That pot of warm red date and goji berry tea was like a pebble dropped into the tranquil lake of Su Xiaolan's heart, sending ripples through her that refused to settle. The wind on the rooftop remained bitingly cold, yet it couldn't dispel the lingering heat on her face, nor could it quiet the words echoing relentlessly in her mind:
"Being able to indulge in such simple joys without distraction is truly wonderful."
"This kind of... 'efficiency' might be something precious in its own way."
The library… sunlight… the old couch… potato chips… comics… carefree laughter…
Each keyword pieced together the laziest—yet happiest—moments of her university days. Back then, she had been a true slacker, content to bask in her comfort zone, soaking up the sun while daydreaming the most impractical dreams. Never in her wildest thoughts had she imagined that her lazy, unguarded smiles under the sunlight had been quietly observed—and remembered for years—by a pair of deep, fathomless eyes.
"Because you're Su Xiaolan."
That once baffling, even absurd, remark now carried an undeniable weight. It wasn't because she was lazy enough to become his "efficiency optimization" test subject. No—it was because she was that Su Xiaolan, the one who munched on chips under the sun, laughing without a care in the world.
A surge of overwhelming emotion—shame, fluster, and an indescribable ache—slammed into her chest. The reinforced dam in her heart, labeled "Slacker's Peace," trembled under the flood of this unexpected truth.
Clutching the thermos, her fingertips traced the lingering warmth left by another's touch, as if she were holding a branding iron—or perhaps a gaze that had quietly spanned years. Her eyes burned, and she tilted her head back, blinking hard to force back the wetness gathering there.
No, Su Xiaolan! Snap out of it!
So what if he's known you for a long time?
He's Li Chenyuan! The Ice King of the Li Corporation!
And you're still just a lazy, good-for-nothing slacker!
Her slacker instincts screamed warnings, trying to drag her back into that safe, familiar, pressure-free bubble. Yet deep inside, the crater left by the meteor named "Li Chenyuan" now gushed with scalding, unfamiliar springs—feelings like concern, nervousness, and even… a stubborn, unwilling restlessness.
Dazed, she found herself back at her desk, her soul seemingly detached from her body. The ergonomic chair, the sleek tablet stand, the wireless charger, and that thermos stamped with the character "Li" now felt like mocking reminders of the turmoil in her heart.
The entire afternoon passed in a fog. Her emails were incoherent, her colleagues' polite greetings made her squirm, and even Wang Siniang's skeptical, resigned glances went unanswered.
Efficiency? Screw efficiency!
Her mind was filled with sunlight in the library, the blur of his silhouette against the wind on the rooftop, and—most damning of all—the faint, electric brush of his fingers against hers when he handed her the thermos.
Plip. Plop.
A warm droplet splashed onto her keyboard.
Su Xiaolan jolted back to reality, horrified to realize she'd been staring at Li Chenyuan's digital signature—bold, sweeping strokes that seemed to pierce through the screen—for a full ten minutes! And that droplet… was her own drool!
"Ah!" She gasped, scrambling for tissues to wipe the keyboard, her face burning with humiliation. Su Xiaolan! Drooling over your boss's signature?! You're beyond redemption!
Just as she wished she could bury her head in the keyboard, the office phone rang sharply, startling her.
The caller ID sent her pulse skyrocketing—CEO's direct line!
Her hand trembled as she picked up the receiver. "Li… Li-Zong?"
"Come in." His deep voice, devoid of inflection, was as brief as ever. The line went dead, leaving only a dial tone that sounded like a death knell.
Clutching the receiver, her palms slick with sweat, Su Xiaolan's legs turned to jelly. Now? He's summoning me? Did he notice my productivity crash? Or is this about the rooftop?
Her slacker survival instincts screamed run, but her feet moved on their own, carrying her stiffly toward that imposing, bulletproof door—the symbol of ultimate authority.
She knocked.
"Enter."
Pushing the door open, she stepped inside. The vast, cold office was bathed in the golden glow of sunset, casting a warm edge over Li Chenyuan's sharp, unyielding figure as he reviewed documents at his desk.
"Li-Zong, you wanted to see me?" She stood stiffly, eyes downcast, like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.
He looked up, his gaze piercing. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, broken only by the hum of the air conditioner and the thunderous pounding of her heart.
Finally, he spoke. His finger tapped a file on his desk—the quarterly office supplies budget she'd half-heartedly compiled that morning.
"This budget," his voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable weight, "lacks cross-comparisons of supplier quotes. The cost-benefit analysis for key items is missing. And there's no alternative procurement plan."
Her face paled. She had rushed through it, too distracted to dig deeper!
"S-Sorry, Li-Zong! I'll redo it immediately! I'll work overtime tonight!"
"Overtime?" He repeated the word, an almost imperceptible lift in his brow.
Her stomach dropped. Oh no. I just volunteered to work late—me, the queen of clocking out on time! He's going to freeze me with that look and say, 'Only the inefficient need overtime.'
But the expected reprimand never came.
Instead, after a beat of silence, he said:
"Redo it here."
Su Xiaolan's brain short-circuited. H-Here?! In his office?! Under his watch?!
"It's quiet. Efficient." He gestured to the luxurious auxiliary workstation—reserved for Wang Siniang during high-level briefings. "Use that desk. Database access is already granted."
Her jaw dropped. That spot was sacred!
"Li-Zong, this isn't—"
"Here." His tone brooked no argument. He even picked up the phone and ordered two dinners—one of them for her.
Trapped, she shuffled to the designated desk like a condemned prisoner. The ergonomic chair cradled her perfectly, the monitor was crystal clear, but none of it mattered—not when he sat mere feet away, his presence a tangible force. Every rustle of paper, every stroke of his pen, sent her nerves into overdrive.
Hours crawled by. Sunset faded into city lights. Wang Siniang delivered two elegant bento boxes, shooting Su Xiaolan a look that screamed I don't even want to know before vanishing.
The aroma of food did nothing for her appetite. She mechanically punched numbers, her focus fraying under Li Chenyuan's oppressive aura.
Then—chair wheels rolled.
Footsteps approached.
Her breath hitched as his shadow fell over her. He leaned down, his scent—clean, crisp—filling her space, his breath stirring her hair as he examined her screen.
"Here." His finger tapped a figure. "Supplier B's unit price is 5% lower, but their lead time is three days longer. Assess the operational impact before deciding."
His tone was neutral, yet it sent her scrambling to correct the oversight.
"And here," his finger moved, "the 30% increase in printer purchases—did you verify departmental usage reports? Is there padding?"
She hadn't. She'd just extrapolated from past data.
"I—I'll check now!"
"Do it here."
And so, under his relentless scrutiny, she worked like a machine, her brain firing on all cylinders. The initial terror faded into a strange, numb focus—until, at last, the revised budget was done.
"Email it to me."
She did. He reviewed it swiftly, then nodded.
"Passable."
Two syllables—yet they lifted a mountain off her shoulders.
"You're dismissed. The driver will take you home."
She opened her mouth to protest, but he'd already returned to his work.
As she reached the door, he added:
"Tomorrow. Present this at the executive meeting."
Her soul nearly left her body. Present?! At an EXEC meeting?!
Dazed, she stumbled out, only for the chauffeur to hand her a bag—inside, a top-tier tablet and a box of her favorite cheese-seaweed chips.
Clutching the snacks, recalling the night's events—the overtime, the proximity, the "passable," the inexplicable thoughtfulness—her emotions erupted.
Li Chenyuan!
You unreasonable whale!
If you're going to drag me out of my comfort zone,
Why—
WHY FEED ME CHIPS AFTER?!