What was the female lead doing here so early? According to the timeline, she should be appearing in a year, give or take a few months. There was also the fact that she should have been here only on Qiu Yue's invitation, but that part wasn't that surprising to Qiu Yue.

Qiu Yue quickly pulled up Yao Yan's contact and called her. While of course, she could use the telepathic connection, it would seem off to stand in the public, just staring off into nowhere.

After several rings, Yao Yan finally picked up.

"YanYan! Are you doing something..?"

"Uh..? I'm... uh... I just woke up..."

Yao Yan sounded very groggy and her voice was raspy too, as though she had an ...exciting night.

(⊙ө⊙)✨

"Did you? Wait no- okay, call me back later."

Qiu Yue wanted to ask her about the details but it just didn't sit right with her to ask about s.e.x. Never mind, she would talk to Huo Zi Feng first then.

Should I go up?

But then Qiu Yue shook her head, she'd already clocked out for lunch, and she had to go to over to Grandma Feng's country house anyways. Better to get gifts now than forget.

So instead she decided to call Huo Zi Feng too. This time though, it rang only for milliseconds before being answered.

"Senior Feng?"

That was fast, Qiu Yue thought chuckling.

"Ah Yue!"

Huo Zi Feng who had originally felt left out lit up as soon as he got a call from Qiu Yue.

"Ah... senior, I have something I want to ask."

Huo Zi Feng's heart beat faster, was she thinking of bringing him a gift too and wanted to know his tastes?

"Of course! Anything for you."

Qiu Yue chuckled awkwardly. This guy really didn't cut any corners, anytime he could throw cheese and honey it was like buy one get one at the grocery store.

"I saw a cla.s.smate of mine from college here today, her name Bao FeiYin. Is she perhaps here for an interview?"

Huo Zi Feng really felt disappointed. Why was she always avoiding his words? Even asking about someone else...

"Bao FeiYin... Ah, she is the person cousin in law requested for me to take in as an intern."

Though he was dissatisfied Huo Zi Feng answered her.

'Cousin in law?'

Qiu Yue was speechless, this guy - jumping so many stages at once, did he not feel shameless at all?

Huo Zi Feng definitely would tell her that shame was only the matter of an apple, he was after far more important things.

"Cousin brother did? Ah, I see. Thank you very much. Then, should I select a gift from both of us for grandma?"

Suddenly Huo Zi Feng's eyes lit up.

Of course!

"Ah Yue! I would like to come along with you to select the gift. Can I?"

Sounding very sweet and sugary in an attempt to melt Qiu Yue's heart.

"I think I can do it, I'm sure you have a lot of work to do and miss Bao will be coming to meet you too-"

"Of course not, nothing that can't be done after a few hours. Miss Bao is just an intern, I do not believe my presence will be required."

Before Qiu Yue could say anything to gently refuse him, he decided to just give away the last of his cold personality and just beg her.

"Please, Ah Yue?

Qiu Yue could only pinch her temple with her hand as she sighed.

"I'm waiting downstairs. How long will you take?"

"Not long! Not long at all, in fact, you don't even have to hang up. Let's keep talking!"

Huo Zi Feng quickly put away the mouse he was using and switched off the system. He grabbed his wallet and rushed to the elevators. He would fix his appearance in the elevator once.

He was in such bliss that he didn't even notice the lady standing in the elevator when it opened on his floor.

"Do you have a place in mind?"

He asked Qiu Yue quickly taking a look at himself in the mirror.

"I don- but - showpiece-"

Huo Zi Feng furrowed his eyebrows, why was her voice cutting off? Then he realized he had just got into an elevator, of course it would.

"Ah Yue, wait a minute, I got into the elevator by mistake."

"Elevator- hang up-"

"No! No! Just wait a second."

Without waiting for the elevator to even move or leave the current floor he immediately tapped the open door b.u.t.ton and walked out.

Qiu Yue shook her head, this Huo Zi Feng was worse than Qiu Yue herself. Even she hated hanging up, but in this case, was it really necessary?

Bao FeiYin's expression was incredulous. What was going on? Why was the good-looking CEO walking away from her?

She too followed him without any delay.

"CEO Huo! Please wait."

Without even turning around Huo Zi Feng replied in irritation.

"Please find my secretary for any urgent matters."

Why was the universe h.e.l.l-bent on interrupting this call?

"Ah?"

Qiu Yue and Bao FeiYin said at the same time.

"Not you ah Yue, there is someone here to meet - Zhou Jia."

Huo Zi Feng quickly changed his words. Already Qiu Yue was trying to send him back to work and take away his chance at a date, if he told her that someone was here to meet him then he knew he wouldn't have a chance.

Bao FeiYin felt even more shocked. What was CEO talking about and to whom?

In a panic, she grabbed the corner of his suit jacket.

(--;)

Huo Zi Feng's mouth was twitching in annoyance.

Covering the audio speaker of his phone he turned to Bao FeiYin.

"Miss Bao please report to the HR department on the seventh floor. This floor is reserved for the CEO's office and conference rooms only. You are not allowed to be here without permission. That you do not possess."

Bao FeiYin felt like her worldview was changing. Why was this guy so unfriendly? Maybe he was borderline Tsun-Tsun.

The best way to counter was to act innocent and sweet.

"I understand CEO Feng!"

Bao FeiYin said immediately, feigning a hurt expression.

"It is just... perhaps because I am new, no one helped me..."

She said pitifully, in a low voice.

Qiu Yue frowned. She could hear Bao FeiYin through the phone.

"I'm coming up, I'll take care of this. Can you get the car ready till then?"

Qiu Yue said to Huo Zi Feng.

Huo Zi Feng felt that this Bao FeiYin was too much, she had just arrived and she was already complaining about coworkers? He knew very well what type of people they were. There was no way they would ignore anyone who had come to the office.

Anyways, fiancée had said she'd take care of it, all he needed to do was get ready for the date. He would keep up to what happened either way. He trusted Qiu Yue to do the right thing.

He hummed in agreement and nodded at Bao FeiYin, leading her to the seventh floor.

They meet at the HR department and Huo Zi Feng smiles at Qiu Yue before leaving. Bao FeiYin was so shocked she couldn't help herself from calling out.

"Senior Feng!"

'Eh? She graduated to senior so fast?' Qiu Yue raised an eyebrow. What had happened after she'd hung up?

Huo Zi Feng looked at Qiu Yue giving a cool look, he wondered why his luck today was like this. Why was this girl acting so familiar already?

"Mis Bao, please don't act so familiar with me. Miss Yue will take care of any issues you have."

Qiu Yue light snorted with contempt before she could stop herself. Huo Zi Feng could only look at her with a pitiful look as though trying to say he was innocent in this.

"Car?"

"Of course!"

As though granted amnesty he hurried away.

Qiu Yue looked thoughtfully at the female lead. Fine, she would give Bao FeiYin a chance to prove that she was nice.

But of course even now Qiu Yue knew there was no chance of that, she knew the people at this office, there was almost near to no chance that's they'd behave in an unprofessional manner.

Well regardless, she called the attention of people in the department and reprimanded them.

All of them felt disgruntled. What had they done? This Bao FeiYin had come looking very lost and immediately asked to meet the CEO. As soon as they'd tried to tell her that she could meet with him soon and would need to wait for a few minutes to go to his office, she had left for the VIP elevator that went directly to top floor. Something like this, so crude, could happen? They hadn't even imagined it.

And now she had complained to Miss Yue about it?

Perhaps if this line by Bao FeiYin was said to the CEO who was to eventually fall in love with her, he would have secretly monitored everything. Though the situation then had been different too. But to Qiu Yue the best way to resolve this was just address it openly, she could do it, so why not?

Bao FeiYin was seething inside. This Lang Qiu Yue was a danger to her plan, just like w.a.n.g Xi had said. Obviously, Qiu Yue was intentionally trying to turn the others in the office against her, Bao FeiYin thought. She hardly stopped to think that this was her own doing. She had blatantly complained about something that never happened.

"I hope miss Bao's grievances have been addressed. I a.s.sure you whatever happened was merely a small mix up. Everyone in here is highly capable and would never do anything to jeopardize their work."

Qiu Yue nodded to Bao FeiYin while ensuring that her voice was not loud, yet could still be heard by everyone.

Qiu Yue then motioned for Zhou Jia to take her and left. What happened to Bao FeiYin after this was retribution and some amount of meanness on Qiu Yue's side.

She spotted Huo Zi Feng waiting for her quite fast, in that ridiculously expensive but highly tasteful and s.e.xy car, he sat waving at her. She shook her and smiled, yeah as if she could miss that?

They decided to go to a mall called the Xiantai Center. There were a lot of luxury items here, perfect for a gift for Grandma And Grandpa Feng.

It was a very quiet ride. Qiu Yue sat looking at the ever-changing world outside the car in silence and Huo Zi Feng wanted to understand why she seemed to be so lost in thought with sad undertones.

"Is something wrong?"

He couldn't help himself from asking.

Qiu Yue s.h.i.+fted her gaze to him but didn't say anything, she couldn't think of anything to say.

"I don't know her, at all. I do not understand why she would act so familiar with me."

Perhaps she felt uncomfortable about what had happened?

"That's not it."

Qiu Yue sighed. Honestly even she didn't understand what it actually was.

"In fact, she seems like a ... well impatient and presumptuous but... nice girl?"

Somehow that sentence wasn't as convincing as she wanted it to be, Qiu Yue knew that Bao FeiYin was as innocent as the book had described her to be, or rather as there were so many plot-holes, it has given the world a lot of leeways to work around the restriction of the story.

Huo Zi Feng's grip on the steering tightened.

"Why do you do that?"

His was strained, frustrated.

"What?"

Qiu Yue looked at him, confused.

"It's like you're always to push me away, to someone else. It's like you're waiting for me to fall in love with someone else."

His jaw was taut, this had been bothering him.

"I know that it's not because you don't like me. I know that there is something you feel for me, then what is it? What are you waiting for?"

"I just - I don't know, maybe we're going too fast? I just want to be sure-"

"Sure of what? Ah Yue - I like you, a lot. I don't understand what I can do to prove that to you. But this isn't about that, you're just waiting for me to stop liking you. Why? To be sure, I don't know how sure you can be of anything unless you actually go down that road and prove it."

"Enough. I'll wait for you inside."

Qiu Yue shook her head and walked away from Huo Zi Feng. Unknowingly, they had already reached the mall.

He pinched his temple with his fingers. Had he pushed it too far?

Perhaps he had. The entire time they hardly spoke. It was as though the air around them had gone cold.

Qiu Yue consciously avoided touching him and making any eye contact, and Huo Zi Feng felt more and more upset as this went on.

Maybe he shouldn't have said that. But if he hadn't, then how long would this go on? He knew there was something bothering her. But she hasn't asked for his help and she didn't want any help.

Now that she was thinking, perhaps she could find a solution, an answer for herself.

And if she didn't... then he had just made a big mistake.