Chapter 32 She'd been a secretary for so long, yet she didn't even know such a small thing.
The light in Shangqiu Zhu's study was on until four in the morning.
When he pushed open the bedroom door, she wasn't lying properly on one side, but rather sprawled out in the middle of the bed, her arms and legs outstretched, her long, seaweed-like hair covering his pillow, and she was tightly hugging his usual down pillow.
The image of a shrewd and capable secretary that she had just presented was completely gone.
Her hair was still slightly damp, scattered on his pillow.
He sat on the edge of the bed, pulled back the covers, and ran his fingertips down the collar of his bathrobe, revealing the fabric.
Yan Shuang's skin was covered with red marks of varying shades.
All of these were left behind by him in the last two days.
The hickeys on my skin have turned light purple, and the areas where they are raised are still slightly swollen.
She groaned softly in her sleep, her legs unconsciously closing together, her brows furrowing slightly, as if she felt discomfort even in her sleep.
Shangqiu Zhu stared blankly for a while.
Then, he reached out and pinched her cheek.
"stand up."
Yan Shuang mumbled a sleepy "hmm," but instead of waking up, she rolled over, burying her face deeper into the pillow, and mumbled indistinctly, "Don't make a sound..."
Shangqiu Zhu narrowed his eyes, put his arm under her knees and back, picked her up, adjusted her position, and put her on the right side of the bed.
After doing all this, he didn't even look at her. He lifted the other side of the blanket, lay down, and reached out to turn off the bedside lamp with a "snap".
The next morning, when Shangqiu Zhu walked out of the gym, Yan Shuang was already sitting there.
She changed back into her standard business attire: a white silk blouse and a pencil skirt.
There were two cups of coffee on the table: one was black coffee, his usual choice, without sugar or milk; the other was a latte with milk foam, and next to it was a small dish of honey, her own choice.
The breakfast was simple yet beautifully presented, clearly not something to be rushed.
Shangqiu Zhu pulled out a chair, sat down, and took a sip of coffee.
The temperature was just right, and the bitterness was intense, exactly the same as what he usually drank.
His gaze swept over her indifferently.
Yan Shuang was cutting the avocado on her plate with her head down, her eyelashes drooping and her expression calm.
Now she has returned to being the precise and impeccable secretary.
Shangqiu Zhu was not surprised by this.
They ate their breakfast in silence.
The morning light was just beginning to break through the window; the city's hustle and bustle had not yet fully awakened.
They got into the car, one on each side, the doors closed, and the engine started.
As the car entered the company area, Yan Shuang glanced out the window; there was still some distance to the main entrance.
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "How about... I get off here?"
Shang Qiuzhu's gaze remained fixed on the documents in her hands. Her slender fingers turned a page of a report, the numbers on which were far more important than her request to get off the bus.
Yan Shuang looked at his completely indifferent expression, pursed her lips, and thought to herself, whatever, she was just mentioning it, whether he listened or not was up to him.
Since he doesn't care, why should she be presumptuous?
If someone does see you, you can just say you hitched a ride.
As the car drove into the underground parking garage, Yan Shuang realized that Shang Qiuzhu's car was not parked in the regular employee area at all, but instead turned directly into the president's private garage at the very back.
The surroundings were empty and quiet; even the sound of footsteps echoed.
She was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.
That's right, how could someone like Shangqiu Zhu possibly share a parking area with ordinary employees?
The elevator is also private, going directly to the top floor CEO's office, and no one will see them together throughout the entire process.
Yan Shuang suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
She was only familiar with Shang Qiuzhu in the office, her boss who was picky about document formats and meticulous about data.
As for his private schedule, habits, and even where he parked his car... she had never been involved in these three years.
The elevator doors slowly closed, and the mirror reflected the two figures.
Shang Qiuzhu was impeccably dressed in a suit, his expression indifferent, while she stood behind him, her professional attire impeccable.
At this moment, there is nothing between them except work.
The elevator doors slowly opened, and Shangqiu Zhu stepped out first.
Yan Shuang lagged two steps behind, maintaining a perfect distance between secretary and boss.
Just then, her phone suddenly vibrated.
Yan Shuang was taken aback and looked down at the screen: Mom.
She stared at the caller ID for ten seconds before finally swiping to answer.
"Shuangshuang?" Zhou Yaqin's voice came through the receiver, "Are you at work yet?"
"Mm," Yan Shuang responded calmly.
"The weather has turned cooler recently, so I made you some pear and lily soup. I'll have the driver deliver it tonight; it's good for your lungs..." Zhou Yaqin said in a rambling tone, her voice filled with a cautious attempt to please.
Ever since she moved out of the Yan family home, Zhou Yaqin has been delivering soup to her apartment every few days: cordyceps flower stewed chicken soup, lotus root and pork rib soup, fish maw and black chicken soup... She always leaves it at the door when she's not home.
"No need," Yan Shuang interrupted her. "Just say what you need to say."
In the distance, Shangqiu Zhu's figure was almost disappearing at the end of the corridor.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
“It’s like this…” Zhou Yaqin’s voice softened even more, “Your father’s old friend, President Lin’s son, just returned from England, and we’re currently collaborating with the Lin family on a new project…”
Yan Shuang's fingers suddenly tightened.
here we go again.
"Mom," she said coldly, "hasn't what I've done for the Yan family been enough?"
“No!” Zhou Yaqin hurriedly explained, “This time is different. Your parents won’t force you. It’s just a meeting. If you don’t like it, we absolutely won’t force you. This time is really different. It’s not like that spoiled brat Zhao Mingyuan from last time. Your father personally investigated and said this child is mature and steady, an artistic genius from the Royal Academy of Arts…”
Yan Shuang took a deep breath and lowered her voice: "Time, place."
Zhou Yaqin seemed surprised that she would agree, and after a second of hesitation, she happily said, "Next Saturday, Mom will pick you up..."
Yan Shuang interrupted her, "Ms. Zhou, this is the last time."
She hung up the phone immediately after saying that.
Just then, her phone screen lit up again, and a new message popped up. The sender was none other than Zhou Yaqin.
Yan Shuang frowned, not wanting to look, but her gaze still swept over the preview:
[Shuangshuang, I didn't finish what I was saying earlier. Don't forget you've made plans with the Shang family tonight to go to their newly opened horse farm.]
The following content has been collapsed.
"Yan Shuang!" Yang Xuanyun saw her. "Why didn't you come yesterday? Everyone was worried about you."
Yan Shuang's fingertips tightened slightly, but a perfectly timed smile appeared on her face: "Ah, I had a slight fever and stayed home all day."
"Oh dear, the flu is really bad lately!" Yang Xuanyun immediately leaned over and touched her forehead with the back of her hand. "Has your fever gone down? You still don't look too good."
"I'm alright now, thank you Xuan Yun."
Before she could finish speaking, Qiu Yutong had already come over with a cup of coffee and casually placed a box of throat lozenges on her table: "I heard you're sick? These are good for your throat. You have a lot of projects going on lately, so you can't afford to fall ill."
"Thank you, Yutong..."
Her colleagues gathered around her, some pouring her warm water, some giving her snacks, and others reminding her that the company's air conditioning had been too cold lately and that she should wear an extra jacket.
My colleague's concern was incredibly sincere.
Yan Shuang held the warm water cup in her hands. The care she received in exchange for a lie was a hundred times warmer than her mother's phone call.
She took a deep breath and tried to compose her expression.
The workload accumulated yesterday still needed to be dealt with urgently. Yan Shuang quickly flipped through the meeting minutes in the system, her fingertips tapping on the keyboard at an increasingly rapid pace.
The screen prominently displayed the title of yesterday afternoon's meeting: "Launch Meeting for Investment Plan of Core Plot in Nancheng Bay Area".
Her fingers paused.
This is the group's most important real estate investment project this year, involving billions of yuan in capital operations. She had already compiled relevant information half a month ago and even stayed up all night to do a market analysis report.
With a background in finance, she had a natural passion for such large-scale capital operation projects and originally planned to offer her suggestions at the meeting…
But yesterday, she actually slept all day at Zhujia's house in Shangqiu and completely missed the meeting.
Yan Shuang bit her lower lip and quickly opened the meeting minutes, browsing through the decision-making content.
As expected, the final plan adopted the conservative investment structure proposed by the risk control department, while the leverage optimization plan she suggested in the preliminary report was not even discussed.
"If I were here..." she murmured unconsciously.
An email notification suddenly popped up in the lower right corner of my computer screen; it was a follow-up task assignment sheet from the project team.
Her name lay alone in the "Basic Data Compilation" column, while the list of the core analysis team prominently featured the names of several senior managers from the risk control department.
Yan Shuang slammed her laptop shut, her eyes blazing with resentment.
She took three deep breaths and finally mustered the courage to knock on Shang Qiuzhu's office door.
"Come in." Shangqiu Zhu's deep voice came through the crack in the door.
Yan Shuang pushed open the door and saw Shang Qiuzhu standing in front of the French windows, making a phone call with his back to her.
"That's it, do as I say." He hung up the phone, turned around, and glanced indifferently at Yan Shuang. "Is there something else?"
Yan Shuang's palms were slightly sweaty as she gripped the folder in her hand. "President Shang, I saw that the launch meeting for the Nancheng Bay Area project was held yesterday."
Shangqiu Zhu walked back to her desk and sat down. "Hmm."
“I…” Yan Shuang mustered her courage, “I have a background in finance and am very interested in this project. I hope to be able to participate.”
Shangqiu Zhu's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before shifting away. "The project team members have been finalized."
“But I can assist with data analysis or risk assessment. I studied financing models for large-scale infrastructure projects when I was in school…” Yan Shuang took a step forward eagerly.
Shangqiu Zhu interrupted her, her tone calm to the point of indifference, "Is there anything else?"
“Yesterday…” her voice trailed off, “if it weren’t for…being at your house…I could have attended that meeting.”
Yan Shuang's cheeks were burning.
She knew she must look very disheveled right now.
A secretary who missed an important meeting due to personal reasons, now comes back asking for another chance.
But she had no other choice.
Shangqiu Zhu raised an eyebrow, a cold smile curving her lips. "So?"
“So…” Yan Shuang took a deep breath, “I think I deserve a compensatory opportunity to participate.”
Shang Qiuzhu sneered, "Secretary Yan, do you need me to teach you how to negotiate? With your current performance, there's absolutely no point in talking."
Bargaining chips... Was he implying something?
A surge of do-or-die courage, mixed with days of pent-up grievances and an inexplicable impulse, suddenly rushed to his head.
She gave herself almost no time to hesitate.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she walked around the cold desk to his side.
Shangqiu Zhu seemed somewhat surprised by her sudden approach, her eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly.
Yan Shuang took a deep breath, leaned down, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips to his.
It feels slightly cool to the touch.
With the awkward trembling of a young girl and the courage of a desperate gamble.
Her kiss was haphazard, she just awkwardly pressed her lips against his, her eyelashes fluttering nervously.
Shangqiu Zhu frowned, immediately realizing that she had misunderstood her meaning.
He was about to push her away and teach her a lesson for using this method to gain career opportunities.
However, this idea only lasted for a very brief moment.
Just as Yan Shuang realized how foolish her misunderstanding might be and tried to retreat in panic, a large hand firmly gripped the back of her head, preventing her escape.
With his other hand, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and with a little force, he easily pulled her off balance, causing her to fall onto his firm thighs.
"Ugh..." All her exclamations were swallowed back.
Shangqiu Zhu took the initiative, deepening the kiss that had begun with her.
Unlike her tentative and trembling touch just now, his kiss was strong and aggressive, with an undeniable control, prying open her teeth and taking her deep inside.
The air instantly became hot and viscous.
Yan Shuang's mind went blank, and she completely lost the ability to think.
Her senses were completely overwhelmed by his presence.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but just when she felt like she was about to suffocate, Shangqiu Zhu stepped back a little.
He looked at her hazy eyes and her swollen, red lips.
“Yan Shuang,” he began, his tone ambiguous, “I was referring to business negotiation skills.”
Yan Shuang's eyes widened suddenly. Instantly, a wave of immense shame and embarrassment overwhelmed her, and her entire face and neck turned so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
She...she actually...
She frantically tried to get off his lap, but his arms, wrapped tightly around her waist, held her firmly in place.
Shangqiu Zhu looked at her utterly ashamed appearance, a very faint ripple passing through the depths of his eyes.
He didn't let go of her. Instead, in this extremely intimate position, he grabbed Yan Shuang's slender waist, lifted her up, pressed her against the desk, and kissed her again.
The documents scattered on the ground with a clatter, but no one paid any attention to them.
"President Shang..." Yan Shuang called out indistinctly between breaths, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glistening with tears.
The temperature in the office seemed to rise suddenly. She could hear their intertwined breathing and the rustling of their clothes, and she was so embarrassed that her earlobes almost bled.
At that very moment, clear footsteps and the laughter of colleagues could be heard outside, approaching from afar.
Yan Shuang jerked away from Shang Qiuzhu's embrace as if she had been electrocuted, frantically straightening her shirt and skirt.
The office air conditioning was very strong, but she still felt short of breath.
Shangqiu Zhu slowly straightened her wrinkled tie, his gaze lingering on her flushed face.
"I...I'm going out now!" she said in a low voice, her eyes fixed on the doorway in fear.
Yan Shuang rushed out of the office a second before the knock on the door, almost bumping into her finance department colleague who came to deliver documents.
"Secretary Yan? Your face is so red, are you feeling unwell?" a colleague asked with concern.
"N-nothing, it's probably just that the air conditioning was too hot." Yan Shuang forced a smile and walked quickly toward the bathroom without looking back.
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