31. Chapter 31: Want to Go Out?

"Oh, oh!" Secretary Xu quickly set down the milk and started toward the door. After two steps, she paused, cast a conflicted look at him, then continued on as if nothing were wrong. When her hand touched the doorknob, she stopped again, slowly turned around, and adjusted her glasses. "Mr. Xie!"

"Is something the matter?" Every move she made was under his watchful eye; if she claimed nothing was wrong, he doubted she even believed it herself.

"Mr. Xie, the young lady is very beautiful, but she still looks very young." Her serious expression and strange choice of words caught Chu Yitong’s attention. She tilted her head slightly, staring at the secretary with such an obedient, adorable air that Secretary Xu almost lunged at her—she was just too cute!

"Hmm?" Xie Chenjing responded softly, the trailing note in his voice expressing his inquiry.

"Please take it easy, and don't hurt the young lady." Having finally let out what was on her mind, she felt a great sense of relief. Such a wonderful girl must be cherished properly. Looking at Mr. Xie, he was clearly a novice who had never been with a woman; once he got a taste of it, he would likely be unable to control himself.

Chu Yitong’s hand tightened around her cup. She lowered her eyes and pressed her lips together. Her expression remained neutral, but he sensitively sensed that the girl was secretly laughing, and struggling quite hard to hold it back. Did she want to see him make a fool of himself? That would not be easy.

"I appreciate your advice, Secretary Xu. I will be very careful." He enunciated the words "very careful" clearly, his tone emphasizing his sincerity.

Secretary Xu nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "Mr. Xie, I’ll be going now!" Before leaving, she didn't forget to wink at Chu Yitong.

Chu Yitong lowered her head, her long hair sliding down to hide her burning ears. She held the milk and took a small sip, acting as if she hadn't heard a word of their conversation.

"Yiyi, are you going to sleep?" The question was light and airy, but to her ears, it sounded entirely off. A flush she couldn't suppress spread across her cheeks, and she gave a vague, "Mm!"

"Let’s go, time for bed!" What did her sleeping have to do with him? Her mind kept wandering down the wrong path, and Secretary Xu’s words surfaced involuntarily, magnifying in her head. She slowly placed the cup on the table, her wrist—peeking out from her sleeve—tinged with a faint pink.

After taking a few deep breaths, she looked up to see him looking at her with amusement in his eyes, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted. He moved his fingers subtly and said calmly, "I’ll go by myself. You should get back to work."

"Is that so?" He took a few steps forward, studying her closely for a few seconds before saying something startling: "You don't need company?"

"..." Whose unruly child was this? Was he really the elegant and refined man rumored in the outside world? Could he stop joking around? They had all been blinded by his reputation. However, she wasn't a pushover, so she politely declined. "I’m used to being alone. Where is the lounge?"

He raised his arm and pointed toward a closed door not far away, his expression showing no trace of anything unusual. "Over there."

"Oh, thank you!" she replied casually and headed in the direction he pointed, only to have a dead-serious question follow her from behind: "Yiyi, are you sure you don't need company?"

The corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably. Without looking back, she answered decisively, "No!"

"Oh~ that's a shame, given Secretary Xu's earnest exhortations!" She swore to herself that he was absolutely not the person she remembered most clearly from her hazy memories—absolutely not. She didn't slow her pace, hurrying into the room and slamming the door shut, fully expressing her current mood.

Xie Chenjing chuckled softly. He returned to his desk, his slender fingers dancing across the keyboard, occasionally flipping through the documents on the desk. Other than the sound of typing and the occasional rustle of paper, the office remained quiet and warm.