The CEO's Straight Man-Style Apology
Yu Jinli didn't know how long Feng Jinxuan had been standing in the living room.
All she knew was that after returning to her room, she buried her head in the pillow, like an ostrich, trying to physically shut herself out all the disturbances from the outside world.
But she failed.
The man's clean and pleasant cedar scent seemed to have legs, seeping in through the crack in the door and lingering around her nose, impossible to shake off.
Along with that, his last hurt and panicked look kept replaying in her mind.
Yu Jinli turned over in frustration.
She admitted that she had made a mountain out of a molehill.
She also knew that Feng Jinxuan went to the party for work, to lure out that damned Hong Fu.
She understood the reasoning, but she couldn't suppress the inexplicable, sour feeling of grievance in her heart.
Why should I?
Why can he come back smelling of perfume, while I have to wait for him in this empty house like a statue until midnight?
That's not fair!
As she was struggling with herself, there was a gentle knock on the door.
It was the butler's voice.
"Miss Yu, are you asleep? Mr. Feng asked me to bring you some late-night snacks."
Yu Jinli shouted defiantly, "I'm not eating! I'm on a diet!"
There was a moment of silence outside the door, then the butler said, "Mr. Feng also said that if you don't eat, he won't eat tonight either."
Yu Jinli: "..."
Damn it! This guy has even learned to use the self-inflicted injury trick!
In the end, she still couldn't resist opening the door.
Outside the door, there was not only the butler and a sumptuous late-night snack, but also... Assistant Wang, standing ramrod straight with a serious expression, like a soldier being inspected.
"Assistant Wang?" Yu Jinli was a little surprised. "It's so late, you're still not off work?"
"Hello, Ms. Yu." Assistant Wang gave her a professional smile that looked more like a grimace. "The boss has a very urgent, strategic issue concerning the very survival of the group. He needs me to come back immediately to discuss it."
Looking at his tragic expression that seemed to say, "I've bled for the company," and then glancing at the figure with the light on in the study downstairs, Yu Jinli roughly understood.
What strategic issue? It's clearly a world-class problem like "how to appease an angry woman."
...
The atmosphere at the Feng Group the next day was even more somber than when a Siberian cold front swept through.
All the employees in the top-floor offices were on tenterhooks, walking on thin ice.
Because their usually composed and stoic CEO was radiating a terrifying aura that screamed, "I'm in a bad mood, don't mess with me, or I'll send you to mine in Africa."
The person who started all of this, Yu Jinli, was leisurely... doing her nails in her office.
During the Cold War, whoever bowed their head first was a dog.
She, Yu Jinli, has backbone!
At noon, Assistant Wang, sporting two enormous dark circles under his eyes, knocked on her door.
“Miss Yu,” he handed her a document, “this is the latest intelligence about Hong Fu that the boss asked me to give you.”
He paused, then added in a voice so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.
"The boss also said... he didn't have an appetite at noon and wouldn't eat."
Yu Jinli: "..."
This guy, is he never going to stop?
She sighed inwardly as she looked at Assistant Wang, who appeared to be on the verge of sudden death.
Fine, considering how pitiful Assistant Wang is, let's... give him face.
In the afternoon, Yu Jinli was in her office, pretending to work diligently, but actually searching online for "how to tactfully remind the boss to eat on time".
The office door was suddenly pushed open.
Several workers in work clothes, under Assistant Wang's direction, began moving all sorts of... strange-looking things into her spacious office, which was big enough to host a dance party, as if they were moving house.
"Assistant Wang," she looked up from behind her computer, her hair a messy bird's nest, her face blank, "What...what are you doing? Is the boss going to kick me out and even take back my office?"
"Good morning, Ms. Yu. Oh no, good afternoon." Assistant Wang's dark circles were even worse than yesterday, clearly indicating that he had stayed up all night again. "You've misunderstood. These are all... apology gifts that President Feng specially prepared for you."
An apology gift?
Yu Jinli was stunned.
She stared at the "gifts" that the workers had carefully arranged and fell into a long silence.
It wasn't the designer handbag she had imagined, nor the sparkling jewelry, nor the vibrant roses.
It's a complete set... supposedly the latest model of military-grade biochemical gas masks imported from Germany.
A black bulletproof vest that looks very heavy and is said to be made of some special fiber that can withstand knife cuts and bullets.
There was also... a huge silver-white metal briefcase.
Assistant Wang stepped forward and introduced her in an almost tragic tone.
"This gas mask has a built-in air purification system that can filter out 99.9% of harmful substances in the air. Mr. Feng said that this way, you will never have to smell those 'unclean' smells again."
"This bulletproof vest is lightweight, comfortable, and breathable. Boss Feng said that if you wear it, even if you encounter an accident like a 'projector exploding' in the future, you will be... completely unharmed."
Yu Jinli: "..."
Finally, Assistant Wang opened the huge metal briefcase.
There was no cash or diamonds inside, only a high-end-looking laptop and rows of neatly arranged encrypted hard drives of various models.
"What is this?" Yu Jinli felt her brain was a bit overwhelmed.
“This is President Feng’s sincerity.” Assistant Wang’s tone carried a hint of tragic determination. “This computer has the same level of access privileges as President Feng. These hard drives contain all the known intelligence we currently have about the Shadow Devouring Sect, as well as all the background information on that woman named Hong Fu.”
He paused, then concluded in an almost aria-like tone:
"President Feng said that from today onwards, all his secrets will be shared with you. That... should be clean now, right?"
Looking at the pile of "apology gifts" in front of him, which exuded the aura of a hardcore straight man and were as hardcore as they could possibly be, Yu Jinli finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Once she started laughing, she couldn't stop. She laughed so hard she almost cried.
That fool.
This is the most awkward, childish, and... adorable fool in the world.
He simply doesn't understand what makes girls angry.
He simply presented her with what he considered to be the most precious and important things, in his own clumsy yet unreserved way.
His secrets, his intelligence, his... absolute trust.
As she smiled, her eyes began to sting.
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
Feng Jinxuan stood at the door, dressed in a sharp suit.
Seeing the outrageous scene in the room and the girl laughing hysterically, he wore an extremely unnatural expression, a mixture of tension and anticipation.
He cleared his throat, trying to mask his guilty conscience with his usual cold tone.
"Ahem... These are new security equipment that the company recently purchased. We're just putting them here for... a performance test."
Looking at his adorable, feignedly calm demeanor, Yu Jinli felt a corner of the high, cold wall in her heart quietly melt away.
She stopped laughing, walked forward, and stood right in front of him.
Then, to the man's astonishment, she stood on tiptoe, stretched out her arms, and wrapped them around his neck.
A gentle, feather-like kiss was placed on his cheek.
“For now,” she said, looking at his dark eyes, which were slightly widened by shock, a sly glint in them, “I forgive you.”
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