In the afternoon, Chen Xin sat in the company's large conference room, listening to his subordinates report on last quarter's performance and propose suggestions for the next quarter. However, he couldn't focus at all—his mind kept conjuring up the same scene.
A girl in a gray blouse slowly walked down the stairs, water droplets from her hair trickling onto her snow-white neck. Then she raised her fingers, catching the droplet and trailing it down her slender neck…
"Mr. Chen? Mr. Chen?"
The coarse voice of product manager Harold jolted Chen Xin back to reality. He stammered a bit. "Sorry, what part were we at?"
Harold looked at him curiously. "We're done. Just waiting for your conclusion now."
"I see…" Chen Xin quickly glanced through the materials submitted by his team and said, "The issues from last quarter have been summarized well. As long as we don't repeat the same mistakes, it'll be fine. Also, on the product development side, I have a suggestion. Harold, what do you think about modifying the appearance of laptops? Would that attract customers?"
"Appearance? You mean colors? Like gold or rose gold?" Harold teased, prompting chuckles from the team.
Chen Xin smiled. "That could work, but I meant the shape. For example, if the laptop lid was designed to look like a small animal—like a cat—it might attract many female customers."
"Custom-shaped lids?" Harold nodded. "Interesting idea, but since we mainly produce components, we'd need to coordinate with the laptop manufacturers."
"Great, I'll leave it to you," Chen Xin said. "As for the other points, I think your ideas are solid. Let's proceed as planned, and let me know if any issues arise. Meeting adjourned."
Cheers erupted as everyone quickly left the room. Chen Xin's dislike for dragging out meetings had earned him a good reputation in the company. As he tidied the materials on the table, Harold patted him on the shoulder.
"What's up, buddy? I've known you for years, and zoning out during a meeting? That's not like you," Harold said with a grin.
Chen Xin rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Sorry, maybe I didn't sleep well last night."
"Ha! Don't give me that. I can tell it's not just lack of sleep," Harold leaned in mischievously. "It's a woman, isn't it? Is it Loreal? I thought you weren't into her."
"Loreal?" Chen Xin was stunned before remembering the woman he had been set up with on a blind date. Shaking his head, he replied, "No, it's not her. I've stopped contacting her."
"Then who is it? You know me, buddy. If you don't tell me, I won't let it go," Harold insisted.
Chen Xin sighed with a small smile. "Fine. If you must know… there's this girl I met. She's quite unique, but that's it. There's nothing between us."
"Nothing? Then why were you zoning out thinking about her during the meeting?" Harold said, unconvinced. "Let me guess—her face keeps popping into your head, sometimes you even hear her voice, and when you check the rearview mirror while driving, you catch yourself smiling like an idiot."
Chen Xin's heart sank. "If I have these symptoms, what does it mean?"
"It means you're smitten, my friend! Finally! I was starting to wonder if you had a problem down there," Harold teased, giving Chen Xin a hearty slap on the back.
"Smitten? No way. I've only known her for a few days…"
"Time has nothing to do with it," Harold said knowingly. "I fell in love with my wife at first sight. We got married within three months, and now we have two kids."
"But I don't even know her name. How could I be smitten?"
"Then go ask her! The universe doesn't hand out second chances often. If you don't act now and someone else takes her, you'll regret it," Harold urged.
After Harold left, Chen Xin sat alone in the conference room, lost in thought. On one hand, his friend made sense; on the other, he couldn't believe he had fallen for someone so easily.
He considered calling Ye Chen for advice but didn't want to be laughed at by that notorious playboy.
Oh, forget it. Hadn't he always wanted to find true love? If it's really here, he should just face it and learn as he goes. Harold was right—he needed to find out her name as soon as possible.
After working in his office for another half-hour, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.
Thinking it might be a client, he answered, "Hello?"
The voice on the other end made his ears tingle. "Good afternoon, Chen Xiaoguai. Are you off work yet?"
His tone, though he didn't notice it, was laced with joy. "How did you get my number?"
"Two nights ago, when you stepped out to watch the snow, I snuck a business card from your bag," Xiao Wan replied. "I told you I'd steal from you, didn't I? You're so careless, dummy."
Chen Xin chuckled. "So, what's up?"
"I'm here to return your coat. I'm at your company's reception desk, but the lady says I can't see you without an appointment. I'm heartbroken! Come be my prince on a white horse, okay?"
"Alright, I'll be right there."
After hanging up, Chen Xin eagerly left his office. Even when his secretary tried to stop him to sign documents, he declined. The entire company saw their usually composed CEO dash out like the wind.
In the lobby, Xiao Wan, with smoky eye makeup, leaned against the desk, looking bored. When she saw him, she smirked and threw a challenging glance at the receptionist. "Told you he'd come down in five minutes."
The receptionist glared at her, clearly annoyed.
Xiao Wan ignored her, turning to Chen Xin, who had jogged over. "Where's your white horse? No white horse, no prince, low rating!"
Chen Xin, slightly out of breath, replied, "Uh… where am I supposed to find a horse on such short notice?"
Xiao Wan burst out laughing. "Dummy, I was joking! Here's your coat, but I couldn't afford to have it cleaned. You'll have to wash it yourself."
Chen Xin took his coat and said, "Your dress and jacket are in my car. I was planning to return them to you on my way home today."
"No rush for that," Xiao Wan said, fiddling with her nails. "Aren't you off work yet? It's already past office hours. I want to have dinner with you."
Before Chen Xin could reply, the receptionist interjected, "Our Mr. Chen is very busy. He works overtime every day and wouldn't leave work for casual company, let alone have dinner with someone unimportant."
Xiao Wan's expression instantly turned icy. She shot the receptionist a sharp glare, then sweetly wrapped her arms around Chen Xin's neck, her tone soft and sweet. "No overtime today, okay? Have dinner with me, little Chen."
Chen Xin could hardly breathe. Stammering, he said, "Alright. Wait here for me—I'll go upstairs to grab my jacket."
Once he left, Xiao Wan turned abruptly, grabbed the receptionist by the collar, and dug her nails into her neck. In a cold, low voice, she said, "If you know what's good for you, stop getting in my way. I may be just 'company,' but I'll do whatever it takes if you push me."
She released the stunned and frightened receptionist, who covered her neck and didn't dare to look back at her.
Hmph, not on my level. Don't even try to cross me.
Xiao Wan hummed softly, playing with a potted orchid nearby. Chen Xin soon returned, and she immediately ran to him, linking her arm through his. "Let's go, little Chen."
They took the elevator down to the parking garage, unaware that a crowd of company employees had followed them. They stared in disbelief as Chen Xin personally opened the car door for Xiao Wan, then drove off with her in his sports car.
"Wow, he really ditched overtime for her. I think this one's serious."
"Not just serious—did you see how careful he was with her? I've never seen him like that."
"Ugh, there goes my five bucks…"
Harold, grinning from ear to ear, turned to the others. "I told you so, didn't I? Who were the idiots who bet he ran out because he needed the bathroom? Your money's mine now!"
In the car, Chen Xin asked Xiao Wan, "What do you want to eat?"
Instead of answering, she suddenly changed the topic. "That receptionist at your office had such an attitude. Why haven't you fired her yet?"
Chen Xin sighed. "She's a distant relative of my mom's who insisted on putting her here. My mom doesn't want me to offend anyone, so I've kept her on for now."
"Ah, so she's got connections. No wonder she's so arrogant." Xiao Wan scoffed. "I don't like her."
"Sorry she upset you. I'll talk to her later," Chen Xin said gently. "Have you decided what you want to eat? I heard there's a three-star Michelin restaurant nearby called BForest. It's quite famous—do you want to go?"
"No! Why does having money mean eating expensive food? Are you showing off?" Xiao Wan shot him an annoyed look.
Caught off guard, Chen Xin gave a helpless smile. "Alright, then what do you want? I'll go wherever you want."
Glancing out the window, Xiao Wan suddenly pointed and exclaimed, "Stop the car! I want to eat that!"
Chen Xin braked suddenly, looking in the direction she pointed. "That? The hot dog stand?"
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Xiao Wan said, pouting.
Chen Xin chuckled. "Nothing's wrong. Wait here—I'll go get it for you."
"No need. Let's go together. There's a river nearby; we can sit by the water and eat. How romantic is that?"
Sitting by the river in this freezing weather?
Chen Xin wanted to dissuade her, but Xiao Wan had already opened the door and gotten out. He had no choice but to follow. They each bought a hot dog and a cup of coffee, then sat by the riverbank.
Xiao Wan took a bite of her hot dog before turning to him. "What sauce did you get on yours?"
"Honey mustard."
"Let me try it!"
Chen Xin turned his hot dog to the side he hadn't bitten, but Xiao Wan deliberately took a bite from where he'd eaten. Her cheeks puffed as she chewed. "This is delicious! Yours is better than mine! Let's switch!"
Before he could respond, she snatched his hot dog and handed him hers.
Chen Xin resigned himself to eating her ketchup-topped hot dog, but after only a few bites, she grabbed that too. "I changed my mind! Ketchup is good too. Both are mine now. Ha-ha!"
He gave her an exasperated look. "Then what am I supposed to eat?"
Grinning, she broke off a piece of the hot dog sausage and held it to his lips. "Here, you can have half of this."
The implicit intimacy in her action made Chen Xin blush. He avoided her hand. "It's fine. I'll just drink my coffee."
Xiao Wan giggled triumphantly, devouring both hot dogs. Then she tore off a piece of lettuce and shoved it into his mouth. "I don't like this part—you eat it."
Chen Xin chewed the tasteless lettuce helplessly. His face stung from the cold wind, and his stomach growled, yet he watched the woman beside him eat with gusto.
What am I even doing? he thought bitterly. Is this what being smitten feels like—willingly suffering? I'm a rich guy! Why am I bending over backward like this?
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Just as he was about to voice his discontent, Xiao Wan suddenly leaned into his arms.
All his anger melted away like the sun dipping below the horizon.
Xiao Wan nuzzled against his chest, murmuring, "Your embrace is so warm. I like it."
Chen Xin looked down at her face. "You've got honey mustard on the corner of your mouth—hey, what are your hands doing?"
"Touching your abs!"
"…No! Stop that!"