He stole his best friend's photos and fell for a tycoon's heir through online dating.

What?

Xia Ruo thought she had misheard. This was Bulgari, not some roadside two-dollar store. Pack it all up? What if the company goes bankrupt?

"No, no, no, Mr. Huo, I'll pick one, I'll pick one." She didn't care about anything else and grabbed Zhou Siyan's arm.

Zhou Siyan looked down—that little hand was tightly gripping his suit sleeve.

The corners of his mouth slowly curved up, and a smile that only he knew about spread across his eyes.

He finally touched me on his own initiative.

The sales assistant stood to the side, pursing her lips and secretly smiling. She tactfully stepped back half a step, leaving space for the two of them.

-

After leaving the jewelry store, Zhou Siyan took her into the Chanel boutique.

Xia Ruo looked at the racks full of clothes and asked softly, "Mr. Huo, are you sending more clothes? Is the recipient yours?"

She didn't finish speaking, but she had already filled in the rest of the sentence in her mind.

Could the other person tonight be Mr. Huo's ex-girlfriend? Otherwise, how do you explain buying jewelry and clothes? Would a regular store clerk know the other person's size?

Zhou Siyan glanced at her, as if knowing what she was thinking, and said coldly:

"A dress code for business entertainment. The company reimburses expenses. Every employee who goes out for business entertainment has one."

Huh? Buying it for yourself?

She couldn't help but glance at Huo Sinian again: Chanel? Is that right?

Is the company so generous to its employees?

Without thinking twice, she chose a black tweed knee-length skirt and paired it with a light gray suit jacket.

After changing, she came out of the fitting room.

The girl in the mirror looked like a different person. Her black dress was perfectly fitted, flowing down her waistline and stopping two fingers above her knees, revealing a slender, straight leg.

A light gray coat was draped over her shoulders, the neckline slightly open, revealing a small patch of her fair collarbone.

She twirled in place, the hem of her skirt fluttering slightly, the black fabric gleaming softly under the light.

Zhou Siyan stood up from the sofa. His gaze traveled from her exposed collarbone to her narrow waistline, and then to the calf beneath her skirt.

Something sank into those unfathomable eyes, then ignited again.

He turned his head and said to the sales assistant, "Pack up the clothes she took off."

The sales assistant deftly handed over the shopping bag.

Xia Ruo reached out to take it, but before her fingertips even touched the handle of the paper bag, a slender hand reached out from the side and quietly took the bag away.

"Go buy me a coffee," Zhou Siyan said, turning to look at her. "I'll wait for you in the car."

"...Okay." Xia Ruo paused for a moment, but without thinking much, she turned and walked towards the coffee shop on the first floor of the mall.

-

Zhou Siyan returned to the car and placed the shopping bags on the back seat.

The engine wasn't running, the windows were half-open, and the night breeze seeped in through the gaps, carrying the scent of freshly trimmed grass from the lawn outside the mall.

He sat in the driver's seat and glanced at the neatly arranged paper bags in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

As if possessed, I reached out my arm, slipped it to the back seat, and hooked the bag over.

She picked up the neatly folded white shirt, her fingertips tracing the cotton fabric, which still retained the warmth of her body.

Then he lowered his head and gently brought the garment close to his nose.

It has a very faint fragrance. It's gardenia, mixed with a hint of the clean, fresh scent that comes naturally to a young girl, reminiscent of the morning sunlight.

It's her scent.

Suddenly, the image of her walking out of the fitting room flashed through my mind...

His breathing quickened for a moment. After a long while, he folded the garment again and put it back in the bag.

Outside the car window, Xia Ruo was carrying two cups of coffee as she walked briskly out of the mall.

The night breeze ruffled her hair. She tilted her head and held her phone between her shoulder and ear, seemingly talking to someone, a slight smile playing on her lips.

-

Zhou Siyan's gaze followed her figure from the mall entrance all the way to her car.

Xia Ruo opened the car door, bent down and sat in the passenger seat, and carefully placed the two cups of coffee into the cup holder.

"Who are you talking to on the phone?" Zhou Siyan asked, his voice a little hoarse, as if he had something stuck in his throat.

Xia Ruo paused in fastening her seatbelt and glanced at him—his gaze was fixed on the windshield, but his jawline was tighter than usual.

"Wanwan," Xia Ruo answered truthfully, pulling her fingers over the seatbelt to fasten it, "She said she got home and asked me how things were here."

After she finished speaking, she paused deliberately, waiting for him to continue asking questions.

She had even prepared an answer in her mind, planning to give him a little "perk"—to let him hear Wanwan's voice and satisfy the unpredictable CEO's secret little desires.

"Hmm," Zhou Siyan replied with only one word.

And then nothing more happened.

Xia Ruo waited for two breaths to make sure he really didn't intend to ask any more questions.

Huh? Aren't you going to ask again? She's prepared a whole bunch of reports about Wanwan, but she doesn't care at all?

"How much is the coffee?" Zhou Siyan turned to look at her.

Xia Ruo met those unfathomable eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. It took her a few seconds to find her voice:

"No need, Mr. Huo, that little bit of money isn't even enough for the clothes..."

"One thing at a time. This calculation involves fieldwork and requires expense reporting. Even a penny difference in the company's finance department will require a recalculation."

Xia Ruo's eyes widened—was it that serious?

She blinked, her mind racing: an Americano and a latte, was it sixty-eight or seventy-two?

"Then how can I give you the money?" She tilted her head and looked at him, her peach blossom eyes filled with genuine confusion.

Zhou Siyan remained silent.

He tapped his fingers lightly twice on the steering wheel, as if waiting for something.

"Well..." Xia Ruo blinked, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Mr. Huo, how about we add each other on WeChat?"

"it is good."

So decisive?

Xia Ruo paused for a moment, then opened WeChat, scanned his QR code, and sent a verification message.

Zhou Siyan looked at the cat avatar on the screen, and a very faint smile slowly curved the corners of her mouth.

He then started the engine in a good mood.

Upon arriving at the hotel entrance, Xia Ruo bent down and lifted the Bulgari gift boxes from the back seat, the paper bag handles leaving a faint red mark on her fingers.

"What are you going to do with this?"

"Isn't this a gift for our business partners later?" Xia Ruo asked, blinking in confusion as she held the bag.

"no."

"Put it in the car."

"Okay." Xia Ruo obediently put the bag back on the back seat, clapped her hands, and wondered what she had bought it for...

-

The private room was dimly lit, with a white tablecloth covering the round table, and the bone china tableware gleamed warmly under the light.

Mr. Zhang, the business partner, arrived twenty minutes late. When he came in, his suit jacket was unbuttoned and his tie was loosely hanging at his collar.

He saw Huo Sinian sitting in the main seat, young, aloof, and unfamiliar, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned down.

His gaze slid from Huo Sinian to Xia Ruo beside him, and suddenly lit up.

"Mr. Huo, who is this?"

"Secretary Xia."

Mr. Zhang gave an "Oh," drawing out the last syllable, his gaze fixed on Xia Ruo's face.

Before all the dishes were served, he started raising his glass. The first glass was to Huo Sinian, the second glass was also to Huo Sinian, but on the third glass, he changed the subject and turned his glass toward Xia Ruo.

"Secretary Xia, it's a pleasure to meet you. This toast is for you."

Xia Ruo stared at the glass of baijiu, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt tightly under the table. She wouldn't drink...

Suddenly a hand reached out from the side.

Zhou Siyan took the wine and drank it all in one gulp.