When Qin Jiran left the office, he was still somewhat groggy, his mind preoccupied with the phrase 'treat him well.' It wasn't until he ran into Kang Zhong waiting outside that he hesitantly asked, "Did President Su have some sort of shock this morning?" Otherwise, why would she be acting so abnormally?
Kang Zhong's lips twitched, barely concealing a smile, as he replied with feigned seriousness, "I'm not quite sure either."
Indeed, Su Yanyi was behaving oddly, but then again, her superiors had never been normal, had they? Otherwise, how could they command such a mix of respect and awe from him?
The two men then discussed work for a while longer before Qin Jiran left with an unsettled mind full of well-wishes.
Back in the office, Su Yanyi was also feeling somewhat frustrated. She pondered, after being so straightforward about her goodwill towards him and doing nice things for him, how could he not have smiled? Wasn't she good enough to him? Or was he too foolish to realize her affections?
Su Yanyi was torn, finding the matters of the heart incredibly troublesome.
"Xiao Ling, what do you think I should do?" Challenged by the difficulty, Su Yanyi decided to seek help.
[Master, I have never been in love either, I don't know!] Zero Zero One immediately appeared, blushing as it spoke, making Su Yanyi feel somewhat helpless.
"Then what do you know?"
[I know a lot of things, Master! If you need help, you can activate the Special Assistance Function to see, it's very useful.] Seeing that her mood wasn't great, Zero Zero One worked hard to come up with ways to aid Su Yanyi.
"Then let's activate it and see."
No sooner had Su Yanyi finished speaking than a virtual screen appeared before her.
[Special Assistance Function activating…]
[What kind of assistance does the host require?]
"I need to know how to make Qin Jiran smile sincerely!"
[There are many methods, but none are guaranteed to work. This issue is related to human subjective will, which isn't something the system can control. Do you want to continue seeking assistance?]
"Continue," Su Yanyi stressed, seriously doubting the reliability of the system.
[Dating, doing laundry, cooking, tidying the room, personally taking care of intimate matters for him, or undertaking romantic gestures—according to system analysis, it's not that the man isn't pleased by what you've done for him; he just finds it somewhat unrealistic and hasn't responded to it yet. As the saying goes, persistent sincerity can melt metal and stone; if the host continues to treat him kindly, there will surely be a payoff.]
After receiving the answer, Su Yanyi fell silent, considering the system's advice and contemplating what she could actually do, only to frustratingly find that she seemed incapable of doing any of it.
Laundry, cooking, tidying the room! Aren't these things servants do! She had never done any of it from childhood until now!
As for undertaking romantic gestures, this was something she had never even considered!
What does a date look like? Eating, shopping, watching movies?
After considering for a while, Su Yanyi decided she wanted to try it out. Although she didn't know how, that didn't mean she couldn't learn, right? It was just a date, after all. Having a meal or something definitely wouldn't be a problem.
"Kang Zhong, book a restaurant for me. I'm having lunch with Qin Jiran," Su Yanyi said before hanging up the phone; however, she immediately picked it up again.
"The restaurant's atmosphere should be romantic. It's a date, you understand?" Su Yanyi emphasized the word "date" to make sure Kang Zhong got her point.
"Got it!" Kang Zhong felt like he truly understood this time! If he didn't get it after this, then he really would be a fool!
When Kang Zhong called Qin Jiran, Qin Jiran was studying scripts. He had to pick one of the two scripts to start filming and felt torn between them, unsure which one to choose first.
"Brother Kang, what's up?"
"President Su has invited you to have lunch together. She specially instructed me to pick a restaurant with a romantic atmosphere," Kang Zhong emphasized the word "romantic" quite heavily.
"Romantic? Are you sure you heard that right?" Qin Jiran felt like his hallucinations were getting worse.
"President Su stressed that this is a date with you. Do you have any suggestions? I'll go reserve a spot right away." A date, tsk tsk, a married couple of three years still going on dates. Although it felt a bit odd, Kang Zhong couldn't help feeling a bit envious.
As lunchtime approached, Qin Jiran's heart grew more tumultuous, constantly glancing up as if he could see Su Yanyi through the layers of ceilings above.
Should he go pick her up, or wait for her in the parking lot? Why did she want to have lunch with him? What did Kang Zhong mean by "date"? And why did they need to pick a romantic place? All these questions swirled in Qin Jiran's head, leaving him feeling dizzy.
Splendid Entertainment Company was a comprehensive entertainment company. The company's building had forty-five floors, comprising office areas, artists' workspaces, and various functional zones. As the CEO, Su Yanyi occupied the top floor and rarely appeared in other areas of the company, so when she arrived at the artists' workspace, it drew countless gazes.
As the company's rising Top Brother, Qin Jiran's studio, which also served as a lounge, had the best location and naturally attracted attention. Su Yanyi walked into Qin Jiran's studio unabashedly, not even knocking on the door, which sparked numerous discussions among those behind her.
Qin Jiran's studio was a suite, with an office area outside and a lounge inside. Su Yanyi didn't see anyone in the office when she entered, so she went straight to the lounge. Without any hesitation, she pushed open the door.
"Hmm?" With a trace of surprise in her nasal tone, Su Yanyi stopped and unexpectedly looked at the man in front of her.
At the sound, Qin Jiran spun around abruptly. His shirt was still unbuttoned, exposing half of his robust upper body. His bronzed skin was rather dazzling to behold.
"Yanyi!" Qin Jiran exclaimed in surprise, then turned around again, somewhat uncomfortably, when he saw Su Yanyi staring intently at his body, "I'm changing clothes. Can you wait outside for me for a moment?"
He had thought it was still early and decided to change his clothes, believing that no matter the reason for the meal with Su Yanyi, he should at least dress formally. However, he hadn't expected Su Yanyi to come over so early, and to enter the lounge without even knocking. The direct way she looked at him made him feel quite uneasy.
"You continue, I'll just wait here," Su Yanyi said quite normally, but her reaction was not so normal. She stood there without any intention of moving, her eyes still lingering on Qin Jiran, making his whole body stiffen.
...