the chat history had already been deleted.”
Ling Xi: “Do you have any impression of this person?”
Su Wanwan: “No. Do you think Han Zhao might be being kept by someone, and that’s why he has money to pay off the mortgage early? He has no feelings for that person, so he’s still living with me like this.”
Ling Xi was shocked. “Then, when you saw him being close to the boss before, bringing breakfast and all that, was it a misunderstanding?”
Su Wanwan’s mind was in chaos. “Maybe those times he was chatting with the boss. Later, he just used the boss as an excuse, making me guess the wrong direction.”
Now she only felt deeply sorry toward Ling Xi. Her voice choked as she spoke. “You even went to Ruisii for him. After his mother’s surgery, I’ll confront him and ask everything clearly.”
“It’s okay. I had to work anyway. Talk to him properly and don’t act impulsively,” Ling Xi comforted Su Wanwan a few times and told her to rest early.
That night, Ling Xi lay on the bed and buried her head under the blanket, her emotions in turmoil.
She recalled her interactions with Zhou Mingye over the past month.
In her mind, two little figures were fighting each other.
One side searched for every possible clue, trying to prove that her judgment had not been wrong, while the other side rejected all those suspicions.
Had she been biased from the beginning and misunderstood him?
Zhou Mingye did not speak very pleasantly, and he was cold toward people, but he had principles in how he handled matters. He really did not seem like someone who would interfere in someone else’s marriage.
Ling Xi could not figure it out. She kicked the blanket hard a few times and, for once, suffered from insomnia.
This sudden discovery left Ling Xi at a loss the next day when she saw Zhou Mingye.
When Zhou Mingye looked at her, she avoided his gaze for the first time.