Su Rui pushed her cleaning cart slowly toward the president's office.
On the surface, she still wore that harmless, down-to-earth expression—head lowered, back slightly hunched, movements swift and practiced. She looked every bit the perfect janitor.
But inside, she was fuming.
Shen Yichen, you twisted control freak. You're clearly targeting me on purpose.
Her mind was burning with fury. She wanted nothing more than to storm into his fancy top-floor office and strangle him on the spot.
And beyond the rage, came the gnawing questions:
How much does he know?
Did he figure out who she really was, or did he just sense something off?
The uncertainty chewed at her like a dog with a bone, making her grit her teeth.
She stopped in her tracks, hands tightening around the cart handle, fingers trembling.
Enough. I've had it.
If she kept bottling this up, she'd go insane before this charade ended.
No more guessing, no more hiding.
Today, she was going to confront Shen Yichen head-on.
With a determined glare, she marched toward the glass doors of his office.
Technically, she didn't kick them open—but she pushed with so much force that the automatic doors slid wide like they'd been kicked.
The poor secretary at the desk barely had time to blink.
"Shen Yichen, you better explain to me right no—"
She froze.
——
Sitting elegantly on the office sofa was a woman dressed in pearls and silk, sipping tea like she owned the entire building.
Her aura radiated aristocratic pride, so composed and unbothered it made even the furniture look humble.
Su Rui's brain exploded.
Madam Shen.
No—her ex-mother-in-law.
The very woman who had never liked her.
Who wore a polite smile at the wedding while throwing her daggers with every glance.
Who had practically chased her out of the Shen family with a broom.
And now she was here. Sitting casually. Drinking tea.
Oh god. How could I forget about her?!
Panic surged through Su Rui like electricity. Her fierce energy crumbled instantly, and she turned on her heel, ready to flee.
But she didn't get far.
"Lin-jie," Shen Yichen's deep voice rang out behind her, calm and sharp like a blade.
Crap.
She froze in place—rigid, tense, like a janitor caught breaking into the vault.
——
The entire scene felt like a bad sitcom.
She had charged in like a storm, full of righteous fury… only to be instantly deflated like a scolded schoolgirl.
But what could she do?
The woman on that sofa was someone she'd spent her whole life trying to avoid.
And the man who just called her name… was the same control freak she could never seem to escape.
Su Rui drew in a breath and turned back around, quickly switching back into "Auntie Lin" mode.
With her best sheepish smile, she said, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, President Shen! I didn't mean to interrupt…"
Before she could finish, the elegantly dressed woman narrowed her eyes, examining her with the sharp gaze of someone used to sniffing out trouble.
"And… who might you be?"
Su Rui's heart skipped a beat. Her brain scrambled for a response.
But before she could speak—
Shen Yichen answered for her, voice cool and measured:
"She's one of our janitorial staff. Lin Yueying."
The words fell lightly, but the undercurrent… she could feel it.
All she could do was nod stiffly. "Yes, yes… I'm… cleaning."
She nearly burst out laughing at herself.
A former celebrity, pretending to be a middle-aged janitor, barging into her ex-mother-in-law's visit and almost blowing her cover.
Today's performance had definitely gone off script.