Chapter 24: He Knows Everything**

Song Hecheng returned her smile, switching to Chinese.

“Apologies, I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable. You can consider this a sort of informal interview.”

Tao Yu’s expression remained composed and serene, but there was a hint of boldness in her eyes. She smiled and asked,

“Did I pass, Mr. Song?”

Song Hecheng nodded.

“You’re outstanding. You’re fully capable of taking on the role of a translator here. I hope we won’t be underutilizing you.”

Tao Yu didn’t respond to that.

Since their conversation had reached a conclusion,

Song Hecheng stood up.

Tao Yu followed suit, standing as well. When Song Hecheng walked around the desk,

Tao Yu obediently followed him out of the office.

When they reached the door,

Song Hecheng turned to look at her, stepped aside, and gentlemanly extended his hand toward the door.

His voice remained warm and gentle.

“After you.”

“I’ll turn off the lights… and take care of the rest.”

He seemed to emphasize the words “take care of the rest.”

Tao Yu met Song Hecheng’s gaze confidently.

His eyes were deep, with an unspoken meaning.

Tao Yu smiled faintly and softly said,

“Thank you.”

She then stepped out of the office.

She could hear him turning off the lights and locking the door behind her.

In the darkness, Tao Yu smiled slightly.

It seemed he knew she had been deliberately keeping him waiting…

Once outside the office, Tao Yu didn’t slow her pace to wait for him.

She walked at a normal speed.

Soon, a steady stride matched her pace.

Then, the two of them walked side by side.

The corridor on the third floor was bathed in the glow of the streetlights,

And the two of them walked forward in silence.

It was quiet, and neither spoke.

But when they reached the stairs, the lights that had been on earlier were now off.

Looking down the stairs, it was pitch black.

Tao Yu slowed her pace, her expression changing as she stopped at the top of the stairs and didn’t continue.

Song Hecheng, who had descended first and vanished into the darkness, also stopped.

He was probably watching her.

She was sure he was watching her.

She could feel his gaze on her as if it were a physical presence.

But neither spoke.

The silence stretched on for a moment, and then they both stood still for another two minutes.

The man in the dark finally let out a low laugh.

“Afraid of the dark?”

Tao Yu’s face darkened as she looked down at the stairs.

“I’m not afraid of the dark…”

“I’m afraid of falling.”

But in the darkness, his low laugh rang out again, louder this time.

Perhaps fearing she might get angry,

The man who had been laughing still politely extended his hand toward her.

In his hand was a rolled-up document.

“Sorry, it’s summer, so I don’t have a sleeve to offer. This document will have to do.”

“Hold on. I’ll guide you down.”

Tao Yu didn’t hesitate. She took the rolled-up document from his hand.

Then, she followed behind him, disappearing into the darkness.

The three-story staircase wasn’t short.

In the silent night, the only sound was the echo of their footsteps as they walked in sync, one behind the other.

Tao Yu couldn’t see Song Hecheng in front of her.

She could only clearly feel the document in her hand, guiding her down slowly, clearly trying to match her pace.

But there was a subtle shift in Tao Yu’s eyes.

It seemed she wasn’t quite willing to accept this kind gesture.

In the dark,

She slowly released her grip on the document, then stopped walking.

Song Hecheng’s footsteps ahead of her also stopped.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you hold on?”

Tao Yu heard his voice, just a few steps away.

She softly responded,

“No, I didn’t hold on.”

Then she added,

“I’m a little… scared. Can you hold my hand?”

After Tao Yu spoke, the atmosphere in the darkness paused for a few seconds.

Then, Song Hecheng’s calm voice sounded again.

“Extend your hand.”

Tao Yu obediently extended her right hand.

The Next Moment, a Warm, Dry Palm Precisely Contacted Her Hand

Then, it firmly grasped her hand.

“My apologies.”

Just like that,

Tao Yu was led by Song Hecheng, step by step,

Walking steadily down to the first floor.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Song Hecheng casually released her hand.

At that moment, Tao Yu tilted her head, gazing up at the tall man in front of her, silhouetted against the light.

She still couldn’t make out the expression on his face.

Song Hecheng spoke gently.

“Shall we walk together?”

“Alright.”

Tao Yu replied with a soft smile.

In the Car

Tao Yu, sitting in the front passenger seat, looked at Song Hecheng, who was driving, but didn’t ask about Xiao Zhang’s whereabouts.

Wasn’t it better that Xiao Zhang wasn’t around…?

However, Tao Yu’s soft and delicate lips parted, clearly asking one question.

“Mr. Song, do you have a partner?”

Song Hecheng, maintaining his usual calm expression, replied after a few seconds.

“No.”

Tao Yu’s eyebrow lifted slightly.

Clearly, this answer pleased her.

Tao Yu placed her hand on her knee, lowering her head and casually playing with her fingers, before lazily tossing out another question.

“Mr. Song, what type do you like?”

The question carried a subtle edge.

If Song Hecheng turned to look at Tao Yu now,

She wouldn’t have that previous demure look on her face anymore.

But Song Hecheng responded,

“What do I like?”

“What kind of girl do you like?”

Tao Yu responded confidently.

Song Hecheng shook his head, smiling, his voice carrying amusement.

“I don’t know.”

His tone of helplessness made it seem as though Tao Yu was just a mischievous child asking questions.

Tao Yu, however, simply raised an eyebrow indifferently.

Clearly, this answer didn’t impress her much…

The Next Day

This was Tao Yu’s first day working on the third floor.

Her desk was conveniently placed opposite Chen Jiefang’s.

Her colleagues warmly welcomed her arrival.

After Director Li showed Tao Yu around the entire third floor,

Tao Yu realized that nearly all the employees on the floor were male, with only two middle-aged female staff members handling logistics.

Apparently, these arrangements had been made by Mr. Song himself.

Tao Yu smiled coldly.

She recalled the female applicants who had eagerly applied for the position in the factory director’s office before.

Yes, with fewer people eyeing Song Hecheng,

She definitely had fewer problems.

However, on her first day at work, she didn’t see Song Hecheng.

Director Li cheerfully handed her the translation files.

“Tao, here are the files for today. By the way, Mr. Song is on a business trip, so the translated documents don’t need to be handed over to the workshop for now.”

Tao Yu accepted the files and nodded.

So, Song Hecheng was on a business trip.

That meant today would still be dull…

The first day of work went smoothly.

Tao Yu worked as silently and diligently as if she were in the cafeteria,

Focused entirely on her tasks, speaking only when necessary to respond to her colleagues’ questions.

She showed no impatience or indifference on her face, perfectly concealing any feelings.

In the Afternoon

Tao Yu finished work at the factory and headed home as usual.

But as she reached her doorstep, she heard a man’s voice coming from the yard.

Tao Yu listened carefully.

Oh, it was the original owner’s father.

Which meant her so-called “dad” had arrived