It was mid-morning at Xuantech Group, and the air inside the Financial Department was buzzing—mostly from idle gossip and the sound of fingers fake-typing to look busy.
In the middle of this fake productivity, Lu Haoran stood by the tall glass divider near the printers, flipping through a random financial report. But his eyes? Firmly on Xia Yuwei, who was cleaning the edges of the divider, spray bottle in hand.
Their eyes met.
She glanced away.
Then glanced back.
"Agent Xia," he whispered just low enough that no one else could hear.
Her spine straightened. She was still wiping the glass, but her ears were fully tuned in.
"Agent 017," she muttered back under her breath, pretending to scrub a non-existent stain. "Keep it down."
"I'm keeping an eye on you," Haoran said with a faint smile, his lips barely moving. " Why HQ sent me? because your emotions are getting tangled."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I'm not tangled. I'm... moderately looped."
Haoran chuckled softly. "Looped, huh?"
"You're too close," she hissed.
"I'm supposed to be close. Support, remember?"
---
From behind his frosted glass office, Chen Yuxuan watched. Like a hawk. A very professionally dressed hawk.
His eyes zeroed in on them.
Haoran leaning slightly forward.
Yuwei not stepping back.
Their faces... uncomfortably near.
What the hell are they whispering about?
Why is she smiling like that?
Why does that bastard look so smug?
He gritted his teeth. His hand gripped his pen tightly.
Then he realized.
"Zhao," he called.
Zhao Lei peeked in. "Yes, sir?"
"Why the hell is he standing so close to her?"
Zhao squinted through the frosted glass. "Looks... cozy."
"Too cozy."
"Sir, should I... accidentally pull the fire alarm?"
Yuxuan waved him off. "No."
Pause.
"Maybe."
---
Meanwhile, on the floor, Tang Ruo and Qin Suyin had noticed the scene too.
Tang Ruo poked Suyin's arm. "Look, look! The new analyst is chatting with the janitor girl again."
Suyin's lips twitched in irritation. She already had a problem with Yuwei. Now this?
"Why would he even talk to her? She's just... cleaning."
Tang Ruo shrugged. "Maybe he likes... cleanliness?"
Suyin's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe she's just... pretending to be a cleaner."
Tang Ruo gasped, as usual. "Are you saying... she's secretly rich?"
Suyin scoffed. "No. Worse. She's probably a gold digger. Acting lowkey to catch a rich man."
---
Back to Haoran and Yuwei.
"I need updates," Haoran murmured. "Any suspicious activity around the upper floors?"
Yuwei kept scrubbing. "Nothing yet. But... the Financial Head is weird."
Haoran's brow lifted. "Weird how?"
She stopped scrubbing and stared at the reflection of Haoran in the glass.
"He... stares sometimes. But then acts like I don't exist."
Haoran chuckled. "Maybe he likes you."
She shook her head. "Impossible. He's married. Three kids."
Haoran's smile faded briefly. He wanted to tell her, 'He's not married, you idiot.' But... he didn't. Not yet.
He tilted his head, voice teasing, "What if he's secretly divorced?"
Yuwei laughed lightly. "What are you, his lawyer?"
Haoran grinned.
But from the glass office, Yuxuan's eyes burned holes through the both of them.
He slammed his pen down.
"Sir?" Zhao peeked in.
Yuxuan stood up abruptly. "I'm going out there."
Zhao's eyes widened. "Sir, calm down. We're a professional—sir? SIR?!"
But Yuxuan had already stormed out of his office.
---
Back on the floor, Yuwei and Haoran were still whispering when a deep voice cut through.
"Working hard, I see."
They both turned.
Chen Yuxuan. Right behind them. Hands in pockets. Eyes icy.
Yuwei straightened up, clutching her spray bottle.
Haoran smiled politely. "Just making friendly conversation."
Yuxuan's gaze didn't leave Yuwei. "You get paid to clean, not socialize."
Yuwei flushed but said nothing.
Haoran chuckled. "Friendly workplaces perform better, sir."
Yuxuan's eyes finally flicked to Haoran. Sharp. Measuring.
"Friendly is fine," Yuxuan said, voice low. "But remember you're here to work, not... flirt."
Haoran's smile never dropped. "Of course."
Yuwei stared between them, sensing a weird tension but pretending to wipe the glass again.
Then Yuxuan turned on his heel and walked back to his office.
Zhao was standing there waiting. "Feel better, sir?"
Yuxuan muttered, "No."
"Because... you like her."
"No."
"You're jealous."
"No."
"Gay?"
"ZHAO."
"Copy that. I'll shut up."
---
Back outside, Yuwei squinted up at Haoran.
"What was that all about?"
Haoran smirked, sipping his coffee. "Just office dynamics, Agent Xia."
She rolled her eyes and kept cleaning.
But she didn't notice how Haoran watched her. Or how Yuxuan watched them both. Or how Suyin stared like she was already drafting gossip messages for the company group chat.
---
To be continued...