Chapter 6: Xu Yan and Fade?

Yu You’an sat to Chen Yi’s right and was the first to notice Chen Yi’s strange reaction. Her very first thought was what Chen Yi had said on her first day at work.

She likes Chief Editor Xu.

Judging by Chen Yi’s reaction now, those words hadn’t been a joke. This kind of shock was exactly how someone looked when they saw the person they liked.

But there were so many people around.

Yu You’an casually reached under the table and poked Chen Yi’s leg.

Chen Yi snapped out of her daze.

Xu Yan’s gaze was as cold and piercing as the wind outside. Chen Yi’s extra second of fantasy vanished in an instant.

The team leader who’d been mentoring her over the past couple of days stepped in to smooth things over with an introduction. “Chief Editor, this is our department’s new intern, Chen Yi, and Yu You’an.”

Yu You’an’s eyes shone with admiration, as if she were meeting her idol, and she greeted Xu Yan warmly.

Under Xu Yan’s icy stare, Chen Yi forced a smile and mumbled a hello after Yu You’an.

Xu Yan draped her leather jacket over the back of her chair and sat down briskly. She gave the two of them a slight nod before raising her hand for the menu.

She was the kind of person who naturally drew attention.

Wherever she was, people’s eyes followed.

Chen Yi blended into that crowd of gazes and stole glances at Xu Yan.

The moment she’d first heard Xu Yan’s voice, Chen Yi had truly thought Fade had appeared. But once reason kicked in, she calmed down. There were plenty of people in the world with similar voices; coincidences like that didn’t happen every day.

Besides, Fade was always gentle and laid-back, her speech trailing off lightly at the end without putting any pressure on the listener. Xu Yan was different.

Though Chen Yi hadn’t interacted with her much, those few brief encounters had made it crystal clear: Xu Yan spoke with the authority of someone in charge—direct, precise, every word sharp and to the point.

Nothing like Fade’s style at all.

Chen Yi pulled her gaze away and took a sip of her tea. It was corn steeped in sugarcane water, carrying a natural sweetness.

Even though reason had convinced her that Xu Yan and Fade were two different people, when the group dinner conversation suddenly turned to games, Chen Yi couldn’t help herself—her ears practically perked up to eavesdrop for intel.

They were talking about Miracle.

It had started with some celebrity, then moved to her endorsement deal. Apparently, she was going to endorse Miracle, so the chat naturally shifted to the game.

Online, Chen Yi could laugh in the face of three hundred haters, trading barbs with chat trolls like a pro. Offline, though, she was the quiet type who never spoke unless she had to. In lively group settings like this, she always kept her head down, focused on eating and drinking, pretending to be oblivious to the world.

Yu You’an was anxious for her.

The whole point of this dinner was to help the newbies bond with their seniors, but Chen Yi showed no sign of joining in. As the topic started drifting away, Chen Yi had already polished off three shrimp dumplings. Yu You’an couldn’t sit still any longer. She nudged Chen Yi’s arm and asked with a smile, “What about you, Chen Yi? Do you play games?”

Chen Yi blurted out, “I don’t.”

“I’m terrible at them,” she added.

Normally, Chen Yi would have let the topic die there, but today she was possessed. In a stroke of genius, she followed up with, “What about you, Chief Editor Xu? Do you play games?”

Yu You’an’s mouth fell open slightly.

Xu Yan sat diagonally across from Chen Yi, her fitted inner layer hugging her figure perfectly. The gray cotton fabric clung to her arm, and because she was eating, a section of her fair wrist was exposed. A silver-and-black watch hung loosely there, accentuating her aura just right.

Xu Yan had been about to pick up some food but now set her chopsticks down.

“Me?” she asked calmly.

Chen Yi nodded.

Xu Yan looked at her.

The senior sitting next to Xu Yan cleared his throat, breaking the weird tension. “Oh, Little Yi, you wouldn’t know, but our Chief Editor Xu never touches games.”

Xu Yan gave a small smile at that.

Chen Yi took it as confirmation.

Xu Yan doesn’t play games, so she can’t possibly be Fade.

With that wild possibility ruled out, Chen Yi’s heart eased a little. She’d rather Fade be some stranger on the other side of the world than Xu Yan. Because it was painfully obvious that Xu Yan didn’t like her—a fact so well-known that every time their eyes met, before Chen Yi could even say anything, some kindhearted senior would swoop in to rescue her.

Why did Xu Yan dislike her? Just because of that offhand misunderstanding?

She’d tried to explain last time at the office but failed. When she’d brought coffee over, it had only made people think she was confessing her love to Xu Yan.

Chen Yi pressed her lips together.

She wondered if there’d be a chance to clear things up today.

She didn’t mind being disliked, but she hated being misunderstood. She was willing to sincerely apologize to Xu Yan if her careless words that day had bothered her.

Provided that… Xu Yan gave her the opportunity.

Chen Yi sneaked another glance at Xu Yan and got caught the moment she looked up. Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away, cursing herself inwardly. What was she hiding for? The more she dodged, the more Xu Yan might suspect she really had a crush on her!

Chen Yi psyched herself up and looked up openly, but Xu Yan had already turned away, chatting and laughing with the person next to her.

In that instant, the surroundings seemed to quiet down. For the first time, Chen Yi observed Xu Yan so closely.

She’d heard Xu Yan’s name from her mother, who praised her talent, her boldness, and her capabilities. She’d seen the admiration in Yu You’an’s eyes, the way Xu Yan had somehow become Yu You’an’s dream. But only now, in this moment, did she catch a glimpse of Xu Yan’s fleeting gentleness—the real her, outside of work.

Xu Yan was turned slightly to the side, one hand resting on the chair back, the other holding her teacup. She’d wiped off some of her lipstick before eating, leaving her nude lips curved gently upward, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Strands of hair draped lazily over her shoulder, flowing like silk.

Chen Yi was admiring the view when Xu Yan turned to look at her.

The smile froze, and a chill descended like frost in the warmth of spring.

Chen Yi: …

She nearly laughed in frustration.

What’s with the attitude!

So what if she’s gorgeous!

Chen Yi gave up on explaining to Xu Yan. Fine, if she was disliked, so be it—she didn’t care. For the rest of the dinner, Chen Yi ate her fill and drank her share. When it was time to wrap up, she didn’t want to squeeze onto the subway again and called a ride instead.

Yu You’an had been about to invite Chen Yi to head to the subway station together, but seeing her like this—and noticing Chief Editor Xu still standing nearby, not leaving—Yu You’an got the hint. Before leaving, she gave Chen Yi a fist-pump of encouragement.

Chen Yi was still puzzled when a black Mercedes pulled up in front of her.

Chen Yi opened the door and got in. She was just telling the driver the last four digits of her phone number for verification when the door opened again.

Xu Yan braced the door open and looked at her, head tilted slightly, her gaze full of questions.

Chen Yi: “Chief Editor Xu, is something wrong?”

Xu Yan saw how confident Chen Yi seemed and said nothing. But the driver spoke up first: “Miss Xu, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Chen Yi: “……??”

This wasn’t her car?!

Mercedes! Black! License plate ending in—

Wait.

Chen Yi checked her phone.

The screen showed: “Sorry, dear passenger. The Mercedes driver who accepted your ride has canceled. We’ve compensated you with a 5-yuan coupon. Happy riding!”

Chen Yi gritted her teeth.

Happy? Did she look happy right now?!