52 Wen Xueyan's initial persistence

The next morning, the dawn light streamed through the gaps in the heavy hotel curtains, casting a narrow strip of light onto the carpet. Cheng Boyan woke up with a dull, aching headache.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling and crystal chandelier.

This isn't his bedroom!

Cheng Boyan sat up abruptly, the movement causing the veins in his forehead to throb, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.

He looked around; it was a hotel suite. Memories of last night flooded back like fragmented film, blurry and chaotic: the noisy wedding, Wen Xueyan's quiet figure in the audience, Xu Junxian's outstretched hand, Qiao Lanyue beside her, and then he couldn't remember anything else.

He felt a chill run down his spine and immediately looked down to check himself. His custom-made suit jacket was gone, but his shirt and trousers were still on; only his tie was gone and neatly folded on the bedside table.

This relieved him slightly, but his vigilance wasn't completely gone. Who brought him here? Please, it couldn't have been Xu Junxian.

Just then, a slight noise came from the outer living room. The suite door was gently pushed open, and Qiao Lanyue appeared in the doorway.

"President Cheng, you're awake." Qiao Lanyue's voice was clear and reassuring. "How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?" She held a glass of warm water and handed it to him at the right moment.

Cheng Boyan took the water glass, took a sip, and the cool liquid slightly relieved the dryness and discomfort in his throat. He didn't answer the question about his headache, but instead asked directly, "What happened last night? Who brought me here?"

Qiao Lanyue reported clearly, "You were very drunk last night, so Vice President Fang and I brought you here. Miss Xu's car was following behind." She paused, observed Cheng Boyan's expression, and continued, "I sensed that you didn't seem willing to interact with her, so we didn't take you back to the mansion, but instead chose a hotel. This also makes it easier for subsequent medical examinations."

"A medical checkup?" Cheng Boyan frowned. He recalled that he had only drunk some red wine last night, which shouldn't have made him this drunk.

“Yes.” Qiao Lanyue nodded. “For safety reasons, I contacted Dr. Li last night to come over and take samples back to the hospital for testing. The preliminary test results show that no drug components were detected in your body.” She spoke very cautiously. “But Dr. Li speculated that it may be due to drinking a mixture of different types of alcohol, especially strong liquor, which led to excessive alcohol intake and a relatively severe reaction.”

"After Vice President Fang confirmed that you were alright, he left. I stayed and slept on the sofa in the living room," Qiao Lanyue added at the opportune moment. "I loosened your tie to make you more comfortable. Other than that, I didn't touch anything else."

Cheng Boyan rubbed his still aching temples, and another, more important concern surfaced in his mind.

"Fang Jing," he asked almost instinctively, "has she contacted you?"

Qiao Lanyue immediately responded: "Fang Jing sent a message at 10 pm last night, confirming that Miss Wen had been safely delivered home. She watched Miss Wen go upstairs and the room lights came on before leaving."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Boyan felt instantly relieved, and even his severe headache seemed to lessen somewhat.

“Okay, you’ve worked hard. I’ll give you a day off today. You can rest for a while,” Cheng Boyan replied.

However, Cheng Boyan was unaware that Xu Junxian had not given up after returning home last night.

*

Last night, Xu Junxian unbuttoned her coat and walked into the warm living room with her mother. The light from the crystal chandelier fell on her pale face, reflecting the tear tracks that had not yet dried in her eyes.

“I really want to make up with him now. But he even pushed me away in front of so many people.” Xu Junxian’s voice was broken in the empty living room. “Later, Secretary Qiao took him into the hotel, but we were a step too late when we went to the lobby after parking the car, and we don’t know which room they were in.”

Xu's mother helped her take off her heavy coat, revealing a carefully chosen dark blue dress underneath. This dress, which was supposed to attract her husband's attention at the wedding banquet tonight, now seemed like the greatest mockery of her.

“If it doesn’t work the first time, there will be a next time.” Mrs. Xu’s voice was calm to the point of being cold. “But you need to find a way to replace Secretary Qiao as soon as possible.”

Xu Junxian suddenly looked up: "That Qiao Lanyue is far too loyal to Bo Yan. What kind of female secretary would stay by his side like that? I think she clearly has a crush on Bo Yan, or... who knows what they're doing at the hotel?"

“No matter what she’s thinking,” Mrs. Xu interrupted her, her gaze sharp, “she can’t be allowed to live. But to deal with her, we need the right time and reason. And although she doesn’t have a high status in the Qiao family, she’s still a member of the Qiao family, so you can’t be too ruthless.” She gently smoothed her daughter’s messy hair. “The most important thing right now is for you to have his child. That way, your marriage will still have a chance.”

*

Wednesday morning, top floor of the Cheng Group headquarters building, president's office.

Cheng Boyan had just finished a meeting when his secretary informed him that Xu Junhang, the general manager of Nuosai Chemical, was coming to headquarters to report on his work.

Xu Junhang strode in, his face bearing a trace of lingering seriousness.

"Good morning, Mr. Cheng," Xu Junhang greeted him before getting to the point, "Did you watch the news this morning?"

Since learning the details of Cheng Boyan's divorce case, he has never referred to Cheng Boyan as "brother-in-law" again.

Cheng Boyan looked up, gesturing for him to continue. Xu Junhang's tone was solemn: "Guke Engineering, the one that competed with our Norsai for the GP project before, their project manager, along with several other related personnel, were taken away by the police early this morning."

Cheng Boyan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he sat up straight. He vaguely remembered the GP project; the competition had been quite fierce back then.

Xu Junhang continued, "Early this morning, an explosion occurred at the GP project construction site. Two people have been confirmed dead and five injured, and the number of casualties may still be rising." He paused, a look of lingering fear on his face. "Thinking about it now, it really sends chills down my spine. This project was originally the one that we, Norsai, had the best chance of winning."

Cheng Boyan did not interrupt, waiting for the next part to continue.

“The reason we couldn’t reach an agreement at the time was,” Xu Junhang said, his tone tinged with relief and reflection, “that we insisted on the strictest standards in the design of Zone 22 for the explosion-proof area, which resulted in a significantly higher overall cost than Goko. At the time, our internal sales director even reprimanded Wen Xueyan, the engineer in charge of technology, for being too stubborn and inflexible, which delayed the signing of the contract. Engineer Wen was under a lot of pressure at the time, but she insisted that lowering the safety standards at that stage was tantamount to planting a time bomb.”

Upon hearing the name "Wen Xueyan," Cheng Boyan's heart seemed to be gently stirred, but on the surface, he remained calm and composed.

Xu Junhang remarked with emotion, "Looking back now, it's fortunate that Engineer Wen upheld her professional principles. Otherwise, we might be the ones making the news today, facing huge compensation claims, bankruptcy of our corporate reputation, or even criminal liability. The consequences would be unimaginable."

Cheng Boyan nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the now-lit computer screen. He opened a webpage, and news about the Guke Engineering explosion instantly popped up. The striking headlines, the shocking photos of the scene, and the constantly updated casualty statistics all confirmed that Xu Junhang's words were true.

He quickly browsed the reports, but the image of that beautiful yet resilient figure involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Wen Xueyan.

Cheng Boyan desperately wanted the court hearing to start as soon as possible so he could get a divorce.

From a romantic perspective, Cheng Boyan was captivated by the tranquility and peace that Wen Xueyan brought him. In her presence, it seemed as if all the battles and scheming of the business world could temporarily fade away, leaving only a peaceful haven for his soul.

Cheng Boyan felt a physical attraction to her; he longed to embrace that seemingly frail yet resilient body, to feel the warmth of her skin with his fingertips. He also sensed that her tenderness wasn't just dependence, but also an inner strength, like a fragrant orchid under the moon, quietly exuding its own fragrance.

At work, he now felt more deeply that behind Wen Xueyan’s rigorous, almost “stubborn” professional attitude was a kind of reverence for life and a commitment to responsibility.

"Where did Wen go to work after he resigned?" Cheng Boyan asked. Because he remembered that he had left Xueyan one million, Cheng Boyan was not particularly worried about her financial situation after resigning.

"I heard from a colleague that he went to a small company, but I don't know the specific name," Xu Junhang responded.

Cheng Boyan misses Wen Xueyan.

This longing became more concrete and intense after the news of the bombing. He missed her slightly furrowed brows when she was focused on her work, her clear and determined eyes when she explained technical solutions, and the occasional dependence she showed that she only displayed in his arms.

*

On Wednesday noon, Wen Xueyan was at her desk, intently examining the blueprints.

Suddenly, a slightly noisy sound of footsteps approached from afar, and the Human Resources Manager walked in with several colleagues, their faces serious.

The HR person stood in the center of the office area, cleared their throat, and said in a serious tone: "I apologize, colleagues, but I need to take up a little of your time to announce an important company decision."

Wen Xueyan's heart tightened for no reason, and she put down her pen.

Welcome all readers, teachers, and darlings to leave comments and vote! Thank you for your support.

It would be even better if you could update two chapters today, just like yesterday.

Thank you for your comments and reading, dear readers. I'll update again when I have more time!

Let's meet soon!

Will this secretary have any extra scenes? I'm hoping the male and female leads' duet gets better soon!

Why did we stop here? What is it?

Thank you for the reader's heartwarming comment.

Secretary Qiao has relatively few scenes; thank you for reading. As mentioned earlier, Qiao Qianyue is her biological sister, but these two half-sisters have vastly different social standing within the family.

I will continue to update tomorrow. Thank you for your comments and for urging me to update.

There's a reason why Secretary Qiao is so loyal, right? She probably won't go offline.