Chapter 3: Qiao Xi, You’re Doing Quite Well

Fu Yancheng: ...

Qiao Xi: ??

Qiao Xi recoiled like a startled bird, springing away at once.

"...President Fu, I... I'm sorry."

She was mortified, apologizing quickly, her toes curling with embarrassment.

At that moment, a group of colleagues, chatting and laughing with their coffees, poured into the elevator lobby. But when they saw the two of them inside, all conversation ceased abruptly.

"Good morning, President Fu!"

One respectful greeting after another rang out.

Everyone filed in cautiously, and the already cramped elevator instantly became crowded.

Fu Yancheng stood tall and straight, his long legs commanding the space. For once, when greeted, he inclined his head in rare acknowledgment. Even those cold, frosted eyes seemed gentler than usual, and the corners of his lips lifted in the faintest smile.

This subtle gesture, falling into the eyes of colleagues who had been sneaking glances at them, was as shocking as seeing a ghost.

The elevator descended.

Suddenly, a male colleague squeezed toward Qiao Xi, causing her to stumble. In that instant, a large hand reached out again, startling her.

With practiced ease, Fu Yancheng drew her from the edge of the crowd to stand slightly behind and beside him, using his own body to shield her from the press.

The distance between them vanished.

No one jostled her again.

Qiao Xi pressed herself rigidly against the elevator wall, her nose filled with the crisp scent of cedar from his clothes. Her whole body tensed, and her face burned as if painted with rouge.

At the soft chime of the elevator reaching the first floor, her colleagues exited respectfully.

As soon as the doors opened, Qiao Xi shot out as if fleeing for her life.

Fu Yancheng watched her dart away like a startled fawn, the hint of a smile at his lips slowly fading. He stroked his chin, a glimmer of amusement flickering in the depths of his dark eyes.

In the laboratory—

"Hey, Qiao!"

Lin Moran, the most gossip-loving member of their group, sidled up with a mischievous glint.

She lowered her voice, grinning wickedly. "Come on, spill it! You vanished halfway through the celebration last night... Did your handsome Mr. Gu drag you off for some, ah, 'overtime'?"

Her eyes sparkled with teasing as she glanced meaningfully at the faint shadows under Qiao Xi's eyes.

"Tsk tsk, look at you—worn out, huh? Was it a three-hundred-round battle last night? Didn't sleep at all?"

Qiao Xi's cheeks flamed, her blush reaching the tips of her ears. "Stop talking nonsense."

Lin Moran just chuckled and nudged another colleague who was pouring herself some water.

"Hey, Fang, did you notice President Fu seemed to have a halo over his head today? He even smiled at Old Wang from Data in the elevator—Wang nearly ascended to heaven on the spot!"

"More than just a smile!" Fang set her cup down, eager to join in. "Old Ma from Tech was ten minutes late with his report, and President Fu didn't scold him once. The sun must have risen in the west! Assistant Zhou was practically floating down the hallway just now—seems the boss is in a springtime mood today!"

"Exactly!" Lin Moran slapped her thigh. "Do you think President Fu is..."

She paused, eyes darting back to Qiao Xi, who was frozen in place, and leaned in with a sly grin.

"Ahem, Qiao, look at President Fu shining like the sun, then look at you—so depleted, no, overworked. So, did you and the boss have a synchronized 'experience'?"

"Synchronized my foot! Shut up and get to work!"

Qiao Xi's scalp prickled, her mind a whirl of silent complaints—

He's in a good mood because of overindulgence? And I'm worn out for the same reason?

What kind of twisted logic is this!

Unable to bear it, she snatched up a thick report and slapped it onto Lin Moran's desk, forcing her to back off half a step. Through gritted teeth she said, "...Look. At. The. Data!"

Back at her workstation, her head was in chaos.

She wasn't even sure if Fu Yancheng had taken proper precautions.

After a moment's hesitation, she slipped downstairs to the pharmacy to buy emergency contraception, just in case.

Assistant Xiao Liu came toward her with some documents, greeting her as energetically as ever. "Morning, Engineer Qiao! Did you party hard at the celebration last night? You look a bit pale today!"

Qiao Xi's heart skipped, and she forced an awkward smile. "Yeah, didn't sleep too well."

She didn't dare meet Xiao Liu's eyes.

She felt like her luck had truly run out.

In one night, she’d lost her innocence and incurred a debt of 1.28 million.

And that damned, flimsy shirt...

Not to mention, her creditor was none other than her direct superior, Fu Yancheng!

What a terrible loss!

When lunch break finally arrived, she slipped away to a crowded corner of the staff cafeteria.

After eating, she fetched herself a glass of water and quickly pulled out a white packet of pills from her pocket.

She'd bought it downstairs earlier—better safe than sorry.

She swiftly broke off a tablet and popped it into her mouth, grabbing her cup and gulping down several mouthfuls of water.

She tried to swallow down the bitter pill along with the even more bitter taste of humiliation churning inside her.

Just as the tablet lodged in her throat, and she tilted her head back to drink, a deep, cold voice sounded unexpectedly above her.

"Engineer Qiao, you seem to have quite the appetite. What are you taking?"

"Phfft—cough, cough!"

Startled out of her wits, Qiao Xi choked on the water, coughing violently until her face turned crimson.

Her cup slipped from her grasp, clattering into the tray and splashing water across the tablecloth.

She looked up in terror, her heart nearly stopping.

Fu Yancheng was standing at her table, fixing her with a deep, intense gaze, watching her in her moment of disarray.

He immediately picked up the water and held it to her lips.

She took it from him, swallowing hard and forcing down the pill.

His eyes swept over the table, catching sight of the words "emergency contraception" on the packet. His gaze sharpened.

His flawless face betrayed nothing, but his eyes, fathomless as an ancient pool, darkened with a stormy, chilling rage.

The air seemed to freeze, the surrounding noise fading away.

Steadying herself, Qiao Xi managed to speak.

"A pill."

Afraid he might not understand, she clarified, deliberately piercing the thin, fragile boundary between them.

"President Fu, don’t worry. I’ve taken care of it. There won’t be any consequences."

She was determined to keep things clear between them.

With a family as wealthy as the Fus, there were plenty of women eager to bear his children—she had no interest in joining their ranks.

"Good."

Fu Yancheng's jaw tightened, his eyes nearly ferocious in their darkness.

He was furious, wounded, his expression thunderous and terrifying.

"Qiao Xi, very good," he said coldly. Without another glance, as though even a second more in her presence was intolerable, he turned and strode away.

Why did she feel like something was off? Had she accidentally stepped on his tail?