The hum of fluorescent lights filled the corners of her small office. Xu Meilin sat in front of her screen, eyes fixed but unfocused, fingers hovering over the keyboard. She had typed three lines and deleted them all.
Her work was usually mechanical, quiet. Files. Names. Schedules. She was efficient and invisible.
But today, her thoughts moved like fog ,not enough to drown her, just enough to blur her edges.
She hadn't looked at the camera on purpose.
But she felt it.
Not like paranoia.
Like presence.
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and stood. She needed to deliver the monthly intern reports to the 34th floor, his floor.
Usually she asked another assistant to take them up. But today, something inside her didn't want to avoid it.
Not because she wanted to see him.
She wasn't foolish.
She just… wanted to walk through that space. To prove to herself she could.
Even if her palms felt too warm and her throat too tight.
She took the files, held them neatly against her chest, and walked toward the executive elevator. Her heels clicked softly. Confidently. Pretending.
The doors opened.
The ride was silent.
By the time she reached the top floor, her heartbeat had settled into something heavy but steady.
The walls up here were different.
Quieter.
More dangerous.
Assistants typed soundlessly. No one looked up. But she could feel the awareness,like everyone knew she didn't belong.
She moved past them, chin high, each step calculated.
The receptionist outside Li Zeyan's office gave her a look, not cruel, just questioning.
"Reports for president Li," Meilin said softly, holding them out.
The receptionist reached, but Meilin shook her head gently. "He prefers them hand-delivered."
It was a lie. He never said that.
But the receptionist blinked, then nodded once.
"The Director is in. Please, go ahead."
Meilin stepped forward.
The doors opened silently.
---
He was standing by the window.
Back turned.
Hands in his pockets.
The city stretched beyond him, tall, steel, endless.
He didn't move as she entered.
She stood there, waiting. Unsure if he had heard her.
Seconds passed.
Then…
"What are you doing here"
His voice.
Quiet. Low. Too calm.
She blinked, confused for a second.
The one he had given her with the silent weight of a thousand unspoken things.
"I...I came to give you the reports" she said. Voice steadier than her hands.
He turned slightly, just enough for his profile to catch the light. Sharp. Remote.
"Drop it on the table and leave"
"Yes president Li."
Another pause.
Then she stepped forward and placed the files gently on his desk.
He didn't look at them.
She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her again.
"Xu Meilin."
She turned back.
Their eyes met for the first time since that night.
His gaze was unreadable. But not cold.
Just… unsure. Which was somehow worse.
Her heart thudded against her ribs.
He didn't speak for a long time.
Just studied her.
Finally, he said, "The driver didn'tmean for it to happen."
Her lips curved slightly, not in mockery. Not in pain.
Just a quiet, tired kind of understanding.
"I know," she said. "But it did. It was my mistake, i didn't wear my seatbelt and you warned me about it"
She bowed lightly, politely, the way she always did.
And then she turned and walked away.
Not with drama.
Not with tears.
Just with the same silent grace she always carried.
Because what burned between them wasn't made of fire.
It was made of frost.
And even frost can hurt.