Chapter 23: Don’t Get Exposed!

Chen Yi had spent the previous night thinking about Fade until she couldn’t sleep. She’d talked it all through with Su Dai, laying out one airtight argument after another, but in the dead of night, the nagging thoughts that kept flashing through her mind still left her tossing and turning, wide awake. She’d only managed to drift off as dawn approached. When she finally woke, she threw on her clothes in a frantic rush and dashed downstairs—it was already just past nine.

There was no way she’d make it to the office on the subway now. She was definitely going to be late.

In the past, Chen Yi wouldn’t have batted an eye at something like that.

But things were different now. She was a woman on a mission to land the assistant position with Xu Yan. She couldn’t afford a single slip-up on attendance.

Clutching her phone, she called for a cab while firing off a message to Yu You’an, asking her to cover for her just a little if she didn’t make it in time.

Yu You’an was probably on the subway herself—signal was spotty, and there was no reply after several minutes.

Standing on the street at the edge of her neighborhood, Chen Yi stared at the queue number for her cab on the app. It hit her yet again just how crucial it was to buy a car and get her domestic driver’s license. Of course, she’d completely forgotten the simplest solution: just wake up earlier.

During her anxious wait, a familiar car pulled up right in front of her.

What was it like to oversleep, show up late, and get caught red-handed by the boss?

“Morning, Chief Editor,” Chen Yi said, flashing a brilliant smile to mask the bitterness twisting in her gut.

“Not so early anymore.” The window rolled down, and Xu Yan glanced at her watch through the open door, then at Chen Yi’s phone. Chen Yi hurriedly hid her phone behind her back. Xu Yan let out a soft sigh. “Get in.”

Chen Yi hesitated with feigned politeness. “I couldn’t possibly!”

Xu Yan eyed how Chen Yi had already yanked open the door, without a shred of reluctance.

On any other day, Chen Yi never would have hopped into Xu Yan’s car so readily. But today was different. She was about to be late! And if she let Xu Yan drive off first, she’d be stuck waiting ages for a cab to the office. She’d be utterly screwed. Better to play it bold, hitch a ride, and get there. If she was late, at least she’d be late alongside her boss.

Chen Yi’s little scheme was falling neatly into place.

To lighten the mood, she made small talk. “Chief Editor Xu lives around here too?”

She’d ridden in this car a few times now, and the driver knew her well. He jumped in right away. “Not just around here—Chief Editor actually lives—”

A light cough from Xu Yan cut him off midsentence.

The driver swallowed his words.

“It’s pretty close,” Xu Yan said simply.

That was all.

“Haha, what a coincidence!” Chen Yi replied.

She figured it made sense for Xu Yan not to share more details—after all, what boss spilled their home address to a subordinate every day?

The driver snuck a glance at the pair in the rearview mirror.

Coincidence? Hardly! They lived in the same neighborhood!

“Did you see what happened with Liu Lingfeng?” Xu Yan asked, breaking her usual reserve to bring up the topic.

Chen Yi jolted like she’d been shocked. “Who?”

“I don’t know him.”

The driver chuckled. “Aw, come on, Little Chen—how could you not? I only told you about him yesterday. The photographer guy with the luxury car. You said you’d remember.”

Chen Yi desperately wished she could slap a seal over the driver’s mouth.

Please, just say a little less!

“Remembered now?” Xu Yan’s voice lifted at the end. She turned slightly in her seat, her eyes locking onto Chen Yi’s with an intensity that made her squirm with guilt.

Chen Yi straightened up instinctively.

“I remember now,” she said. “What about him?”

“Here.”

Xu Yan handed over her phone. The news article detailed his situation—his sentencing was public, though they only listed his name as Liu XX. But that car? Unmistakably Liu Lingfeng’s.

“It’s trending too,” Xu Yan added.

Chen Yi wouldn’t dream of scrolling through Xu Yan’s phone herself. She started to hand it back to check her own, but Xu Yan leaned in close—very close. A few stray hairs that hadn’t been pinned up slipped free from behind her ear, swaying like slender willow branches in the breeze, carrying a faint, clean fragrance.

Xu Yan’s fingertip tapped the screen lightly.

They were so close that Chen Yi could make out the tiny mole beside Xu Yan’s ear.

She leaned back hurriedly.

“This one.” Xu Yan clicked into an entry and pulled away.

Chen Yi let out a quiet breath of relief as she looked down at the screen. There was Liu Lingfeng’s name, laid out alongside his laundry list of crimes. It even named several companies—including his former star patron—that had sworn off any future collaborations with him.

With drugs in the mix, everyone in the industry wanted to distance themselves from him as fast as possible.

A few celebrity agencies had issued statements announcing the end of their partnerships with Liu Lingfeng. No further contact.

Without someone powerful shoving this into the spotlight, none of it would have cracked the top trends.

Her mom really knew how to pull strings.

Chen Yi turned to meet Xu Yan’s loaded gaze and thought: Mom, you really are my mom. Thanks a ton!

“Chief Editor, talk about evil getting its just desserts,” she said deferentially, handing the phone back. “As the saying goes, it’s not that vengeance doesn’t come—it’s just a matter of time.”

“Your timing was pretty spot-on,” Xu Yan remarked.

Chen Yi’s heart skipped, terrified of giving herself away. She rushed to patch it up. “Exactly!”

“Maybe the heavens finally opened their eyes!”

Xu Yan’s lips curved faintly. “You’re right.”

She had no hard proof, but Chen Yi’s reaction told Xu Yan everything: “the heavens” were sitting right next to her. Oh, wait—not heavens. More like Heavenly Mom.

She had no idea what role Chen Yi had played, but whoever had orchestrated this level of fallout wasn’t your average person.

The topic felt like a minefield—one wrong word and Chen Yi might spill what she’d done the day before. She clamped her mouth shut and quietly checked her phone instead. Face unlock kicked in, and she swiped up to her latest messages. That’s when the auto voice playback feature decided to chime in.

Out of nowhere, Yu You’an’s tense voice filled the quiet car.

“Chen Yi, did you oversleep? Where are you? Caught a ride yet? I’m already at the office—don’t worry, Chief Editor Xu isn’t here. Hurry up; maybe no one will even notice you’re late.”

~~~

She was done for.

The first few words hit, and Chen Yi’s brain short-circuited.

She’d lunged to silence it, but Xu Yan’s sharp gaze pinned her in place. She didn’t dare move a muscle.

The whole message played out, and the car fell silent once more.

After a long moment, Chen Yi forced out, “Chief Editor, I can explain.”

Xu Yan cut her off. “No need.”

“I’m not deaf.”

Those three words jammed every excuse right back down Chen Yi’s throat.

Done, done, done—she was totally done.

She braced herself for the public dressing-down once they reached the office. The car pulled into the underground parking garage, and the door locks clicked open.

Xu Yan stepped out first, with Chen Yi close behind. They crammed into the same elevator.

Xu Yan checked her watch.

It was just 9:58.

She hit the button for the first floor and the third-floor office.

The doors opened on one.

“Get me a coffee,” Xu Yan said.

Chen Yi didn’t hesitate. “Sure thing.” She bolted off to buy it, waiting in line for a solid five minutes of pure torment. By the time she made it upstairs with the coffee in hand, Yu You’an came rushing over. “Chen Yi! Little Chen Yi! Nice one!”

“Not only did you make it on time, you even scored a task!”

“What task?”

Yu You’an grinned. “Still playing dumb!”

“Chief Editor Xu told the team lead she ran into you downstairs and asked you to grab her coffee.”

Chen Yi stood there, coffee in hand, utterly dumbfounded.