Chapter 45

After the video call ended, silence settled over the apartment.

Only the hangover soup still simmered softly on the stove.

The smile on Shen Siyan’s face gradually faded. She leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes, and pressed her fingertips hard against the tense ache in her temples.

How had she ended up saying something so explicit to Wei Xiaolu?

The conversation from just now kept replaying uncontrollably in her mind, just as those words had burst out of her mouth before she could stop them.

But Wei Xiaolu’s startlingly bright eyes in the video, and the instantly flushed cheeks—wasn’t that exactly the reaction she had wanted to see?

She’d lost control.

Shen Siyan realized, with perfect clarity, that there was truly something beyond her grasp.

That feeling was unfamiliar to her; it was dangerous.

Because her guiding principle had always been: do it herself.

Born into a family of powerful, prominent figures with an extreme need for control, she had understood from a young age that if she wanted true freedom, she had to have the capital to keep from being manipulated by anyone.

Her parents could provide a comfortable life, but that came with interference in her life plan—what major she would study, who she would befriend, even which family she would marry into. Very early on, she had seen clearly that inheriting the family fortune meant living forever under their shadow and their control.

That was why she had resolutely gone off-script, practically giving up everything to enter an entirely unfamiliar field in technology and carve out a path on her own.

She had taken every step with precision and steadiness, speaking with achievements and ability. She had wanted to prove to everyone, and to herself, that Shen Siyan’s life could only be ruled by Shen Siyan.

She had planned her route, built up her strength, thinking that when she was strong enough, fully independent, and had the confidence to face everything, she would choose the person she wanted to spend her life with.

In her original plan, Wei Xiaolu was a promising subordinate worth cultivating; at most, she was a special presence who made her feel relaxed and happy.

She appreciated her energy, and those clumsy, adorable little schemes.

Even after she realized her feelings, she still had no intention of crossing the line. She believed coworkers were best kept free of other entanglements, and she also believed she could handle that distance with ease.

But when had even she begun to feel uncertain?

She had thought a little casual ambiguity now and then wouldn’t affect the plan; she had thought teasing the girl a bit, or making a couple of intimate gestures, didn’t matter.

But the more times it happened, the more she drifted off course. Those tiny boundary crossings accumulated. By the time she realized it, the desire to get closer, to touch, to possess the other person had already broken through her proud self-control.

Tonight, under the influence of that faint buzz of alcohol, Shen Siyan had almost been indulging herself; she had deliberately pretended not to know how to make soup, called Wei Xiaolu, and enjoyed the overt and hidden tug-of-war between them.

That was too dangerous.

Not only because of the workplace taboo, but because she feared this feeling of losing control. Once she started indulging it, the dam might give way completely, and there would be no taking it back.

Better than anyone else, she knew; better than anyone else, she feared it. If she disrupted her own rhythm, she would cease to be herself, and before she had truly gained freedom, she would already have acquired a weakness.

Shen Siyan opened her eyes; they were damp.

Hold on a little longer, she told herself.

As long as Wei Xiaolu finished her internship, successfully converted to regular employment, and moved into another department; as long as their coworker relationship was truly ended—perhaps by then, she would be able to allow herself, just a little, to face the feelings that had already spread like wildfire.

After drinking a bowl of the hangover soup, her thoughts slowly cleared. She went back to her room and discussed the progress with Legal, and only then did her mind gradually return to calm.

Shen Siyan needed work very much. Work gave her a sense of control and value, and it quickly drew her attention back into the realm of reason.

After that, she successively reviewed the final plans for the upcoming new product, drafted an initial proposal regarding internal personnel adjustments in the department, and only at one in the morning, after clearing away the remaining items on her desk, did she finally fall asleep without any burden.

But work was just like that: one day you had just unloaded a shipment; the next day you were carrying it again.

That weekend, something happened that caused an uproar in the industry.

Zhaolan Technology grandly announced it would soon release a “major upgraded version” of its all-purpose platform, and users said their expectations were already maxed out.

The first person who couldn’t sit still was Qian Longyue. As soon as he called to complain, Shen Siyan immediately investigated the rival’s upgraded version and found that the features they were touting were indeed highly similar to the “bait” Wei Xiaolu had put out in the data-processing tool.

Unfortunately, all of it was just hype for attention. Soon Zhaolan’s technical development department would realize that those flashy features were impossible to implement, and by then, they would also receive a court summons and a thick lawsuit.

The urgent priority was to steady her own team.

Shen Siyan spoke with the members of the work group one by one to reassure them. After that, Wei Xiaolu still hadn’t come to ask or report anything to her.

That made Shen Siyan a little puzzled; it didn’t fit Wei Xiaolu’s habit of giving her feedback on everything.

After a brief hesitation, Shen Siyan decided to congratulate her first.

[Shen Siyan: Congratulations, little sister. The fake data you uploaded to Qiding’s tool worked.]

The result was a reply from Wei Xiaolu within seconds: [Huh? Really, CEO Shen?]

Shen Siyan let out a soft laugh and called her.

The call was answered almost instantly; faint television dialogue could still be heard in the background.

“CEO Shen,” Wei Xiaolu said, “did we manage to hold Zhaolan back?”

“Xiaolu,” Shen Siyan’s voice carried a thin layer of fatigue, but her tone remained gentle, “you need to pay attention to industry developments at all times, especially during critical periods. Right now, the news about Zhaolan’s upgraded platform is everywhere.”

There was a clear pause on the other end; the TV noise cut off abruptly, as if someone had pressed mute.

“Oh... sorry, CEO Shen,” her voice was stiff with a kind of dazed unease. “I-I thought it was the weekend... so I didn’t really look at the work group or the news...”

Shen Siyan leaned back in her chair and rubbed her brow.

She understood the need to relax on weekends, but standing where she did, she knew all too well how cruel reality could be.

“I know weekends are for rest,” she said, without quite meaning to sound a little like a stern, rational superior. “But once you’re working, especially in our line of work, your phone is basically another organ attached to your body. Competitors won’t stop moving just because we’re resting. If you disconnect and go offline, you could miss critical information and throw off your judgment later.”

Wei Xiaolu’s breathing went quiet on the other end.

Suddenly, Shen Siyan found herself imagining Wei Xiaolu frowning slightly at that very moment, looking a little wronged and hurt.

“CEO Shen,” came the low voice from the receiver, “I know I was wrong. I’ll go check right away; I’ll follow up on all this information immediately.”

There was a tiny, almost negligible tremor hidden in her discouraged tone.

Shen Siyan was stunned. Only then did she realize she had been applying the standards drilled into her by years of workplace discipline to a university graduate who had only just entered society.

She herself had long since grown used to this blurred boundary, and even regarded it as an essential professional quality; but was this really the only correct way?

And asking Wei Xiaolu to maintain this state of being “always online” was, in its own way, using work to erode and distort Wei Xiaolu’s personal life, wasn’t it?

It seemed that when it came to Wei Xiaolu, principles were not quite as important.

Because she was genuinely afraid that if she said two more sentences, those trembling notes swallowed back by Wei Xiaolu would reverberate through her bone marrow and strike straight into her heart, beyond recovery.

“Forget it,” Shen Siyan said after a pause. “Go have fun. It’s the weekend; you should rest properly. We can talk about this on Monday too.”

However, Wei Xiaolu’s reaction was unusually intense.

“CEO Shen, I’ll keep an eye on it at any time!” Wei Xiaolu must have chewed through her frustration and swallowed it down, because now she spoke with determined seriousness. “I’ll go check what’s going on in a bit, and I promise I won’t drop offline again in the future.”

A faint bitterness stirred in Shen Siyan’s heart.

She was pleased by her subordinate’s growth, yet also touched by a lingering sense of loss.

Clearly what she liked most was Wei Xiaolu’s carefree, mischievous purity; yet she was also the one holding the workplace scissors, trimming and smoothing away all the beautiful edges on Wei Xiaolu.

“...Okay.” In the end, Shen Siyan only answered softly. “Don’t put pressure on yourself.”

“Okay, CEO Shen.” Wei Xiaolu said.

After hanging up, Shen Siyan looked out at the traffic and lights of the city beyond the window, remaining motionless for a long time.

She felt herself growing more and more muddled.

Before, she had only looked at results at work; she had been crisp and decisive. But now, as soon as Wei Xiaolu was involved, her thoughts scattered; there were more worries, more hesitation, and far more things she hadn’t expected.

Just like now, she had begun to care about what Wei Xiaolu saw her as—would she become a serious, cold female boss in Wei Xiaolu’s eyes?

It wasn’t until Monday morning, when she stepped into the office and saw Wei Xiaolu sitting at her desk, calling out a bright, cheerful “Good morning, CEO Shen!” while carrying a pile of hometown specialties, that the fog swirling in her mind finally cleared a little.

“Morning, little sister.” Shen Siyan nodded, doing her best to make her voice sound even and relaxed.

It was cold outside. Today Wei Xiaolu had worn a down vest over her hoodie, bundled up like a little dumpling. The air conditioner was on inside, and Shen Siyan watched her face already pink from the heat, yet she still didn’t bother taking off the vest; she kept working with full focus.

Shen Siyan smiled and turned the air-conditioning down a few degrees.

Just after she adjusted the temperature, the internal line rang.

When she picked up, it was the front desk. “CEO Shen, there’s a gentleman named Qi Lang in the first-floor lounge. He says he has something he needs to see you about; it’s rather urgent, but he doesn’t have an appointment. What would you like me to do..."

“Tell him I’m busy and have no time,” Shen Siyan said.

“Understood, CEO Shen. I’ll pass that along.” The front desk hung up.

Less than half a minute later, Qi Lang called her cell phone directly.

Shen Siyan glanced at Wei Xiaolu, then answered and asked irritably, “What is it?”

“Miss Shen,” Qi Lang said the moment he opened his mouth, sounding pleading from the start, “didn’t I just get the company running beautifully recently? My dad thinks I’ve settled down, so he wants to find a chance to thank you in person for helping me get back on the right path.”

Expressions of thanks between businessmen were always just a prelude to deeper cooperation. Qi’s father definitely had no good intentions; he wasn’t just trying to rope her in, but also to use her to borrow momentum from Shen Gaolang.

“I didn’t help with anything. No need to thank me.” Shen Siyan refused flatly.

“Come on, I even came here specially to pick you up,” Qi Lang said anxiously. “Just come to my house for a lunch banquet. Nothing else.”

Shen Siyan snorted a laugh. “What did your dad promise you? New resources, or more shares in the company?”

There was a brief silence on the other end, then the sound of a laugh from someone who had been hit squarely and had decided to stop pretending. “Tsk. Shen Siyan, talking to you really leaves nothing hidden. Fine, the old man gave in. If I can get you to go back with me, that piece of land in the east side of the city will be mine.”

He paused, his tone turning a little teasing. “How about it? Take it as helping me once more. It’s just a meal; play along and get through it, same as last time. Once I’ve got the land, we can talk about the benefits again.”

Shen Siyan laughed in exasperation and immediately cursed him out. “Qi Lang, are you still in diapers? If you want something, go fight for it with your own ability.”

As she spoke, she casually flicked a glance at Wei Xiaolu. The girl’s eyes were still on her computer, but her fingers had already stopped moving; she was clearly eavesdropping.

Shen Siyan smiled and turned back to continue scolding. “Using me as your stepping stone? You’re running your company way too pathetically.”

“Shen Siyan, do you have any humanity at all?” Qi Lang was getting a little exasperated.

“Your father’s intentions are this obvious, and you’re still pretending not to know. Then there’s no need for me to be humane,” Shen Siyan said. “Just tell your dad I’m busy and not going.”

Before Qi Lang could react, she hung up decisively.

The office returned to quiet.

Shen Siyan looked up and happened to meet Wei Xiaolu’s curious gaze, which had been sneaking toward her but hadn’t yet had time to withdraw.

That expression was like a small animal peeking out cautiously to observe the world. Shen Siyan smiled and lifted her eyebrows slightly.

Wei Xiaolu flinched and pulled her gaze back in a fluster, her fingers tapping randomly at the keyboard as cover.

But after a few seconds, she seemed to give up on pretending. She clenched her hand, then looked over at Shen Siyan again.

“CEO Shen,” Wei Xiaolu rubbed her nose. “That guy... he didn’t cause you any trouble, did he?”

“It’s fine,” Shen Siyan said, waving it off. “As long as he doesn’t come trying to drag you off to those messy gatherings, he doesn’t count as trouble to me.”

“Ah...” Wei Xiaolu’s cheeks instantly bloomed red.

Shen Siyan couldn’t help smiling, and said softly, “I’ve already sent him away. Don’t worry.”