It was too far for Ye Yuning to see clearly. But that outfit... doesn’t Xiao Linye have one just like it? And that build... it looks a bit like his too, doesn’t it? Still, it was too far to be sure. Ye Yuning wouldn’t spend too much time fretting over such ambiguous matters. Soon, she felt bored, put down her phone, and immersed herself in her work. 「Meanwhile, in the top-floor office.」 When Kang Xuan presented the relevant news, Xiao Linye picked up his phone to read the report. His face darkened instantly, especially when he saw the accompanying picture. He immediately dialed Gui Xingli. The call was quickly answered. "Hello." "You did this on purpose, didn’t you?" Xiao Linye gritted out, getting straight to the point. "Yes, I did it on purpose," Gui Xingli admitted. "What do you think she’ll do when she sees the news today?" A cold glint flashed in Xiao Linye’s eyes. "What benefit does this bring you?" Gui Xingli sneered. "Benefit? From you? Do you think I need any such thing?" Benefit? Xiao Linye’s eyes grew even colder as he listened to Gui Xingli’s deliberately provocative, jealous tone. What lay between them was far more complicated than mere benefits. "Xingli!" Xiao Linye’s voice was sharp. "I’m giving you one week to break it off with her cleanly, otherwise..." Gui Xingli trailed off, leaving the threat unspoken. Xiao Linye’s grip tightened on the phone, a dangerous light flickering in his eyes. The next moment, Gui Xingli continued, "Don’t force me to take matters into my own hands. Otherwise, she might..." "Enough!" Xiao Linye harshly cut him off before he could finish. Xiao Linye snapped, "Don’t even think about it!" "Oh, is that so?" Gui Xingli let out a cold laugh. He then added, "Not only will I think about it, I *will* do it!" With that, Gui Xingli hung up. Listening to the monotonous beeping from the disconnected line, Xiao Linye felt an uncontrollable fury surge through him. Kang Xuan stepped forward, wanting to say something but unsure what. Xiao Linye closed his eyes briefly and massaged his throbbing temples. "Get me a coffee." "Okay." Kang Xuan nodded and quickly left the room. Xiao Linye usually only drank freshly ground coffee, but lately, he seemed to have developed a particular fondness for milk. He often reminded his staff to check the ingredient list when buying it, paying particular attention to any growth-promoting elements. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽 Whenever Kang Xuan heard the phrase "elements that promote growth," his mind immediately went to the madam. Could it be that the madam doesn’t like milk, so Seventh Master Xiao started drinking it with her? That would explain why his coffee consumption has dropped lately. When Xiao Linye was alone in the office again, he took out the report and scanned it. His knuckles whitened as he struggled to suppress a powerful emotion. Gui Xingli’s words, especially, echoed in his mind, making the dangerous tension on his face palpable. 「Meanwhile, Ye Yuning remained engrossed in her work.」 However, a call from Xiao Linye interrupted her thoughts. She answered, "Hello." "What do you feel like eating for lunch?" Xiao Linye asked from the other end of the line. "I’m busy right now," Ye Yuning said. "Can I focus on my work first?" "Wait a second," Ye Yuning suddenly remembered. "Didn’t you say we were going to Manyue Restaurant? You even said you’d go first! Did you get muddled from being so busy?" Little did she know, this call was Xiao Linye’s way of gauging her mood. On the other end of the line, Xiao Linye audibly sighed in relief when he heard she was still busy. "I forgot," he said. "Seriously? You forgot in such a short time? Well, get back to whatever you were doing. I’m busy here too." Honestly, working all bundled up is really uncomfortable. But I daren’t take it off! Even though no one else is in the office, I’m worried an acquaintance might walk in the moment I remove it. If anyone saw the owner of Manlang working at the Xiao Corporation... I can’t even begin to imagine the kind of storm that would cause. "Hang up," Xiao Linye said indifferently. "’Mm,’ Ye Yuning hummed in agreement and hung up immediately." Right now, all I want is to wrap up this Nanjia Peak collaboration as soon as possible, she mused. Xiao Corporation probably only agreed to let me work here because the Nanjia Peak design is so urgent. Once I finish this quickly, I should be able to resign, right? Then, without an urgent project like Nanjia Peak, Xiao Linye wouldn’t be so overbearing, would he? Ye Yuning reassured herself with these thoughts and redoubled her efforts on the vexing design. If it weren’t for Xiao Linye himself, I would have ditched a client like Seventh Master Xiao ages ago. And now look at me, practically having to alternately coax and pressure him! 「When it was time for the lunch break.」 Ye Yuning left right on the dot. As she walked out, many others were still engrossed in their work. The HR manager looked up, surprised to see her leaving. "Off work already?" The question was clearly loaded. "It’s time," Ye Yuning replied simply. "Ah, yes, it *is* time!" the HR manager echoed, nodding a little stiffly. It *was* time, sure, the manager thought, but for a newcomer to leave the very second her shift ended... was that really okay?