Chapter 20: Concern

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◎ Get off, get in my car ◎
Su Xingzhi truly didn’t understand why Cen Mo would make him such cartoon-styled lunchboxes. Generally, men wouldn’t like that, right?
When he was in kindergarten, he had never eaten such cute meals...
Every time he opened the box and saw the various ingredients shaped differently, with eyes, noses, and rosy cheeks, he felt it seriously contradicted his masculinity.
But he had to admit, the taste was really good.
He was quite picky about food; ordinary restaurants rarely suited his palate—too much oil and salt, excessive MSG, and poor cooking techniques. So even when dining out, he only went to a fixed private kitchen.
Yet, the dishes Cen Mo made perfectly met his standards. Though not as skilled as professional chefs, her home-cooked flavors were comforting enough.
No matter how delicious a delicacy, one can grow tired of it, but home-cooked meals never bore you. When hungry, people often long for the simplest food.
He finished the lunchbox bite by bite. Seeing the little secretary’s happy expression as she came to collect the box, he really couldn’t bring himself to complain about the cartoonish nature of the lunch. He had to put that issue aside for now.
Today on stage, Su Xingzhi suddenly had the idea to call her up.
He never cared much about others’ opinions; he acted on impulse. Seeing the delicate palm of the little secretary pinching his tie, he recalled the moment in the elevator when the woman stood on tiptoe to fix his tie.
He naturally lowered his head and let her tie it again.
Probably because she had just run over, her cheeks were flushed and her breath slightly hurried, which looked quite cute.
He instinctively wanted to get closer and say something—his... true thoughts.
The consequence was that the little secretary’s expression noticeably changed, looking different from usual.
After the meeting, Su Xingzhi sat in his office for a while, casually put down some files, called her in, and asked a few questions.
As usual, Cen Mo was very polite, standing straight, but her tone was a bit distant.
This was her way of showing anger again.
Su Xingzhi raised an eyebrow and tentatively asked, “Should I give you a raise?”
“Mr. Su, there’s really no need.” Cen Mo politely declined. “I’m afraid if this keeps up, my salary will end up higher than yours.”
It seemed this tactic was ineffective, so Su Xingzhi said no more and let her leave.
…
Was Cen Mo angry? Probably a little. After all, she had worked hard to prepare those pretty lunchboxes, waking up early to prepare ingredients, even cutting into her morning run time.
Though she was an adult, she still liked watching cartoons. Those adorable characters made her mood much brighter and filled her heart with warmth.
The world of animation didn’t distinguish between children and adults; if you liked it, that was enough. She always kept a set of Doraemon comics by her bedside and read them before sleeping. Was she childish for that?
If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have wasted the effort. She just thought that compared to a plain, undecorated lunchbox, a neatly arranged and pretty one seemed more sincere.
But of course, she wouldn’t bring such emotions to work—that would be unprofessional. She kept doing what she was supposed to do, even putting in more effort than usual.
She stayed busy until the afternoon when she finally had time to sit and rest, then packed up to go home.

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Just then, the door to the CEO’s office suddenly opened. Seeing Su Xingzhi come out holding car keys, Cen Mo greeted him. They walked together to wait for the elevator.
As usual, it was just the two of them inside. When neither spoke, the silence felt a bit heavy.
Leaning against the elevator wall and looking up at the changing floor numbers, Cen Mo suddenly noticed the man beside her move and turn his head toward her.
The subtle sound of fabric brushing was particularly noticeable in the quiet space. Cen Mo turned to see what he wanted.
There was quite a height difference, and they stood close, so she had to tilt her head slightly to see Su Xingzhi’s face.
As soon as she looked up, she realized he was intently staring at her, as if studying an object. His long eyelashes drooped, blinking slowly every now and then.
In the depths of his dark eyes, it seemed her reflection was mirrored, albeit distorted, making her figure appear small.
Cen Mo glanced at the reflection but was nearly mesmerized by those profound eyes. Hastily, she looked away, pursed her lips, and dryly asked, “What is it?”
“You don’t like me calling you on stage,” Su Xingzhi said, still watching her, his thin lips slightly parted.
“No, I don’t.” Cen Mo shook her head. What was there to dislike? She wasn’t ashamed to be seen.
“You don’t like tying my tie.”
Cen Mo thought for a moment. “It’s okay; that’s part of my job.”
“Oh.” Su Xingzhi nodded, understanding from her answer.
Cen Mo found his expression puzzling and wondered what he meant by these questions.
After a pause, as if carefully choosing his words, the man spoke again: “Your lunchboxes are full of childlike charm, very cute, not childish. I just don’t know how to appreciate them.”
Was that an apology? Cen Mo slowly blinked. Connecting the dots, she realized his earlier questions were just testing what upset her.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. She looked up earnestly and said, “Like how I can’t appreciate the might and grandeur of the bronze lion paperweight, right?”
The little irritation she felt had long vanished, replaced by a warm sense of being touched. He was apologizing! The distinguished CEO was actually apologizing to her!
What luck, to receive an apology from such a cool and aloof person, even if just a few words, it was precious.
Feeling moved, Cen Mo suddenly felt a bit eager to make lunchboxes for Mr. Su again—those pretty, cartoon-style ones.
She had already found a tutorial yesterday.
With a soft sigh, Cen Mo suddenly felt a bit wistful, as if a hero had nowhere to show their talents.
…
A week later was the day of the Yachuang headquarters’ team-building event. Originally, it was scheduled for August but had been postponed due to the new CEO’s inauguration.
Now that various projects had settled, it was time to rest. Delaying further would mean colder weather, unsuitable for outings.
Because of the large number of employees, the team-building was split into two groups. As the CEO’s secretary, part of the administrative department, Cen Mo traveled with the marketing and HR departments to a Yachuang-owned resort in the mountainous area near Z City.
Cen Mo was quite looking forward to this trip.
During her school years, she had been busy working part-time jobs and rarely traveled. Every day was hectic, with little rest. After starting work, her life became more stable.

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The company covered all accommodation expenses for the team-building, so the environment was presumably nice.
As for socializing, Cen Mo didn’t care. After the showdown in the tea room, no one dared to provoke her, especially after the incident on stage tying Su Xingzhi’s tie. Their relationship had become the talk of the company; everyone knew she was not to be trifled with.
Wherever she went, it was as if two giant floating captions followed her: one reading “Fierce fighter,” the other “CEO’s woman,” like protective talismans that made everyone avoid her.
Though this meant no one wanted to hang out with her during the team-building, she could always entertain herself.
With this thought, Cen Mo enthusiastically started packing after returning home.
No matter how mature she was, she was still a young woman just out of college, barely over twenty, and still a treasured daughter to her parents.
Since she was only staying for two days and nights, and the hotel provided bedding, she decided not to bring a suitcase—it would be inconvenient and take up space.
She packed a sturdy large bag with a clean bedsheet, a few sets of spare clothes, her phone charger and power bank, skincare products, and a towel for washing—just enough to zip it up perfectly.
On the day of departure, she arrived early at the meeting point, where two buses were already parked.
Cen Mo glanced at the employees chatting nearby—all familiar faces. There didn’t seem to be anyone difficult to handle, which boosted her confidence for the event.
As for Su Xingzhi, she never expected him to come. With his aloof personality and dislike of socializing, he surely wouldn’t enjoy such activities.
While the department heads were checking attendance upfront, when her name was called, most people looked at her but no one dared to speak.
Tucking her short hair behind her ear, pleased with the effect, Cen Mo calmly boarded the bus and took a seat in the back row.
The bus gradually filled up, and Chen Yangqing sat next to her.
After chatting briefly while leaning back, he turned and spoke to her, “Secretary Cen, you brought so little stuff.”
“Oh, it’s more convenient.” Cen Mo chatted a little, knowing Chen Yangqing couldn’t talk much with other colleagues around, so she closed her eyes and rested against the seat.
The bus buzzed with chatter, then gradually quieted as it started moving smoothly forward.
After about ten minutes, Cen Mo’s phone in her bag rang several times. She picked it up, still a bit drowsy from the bus’s motion, rubbed her eyes without checking the caller ID.
A cold, domineering male voice came through: “Get off.”
“Huh?” Cen Mo was caught off guard.
Su Xingzhi repeated, “Get off, get in my car.”
Get in his car? Cen Mo tilted her head, and from her peripheral vision, she spotted a black Land Rover beside the bus. She sat up straight suddenly.
Why was Su Xingzhi here?
…
Before Cen Mo could speak, the bus driver stopped the vehicle and flung open the door with a loud clang.
Under the gaze of all the passengers, Cen Mo had no choice but to walk down with her bag on her back. Luckily, this spot was a rest area for vehicles, and she smoothly got into Su Xingzhi’s car.