Chapter 2

The private room fell quiet for a moment.

President Liu and President Wang exchanged glances; both wisely kept their mouths shut.

Mu Wanyan looked at the wine glass held out in midair, then at Su Xingwei. Those peach blossom eyes that always curved with a smile were now utterly cold.

“I’ll drink it.”

She took the glass and tipped her head back, downing it in one go. The spicy liquor burned its way down her throat; Mu Wanyan forced herself not to stop and drained the entire glass in a single breath.

A violent coughing fit followed. She bent over, one hand braced against the table, her face turning bright red.

Just then, the private room door was pushed open.

“Oh? It’s lively in here.”

A lazy voice drifted in.

Then a woman in a black-and-white plaid dress walked into the room. Her red lips parted, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“Who upset our Chairwoman Su this time?”

Xie Yin’s gaze swept over the room before landing on Mu Wanyan. Curiosity flickered in her eyes as she leaned in. “This must be the new assistant?”

She gave Mu Wanyan a once-over and raised a brow. “She looks so well-behaved. So proper. Definitely not the type who can drink.”

Mu Wanyan finally managed to stop coughing and straightened up, only to meet a pair of eyes full of scrutiny.

This was someone who had once been a friend to both her and Su Xingwei, and also the owner of this club.

Xie Yin patted her on the shoulder, then turned to Su Xingwei with a note of dissatisfaction in her voice. “I have to say, what are you doing, making things hard for a newcomer?”

Su Xingwei gave her a sidelong glance. “Since when are you this kind?”

“I’ve always been a great person, okay?” Xie Yin said, offended. She pulled out a chair and sat down, then turned back to Mu Wanyan with a grin. “Don’t mind her. She’s notoriously hard to serve. Why don’t you come work for me instead? I’d definitely be easier to deal with than she is.”

She leaned a little closer, studying Mu Wanyan’s face. “One drink and you’re already flushed?”

Mu Wanyan only felt her cheeks grow hot; the alcohol had even tinted the tips of her ears a faint pink. She leaned back a little awkwardly, but before she could say anything, a glass of water was handed to her.

“Drink some water. Calm down.”

Xie Yin pressed the cup into her hand, and for once, her smile held genuine warmth.

Mu Wanyan accepted it and quietly thanked her.

Su Xingwei was talking to President Liu about something. A perfectly measured smile rested on her lips, but it never reached her eyes.

It had always been like this. Su Xingwei was effortlessly at home in social settings; only those who truly understood her knew those smiles were always just a surface habit, never from the heart. Only on rare occasions would her real emotions show through.

Mu Wanyan lowered her gaze and forced those surging feelings back down.

Su Xingwei suddenly looked back at Xie Yin and said coldly, “Are you here today just to ruin the mood?”

Xie Yin immediately held up both hands. “Fine, fine, I’ll shut up, all right? Go on, then.”

Su Xingwei withdrew her gaze, then casually glanced at Mu Wanyan standing nearby again.

The other woman was holding the cup with both hands. Her profile was softened by the light, and the flush had already spread from her cheeks to the roots of her ears. Especially those eyes; right now, they were clouded with a misty haze.

For some reason, Su Xingwei felt a sudden surge of irritation.

She held out her hand to Mu Wanyan. “Give me the car keys.”

Mu Wanyan froze for a second, then instinctively reached into her pocket and quickly handed them over.

Su Xingwei took the keys and didn’t look at her again. Her voice was flat. “Go back. I’ll have the driver pick me up. Don’t be late tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

Mu Wanyan politely nodded to the others at the table. “I’ll head out first.”

Xie Yin waved at her. “Take care, little assistant. Next time you come, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Mu Wanyan’s mouth curved slightly; then she turned and left the private room.

The moment the door shut behind her, she heard the room burst back into noise. She couldn’t make out what Xie Yin was saying, only that it drew a round of laughter, with Su Xingwei’s voice mixed in among them, indistinct.

The corridor was long and dimly lit; the carpet swallowed the sound of her footsteps. She pushed open the club’s front door, and the chill of an autumn night rushed toward her, scattering some of the alcohol’s heat. In the distance stood tall office buildings, neon lights flashing; cars streamed endlessly along the asphalt road. Mu Wanyan touched her cheek; it was still a little hot.

The next morning, Mu Wanyan arrived at the company on time.

Su Xingwei was even earlier; she was already seated in the office.

“There’s a meeting in a bit. Come with me. When we get back, I want the minutes.”

“Yes, Young Miss.”

The meeting didn’t last long; it was over in an hour. Mu Wanyan sat in the corner the whole time, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she recorded every point discussed. After returning to her desk, she spent another half hour organizing everything, then printed the minutes and delivered them to the chairman’s office.

Su Xingwei took them and skimmed through them briefly. Her expression shifted slightly.

From the formatting to the logical details, everything was exactly like that person’s habits.

“Don’t try anything clever.”

Su Xingwei’s voice turned cold, her expression unfriendly.

Mu Wanyan stared blankly for a moment before saying in confusion, “Is something wrong with the minutes?”

Su Xingwei fixed her with a look, as if trying to find some flaw on Mu Wanyan’s face. In the end, all she saw were sincere, open eyes.

It wasn’t wrong; it was too right.

She took a deep breath and tossed the minutes onto the desk.

“Get out.”

Mu Wanyan hesitated for a moment, but still turned and left.

Su Xingwei watched her back until the door closed, then picked up the minutes again and flipped through them page by page. Every detail looked like deliberate imitation.

She closed her eyes and forcibly suppressed that absurd thought.

At three in the afternoon, Su Xingwei finished her second meeting and returned to the office, rubbing at her temples wearily. When she saw a cup of coffee on the desk, she turned to look at Mu Wanyan, who had followed her in.

“I saw a coffee cup on your desk, so I thought you must be used to drinking coffee.”

Mu Wanyan explained, “So I made you a cup.”

Su Xingwei frowned and looked toward the coffee machine.

It was the one Gu Xi had used in life; she had specifically told everyone before that no one was allowed to touch it.

“Who told you to touch it?”

Her voice was low, pressing down until it felt hard to breathe.

A trace of surprise appeared in Mu Wanyan’s eyes. She hurriedly lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Young Miss. I thought...”

“You don’t get to take liberties.”

Su Xingwei cut her off, her voice icy. “Don’t touch it again. Get out.”

As she spoke, her eyes unintentionally swept over the cup of coffee; her gaze suddenly fixed on the surface. There was exquisite heart-shaped latte art floating there, with the tail of the heart slightly lifted. Normally, the finishing line of the latte art should have been straight and neat, but Gu Xi liked to curl the end of the heart upward a little, saying it looked cuter that way.

Su Xingwei shot to her feet, rounded the desk, and grabbed the other woman’s wrist, yanking her toward her.

Mu Wanyan reflexively tried to pull away, but quickly caught herself and forced herself to stop.

“Young Miss?”

Su Xingwei stared at Mu Wanyan, her eyes sharp, as if they could see straight through a person.

“Who exactly are you?”