While they were letting their imaginations run wild about what was happening behind the partition, in reality, nothing at all was happening.
Shang Fuyan just kept pulling out tissues, while Secretary Fu in the adjacent seat apologized, tried to calm her emotions, and took a tissue to wipe her face. "I'm sorry, Chairman. I brought my personal emotions into my work."
Earlier, when Shang Fuyan had bent down to pick up her phone, he had caught a full view of the three words on her chat screen:
*Let's break up.*
Secretary Fu's message displayed a large red exclamation mark.
"It's all right."
The Chairman maintained a steady composure as he handed her another tissue. Lowering his gaze, his voice deep and calm, he spoke as gently as a caring older brother: "If something terrible has happened, you can tell me about it."
Fu You'an’s eyes were red and watery, shimmering tears trembling on her lashes, ready to fall at any moment. Even when she wiped them away with a tissue, more welled up. That pitiful look almost made him lose his self-control; he wanted to lean in and lick those tears away.
Deep down, his heart ached and swelled in sympathy with her. He admitted that right now, he was being petty and scheming.
Yet the ultimate culprit was him.
Secretary Fu hesitated. "Can I talk about it?"
"Mm." *Hurry up and say it, say it, say it, say it, say it!*
Assistant Li had originally thought that after this scheming partition incident, the boss would seize the opportunity while Secretary Fu was vulnerable to launch a surprise attack and breach her emotional defenses. He never expected that when the car stopped and the two of them stepped out, they would both be completely normal.
Secretary Fu had been dispatched to retrieve some documents.
Assistant Li walked beside his boss, burning with curiosity. Inside the private elevator, all he heard was the boss's slightly weary voice: "She said I'm a considerate elder, deserving of respect..."
*Pfft.* Assistant Li couldn't hold back a snort.
The boss shot him a cold glance, though he was ultimately too lost in thought to bother dealing with him.
When Assistant Li returned to his post, he happened to run into Secretary Fu returning with the documents. The two exchanged greetings. "Assistant Li, what's wrong? You don't look so good."
"I'm fine." *It's you who's not doing so well—you've already been targeted by the dark lord in the shadows.*
Still, seeing how full of energy she was, Assistant Li couldn't help asking, "Were you okay in the car?"
"Huh? I'm fine."
Secretary Fu straightened her posture. "The Chairman said a lot of things that benefited me immensely. I should learn from his spirit and be an earnest, upward-striving young person, rather than letting the past blind me and lose my direction."
"..." *Wonderful. This kid still has no idea what situation she's in.*
Assistant Li looked at Secretary Fu with a sympathetic gaze as she walked away. *How I wish I could warn her: Child, don't go! You're walking right into the tiger's den!*
Lately, Secretary Fu had been assigned a mountain of paperwork. According to Shang Fuyan, the only cure was time, and people only let their minds wander when they had too much idle time on their hands.
She truly kept herself busy enough to avoid dwelling on other trivial matters.
Little did she know, the Chairman working overtime nearby had glanced over from the shadows more than once, sometimes intentionally or unintentionally dropping hints about how dramatic the family's reaction to this divorce had been—leading to Assistant Li being bombarded by endless phone calls.
It seemed the fallout from the divorce was significant, but the Chairman didn't take the matter to heart. Over time, Fu You'an absorbed a bit of his calm and analytical temperament, gaining new insights into her past relationship.
However, in her heart, the Chairman remained an elder.
Once again, Assistant Li was subjected to a barrage of calls that day. The caller was the boss's uncle, who was the most anxious of all regarding the boss's divorce—even more hands-on and overbearing than the boss's own parents.
Hearing that it was yet another matchmaking attempt, Assistant Li grabbed an excuse and hung up.
Secretary Fu continued busy with her work, having already grown accustomed to Assistant Li's phone interruptions. As for the Chairman at the main desk, he didn't even raise his head, completely indifferent to who was calling.
He had made the wise choice not to give out his personal number.
At lunchtime, the employee in charge of catering knocked on the door.
The two paused their work and headed to the dining table. The newly returned Assistant Li joined them for the meal, adding an extra set of utensils to the quiet and harmonious table. The boss sat at the head, with Assistant Li and the secretary seated opposite each other.
*Why does this feel like a family dinner?*
Mid-meal, Assistant Li's phone buzzed at the most inopportune time. "Sir."
It was his uncle again—that made five calls just this morning.
"Don't answer it."
Out of the corner of his eye, Shang Fuyan noticed her reaching for a tissue, so he casually shifted the tissue box to his left. "From now on, you have the discretion over his calls; you don't need to report them to me."
"Okay."
Fu You'an lowered her head to keep a low profile.
Just then, the Chairman used the serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised pork rib and placed it in her bowl.
"Eat. Look how thin you've gotten."
Surprised, Fu You'an murmured a thank-you.
Shang Fuyan offered a natural "Mm." Since she viewed him as an elder, he would simply play the part of a caring elder. That way, he didn't need to find any excuses to get close to her under the guise of concern.
Having finished his meal, the scheming boss picked up his phone and left the table early.
Lacking the oppressive aura of a superior, the atmosphere instantly relaxed. Assistant Li sighed across the table, "I'm just a little cabbage in the field, all alone with no one to pick food for me."
The innocent Secretary Fu smiled and used the serving chopsticks to pick up some food for him. "Have some, Assistant Li."
"..."
*So pure. Kid, you're not far from being eaten.*
Yet Fu You'an didn't smile for long before she saw a message from her father: "Are you free this weekend? Dad found a new friend for you, want to meet up?"
Leaning back in her chair, she replied: "Dad, I'm very busy with work and just want to rest this weekend."
Fu Zhennan: "I'll help you ask Chairman Shang for leave."
"No!!"
Perhaps because Assistant Li kept ignoring his calls, the uncle—who could only track him down at the group headquarters—decided to visit in person. The Chairman had not yet arrived at the office; usually, it was Secretary Fu who came early to turn on the office lights.
It was seven o'clock in the morning. She hadn't been sitting at her desk long when she received a call from the front desk.
"Secretary Fu, the Chairman's uncle has arrived."
What?
She hadn't been at the company as long as the front desk staff, so she wasn't very familiar with the Chairman's relatives. Fortunately, Assistant Li arrived just in time, smoothly escorting the Chairman's uncle into the reception room.
"The boss's uncle has a bad temper. Leave him to me."
"Okay."
Only, Fu You'an hadn't been back to her immersive work for long when footsteps echoed from the doorway. "I've waited this long and he's still not here! Is that brat Fuyan hiding from me?"
Assistant Li tried to stop him from the side. "Sir hasn't arrived yet. You should wait a little longer—"
"Is this Fuyan's female secretary?"
Fu You'an stood up to greet him. "Hello."
The Chairman's uncle had a protruding belly, looking overweight and lacking vitality due to years of indulgence. In particular, the way he looked her up and down was very strange. With a smile, Assistant Li stepped in to block his line of sight.
"This is Mr. Fu Zhennan's daughter, here to learn by the boss's side."
Identity deterrence still worked wonders. The chubby uncle withdrew his gaze and sat down casually on the sofa. "Get me some tea. Since you're Fu Zhennan's daughter, you should learn the ways of socializing. From now on—"
"From now on what?" a voice came from behind.
"From now on, when negotiating business, shouldn't you keep the client company and toast them first?" The uncle turned his head back to see his nephew standing in the doorway, briefcase in hand. "You brat, you've finally arrived!"