At 1:17 a.m., Su Wan was jolted awake by her phone vibrating.
Caller ID: The Demon King.
She was instantly wide awake—that was the nickname she'd saved for Lu Tingchen.
"Hello..."
"Be at the company within forty minutes," the man's voice was icy, with the background noise of a chaotic airport announcement. "I need to see the annual budget report the moment I land."
"But right now—"
"Thirty-nine minutes." The line went dead.
Su Wan scrambled out of bed, threw on her coat backwards, and sprinted out.
1:55 a.m. The 88th floor was ablaze with light.
The elevator doors opened. Lu Tingchen stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, his black trench coat still bearing traces of the night rain on his shoulders.
He turned, his gaze sweeping over her disheveled ponytail and the mud splattered on her canvas sneakers, his brow furrowing slightly.
"The report?"
"It's... it's on the computer..."
"Give it to me."
Su Wan gasped for breath, unable to speak. She inserted the USB drive, her fingers trembling so badly she couldn't even hold the mouse steady.
Suddenly, the man leaned forward, his palm covering the back of her hand as he guided her fingers to click "Print."
"Calm down," he murmured hoarsely. "I'm here. Why panic?"
The printer whirred as it spat out the documents. He flipped through them one by one, occasionally marking them with a pen.
Su Wan stole a glance sideways—
Under the lamp, his eyelashes cast long shadows across his pale skin. His thin lips pressed tightly together, his beauty as sharp as ice sculpture.
"Finished looking?" the man suddenly asked, his eyes never leaving the documents.
Su Wan hurriedly lowered her gaze, her ears flushing crimson.
At 2:30 a.m., he closed the final page with a satisfied hum.
"Passing grade. Go make some coffee."
Su Wan's legs felt weak as she shuffled toward the break room. Behind her, the man murmured softly:
"Those mud-spattered canvas shoes—pretty cute."
Her feet slipped, and she nearly knocked over the coffee machine.