CEO's Office.
Xiao Yu sat across from Zhao Min, a trace of doubt lingering in her eyes. Something felt off today—Zhao Min had been unusually kind to her. She was just an intern, yet the president had personally shown her around and even let her access the company's core materials.
It didn't sit right.
"Xiao Yu, how was your first day? Settling in okay?" Zhao Min asked with a smile.
"It was fine," Xiao Yu said, hesitating slightly.
"You're wondering why I'm treating you like this, right?" Zhao Min smiled knowingly, catching the look in Xiao Yu's eyes.
"…Yes." Xiao Yu nodded honestly.
"Do you remember the day your boyfriend saved a baby in the shopping district?" Zhao Min asked, her tone calm. "I was the one whose bag was snatched by the thief that day."
Xiao Yu's eyes widened in surprise. Back then, the scene was chaotic, and her attention had been solely on Chen Mo. She hadn't even noticed Zhao Min.
"So… you're helping me because of that?" she asked.
"Of course not. Your boyfriend is an impressive man—and you're a great woman. That's enough reason."
"Thank you…" Xiao Yu smiled politely, but inwardly, she still didn't believe that was all. No matter how good she was, it wasn't enough to justify this much special treatment.
"It's after work now," Zhao Min said with a wink.
"Oh—goodbye, Sister Zhao!"
After Xiao Yu left, Zhao Min called Chen Mo.
"Chairman, I have a question for you."
"Go ahead," Chen Mo said, seated in his shop, fiddling with phone designs on his screen.
"You really still haven't told Xiao Yu?"
"…Yeah, that's the headache. I'll talk to her tonight," he said, sighing.
He knew how Xiao Yu was—once she found out the truth, she'd feel pressure. It could mess with her peace of mind. But now that she'd joined the company, and with the lab nearly done, he couldn't avoid it any longer.
"Good. She's my employee now, so I didn't want to interfere. Just wanted to make sure you're not stringing her along. Now, it's off-work hours—goodbye, Chairman." Zhao Min hung up.
Back at the shop, Chen Mo exhaled deeply and turned back to the phone design on his computer screen.
After work, Xiao Yu packed up and left the company, her mind still clouded with questions. Outside the building, she bumped into Li Ruoxuan.
"Xiao Yu! How was your first day?"
"Pretty good. President Zhao was very kind to me."
As she walked, Zhao Min's words echoed in her mind. It felt like more was going on—but what?
"Did you hear? Yesterday, the guy who came with Zhao Min was actually our company's mysterious chairman."
"Really? At first, everyone thought he was her boyfriend. Turns out he's the boss! So young, too—looks like he just graduated. Not even nerdy—actually kind of hot. His girlfriend must be lucky."
Xiao Yu and Li Ruoxuan had just stepped out the door when two other women passed by, chatting loudly.
"Graduated? Techie? Sunny?"
Hearing those words, a figure immediately came to Xiao Yu's mind. Her body tensed. She pulled out her phone and quickly began to search something.
"Xiao Yu? What are you doing?"
"Looking for answers."
Her chest felt tight. A moment later, Xiao Yu quietly put her phone away, her expression distant.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good," Li Ruoxuan asked, concerned.
"It's nothing. Just… the answer was more surprising than I expected."
"What answer?"
"I'll tell you later," Xiao Yu said, taking a deep breath.
"Come on, Xiao Yu! I'm your bed-sharing bestie—what do you mean 'later'? Is this about Chen Mo? Are you two—hmm~?"
"Stop imagining things. Come on, let's go. The traffic's going to be a mess," Xiao Yu replied, cheeks slightly red.
That night, Chen Mo sat on the sofa reading, still thinking about how to bring up the topic with Xiao Yu.
Before long, the soft sound of footsteps came from the living room. Xiao Yu, dressed in her nightgown, quietly sat beside him and turned on her laptop to watch a variety show, just like always.
"How was work today?" Chen Mo asked gently.
"It was fine. The president treated me very well. I'm just not sure why she's so nice to me," Xiao Yu replied, keeping her tone casual.
"Xiao Yu, what if… someone had something they needed to confess to you?" Chen Mo set his book aside and gently pulled her closer, letting her rest against his shoulder.
"I'd listen, I guess," Xiao Yu said softly, though her eyes were fixed on the screen.
"You remember when I helped remove that virus from your laptop? Back at the library?"
Xiao Yu smiled at the memory. That embarrassing moment still made her laugh inside.
"And?"
"Well, that virus was part of a global computer attack. I developed the antivirus and sold it to Seven Tigers—that was my first bit of real money. Then I used it to start a company…"
"You can stop," Xiao Yu cut him off. "Let me be quiet for a moment."
She leaned fully into his shoulder, not saying anything more.
Chen Mo was now officially unsettled. He'd never seen her like this before—completely unreadable. So, he stayed quiet.
The program on the laptop eventually ended, and Xiao Yu finally spoke.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"You've already joined the company. You were bound to find out. I figured it'd be better coming from me. When did you realize?" Chen Mo asked.
"Don't worry about when I found out. If I hadn't joined the company, would you have ever told me?"
"…No."
"If you weren't talking now, I'd punch you."
Before he could react, Xiao Yu's small fist landed on his shoulder. She kept punching until she winced and cradled her hand in pain.
Seeing this, Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh.
"You're laughing?"
Xiao Yu's face turned red. She raised her little fist again and continued swinging. Eventually, tired out, she dropped onto the sofa.
"Still mad?" Chen Mo asked, holding her hand.
"I'm very mad. Don't move. I'm going to bite you." She leaned forward and sank her teeth into his shoulder.
"…Ow."
Chen Mo didn't resist, just held her tightly and stroked her back gently. She was venting—and that was better than bottling it up.
After a moment, Xiao Yu let go and looked at the red mark on his skin.
"Does it hurt?"
"What kind of question is that after you bit me?"
"Well, that's what you get for keeping something so huge from me."
Xiao Yu pouted, got up, and went rummaging through a cupboard. She returned with a bottle of red medicine and a cotton swab, sitting down to treat his shoulder.
"Still mad?" she asked as she dabbed gently.
"I'll let you know after you bite me again."
After finishing with the red medicine, Xiao Yu put everything away and returned to her room. Chen Mo waited a moment for the ointment to dry, then followed her in, closing the book and shutting off the lights behind him.