Xu Xiuwen narrowed his eyes and asked, “What is Li Xiangjun to you?”
“He’s my uncle,” Liu Xinran blinked and replied.
Xu Xiuwen narrowed his eyes further but said nothing.
Seeing his expression, Liu Xinran found it dull and continued, “Ever since I can remember, Uncle Li has been by my father’s side. You could say he’s sort of like an uncle to me.”
The woman’s casual words revealed something to Xu Xiuwen: Li Xiangjun was either a subordinate or a close associate of Liu Xinran’s father.
This led to an obvious inference—Liu Xinran’s father was no ordinary person.
He either held significant power or immense wealth.
From Liu Xinran’s attire and the fact that her fiancé’s family all worked in public service, it was highly likely her father was a wealthy businessman.
Xu Xiuwen mentally combed through all the major tycoons in Hui Province with the surname Liu but couldn’t immediately think of anyone.
Then again, there were plenty of hidden millionaires these days.
Perhaps Liu Xinran’s father was one of them.
At this point, Xu Xiuwen no longer doubted Liu Xinran’s ability to arrange for Qian Jian to collaborate with them.
Weighing the pros and cons, he finally made a decision.
“Let me be clear. No matter which university you graduated from, this is a small company. The pay isn’t high. If you choose to stay, you’ll earn the same salary as everyone else.”
Seeing that Xu Xiuwen had agreed, Liu Xinran secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit elated.
“I don’t care about the salary. As long as you let me work here, that’s good enough.”
“I can let you stay, but you’ll need to switch roles. You can’t be my secretary.”
Liu Xinran was displeased upon hearing this. “Why not? Did I do something wrong?”
“I don’t know your capabilities. Assigning you as my secretary without understanding your skills would be irresponsible to both the company and you.”
Liu Xinran sneered. “Do you even know which university I graduated from?”
“That doesn’t matter. Until I see your abilities firsthand, I don’t think you’re fit for the secretary role.”
Liu Xinran was both angry and amused. A highly-educated returnee like her being deemed unqualified for a mere secretary role?
She squinted slightly, her voice cold. “So, what do you propose?”
Xu Xiuwen frowned, thinking for a moment before replying, “The only vacancy in the company right now is at the front desk…”
At this point, even he hesitated. Assigning Liu Xinran to work at the front desk seemed too demeaning, too insulting.
For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he should go through with it.
However, Liu Xinran appeared provoked. She widened her eyes, staring directly at Xu Xiuwen.
“Fine! The front desk it is. I’ll prove my abilities to you.”
Liu Xinran’s response caught Xu Xiuwen off guard but also brought him some relief.
Otherwise, he would have had to create a redundant clerical position, which would be wasteful since the company’s staffing was already optimal.
With the job settled, their conversation concluded.
Xu Xiuwen asked, “Where are you living now?”
“The company dormitory.”
“You’ve already moved into the company dormitory?”
“Yes. But I have something to say. Why did the company choose such small accommodations for the dormitory? And it’s shared by three people. You’re really stingy as a boss.”
Xu Xiuwen couldn’t be bothered to explain.
What, was he supposed to provide grand villas as dormitories for his employees?
He felt he wasn’t mistreating his staff, and that was good enough.
“Alright, go on out. I’ve got some things to take care of.”
Liu Xinran gave him a glance, then turned and left.
—
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
At the front desk of a company in Jinling City, a woman in charge of reception suddenly felt her phone vibrate under the desk.
Glancing quickly to the left and right to make sure no one was around, she discreetly retrieved the phone and checked the screen.
Upon seeing the caller ID, she immediately declined the call without hesitation.
She thought that would be the end of it.
However, over the next five minutes, the phone continued to vibrate relentlessly.
Frustrated, the woman powered off the device entirely.
Looking at the now-silent phone, a complicated emotion flashed in her eyes.
—
A disconnected tone came from the other end of the line.
Xu Xiuwen lowered his phone, his face expressionless as he stared at the number on the screen.
The number belonged to Lu Xinyao.
But after several minutes of trying, she hadn’t picked up once.
In the end, she had even turned off her phone, clearly avoiding him.
Xu Xiuwen was already somewhat displeased by Liu Xinran’s impulsive behavior earlier, though he had kept it well-hidden.
Now, Lu Xinyao’s resignation, her abrupt departure without notice, her refusal to answer calls, and her decision to power off her phone only added fuel to the fire.
His anger was becoming harder to suppress.
—
9:00 PM,
At the foot of an apartment building in Xuanwu District, Jinling City, a BMW slowly came to a stop.
Inside the car, a woman sat in the passenger seat.
She was dressed in a neat, professional uniform, and the light from inside the car made the faint skin tone of her legs look particularly alluring.
In the driver’s seat was a man in his forties, dressed in a sharp black suit with slicked-back, glossy hair.
At the moment, the man’s gaze lingered on the woman in the passenger seat.
As the car stopped, the woman said, “President Wang, thank you for giving me a ride home. Please drive safely on your way back. I’ll be heading up now.”
Hearing that she was about to leave, President Wang panicked.
“Wait a moment, Xinyao.”
He hurriedly stopped Lu Xinyao.
Calling her “Xinyao” was already a rather intimate form of address.
In Lu Xinyao’s mind, their relationship wasn’t close enough for him to call her that.
But since he was the president of her new company, despite her growing irritation, she suppressed her temper and didn’t get out of the car immediately.
Still, it was becoming harder for her to maintain a polite smile.
“President Wang, is there something else?”
President Wang looked at Lu Xinyao’s cold yet beautiful face, and his heart burned with desire.
Middle-aged and finding it increasingly difficult to make significant progress in his career, his thoughts and pursuits naturally shifted elsewhere.
He started paying attention to the attractive women in his company. Using his position as the boss, he would show concern for them, invite them out for meals under the guise of company gatherings, and then personally offer to drive them home.
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After dinner, he’d sweet-talk them, make promises, and most of these young women couldn’t resist. Almost all of them fell for it.
As of last week, President Wang had already “sampled” almost all the attractive women in the company.
The thrill of being with these young women made the middle-aged President Wang feel rejuvenated.
Then, a new female employee joined the company—Lu Xinyao.
The first time he saw her, President Wang was captivated. She was stunning, far more beautiful than any other woman in the company.
Naturally, he wasn’t going to let her go.
He had tried to show concern for her before, but unfortunately, Lu Xinyao didn’t respond the way others did. She always remained polite yet distant, skillfully avoiding him.
So, he tried inviting her out to dinner. But every time he asked her out alone, she came up with an excuse to decline.
Until tonight.
Tonight was a company dinner, and Lu Xinyao couldn’t avoid it.
After the dinner, President Wang offered to drive a few female employees home. He dropped off three other women first, leaving Lu Xinyao for last.
And that’s how they ended up in this situation.
President Wang had hoped that Lu Xinyao would invite him upstairs for a drink of water. Every other time he’d dropped off a female employee, they would extend that invitation.
Some said it out of courtesy, knowing full well what it meant, while others were genuinely being polite.
But once he was inside their homes, the rest was up to him. They couldn’t escape.
However, to his surprise, Lu Xinyao showed no intention of inviting him upstairs—not even a superficial, polite gesture.
Seeing that she was about to get out of the car and leave, President Wang panicked. Who knew when he’d have another chance like this?
So, he decided to make his move.
“Xinyao, I’m feeling a bit thirsty. Do you think I could come up to your place for a glass of warm water?”
Lu Xinyao wasn’t naïve.
She’d been at this new company long enough to hear plenty of rumors about President Wang. She knew he didn’t have good intentions.
Even tonight, she’d planned to make her own way home.
But the other three female colleagues insisted on dragging her along to ride in President Wang’s car. If she’d refused again, it would’ve made things awkward.
Reluctantly, she had no choice but to agree.
And as if by prior arrangement, the three women all sat in the back, leaving the front passenger seat for her.
So, Lu Xinyao ended up in the passenger seat next to President Wang.
A thought flashed through her mind, but considering there were still other colleagues in the car earlier, Lu Xinyao felt President Wang wouldn’t try anything inappropriate. So, she had said nothing.
Afterward, President Wang had dropped off the other three female colleagues one by one, leaving her for last.
When the last colleague got out of the car, Lu Xinyao had thought about getting out as well, but she decided against it, not wanting to strain their relationship too much.
Now, however, with President Wang outright asking to go upstairs for water, she knew exactly what he was planning.
Without hesitation, she declined, saying, “President Wang, my place is a mess. I’m really not in a position to entertain anyone.”
She paused briefly before adding, “But I do have an unopened bottle of mineral water in my bag. Here, have this instead.”
She reached into her handbag, pulled out a small bottle of mineral water, and handed it to President Wang.
As she extended her fair, delicate hand, a trace of lust flickered in President Wang’s eyes. While reaching for the bottle, he attempted to graze her hand.
But as if she had anticipated his move, Lu Xinyao abruptly placed the bottle on the car’s armrest instead, avoiding his touch entirely.
After setting down the water, she quickly said, “President Wang, it’s getting late. You should head home now.”
With that, she opened the car door and stepped out.
Her movements were so swift that President Wang didn’t even have time to react. By the time he processed what had happened, Lu Xinyao was already outside the car.
It wasn’t appropriate for him to chase after her or force the issue, so all he could do was watch as she walked away.
At that moment, he realized she was deliberately avoiding him. This left him feeling both displeased and more intrigued.
A reserved woman like her was far more exciting than those who were easily ensnared.
You might have avoided me today, he thought, but as long as you continue working at this company, I’ll eventually have you. Just wait and see.
Convinced that winning her over was only a matter of time, he decided to focus on satisfying his immediate needs.
Blaming Lu Xinyao’s beauty for stirring his desires, President Wang started the car and quickly drove away from the apartment complex.
Meanwhile, after getting out of the car, Lu Xinyao heard the sound of the engine revving. She glanced back and saw President Wang driving off, finally allowing herself to exhale in relief.
A flash of disdain and disgust crossed her eyes.
The thought of having to work alongside such a lecherous boss in her new company left her feeling both helpless and frustrated.
Is this what they mean by escaping the tiger’s den only to fall into the wolf’s lair?
Quickly regaining her composure, Lu Xinyao turned and headed toward her apartment building.
As she stepped through the iron gate at the entrance, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her, as if someone was rushing toward her.
She turned her head and saw a tall man striding quickly in her direction. His face wasn’t clear in the dim light, but his imposing figure made her heart skip a beat.
She suddenly remembered what her roommate had told her when she first moved in.
Apparently, the area hadn’t been very safe recently. There had been reports of a man lurking around at night, preying on women.
Could I really be this unlucky? Am I about to run into a predator?
Panic gripped Lu Xinyao as she rushed into the hallway, sprinting toward the elevator at the end of the corridor.
Standing at the elevator door, she frantically pressed the button over and over again. But, as fate would have it, the building’s only elevator was currently stuck on the fourth floor.
Standing in the dimly lit hallway, she could only pray that this wasn’t what she feared.
Her prayers, however, seemed to go unanswered.
The man had entered through the gate and was heading straight in her direction.
Fear overtook her completely. She no longer dared to wait for the elevator to come down.
Spotting the staircase nearby, her instincts screamed at her to take the stairs.
She pushed open the stairwell door, ready to flee, but before she could step inside, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist from behind.
“Ah—!”
Lu Xinyao screamed in terror.
At the same moment, a familiar male voice reached her ears.
“Lu Xinyao, why are you running?”
Her scream halted abruptly. She hesitated, turning her head slightly to glance behind her.
“President Xu?” she asked uncertainly.
The motion-activated lights in the stairwell flickered on in response to the noise, spilling through the doorway and illuminating both of them.
Finally, she got a good look at the man who had grabbed her wrist—it really was Xu Xiuwen!
The moment she recognized him, she exhaled deeply in relief.
But almost immediately, her expression turned icy.
“Xu Xiuwen, let go of me!”
Hearing her call him by his full name, Xu Xiuwen froze for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity, Lu Xinyao jerked her hand free and took two quick steps back, massaging her reddened wrist.
Her tone was distant, her voice cold. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes were wary as she looked at him.
Xu Xiuwen, snapping back to his senses, noticed her expression. Her guarded gaze, her icy voice—and the fact that she had just gotten out of another man’s car—fueled his simmering irritation.
He had already been upset earlier that afternoon when she ignored his calls. Now, his frustration was dangerously close to boiling over.