{Chapter: 329 Gamble!}
Lin Yuan was, quite clearly, a very stubborn man.
And as far as Yan Ruyue was concerned, she had long since fallen for him. At this point, she had no intention of letting him go—ever.
After a brief internal struggle, she came to a decision. Their relationship would become public eventually. Trying to hide it now was like holding back the tide with her bare hands.
So, she took a breath and said plainly, "Xiaoyun, come in."
There was a pause, and then the office door creaked open. Xiaoyun entered with practiced professionalism, but the moment her eyes landed on the scene before her, her steps faltered slightly.
Lin Yuan and Yan Ruyue were sitting close—far too close—on the same office chair. It was a large and plush leather seat, but not made to hold two adults at once. Lin Yuan had one arm casually draped around Yan Ruyue's shoulders. She, in turn, was slightly leaning into him, her face tinged with a light pink blush. The image was far too intimate for an office setting.
Xiaoyun instinctively looked away, her cheeks warming. Her first thought was to turn around and leave to give them privacy. But she remembered that it was President Yan herself who had called her in—so whatever this was, it had to be important.
Head slightly bowed, she avoided looking directly at the pair.
She wasn't sure what President Yan intended by allowing her to witness such an unusually soft and vulnerable moment. After all, Yan Ruyue had always been known throughout the company as the elegant, untouchable ice queen. Cold, composed, and always in control.
Yet here she was, nestled beside a man, her expression uncharacteristically shy.
Still, Xiaoyun could understand it. The man beside her boss—Lin Yuan—was almost absurdly attractive. His looks alone were enough to make any woman's heart skip a beat. But what stood out even more was the way he carried himself. His presence exuded effortless charm and quiet authority.
Even though this was clearly Yan Ruyue's office, it somehow felt like Lin Yuan was the one in command. His aura didn't just stand out—it reshaped the space around him.
Yan Ruyue noticed Xiaoyun's thoughtful silence and the way she respectfully lowered her gaze. She felt a sense of relief. At least her secretary was smart enough to know when to stay quiet.
Still, the heat radiating from Lin Yuan's body, so close to her own, made her feel a strange flutter inside—half discomfort, half delight.
Putting those feelings aside, Yan Ruyue cleared her throat and got to the matter at hand.
"You mentioned earlier that certain shareholders have been pressuring me to step down, even threatening to dump their shares at bargain prices if I don't leave management," she began, her tone regaining its usual chill. "I want you to move forward with overseeing the repurchase of all those shares. In fact, encourage those who don't want to sell, increase the price if they are too stubborn. Don't miss a single one."
Xiaoyun blinked, stunned.
She couldn't help but ask internally: What is going on?
It was true that Yan Ruyue still held a significant number of shares in the company, and their value hadn't yet plummeted—but things weren't exactly stable either. If the current problems weren't addressed soon, the company's market value would inevitably decline. And yet, President Yan wanted to reclaim the shares?
This went completely against what Xiaoyun had expected.
Seeing her hesitation, Yan Ruyue's voice cooled even further. "Did you not hear what I said clearly?"
"I-I did!" Xiaoyun responded quickly, snapping out of her daze. "Yes, President Yan. I understand!"
She strode forward and took the stack of prepared files from Yan Ruyue's desk. Technically, she was only a secretary—her job was to communicate and implement Yan Ruyue's orders, not question them. Still, this particular instruction left her utterly baffled.
As Xiaoyun accepted the documents, she couldn't help but glance up again, this time unconsciously. At this close distance, she could see them more clearly than ever.
Her original intention was to gauge her boss's expression, curious about what sort of woman the cold and capable Yan Ruyue turned into when she was close to a man like Lin Yuan.
But instead, her eyes were drawn straight to Lin Yuan.
From afar, some people looked more beautiful because distance hid their imperfections. But even from a few feet away, Lin Yuan was flawless. His features were sharp and symmetrical, his skin smooth, his demeanor calm and magnetic. His sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes made him look more like a character from a high-budget drama than a real man.
Xiaoyun quickly realized she had been staring and instinctively dropped her gaze again. She could feel Yan Ruyue's eyes on her, and the last thing she wanted was to seem too curious about the man now clearly favored by the president.
Holding the documents firmly, Xiaoyun exited the office.
Outside, as she briskly walked down the hallway, her mind was buzzing with possibilities.
How would one go about reclaiming those shares under these circumstances?
There were a few options.
One, Yan Ruyue could be betting that certain shareholders had lost patience and were eager to cut their losses—dumping their stocks for quick liquidity. But if that were true, they would likely sell their shares gradually, to avoid crashing the value.
No, something else had changed.
There had to be a bigger plan brewing—one that Xiaoyun had yet to see.
She glanced at the documents in her arms.
For now, her job was simple: carry out President Yan's orders without question. But she couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of a much larger game being played behind the scenes.
While walking back to her desk, countless thoughts whirled through Xiaoyun's mind like a storm.
Could it be that President Yan wanted to gain full control of the company by buying back all the shares, even at the cost of losing money with twice the value of shares?
That seemed highly unlikely. Yan Ruyue had always been known for her calculated decisions and rational mindset. She wasn't someone who made impulsive or emotional business moves.
So what was the other possibility?
Perhaps... perhaps Yan Ruyue anticipated that the company's stock value wouldn't fall after all. Maybe it would even rise. But how could that be possible when the company was already in such a precarious situation?
As someone who worked closely with Yan Ruyue as her personal secretary, Xiaoyun was privy to her moods and condition. She knew that her boss had been under immense pressure recently. Just that morning, Yan Ruyue had complained about a throbbing headache from the endless corporate troubles she was facing.
So how had she suddenly found a solution?
Could it be… Lin Yuan?
That seemed even more implausible. Lin Yuan was certainly striking—his good looks and strong aura could make any woman's heart flutter—but helping President Yan develop a business strategy? That didn't seem likely.
Xiaoyun simply couldn't wrap her head around it.
But in the end, she reminded herself of her role. She was just a secretary—an executor of orders, not a strategist. Her job wasn't to question or speculate. She simply needed to do as President Yan commanded.
Without any delay, she commenced her work. She began by initiating the process to delist the unsold shares from the market, then proceeded to repurchase the shares held by external shareholders, following the given instructions with the corporation, her team and the Finance Department and other departments.
---
Inside the office, now finally alone with Lin Yuan, Yan Ruyue let out a breath of relief as the door closed behind Xiaoyun.
Even though she had given herself to Lin Yuan emotionally and was undeniably in a submissive position in their private dynamic, she still didn't want too many people seeing her like this—especially not her subordinates. It was entirely out of character for her to appear so intimately close to anyone, let alone a man.
As long as only Xiaoyun saw it, it was acceptable.
Xiaoyun was a quiet and loyal woman—not the type to gossip. Yan Ruyue trusted her discretion.
Once the room had returned to silence, Yan Ruyue turned to Lin Yuan and reported softly, "I already instructed Xiaoyun to begin the repurchase of the shares. The company is on the brink of a major crisis, and I believe many shareholders will want to sell and exit quickly. And for those who didn't want it, we will buy it back at a premium. Acquiring those shares shouldn't be an issue."
Lin Yuan gave a faint nod. "Good."
He agreed with her judgment. Since the news of the internal crisis hadn't yet spread to the public, most shareholders would still want to minimize potential losses by selling now, while the stock value was still relatively high.
This window of opportunity was crucial—and they had taken the first step.
Yan Ruyue, however, looked toward him anxiously. "Then… can we start discussing the solutions to the other two problems now?"
Although she had placed her trust entirely in Lin Yuan, her anxiety hadn't fully disappeared. This move—buying back the company shares—was a huge gamble.
If Lin Yuan's plans failed, she would suffer massive financial losses and the company could collapse entirely.
Sensing the tension in her voice and posture, Lin Yuan stood up from the chair.
He gently lowered the backrest of her office seat and walked behind her.
"Relax," he said warmly. "Take it easy. Stressing out like this isn't good for your body. Let me give you a quick massage before we talk business."
Without waiting for her reply, he placed his hands on her shoulders and began to knead gently.
Yan Ruyue's body stiffened at first, but then began to ease up as the warmth of his hands spread through her.
She had been under constant pressure recently—physically and mentally drained. Sleep-deprived, fatigued, and constantly thinking about corporate strategies and boardroom wars. She had no time to even think of her own well-being.
Lin Yuan's touch was calm, confident, and purposeful. She remembered how he had once helped her mother, Song Xuan, with therapeutic massages as part of her treatment. After each session, her mother would always look refreshed, like a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She'd said her body felt light and her energy returned.
Not only that—her skin had even looked brighter, more youthful, as if the stress had been peeled away.
That memory had lingered in Yan Ruyue's mind, sparking a quiet hope.
Now, as she felt his hands press into her muscles, working on her tense shoulders with precision, that same hope began to blossom into something more.
"T-Thank you," she murmured, her voice unsteady but sincere.
The warmth of Lin Yuan's hands spread through her, gradually washing away the cold fear that had gripped her heart for days.
Lin Yuan's massage technique was different from the typical ones she had experienced at spas. His fingers found specific points—acupressure spots that immediately loosened her stiff muscles and soothed her nerves.
The tension melted away from her face, her breath slowed, and for the first time in days, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel something close to peace.
Then it happened.
A soft, involuntary sound escaped her lips.
"Mmm… Aaah…"
It was a gentle, melodic sigh—smooth and unintentionally seductive, a sound that could make even the coldest heart skip a beat.
It wasn't something she intended to let out.
Her voice carried a softness that could make bones shiver and hearts tremble.
Hearing her own voice like that, her cheeks flushed immediately.
She bit her lip, almost embarrassed by how easily her defenses were melting away under Lin Yuan's skilled hands.
But she didn't stop him.