Chapter 4

In front of the spacious, brightly lit floor-to-ceiling windows, Ye Zhiqing let the documents pile up on her desk, her expression unusually troubled.

Edith’s appearance had clearly disrupted the normal rhythm of her life and work.

Picking up her phone, she typed out a message and sent it. “Ruan Yu, what’s going on with the company’s new partner? You’ve violated our partnership agreement again.”

Her strictly businesslike attitude was exactly how many people perceived Ye Zhiqing. Beautiful though she was, she was also aloof, dull, rigidly proper, and an unattainable beauty who was difficult to approach.

Buzz~ Ruan Yu replied almost immediately.

“Oh, Qingqing, aren’t you and I the only partners in the company? I’ve just been so busy lately that I forgot to tell you about Edith. Besides, Edith is practically a juicy piece of meat delivered right to our doorstep. If I didn’t take a bite quickly, someone else might have snatched her away.”

“Even so, you should have discussed it with me beforehand.”

Ruan Yu clearly understood Ye Zhiqing’s temperament inside and out, and her tone immediately softened.

“I know I was wrong, Qingqing. I promise it won’t happen again. Hanhai Auction House has been breathing down our necks lately, hasn’t it? I was ​stolen content​just anxious! I already asked Wenwen to put the partnership agreement on your desk. Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong. Whimper, whimper.jpg”

“Don’t let it happen again.”

Even through the screen, Ye Zhiqing could imagine Ruan Yu’s pitiful expression as she shamelessly tried to coax her way out of trouble. Besides, although Ruan Yu often appeared careless and scatterbrained, she was shrewder than a fox when it came to business. Remembering this put Ye Zhiqing considerably more at ease.

She shook her head helplessly. There really was nothing she could do with her.

Hanhai Auction House was Rongbaozhai’s biggest competitor. Both companies were based in the Imperial Capital, and both possessed rich historical and cultural foundations.

Originally, Rongbaozhai had held the advantage over Hanhai in virtually every respect. However, ever since Hanhai Auction House changed leadership five years ago, it had gradually begun showing signs of overtaking Rongbaozhai.

Remembering the partnership agreement Ruan Yu had mentioned, Ye Zhiqing opened it and carefully read through it several times. Edith’s involvement would perfectly compensate for Rongbaozhai’s weakness in the West Asian market. Since the overseas market was currently the main battleground between Rongbaozhai and Hanhai, it was no wonder Ruan Yu had been so impatient this time.

Edith was indeed an excellent business opportunity that had practically presented itself at their doorstep. However, the complete absence of anything suspicious was precisely what made the situation most suspicious.

She had crossed paths with Edith far too frequently over the past two days. Everything seemed almost premeditated. Ye Zhiqing hoped she was simply overthinking things.

Ye Zhiqing’s distracted expression happened to catch Edith’s attention as she passed by. The warm sunlight streaming through the glass windows bathed Ye Zhiqing’s soft, fluffy hair in shimmering layers of light, while her delicate collarbones appeared and disappeared beneath the strands of her dark hair.

To someone with certain thoughts in mind, the sight could easily inspire endless fantasies. Edith’s hand twitched slightly at her side.

She couldn’t help thinking that Ye Zhiqing must feel wonderful to touch.

Wen Wen, who was accompanying Edith, watched in astonishment as the domineering vice president, whose expression had been cold and indifferent just moments earlier, suddenly seemed to transform into an entirely different person. She was looking at her own hand with a smile as radiant as a spring breeze.

What on earth had just happened?

Although puzzled, Wen Wen maintained her respectful expression and escorted Edith to her private office.

“Vice President Yi, this is your office.”

The newly renovated office was simple yet elegant, and the thoughtful attention to detail made the considerable effort invested in its preparation obvious.

Wen Wen was confident that the new vice president would be satisfied. Before Ruan Yu left on her business trip, Wen Wen had practically made a solemn military pledge that she would definitely win Edith over.

Unfortunately, reality proved rather different.

After waiting for quite some time, Wen Wen realized that Edith was simply standing at the doorway. Her expression had returned to its former coldness, and she appeared completely unmoved.

Wen Wen’s heart sank.

She discreetly glanced at Edith from the corner of her eye. The woman didn’t look dissatisfied, but she didn’t look satisfied either. So…

“I want that office.”

Edith pointed toward a room in the distance. It was the office directly beside Ye Zhiqing’s.

Compared with the newly renovated office, the room beside Ye Zhiqing’s was considerably smaller, had poor natural lighting, and could hardly be said to have any noteworthy interior decoration.

“Huh?”

Wen Wen stood there with her mouth slightly open for quite some time before suddenly connecting the dots. The neighboring office belonged to Vice President Ye!

Immediately, the flames of gossip began blazing in her eyes.

Could Vice President Yi be dissatisfied because her office is too far away from Vice President Ye’s?

Recalling how Ye Zhiqing and Edith had behaved downstairs earlier, Wen Wen’s imagination had already conjured up enough melodramatic scenarios to fill eighteen plays.

Nevertheless, her face remained perfectly respectful as she asked, “Vice President Yi, would you like to move your office next to Vice President Ye’s?”

“Mm.” Edith nodded, looking entirely at ease.

“Certainly, Vice President Yi. However, reorganizing and renovating that office will take some time. Would you mind using this office temporarily for the next couple of days?”

“There’s no need.”

Edith declined calmly. Without hurrying, she walked over to Ye Zhiqing’s office and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock~

At that moment, Ye Zhiqing was concentrating on the proposal [unauthorized copy]for Rongbaozhai’s upcoming “Autumn Treasures” themed event, scheduled to take place in two months.

Hearing the knock, she raised her head and discovered Edith gazing at her with a faint smile.

For some inexplicable reason, the words “gentle and deeply affectionate” suddenly flashed through her mind.

Especially since Edith had worn that same expression earlier in the car.

Her heart abruptly skipped a beat.

Wen Wen, standing behind Edith, hurriedly offered an explanation. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Edith to behave so boldly, and her words came out somewhat disjointed.

Ye Zhiqing grasped the general situation. Setting down her pen, she said calmly, “It’s all right, Assistant Wen. Go back to your work. You can leave Vice President Yi to me.”

Ye Zhiqing had always maintained a clear distinction between personal and professional matters. Now that Edith was a new partner in the company, it was only reasonable for them to become acquainted beforehand.

“Of course. Thank you for your trouble, Vice President Ye.”

Wen Wen immediately agreed, her expression subtly shifting. Her keen instincts told her there was ​read the original at bailiantales.com​definitely something unusual going on between the newly arrived Vice President Yi and Vice President Ye.

The moment she was out of their sight, Wen Wen eagerly pulled out her phone, opened WeChat, and entered the group chat titled “Rongbaozhai Gossip Squad.”

[President Ruan’s Executive Assistant Wen Wen: Sisters!!! I’ve got some earth-shattering gossip! It looks like our new vice president has some kind of indescribable relationship with Vice President Ye.]

[Planning Department’s Ye Yiyi: No way! Does that mean the big boss still hasn’t managed to win Vice President Ye over? Question Mark.jpg]

[Administration Department’s Big Ironhead: I don’t think any woman could resist the big boss’s charm.]

[Human Resources’ Yuan Chacha: But Vice President Ye is a fairy who lives atop an icy mountain. She’s no ordinary woman.]

[Appraisal Committee’s Sister Liu: Speaking of which, haven’t you noticed that Vice President Ye always looks at the big boss like she’s disappointed that she isn’t living up to her potential?]

[Random Bystander A: Rubbing Hands.jpg. Settling in to watch.]

…

After Wen Wen embellished her account of what unauthorized copyhad just happened, the group chat quickly erupted into a heated discussion.

Office gossip spread at a terrifying speed. Before long, all sorts of versions of the story were circulating throughout the company. One particularly melodramatic version claimed that the newly arrived Vice President Yi had traveled thousands of miles to win back her wife, while Vice President Ye had eyes only for the big boss.

Meanwhile, the people at the center of these rumors knew absolutely nothing about them and were getting along quite harmoniously in the office.

“Tea or coffee?”

“Coffee.”

“Please make yourself comfortable, Vice President Yi.”

After handing Edith her coffee, Ye Zhiqing returned to her desk and focused on the documents before her, paying Edith no further attention.

Edith raised an eyebrow, clearly in a pleasant mood. She leisurely settled onto the sofa opposite Ye Zhiqing and took a small sip of coffee.

For a fleeting moment, Edith seemed to have crossed three thousand years of time.

Once again, she saw the Zhiqing from three thousand years ago, gentle and serene whenever she became absorbed in something. Her dark eyes would sparkle with intelligence and playful ​Read on BaiLianTales​cunning, captivating anyone who looked into them.

The coffee was an Italian espresso, served without sugar or milk, reputed to be the strongest and most bitter coffee in the world.

Ye Zhiqing had been discreetly watching Edith from the corner of her eye. When she saw the woman finish the entire large cup without the slightest change in expression, the little prank she had intended suddenly left an inexplicably unpleasant taste in her mouth.

Only those who truly appreciated coffee could understand the rich aroma and flavor of espresso.

But even someone who understood its appeal…

Just how heavy a burden must she be carrying in her heart to drink an entire large cup of such bitter coffee without so much as a change in expression?