Upon hearing Zhou Zhuofei's words, the receptionist no longer hesitated and immediately took out the visitor registration log for Cen Huan to fill out.
Seeing the matter settled, Zhou Zhuofei was about to call Luo Jing to leave, but the latter, after clearly hearing Cen Huan's name, seemed in no hurry at all. Instead, she urged Zhou Zhuofei to escort Cen Huan upstairs first.
Zhou Zhuofei was just about to praise Luo Jing for her rare thoughtfulness when she noticed Luo Jing frantically signaling her with her eyes.
"Is your friend... close with General Manager Ling?"
Zhou Zhuofei replied, "I don’t know."
Clearly, Luo Jing didn’t know Zhou Zhuofei well enough to gauge the truthfulness of her answer. She could only bite back her words, especially since the person in question was standing right there—some topics were better left unspoken.
Meanwhile, Cen Huan finished filling out the form, and the receptionist handed her a visitor pass while explaining the directions.
As Zhou Zhuofei listened, the elevator in the distance chimed, signaling its arrival. She glanced over and saw Xiao Wang stepping out, walking straight toward the reception desk.
Cen Huan naturally recognized Xiao Wang and quickly spoke up as he approached, "Secretary Xiao, I have urgent business with Ling Yu."
Xiao Wang replied in a gentle tone, "Miss Cen, General Manager Ling is currently in a meeting. He asked me to escort you upstairs to rest for now."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
"It’s my duty. This way, please." Xiao Wang gestured for Cen Huan to go ahead.
Before leaving, Cen Huan didn’t forget to thank Zhou Zhuofei, "Zhuofei, I’ll head up now. Thanks so much for your help."
"No problem, go ahead with your business."
As she spoke, Zhou Zhuofei shifted her gaze to Xiao Wang. Having spent plenty of time with him in private, seeing him in his professional demeanor now struck her as amusing.
Before they got together, her impression of Xiao Wang had been entirely shaped by his work persona—humble, accommodating, yet efficient. She had assumed he’d be the same in his personal life.
But reality proved otherwise—he was incredibly clingy.
Xiao Wang glanced at Zhou Zhuofei and Luo Jing, his smile surfacing before he even spoke, his tone softening unconsciously, "Heading out?"
"Yeah, an off-site assignment."
"It’s hot outside—be careful."
"Got it. You go ahead with your work."
Watching Xiao Wang and Cen Huan leave, Zhou Zhuofei called Luo Jing to set off as well.
"Finally, can we go now?"
Having just witnessed two major scenes unfold, Luo Jing wasn’t sure which topic to focus on first.
Meeting the future boss’s fiancée was certainly gossip-worthy, but Zhou Zhuofei’s relationship was even more intriguing.
After some deliberation, Luo Jing decided to start with the familiar subject, "So, how did you and Secretary Xiao get together? Who made the first move?"
"Are you just casually asking, or are you genuinely curious?"
"Of course I’m genuinely curious!" Whether it was Zhou Zhuofei or Xiao Wang dating, either would’ve caused a stir—let alone the two of them together. It was practically a power couple in the making.
Zhou Zhuofei thought seriously about it. While Xiao Wang had been the one to show interest first, she had been the one to confess. So she answered, "I guess you could say I pursued him."
"I knew it! You were always praising Secretary Xiao—you had your eye on him from the start, didn’t you?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
She had always admired Xiao Wang—it wasn’t like she had no feelings for him. As Du Yu once said, if she hadn’t cared, she wouldn’t have brought him up so often.
Luo Jing asked a few more questions before steering the conversation back to Cen Huan, "Are you really close with that girl from earlier?"
"She used to be my neighbor. We’ve known each other for years."
"So, are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know?" Luo Jing said dramatically, "General Manager Ling is getting married, and his bride’s name is Cen Huan. Your friend came looking for General Manager Ling, and he even sent Secretary Xiao down to escort her. Don’t you think there’s a chance this friend of yours is his fiancée?"
"Oh!" Zhou Zhuofei let out an exaggerated gasp. "Then it must be her."
Luo Jing frowned, "Are you two really friends? How come you seem clueless about everything?"
"We’re not that close. I’ve probably seen her less than I’ve seen you."
"Tsk, don’t say that—if Secretary Xiao hears, he’ll come after me."
"Don’t be ridiculous! What kind of person do you think he is?"
When they returned from their off-site assignment, they happened to run into Cen Huan leaving. It was peak rush hour, and the lobby was packed.
People cast curious glances at Cen Huan as they passed by. It seemed that in just one afternoon, the entire Huanyu Corporation had learned that General Manager Ling’s fiancée had visited.
But then again, this kind of attention was only natural when it involved the main leads. Zhou Zhuofei silently criticized the plot’s forced progression, lacking any semblance of logic, as she walked over at Cen Huan’s beckoning.
"You just got back? That must’ve been exhausting—you’re sweating. Do you need a tissue?" Cen Huan was about to dig out a napkin when she noticed a hand already offering one.
At the same time, Xiao Wang’s voice sounded beside them, "I have some."
She watched as Zhou Zhuofei naturally took the tissue, first asking her male colleague if he needed one before wiping her own forehead. Meanwhile, Secretary Xiao’s gaze never left Zhou Zhuofei, observing her every move.
These two seem...
Cen Huan recalled her earlier conversation with Secretary Xiao. Since Ling Yu’s meeting had dragged on, Xiao Wang had kept her company for a while, and their only mutual acquaintance was Zhou Zhuofei, so they’d talked about her.
At the time, Cen Huan had sensed that Secretary Xiao and Zhou Zhuofei must be quite close—he had asked a lot of questions about her.
Now, seeing them like this, she understood. She immediately stopped reaching for her own tissue, a knowing smile forming on her lips.
They seem really close.
A twinge of envy flickered in Cen Huan’s heart, but she quickly reminded herself not to hope for too much. Being able to repay her debts was already a stroke of luck.
She steeled herself—just five more years, and she’d be free.
"Secretary Xiao, I’ll head out now."
Xiao Wang withdrew his gaze and replied, "Let me escort you to the car."
Cen Huan waved her hands, "No need, I can manage. I’ve already taken up enough of your time today."
Before Xiao Wang could insist, she hurried off. However, since Xiao Wang was acting on General Manager Ling’s orders, he couldn’t just let her go alone. After a quick goodbye to Zhou Zhuofei, he chased after Cen Huan.
Once the two were gone, the surrounding colleagues could no longer hold back their curiosity, swarming around Zhou Zhuofei for details.
"Zhuofei, who was that girl?"
"I heard she’s General Manager Ling’s fiancée—is that true?"
"Yeah, I rushed down as soon as I heard the boss’s wife was here. Is it her?"
"I... I’m not really sure," Zhou Zhuofei struggled to respond before repeating her classic line, "She used to be my neighbor, but she moved away a while ago."
Hearing that they were just neighbors—and not even close ones—everyone’s interest waned. Gossip was no match for the urgency of clocking out, so after a few more murmurs, the crowd dispersed.
Luo Jing, observing the conversation between the two, thought they seemed quite close and asked curiously, "Do you think she’ll send you an invitation to her wedding?"
"I don’t know. Would regular employees even be allowed at General Manager Ling’s wedding?"
"I definitely won’t make the cut, but you’ve got a shot," Luo Jing teased, winking at her. "You’ve got Xiao Wang, after all."
As Ling Yu’s right-hand man, how could Xiao Wang not get an invitation?
Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t considered it before. Given that Ling Yu and Cen Huan’s marriage was contractual, wouldn’t their wedding just be a grand cosplay event? There wasn’t much point in attending.
She personally preferred small, intimate weddings—just close family and friends, with a simple ceremony.
Every guest would genuinely celebrate the couple’s happiness and offer heartfelt blessings.
But Zhou Zhuofei knew it was just a fantasy. Her parents would never agree. After years of social obligations, they’d see her wedding as the perfect chance to collect on all those favors.
For ordinary people, arranging a truly romantic wedding was no easy feat.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Zhou Zhuofei remarked casually, "Honestly, if I hadn’t known you for so long, I’d suspect you had a crush on him. You’ve brought him up how many times today?"
"You have to understand—you two dating is still breaking news."
After clocking out, Zhou Zhuofei took the elevator down to the parking lot to meet Xiao Wang.
The moment she saw him, she wordlessly wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. Leaning against him, she could finally let go of all her tension.
Finally, work was over!
Xiao Wang held her gently, stroking her hair. "You’ve had a long day. Do you want to rest here a bit longer, or should we head back now?"
Zhou Zhuofei nuzzled closer, too comfortable to move. "One more minute."
Normally, she needed to collapse on the couch for a while to recharge after work. But holding Xiao Wang had the same effect—maybe even better.
The couch didn’t have his warmth, nor could it comfort her.
Xiao Wang adjusted his stance to make her more comfortable. The promised "one minute" had long passed, but since she showed no sign of pulling away, he didn’t rush her.
Outside the car was a cold, silent world of steel and concrete, but inside was their own private sanctuary.
Just thinking about it soothed even the most frayed nerves.
"Have you wanted to buy anything lately? Maybe we could go shopping this weekend?"
"Huh?" Zhou Zhuofei lifted her head, her energy somewhat restored. "You want to go shopping?"
"It’s getting cooler. Don’t you need new clothes?"
"Well, I could use a trench coat, but I was planning to order one online."
"So, weekend shopping trip?"
"What, are you offering to buy me clothes?" Zhou Zhuofei found it odd—why bring up shopping out of the blue?
"Or anything else," Xiao Wang said, smoothing a stray lock of her hair. "It just occurred to me that I’ve never really gotten you anything."
Being with her was so effortless that even when he thought of things to do, he’d forget the moment they met.
But today, the sight of Cen Huan—her style completely transformed—immediately reminded him of Ling Yu’s influence.
Naturally, his thoughts turned to Zhou Zhuofei, and he realized he’d never given her a gift.
He couldn’t match Ling Yu’s wealth, but buying his girlfriend a few nice things was the least he could do.
"You don’t have to force it. I haven’t gotten you anything either," Zhou Zhuofei said, brushing a wrinkle from Xiao Wang’s suit jacket. When her fingers reached his chest, the pleasant texture made her linger.
As a child, she’d yearned for gifts—mostly because her allowance was tight, and she couldn’t buy whatever she wanted.
In college, she’d gone through a phase of "retail therapy," buying things just for the thrill of indulgence.
Now, she’d outgrown that. If she wanted something, she’d earn the money herself instead of waiting for someone to give it to her.
Still…
A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes. "We should go shopping—because I need to buy you an apron."
