After breakfast, Sang Lu followed Feng Yan down to the garage.
Feng Yan started the car and casually said to her, "Get in."
Sang Lu took the passenger seat.
As she fastened her seatbelt, she wondered: Are the tires on Orange's car really that worn out? And they still haven’t been fixed?
On the road, Sang Lu pulled out the materials the station director had given her from her bag—background information for the Consolidated Media Summit.
She and Xie Sinan were attending the summit, but most likely just for show.
No speeches, no introductions required.
All they had to do was listen to the speeches by media experts and scholars, smile, and applaud during the hot topic discussions.
But she worried—what if someone suddenly called on her to share her thoughts?
To avoid being caught off guard, she had been squeezing in time to study the materials during breaks in yesterday’s filming for the preview.
Now, she was making every second count, reviewing them intently.
Reading in the car usually made her dizzy, but today, she was surprised to find that Feng Yan’s driving was so smooth she didn’t feel lightheaded at all.
The entire ride was steady and even.
Not only that, but luck seemed to be on their side too.
The roads they passed were bright, with no tunnels or overpass shadows.
Before long, they arrived at the summit venue.
As soon as the car stopped, she spotted Xie Sinan standing at the entrance from a distance.
Sang Lu unbuckled her seatbelt and got out.
After waving goodbye to Feng Yan through the window, she walked toward Xie Sinan.
At the entrance, Xie Sinan was scrolling through his phone.
Suddenly, he felt an inexplicable gaze on him.
He turned his head instinctively.
There was Sang Lu, hanging her pass around her neck as she approached.
His eyes drifted past her to the black sedan parked by the roadside.
The window was rolled down, and at that moment, Feng Yan’s cold, striking face abruptly locked eyes with him.
Xie Sinan froze.
For a split second, he met that icy stare and recognized the man as the CEO of Feng Corporation.
He shuddered involuntarily.
Feng Yan’s gaze was terrifying—like daggers of ice.
Was he… jealous, standing there with Sang Lu?
"Why are you spacing out?" Sang Lu waved a hand in front of him. "Let’s go in. It’s getting late."
"Huh? Oh… right." Xie Sinan snapped out of it, adjusting his work badge. "Yeah, let’s go."
His heart was still racing.
Even as he turned away, he could feel that sharp gaze boring into his back.
He shivered again.
By the roadside, the black sedan’s window rolled up and drove off.
Only after putting some distance between them did the cold, silent man glance at the rearview mirror and realize his expression was unusually dark.
He frowned, brushing off the inexplicable irritation.
Pressing the accelerator, he headed back to the corporation for two video conferences before leaving for the Nanfeng District branch.
Outside the branch office building, a group of employees stood at attention, waiting early to welcome Feng Yan’s inspection.
When the black Rolls-Royce came into view, they straightened up, eyes fixed on the car.
The driver opened the rear door.
Feng Yan stepped out, his expression aloof and unreadable, his dark eyes devoid of warmth, his demeanor even colder and sterner than usual.
With a brief sweep of his surroundings, he strode forward.
The sound of his polished shoes against the tiles echoed steadily.
As his imposing figure passed, those nearby held their breaths.
Only when he was farther away did they dare steal glances.
Many employees at the branch were seeing Feng Yan for the first time, and whispers broke out:
"President Feng is even more intimidating than the rumors say."
"When he looked at me just now, I almost lost my soul."
In the middle of the crowd, Guan Shiqing bit her lip.
Her eyes followed that tall, commanding figure.
Her hands clenched silently.
A flicker of longing passed through her gaze.
She wished he would linger in her sight a little longer.
Since leaving the headquarters, it had been so, so long since she’d last seen him…
And now, just one glimpse was enough to make her heart race again.
For months, the only updates about him had come from news reports.
When she read that he had spoken publicly, she had been too excited to sleep all night.
When colleagues mentioned his visit to Nanfeng District, her heart had been in chaos all morning.
She knew it was wrong.
She shouldn’t be coveting a married man.
But why did it have to be Sang Lu?
She didn’t believe she was any lesser than her.
If only Sang Lu weren’t in the picture…
If it were her by his side instead…
Once again, Guan Shiqing couldn’t stop herself from thinking it.
The elevator reached the 25th floor.
Executives stood in perfect formation by the conference table, greeting in unison as Feng Yan entered:
"President Feng."
Feng Yan gave no response, his expression indifferent.
He took his seat, glancing idly at Fang Assistant.
Fang Assistant settled beside him with a laptop and announced to the room,
"You may begin your reports."
The presentations dragged on.
Every executive was on edge, not daring to relax for a second.
Feng Yan visited the branch no more than twice a year—this was their chance to impress.
Over the next hour, heads of planning, investment, and operations took turns delivering their summaries.
When the clock struck noon, Fang Assistant closed his laptop.
"We’ll continue in the afternoon."
Feng Yan’s inspection routine was similar across branches.
Morning reports from some departments, afternoon reports from others.
The branch had prepared a private lounge for his lunch and rest.
As the meeting dispersed, Feng Yan dismissed Fang Assistant to join the others for lunch.
He sat alone in silence for a while before finally heading to the lounge.
The office building was quiet at midday.
The floor reserved for his visit was so still you could hear a pin drop.
Which was why, when Feng Yan passed the hallway, the voices from the slightly ajar stairwell door stood out even more clearly.
A woman’s voice drifted out in fragments—
"Sang Lu? You mean President Feng’s wife? Yeah, we used to be really close…"
"We went shopping and had meals together all the time… But well, we drifted apart eventually…"
"Let’s just say our values didn’t align. She was always complaining, so negative, really annoying…"
"Oh, now that I think about it, she once told me she admired a colleague at the station…"
"Right, Xie Sinan—that guy who’s been getting popular lately…"
"Ugh, I don’t get it. She’s married to someone as incredible as President Feng, yet she’s still hung up on another man?"
