Sang Lu gently patted her face as she massaged it, waiting for a reply.
Above the chat box, the prompt "The other party is typing..." appeared.
After a long while.
The "The other party is typing" notification disappeared.
Yet no new message popped up.
A question mark floated in Sang Lu's mind: ?
Feng Yan saw it but didn’t reply?
Was it a difficult choice?
It shouldn’t be, right?
Or did he have decision paralysis?
Puzzled, Sang Lu glanced at the screen out of the corner of her eye.
Her eyes suddenly widened.
She noticed a small sign on the counter in the photo, which read: "Freshly baked today, Date: XX/XX/XX."
It was from two days ago!!!
Oh no.
How careless of her—she hadn’t even checked before forwarding the old photo!
Feng Yan was sharp and clever. Had he realized she was fobbing him off with an outdated picture?
This was beyond awkward.
Sang Lu racked her brain for a way to salvage the situation.
Her phone buzzed.
Two cold words appeared on the screen.
【Feng: Whatever.】
Sang Lu’s heart sank: ……
So distant.
He hadn’t been like this before his business trip.
He must have caught her half-hearted attempt.
Usually quick with a reply, Sang Lu suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Sang Lu: "……"
Silence. Silence was the bridge tonight.
……
Meanwhile.
Qinghe Bay Mansion.
Aunt Zhang finished clearing the dishes and stepped out of the kitchen.
Just in time, she caught sight of Feng Yan walking from his study to the bedroom.
Aunt Zhang paused.
See? She hadn’t been imagining things earlier!
Now she saw it clearly—no mistake about it.
The master was clearly in a foul mood.
Otherwise, why would his face be as dark as ink?
The five-day conference finally came to an end.
Sang Lu boarded her return flight.
The morning after arriving back in Jing City, at exactly 9 a.m., she showed up at the TV station.
Even though the business trip had eaten into her Sunday off, taking compensatory leave was out of the question.
Friday’s work still had to be done.
The humble office worker, Little Sang, made her way to her desk.
Placing a large bag of goodies on the table, she perked up and cheerfully announced to her colleagues:
"I’m back~ The food in Nan City was so good I’ve gained a little weight. I brought some local specialties for everyone—come grab some~"
Before she could even finish speaking.
Four or five people rushed over.
They hoisted her up and dragged her into the break room.
Bang—
The door shut.
Creating a cozy little space perfect for candid chatter.
Yu Xiaoke kicked things off with a grin:
"Lu Lu, what we care about isn’t whether you ate well in Nan City—"
"Right, we’re more interested in whether you’re eating well in general!" another colleague chimed in enthusiastically.
Sang Lu blinked: "?"
The colleague wiggled her eyebrows. "So? How was it?"
How was it?
How was what?
Sang Lu froze for a few seconds.
Then, based on her understanding of the group, it clicked.
Before she could respond, a barrage of suggestive questions rained down on her.
"With a big-shot CEO like Feng Yan, is he just as domineering in… that department?"
"Any special preferences?"
"Does his low growl drive you wild?"
Sang Lu’s ears burned instantly, her mind flooded with yellow thoughts.
Uh, how should she answer?
She had no idea.
She’d never even considered these things.
Turning away, Sang Lu busied herself with the coffee machine, pretending to pour a cup.
Eyes downcast, she tried to deflect:
"If you don’t hurry out, the snacks will be gone."
Laughter erupted beside her—
"Aha! Look! Little Sang’s ears are red! You know what that means, right? I sure do."
"Yep~ No denial is confirmation."
"And confirmation means she enjoyed it."
"No wonder her voice sounds a little hoarse today—must’ve screamed too much…"
Sang Lu was stunned: "……?"
Wait, what exactly did they "get"?
This made no sense!
Her throat was scratchy because Nan City’s dry air had left her parched, not because of…
"No, I didn’t—"
She barely got a few words out before Yu Xiaoke cut her off with a "Shh—"
"Shh—no need to explain, sis. Rest that voice. There’s plenty of time ahead—pace yourself~"
As Sang Lu stood there dumbfounded, someone patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"Little Sang, we’re just relieved. You never talk about your marriage, so we’ve been worried. But seeing how inseparable you two are, and how Feng Yan—a CEO no less—personally came to pick you up from work, we can finally relax."
They didn’t give her a chance to speak.
Instead, they bombarded her with knowing looks and "we totally get it" smiles.
After exchanging conspiratorial grins, they bolted out of the break room, afraid the Nan City treats would be gone if they lingered.
The once-noisy room was suddenly silent, leaving Sang Lu alone.
Her expression was complicated: "……"
The mention of Feng Yan made her think of last night.
She’d handed him the souvenirs she brought back. He took them without a word, set them aside, and went straight back to work.
Though he never called her out for the outdated photo, Sang Lu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Was he upset?
Lost in thought, she barely noticed when a head popped through the door.
Yu Xiaoke: "Oh, Lu Lu, forgot to tell you—good news!"
Sang Lu looked up: "What good news?"
Yu Xiaoke: "Luo Kai from Team B got fired."
Sang Lu gasped: "He was fired?"
Yu Xiaoke: "Yep. The whole team was investigated. Luo Kai had a bunch of shady dealings, and even the lightest punishment was a six-month project bonus cut for his lackeys."
Hearing this, Sang Lu felt a mix of emotions.
Luo Kai had been throwing his weight around the station for ages. Many had heard rumors of his misconduct.
Finally, justice was served.
A victory for fairness.
It also proved that the station’s management could tell right from wrong.
No one would be wronged, but no one would get away with wrongdoing either.
With that thought, Sang Lu felt a weight lift.
Maybe some things were best left to unfold naturally.
Oh well.
No point overthinking.
Instead of fixating on "Did Feng Yan catch her slacking?" she should focus on work.
Spring was the season for career growth!
Besides, all her speculation was just that—speculation.
Maybe Feng Yan was simply swamped with work and couldn’t be bothered with her trivialities.
Given the vast empire of Feng Corporation, as its CEO, his workload had to dwarf hers.
Right. Exactly.
Putting herself in his shoes, she ought to text him less.
Sang Lu smiled faintly.
What a considerate wife and roommate she was~
Oh, and tomorrow, Doctor Ji was coming for treatment.
She’d be an excellent assistant too!
……
Feng Corporation.
The private elevator descended to the first floor.
The driver, notified that Feng Yan had a dinner engagement, waited by the entrance with the car.
Moments later.
Feng Yan stepped inside.
As usual, Feng Yan leaned back in his seat, his gaze calm as he looked out the window.
The early spring evening breeze brushed against his face.
Unconsciously, his thoughts drifted far away.
He recalled the events of recent days.
An indescribable feeling lingered.
A sudden restlessness, a sense of imbalance.
Disorderly, and absurd.
He knew the man in the photo was a colleague from Sang Lu TV Station.
He also knew that sharing a meal or buying local souvenirs with a coworker during downtime on a business trip was nothing out of the ordinary.
Perfectly normal.
Since everything was proceeding normally, operating without a hitch,
then the only one harboring unwarranted emotions in the midst of it all must be the abnormal one.
The man’s expression faltered slightly as he withdrew his gaze from the haphazard scenery flashing by outside.
His brows slowly furrowed.
Was he the one who wasn’t normal?
