Xuan Yanyu crossed his long legs and leaned back against the sofa without objecting.

With Ningning not at home, everything felt off to him. The man tapped the sofa armrest listlessly.

Something came to mind, and he picked up his phone to have Ye Jian rearrange the work for the next few days to that very evening and the following day.

“Mr. Xuan, your drink.” The server “Sweet as Honey” held a tray and approached Xuan Yanyu, deliberately keeping a not-too-close, not-too-far distance from him.

“No need.” Xuan Yanyu didn’t even look up, still coordinating his schedule with Ye Jian.

“Love at First Sight?” Pei Shuluo raised an eyebrow, picked up the drink from the tray, and looked at the overly made-up “Sweet as Honey” with a faint smile. “You mixed this?”

He lowered his head and sniffed. A sweet and sour scent — drinking it would leave a gently tipsy feeling.

Sweet as Honey gave a nod, her voice uncertain and slightly trembling. “Yes… I… mixed it.”

“Twenty to forty or so a glass.” Pei Shuluo gave a quiet laugh. “Sickeningly sweet just to look at, and you dared bring this to Yanyu-bro. Little girl, no one here is going to play the Cinderella game with you.”

With that, he beckoned to another server, but his gaze stayed fixed on Sweet as Honey. His voice was full of mockery. “Go fetch the highest-grade drinks you have here.”

“Yes, Mr. Pei.”

“Mr. Pei, there’s no need to be like that.” The girl’s voice carried a note of pride. Ignoring the eye signals the server beside her was giving her, she said clearly, word by word, “Nothing has high or low worth.”

Her voice was loud enough that Xuan Yanyu, Xie Yan, Mu Heng, and the others, who hadn’t been paying attention to her, now all turned their eyes in her direction.

“Well said.” Pei Shuluo smiled and gave her a round of applause. “Wonderfully said.”

The girl bit her lip, the redness at the corner of her eyes perfectly placed. “I… I…”

Mu Heng raised his right brow, picked up the wine glass on the table with one hand, and downed it. He and the others had seen plenty of this sort of scheming from young girls.

Xuan Yanyu hadn’t really heard what they were talking about and wasn’t interested. He got up, moved to a vacant seat, and continued liaising with Ye Jian on work matters.

Xie Yan’s gaze swept over the “Love at First Sight” cocktail Pei Shuluo had set on the table and said mildly, “Alright, do your job properly and put away any thoughts you shouldn’t have.”

He didn’t want to make things difficult for a girl barely twenty years old either.

The girl gave a nod and cautiously took the premium spirits Pei Shuluo had ordered from her colleague, then began to pour.

Xie Yan paid her no further attention and fell back into conversation with Mu Heng and the others — until a “thud” rang out: the dull sound of a wine glass hitting the floor. They stopped talking and all turned their eyes toward the source of the sound.

Sweet as Honey let out a soft cry, then came to her senses immediately and lowered her eyes in apology. “Mr. Xuan, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, it wasn’t on purpose. I’m sorry.”

“Mr. Xuan, wipe your hand.” Ye’an handed over a disinfectant wet wipe in a panic.

Replaying what had just happened, he shuddered.

The girl had offered Mr. Xuan a drink, and Mr. Xuan hadn’t taken it — hadn’t even lifted his eyelids in refusal.

Whether it was deliberate or accidental, who could say. While Mr. Xuan was discussing with Ye Jian which unnecessary meetings to cancel, she had lowered her head slightly, and the loose strands of hair falling on either side had draped across the back of Mr. Xuan’s hand.

In an instant, Mr. Xuan had flung her away, and the glass in her hand had dropped to the floor before she could react.

“Yanyu-bro, what happened?” Xie Yan frowned.

Expressionless, Xuan Yanyu took the wet wipe Ye’an had handed him and wiped the back of his hand. His tone was utterly cold. “Tell the manager I don’t want to see her again.”

“Mr. Xuan, it wasn’t on purpose.” Sweet as Honey looked up and met the man’s deep, icy gaze. She instinctively flinched. “I… I…”

Xuan Yanyu looked away. His voice carried not a trace of emotion. “Get out!”

He irritably tossed the wet wipe into the trash, his eyes drifting without intent to the neatly folded suit jacket. His expression grew even colder. “Who did that?”

The manager, who had gotten the message, came rushing in. Hearing Xuan Yanyu’s question, he glared at the servers. “Who did this?”

He had given a thousand warnings, ten thousand warnings. You cannot offend the people in this private room. He brought it up at every meeting. This private room was Mr. Xuan’s exclusive private room — how had they still managed to cause trouble???

“It was Sweet as Honey,” one of the servers said, quivering.

Sweet as Honey curled her fingertips inward. “I… I just saw…”

“Saw what.” The manager shot her a fierce glare. “Apologize. Who gave you permission to touch Mr. Xuan’s clothes without his consent?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Xuan, I’m so sorry.” Tears streamed down the girl’s face in drops.

Xuan Yanyu raised his eyes to the manager. His voice was cold as ice. “Don’t let me see her again.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” The manager waved a hand behind him, and two security guards escorted Sweet as Honey out.

“If something like tonight happens again, you’re out too.” Without waiting for the manager to respond, Xuan Yanyu walked toward the restroom, turned on the tap, and washed the back of his hand. The more he washed, the more irritable he felt.

She had dirtied him. If Ningning found out, she wouldn’t want him anymore.

After washing for a good while, Xuan Yanyu came out of the restroom. Without so much as a glance at the neatly folded suit jacket, he said his goodbyes to Xie Yan and the others and left the private room.

——

At the same time, Yan Yunning and her assistant arrived at the restaurant designated by their business partner at the agreed time.

Ten minutes later, the other party pushed open the door, fashionably late.

Yan Yunning’s brow knitted slightly. A company this unpunctual — frankly, she wasn’t keen on conducting business talks with them.

“Director Yan, sorry to keep you waiting. Got held up a bit. Hope you don’t mind.”

Yan Yunning looked at the Wen Zhilu standing before her in disbelief. “You’re…”

“Yes. The company you’re here to partner with is mine.” Wen Zhilu answered evenly, lowering his gaze to conceal the flash of admiration he felt for Yan Yunning.

A new hair color, simply dressed, no deliberate effort to look good — yet nothing could hide how beautiful she was.

He hadn’t planned to come, but after thinking it over, he had shown up at this restaurant after all.

“Hello, Sister. I’m Director Wen’s assistant.” The girl following behind Wen Zhilu gave Yan Yunning a cheerful wave.

Yan Yunning stared at the enthusiastic girl. She felt strangely familiar.

Wen Zhilu glanced at her. “Did I permit you to get cozy with a client?”

The girl clutching the documents quietly rolled her eyes. Noticing that Yan Yunning was still looking at her, she beamed again.

Yan Yunning smiled back.

Wen Zhilu beckoned the server, who brought over an electronic tablet. He ordered a few dishes, picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip. “Let’s chat over the meal.”

“Of course.” Yan Yunning had no objections.

Once all the dishes were served, Yan Yunning suggested, “Why don’t we have them sit down with us too?”

Wen Zhilu pressed his lips together. He knew who she meant by “them,” and curved his lips into a smile. “Does Director Yan neglect business etiquette when discussing partnerships with others too?”

Yan Yunning: “…”

“Sister, don’t mind him. Director Wen always talks to us this way.” The girl pulled a square gift box from her pocket and placed it in front of Yan Yunning. “Sister, this is a gift that Director Wen wanted to give you. I brought it down from the car for him.”

“Mu Zhizhi!” Wen Zhilu gritted his teeth and fixed his gaze on her. “You’ve overstepped.”

Mu Zhizhi blinked. “Director Wen, should you… dock my pay again?”