Chapter 47

Wen Xihan felt that at this moment, not only did the traffic light at the intersection turn green, but her face might have turned green too.

She took a deep look at Ruan Xinyi. Her jaw moved slightly as she bit into the oat soaked in yogurt, making a crisp sound. Her Adam's apple rolled subtly as she swallowed, accompanied by a chuckle that sounded both sarcastic and amused. Clenching the steering wheel, Wen Xihan started the car expressionlessly.

Hearing that chuckle, Ruan Xinyi froze for a moment. She swallowed nervously and stole a cautious glance at Wen Xihan's profile.

She didn’t even need to guess — Wen Xihan was clearly in a bad mood. Her sharp jawline was taut, making her side profile appear especially cold and aloof. Stunning, yes — but also intimidating.

Crunch—

The oat in Ruan Xinyi's mouth made a loud crunching sound, which was particularly jarring in the quiet car.

She instinctively swallowed her saliva, moved her tongue, and tried to minimize the sound of her chewing as much as possible.

But fate seemed to enjoy playing tricks — the quieter she tried to be, the louder the sound of her chewing became. The crisp crunching sound kept echoing in the car.

Eventually, Ruan Xinyi gave up. She decided to chew the oats loudly and deliberately, making exaggerated crunching noises. Not only that, but she also casually crossed one leg over the other, deliberately swaying it when she noticed Wen Xihan glance over.

“……”

Wen Xihan said nothing, but the car sped up slightly.

Noticing the subtle change in speed, Ruan Xinyi quickly finished the last bite of yogurt, stole another glance at Wen Xihan's cold side profile, and quietly put her crossed leg down, sitting up straighter than before.

Another red light appeared at the intersection ahead. Wen Xihan rested her elbow on the car window, staring at the countdown timer with a trace of impatience.

The car's center screen showed the timer jumping from fifty-nine to zero.

Ruan Xinyi rolled down the window slightly, turning her head to look outside, revealing her fair, smooth neck and the graceful curve of her collarbone.

The light turned green.

Wen Xihan glanced at the rearview mirror, her gaze darkening slightly. She pressed her lips together and started the car again.

Ruan Xinyi withdrew her gaze and adjusted her collar as if nothing had happened. “I booked my ticket for ten o'clock tomorrow morning.”

Wen Xihan responded flatly, “Mm.”

Twisting a strand of her long hair around her finger, Ruan Xinyi suddenly smiled mischievously, deliberately drawing out her next sentence like squeezing toothpaste. “I also booked a hotel.”

“For three days.”

Wen Xihan initially showed no reaction, but when she turned the steering wheel into the company’s parking lot, she suddenly realized something was off about Ruan Xinyi’s tone — like there was something hidden behind her words.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she glanced at Ruan Xinyi several times. “What kind of room did you book?”

The strand of hair slipped from Ruan Xinyi’s fingers, and her playful smile toned down a bit. She looked exceptionally innocent. “A suite.”

SCREECH—

Wen Xihan slammed on the brakes, causing the car to lurch forward from inertia.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Xihan turned to look at Ruan Xinyi, her face struggling between disbelief and composure. “…What kind of suite?”

What else could it be? Wen Xihan was already prepared to throw this little troublemaker out of the car.

“Huh?”

Ruan Xinyi fiddled with her seatbelt buckle. With a crisp click, she quickly grabbed a box of yogurt from her bag and tossed it onto Wen Xihan's lap. In an aggrieved tone, she said, “A presidential suite, of course. What else?”

“Anyway, I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m already late.”

With that, Ruan Xinyi hopped out of the car nimbly, her smile radiant. She even pointed at the yogurt on Wen Xihan's lap, “Don’t forget to eat it, okay?”

Wen Xihan: “……”

Exhaling heavily, Wen Xihan rubbed her temples. Moments later, she glanced at the company group chat and saw the late arrivals reported today. She clicked on Ruan Xinyi’s profile and typed a message.

Shortly after, a reply came: [Okay, General Manager Wen.]

Throwing her phone aside, Wen Xihan picked up the yogurt Ruan Xinyi left behind.

After tearing open the package, she mixed the oats into the yogurt and stirred it a few times.

The yogurt-coated oats tasted delicious — crispy, rich in wheat flavor, with a subtle sweetness that perfectly balanced the slight sourness of the yogurt. It was surprisingly addicting.

Before she knew it, the yogurt was almost gone.

Wen Xihan pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, forcing herself to forget about buying another one from the convenience store.

Monday was always the day for the big company meeting. When Ruan Xinyi arrived at the office, everyone was already seated in the conference room, quietly waiting for the leaders — though one of them was still sitting in the parking lot.

Grabbing her laptop, Ruan Xinyi quietly sneaked into an inconspicuous corner.

The projector seemed to be malfunctioning, and the technician was still working on it.

Scanning the room, Ruan Xinyi spotted Li Mo standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, making a phone call. No wonder the room was so quiet — everyone was avoiding small talk.

Feeling a sudden impulse to be helpful, Ruan Xinyi snapped a photo of the meeting room and sent it to Wen Xihan.

Wen Xihan: [?]

Seeing the familiar question mark, Ruan Xinyi raised an eyebrow and sent back the same.

Ruan Xinyi: [Did you forget about the big meeting today?]

Wen Xihan replied with an ellipsis.

Ruan Xinyi: Chairman Li is here too.

[Typing…]

After a while, Wen Xihan simply sent an emoji: [🙂]

Ruan Xinyi scratched her head, puzzled: [Did I do something wrong?]

[Wen Xihan: [Nothing.]

Ruan Xinyi: [???]

Everyone knows that when a woman says “nothing,” it definitely means something.

Her survival instincts kicked in, and Ruan Xinyi didn’t dare to ask further. Instead, she immediately apologized:

[I’m sorry.]

[I’m really sorry. It’s all my fault.]

Wen Xihan nearly laughed out loud. Honestly, if it weren’t for Ruan Xinyi, she wouldn’t have been late. If it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t have forgotten the Monday meeting. If it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t have tried to avoid being recognized by arriving late.

So, ultimately, all of this was Ruan Xinyi’s fault… or rather, the fault of her flat tire this morning.

Annoyed, Wen Xihan texted: [Find your own way home tonight.]

Seeing the message, Ruan Xinyi bit her lip hard, trying not to laugh.

Ah, how could Wen Xihan be this cute?

She couldn’t wait to bring her home — and brag about it in front of Ruan Su.

---

Adjusting her glasses, Wen Xihan subtly rolled her eyes at Ruan Xinyi.

Pa—

The spinning pen in Ruan Xinyi’s hand came to an abrupt stop, falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, turned her head away, and bent down to pick up the pen.

When she looked back at Wen Xihan, she was already standing in front of Li Mo, exuding a reserved, distant demeanor that made strangers hesitate to approach. She appeared so composed and proper as if she hadn’t just rolled her eyes at someone a few seconds ago.

Their eyes met, and it seemed as if Wen Xihan chuckled softly, though she quickly averted her gaze, the reflection in her glasses obscuring any trace of emotion.

Ruan Xinyi unconsciously cracked her knuckles, stealing several more glances at Wen Xihan before reluctantly looking away.

That laugh just now… she probably didn’t imagine it.

Maybe Chairman Li just said something funny…

The large general meeting took up the entire morning, and soon enough, it was almost time to get off work.

Later in the afternoon, as the day was winding down, Ruan Xinyi hugged a stack of documents and boldly knocked on Wen Xihan’s office door.

“Just leave it there,” Wen Xihan said without looking up.

Ruan Xinyi obediently placed the documents down, but instead of leaving immediately, she took a step forward and called out sweetly, “General Manager Wen.”

“Hm?” Wen Xihan finally lifted her head, her gaze leisurely sweeping over Ruan Xinyi. “Is there something else?”

Tugging at the hem of her blouse, Ruan Xinyi hesitantly asked, “Can you give me a ride later… if it’s on the way?”

“I promise I won’t take up much space, really.”

Wen Xihan’s expression turned subtle. Her temple twitched slightly. “It’s not about taking up space or not…”

“But… it’s really unsafe to take a taxi alone these days. Didn’t you see the news online about several young girls getting into accidents late at night when taking taxis alone?” Ruan Xinyi spoke dramatically, her voice aggrieved. “And it gets dark so early now. I’m really not safe alone.”

Wen Xihan: “…”

“Enough.”

If it weren’t for Ruan Su once mentioning that Ruan Xinyi had obtained a black belt in Taekwondo at the age of fifteen, Wen Xihan might have actually believed her act.

But Ruan Xinyi completely misunderstood Wen Xihan’s reaction. She immediately held up three fingers and promised, “I swear I’ll be completely silent during the ride. I’ll stay quiet the whole way, I promise.”

Wen Xihan pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly feeling a headache coming on. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled open a drawer and handed the car keys to Ruan Xinyi.

“Thank you, General Manager Wen~” Ruan Xinyi’s face lit up instantly. She accepted the car keys with both hands and casually asked, “Would you like me to be your driver today?”

Wen Xihan waved her off without another word, already diving back into her documents.

Realizing it was best not to overstay her welcome, Ruan Xinyi happily stowed the car keys away, tiptoed to the door, and quietly slipped out.

The moment Wen Xihan handed her the keys, Ruan Xinyi understood her intention — she wanted her to wait in the car early to avoid being seen together, to avoid any unnecessary gossip.

So, when it was time to get off work, Ruan Xinyi was the first to clock out. She took advantage of the sparse crowd, slipped into the car, and obediently waited for Wen Xihan to come down.

She waited for nearly half an hour before she finally spotted Wen Xihan, carrying her laptop bag and walking toward the parking lot.

Ruan Xinyi was seated in the passenger seat, just about to fasten her seatbelt when she saw Wen Xihan standing in front of the car, elegantly raising her slender index finger and pointing at the driver’s seat.

Ruan Xinyi caught on instantly. She quickly got out of the car, switched seats, and raised her eyebrows cheekily at Wen Xihan. “Your personal driver, Xiao Ruan, is at your service. Please remember to leave a five-star review after the ride~”

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Translator's Note:

If you like my translation, you can buy me a coffee on Ko-fi. One coffee is equivalent to one extra chapter. I hope you enjoy reading!

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