Lian sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, arms crossed as she stood near the door, waiting. Again.
Yifan.
He was upstairs, taking his sweet time, after successfully coercing her into letting him get ready. She frowned to herself. Was she really that easy to manipulate?
"Why are you in such a rush?" came his voice as he finally descended the stairs, looking far too relaxed. "Yufan won't mind."
"He's still my boss," she snapped, walking ahead of him and sliding into the passenger seat of his car. "Unlike you, some of us respect schedules."
Yifan chuckled as he shut the door behind her, then strolled around leisurely to the driver's side, slipping behind the wheel with zero urgency.
He glanced at her. "You're so cute when you're pretending to be mad."
"I'm not pretending."
"You're still cute." She glared at him, and he smirked, starting the engine.
Upon arriving at Yang Capital, Lian stepped out of the car quickly and gave Yifan a small wave, intending to head in alone. But before she could take three steps, she heard the click of his seatbelt and the car door opening.
She turned, brows furrowing. "Why are you following me?"
Yifan chuckled, locking the car behind him. "Did you forget? My best friend owns the building. I'm here to see him, silly."
She pouted, narrowing her eyes. "Still… don't follow so close."
Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heels and walked toward her office briskly, not wanting anyone to catch them arriving together. The last thing she needed was office gossip.
Yifan just smirked and headed the other way, to the CEO's office.
Yifan walked into the CEO's office only to find Ren Zixuan and Yufan already bickering first thing in the morning.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Yufan groaned, tossing a file onto his desk. "Why don't I have a single break between meetings? I need to see Meilin at lunch, or she'll skin me alive."
Ren Zixuan, calm and unfazed, replied flatly, "I'll send Miss Meilin to your office when she arrives, sir. But your schedule stands. Work doesn't wait, and it shouldn't pile."
Yufan looked moments away from throwing an adult tantrum when the door opened and Yifan strolled in, exuding calm amusement.
He glanced between the two of them, lips twitching, before making himself comfortable on the couch.
Ren Zixuan offered a polite nod. "Welcome, CEO Zhao."
Yufan shot his best friend a pointed glare. "I don't have any business with you today. Why are you here?"
Yifan leaned back on the couch with that maddeningly calm smile. "Can't I just visit my best friend?"
Yufan studied him carefully, eyes narrowing. "You look… too happy. That's suspicious."
"Should I not be happy?"
Yufan leaned forward, voice dropping with curiosity. "With what happened yesterday, I expected you to shut everyone out again. Wait..." his eyes lit with mischief, "...did a miracle happen after I left? Don't tell me she..."
Before he could finish, Ren Zixuan's voice cut in smoothly from the corner.
"You don't have time to gossip, Boss."
Yufan's eye twitched as he turned his glare on the unbothered secretary. "…Get out."
Ren Zixuan didn't bat an eye. "All those files need to be finalized before 4 p.m., sir," he reminded calmly, then walked out and shut the door firmly.
"Why did I employ such a person " Yufan muttered under his breath before turning back to Yifan. "Now, spill it. What happened with Lian?".
Yifan was about to respond when a knock echoed through the office.
The door opened, and in walked the main subject of their conversation.
Li Lian.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she entered with practiced poise. But if anyone looked closely, they'd notice the subtle tremble in her hands and the shiver that ran down her spine.
Still, her face was composed, her expression unreadable. She walked straight past Yifan, ignoring the way his gaze immediately locked onto her like gravity.
She placed a neatly bound file on Yufan's desk. "Here's the finalized report on Huang Core's projected investments."
Yufan blinked, caught in the tension radiating off the two. "Thank you, Miss Li"
But she had already turned on her heel, only sparing Yifan a fleeting, unreadable glance. Then she walked out.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving a heavy silence in her wake.
Yifan leaned back on the couch, gaze still fixed on the door as if he could see through it. "Do you think she's mad?"
Yufan raised a brow. "Did you do something?"
"No… at least, not anything I'm aware of."
Yufan gave him a dry look. "Then maybe she's just being professional".
Yifan frowned, clearly not convinced.
With a sigh, Yufan returned to flipping through the stack of papers on his desk. "Look, whatever drama you two are playing, I don't have time to be your therapist. I have a lot of files to finalize, a budget report to approve, and a girlfriend who'll skin me if I cancel lunch again."
Yifan scoffed. "You're so dramatic."
"And you're still here." Yufan pointed toward the door without looking up. "Go. Shoo. Go drown in your love crisis elsewhere."
Grumbling, Yifan stood, but not before muttering under his breath, "She's totally mad…"
Evening came, and as the golden sun dipped below the Beijing skyline, employees trickled out of Yang Capital one by one. Li Lian stepped out of the building, her heels clicking softly against the marble path. Her eyes instinctively scanned the front, halting when she spotted a sleek black Mercedes-Maybach S680 Guard, its dark-tinted partition glass shielding the back seat from view, the kind of car meant for secrecy, luxury and men like Zhao Yifan.
She approached, the back door already unlocked. Sliding in, she found him seated, legs crossed with a calm air, as the driver silently pulled into motion.
"Thank you for picking me up," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips as she fastened her seatbelt.
Yifan blinked at her. "…You're not mad?"
"Huh?" Her brow furrowed. "Why would I be?"
He studied her expression for a beat longer than necessary, trying to decipher her calm demeanor. "…You ignored me this morning. In Yufan's office."
"Oh," she said, eyes fixed on the road ahead. Her tone was light, but deliberate. "I was just being professional. No matter how I look at it… Yufan is still my boss."
Yifan glanced at her, a breath of quiet amusement escaping him. "Mm. I see." He leaned back, then added casually, "Let's go out for dinner before I take you home."
"Okay," she said with a soft smile, already pulling her mirror from her bag to fix her lipstick. Her reflection caught a faint flush on her cheeks, maybe from his gaze, or maybe from the way his voice softened when he spoke only to her.
She paused, sensing the weight of his eyes. Her head turned slightly. "…Stop staring," she murmured, trying not to smile as she snapped the mirror shut and dropped it back into her bag with a playful pout.
He didn't respond. Just a small smirk, and the way his hand found hers when the car rolled to a gentle halt.
They stepped out in front of an opulent restaurant glowing lanterns, glass walls, and marble floors welcoming them like royalty. Yifan's hand slipped around her waist without hesitation, guiding her gently as they walked in.