The sun had long disappeared behind the skyline of the bustling city, but the Li Corporation building remained a tower of light, glowing against the dark velvet of night. Qin Yue sat at her small desk outside Li Feng's office, her pen tapping absently against her notebook. Her body was exhausted from the day's relentless demands, but her mind was sharper than ever.
She had learned, in just a few weeks, that Li Feng was a man who didn't believe in giving people room to breathe. He tested, pushed, and watched. Every mistake became a lesson. Every success was met with silence, or a curt nod that meant more than any words of praise could.
And tonight, Qin Yue felt the weight of something new—something unspoken between them.
---
Earlier that morning, Li Feng had walked into the office in one of his rare, black moods. His usually impeccable composure had been edged with an iciness that made even the senior managers flinch. No one dared speak too loudly, no one dared stand in his way. Qin Yue had barely greeted him before he'd thrown his schedule onto her desk.
"Cancel everything after three," he'd ordered.
She blinked. "Everything?"
His dark eyes lifted, locking onto hers. "Was I unclear?"
"N-no," she stammered. "Right away."
It wasn't unusual for Li Feng to rearrange his calendar, but the tone he used—sharp, brittle, dangerous—told her something was deeply wrong. Still, she kept quiet.
---
By the afternoon, she found out why.
A call came from the legal department. They needed her to deliver documents to the top floor personally, ones that were marked "CONFIDENTIAL." Qin Yue clutched the heavy envelope, her curiosity battling with her professionalism. She told herself not to peek, not to even think about it—but when she stepped into Li Feng's office, she caught a glimpse of his expression as he tore the envelope open.
His jaw tightened. His eyes narrowed.
She stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to acknowledge her. But his silence stretched on and on, until she finally said, softly, "Mr. Li… should I—"
"Leave."
The single word was enough to send her retreating, though her heart ached with questions. What could shake him like that?
---
That night, as she organized the last of the day's reports, Qin Yue thought about the man behind the mask. Everyone in the company saw Li Feng as a machine—calculating, flawless, unbreakable. But she had begun to notice the cracks. A shadow in his eyes when certain calls came. A stiffness in his shoulders when he thought no one was looking. A loneliness in the way he sometimes stared out at the city skyline.
It unsettled her.
Because she knew, deep down, that the man behind the mask was far more complicated than he wanted anyone to realize.
---
The elevator chimed softly. Qin Yue looked up in surprise—no one should have been visiting at this hour. But the man who stepped out wasn't a stranger.
It was Zhao Rui, the head of the Shanghai branch.
Tall, polished, and smiling with an ease that Li Feng never wore, Zhao Rui crossed the lobby toward her. "Miss Qin," he greeted warmly. "Working late again, I see."
She stood politely, bowing her head slightly. "Mr. Zhao. Do you need to see President Li?"
He nodded, his smile never fading. "Yes. Though, I imagine his temper hasn't improved since this morning?"
Her lips parted slightly in surprise. "You… know about that?"
"Of course," Zhao Rui said smoothly. "Li Feng doesn't show his cracks often, but when he does, they ripple through the company. It's hard not to notice."
She hesitated, unsure if it was appropriate to reply. Zhao Rui studied her for a moment, his gaze thoughtful, almost too perceptive. Then he lowered his voice.
"Be careful, Miss Qin. Being close to him isn't easy. And sometimes… it's dangerous."
Her stomach knotted. "Dangerous?"
But Zhao Rui only smiled again, as if he hadn't said anything unusual. He brushed past her, knocking lightly on Li Feng's door before stepping inside.
---
The muffled sound of raised voices followed almost immediately.
Qin Yue sat frozen at her desk, straining to catch even a fragment of the conversation. She hated herself for it, but her heart hammered too loudly to ignore.
"…not sustainable, Feng. You're pushing too hard—"
"Don't tell me how to run my company."
"I'm not. I'm telling you this path will destroy you."
"Then let it."
The silence that followed made her blood run cold.
When the door finally opened, Zhao Rui emerged with a heavy expression. His earlier smile was gone. He caught Qin Yue's eyes briefly, as though he wanted to say something more—but instead, he left without a word.
---
Moments later, Li Feng stepped out.
His tie was loosened, his hair slightly mussed—a rare imperfection. When his gaze landed on Qin Yue, she expected him to bark an order, to dismiss her, to remind her of her place.
Instead, he said quietly, "Go home, Miss Qin."
She blinked. "But the reports—"
"Tomorrow."
His voice wasn't sharp this time. It was… tired.
Qin Yue rose slowly, her heart aching at the sight of him. For the first time, she wanted to ask, Are you okay? But the words caught in her throat, stuck between propriety and instinct.
In the end, she simply nodded and gathered her things.
---
That night, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Her mind kept replaying Zhao Rui's warning, Li Feng's expression, the jagged edges of a man who lived behind walls so high that even his closest allies couldn't scale them.
And she wondered…
What would happen if she tried?
---
The next morning, Qin Yue arrived earlier than usual. She brewed a pot of coffee—Li Feng's favorite blend, which she had memorized after weeks of observing—and set it on his desk before he came in. It was a small gesture, almost insignificant. But to her, it felt like extending a hand to a man drowning in shadows.
When he entered the office, he paused. His sharp gaze flicked to the steaming cup, then back at her.
"You made this?" he asked.
"Yes," she said softly.
For a moment, he said nothing. Then, almost imperceptibly, he gave a small nod.
It wasn't gratitude, not really. But it wasn't rejection either.
And for Qin Yue, that was enough.
---
Days passed like that—subtle changes, quiet observations, silent battles. She became attuned to the rhythm of his moods, the faint lines of strain around his eyes. And slowly, almost against her will, she began to see the man beneath the mask.
He was brilliant, yes. Ruthless, yes. But he was also burdened by something he refused to share.
And it terrified her—because she could feel herself being pulled in deeper, into a world where getting too close to Li Feng might mean losing herself entirely.
---
That night, as the office emptied and the city lights glittered like a thousand secrets, Qin Yue found herself staring at him through the glass wall of his office.
He sat alone, the weight of his empire pressing down on his shoulders. His mask was still there, but for a fleeting second, she imagined she could see through it.
She whispered to herself, so softly that no one could hear:
"Li Feng… what are you hiding?"
---
❓️❓️❓️❓️❓️
And more importantly—when the mask finally shatters, will Qin Yue be ready to face the truth behind it?