82. Leaker

After returning to Jiangcheng after the holiday, the way Jiang Nan and Chen Yunsheng get along with each other changed a little.

They became more open and softer, as if the barrier between them suddenly became thinner, almost transparent, and both of them had a better understanding of each other's character and bottom line.

However, Chen Yunsheng is still busy, but compared to his previous silence, he now sends brief greetings during breaks in overtime, and sometimes takes a picture of the night view outside the office for Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan's replies were no longer in a businesslike tone. She would complain to him about what trouble the parachuted-in director had caused, and that her colleagues privately preferred Deputy Director Wen. Or she would share with him the funny daily life of her and Wenwen.

Meanwhile, the rabbit family on the entrance cabinet had a new member—a ceramic rabbit wearing a bow tie. Chen Yunsheng had brought it back from a business trip. He didn't say much at the time, simply placing it next to the gray elite rabbit.

When Jiang Nan discovered the ceramic rabbit, she secretly laughed for a long time. Then, she bought a ceramic rabbit as well. But her ceramic rabbit was more cartoon-like in appearance, unlike Chen Yunsheng's, which was so anthropomorphic and serious.

Life went on uneventfully as they communicated with each other, but problems would always pop up one after another, disturbing the calm water.

That evening, Chen Yunsheng came home a little earlier than usual. At that time, Jiang Nan was sitting cross-legged in his usual spot on the living room carpet, revising a plan on his laptop.

Hearing the sound of Chen Yunsheng coming back, she turned around with a smile: "You're back?"

Then she noticed that Chen Yunsheng's expression was a little serious.

She closed the computer and asked slowly, "Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, I ate at the company." Chen Yunsheng took off his suit jacket and casually draped it over the armrest of the sofa, then sat down on the single sofa next to her. After a minute or two of silence, he suddenly said in a calm and restrained tone, "Nannan, I have something to tell you."

His tone made Jiang Nan feel nervous. But she tried to keep her voice steady: "What's wrong?"

"We've found the person who leaked our agreement," Chen Yunsheng said calmly, but with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "It's our driver, Zhang Lei."

Jiang Nan was stunned: "Master Zhang? How could that be?"

In her eyes, Master Zhang has always been a quiet, humble and seemingly reliable person.

"Wei Yan checked his recent financial transactions and found a payment from an unknown source. Following the clues, he discovered... it was Second Uncle's people who gave Zhang Lei the money," Chen Yunsheng said, his voice thick with annoyance as he loosened his tie. "He must have figured this out based on the snippets of conversation he had with us during our usual pick-ups and... the occasional discussions you had with me in the car about the details of the agreement."

Jiang Nan recalled that sometimes, in order to verify the itinerary or deal with the Chen family's arrangements, she did confirm some agreement-related matters with Chen Yunsheng in the car. She had always believed that Lao Zhang was a confidant, so she never deliberately avoided him.

She felt scared and a little guilty: "I'm sorry, I was too careless."

"It's none of your business," Chen Yunsheng ruffled her hair. "I was careless in choosing the right people and underestimated them." Then he looked into her eyes and added with a tone of hesitation and caution, "I'm telling you this because I want to discuss it with you. Zhang Lei has been with me for several years, and getting rid of him directly would only alert the enemy. I plan to not touch him first and instead use the same tactic against him to spread some false information. What do you think?"

Jiang Nan hadn't expected him to ask for her opinion. She thought about it carefully, then nodded, "I agree. It's better to use him instead of breaking up now. But I have to be more careful around him from now on."

Seeing her understanding and support, Chen Yunsheng's tense expression relaxed a little. He pondered for a moment and continued, "One more thing. After the Spring Festival, I might need you to accompany me on a trip abroad."

"Going abroad?" Jiang Nan was a little surprised.

"My second uncle has some overseas activities related to that new energy company, which may involve asset transfers. I need to go there in person to take a look, but I can't let him know," Chen Yunsheng looked at her hesitantly. "I want to use the name of a honeymoon as a cover. It will take about two weeks. I'll have Wei Yan arrange your work and visa."

Honeymoon.

Even though she knew it was just an excuse, her heart still beat so hard when the word came out of his mouth that she almost felt like she could hear her own heartbeat in her ears.

After a moment or two of hesitation, she nodded and agreed, "Okay, no problem. Is there anything you need me to prepare?"

Her frankness made Chen Yunsheng feel relieved and a kind of hidden joy.

"No need to make special preparations, just think of it as a long journey," he blinked, then said in a somewhat serious tone, "We might go to several places. It's unlikely that we'll stay in one city the entire time."

"I understand." Jiang Nan was still straightforward.

She knew in her heart that this would not be an easy journey, but being able to stay by his side and participate in his fight against the undercurrent made her inexplicably feel a sense of security as if they were fighting side by side.

"Thank you." Chen Yunsheng looked at her with a very focused gaze, and his tone became soft and sincere.

"You're welcome," Jiang Nan laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Boss Chen paid such a high salary, I have to give him good value for money."

Chen Yunsheng was touched by her cheerful tone. He couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair again. "It's getting late. Even if work is important, don't stay up too late."

"Well, I'll go to bed after I finish this." Jiang Nan tidied her hair and turned on the computer again.

Afterwards, Chen Yunsheng sat on the sofa and looked at her for a while before getting up and walking towards the room. But when he reached the door, he slowly stopped and looked back at her.

Under the warm yellow light, she curled up on the carpet, staring at the screen intently, muttering from time to time, looking both irritable and cute.

He smiled softly, and suddenly felt sincerely that he was a greedy person - he was absorbing her joy and happiness to alleviate his loneliness.

——

In the days that followed, everything was normal but a little different.

Jiang Nan and Chen Yunsheng tacitly agreed not to mention Lao Zhang or the trip abroad, but they knew it all. Sometimes, they would play the role of a loving couple in front of Lao Zhang, occasionally mentioning vague plans like a ski trip to Switzerland early next spring.

But Chen Yunsheng was indeed busier. The light in the study was often on until late at night. Sometimes Jiang Nan had finished her work before he had even finished.

Jiang Nan didn't leave either. She sat silently in her chair, continuing to read and watch TV series, a silent companion, until Chen Yunsheng couldn't bear her staying up late and hurriedly finished his work, ending this unhealthy routine.

During this time, Jiang Nan accompanied Chen Yunsheng back to the old house. Mr. Chen was in good spirits and played a few games of chess with her. He also praised Jiang Nan to Chen Yunsheng.

Chen Yunsheng always agreed with a word or two calmly, as if he didn't care, but the look in his eyes when he looked at her became softer and softer.

Su Wanrong's attitude towards Jiang Nan remained polite yet distant, but no longer as critical as before. Li Li, on the other hand, suddenly calmed down, often even gazing in a daze in one direction, her expression looking somewhat solemn.

As for Liang Yue, she never appeared again, as if she had evaporated from the face of the earth.

While everyone else was preoccupied with their own worries, Jiang's mother and father were enthusiastic about providing for Jichuan—sending local specialties whenever they could. Gradually, the apartment's refrigerator was filled with the "heavy" love from Jichuan—even the double-door refrigerator couldn't withstand the constant care from Jiang's mother and father.

Jiang Nan complained about this unbearable concern, which made them calm down a little.

Time passed in these peaceful and trivial things, and it was November.

It was a warm afternoon. Jiang Nan was lying on the sofa, tablet in hand, watching a variety show. Chen Yunsheng sat beside her, going over documents. They were both busy with their own tasks, but the atmosphere was harmonious. Jiang Nan didn't find Chen Yunsheng boring, and Chen Yunsheng didn't find Jiang Nan noisy. Sometimes, they would even chat and show concern for each other's work.

After a while, Jiang Nan finally finished watching the latest episode of a variety show. She turned off her tablet and stretched, her eyes gently falling on Chen Yunsheng's focused profile.

The sunlight illuminated his outline, making him look soft and gentle, like a tree bathed in the afterglow of the golden sun.

Then, she suddenly remembered the question Wenwen asked her a long time ago - Do you like him?

At the time, she could have denied it with pride, saying she had resisted the temptation and remained sober. But now, looking at this man, as cold as the moon, yet always able to warm her in the details—she felt the increasingly clear throbbing and concern in her heart, and found that her answer was no longer the past denial with its mischievous and guilty feeling—she liked him.

Even though her feelings were not deep enough to last a lifetime, she liked him, very much.

Perhaps it was that night in Jichuan when he revealed his vulnerability to her; or even earlier, when he quietly finished the bowl of instant noodles she cooked; or perhaps, every late night when he left the light on for her. That feeling of longing took root and sprouted in her heart as these things happened.

"What are you looking at?" Chen Yunsheng suddenly raised his head and asked her in a joking tone.

Jiang Nan was caught and looked away in panic. Then, pretending to be calm, she pointed to the cup beside him and said, "Your coffee is cold. Do you want me to change it for you?"

Chen Yunsheng looked at her, then looked at the coffee that had long since gone cold beside him, and said cooperatively, "Thank you for your help."

"No big deal." Jiang Nan stood up and went to make him more coffee. On her way to the kitchen, she secretly glanced at his back. When she found that he was still calm, she let out a sigh and thought to herself that she almost got caught in her infatuation.

At this moment, Chen Yunsheng suddenly turned around, his eyes accurately catching Jiang Nan's smug delight. Jiang Nan was stunned for a moment, then immediately looked away with a red face. Then, she said in a bluffing tone, "Chen Yunsheng! You scared me!"

Chen Yunsheng smiled and said in a light tone: "Ah - I'm sorry."

Jiang Nan snorted, then said, "I am a magnanimous person."

Chen Yunsheng smiled and replied, "Yes. Thank you, sir."

Hearing this, Jiang Nan felt embarrassed and annoyed. She glared at him and then focused on making coffee. No matter how Chen Yunsheng kept asking her questions from the other side, she remained silent. Chen Yunsheng looked at her back and suddenly felt that such happiness was unreasonable, but he could not deny how rare such joy was.