Chapter 14 How Did He Get Here?
Ruan Yao fastened her seatbelt, turned her face to the side, and her long, curled eyelashes drooped down, casting a small shadow on her eyelids.
“I’m not angry with Brother Shen Yu,” she said softly, with a hint of seriousness about her new job. “I just started working here and I want to do my best. I probably won’t have time to go to the amusement park this weekend. I need to get familiar with the job quickly so I don’t let my colleagues down.”
The smile on Shen Yu's face faded for a moment, then returned to its usual gentle expression.
"It was my oversight. You should prepare well for your first job."
As Ruan Yao watched the street scene rushing past the window, she wondered how to steer the conversation toward what she wanted to say.
She glanced at him casually and noticed that Shen Yu had faint dark circles under his eyes, and his gentle smile couldn't hide a trace of fatigue.
She asked, feigning concern, "Have you been very tired lately? You don't look like you've been getting enough rest."
Shen Yu's fingers twitched as he gripped the steering wheel.
"That's true. Several of our company's projects have been under intense scrutiny lately."
He brushed it off lightly, seemingly not wanting her to worry, "I don't know what happened, but the Huo family suddenly expanded their business and ran into the Shen family, taking away a lot of resources."
He quickly steered the conversation back to her, his gaze returning to her.
"But these are all minor matters, far less important than you. Your first job must go smoothly."
The Huo family?
Ruan Yao was somewhat puzzled.
In his previous life, Huo Yanzhi's Huo Group had almost no overlap in business scope with the Shen family, so how did they end up clashing?
But the thought only flashed through her mind; she didn't dwell on it and simply continued talking along with him.
“Actually…” Ruan Yao lowered her head, her fair fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt, her voice barely audible, “I haven’t been getting enough rest lately either.”
A faint blush rose to her cheeks, as if she had mustered up tremendous courage.
"On one hand, it's for the interview, and on the other hand..." She paused, her voice lower than before, tinged with a girlish shyness, "I... have someone I like."
Ruan Yao seemed completely oblivious to his odd behavior and continued talking to herself, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"My brother is really something. When I told him about it a few days ago, he thought the person I liked was you."
She looked up at Shen Yu, her doe-like eyes clear and frank. "Shen Yu and I grew up together. I've always treated you like my own brother. I don't know why he would think that way."
The words "brother" acted like an invisible wall, instantly severing the thin veil of ambiguity between the two.
Shen Yu felt as if his heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it difficult to even breathe.
Ruan Yao's social circle was all within his sight. She had hardly ever been around any men since she was a child. Who could she possibly like?
His fingers tightened unconsciously around the steering wheel.
"Really?" His voice sounded no different than usual. "Then congratulations! Who have you fallen for?"
"It's a secret." Ruan Yao's expression was charmingly innocent, and with her excessively beautiful face, it was impossible to blame her in the slightest.
"I'll let you know when we make progress."
No progress has been made.
Shen Yu's tense shoulders seemed to relax a little.
He was silent for a few seconds, and when he spoke again, his tone had completely switched to that of a worried older brother.
"Society is very restless now, and people's hearts are hard to fathom."
He gently advised, "Many boys these days are very good at pretending. You need to keep your eyes open and not be easily fooled."
“I know,” Ruan Yao nodded obediently, looking every bit the dutiful little sister. “I will keep my eyes open.”
The car came to a stop downstairs at the Lexingdao Company building.
Ruan Yao unbuckled her seatbelt and politely said goodbye, "Brother Shen Yu, thank you for seeing me off. I'll go in now."
Shen Yu smiled gently, "I'll pick you up from get off work tonight and take you to your favorite private restaurant as a celebration for your new job."
Ruan Yao paused as she opened the car door, her voice tinged with apology, "No need, I've already told my brother he'll pick me up, and we'll celebrate with Mom and Dad when we get home tonight."
Shen Yu looked at her and didn't insist any further.
He just smiled, reached out, and ruffled her hair as he had done countless times before.
Their actions were intimate and doting.
But this time, as he withdrew his hand, his fingertips, seemingly unintentionally, lightly brushed against Ruan Yao's delicate earlobe.
Ruan Yao's body tensed up in that instant, and a chill ran up her back from her tailbone.
She suppressed her fear, maintained a calm expression, and got out of the car.
"Brother Shenyu, I'm going in first. Drive carefully on the way."
She closed the car door, didn't look back, and walked straight towards the office building entrance.
Inside the car, Shen Yu's gentle smile gradually turned cold as the figure disappeared behind the revolving door.
He stared at the building entrance for a long time before looking away.
The soft touch of her earlobe still lingered on his fingertips. He gently rubbed it, a deep darkness settling in his eyes.
After only a few days apart, the girl he cherished had been bewitched by someone else; no wonder she wouldn't even accept his flowers anymore.
Who exactly is the man Yaoyao has fallen for?
*
Happy Star Island, top floor director's office.
Huo Jing leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, watching the man opposite her with a leisurely air. "It's quite rare for President Huo to personally deliver documents to me."
Beside Huo Yanzhi, a man in a floral shirt immediately chimed in, grinning with ill intent.
"That's right, Auntie. You don't know, we've already driven 800 miles, but Yanzhi insisted that the driver turn around and come over to pick up the documents himself."
Gu Huai leaned closer and winked at Huo Jing, "Look how good and considerate your nephew is."
Huo Yanzhi ignored Gu Huai's teasing. He glanced at the time on his watch, his gaze casually sweeping out the window, and asked a question as if by accident.
What time does your company start work?
Huo Jing was a little surprised by the question, but she still answered, "Ten o'clock. Ten minutes left."
Huo Yanzhi hummed in agreement and said nothing more.
His assistant, Qin Feng, glanced at the schedule behind him and whispered a reminder.
"Mr. Huo, you have a multinational video conference at the group at 10:30, we should go now."
Huo Yanzhi seemed completely oblivious to Gu Huai's teasing, and said to Qin Feng in a calm tone, "No rush, have a cup of coffee first. Take out the report we need for the meeting later, I'll take another look at it."
Qin Feng hesitated for a moment, but immediately agreed and took out the documents from his briefcase and handed them over.
Gu Huai saw that Huo Yanzhi had actually sat down on the sofa and was slowly flipping through the documents, but he couldn't understand them at all.
"Don't you dislike Americano? The beans here from your aunt are more fragrant?" He leaned closer, looking inquisitive.
Huo Yanzhi didn't even lift his eyelids.
Feeling awkward, Gu Huai pouted and turned to go to the tea room outside, saying, "I'll go make myself a cup and try it."
The office door had barely been closed when there was another knock.
"Please come in," Huo Jing said.
The door was pushed open, and Ruan Yao walked in carrying an onboarding document.
"Director Huo, I'm here to report for duty..."
Her words stopped abruptly when she saw the man sitting on the sofa.
Huo Yanzhi.
How did he end up here?
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