Fu Jiajia had a booming voice, and her sudden outburst caused all heads to swivel in their direction—including Fu Yanshi’s. To her relief, he merely shot them a glance before his gaze slid away. Without a word, he strode out of the hotel. The moment he was gone, Fu Jiajia leaned in, her face alight with gossip. “Hey, why would Mr. Fu ask about that?” She was completely lost, having expected some kind of bombshell to drop, but it ended up being… nothing? Xu Qinghuan, however, let out a breath as if she’d just been granted a stay of execution. When she spoke, her throat was impossibly dry. “…My room has a good view. He probably wanted to switch.” “Is that all?” “He’s the CEO.” Fu Jiajia pouted. She had to admit, the gap between their positions was just too vast for there to be anything between them. “Do you think a handsome iceberg like Mr. Fu is a tiger in bed? With his height, I bet he’s huge!” “…” A tiger in bed was an exaggeration, but as for the last part… his size was probably considered large. Not that she had anything to compare it to, but it had taken nearly an hour of heated fumbling last night before he’d finally managed to enter her. *Stop, stop, stop. What am I thinking?* It was true what they said—hang around someone like Fu Jiajia, and her dirty mind was bound to rub off on you. Soon, Manager Chen arrived in the lobby, sharply dressed in a business suit and leather shoes, his hair already showing the beginnings of a bald spot. He took the documents from Xu Qinghuan’s hands and flipped through them, his voice laced with displeasure. “IOP has been tightening its policies these last two years. We finally managed to land this project, and now this happens! If the capital needed to cover the shortfall is too high, you can all kiss your bonuses goodbye!” Xu Qinghuan said nothing, but Fu Jiajia shot him a discreet, contemptuous look. Wasn’t it Manager Chen who had screwed this up in the first place? He’d been so desperate to win the project that he’d even agreed to be the covering party! Suddenly, his gaze fell on Xu Qinghuan, sizing her up as if calculating something. His tone softened from its earlier harshness. “Qinghuan, I remember… you’re from Jingzhou, aren’t you?” “Yes, the Shendong district of Jingzhou.” “Our company’s Mr. Fu is also from Jingzhou. I’ll find a way to invite him to dinner tonight. You can use the hometown connection to feel him out, see what he’s thinking.” He framed it as a suggestion, but his tone left Xu Qinghuan no room to refuse. But the thought of having to see Fu Yanshi… Xu Qinghuan tried to deflect gracefully. “Manager Chen, I don’t think someone of my standing is qualified to speak with Mr. Fu.” “You’ll be drinking at the same table. What’s so strange about striking up a conversation if you’re sitting next to each other?” “But—” “It’s settled. Get yourself ready tonight, and don’t embarrass me!” With that, Manager Chen strode out of the hotel. Fu Jiajia rolled her eyes at his back before grabbing Xu Qinghuan’s arm to follow. … That evening, after the first round of negotiations with the representative from Hanyang Company, Manager Chen rushed Xu Qinghuan back to the hotel to get ready. She had no idea what strings he’d pulled, but Fu Yanshi was actually there, in the private dining room. The moment Xu Qinghuan walked in, her eyes locked onto him, seated at the head of the table. His suit jacket was off, draped over the armrest, and his long fingers had unfastened the top few buttons of his white shirt. The cool white of his skin, paired with the gold-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, gave him an air of intense, untouchable abstinence. There were four people in the room: herself, Manager Chen, Fu Yanshi, and his personal secretary. Seeing Xu Qinghuan hesitate at the door, Manager Chen walked over and pulled out the chair closest to Fu Yanshi. “Here, Qinghuan, you sit here.” “…” Her feet froze for a second before she steeled herself and walked over. But before she could even sit down, Fu Yanshi’s icy voice cut through the air. “I thought Xu Qinghuan was an assistant. Did she switch to public relations?”