Chapter 15
Su Yueluo took a leisurely step back, the flawless smile never leaving her face.
“I’m only looking out for your employee.”
Su Xingwei’s expression darkened at once. “No need.”
Su Yueluo smiled and patted Su Xingwei on the shoulder. “Then you’d better keep a close eye on her.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and gave Mu Wanyan a meaningful look.
“See you next time, Assistant Mu.”
After Su Yueluo left, silence fell between the two of them. Mu Wanyan caught the look on Su Xingwei’s face and wisely said nothing more.
“Come in.”
Su Xingwei tossed out those two words and pushed open the office door.
Mu Wanyan followed close behind and closed the door after her.
The atmosphere in the office was somewhat oppressive, making it hard to breathe. Mu Wanyan only gave a brief, succinct report on the day’s urgent schedule, then handed over two documents that needed signatures.
After listening, Su Xingwei was silent for a few seconds before suddenly saying, out of nowhere, “Stay away from her from now on.”
Mu Wanyan froze for a moment before realizing she meant Su Yueluo. “Yes.”
She knew full well that Su Xingwei and Su Yueluo were at odds. The two weren’t just rivals in business; their personal relationship was tense as well. Within the board, Su Yueluo and her father had been stirring up trouble openly and behind the scenes, trying every possible way to force Su Xingwei to give up the chairwoman’s seat.
Su Xingwei stared at her, her gaze darkening. “Come here.”
Mu Wanyan didn’t understand, but she obediently walked over. Before she could even steady herself, the other woman had pulled her into her arms. Caught off guard, Mu Wanyan lost her balance and fell straight into Su Xingwei’s lap.
Mu Wanyan gasped and reflexively tried to get up, but Su Xingwei’s arm had already tightened around her waist.
“You need to remember: you’re mine.”
Su Xingwei was almost pressed against her ear as she warned softly, “You’re not allowed to get too close to anyone else.”
Held in her embrace, Mu Wanyan felt completely at a loss. She could feel the warmth of the other woman’s body and that familiar scent; her heart suddenly began to race. She did her best to stay calm, but her cheeks still heated uncontrollably.
This was far too intimate.
“I remember.”
Su Xingwei not only refused to let go, she pulled her in even tighter, then let out a wicked laugh. “Kiss me.”
Mu Wanyan’s eyes flew wide open. She turned to glance at the office door. It was closed, but not locked; someone could knock and come in at any time.
“This is the office.”
She lowered her voice. “Someone could come in any time.”
Su Xingwei narrowed her eyes and said carelessly, “So what? Hurry up. Don’t make me wait too long.”
Meeting that smiling gaze, Mu Wanyan’s face turned bright red.
This person was determined not to let her off the hook today.
She took a deep breath and, going along with her, leaned in on her own initiative, kissing those soft lips. As their breaths tangled together, Mu Wanyan gradually lost herself; the kiss, which should have ended with a light touch, grew lingering and hard to break.
A sudden sting bloomed at the corner of her lips. Mu Wanyan instantly came back to herself and pulled back slightly. She licked her lip and tasted a trace of blood.
Su Xingwei lifted a hand and brushed it across her lips, a victorious smile in her eyes.
“This is your punishment.”
Mu Wanyan steadied her ragged breathing; her chest rose and fell unevenly as she asked, aggrieved, “What did I do wrong?”
“I don’t like you getting too close to Su Yueluo.”
Su Xingwei stared at her bitten lip, and her expression suddenly turned cold.
“She always likes competing with me, whether it’s over things or over people. Ever since we were children, she’s never stopped playing these boring games. Anything I have, she wants. If she can’t snatch it away, then she thinks about ruining it.”
Mu Wanyan knew all of that, but this didn’t seem to be her fault.
“She was the one who came over.”
After hearing that, the curve of Su Xingwei’s lips deepened.
“You’ve learned how to talk back.”
She let go of Mu Wanyan and said evenly, “Go back to work.”
Mu Wanyan hurriedly stood up, straightened her collar, and quickly left the office.
That afternoon, Mu Wanyan dozed off at her desk.
The morning’s little episode had left her restless. She hadn’t even eaten much at lunch, only picked at a few bites before coming back to work. Now her head felt heavy and foggy, as if something were pressing down on it; chills kept washing over her back in waves. She really couldn’t hold on, so when no one was looking, she lay down on the desk and dozed for a while.
No one knew how long had passed when a familiar voice sounded above her head.
“Sleeping on company time?”
Mu Wanyan jolted awake at once, sat up straight, and hurriedly covered her mouth to swallow the unfinished yawn. When she looked up, she saw Su Xingwei standing beside her workstation.
“I’m sorry, Chairwoman Su. I didn’t mean to.”
Mu Wanyan spoke weakly. Her face was flushed with an unusual heat, and even her voice sounded faint.
Sneaking a nap at work and getting caught by her direct superior—it was practically a recipe for being fired.
Su Xingwei studied her face for a moment, then reached out to feel her forehead. It was burning hot.
“If you feel unwell, why didn’t you take leave?”
Her brows drew together at once; her tone was impatient, but there was a trace of concern she herself hadn’t noticed.
Mu Wanyan was just about to say she was fine when Su Xingwei cut her off.
Without giving her room to argue, Su Xingwei pulled her up and steadied her carefully. “Leave your things here. Don’t worry about them.”
After a brief pause, she turned off Mu Wanyan’s computer and said in an almost commanding tone, “Put your coat on. I’ll take you home.”
Mu Wanyan put on her coat. “No need. I can just take a taxi back myself.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up.”
Su Xingwei urged her on, but her hands remained steady as she supported Mu Wanyan and guided her toward the elevator.
The two of them returned to Mu Wanyan’s rental apartment. As soon as they got inside, Su Xingwei helped her out of her coat and tucked her into bed, wrapping her up tightly.
“Where’s the thermometer?”
Mu Wanyan pointed vaguely toward the bedside table drawer. Su Xingwei opened the drawer, rummaged around, and handed the thermometer to her.
Mu Wanyan closed her eyes, her whole body sinking into the soft bedding as her consciousness gradually blurred.
Su Xingwei sat by the bed and waited, checking her phone from time to time. When she felt enough time had passed, she took the thermometer back and looked at it: thirty-nine degrees.
“If this keeps up, you’ll fry your brain.”
She muttered under her breath, set the thermometer aside, then lowered her head to look at Mu Wanyan. Her voice softened before she even realized it. “Is there any fever medicine at home?”
Mu Wanyan shook her head without opening her eyes.
Su Xingwei let out a helpless sigh, took out her phone, and called the butler, asking him to buy a box of fever medicine and bring it over as soon as possible.
After hanging up, she looked back at the person on the bed and found that Mu Wanyan had already fallen asleep.
Her breathing was a little heavy; she didn’t seem to be sleeping very peacefully. The flush on her cheeks still hadn’t faded. Curled up under the blanket, she looked especially fragile.
Su Xingwei stared at her for a few seconds and murmured to herself, “What a hassle.”
Though she said that, her gaze never once left Mu Wanyan.