Chapter 28: The Boss Reaches for Food, I Turn the Table

Ruan Li scrambled back to her desk from yesterday, while the filming crew arrived at the top floor shortly after her via the elevator. Since Fu Huaizhou’s office was considered confidential, the director’s team couldn’t enter without his permission.

“Who bet yesterday that Ruan Li would quit the show?”

“I’m just waiting to see how she’ll shamelessly keep working after getting scolded by the CEO yesterday.”

Ruan Li came to work today with a “whatever” attitude. She went straight to Fu Huaizhou’s personal coffee machine, made herself an iced Americano to reduce the swelling, and relaxed.

As expected, the coffee machine imported from Italy and the premium ingredients made a drink that tasted far better than anything she could usually buy.

Just as Fu Huaizhou and Assistant Qin went downstairs for a morning meeting, Ruan Li thought she had the day to herself again. However, Secretary Qiu approached her.

“Miss Ruan, here’s today’s schedule and important notes for Mr. Fu. Please familiarize yourself with them in advance.”

Ruan Li was puzzled, “Why give this to me?”

Secretary Qiu smiled kindly. “Mr. Fu instructed that, starting today, administrative tasks will be handed over to you.” She also handed Ruan Li a small booklet. “These are Mr. Fu’s preferences and dislikes. The more you review it, the easier your job will be.”

Since Ruan Li had nothing better to do, she casually flipped through the booklet. Aside from his stomach issues, Fu Huaizhou had no major dietary restrictions. However, his list of personal preferences and dislikes in daily life was extensive.

He disliked noise, animals with fur, bright colors, and preferred items to be arranged in a particular order. He had mild OCD.

Ruan Li glanced down at her red dress, realizing that it was probably a terrible choice today. To make matters worse, she’d fed her cat, Lucky, this morning, and there were two white cat hairs stuck to her dress. She almost fainted—why did her day always start in disaster?

Secretary Qiu glanced at the time and gently reminded her, “The secretarial office starts work at 8:30.”

The viewers in the livestream comments immediately jumped on this, attacking Ruan Li.

“She’s an hour late for filming and still thinks she’s a diva on set?”

Ruan Li was oblivious. No one had told her about the schedule yesterday, and since the other departments started at 9:00, she had arrived at the same time as Ye Mian. Plus, the filming crew took longer to set up because they had to go through an approval process, so her livestream was naturally delayed compared to others.

As they were talking, the elevator doors opened, and Fu Huaizhou stepped out. When he passed Ruan Li’s desk, he glanced at her briefly. Ruan Li assumed it was because he disliked the color of her dress.

Not that she was going to change it anyway.

The secretarial office fell into complete silence as soon as he entered his office.

“Do you think she’ll get scolded again for being late?”

“Is yesterday’s incident just going to blow over? Is the boss of Fu Corporation really that lenient?”

“Is there really no way to see his face? I’d pay to get a glimpse.”

With nothing else to do, Ruan Li took out her phone and began answering the livestream comments. “I wasn’t late. Fu Corporation’s own schedule says 9:00. And no, he’s not lenient at all. Anyone who doesn’t believe me is welcome to apply for a job here.”

“As for showing his face? Don’t expect much. He’s not that handsome.”

Assistant Qin happened to overhear her last remark and almost thought he’d misheard. He was about to take out his phone when Ruan Li shot him a warning look, mouthing, “Don’t snitch!”

“Who believes that?” The livestream comments rolled in even faster after her reply.

A few minutes later, the office door suddenly opened. Fu Huaizhou casually said to Assistant Qin, “The secretarial office starts work at 9:00. Make sure that’s communicated.”

Ruan Li was stunned, and the livestream chat exploded with comments.

“The production team must have paid them off, right? Also, the boss’s voice is perfection!”

“This is Fu Corporation—who could afford to bribe them? Ruan Li wasn’t late, some people just love to make trouble.”

While Ruan Li was watching the chaos unfold, a shadow suddenly fell over her desk.

“Fieldwork. Pack your things,” Fu Huaizhou ordered.

Ruan Li glanced outside at the blazing sun and stubbornly shook her head. “I’m not going. Take Secretary Qiu with you instead.”

The chat blew up: “??? Did I hear that right? Is Ruan Li out of her mind?”

“She must really be done with this job. Can I take her place? I love working!”

Fu Huaizhou lightly tapped her desk a few times with his fingers. “Secretary Qiu has other things to handle. Do I need to repeat what I said in the elevator?”

He gestured subtly toward the camera.

“You…” Ruan Li forced a fake smile, grabbing her bag through gritted teeth. “Fine, Mr. Fu. Let’s go.”

Once they were in Fu Huaizhou’s business car, Ruan Li quickly opened the window to let the breeze in, while Fu Huaizhou quietly reviewed some documents. The camera was mounted on the seat in front of her.

The chat kept buzzing: “What happened in the elevator? Why is the atmosphere so different today compared to yesterday?”

“There’s only one explanation—they hooked up last night…”

“Ridiculous, but I believe it.”

“Am I the only one impressed by the car? Is this really the prince of Beijing’s elite? I’ve never seen a car like this up close before, eye-opener!”

When they arrived at the banquet estate, the film crew was already waiting by the private room door. Due to certain restrictions, the camera could only focus on Ruan Li. As the door opened, Fu Huaizhou glanced at the staff standing outside.

“It’s not confidential; they can film,” he stated.

The film crew had never witnessed such a scene before. This was their first real glimpse of Beijing’s high society.

Ruan Li followed Fu Huaizhou inside and froze when she saw the man sitting across the room. It was Jiang Yixing.

Jiang Yixing was also surprised to see her with Fu Huaizhou, especially in this context. “What kind of lineup is this, Mr. Fu?”

Fu Huaizhou pulled out a chair for Ruan Li, waited for her to sit, then took his own seat. “Didn’t you ask me to discuss a collaboration, Young Master Jiang? She’s just my secretary.”

Jiang Yixing couldn’t say anything too direct in front of the cameras. He motioned for the waiter to take his order, specifically adding, “Replace any dishes with peanuts.”

As soon as he said that, Fu Huaizhou recalled a conversation between Ye Mian and Ruan Li at Jing Pavilion. He gave Ruan Li, who was wiping the tableware next to him, a deep look.

Ruan Li, confused, looked back at him. “What’s the matter? Do you want me to wipe yours too?”

Since she had nothing else to do, and knowing his OCD tendencies, she took his utensils and wiped them clean as well, treating it as a way to pass the time.

Fu Huaizhou wanted to ask something but held back because of the others around them.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat had moved on to a different topic: “That Jiang guy sounds like a hottie too. Ah, the Beijing elite. This estate is beyond anything I could ever dream of owning.”

“Doesn’t anyone else sense some subtle tension between these two bosses? And who’s allergic to peanuts?”

Someone quietly replied, “Ruan Li mentioned in a past interview that she’s allergic to peanuts…”

“The rumors about Ruan Li’s background might not be fake after all… Don’t forget about that pink diamond.”

As the dishes were served, Ruan Li, mindful of her figure, only nibbled on a few bites. Noticing her putting down her chopsticks, Fu Huaizhou frowned slightly and motioned to the waiter to serve her more food.

Staring at the calorie-heavy dishes in front of her, Ruan Li shot him a frustrated look. She had just been thinking that maybe he wasn’t going to make things difficult for her today, but now he was back to his usual self.

So, throughout the meal, every time Fu Huaizhou reached out to serve her more food, Ruan Li turned the lazy Susan, making the dishes spin out of his reach.

Fu Huaizhou watched her calmly, amused. Ruan Li turned to a spot the camera couldn’t see and wrinkled her nose at him, thinking she looked intimidating.

Across from them, Jiang Yixing, watching their interaction, lost his appetite and set down his chopsticks.

As the livestream neared its end, the chat was more active than ever. Compared to other streams—where people were either engaged in workplace drama, showing off their professional skills, or struggling in the finance world Ruan Li’s stream, filled with “CEO gossip” and “Beijing elite rumors,” attracted the most random viewers.

“Boss tries to serve food, I turn the table. Boss toasts, I refuse. I feel vindicated as a working-class hero, ha!”

“I’m calling this the ‘entertainment industry slacker variety show.’ Feels like she’s quitting tomorrow…”

Ruan Li, too busy sparring with Fu Huaizhou to check her phone, grew tired of the constant game and took a sip of red wine from the glass in front of her.

The room fell silent instantly. Ruan Li glanced at the two men who had suddenly stopped talking, not understanding why. Meanwhile, the livestream chat exploded.

“If I’m not mistaken, that was the boss’s wine glass, right? He just drank from it…”

Fu Huaizhou gave her a meaningful look but didn’t point it out. “Does it taste good?” he asked quietly.