Chapter 14: The Secretary, The Man Smiled Affectionately: “I Really Hope in the Future I Can…”

Time flew by quickly. In the blink of an eye, it had been almost half a month since they moved out of the Fang home. The performance date was approaching, and Fang Chuning had been quite busy recently. She also had to deal with Fang Hong’s calls every few days.

“You don’t need to ask. Dad’s anger still hasn’t subsided.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. “Come to my company this afternoon.”

“I can’t. The school is holding some kind of performance recently. I’m so busy.” Fang Chuning sprawled on the sofa in the president’s room, a lollipop in her mouth, playing a game with the speakerphone on.

The other end of the phone was quiet for a while again. “When is it?”

“This Sunday.”

“Okay, come over in the afternoon. If your allowance isn’t enough, I’ll give you more separately.”

Fang Chuning really wanted to say that her allowance was more than enough. After all, with two grandparents who doted on their granddaughter like crazy, they were afraid she wouldn’t have money to buy things when she was out. Her allowance increased by the day, so how could she be short of money?

On second thought, Fang Hong was still her biological mother after all. Although she hadn’t missed her much in the half month they hadn’t seen each other, now that her mom had said this much, wouldn’t it seem like she was very heartless if she didn’t go see her?

So she agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Gao Qiong snuggled over. “So that means you’re going to Century Tower this afternoon? Take me with you. I haven’t been there in a long time either.”

Century Tower was a Fang family property, located in the city center. It was also a representative building of Z City. Because the surrounding area was all luxury brand stores with few food and entertainment options, they rarely went there.

“Next time. My mom is looking for me to discuss family matters. It’s not convenient to bring you.”

“Hey, then I’ll wait for you in the rooftop garden!”

The top floor of Century Tower was a garden, requested by Father Fang. It was because Father Fang used to complain about being bored sitting in the office when he visited her, so Fang Hong had this rooftop garden built according to his request.

Seeing that she really wanted to go, Fang Chuning didn’t refuse her again.

As soon as they finished speaking, they saw Xu Muzhou and the class monitor walking in, talking and laughing. The boy’s eyes curved into crescents, his starry eyes full of affection. Anyone who saw them would think the two were in love with each other, just short of falling head over heels.

Gao Qiong watched and shook her head with a tsk. She whispered to the person beside her, “So the vice president likes this type.” She paused and then mumbled, “Very ordinary taste.”

Fang Chuning’s gaze swept over the class monitor’s body. Average legs, thin figure, regular features, gentle and shy like a boy, physical ability poor to the point of being last in the class, even worse than some of the more athletic boys. If there was one good thing, it would be her grades.

Studious types probably liked studious types, Fang Chuning thought to herself.

“President?”

Fang Chuning came back to her senses and found that all three people were looking at her.

The class monitor smiled. “Why is the president looking at me like that?”

Fang Chuning stared at her and said faintly, “Because you’re so handsome.”

The class monitor choked on her saliva and reflexively glanced at the boy. She was very modest. “Of course I can’t compare to the president in terms of good looks.”

At first glance, this sounded like a compliment to her, but upon careful consideration, it seemed to have another meaning. Was she implying that besides her face, she was inferior to her in every other way? Vase Ning expressed her disagreement and leaned on the sofa in a boss posture, looking at her expressionlessly.

The class monitor felt her palms slightly sweating from the stare. She forced a smile. “Wh-what is it?”

After a good while, Fang Chuning picked up her phone and asked, “Does the class monitor play games usually?”

“No…”

“That’s a pity. Actually, I’m not only good-looking, but also quite good at playing games.”

The class monitor was so embarrassed that she didn’t know how to respond.

Xu Muzhou, as if not noticing the strangeness between the two, had only the sight of the girl lowering her head and swiping her phone in his clear pupils. “The class monitor and I have discussed the custom-made performance outfits. Classmate Fang…”

Before he could finish, Fang Chuning interrupted him. “Leave this matter to you two. I have other things to do and may not have time these next two days.”

The words about to come out stopped. Xu Muzhou pressed his lips together. The glare from his glasses concealed the emotions in his eyes.

Gao Qiong looked at this one and then that one, always feeling that something was a bit off, but unable to say where it was off. She didn’t even know if she should interrupt this strange atmosphere.

In the end, it was still Fang Chuning who made the first move. She picked up the drink on the table and downed it in one gulp. Staring at her phone, she got up and walked out. Gao Qiong quickly followed. As they passed the two, she even gave them a polite smile.

In a flash, only the two of them were left in the room. The class monitor felt relieved, returning to that gentle and refined appearance. “The president really startled me just now. I don’t seem to have said anything wrong.”

Xu Muzhou stared out the door, lost in thought. Upon hearing this, his eyes moved slightly, his gaze falling on her face.

The class monitor felt her face heat up and her heart race from his stare. She couldn’t control the corners of her mouth from curling up. “Classmate Xu?”

The boy’s pupils were pale. His tender lips parted slightly. “I heard that the class monitor’s family runs a company in the west district?”

The two words “I heard” were used skillfully. The class monitor didn’t know why he suddenly asked about this. In this school full of young masters and ladies, her family’s small company was really not worth mentioning. A big part of the reason she could attend school here was due to her outstanding grades.

Vanity made her want to boast in front of the boy, but reason told her that as long as he wanted, all the information about her could be completely exposed to him without reservation. Wouldn’t that ruin her good impression then?

“It’s just a small company.” Coupled with a perfectly appropriate smile, it made people think she was just being modest.

“Is that so?” Xu Muzhou murmured. Suddenly, he raised a bewitching smile. “Then the class monitor will have to work hard. After all, your parents must have placed all their hopes on you.”

The girl’s expression froze. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if he was referring to her studies or something else. Her parents indeed had other plans for sending her to New Star, hoping that she could find a backer here to help the family company.

She couldn’t help but look at the boy’s beautiful, harmless face. The unease in her heart dissipated a little.

Xu Muzhou tilted his head slightly. “What’s wrong, class monitor?”

The class monitor laughed awkwardly. “It’s nothing. But since the president doesn’t have time, I guess only you and I can go this afternoon.”

“That won’t work.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the boy refuse. “I just remembered. I have something to do this afternoon.”

Xu Muzhou’s thick lashes fluttered like wings. He looked at her with a faint smile. “It’s just some small matter. The class monitor should be able to handle it alone, right?”

The boy’s enchanting, peerless smile made one unconsciously captivated. The class monitor stammered in response, “Of- of course…”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

As soon as Xu Muzhou said this, he left the president’s room. The moment he turned around, the gentleness on his face vanished without a trace. He frowned impatiently and strode away with long legs.

…

In the afternoon after school, Fang Chuning and Gao Qiong took a car to Century Tower. This was the most prosperous area of Z City. Luxury cars could be seen everywhere, surrounded by towering commercial buildings. The pedestrians on the street were generally dressed in designer brands. It was rare to see people in cheap clothing shopping here.

The gap between rich and poor in Z City was very large. The wealthy wouldn’t go to places they considered “slums”, while the poor also didn’t want to come to this kind of “rich area” where they would be met with disdain and couldn’t afford to consume. As time passed, two polar opposite regions formed.

Fang Chuning didn’t let the car drive too far in. Halfway, she pulled Gao Qiong out of the car and bought some food. The two ate as they strolled leisurely towards the tallest building.

However, as soon as they passed through the revolving door and wanted to take the elevator, they were stopped by someone. “Hello, do you have an appointment?”

Fang Chuning didn’t want to act out the cliché of “the female heir of a wealthy family being stopped by an opportunistic man at the company, only to reveal her identity and make the man regret it later”. She swallowed the hot dog in her mouth and told him, “I’m Fang Hong’s daughter. She asked me to come.”

The male employee was probably new. Bewilderment flashed in his eyes, clearly still unfamiliar with the name Fang Hong.

“You can make a phone call to check,” Fang Chuning reminded him.

“Uh, please wait a moment.”

The male employee’s actions were quite efficient. After finishing the call, he quickly led them to the elevator. Probably feeling embarrassed, his ears were a bit red. “You can go directly to the top floor office.”

“Mm, thank you.”

“Thank you, big brother.” Gao Qiong threw a coquettish wink.

The male employee’s neck turned red too.

After taking the elevator, only Fang Chuning went to the office, while Gao Qiong went to the open-air garden on the very top floor to wait for her.

Fang Hong’s office was very spacious and comfortable. The advanced floor-to-ceiling window design provided a view of half of Z City. Fang Chuning had just been sitting on the sofa playing on her phone for a while when the office door opened. She looked up, but the person who entered wasn’t Fang Hong.

The man was wearing a suit and trousers, with a clean white shirt on top. He had a very good body proportion. His long legs made even women envious. His narrow phoenix eyes only needed to glance at you lightly to make you feel like he was flirting with you. But the most stunning thing was his head of smooth, long hair. Every time Fang Chuning saw him, she felt he was more suited to live in ancient times. He would definitely be a disastrous existence for the country.

The man bent down and placed a hot milk in front of her. His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze. “Director Fang is in a board meeting. Wait here for a bit first.”

The person in front of her was Fang Hong’s secretary, Li Yipeng.

He was also the root cause of the couple’s separation.

Fang Chuning inwardly exclaimed, good gracious, even at this point, Fang Hong actually still hadn’t fired this guy!

“What’s wrong, Miss Fang?”

A warm hand suddenly gently stroked her forehead. Fang Chuning came back to her senses and saw the man’s face close to her. She instantly felt like facing a formidable enemy and kicked her feet to get far away from him.

“Don’t touch me.”

The man wasn’t angry but smiled instead. “You’re very afraid of me?”

“Heh.” Fang Chuning glared at him unfriendly. “You think too highly of yourself.”

Her attitude made the man’s mood even more cheerful. He sat directly beside her, propping his chin with one hand, staring straight at her.

Fang Chuning felt he must have gone mad. Although he had always looked like a seductive demon before, he still knew the rules and his place. When did he become so presumptuous? He even dared to sit with her.

Could it be that he thought driving her dad away would make him the master of the Fang family and then he could be condescending to her?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Fang Chuning fiercely glared at him. “Get away from me!”

The man didn’t care at all. Instead, he looked at her with a smile in his eyes. “You look so cute when you’re angry at me.” After saying that, he murmured softly, “Much better than before.”

Fang Chuning didn’t hear clearly what he said at the end. She felt the person in front of her might have really gone crazy. She abruptly got up and sat on another sofa.

The man’s eyes were tightly glued to her. He suddenly said, “I really hope that in the future, I can have a daughter as cute as you.”

In Fang Chuning’s ears, this sentence was directly filtered into “After your parents divorce, you’ll be my daughter”, full of provocative meaning. She didn’t expect this person could be so shameless. She was so angry that she laughed, gritting her teeth and enunciating each word, “In your dreams!”

The man’s smile faded a little. After a while, he considerately moved the hot milk to place it in front of her, then got up and left the office without saying a word the entire time.