The tattoo looked old, too, the ink faded and settled deep into his skin, clearly not a recent addition. If Fu Jiajia was right, then 0825 had to be the birthday of the woman he loved. After all, she knew Fu Yanshi’s birthday was in April, and the birthdays of the Fu Corporation’s chairman and his wife—Fu Yanshi’s parents—were both in July. And it certainly had nothing to do with her. Her own birthday, November 14th, didn't share a single digit with those numbers. To think that a man as cold to the bone as Fu Yanshi would do something as wild, almost childish, as getting a tattoo… he must have been madly in love. A sudden wave of regret for her impulsiveness washed over Xu Qinghuan. Why hadn't she thought to ask if Mr. Fu was single first? Fu Yanshi might be handsome, built, and brilliant, but she had a moral compass. Someone else’s man, no matter how tempting, was off-limits. “Jiajia, do you know anyone in Mr. Fu’s circle whose birthday is August 25th?” “How would I know? Our Shengshi Company is just one branch of the Fu Corporation—the one that already dominates seventy percent of the country’s hottest investments—and Fu Yanshi is the CEO of the entire group! I’m not important enough to be in on his gossip.” “…” Not important enough, yet she seemed to know plenty. Suddenly, something clicked for Fu Jiajia. “Wait, I think Xia Wanyu, the chief counsel for the Fu Corporation, has an August birthday. I saw her profile once—total blue blood, gorgeous, the whole package. She was even a trending topic when she attended an event with our Mr. Fu. Let me find a picture for you!” “Don’t,” Xu Qinghuan cut in quickly. Just from that, she could already picture the entire high-society soap opera. No wonder Fu Yanshi had been so harsh today, so strictly professional, leaving her no room for dignity. He was probably worried she might let something slip. So he had deliberately acted like he barely knew her, drawing a clear line between them for everyone to see. That way, even if she did start talking, no one would believe her. *Hah.* A man who reached the CEO’s chair was bound to have a mind like a labyrinth. After hanging up, Xu Qinghuan went back to her room, quickly washed up, and changed into some loose clothing before opening her laptop to organize the files for the new project. Crushed by the weight of her mother’s hefty monthly medical bills, she had no time to waste on romance. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, and she was so engrossed that she completely missed her phone, set to silent, lighting up several times beside her. It wasn’t until she was too exhausted to continue, deciding to leave the rest for the morning, that Xu Qinghuan finally noticed her phone. Three missed voice call requests from Fu Yanshi, all from four hours ago. And one message. [Message me when you wake up.] What could he possibly want? It had to be a warning not to talk, or maybe an offer of hush money. If she took that money, it would be no different from selling herself. Xu Qinghuan’s fingers paused as she typed out a reply: “Let’s pretend last night never happened. I won’t tell anyone.” But just as she was about to send it, she changed her mind. She deleted Fu Yanshi from her contacts. That should put his mind at ease. She set her phone down and fell asleep almost immediately, not waking until a call from Manager Chen jolted her awake. “Hand over the project contract to Anna.” “Manager Chen, I—” Before she could finish, he hung up, giving her no chance to speak. Xu Qinghuan had no choice but to get up and look for the contract. She tore through her luggage, but the folder was nowhere to be found. She distinctly remembered taking it out to review when she first checked into the hotel. Suddenly, Xu Qinghuan froze, her blood running cold. *Oh no...* In her frantic rush to escape that morning, she must have left the contract in room 1501. And Fu Yanshi must have found it.