Zang Ling tried her best to control her eyes, resisting the urge to sneak a glance in Yan Wenshu’s direction.

She hadn’t originally planned to eat in the cafeteria, but the moment she spotted Yan Wenshu, it was as if she had been put under a spell; her feet carried her after him without hesitation.

Thinking about it now, she let out a silent sigh of relief. Thankfully, there weren’t many people around at the time. Otherwise, if someone had seen her following Yan Wenshu like a lovestruck stalker…

She couldn’t even imagine the embarrassment.

But ever since she had asked him to leave earlier, he hadn’t looked at her once.

Was Yan Wenshu… angry?

Impossible.

Zang Ling frowned. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who got angry easily. So that only left one explanation.

Yan Wenshu must have been heartbroken by her words, choosing to bear the pain alone.

Zang Ling felt a little guilty, but even more so, she couldn’t help but picture those beautiful eyes turning red, tears welling up but stubbornly refusing to fall…

Hmm. She felt a bit aroused.

Maybe…

Just one quick glance?

That thought grew wildly in her mind, taking root before she could stop it. Feigning nonchalance, she stole a glance in his direction.

What she saw was a perfect side profile, long, slightly curled eyelashes, a straight nose, and gentle, slightly melancholic eyes. Even when he smiled at the person he was speaking to, the expression looked forced.

He seemed… unhappy.

Zang Ling felt an overwhelming surge of tenderness.

She had originally planned to get his contact information in the afternoon and then apologize, but looking at him now, she decided she needed to act fast. If she didn’t clear things up soon, Yan Wenshu might be so heartbroken he’d make himself sick.

Meanwhile, Chen Wenting was watching Yan Wenshu as he listened attentively to Xia Siyu. The more she spoke with him, the more she appreciated his excellence. His presence was so comfortable, even his way of speaking felt refined.

She glanced at her phone. It was almost time to return to work. Just as she was about to remind them, she caught sight of an unfamiliar colleague’s shocked expression, one directed at something behind her.

Chen Wenting couldn’t help but turn around.

Her eyes widened instantly.

Ahhh!

Ch-Chairman Z-Zang! She’s walking this way!

Chen Wenting immediately shrank back, pretending to play on her phone. A slight breeze brushed past her, and from the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of black high heels stop next to a pair of black leather shoes.

Zang Ling, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor, stepped beside Yan Wenshu, then leaned in slightly and spoke in a low voice.

“Secretary Yan, have you finished eating? You left something in the office. I brought it out for you.”

The system was puzzled.

[Host, when did you leave something behind? Why don’t I know about this?]

Then, as if struck by sudden enlightenment, it gasped excitedly.

[Wait, is this just an excuse made up by Zang Ling just so she could come see you?!]

Yan Wenshu’s gaze flickered. He first acted as if he had just remembered something, then responded with genuine gratitude.

“Thank you, Chairman Zang. I’ve already finished eating. Where did you put it?”

“This isn’t a convenient place to talk. Follow me.”

Noticing the growing commotion around them, Zang Ling said no more. She simply nodded toward Xia Siyu and Chen Wenting before turning to leave.

Chen Wenting was screaming internally.

Chairman Zang nodded at her! Today was truly her lucky day! Chairman Zang was even more breathtaking up close! And when she and Yan Wenshu stood together, they looked absolutely stunning!

Yan Wenshu gave them an apologetic smile.

“Manager Xia, Wenting, I’ll be heading back first.”

Xia Siyu replied, “Go ahead. We were about to leave as well.”

Chen Wenting was too giddy to care. She waved dismissively. “No worries, no worries. Just keep an eye on the time. Don’t be late. Chairman Zang doesn’t like tardiness.”

Yan Wenshu nodded, tidied up his tray, and followed in the direction Zang Ling had gone.

The system whined.

[Host, you’re too slow! Zang Ling’s already out of sight. But why did she walk so fast? Why didn’t she wait for you?]

Yan Wenshu didn’t comment. He had a hunch—Zang Ling hadn’t actually left.

Sure enough, when he turned the corner, he saw her leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, as if resting.

“Chairman Zang.”

[Wha—she didn’t leave?!]

The system’s shocked voice echoed in his ears.

Yan Wenshu chuckled softly. Now he understood why she had acted so strangely in the cafeteria. She must have thought he didn’t like drawing attention to himself, so she hadn’t deliberately waited for him to walk together.

But then… Why had she approached him so publicly in the first place?

That part, he still couldn’t figure out.

Zang Ling looked up when she heard his voice, her expression serious, as if she were about to issue an important order.

What would she say?

Yan Wenshu maintained a gentle smile. Was she going to seize him by force? Or perhaps imprison him?

Wasn’t that what people like her always did?

But things didn’t unfold the way he expected.

Instead, Zang Ling pulled a familiar notebook from behind her back and handed it to him.

“Next time, don’t forget it.”

“…Alright.”

The smile on Yan Wenshu’s face almost faltered as he took the notebook from Zang Ling, looking at her serious expression in slight disbelief. Was she… being serious?

His gaze returned to Zang Ling, and only then did he notice the faint flush on her cheeks, as if she had just engaged in intense physical activity. A thin layer of sweat also glistened on her fair forehead.

She had run back to retrieve this, Yan Wenshu suddenly realized. His expression shifted slightly, a hint of complexity appearing in his eyes. His impression of Zang Ling had subtly changed.

The system, unaware of his inner thoughts, looked thoroughly disappointed, [Host, you actually did forget something? So I was wrong…]

[No, you weren’t completely wrong.] The item was just an excuse, she wanted to see him.

Zang Ling, noticing the new secretary’s lack of joy upon receiving the notebook, was momentarily confused. Shouldn’t he be happy to have found his lost item?

She thought for a moment. Could it still be because of that incident?

Glancing around briefly, she cleared her throat and said, “Secretary Yan, I didn’t yell at you on purpose this morning. You know, being caught making that kind of laugh is pretty embarrassing. I wasn’t mad at you, so don’t overthink it, okay?”

Yan Wenshu, who definitely would have overthought it, thought, “?”

He maintained his polite smile. “No, your laughter is quite adorable.” Just… a little unhinged.

“Really?”

Zang Ling beamed. “That’s great! Then I won’t hold back in front of you anymore. It was suffocating!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than she let out that all-too-familiar laughter. Fortunately, she had enough awareness to suppress the volume somewhat. Otherwise, half the building would have heard that strange sound.

The system cautiously glanced at Yan Wenshu: [Host, so this is your type?]

[I meant nothing by it!] It quickly added, [Just asking.]

Yan Wenshu was utterly speechless.

How did she believe everything he said so easily?

“…Chairman Zang, perhaps you should rest. You seem a bit out of breath.” He truly didn’t understand what was so funny.

“I—I… I’m fine! Just… give me a moment…” The woman gasped between fits of laughter.

The system giggled foolishly, [But you have to admit, Zang Ling is really cute.]

Yan Wenshu looked at her crescent-shaped eyes, the dimples appearing on her cheeks as she laughed, and hesitated for a moment. He had to admit, right now, she did look a little… cute. Not very cute, but still cute.

He suddenly froze. What was he even thinking?

Zang Ling finally managed to calm herself down, her face aching from laughing so much. She straightened up and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, about to say that they should return to work—

The next second, the man’s handsome face suddenly closed in, his lean yet warm frame moving closer. He braced one hand against the wall, leaving only a fist-sized gap between them.

At the same time, a deep, cello-like voice sounded in her ear: “Chairman Zang, my apologies. Someone’s coming.”

Zang Ling’s face slowly turned red. Her body went rigid, unable to process the sounds around her, her entire focus drawn to the small space between them.

At such close proximity, she felt so shy that she lowered her head, not daring to look directly at him. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but steal glances.

This… she had only ever seen this kind of scene in comics before.

She never quite understood why female leads reacted the way they did after being *kabedon-ed^[1]TL Note: Kabedon (壁ドン) is a Japanese term referring to the act of slamming a hand against a wall to pin someone (usually in a romantic or confrontational manner). It’s a common trope in manga … Continue reading, but experiencing it firsthand… Now she was starting to get it.

Unfortunately, before she could savor the moment for long, Yan Wenshu straightened up and stepped away.

As soon as the other group of people had left, he turned his head, only to be met with Zang Ling’s lingering, reluctant gaze. He was completely baffled.

Had he… missed something just now?

“Can we do it again?” Zang Ling looked up at him expectantly.

“…Hmm? You mean…?”

“Another kabedon!”

Yan Wenshu didn’t know what to say anymore.

After repeating the action ten more times, Zang Ling was finally satisfied.

Yan Wenshu let out a subtle breath of relief. Just then, he had felt like nothing more than an emotionless prop, used for her personal experimentation.

“Alright, let’s get back to work now!” she said cheerfully.

They took the elevator up to the 35th floor. Zang Ling waved happily at Yan Wenshu before disappearing into her office.

The secretary’s office was right next to the chairman’s. Yan Wenshu sat down at his desk and opened the notebook, only to notice a small, hand-drawn smiley face in the top right corner of the first page. Next to it was a note:

“Make sure to be happy every day~”

The system practically swooned, [She put so much thought into it!]

[Host, are you sure you don’t want to consider dating Zang Ling? I really think she’d be a great partner.]

Yan Wenshu stared at the message for a long time before suddenly tearing out the page, crumpling it, and stuffing it into his bag.

The system was stunned, [What are you doing?! That was clearly something Zang Ling drew just for you! How could you tear it up?!]

Yan Wenshu replied, [It was just some random doodling. It wasn’t meant for me.]

[But…] The system hesitated. It was clearly written right under his name.

[System, don’t forget our deal. I only need to make Zang Ling fall for me. Nothing else matters.]

The system’s tone weakened, [I… understand.]

That was true, but still, shouldn’t he at least appreciate a girl’s sincere effort? It didn’t dare voice this thought aloud, fearing Yan Wenshu would mute it again.

Last time, he had blocked it out for three whole days. That was not a pleasant experience.

Just then, the system’s alarm suddenly blared.

Yan Wenshu frowned slightly, [What is it?]

The system sounded flustered, [Let me check…]

Moments later, it returned in a panic.

[Host! It’s the male lead! He’s coming…]

Yan Wenshu’s gaze darkened, a storm brewing in his eyes.

Since his rebirth, this was the first time he was going to see that person again.

And in his heart, there was no joy, but only…

An endless, seething hatred.

A hatred so deep, that he wanted nothing more than to kill him on the spot.