He Siyu's brow twitched as he stiffly turned to look at Sang Ning, his gaze momentarily frozen.
Was she... acting coquettish with him?
Lin Shuyan was fuming. That vixen Nan Sangning was practically stomping on her face in open provocation!
She shot up from her seat with a "hmph!" "You're not even pretending anymore!"
He Siyu swept a cold glance her way, his tone warning: "Lin Shuyan, the only reason I'm tolerating your presence here is out of respect for your father."
Lin Shuyan stiffened. Out of respect for her father? Then what about all those years they'd grown up together?!
Her fury dimmed slightly, but she still ground her teeth in resentment: "We've known each other since childhood, and after all these years, you'd choose this woman over—"
He smirked coldly. "If you've known me this long, you should know my methods. Dare to step on my toes, and not even the Lin family can save you."
Though separated by a two-meter-wide conference table, his oppressive aura rolled over her like a tidal wave, suffocating.
Lin Shuyan's face paled instantly, her voice trembling faintly: "I—I was just looking out for you. Uncle He is strict, he'd never allow—"
His voice was icy: "Who do you think you are, meddling in my affairs?"
Lin Shuyan's throat clenched, her eyes instantly reddening as tears welled up. She'd been pampered all her life—except around He Siyu, where she constantly hit walls.
She'd thought she'd grown accustomed to his arrogance, his disregard for everyone.
But this was the first time he'd shown her not an ounce of mercy.
He Siyu's eyes darkened with annoyance at her teary gaze—he had no patience for weepy theatrics.
Leaning back in his chair, his expression was frosty: "Apologize to Miss Nan."
Lin Shuyan's nails dug into her palms, tears swirling in her eyes. He actually wanted her to apologize to Nan Sangning!
After three seconds of stalemate, He Siyu's brow furrowed slightly—Lin Shuyan knew that look. His patience was spent.
She didn't dare truly cross him. He always made good on his threats—if she refused to apologize today, he'd ruin her.
Stiffly, she turned to Nan Sangning, forcing out the words through gritted teeth: "I... apologize for my thoughtless remarks earlier."
Sang Ning, seated in her swivel chair, lifted her gaze calmly: "Miss Lin was just impulsive. I'll forgive you this once."
Lin Shuyan's hands trembled again, her face twisting further.
This was the second time she'd had to bow her head to Nan Sangning.
That granddaughter of a shoemaker—how dare she!
Swallowing the bitter lump in her throat, Lin Shuyan forced out: "Thank you for your understanding, Miss Nan."
She looked up at He Siyu, her tearful eyes brimming with grievance.
He Siyu ignored her, glancing instead at Assistant Yan: "See her out."
"Yes."
Assistant Yan hurried forward, gesturing politely: "Miss Lin, this way."
Lin Shuyan bit down hard, swiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand before storming off.
Silence settled over the conference room once more. He Siyu stood, rounding the table until he reached Sang Ning.
One hand gripped her swivel chair, turning her to face him as he leaned down, his other hand braced against the table—caging her in.
"Well, Miss Nan. Satisfied?"
Sang Ning tilted her head slightly, lips curving: "Passable."
He leaned closer: "Where did you pick up such cheeky lines?"
She blinked innocently: "Just learned them. Don’t you like it, President He?"
His lips thinned. After three seconds of silence, his dark eyes pinned her: "Say it again."
"..."
A phone ringtone cut through the tension. Sang Ning pushed him away, fishing her phone from her bag—the caller ID read "Little Yan."
She answered.
"Little Yan, what's up?"
Ji Yan's cheerful voice bubbled through: "Sang Ning! Come to Nightfall Bar tonight! We’re celebrating your sister’s wedding!"
He Siyu's brow furrowed. Sang Ning glanced at him, hesitating: "Bars are too noisy... How about somewhere else?"
"Come on! We’ve got a VIP room this time! It’s Gu Xingchen’s new place—grand opening, free drinks! You’d be crazy to pass this up! Oh, and that SB boy band’s performing live tonight! Plus they booked Mark, that world-class DJ—total sensory overload! You can’t miss this!"
Sang Ning’s eyes sparkled, temptation stirring.
"It’s settled then! Come straight after work!" Ji Yan, clearly busy amid the background clamor, hung up in her usual whirlwind fashion.
Staring at the ended call, Sang Ning looked up at He Siyu: "She insisted."
He Siyu arched a brow coolly: "How terribly inconvenient for you."
Straightening, Sang Ning leaned in, fingers curling around his tie.
His pulse stuttered.
Her clear eyes met his, a flicker of mischief in their depths: "President He, say something."
His grip on the table tightened, knuckles whitening.
After three seconds, he relented stiffly: "Fine. I’ll go with you."
---
Sang Ning didn’t return to Nan Corp that afternoon. With Nan Zhenming no longer breathing down her neck, her workload had lightened considerably.
As for the shady contract mess—that was Nan Wenyue and Nan Zhenxing’s doing. She couldn’t be bothered to clean up their disaster. Let them figure it out; the financial gap had to be plugged regardless. She’d pretend it never happened.
Instead, she headed to the AI medical project team to check on its progress.
The project’s scale had ballooned beyond her expectations.
He Siyu’s earlier warning made sense now. With stakes this high, she couldn’t afford to be hands-off. In the face of massive profits, trusting anyone’s conscience was a gamble.
At six, Sang Ning prepared to leave. Ye Qian, heading out for dinner, walked with her.
"Hey, what’s the deal between your family and Huiyao’s collaboration?" Ye Qian asked curiously.
Sang Ning shook her head: "President He just reviewed it. Nan Corp’s equipment couldn’t meet Huiyao’s cutting-edge specs, so it fell through."
Ye Qian frowned: "President He’s way too harsh. I thought he liked you—figured he’d cut some slack."
Sang Ning paused: "Maybe not enough."
Ye Qian snorted: "Jerk."
"..."
Since joining Huiyao, Ye Qian and Zhang Liang’s idolization of He Siyu had shattered completely. Their boss’s obsessive attention to product details often left the team despairing over scrapped prototypes—like today’s rejected beta, erasing two weeks of overtime.
"Want to grab cafeteria food before you go?" Ye Qian asked, dreading her impending all-nighter.
"Can’t. Plans tonight. Next time?"
"Fine. Go on then—bye!" Ye Qian waved.
"Bye."
Stepping out of Huiyao, Sang Ning found a black Bentley waiting. She slid inside, where He Siyu sat.
"What took so long?"
She’d texted him before leaving, giving him time to fetch the car.
"Oh, I chatted with some colleagues for a bit."
"What about?" he asked casually.
Sang Ning paused, then turned to look at him, her tone sincere. "They were complimenting you."
His brow lifted slightly. "Complimenting me on what?"
"That you're handsome."
He let out a light scoff. "Oh."
They had dinner first before driving to Nightfall Bar.
The sky had darkened, and the bar glittered under the neon lights, its uniquely designed entrance exuding an air of extravagance.
He Siyu glanced at the entrance, his brow furrowing slightly—it already looked noisy.
Sang Ning and He Siyu walked in one after the other. Ji Yan had already been leaning over the second-floor railing, watching, and immediately waved when she spotted Sang Ning. "Sang Ning! Over here!"
Sang Ning went upstairs, taking in the bar's layout. It was indeed different from ordinary bars, with a more upscale vibe.
"Nan Sangning, you're here?" Gu Xingchen greeted warmly. "Have a seat."
Just as Sang Ning stepped up, Gu Xingchen looked up and noticed He Siyu following behind.
His eyes widened. "You came?"
He Siyu's voice was cool. "Didn’t you send me the invitation?"
Gu Xingchen choked back a retort. He had indeed sent group invites to all their childhood friends, but He Siyu rarely attended, especially events like bar openings.
Touched, Gu Xingchen said, "You’re a real one!"
Ji Yan suddenly asked, "How come you two came together?"
Sang Ning replied honestly, "We ran into each other at the entrance."
"Oh, I see," Ji Yan said, as if everything made sense now.
As they spoke, Pei Songhan, sitting on the nearby couch, set down his glass and smiled. "Sang Ning, come sit here."
