It was the kind of morning that smelled like destiny... or maybe just wet cement and cheap detergent.
Xia Yuwei adjusted the strap of her janitor's uniform, tugged her cap low, and walked through the spinning glass doors of XuanTech Group — the most untouchable tech empire in Shanghai. No one knew who the CEO was. No one saw him. But everyone feared him. Which made him the perfect target for her.
Not because she was curious. Not because she needed a job. But because she was on a mission — a secret one. One that involved uncovering the hidden CEO's identity and reporting it back to the agency.
Undercover. Disguised. Mysterious. Dangerous.
...And armed with nothing but a mop and a duster.
"Agent Xia, you're in," crackled a voice in her earpiece.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm just a cleaner now. Please hold your applause."
She didn't know what fate thought it was doing, bringing her back to Shanghai. To this city. This building. This... floor.
As the elevator opened to the 39th floor — the highest, where only executives breathed the expensive, air-purified oxygen — she stepped out confidently, pushing her cart as if she were born to wipe windows and pretend not to spy.
The hallway glittered. Marble. Gold. Tastefully expensive, as if the building was designed by someone who whispered to their wallet before bedtime.
Xia Yuwei's plan was simple: clean, observe, collect intel, and act dumb. She was good at that. But fate, as always, had a strange sense of humor.
Because just as she bent down to pick up a spray bottle — she heard a voice.
Low. Cold. Deep. Familiar.
"—no, I need that report on my desk in ten minutes, not ten years."
Oh no.
No. No. NO.
She slowly turned her head.
There he was.
Chen Yuxuan.
Perfect hair. Devil's jawline. Wearing a sleek grey suit and glasses that screamed "I bankrupt companies for fun." He was on his phone, walking past her, not noticing her at first. And that was good. That was perfect. She could vanish, ghost out, pretend she was a shadow.
But then, of course, the universe betrayed her.
Her mop slipped. It fell. It clattered.
He turned.
Their eyes met.
Five seconds. No words. Just eyes.
"…You???" she gasped.
He blinked. "…You???"
Behind him, a short man with a tablet and three lattes in his hands paused.
Yuxuan ignored him. His eyes were still on her.
Xia Yuwei's heart punched her ribs, but she put on her best fake smile.
"Wow," she said. "I see you've upgraded. Suit. Glasses. Expensive shoes. Let me guess—got married? Two kids? Or three? Let me guess, twins and a daughter?"
Yuxuan stared at her, confused. "What?"
"Don't 'what' me," she said, waving the mop like a weapon. "You look like someone's overworked husband. You've got that tax-paying dad energy now."
Zhao Lei, the assistant, covered his mouth to stop laughing.
Yuxuan frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"I work here, obviously."
"You? Here?"
"Wow," she said, rolling her eyes. "What, cleaners can't have ambition?"
"Wait, you're... actually a cleaner?"
She crossed her arms. "What do you think? I came to steal the CEO's desk chair?"
He raised a brow. "No offense, but this is just... unexpected."
Yuwei scoffed. "Everything about you is unexpected. Like how you ghosted me in college, remember that?"
The office went quiet.
Zhao Lei gasped and muttered, "Oh. This is the good kind of tea."
The other employees in the hallway whispered amongst themselves, pretending to type emails while blatantly eavesdropping.
Yuxuan sighed. "Can we not talk about that here?"
"Oh right. You're probably important now," she said, picking up her mop again. "What are you anyway? Middle management? Senior coffee sipper?"
Zhao Lei's eyebrows hit the ceiling. "He's the Head of the Financial Depart—"
"Zhao Lei," Yuxuan snapped. "Quiet."
"Ohhh," Yuwei said slowly. "You're one of those. The spreadsheet mafia."
She shook her head. "Tragic."
Then she marched past him, mop in hand, swishing like a queen in heels — if queens wore non-slip rubber shoes and carried Lysol.
"Nice seeing you," she tossed over her shoulder. "Tell your kids I said hi."
Zhao Lei whispered as she walked away, "Boss… do you have kids?"
"No."
"A wife?"
Yuxuan glared. "No."
"...Do you want one?"
"Get back to work."
But he was still staring after her.
Because he hadn't seen her in five years.
And something didn't feel right.
To be continued...