Chapter 36: Sweetness

The business trip to City B lasted another two days, and the partnership with Shengda was all but finalized. Shen Xinian maintained a very humble posture and did not put forward any additional demands, allowing everything to proceed according to Yachuang’s original proposal. It was unclear whether this was out of concern for his younger brother or some other reason.

In any case, everything went smoothly. However, Cen Mo had been suffering from an upset stomach for the past few days. After eating seafood by the coast, she likely developed a gastrointestinal allergy, and combined with her period, she felt utterly lethargic, relying on stomach medicine to keep going.

Once Su Xingzhi discovered her condition, he took her to the hospital early in the morning and insisted she rest at their lodging upon their return. Yet, whenever an important work commitment arose, Cen Mo would force herself to attend. She had always been stubborn, especially regarding work, and Su Xingzhi could not persuade her otherwise, so he simply sped up their itinerary. Fortunately, there was nothing urgent on the final day, so the two stayed in their lodging and went nowhere.

After taking her medication, Cen Mo had mostly recovered, though she still felt significant abdominal pain. Nestled lazily under the covers, she felt like a wreck; her calves cramped whenever she tried to walk. She had never experienced a period as severe as this one. It was likely due to that seafood—if she had eaten it at any other time, it surely wouldn't have been this bad.

When Su Xingzhi opened the door and walked in, she was frowning, squinting at the tiny print on the painkiller instruction leaflet, which only made her feel more irritable.

"How many have you taken?" He placed the tray he was carrying on the table, sat on the edge of the bed, and naturally tucked the quilt around her.

"Two, I took them this morning," she replied with a miserable expression.

The medication had a time-limited effect. She felt better shortly after taking it and even drifted into a fitful sleep, but by the afternoon, the pain returned. It felt as if a section of her intestine had been tied into a knot, pulling and cramping, accompanied by the side effect of nausea.

"You shouldn't take any more of this," Su Xingzhi said, picking up the glass from the tray and handing it to her.

The water had just been poured and was still steaming. Cen Mo held it in her hands for a while, feeling the warmth seep into her palms, which seemed to ease her overall discomfort. Seeing him take the painkillers away, she didn't say anything, though her eyes held a trace of grievance.

In the past, she had believed she could endure any hardship. There were times when she would work with a fever so high she felt delirious, using cooling patches to keep going, then sit by the side of the road after work, too weak to walk, only to be driven back to her dormitory by a passing traffic officer. Back then, she never would have imagined that one day she would be lying in bed, pampered and cared for because of simple menstrual cramps. Truly, only those who are happy have the luxury of being delicate.

Over the past year, she had suffered from many such minor ailments. It was as if a tightly coiled spring had finally been released, and her body knew that life had become much easier, allowing her the freedom to be fussy.

He gently stroked her head. Thinking she was being difficult, Su Xingzhi softened his tone: "It’s not that I don’t want you to take them, I’m just worried it’s bad for your health."

"Oh," Cen Mo nodded dully. "I know."

The quilt beside her was pulled back. After the man sat down, he reached out to pull her into his arms, warming her stomach through her clothes. After a while, seeing that she had finished the water, he took the cup, placed it on the nightstand, and lay down while holding her. "Sleep now. I’ve got you."

He was like a giant hot water bottle. With him beside her, the bed was significantly warmer. It had just rained outside, and the temperature had dropped. Given the high humidity of the city, that cold, damp feeling was truly unpleasant.

Shifting slightly, Cen Mo flipped over and buried her head in his chest, arching against him like a kitten seeking affection.

Once the two became intimate, many things came naturally. Despite not being someone who liked to express her emotions before, she could now easily draw close to him.

"Good girl, sleep now." Su Xingzhi patted her back with his large hand, coaxing her in a low voice as if she were a child.

"I can't sleep," she murmured. Her nose was filled with the faint scent of wood and fruit that clung to him. Her cheek rubbed against his pajama fabric, but she didn't pull away. After a while, she asked in a muffled voice: "Do you think we should make our relationship public?"

Su Xingzhi paused. "Isn't it already?"

He wasn't wrong. At the office, everyone whispered about the close relationship between Secretary Cen and the CEO; there were even fan pairings, and it was only a matter of time before someone wrote fan fiction about them.

Wasn't that considered public? Yet, Cen Mo felt that the two situations were different. Before, rumors were just rumors; she and Su Xingzhi weren't actually dating, so she didn't care. Now that they were truly in love, she disliked the gossip, feeling it made their relationship seem impure.

She was particularly bothered by the exaggerated and unfounded rumors—tales of a Cinderella climbing into a wealthy family or an ambitious woman using schemes to get ahead. These felt like a desecration of their feelings.

With this in mind, she suggested: "How about we keep our relationship a secret for now? Yachuang has a policy against office romances, and we shouldn't break the rules, right?"

He rubbed his chin against the top of her head. Su Xingzhi couldn't quite understand her logic, but since they were already successfully dating, he was happy to let things proceed in whatever way she preferred.

He nodded. "Fine. It’s your decision."

This answer, however, left him feeling quite frustrated for the next few days.

...

The next day, Cen Mo felt much better. They joined several Yachuang executives on a flight back to City Z. The business trip had been quite long, and there were many matters at headquarters that required attention. After resting for a single day, they had to immediately throw themselves back into work.

Cen Mo still lived in her rented apartment. Even though she had started dating Su Xingzhi, she felt it was better for them to maintain some necessary distance for now, rather than rushing into living together. Su Xingzhi didn't share this view, but he respected her wishes.

When she arrived at the company early the following morning, Cen Mo began clearing the backlog of tasks at the secretary's desk. A moment later, she heard the *ding* of the elevator.

She stood up in advance. When the man walked over with long strides, she bowed ninety degrees with extreme politeness: "Good morning, CEO Su."

Su Xingzhi’s footsteps faltered. He caught a glimpse of her dark hair and raised an eyebrow. Recalling their previous conversation, he simply nodded and replied slowly: "Hmm. Good morning, Secretary Cen."

He had no choice; his girlfriend liked it this way. Even though their relationship was the talk of the office, he had to play along with her performance.

He strode into his office, saying before he entered: "Come in. I have some things to discuss with you."

"Yes, sir," Secretary Cen replied immediately. She stood up professionally, clicked her heels in her high heels as she followed him, and knocked on the door: "CEO Su, may I come in?"

Su Xingzhi, who was in the middle of taking off his coat, paused again. Was it really necessary to act so seriously?

He suppressed his impatience and replied: "Yes, come in."

Once Cen Mo had closed the office door, he sat in his chair and beckoned her over, intending to give her a proper hug. During the days in City B, they had stayed together, which had spoiled his appetite for her presence. Even if they hadn't taken the final step, a moderate amount of kissing and hugging should be fine, right? At the very least, she was right there in front of him, and he could see her whenever he wanted.

Who would have thought that upon returning, she would go straight back to her own home? Coupled with his busy work schedule, they hadn't seen each other in private for several days, relying solely on phone calls. So, seeing the young woman standing before him, how could he possibly resist?

But just as he reached out his arms, the little secretary didn't move an inch. She ducked under his arm and retreated behind the desk with practiced ease, her expression stern and professional: "CEO Su, please mind your conduct. This is the office."

Stretching his long legs out, Su Xingzhi leaned back, feeling somewhat helpless: "No one can see us here."

"That doesn't make it okay." As she spoke, Cen Mo stood straight as a board, looking every bit like a stern school administrator. "We must follow company regulations. If there is nothing else, CEO Su, I will be leaving now."

Watching her walk away briskly without a hint of reluctance, Su Xingzhi felt a rare, overwhelming urge to let out a long sigh.

However, seeing the ink-green jade bracelet on her slender wrist beneath her sheer sleeves, his mood improved slightly.

In the beginning, Yachuang hadn't actually had that policy; he had added it after taking office to ensure employees stayed focused and didn't neglect their work for the sake of romance. It seemed he had truly shot himself in the foot.

The desk was piled with documents, and executives were constantly coming in to report. He massaged his temples and forced himself to focus on his work.

Outside, Cen Mo was just as busy. While a secretary's job might look easy to others, only those who had done it knew how exhausting it really was. The trivial tasks were endless, and many required her to coordinate with others personally. Especially since she was the only one assisting Su Xingzhi, everything fell on her shoulders.

After running up and down the office nearly ten times throughout the morning, she finally managed to sit down at her desk for a moment of rest. Her only thought was that the high salary Su Xingzhi gave her was truly well-earned.

Despite this, she cherished the opportunity. Not just to hone her skills, but more importantly, now that she was Su Xingzhi’s partner, seeing how hard he worked every day, she naturally wanted to share some of the burden.

The morning passed in a whirlwind of activity. When lunchtime arrived, Cen Mo took her bento box and knocked on the CEO’s office door once more.

"Come in," the man said flatly. Seeing her enter, he set aside the file he was holding.

Cen Mo walked up and handed him the heated bento box: "CEO Su, here is your lunch."

"What about yours?" Su Xingzhi took it, looking at her hands.

"I'm eating outside," Cen Mo said, looking at him with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he would ask.

"Are we not eating together?" The man frowned, as if suppressing some hidden emotion.

"Of course not. We need to avoid suspicion. This is the office; superiors and subordinates don't eat together." Cen Mo stated it as if it were common sense, then turned and walked out.