The twilight deepened, and the meeting concluded half an hour ago. Liang Weining turned off her phone and looked out the window, feeling a sense of familiarity with the street view.
Was this the route to Kwai Tsing District?
She wasn't sure.
Not until Xu Zhou spoke up in a timely manner, "Mr. Chen instructed the driver to take you home first."
Right.
Perhaps she had been too focused and missed certain details.
Taxis were hard to come by late at night, and it wasn't quite safe for a girl to be alone, so Liang Weining did not refuse. She nodded her thanks and silently accepted her boss's kindness.
The Pullman cruised along, and without the bond of work, the remaining journey felt inevitably dull.
At this moment, the man opposite her half-closed his eyes, reclining against the seatback with a serene face, his trouser-clad legs crossed. His hand holding a cigarette rested on his knee, and that cigarette, it seemed, had never been lit.
Taking advantage of the boss resting his eyes, Liang Weining's gaze lingered a bit too long.
Over the past three months, there had been countless nights where they worked overtime until late.
Sometimes Xu Zhou would sit in the front passenger seat, leaving her alone with Chen Jingyuan.
Those in power naturally possessed an awe-inspiring force that compelled others to bow their heads.
Feeling nervous was inevitable.
But Liang Weining would often reassure herself that she needed to have thick skin; if she lost her job, she could find another, but the things she could learn and the network she could build up by Chen Jingyuan's side were incomparable to anywhere else.
Indeed, at this moment, with the night fog thick, the man's profound profile was half-hidden in shadow. Light halos occasionally flitted past the window, and the long night slowly ebbed away amidst the alternating darkness. Everything around them followed its own trajectory, except for that cool, clear outline, which, like an ancient and mysterious river, remained silently frozen in time.
Liang Weining found herself thinking of a slow-motion scene from a Wong Kar-wai film.
Each frame was of top-notch quality.
But Chen Jingyuan didn't need a camera to define him.
Because he was the one in control and could never be confined to someone's painting.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the car entered Tsing Yi. Due to the dense pedestrian traffic, the car slowed down significantly.
At this time of night, many residents were still out for late-night snacks. Liang Weining suggested the driver stop here to avoid getting stuck in the alley later on; her residence wasn't far, and she could walk back.
The slightest movement, as expected, disturbed the man opposite her.
Chen Jingyuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calmly landing on Liang Weining's face as he asked in a low voice, "How long does it usually take you to commute to and from work?"
"About forty minutes," she answered honestly.
"Too far."
Those two simple words were Mr. Chen's assessment of her place of residence.
Liang Weining smiled indifferently and was about to speak when the boss made the final decision, "Go to the administration department tomorrow and register for a company car."
??
Liang Weining held her breath, her mind echoing the boss's recent words, making sure she hadn't misheard.
She remembered that the former secretary-general seemed to have enjoyed the same treatment.
Zhonggang was a large enterprise; it was normal for executive secretaries to have a company car.
With that in mind, Liang Weining calmly nodded, "Alright, thank you, Mr. Chen."
However, her joy didn't last half a second before Xu Zhou casually reminded her, "Be careful when you're on the road; driving habits in the Hong Kong Region differ from those on the Mainland."
Different?
Liang Weining's mind went blank.
Her driver's license was obtained in her hometown of Chengdu during the summer break after her college entrance exams.
Not to mention everything else, just the position of the driver's seat—on the Mainland it's on the left, but in the Hong Kong Region, it's on the right, complete opposites. If she were to drive here, wouldn't she become a live menace on the road?
Moreover, she'd heard that driving in the Hong Kong Region with a Mainland license required the individual to apply for a license conversion at the Transport Department.
A bit troublesome.
In just two short minutes, Liang Weining was ready to give up.
Chen Jingyuan observed the girl's subtle expressions and mentally labelled her with one word, Lazy.
She truly was lazy.
In life, ever since she had escaped her parents' supervision, the word 'industrious' had become increasingly distant from her.
When she returned to her rental house, it was already ten at night.
After changing her shoes and heading to the living room, Liang Weining had just picked up her phone when she received a text from an unknown number.
I skimmed through that short essay in ten seconds.
Traditional Chinese characters made my head spin a bit, but I got the gist, which was telling her not to be ungrateful and to hurry up and let Big Brother release him from the police station, or she'd regret it once he made his comeback.
Wow, so it's the younger master of the Chen Family.
What's up, got detained?
I never imagined that for a subordinate, Chen Jingyuan would punish his own brother to this extent.
But from the tone of it, it didn't sound like he was asking for a favor; it was a blatant threat.
Liang Weining snorted softly and casually blocked him.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Indulging herself, she then unblocked him.
She tossed her phone aside, pretending she hadn't seen anything, hummed a tune, and grabbed her pajamas to go take a shower.
In the dead of night, Liang Weining faintly heard some noise outside, figuring it was her best friend just returning home. Too sleepy, she barely opened her eyes a crack, then quickly fell back into a deep sleep.
The next morning, with sleepy eyes, she knocked on the door of the bedroom across from hers, knocking several times with no response.
It was only when she unlocked her phone screen that she saw the message that rascal had left.
[Ning Xiaoguai, the faucet on the sink is leaking a bit, don't turn it on too high when you wash your face.]
So, she left early in the morning?
By her count, it had been a full three days since they'd seen each other.
Liang Weining seriously doubted if her best friend was hiding something.
After a simple breakfast, she went to the company.
As she exited the top-floor elevator and checked in at the attendance system, she encountered Vivi, the secretary's assistant, carrying two Starbucks coffees, eagerly placing one on Liang Weining's desk.
The familiar recipe and taste — no doubt this was a bribe.
After hearing the reason, Liang Weining typed the last character on her keyboard, hit the enter key, and seriously suggested, "Catching cheaters is risky, you'd better bring a few friends with you."
Vivi said languidly, "I'm going today with the resolve to perish together with him, I don't want to drag anyone else down."
Oh.
Liang Weining was silent for a few seconds.
Then reminded her, "Before you go, tell me your bank card PIN."
"Why?"
"To inherit your estate."
"..."
Seeing her so heartless, Vivi wore a look of aggrieved resignation.
In the next second, Liang Weining brought up the leave request and, with a click of the mouse, approved it.
Vivi immediately showed a radiant smile.
"Little Boss, you look super gorgeous today!"
Watching her strut away in high spirits, Liang Weining felt she didn't look like she was about to catch a cheater, but rather like she was going on a date.
Is it too late to retract the approval now?
Today, the big BOSS wasn't in, so the overall atmosphere in the board office was relaxed.
After lunch, Assistant Xu called and asked her to find a document in Mr. Chen's office.
Liang Weining, holding her phone, asked, "Do you need the electronic version? Should I scan it for you?"
Xu Zhou replied seriously, "The boss wants to see the original."
"..."
After a moment of silence, comfort came over the phone, "Mr. Chen is in Pok Fu Lam, I appreciate your effort, Secretary Liang."
It's not too much effort.
My physical fitness is poor; I should exercise more.
Liang Weining was self-deluding...
Working at the board office came with a special perk: when going out on tasks, you could take a taxi the whole way, no need to take the subway or minibus.
But even though it was a direct route, it still took a full half-hour each way.