"How is it going? Have you sorted things out? Putting the coffee down gently, she approached to check on his progress. The moment she glimpsed at those data, she got a headache again. She had spent almost the whole morning wrestling with the task, but it wasn't a productive struggle. She was worried that Duke might be having a hard time since he was not familiar with her company's management.
"Not bad. I just need to change my thinking method." If he were stumped merely by those numbers, there would be no way that the Leng Group became what it was today. What surprised him though, was that her company didn't go bankrupt given her poor numeracy skills. It was literally a miracle. He had to convince himself that she was probably backed by a strong team.
"No way! Why are they so confusing for me!" exclaimed Belinda, who was trying to ease her headache by rubbing her forehead. Her perplexity increased when she found Duke typing new information rapidly into the computer.
"That's because you are stupid. Just leave me alone if you want the work done as soon as possible. I will add annotations to explain some of the puzzling aspects, so that you may find it easier to understand the next time you look them up. Duke kept typing while he talked to Belinda. He knew such a pile of work could take him hours to finish, so he needed to hurry up.
"I beg your pardon? I am not stupid!" Belinda reluctantly admitted in her heart that he was much better than her when it came to work, for he had checked a large number of documents in such a short time. Or more specifically, he had checked almost the same amount of documents as she did this morning.
With Duke taking over the job, Belinda could now take her time to enjoy the coffee and magazines. She was quite satisfied with it, so she simply entrusted the task to him, washed her hands and walked away without hesitation.
As the time passed, Duke felt a bit tired. He looked up and stretched a bit, when suddenly he discovered that Belinda was already fast asleep. He was torn between laughing and crying seeing that he was left with all the hard work while she snoozed away. He wasn't expecting any help from her but he had never imagined that she would just go to sleep without a care.
Standing up with resignation, he walked over, almost tiptoeing, and wrapped his coat around her as gently as possible. He then carefully kissed her on the forehead before going back to the desk. He suddenly remembered something, picked up his cellphone and texted his assistant, saying that he wouldn't be back to the company today, and asked him to send him messages if anything turned up. Duke took thoughtful steps just so he wouldn't wake up Belinda.
Putting down his phone, he took a sip of the coffee, which was already cold. He frowned when he found out it was sweet. Belinda had no idea that he would never put sugar in his coffee. Even so, he drank it all up.
He then went back to work. The task was a piece of cake for him, and it was only a matter of time before he finished it. However, the moment he picked up a document, a light knock was heard on the door.
The first thing he did was to turn around and check on Belinda. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her turning over, showing no sign of awakening. He then rose up, trying not to make any noise, not even an answer, before he got to the door, fearing that Belinda might have heard him.
"What's the matter, Simon?" He recognized the young man at the door at once, for they had met many times before. He was the special assistant of Belinda.
"Mr. Leng, what brings you here? And where is our boss?" Simon was caught by surprise when Duke opened the door. But he quickly snapped out of it and asked.
"She is in here, but has fallen asleep. Is it very urgent? If not, could you wait until she wakes up?" asked Duke dryly. It was typical of him to be indifferent or even cold to unfamiliar people.
"No, it isn't. I will come back after she wakes up then," answered Simon with an odd smile, directing a meaningful look at Duke. How come Belinda would sleep at this time of the day? Duke's words had conjured up images of romantic, and even erotic scene in his mind.
"Alright." said Duke, who ignored Simon's somewhat wicked smile, and closed the door without a word. Duke had always been like this. He wasn't talkative with people he wasn't familiar with, and would never speak needlessly, regardless of who those people might be.
The door closed fast, nearly bumping onto Simon's nose. He subconsciously covered it for protection. He had heard of Duke's reputation. According to rumor, this Leng Group's CEO had always been as cold as marble, and no one ever saw him smile. Now it seemed to Simon that the rumor was true. They had met for several times, but he had never seen a smile on his face, but rather the cold and distant look that would hold off those around him. But there was one exception. His face seemed to soften a little in front of Belinda Shangguan.
Belinda had been sleeping like a baby. Must due to her lack of good rest these days, she slept quite soundly, and for a long time this afternoon. When she woke up, it was nearly time to get off work. But once she opened her eyes, she became a bit alarmed when she could find no sign of Duke in the room.
She rubbed her eyes, putting Duke's coat away before going to the desk and checked the computer. Surprised, she quickly browsed through the piles of documents until she finally believed that they were all done. Duke's efficiency impressed her. But the problem was, where was he now? Both his coat and his cellphone were still here, he couldn't have left the company.
"What's on your mind? You look like you're in a trance." Duke came out from the bathroom, his face wet. The first thing he saw was Belinda standing still near the desk, wearing a vacant expression.
"Well...where have you been?" Belinda blurted out. But she regretted it the moment she finished her sentence. It couldn't be more obvious as to where he had been with that much water on his face. It made her sound stupid for asking that question.
My eyes hurt a bit just now, so I thought maybe I should wash my face with cold water and freshen up. Why? Missed me already? You seem to be in a hurry to find me." asked Duke, who smiled teasingly. He leaned across the coffee table to get some tissues to wipe his face.
"In your dreams!" Belinda scoffed. Even though she wore a sardonic expression on her face, she dared not meet his gaze. It was true that she panicked a little in his absence earlier.
So, it seems that I was only flattering myself? Duke kept smiling without calling her bluff. He then sank down onto the sofa, stroked his glabella, looking a bit weary.