(Disciplined and restrained chairman vs. ambitious and studious secretary)
Shang Fuyan was startled awake by the crisp sound of high heels.
It was his vast, luxurious bedroom, styled in a traditional Chinese aesthetic. Navy blue bamboo-embroidered curtains at the bay window fluttered in the breeze, and pale moonlight spilled through the gaps, landing on the floor.
Unlike before, a blurred figure leaned against the sandalwood post by the bed.
The figure seemed intoxicated, swaying unsteadily, and had to press both hands onto the quilt to regain balance.
"Who are you?"
Shang Fuyan immediately sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. The person stooped over the quilt finally revealed herself.
She was striking, with flushed cheeks and pink lips. Her slightly tipsy eyes were as alluring as peach blossoms. Dazzled by the sudden light, she let out a soft, dissatisfied complaint:
"Baichuan, what are you doing?"
Shang Fuyan recognized her, his pupils dilating in surprise: "Secretary Fu?"
"Hmm? What Secretary Fu?"
Her eyes were slightly bloodshot, and her breath carried the heavy scent of fruit wine. As she stood up, revealing a silk nightdress, she stumbled a few steps toward his bedside.
She leaned over, head tilted, staring at him. As she drew closer and closer, Shang Fuyan found his body beyond his own control, frozen stiff on the spot.
"Stop."
At Shang Fuyan’s warning, her pink lips stopped a mere two centimeters from his.
"Baichuan, what’s wrong with you?"
Baichuan was Secretary Fu’s boyfriend.
Shang Fuyan had pressed the emergency button the moment he turned on the lamp, but help remained elusive. Combined with the inexplicable appearance of Secretary Fu and the name she was calling, he had every reason to suspect this was a dream.
"Shang Fuyan, wake up."
The oblivious Secretary Fu looked at the man talking to himself in confusion, then raised her hands in dissatisfaction to steady his face.
"What are you saying? Baichuan, I want a kiss!"
As she leaned down, the straps of her nightdress began to slip. Shang Fuyan closed his eyes instantly.
But when he opened them again, it was still her.
*Wake up!*
The sensation of those hands vanished, and the room fell into silence.
Shang Fuyan let out a soft breath, sighing in relief that it was finally over. But when he opened his eyes again, Secretary Fu was there, tears streaming down her face. She covered her face, her shoulders heaving as she tried her best to stifle her sobs.
"..."
She was still here. Why was she crying?
The sound of her weeping filled the quiet bedroom. His body tensed, his brow furrowed, and for a moment, he didn't know what to do.
He asked tentatively, "What’s wrong?"
Secretary Fu choked back a sob, keeping her hands over her face. "You were never like this before. You’ve never ignored me for a whole month. Is there someone else?"
Shang Fuyan knew she was addressing Chen Baichuan, not him, her boss.
But as things stood, she saw him as Chen Baichuan. Perhaps if he played along, he could escape this dream.
"I don't."
The Secretary Fu in this dream was completely different from the one in reality. Her eyes were filled with love, desire, and resentment; she was no longer the elegant and intellectual woman from the office. Upon hearing his reply, she shook her head.
"You don’t love me anymore. We’ve been together for ten years; your eyes can’t hide the truth."
Taking advantage of his moment of distraction, Secretary Fu leaned in and pinned his shoulders, looking down at him with a cold, piercing gaze.
"I need to check to see if you’ve been kissed by someone else—"
Shang Fuyan, suppressed and unable to move, felt his breathing stop as that beautiful face drew near.
Yet, the kiss didn't fall.
Shang Fuyan's rigid reaction seemed to break her heart. The beauty issued a sorrowful query:
"You don't want to, do you?"
Warm tears fell onto his face. The Secretary Fu before him was filled with such profound grief that the sadness burrowed deep into Shang Fuyan’s soul, taking root and causing his heart to race as he gripped the quilt.
A minute passed, and she continued to weep.
Shang Fuyan could bear it no longer. He sighed.
The bindings holding him disappeared instantly. He rolled over, pulling this long-desired treasure gently into his arms. All his hidden, dark impulses now had nowhere to hide. He whispered into her ear, coaxing her:
"Don't cry. I want to."
He lifted the beauty's chin and leaned down. The bed was swallowed by their shadows.
In this moment, he was content to be Chen Baichuan.
***
"Chairman?"
Shang Fuyan’s fingertips twitched at the summons. He was sitting in the solemn conference room, countless eyes focused on him from across the long table, waiting for his stance on the project.
Beside him, Secretary Fu, dressed impeccably, considerately repeated the CEO's question from a moment ago.
"The proposal is acceptable."
Shang Fuyan stated his prepared remarks. This meeting was just a formality; he hadn't expected his mind to wander.
Once the meeting concluded and the agenda was finalized, Shang Fuyan stood up and gathered his documents. The secretary followed him back to the office.
Fu You'an’s workstation was three meters away. They returned to their duties as usual, but Shang Fuyan, still haunted by the dream from the night before, was distracted, occasionally casting his gaze toward her.
Fu You'an had been by his side for two months.
As a high-level chairman's secretary, Fu You'an came from a wealthy business family, graduated from a top-tier financial institute, and possessed excellent eloquence and document-processing skills.
Her only goal in joining Shangding Group was to gain experience under his tutelage, better preparing her to assist her family’s conglomerate in the future.
She dressed simply yet stylishly, worked with efficiency, and was elegant and proper in all her dealings. Almost no one could find a single fault with her.
Not even he could.
However, this shrewd and capable Secretary Fu had one well-known weakness: her boyfriend, Chen Baichuan.
Shang Fuyan had once accidentally seen him downstairs at the group headquarters.
He looked plain, thin, and wore glasses—the picture of malnourishment. Yet, the moment she saw him, Secretary Fu shed her professional, composed facade and beamed with a smile as she fell into his arms.
He couldn't understand why Secretary Fu would choose him.
Shang Fuyan had been in the private elevator heading up at the time. Though puzzled, he quickly averted his eyes from the pair.
The private lives of his subordinates were not his concern.
He just hadn't expected to have such an evocative dream last night.
It was truly crossing the line.
A few minutes later, Secretary Fu stood up, opened the office door, and accepted a bouquet of fresh flowers from a staff member—the weekly replacement for the display by the window.
Whenever she returned to the office, she changed into flats to minimize the noise of her footsteps so as not to disturb the chairman. She went to the windowsill, removed the old flowers, and with her long, pale fingers, replaced them with the new ones.
Light spilled onto her moist, pink lips, making them look crystal clear and incredibly tempting.
*Wait.*
Realizing the impropriety of his thoughts, Shang Fuyan frowned, forcing his attention back to the documents he was reviewing.
The new flowers by the window emitted a pleasant fragrance. Fu You'an stood there for a few dozen seconds, head slightly tilted, breathing in the fresh air from outside the window, the corners of her lips curling into an almost imperceptible arc.
Through the reflection in the glass window, she caught a glimpse of the man working at his desk.
*He smells so good.*