Duan Yiheng was so drunk last night, he probably wouldn't come to the company this morning. Lin Xi made herself a cup of coffee and logged into the Yinfan internal system.
She had two or three unread emails, which she dealt with one by one, then opened the project management software on her desktop and slowly began to review them. Half an hour later, she heard movement outside the door. Lin Xi assumed it was the cleaning staff and didn't look up, focusing on the computer screen.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. Lin Xi looked up, her expression froze, and she became speechless. They stared at each other for a full five seconds before she slowly stood up and greeted Duan Yiheng with a "Good morning." Then came a tacit silence.
Duan Yiheng had practically flown the whole way here, but now that he saw her, he didn't know what to say. He paused, his tone somewhat hesitant: "Come to my office." "Is there something you need?" Lin Xi didn't move.
Duan Yiheng caught a glimpse of wariness in her eyes and took a small step back. "Could you polish the ending of the strategic cooperation project on my computer, emphasizing the complementary strengths of both sides?"
Having business to attend to, Lin Xi didn't say anything more. She walked around the workstation and followed him into the CEO's office. Having not been in for two or three days, the air in the room wasn't very fresh, so Lin Xi turned on the ventilation system and adjusted the temperature and humidity to Duan Yiheng's preferred settings.
"You go ahead and do your work, I'll get a cup of coffee," Duan Yiheng said. Normally, Lin Xi would have insisted on doing it, but today she didn't say a word, went to his desk, and turned on her computer.
Duan Yiheng's office had a small coffee station. He took out plump, glossy coffee beans from the cabinet, scooped a spoonful, and poured it into the grinder. Grinding, filling, and extraction were all done in one smooth motion, filling the air with the rich aroma of coffee.
Duan Yiheng added sugar and milk, picked it up, and walked to his desk. Lin Xi glanced at his trouser leg out of the corner of her eye, her fingers paused on the keyboard, then she continued working as if nothing had happened. Duan Yiheng took a sip of coffee and asked, "Why don't you sit down?" Lin Xi didn't even look up.
"It'll be done in a bit, you sit down." Duan Yiheng sat down in his executive chair, finished half a cup of coffee, and rubbed his temples, propping himself up on his arm. Lin Xi hunched over, her eyes fixed on the computer screen, not daring to look away even for a moment.
Duan Yiheng's gaze fell on her slender, white fingertips, then moved upwards. Her full, rosy lips were tightly pressed together, as if she were unhappy. After a long pause, Duan Yiheng coughed lightly and said, "Last night, I—" "It's fixed."
Lin Xi straightened up and moved the laptop to his correct position to show him. Duan Yiheng was forced to temporarily shift his focus to the computer screen. He nodded after reading it and said to Lin Xi, "Okay." Lin Xi said, "Then I'll go out first." "Wait a moment."
Duan Yiheng stopped her. "Print out the document, three copies. Encrypt the document and fax it to the recipient, noting the project name and date." "Understood." Lin Xi said, bending down again to set the document to be shared in the president's office.
She was about to leave when Duan Yiheng grabbed her arm. He sat there, head tilted back, his tone pleading: "Let's talk about last night." "We don't discuss personal matters in the company."
Lin Xi didn't dare look at him. "Besides, nothing really happened last night. Let go of me; it wouldn't be good if someone saw us." Duan Yiheng stood up, picked up the remote, and activated the smart glass. The previously clear glass instantly turned completely white.
No one could see inside from the outside anymore, and Lin Xi panicked, wanting to escape. Duan Yiheng pulled her back, pinning her against his desk, and gently reassured her, "Don't be afraid, I've locked the door." Lin Xi's pupils trembled. "It's almost time for work." Duan Yiheng:
"Qin Yang isn't in the company this morning. Everyone knows I don't start work until 10, so people from other departments won't be here this early." As for the cleaning staff, he'd already notified them to come an hour later. But even so, Lin Xi felt it wasn't enough.
She didn't want to talk to him about the embarrassing things from last night. "I have a lot of things to do—" "It won't take long." Duan Yiheng interrupted him. "Last night, I—" "I already said, nothing happened last night."
Lin Xi was indignant. "Why do you have to make it clear? Duan Yiheng, you're my boss, I'm your secretary. Do you think we have any private matters to discuss?" "Lin Xi," Duan Yiheng called to her in a deep voice, "Don't run away."
"Run away from what?" Lin Xi looked directly into his eyes. "Last night you were drunk, I made you some hangover soup, and nothing else happened." Duan Yiheng laughed in exasperation; it was blatantly obvious.
He released her wrists, wrapped his arms around her waist, and braced them against the table, pinning her to the ground. Lin Xi leaned back in fright, her voice trembling as she spoke to the leaning Duan Yiheng, "Calm down." "I think you should calm down," Duan Yiheng said.
Lin Xi avoided his gaze and asked softly, "What exactly do you want to say? Hurry up and say it, I still have work to do." Duan Yiheng chuckled, "How can a secretary like you be busier than me, the president?" Lin Xi gritted her teeth and glared at him.
At this moment, Duan Yiheng was no longer the disheveled figure he had been the night before. His eyes, no longer half-closed, had regained their clarity. But Lin Xi felt that compared to last night, his gaze was deeper now, making her uneasy.
Lin Xi's gaze was fixed on the pocket square in his suit pocket, her expression one of refusal to talk. "I'm sorry, I drank too much last night," Duan Yiheng finally managed to explain. "You can hit me, you can scold me, I'll take it all, just… don't avoid me."
His breath was almost touching hers. Lin Xi shrank back, whispering, "I don't know what you're talking about." Duan Yiheng hadn't expected that even after all this, she still wouldn't admit it. He sighed helplessly, "I don't black out when I'm drunk, unlike you."
Lin Xi's back stiffened, afraid he would bring up the past again. That night in the night, since he hadn't said anything, she pretended not to know. Last night was the same; as long as she didn't admit it, Duan Yiheng couldn't do anything to her. "I really have something to do, I beg you."
Lin Xi's voice trembled as she pushed against his chest, "Let me go." Duan Yiheng almost softened. His kiss last night wasn't intentional; it was a subconscious longing he couldn't have.
Since he did it, and he remembered, there was no reason to pretend it never happened. "Lin Xi," Duan Yiheng said seriously, "I won't run away from what I've done. If I don't tell you, you'll think I'm a drunken scoundrel.
If you don't remember, I can describe it to you. How you fed me the hangover soup, how you helped me upstairs, and how I—" "Don't!" Lin Xi interrupted hastily, looking up and meeting his deep, unfathomable eyes.
Lin Xi cursed him inwardly. But did she really have to admit it? Once she did, their relationship would never be as simple as before. Every time she looks at his face, she might be reminded of that absurd kiss from last night.
The question she'd been avoiding since last night was now being exposed by the culprit—she had actually kissed Duan Yiheng! And not just once.