Chapter 16: A Conversation

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◎ Ears Growing Warm ◎

Cen Mo had truly never seen anyone lock someone inside a car just to have a conversation.

This person was far too domineering. Luckily, it was her; most young girls would be terrified if they encountered this, wondering what he intended to do.

In contrast, Su Xingzhi wore an expression of complete entitlement. The man had just taken off his hat, and the hair on his forehead was slightly tousled, but he paid it no mind, casually brushing it aside. A loose strand fell gently over his brow, giving him a sort of disheveled charm.

There was no denying that his preference for covering his face in public had its reasons. With such looks, walking down the street would surely attract a swarm of starry-eyed young girls.

As usual, he wore all black. Even sitting there, his presence didn’t wane in the slightest. He tapped his fingers lightly on his knee before speaking: “Do you think the company would casually fire someone over a minor issue if it didn’t affect normal operations?”

“What?” Cen Mo was a bit taken aback.

Su Xingzhi continued, “The employee who was recently terminated had taken sick leave multiple times over three months, totaling fifteen days.”

“So, the accusation of moonlighting against company policy was just an excuse?” Cen Mo raised an eyebrow, beginning to understand.

The man nodded. “Yes. He had a medical report from the hospital, so they couldn’t directly fire him. That’s why the marketing manager used this as a pretext.”

Hearing this, Cen Mo was silently speechless. Since there was an official hospital report, the employee must have genuinely been ill. Being fired in such circumstances was truly tragic.

Su Xingzhi seemed to sense her thoughts. “Under capitalist exploitation, no one is spared—not even me. If I were to fall seriously ill now, or if my face blindness were discovered, what do you think the shareholders would do? They would demand my immediate replacement.”

“I understand that too,” Cen Mo sighed, thinking for a moment before saying, “The company doesn’t keep slackers, does it? It’s not a charity.”

By now, she basically grasped Su Xingzhi’s point. He was simply telling her that getting caught moonlighting wouldn’t lead to dismissal—at least not in cases like hers, where she occasionally covered shifts for others.

That thought eased her mind somewhat. At least she wouldn’t be worrying endlessly like before. The rent for her apartment was already paid, and she had mostly stopped moonlighting. Money in her account was running low; she absolutely couldn’t afford to lose her job.

Being someone who reflected on her mistakes, she immediately lowered her head and said, “I’m sorry, President Su. My thinking was too simplistic—I should have considered things more carefully.”

“You haven’t worked long; it’s normal to have little experience,” Su Xingzhi said, then glanced sideways at her. “Anything else?”

Anything else? Cen Mo was momentarily stunned, somewhat puzzled.

After some thought, she cautiously asked, “President Su, do you mean the time I pretended not to recognize you?”

The man remained silent.

“I’m sorry, President Su. I will correct that too,” Cen Mo’s tone became more sincere.

Although she had already sincerely apologized for this at the bar earlier.

“If I catch you doing it again, the consequences will be severe,” the man merely nodded slightly, his expression still indifferent but his words laden with threat.

Cen Mo was somewhat shocked. To her, the most serious matter today was being caught moonlighting, which had kept her worried about being fired.

As for pretending not to know him—even though it was wrong—between a superior and subordinate, work was work, and private life was private. Leaving some space for privacy was a good thing.

It wasn’t the workplace. Even if she didn’t greet him proactively, at worst it was a matter of politeness.

Yet this President Su was clearly different. He brushed past her moonlighting issue lightly but fixated on the latter matter.

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This puzzled her greatly.

Outside, the stray cats’ cries made her skin crawl. She involuntarily shrugged her shoulders and appeared somewhat distracted.

“I recognize you not because of any other factor, but simply because of who you are,” the man’s words made her suddenly turn her head. Their eyes met, his gaze deep and profound.

Those were striking eyes, slightly elongated with subtly upturned corners. When not smiling, they gave off a hazy, indifferent aura, as if nothing interested him.

That was the case now as well, yet somehow Cen Mo felt there was an unfamiliar emotion in his gaze.

“So, when you see me outside, don’t pretend not to know me, understand?” After quietly staring at her for a moment, the man raised an eyebrow and continued, his tone carrying a hint of threat.

“Okay.” As if under some spell, Cen Mo nodded.

“Go,” his voice softened, and he reached out to unlock the car.

After getting out, Cen Mo quickly walked toward the building entrance. It was already quite late. She wasn’t afraid of the dark, but the cats’ cries unsettled her.

Once inside, she didn’t turn on the lights immediately. Instead, she went to the window and looked down; Su Xingzhi’s car was still parked there. The sleek black vehicle blended seamlessly with the night.

She turned back, closed the curtains, and switched on the light. Soon, the sound of an engine starting came from downstairs.

...

It seemed that after experiencing something during the day, the night brought even more intense dreams.

For the first time, Cen Mo dreamt.

She usually slept soundly, quickly falling into deep sleep unless something unusual happened, and rarely waking until dawn.

But tonight was different.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. When she finally drifted off, she found herself in a strange scene.

The location was roughly behind the bar where she had previously moonlighted. She was extravagantly disguised with a headscarf, oversized sunglasses, and a mask—like a celebrity at an airport—completely covering her head, her gaze lowered as she hurried along.

The road beneath her feet seemed to stretch endlessly. Growing anxious, she tightened her scarf and broke into a run, as if fleeing from someone.

Suddenly, a pair of large hands grabbed the collar of her jacket with a sharp tug...

A tall man wearing a hat, the brim pulled low, his cheeks hidden. Only his low, firm voice could be heard: “Secretary Cen, I know it’s you. Don’t pretend anymore!”

Whether it was the choking sensation that felt so real or not, she woke up immediately, sitting upright in bed.

What on earth was going on?

Staring at the dim bedroom wall, Cen Mo sighed helplessly and reached to switch on the bedside lamp.

She was used to having a small nightlight while sleeping—not too bright, just a faint glow to provide some sense of security.

Tonight was no different.

But that light wasn’t quite enough. Once she turned on the main lamp, the room flooded with brightness. Glancing at her phone, she realized it was only three in the morning—not much sleep at all.

She had experienced nightmares before, but today’s dream was... truly absurd.

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Even without seeing the face, just hearing the voice, she knew the man in her dream was definitely Su Xingzhi.

What on earth was this about?

Pressing her fingers against her forehead, she didn’t get out of bed. Instead, she sat hugging her knees, her mind racing. What did Su Xingzhi mean by what he said in the car?

“What do you mean by ‘I can recognize you without relying on anything else, but just inherently’?”

As a student majoring in Chinese, she analyzed it for a while and came to only one conclusion: Su Xingzhi’s face blindness didn’t apply to her.

But how could that be? They hadn’t known each other long—just seeing each other at work. Her face wasn’t particularly distinctive or memorable...

It was just very strange.

After much thought, she spent most of the night awake, sitting until after five in the morning before finally lying down and resting her eyes for a short while, then getting up punctually at seven to go to work.

...

The next day, when Su Xingzhi saw Secretary Cen in the office, he noticed she was in poor condition and unusually yawned often during work.

“I don’t take coffee with milk,” Cen Mo realized as the coffee delivered was untouched and pushed back. “Sorry, that was my mistake.”

“Bring me another cup,” Su Xingzhi said, glancing at her before returning to his documents.

When Cen Mo was almost at the door, he suddenly added, “Forget it; no need to get me coffee. There’s an inspection event at the newly opened shopping center at ten. Prepare for that and don’t handle other work beforehand.”

“Yes, President,” Cen Mo replied and left.

The inspection had been scheduled previously. She knew it was an important occasion, so she needed to be alert.

Seeing the coffee machine, she poured herself a cup without sugar or milk and took a sip, grimacing at the bitterness that made her question life itself.

She still couldn’t enjoy such a pure taste.

Quickly, she added some sugar, making it the way she was used to, and carried it to the secretary’s desk, intending to continue organizing documents.

Then she remembered Su Xingzhi’s words to take a break from work for now, probably because he sensed she wasn’t well and needed to recover.

She didn’t insist and went to a rest room to sit for a while. Yachuang was quite considerate in this regard, allowing employees to rest there when feeling unwell or extremely tired. Entry required a security swipe, and the system recorded how long one stayed.

The rest room was designed for privacy—small, like an airport capsule hotel, with special decompression pods. After some time inside, Cen Mo felt a bit better. Though still sleepy, a few more cups of coffee would fix that.

Around ten o’clock, Su Xingzhi, accompanied by department heads, headed to the newly opened shopping center under Yachuang’s management.

This was the first completed project since Su Xingzhi took office, so naturally, he attached great importance to it.

Cen Mo rode in the lead car with the president, followed by several others. The convoy headed to the shopping center, taking about half an hour.

The shopping center manager had been notified in advance and was already waiting with staff at the entrance. After Su Xingzhi got out of the car and exchanged greetings, he inquired briefly before entering.

The shopping center had been open for three days, continuously bustling with customers and enjoying excellent sales. Su Xingzhi chose to visit during operating hours precisely to see the most authentic state of affairs.