Chapter 622: Chapter 29: Staircase Rooftop
Chapter 29: Stairway to the Rooftop
The top floor doesn’t house any departments, so it’s very quiet at this hour. As Li Yan arrived at the stairwell and took in the surroundings, he found the experience thrilling. The thrill of being in the stairwell itself was adventurous, but doing it in the company’s stairwell during daylight hours was even more exciting. The rooftop, however, was a bit too risky; being caught on camera would not be good.
When he was the vice-captain of security, he had some understanding of the distribution of the company’s cameras. He knew that since hardly anyone came here, there were no cameras in this area.
He walked to the rooftop door and found it unlocked. But just outside there was a camera, so he didn’t push the door open to enjoy the view.
He hadn’t waited long before he heard faint footsteps below. Peeking down, he saw it was Hai Fu entering the stairwell.
Hai Fu looked up, saw Li Yan, adjusted her glasses, and then walked up step by step.
Li Yan smiled, opened his arms, waiting for her to come up.
Hai Fu came up and hugged him tightly, then pushed him hard against the wall.
"Finally remembered me?" Hai Fu said with a hint of bitterness.
She was at the age where her desires were strong, having suppressed them for so long before, and after starting something with Li Yan, her mindset completely shifted, naturally wanting more. They hadn’t been together for a while, then Li Yan went to H City, and upon returning, got busy immediately. They hadn’t been intimate for over a month, and it had been a long drought.
But seeing him so hardworking, she couldn’t bear to hold him back, so she held herself back. However, the recent pressures of work had been great for her. She was a protégé of Zhang Tianyi and was extremely loyal to the company; it was her life beyond just a job or position. When she received Li Yan’s text amidst such pressures, her long-held passion erupted, daringly inviting him to the rooftop.
Truthfully, she had her worries. After Li Yan returned last time, he subtly hinted at "familiarity breeds fondness." Since then, they hadn’t been as intimate, making her suspect Li Yan only wanted her for physical needs and wished to maintain a "sex partner" relationship without delving deeper emotionally, cooling things down with her.
This made her feel conflicted. Although she initially didn’t want Li Yan getting too involved, opting for a purely physical relationship until she found a suitable boyfriend to cut things off, now she found herself unable to extricate from him, even not having eyes for other men.
For Hai Fu’s resentful response, Li Yan didn’t say much, instead expressing through action, tightly embracing her and leaning in to kiss her lips.
His move sparked Hai Fu’s passion immediately. She abandoned all concerns, disregarding being at the company, seeking to vent, both longing colored by the pressures of work and her personal desires.
The two began fiercely kissing, but although thrilling initially, the stairwell wasn’t a suitable place for more significant intimacy, less so than an office. Even though no one would usually come here, if anyone did, there wouldn’t be time to react.
However, Li Yan’s years of habit kept him vigilant regardless of the setting. Even in an engulfing passion, he remained aware of their surroundings.
Mid-revelry, he caught subtle sounds of talking, surprising him. Since they were in the stairwell, even footsteps any levels below would resonate. But he heard talking instead—indicative of only two possibilities: someone at the top stairwell’s door or just outside the rooftop door!
Either possibility necessitated ceasing their intimate moment and preparing to retreat; exposure would be damaging for Hai Fu, if not him.
He quickly stopped the kiss, raised his head, and listened intently, pressing a hand on Hai Fu’s shoulder as a caution to stay still, whispering, "Someone’s here!"
His words had the effect of cold water, instantly sobering Hai Fu, who looked at him nervously.
Listening closely, Li Yan determined the voices came from the rooftop, not below, and it seemed like someone was on a call.
Li Yan pointed towards the rooftop door, indicating the presence outside. Hai Fu adjusted her clothes swiftly, then motioned towards the stairs, signaling to leave quickly.
But Li Yan shook his head, gently leading her to the doorway, gesturing towards the latch. He wanted to identify who was outside and whether they had noticed them. If the person decided to come in, he could bolt the door, giving them time to leave calmly.
Hai Fu nodded in agreement, worriedly listening alongside him to see if they had been discovered.
Li Yan quietly placed his hand on the latch, slowly moving it into place. His sharp hearing confirmed the outside person hadn’t noticed them. Otherwise, at such proximity, he would’ve heard footsteps or other noises near the door.
He hadn’t noticed anyone when coming up possibly due to the rooftop’s vastness, with the person not near the entrance. Since he hadn’t ventured onto the rooftop, he wouldn’t hear noises from afar.
With the door latched, Hai Fu felt somewhat reassured. Whatever happened, they had some time to leave; anyone locked outside would find help soon enough. Yet she felt urgency to go, although her hand was held back by Li Yan.
Hai Fu tried pulling away, urging Li Yan it was time to leave.
However, Li Yan wore a solemn expression, motioning for her to listen carefully to the sounds outside.
Someone was indeed on a call, possibly initially in a distant corner before approaching the door during the conversation, allowing Li Yan to pick up on it. Yet the person didn’t leave immediately, continuing their call outside the door. They had intended to finish the call and go, but an argument ensued, pausing outside and thus granting Li Yan and Hai Fu a chance to overhear more.
"...You’re insane! I won’t do it; this is illegal!"
"...Same boat? Are you kidding? You’re sacrificing me as a pawn for your own ends!"
Standing by the door, they could hear clearly; from the one-sided conversation and tone, it was evident the person was on a call, though the content on the other end was speculative.
But even from this fragment, Hai Fu’s expression shifted dramatically. Though unaware of the caller’s partner demands, she surmised the situation’s nature.
Suddenly, she felt no urge to leave; rather, she feared Li Yan might leave and hurried to whisper in his ear, "It’s Lin Fenni, the Public Relations Director... seems like she might be involved just like Zhou Shiru... let’s keep listening."
Li Yan nodded.
He knew who Lin Fenni was, aware of her involvement, and had shown the evidence to Zhang Yurong. However, having had no prior contact, he didn’t recognize her voice. Upon hearing talking from the rooftop, he was suspicious!
Given it was the weekend and after hours, most were wrapping up or leaving their stations. Any personal calls would be brief or postponed, or taken in break rooms, smoking areas, hallways, or stairwells—not going to the rooftop, suggesting questionable motives for the caller.
Sensing the speaker’s suspicion, he and Hai Fu stayed to eavesdrop.
From Lin Fenni’s words, the caller seemed to coax her into undertaking something unlawful—work she refused due to its illegal implications. Hai Fu recognized Lin Fenni’s voice and context clues to link her potentially with Zhou Shiru’s actions, collaborating with rivals to endanger the company. But with Li Yan identifying her, he needn’t speculate—it was almost certainly so!
Now he sought clarity on what illegal acts they wanted from Lin Fenni. Legal violations could range widely, from like Planning Director Chen Aiyuan’s data theft and sale to Zhou Shiru’s planned exposure of company secrets. Yet if Changhe Group manipulated Lin Fenni’s actions, turning the tides would cause even greater issues!
(Thanks to yesterday’s supporters: Me, the Unique, Arbitrageur, liduff1, Ding Chongchong, Moon Soaring Stars, Oh Not Dead, dongmin8061, Dragon Man ^Q^, Cp Pampas) (To be continued... for the latest Chapters, please visit www.qidian.com to support the author and original reading!)
