He wore a cold expression. “You must be General Manager Jing?” Deng Yuanhong also stood up, extending his hand in a friendly manner. “Hello, my surname is Deng; we met at the party.” Jing Rui nodded slightly, shaking hands with Deng Yuanhong, but his gaze remained firmly locked on her. Was he angry? She stood there, feeling uneasy.

“By the way, General Jing, since you’re Xiaoyan’s boss, can you help me persuade her?” Deng Yuanhong, unaware of the tense atmosphere, spoke clearly.

His familiar address seemed to further infuriate Jing Rui, his jaw tightening.

This was bad. She smiled bitterly.

Jing Rui didn’t even glance at her, staring directly at Deng Yuanhong, his face still expressionless. “What do you want me to persuade her about?”

“Persuade her not to always work for you and to go out with me occasionally,” Deng Yuanhong joked, pausing before his expression turned serious. “When I came in earlier, she was the only girl in the office. How lonely is that! And she hadn’t had dinner; fortunately, I brought supper, or she might have fainted from hunger! It’s too miserable for a woman to work like this.”

So he felt sorry for her? Did he care for her? Did he want to stand up for her?

Jing Rui clenched his teeth, his muscles tense, his male instincts alerting him to the other male presence. Sensing his suppressed anger, Jiang Yuyan quickly asked Deng Yuanhong to leave politely. “But I want to take you home,” he insisted.

“No need; I still have some things to report to our boss, and it might take a while. You should go first.”

“Okay, but remember to call me when you get home, so I know you’re safe.” Deng Yuanhong, understanding the situation, left without insisting further.

In the office, only a standoff remained between the man and woman.

“Did everything go smoothly during your visit to Fenghua Technology today?” After a long silence, she finally broke the quiet, her voice gentle.

“Very smoothly,” he answered tersely.

“That’s good to hear.” She felt happy for him. “So does he already know that you’re there to acquire Fenghua on behalf of Liang Guanya?”

“How could that be?” He sneered coldly. “Today was just a courtesy visit to get a feel for Fenghua’s situation, but next time I go, I won’t be alone.”

He would lead a team to acquire it, full of confidence, right? His uncle and cousin would be stunned, not knowing what to do. Jiang Yuyan pursed her lips and smiled slightly, almost able to vividly imagine that scene. She knew he had been waiting for that day to arrive, and she truly hoped to witness such a proud moment of his in person. “Actually, I wanted to accompany you today,” she sighed regretfully.

“You don’t need to go; you’d only be in the way if you did.” His tone was indifferent.

She felt a bit hurt.

Of course, she understood she shouldn’t go. If his cousin recognized her as his secretary and knew she had set a trap for him that night at the party, it would probably ruin the entire plan.

But did he have to sound so harsh? When did she become someone who would ruin his plans?

Jiang Yuyan lightly bit her lip, swallowing her grievances. “Then why did you come back to the company so late? Did you have dinner with your uncle?”

“How could he possibly have dinner with me?” He smirked coldly, his eyes void of laughter. “He hates me and wishes to never see me again.”

“So you haven’t eaten yet?” She furrowed her brow in concern. “I have some crackers; do you want to eat something first? Later, I can accompany you for supper—”

“I’ve already eaten,” he interrupted. “I had dinner with Hu Liying.”

“What?” She was stunned.

“Aren’t you the one who wanted me to ask her out? I took her out tonight,” he taunted, his deep-set eyes reflecting her slightly pale face. She couldn’t speak, her heartbeat slowing. So he was with Hu Liying, while she had been waiting for him in the office, he was joking around with another woman.

“After spending time with her, I realize you were right; she really is a wonderful woman. She’s not like those spoiled rich girls, and she speaks very insightfully. It’s never boring being with her,” he praised, each word striking her heart like thunder.

She felt a bit of pain. “So, you enjoyed this meal very much?”

“Yeah, it was quite enjoyable,” he admitted.

Great. Her expression was numb. While she was gnawing on the taste of loneliness by herself, he was happily sharing a meal with another woman. He wouldn’t let her wait alone at her home but could leave her in the office late at night.

“The general manager has other appointments, which I can understand, but could you please give me a call next time to let me know? That way, I can make other arrangements in advance,” she replied coldly, starting to tidy up the documents on the table.

“Arrangements for what?” He glared at her in frustration. “So you can call a man up to accompany you? I never knew you were such a woman who can’t stand being lonely. You’ve only known Deng Yuanhong for a few days, and you’re already eager to throw yourself at him!”

A crisp slap suddenly sliced through the air, halting his rude rant. “Jiang Yuyan, how dare you hit me!” His fiery gaze burned her fiercely. She was in so much pain she couldn’t breathe but stubbornly refused to lower her head or give in.

“Do you think I’m that kind of woman who casually throws herself at someone in your eyes?”

“Even if you didn’t throw yourself at him, you let him get too close to you! You’ve only known him for a few days, and he’s already calling you that!”

“So you mean I’m intentionally trying to seduce him?”

“Isn’t that what you know in your heart?” he yelled.

In other words, he really thought of her as that kind of woman. Did he not consider that if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have acted that way?

Did he think she was born to be flirtatious?