When I come back, I want to see you. Because of this sentence, she obediently stayed to work overtime, keeping herself company in the quiet office with her lonely shadow. Yet he still hadn’t returned, not even a phone call.

Has he forgotten her? Forgotten that she was waiting for him at the company? Or perhaps he remembered but deliberately ignored her, punishing her for making him wait in her room that night.

With that thought, Jiang Yuyan sighed softly.

It was hard for her to believe he could be such a petty man. Although he could be arrogant and domineering at times, and sometimes even cold-blooded to an astonishing degree, he had always shown her a measure of tenderness.

He wouldn’t just leave her like this; he would definitely come back.

No matter what, she was determined to wait for him. She didn’t want to be missing when he was finally ready to share everything with her, filled with passion. That mistake made that night couldn’t happen again. So, Jiang Yuyan calmed her mind, letting time pass without counting every second, focusing on reading the materials she prepared to present, summarizing them and jotting down her opinions.

The coffee on the table gradually cooled. She took a sip and tasted a faint bitterness.

“I knew you’d still be here!” A cheerful voice suddenly broke the silence.

She jolted, her eyes widening in surprise as she met the warm smile of a man.

“Deng Yuanhong?” she exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I passed by and thought I’d check on you,” he said, offering an excuse that anyone could see through, holding up a paper bag. “Are you hungry? I brought you something to eat.”

She hesitated, not expecting him to come visit her so suddenly, and thoughtfully bring supper. Upon reflection, she had only nibbled on a few crackers for dinner and was indeed a bit hungry.

“Thank you.” She graciously accepted his kindness. “What is this?”

“Potstickers and hot and sour soup.” Deng Yuanhong winked, pulling out a chair and sitting across from her. “I remember you told me last time that you love this.”

“You remember?” She was surprised; she had mentioned it casually, yet he had kept it in mind.

“Of course. Didn’t you forget? I also said you should take me to the night market to try it! Since you didn’t have time to take me, I had to buy it myself.”

“Sorry.” She looked at him apologetically, having turned down his invitations several times for various reasons.

“It’s okay.” He waved it off. “It’s only natural for a woman to refuse a man.”

His warm and bright smile melted her heart, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Go ahead and eat!” He picked up a pair of chopsticks and handed her one. “I’ll try some too… hmm, not bad.”

She took a bite, and the delightful flavor instantly burst in her mouth. “It’s really delicious! Where did you buy it?”

“From the place you pointed out to me last time! It was closed that day, but today I specifically drove over to buy it.”

“Didn’t you just say you were only ‘passing by’ to see me?” She caught his slip of words.

“Oh? That… well…” He chuckled sheepishly.

She glanced at him gently, deciding not to tease him any further, and quietly lowered her head to eat her supper.

Deng Yuanhong quickly finished his portion, put down his chopsticks, and noticed her dainty and slow eating style. He couldn’t help but smile in appreciation.

“What are you looking at?” She sensed his overly intense gaze.

“Nothing,” he shook his head. But she could already see it; his eyes held too many feelings that couldn’t be concealed—this man liked her, and he wasn’t shy about showing it. This was bad; how could she refuse him?

“Yuanhong, listen to me!”

“Wait! What did you just call me?” He interrupted her.

She was taken aback.

“You just called my name directly,” he reminded her, his eyes sparkling with laughter. “That’s great, Xiaoyan. Does this mean our friendship has advanced to the next level?”

“We… are already friends.”

“What I mean is, can we be more than just ordinary friends?” He leaned forward, gazing at her passionately. Oddly enough, it didn’t feel oppressive; he was just being charmingly straightforward.

What should she do? This man was so outstanding that even her rationality was telling her not to let him slip away easily.

“You don’t have to rush to answer me.” As if seeing through her dilemma, he gentlemanly left her with the time and space to maintain ambiguity. “For now, just eat the supper I brought as a favor to me?”

“Okay.” She appreciated his thoughtfulness. After finishing the potstickers and drinking the hot and sour soup, she got up to make two cups of hot tea and chatted with him casually about various topics. “By the way, the photos from the day you accompanied me to the orphanage have developed.” He pulled out a stack of photos, showing them one by one, both of them laughing and pointing at the characters and scenes in the pictures. “Look at this one; Xiao Bao is almost glued to you. He secretly told me later that he really likes Sister Xiaoyan and wants to marry you when he grows up.”

“Really?” Jiang Yuyan found it funny but also felt a bit shy, self-deprecatingly. “I didn’t expect the first person to propose to me would be a six-year-old boy.”

“Yeah! It’s a shame this little guy got ahead of me; I’m quite regretful!” Deng Yuanhong joked, half-seriously.

Jiang Yuyan gave him a cautious glance.

When Jing Rui returned to the company, he happened to walk in on this scene—his secretary was flirting with another man in the office.

His expression darkened, like the sky before a storm.

“Rui! General Manager!” When his figure suddenly appeared, Jiang Yuyan was surprised and reflexively jumped up.