Chapter 64

Fang Nianchen’s resignation application hadn’t been approved yet, so she still needed to stay at the company for a while.

Early in the morning, she ran into Su Xiazhi, who had rushed over to find her. With a complicated expression, Su Xiazhi asked, “Why are you suddenly resigning?”

“There’s been a little issue at home. I can’t stay in North City any longer.”

“Do you need any help?” Su Xiazhi’s confusion turned to worry.

“It’s nothing major—just helping out with managing the family company.” Fang Nianchen smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Xiazhi-jie.”

Su Xiazhi might look unapproachable on the outside, and her tongue was sharp as well, but she only unleashed it on people she disliked.

For Fang Nianchen, whom she treated like a junior, she always showed kindness. She was a thoughtful and warm superior.

“Oh… I see.” Su Xiazhi raised a brow, understanding dawning.

So she was a rich second-gen going home to inherit the family business. That had scared her into thinking something serious had happened.

She could tell Fang Nianchen had a soft personality and was afraid of her getting bullied. But now, there was no need to worry at all.

To be honest, her original intention had been to persuade Fang Nianchen to reconsider resigning. If she needed money, Su Xiazhi would have lent it to her.

But now, she didn’t want Fang Nianchen to stay at Yunqi at all.

She belonged to a broader sky.

“Truth be told, I’m really reluctant to see you go.” Su Xiazhi sighed regretfully. “The department team-building next weekend—you’re still coming, right?”

“Team-building… I think I’ll pass.” Fang Nianchen gave an awkward smile.

She hadn’t been in the planning department for long, so she wasn’t close with her colleagues. Besides, she wasn’t good at handling crowded social scenes and found them troublesome.

No point making things hard for herself.

“Think about it. This time, we’re teaming up with the HR department, so there’ll be plenty of familiar faces. You won’t have to worry about awkwardness.”

The moment she heard HR was joining, Fang Nianchen hesitated.

Her senior would have to attend something like this, right?

Thinking about how she’d be heading to the UK soon, she naturally cherished every moment they could spend together.

“Then I’ll think about it.”

“Mm-hmm, take your time. I’ll just assume you’re coming and book a room for you.” Su Xiazhi was very enthusiastic.

“Alright… sure.”

—

Because Mai Tian still hadn’t confirmed her return date, her shooting project had been reassigned to another company photographer—who was even better at portrait photography.

The shoot was scheduled for year-end, by which time Fang Nianchen would no longer be at the company, so her project had naturally been handed off to someone else.

Director Yang had received her resignation application and, after being called in for a meeting with the general manager, learned that Fang Congshan had given his approval for her to leave. He promptly let her go.

At the same time, things were moving on Fang Congshan’s end.

Chen Yuyang’s family was in the food business, and over the past week, a series of food safety scandals had caused an uproar. On top of that, former employees had come forward en masse with allegations of labor exploitation, which various online media outlets were eagerly reporting. In just one short week, their market value had evaporated by over ten million.

Fang Nianchen stared expressionlessly at the push notification news, guessing this was just Fang Congshan’s first move.

If things unfolded as she expected, she’d probably never see Chen Yuyang again.

Sneaking peeks at her phone at her workstation—she’d never done that before.

So she was on edge, flipping her phone face-down and pretending to focus intently on her screen the moment any shadow passed by.

She waited a bit, but the person nearby still didn’t leave.

Finally unable to hold out, she glanced over with her peripheral vision.

“Why are you here?” Fang Nianchen was both shocked and delighted.

“To check if you’re working properly.” Yu Wan kept a straight face. Dressed in business attire, she looked solemn, but she lowered her voice to tease her. “Caught you red-handed, huh?”

Fang Nianchen glanced around—plenty of eyes were now fixed on Yu Wan.

There was nothing to be done. Standing there, whether it was her looks or her status, Yu Wan was just too eye-catching. It was a sentiment Fang Nianchen had long held.

Back then, she’d been insanely jealous and wanted to hide Yu Wan away. Now that Yu Wan was her girlfriend, she felt a secret thrill instead.

—The others could look all they wanted; she was still her girlfriend.

Fang Nianchen obediently lowered her brows in a show of remorse.

Only then did Yu Wan curve her lips slightly. “I need to talk to you. Come with me.”

Fang Nianchen nodded and stood up to follow.

Yu Wan took her to her own office.

It had been so long that Fang Nianchen’s old employee badge had long expired.

This time, entering HR with Yu Wan in person, they arrived just as things were at their idlest. Plenty of people noticed her.

President Yu had been in a foul mood lately, turning “tyrannical” again and even stricter with them than before. Now, at the mere mention of going to the director’s office, everyone felt like dying.

Seeing Fang Nianchen still oblivious while President Yu kept a stern face, they all assumed something bad was about to happen.

Back when Fang Nianchen had suddenly transferred to planning without a word, they’d thought President Yu wasn’t without opinions—she was just biding her time. Now, in a bad mood, she was settling old scores.

With that in mind, as Fang Nianchen entered the office, they figured she was in for it big time.

And so they whispered among themselves, speculating on Fang Nianchen’s impending fate.

As her former colleagues, they all felt sorry for her.

Meanwhile, now inside the director’s office, Fang Nianchen had no idea what was happening outside. She just felt an inexplicable chill, like someone had her in their sights.

She shook her head to dispel the random unease.

The director’s office gave her a comfortable feeling—a rare sense of security. It had been that way since the first time she’d met Yu Wan here.

The familiar furnishings and person put her in an entirely different mood each time she stood here.

This time, she felt calm and natural.

Fang Nianchen deftly poured water and handed it to her. Yu Wan took it with a teasing remark: “Are you trying to butter up your girlfriend or your boss?”

Pouring tea and water—it was too attentive, almost like she was the one exploiting her employees.

“It has nothing to do with buttering up. This is just caring for my girlfriend.”

The answer satisfied Yu Wan. She took the water and cradled it in her hands. “I’ve heard about Chen Yuyang. My mom says he’s under investigation right now, and their factory might face shutdown.”

As Yu Wan spoke, the emotions in her eyes faded, as if she found it hard to continue.

“Their family factory has always had a good reputation all these years… and now this suddenly happens…”

“It was me who did it.” Fang Nianchen added, “Sort of.”

She thought that if Chen Yuyang hadn’t said all those rude things that day, she might not have made up her mind to have Fang Congshan step in.

She’d given him chances—two of them.

“What he did to you was way over the line. I can’t forgive him. And with him in North City, he could pose a danger to you at any time.” Fang Nianchen sat down beside her. “What do you think?”

Actually, asking this was pointless now.

Yu Wan wasn’t as good at masking her feelings as she was. Gentle and kind—that was her true nature.

After Fang Nianchen admitted it outright, she saw Yu Wan’s expression shift—hesitant, shocked, and silent for a long time.

This made her worry about how Yu Wan would see her now.

Would she think she was cruel and inhuman, insisting on wiping out others completely?

Would she be disappointed in her because of this?

The longer Yu Wan stayed silent, the lower Fang Nianchen’s mood sank. Her smile stiffened unnaturally, forced, and she bowed her head lower.

But Yu Wan was just thinking back to that night when Fang Nianchen, covered in wounds, had protected her.

It made her heart ache terribly.

At this point, how heartless would she have to be to tell Fang Nianchen to let him off?

“I’ve only been thinking that everything you do from now on shouldn’t just be for me—it should be for your own sake too.” After much thought, Yu Wan didn’t stop her. Instead, she said, “If you truly believe from the bottom of your heart that this is the punishment Chen Yuyang deserves, I have no objections. But if you don’t want to go that far, don’t force yourself into the kind of person you hate most just for my sake.”

Don’t force yourself into the kind of person you hate most…

The unexpected words hit Fang Nianchen hard, tightening her chest suddenly.

“I like that Fang Nianchen who’s warm like the sun, brave and radiant. I don’t want her to disappear.” Yu Wan sat facing her sideways, gently cupping her face so she could look into those light brown, beautiful eyes. “Running toward me doesn’t mean you can’t be yourself.”

Gazed at so intently by Yu Wan, Fang Nianchen didn’t shy away bashfully for the first time. Instead, under that gentle gaze, she sank deeper and deeper.

A shimmer suddenly glistened in her eyes.

“So…” Fang Nianchen could hardly believe it, “that post in your Moments too—”

“It’s you.” Yu Wan leaned in closer, her voice soft and warm. “My sun has always been you.”

The thing that had once left Fang Nianchen beside herself completely reflected her own self.

It was a surprise—and a relief.

“I came to North City for you.” Yu Wan cradled her face tenderly, her fingers sliding to her ear. “I’ve always been so worried, afraid that my all-or-nothing love wouldn’t get a response, so I cherished every single day we met. But sometimes I’m willful too, wanting you to take the initiative, which is why I did all those strange things.”

“Will you blame me for not saying it sooner?”

Fang Nianchen shook her head, her hair brushing against her fingers, a little itchy.

She smiled faintly. “The person I like likes me back. I’m so happy.”

The temperature in the office felt a bit high, restless thoughts surging forward one after another.

Those pale eyes were captivating. Yu Wan leaned forward a little, paused slightly, her gaze dropping. Once she caught sight of her lips, she closed her eyes, tilted her head, and kissed her.

Their lips touched lightly, tasting only sweetness and softness.

A gentle kiss like flowing water, yet once their breaths mingled, it became inseparable.

Yu Wan’s hands first cradled Fang Nianchen’s cheeks, then slid down to her shoulders, supporting her lightly before reaching further, hooking her neck into her arm bend and pulling her whole body close.

Their third kiss was more passionate than any before. Again and again, they poured out their affection, their hearts drawing even closer.

It was like they were gradually getting the hang of it—doing something so sweet felt nothing but enjoyable.

The sensation was exquisite, yet it suddenly stopped.

Yu Wan gently kissed her lower lip once more, then held still.

Fang Nianchen opened her eyes to look at her, her chest heaving heavily.

Her breathing unsteady, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It feels uncomfortable. Let’s change positions.” Yu Wan rubbed her nose against hers, loosening her hold on her arms.

The two sat side by side on the sofa. Kissing like that required twisting their waists and abdomens, which was tiring.

Fang Nianchen’s gaze rose as Yu Wan stood, then fell back to eye level. They looked at each other squarely.

Her breath enveloped her once more, the fragrance from Yu Wan’s hair fully released, wrapping her up.

The leather sofa sank beneath them, pulling them down together.

No time to care about anything else.

Light, scattered kisses fell.

When one kiss ended, the two stared at each other in silence, both a little dazed.

Seeing Fang Nianchen’s flushed face as she covered her neck, Yu Wan rubbed her head. “Good girl.”

Knock knock.

The knock at the door came out of nowhere, like a lead ball shattering glass and flying in, making their hearts jolt.

They snapped back to reality, remembering this was the office.

So what had she done? Kissing her girlfriend in the office? And getting bitten at the end!

Fang Nianchen’s face turned beet red as she shamefully covered her face.

Yu Wan pulled her hands away, looking her straight in the eye. “Help me button up.”

She turned her head and said toward the door, “One moment.”

Even her tone was the same as usual.

Fang Nianchen’s arms wrapped around her, her hands slipping inside her clothes. A bit clumsily, she refastened her bra for her before Yu Wan got off her. Through her clothes, she vaguely felt the heat rising from her own body, like she was about to be cooked.

Yu Wan smoothed the wrinkles on her shirt. “You go first.”

Fang Nianchen obediently opened the door and left, only to run right into Zuo Anfeng.

Zuo Anfeng’s eyes widened as he stared at her. “Why are you here?”

“President Yu wanted to see me about something.” As Fang Nianchen spoke, her hand unconsciously touched her neck.

“Oh.” Zuo Anfeng nodded and entered the director’s office.

Fang Nianchen’s mind was a mess, like someone had stirred a vat of sauce in her brain, all muddy and thick. Subconsciously, she headed toward her old workstation in HR.

She had just been passionately kissed and bitten by Yu Wan—she felt like she was floating on air.

Little did she know that to outsiders, she looked dazed, like she’d lost her soul.

In places she couldn’t hear, everyone was whispering. “She was in there so long before getting kicked out—did President Yu scare Xiao Chen silly?”

“So unlucky… Poor thing, she changed departments and still gets dragged back to be bullied.”

“Is she clashing with President Yu or something? Getting targeted like this.” One female colleague said it with heartfelt sympathy, then didn’t forget to call out to Xiang Xiaoyun. “Xiaoyun-jie, you’re close with Xiao Chen—why don’t you go comfort her?”

Xiang Xiaoyun dodged her hand. “Don’t butt in randomly. She’s not that fragile, and President Yu has never lost her temper with her. She might not have even been scolded.”

They chattered on, but by then Fang Nianchen had reached her workstation. Seeing someone else sitting in her seat snapped her back to reality. She pressed her palm to her temple.

She turned and went to the bathroom. Taking advantage of it being empty, she pulled open her collar and saw the faint bite mark above.

Did this count as a work injury…?