The sterile white light of the infirmary was harsh against her eyes. The stubborn scent of disinfectant forced its way into her nostrils. Su Xiaolan blinked, staring blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling, her mind as empty as a freshly formatted hard drive.
Who am I? Where am I? What happened?
Fragments of consciousness, like wreckage from a sunken ship, struggled to surface. The tense conference room… the countless sharp, arrow-like gazes… the USB drive she couldn't plug in no matter how hard she tried… the violent spasms in her stomach… the dizzying darkness… and then—a firm, warm embrace, carrying the crisp, woody scent of cold cologne…
That embrace!
She jerked her head to the side.
Her heart stopped for a split second before pounding wildly out of control.
Li Chenyuan's tall figure sat quietly on the flimsy folding chair beside the bed. He had shed his expensive dark gray suit jacket, draping it carelessly over the back of the chair, leaving only his impeccably tailored white dress shirt. The top two buttons were undone, revealing the sharp lines of his collarbone and the slight movement of his Adam's apple. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his strong, defined forearms. His head was slightly lowered, and those usually unfathomable eyes—eyes that held frost and dominance—were now calm and intently fixed on her face.
Gone was the icy authority of the conference room, the penetrating scrutiny she was used to. His gaze… was so complicated it made Su Xiaolan's heart race. It was as if he were carefully examining a long-lost treasure, or as if he were peering through a fog, trying to understand something just beyond his grasp. And deep within that fog, there seemed to be a trace of something else—something almost like… the lingering remnants of panic?
Their eyes met abruptly.
The air between them seemed to solidify, drained of all oxygen. Time itself froze.
Su Xiaolan's mind exploded. The last fragments of memory from the conference room—the strong arms that had scooped her up, the warmth of his chest, the tense line of his jaw, the image of him carrying her out of the room at full speed—crashed over her like a tidal wave, swallowing her whole.
A princess carry!
In front of a dozen executives!
By him—Li Chenyuan!
A crushing sense of humiliation and the terror of being completely exposed coiled around her heart like icy vines, squeezing until she could barely breathe. Her face burned so hot it could fry an egg. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could vanish on the spot—or better yet, turn back time and erase everything that had just happened.
"Awake?"
His low voice shattered the suffocating silence, carrying a tone she had never heard before—something almost gentle, yet still unmistakably firm.
Su Xiaolan kept her eyes tightly shut, her lashes trembling like the wings of a startled butterfly. She didn't dare open them, didn't dare meet his gaze, didn't dare face this absurd reality. She bit down hard on her lower lip, so hard it turned white, and curled in on herself like a snail retreating into its shell.
Li Chenyuan watched her tense, defensive posture, his dark eyes deepening. He didn't press further, simply observing her in silence. The infirmary was so quiet that only the faint hum of the air conditioner and the rapid, unsteady rhythm of her own heartbeat could be heard.
Then the door creaked open, and a white-coated doctor walked in, breaking the strange stalemate. Seeing Su Xiaolan awake, the doctor exhaled in relief.
"Miss Su, how are you feeling? Any discomfort?"
Su Xiaolan seized the lifeline, immediately opening her eyes to look at the doctor—anything to avoid Li Chenyuan's gaze. Her voice came out hoarse and tight.
"I-I'm fine, Doctor. Just… a little weak."
The doctor nodded, picking up the clipboard at the foot of the bed.
"Your blood sugar was a bit low, combined with acute stress reaction from extreme tension. Nothing serious—just rest, replenish some fluids and sugar, and you'll be fine."
He handed her a bottle of glucose solution with a straw already inserted. Su Xiaolan took it gratefully, sipping slowly. The cool, slightly sweet liquid soothed her churning emotions and gave her a sliver of courage to face reality.
Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Li Chenyuan. He remained seated, posture unchanged, but his gaze had shifted to the doctor, listening intently to the instructions.
"...Make sure she rests and avoids excessive stress or mental strain."
The doctor's words carried a pointed implication as his eyes flicked between Li Chenyuan and Su Xiaolan.
"Mm."
Li Chenyuan acknowledged with a neutral hum.
Once the doctor left, the infirmary was silent again, thick with awkward tension.
Su Xiaolan clutched the half-empty bottle, her fingertips icy. Summoning the last of her courage, she finally turned to Li Chenyuan, her voice weak and trembling.
"P-President Li… Thank you… for earlier…"
She couldn't bring herself to say "for carrying me."
"No need."
Li Chenyuan cut her off, his tone regaining some of its usual cool detachment.
"You fainted."
He stated it as a simple fact, as if it were nothing more than a mundane office incident—like a dropped file.
But how could this possibly be mundane?!
Su Xiaolan stared at his impassive face, and a surge of indignation, humiliation, and sheer absurdity rushed to her head. How could he be so calm?! Did he have any idea what kind of storm he had just thrown her into?! How was she supposed to face her coworkers after this?!
"Why?" The words burst out of her, her voice rising with emotion. "Why did you… do that?!"
She couldn't even bring herself to describe the action.
Li Chenyuan's gaze returned to her face, something unreadable settling in his eyes. He studied the flush on her pale cheeks, the glimmer of tears and anger in her eyes, and after a beat of silence, repeated:
"You fainted."
His tone was matter-of-fact, leaving no room for argument.
"It required immediate action."
"But you didn't have to—not like that!" Su Xiaolan's voice cracked, the emotions she had suppressed all night finally breaking free. "You could've had Secretary Wang or anyone help me to the infirmary! Why… why did it have to be you?! Do you have any idea—any idea at all—what people are going to think of me now?!"
Tears spilled over, streaking down her face.
She was no longer just a lazy salted fish content to coast through life. Now, she was the company's biggest gossip topic—the "princess-carried-by-the-CEO" woman! How was she supposed to clock out on time now? How could she ever go back to her peaceful, low-key existence?!
Watching her tears and the raw accusation in her eyes, Li Chenyuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. For the first time, a flicker of something resembling confusion and frustration passed through his usually controlled gaze.
He was a man of efficiency and direct action. In that moment, he had been the closest, the quickest to react. Carrying her to the infirmary had been the most logical solution. As for how he had done it… he had never concerned himself with others' opinions. To him, it wasn't even worth discussing.
But this girl's tears, her vehement rejection—it made him realize, for the first time, that what he considered the "optimal solution" had caused her immense distress.
"Their opinions don't matter."
He tried to explain, his voice low, carrying his usual unshakable logic.
"Your condition required immediate attention."
"Don't matter?! How can they not matter?!"
Su Xiaolan's control snapped. All the fear, frustration, and anger she had bottled up erupted like a volcano.
"Of course they don't matter to you! You're the almighty CEO! A single word from you can change people's lives! You do whatever you want, and no one dares to question it! But I'm not like you! I'm just a lowly assistant! All I want is to work quietly, leave on time, and live my own little life! I don't want to be gossip fodder! I don't want people looking at me with those… those weird eyes!"
Her voice grew louder, tears streaming freely now.
"The massage chair, the private elevator, the tablet—even last night, and now this… You think it's 'efficiency investment,' that it's for my good! But have you ever asked if I wanted it?! Have you ever considered whether I needed it?! You just—you just bulldoze into my life, disrupt everything, and then tell me it's for my own good?!"
She wiped her tears furiously, her red-rimmed eyes locking onto his dark, unreadable gaze. With a desperate, defiant resolve, she delivered her final blow:
"President Li, I'm not your experiment! I'm not some prop for you to test your 'efficiency theories' on! And I'm definitely not that thoughtless doll from your memories—the one who could be satisfied with just sunshine and potato chips!"
"I'm Su Xiaolan! I just want to be myself! I just want my peaceful life back!"
"So please… just let me go! Can you do that?!"
Her last words were a plea, a desperate cry from a cornered salted fish brandishing its fragile spines for the first time.
The infirmary plunged into suffocating silence. Only Su Xiaolan's stifled sobs and the monotonous hum of the air conditioner remained.
Li Chenyuan sat motionless, his tall frame casting a long shadow under the fluorescent lights. His jaw was tight, his lips pressed into a hard line. His dark eyes churned with emotions Su Xiaolan couldn't begin to decipher—cold fury at having his authority challenged, frustration at her incomprehensible reaction, irritation at losing control of the situation… and perhaps, buried deep beneath it all, the faintest sting of something resembling hurt?
No one had ever dared to reject him so openly, so fiercely. Least of all someone he believed he had been helping.
After what felt like an eternity—long enough for Su Xiaolan to think he might simply walk out or freeze her to death with his glare—Li Chenyuan stood.
Without looking at her, he picked up his suit jacket from the chair and shrugged it on with practiced ease. Every button he fastened felt like another layer of armor being restored. By the time he reached the door, the oppressive aura of the untouchable CEO had fully returned.
His hand paused on the doorknob for the briefest second.
"Rest well."
His voice was icy, devoid of any inflection, yet heavy with unspoken weight.
"Today counts as sick leave."
Then he opened the door and walked out without a backward glance.
The moment the door clicked shut, Su Xiaolan collapsed against the bed, drained. Tears streamed down her face again—this time from sheer exhaustion and the bone-deep fear of what she had just done.
She had declared war.
And she had no idea whether the heavens would rain down blessings… or a meteorite powerful enough to crush a tiny salted fish like her.
Meanwhile, in the CEO's office.
The heavy bulletproof door closed behind Li Chenyuan, sealing him in silence. Instead of heading to his desk, he strode to the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the bustling city below.
His back was straight, his posture impeccable, yet an uncharacteristic tension lingered in his shoulders. Slowly, he lifted a hand, fingertips brushing absently over his left chest—where, beneath the expensive fabric of his shirt, the phantom warmth of her tears and the fragile trembling of her body in his arms still lingered.
That sensation unsettled him more than any corporate ambush ever had.
He opened his palm, as if still feeling the weight of her in his arms. So light, so fragile… and yet, it had struck something deep within his fortified defenses.
"I just want to be myself!"
"I just want my peaceful life back!"
"Just let me go!"
Her tearful words echoed in his mind, each one a barbed whip lashing against his flawless logic and control.
Efficiency investment?
Optimal solution?
Let her go?
Li Chenyuan's gaze remained fixed on the distant skyline, his expression unreadable. For the first time, something in those calculating eyes flickered—something almost like uncertainty.
He had always prided himself on precision, on control.
But now, for the first time, he felt something slip beyond his grasp.
And the source of that disruption had a name: Su Xiaolan.
The eye of the storm was eerily quiet.
But the true tempest had only just begun to brew.