Shu Xi clutched her forehead as she stood up, tears streaming down her face from the sheer pain. “Lin Xi, you just wait!”

With that final threat, she bolted toward the elevator. Zhang Qing caught a glimpse of the floor number as the doors closed—she was heading straight for Director Shu’s office.

Lin Xi calmly retrieved her plastic figurine. Finding it was still as good as new, she wiped it off and tucked it back into her pocket. She then took Song Xu’s laptop from Zhang Qing and headed back toward the inner office.

Zhang Qing opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat. He eventually just lowered his head and retreated to his own desk. This Miss Lin was truly a specimen of unnatural composure.

Once inside, Lin Xi found herself with nothing to do, so she pulled another random book from the shelf to pass the time.

—

“And that’s how it happened,” Lin Xi said, looking up at Song Xu. “I suspect Director Shu will be here any minute now.”

She paused, then asked with genuine curiosity, “If I had been injured, would that have counted as a workplace accident?”

Song Xu reached out and pinched her cheek. “Lin Xi, what do you take me for? Some spineless coward who would watch his girlfriend get hit and do nothing?”

“Besides,” he added with a smirk, “if she goes crying to her father, I can go to mine. Let’s see whose dad is more formidable.”

Lin Xi swatted his hand away. “Just talk. Don’t touch.”

They weren’t a real couple, and these little gestures felt far too intimate. Letting him hold her hand was already the limit of her tolerance.

Song Xu’s eyes darkened slightly. He had half a mind to pinch her cheeks until they were puffy—he realized her boldness was growing by the day, mostly because he allowed it.

But what could he do? If he didn’t spoil his own woman, was he supposed to leave the door open for another man to do it?

He handed the notebook back to her and pulled a spare laptop from a cabinet. “If you’re so bored, transcribe today’s meeting minutes into a digital format.”

“I don’t know how to do that.” Lin Xi looked at him blankly. Was he intentionally messing with her?

“If you don’t know, learn,” Song Xu countered, glancing at her. “There are plenty of people outside to ask, and you have the internet.”

Lin Xi didn’t argue further. She was being paid triple the usual salary; she might as well do what she was told. Her only issue was that her typing speed was abysmal, but since she was being paid by the hour, it wasn’t her loss.

She opened the laptop and began a slow, rhythmic “hunt-and-peck” with two fingers.

Song Xu watched for less than a minute before he couldn’t take it anymore. He walked over, hauled her out of the chair, and downloaded a typing tutor software. Then, he pressed her back into the seat.

“Don’t worry about the minutes for now. Sit here and practice until you’re using all ten fingers.”

“Fine.” Lin Xi was surprisingly obedient this time, settling in to start the drills.

Song Xu stood behind her, looming over her shoulder to monitor her progress. She had barely managed twenty words when a loud commotion erupted in the hallway.

“They’re here,” she noted, stopping her fingers. She looked toward the door, her voice a mix of a comment to him and a thought to herself.

Song Xu reached down and physically turned her head back to the screen. “Keep practicing.”

He returned to his own desk and began working, seemingly unbothered. Lin Xi kept her eyes on the screen, but her ears were pinned to the door. She wanted to see exactly how Director Shu planned to “stand up” for his daughter.

—

Zhang Qing was the first line of defense. He stepped out to block a group of nearly a dozen people.

“Director Shu, what’s all this?” Zhang Qing asked with a professional smile. “Why the sudden visit with a security detail?”

Director Shu was red-faced with fury. “Which one is Lin Xi? Tell her to get out here right now!”

Shu Xi stood behind her father, a thick layer of gauze wrapped around her forehead. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her nose was flushed from crying as she clung to his arm.

Behind them stood more than ten security guards. Zhang Qing scanned the group and recognized one of them—the team lead. It seemed he had brought his entire squad.

“Director Shu, let’s talk this out calmly,” Zhang Qing said, maintaining his polite mask. “There’s no need for such a grand display.”

“No need?” Director Shu’s eyes scanned the office floor. “Someone gets assaulted and we’re just supposed to act like nothing happened? That’s not how the world works.”

“Assistant Zhang, call Lin Xi out here. Today, I’m going to teach her some manners.”

“About Miss Lin…” Zhang Qing looked conflicted. “She’s busy right now. She’s in President Song’s office.”

“In Song Xu’s office?” Director Shu paused. A face from the earlier board meeting flashed in his mind. Surely this “Lin Xi” wasn’t that same girl?

Shu Xi had come to him crying, saying she’d been bullied, but he hadn’t asked for the specifics. In his mind, it didn’t matter who was at fault—no one touched his daughter. He had slapped a bandage on her and marched over immediately.

If it was that girl from the meeting, all the better. He could settle the old grudge and the new one in one go.

“Then I’ll just have to speak with President Song,” Director Shu said, moving toward the door.

Zhang Qing blocked his path again. “President Song is currently… occupied. Perhaps you could come back later? Or I can call you when he’s free.”

“Occupied with what?” Director Shu let out a harsh, mocking laugh. “Is he busier than the CEO? I walk into the CEO’s office without an appointment. Since when do I need a reservation for him?”

He leaned in, his voice carrying across the quiet floor. “Or is he doing something scandalous in there that can’t be seen by the public?”

—

Inside the office, Lin Xi heard the remark clearly. She looked at Song Xu. “Should I go out?”

If she stayed hidden, there was no telling what kind of nasty rumors would be flying by tomorrow. She didn’t visit the office often, but Song Xu lived his life here. A scandal like this could damage his reputation right as he was preparing to take over the company.

Song Xu’s face had turned cold. He wouldn’t have minded doing something “scandalous” with Lin Xi, but unfortunately, she wouldn’t let him. Being accused of something he hadn’t even gotten to enjoy was not something he was willing to tolerate.

“Stay here and focus. I’ll handle it.” Song Xu stood up and strode out.

“What is all this noise?” Song Xu barked as he stepped into the hall. “This is an office, not a wet market. Do you all want to lose your jobs?”

“Zhang Qing!”

“Here, President Song.” Zhang Qing looked visibly relieved. The heavy lifting was no longer his responsibility.

“Take down the names of everyone causing a scene,” Song Xu ordered, pointing a finger at the crowd while completely ignoring Director Shu. “Send the list to HR. I want them all fired immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Zhang Qing didn’t know every face, but he whipped out his phone and began recording a high-definition video of the entire group.

The security guards immediately panicked. They had been called by their team leader to “apprehend a troublemaker.” They hadn’t even done anything yet, and now their lucrative jobs at Xingyue Group—jobs many of them had paid good money to secure—were on the line.

“Captain, what’s going on?” the guards hissed, surrounding their leader.

The team lead was stunned. He looked toward Director Shu. “Second Uncle… are we really being fired?”

Director Shu’s face turned a sickly shade of green. He ignored his distant relative and marched toward Song Xu. “Song Xu! Have you no respect for your elders? Do you not see me standing right here?”