Returning - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Clash

Not long after their encounter at the airport, Zhao Yu saw Xu Chengyan again.

This time, the location was Huacan headquarters.

She had accompanied Xue Zi'ang to a collaborative seminar with Yicheng Technology. The moment they stepped out of the elevator, they ran into Xu Chengyan and his secretary, Lu Bin, emerging from another elevator.

In just a few seconds, her expression cycled through an astonishing range. From shock, to guilt and unease, then to feigned calmness as she averted her gaze and pretended nothing had happened.

All of it—rehearsed countless times before the mirror—was vivid and natural, leaving no trace of performance.

The instant Xu Chengyan saw her, he remained perfectly composed. Even Lu Bin beside him showed little reaction, so Xue Zi'ang noticed nothing at all. He simply smiled and greeted Xu Chengyan: "What brings President Xu here personally today?"

"Important matters require a hands-on approach," Xu Chengyan replied with a smile, shaking hands with Xue Zi'ang. From beginning to end, his gaze never landed on Zhao Yu again.

Once they entered the meeting room, Zhao Yu—who had appeared utterly composed—made an excuse about feeling unwell. She had Xue Zi'ang call Ye Zi to fill in for her, then quietly slipped away on her own.

"I'm screwed. I flirted with someone I shouldn't have. What do I do?"

"I thought he was just some stranger, figured at most we'd hook up a couple times and then never see each other again. How the hell was I supposed to know he's from a partner company?"

"Do you think I should just quit? If he tells my boss and coworkers, how can I ever face anyone again? My reputation will be completely ruined. Ugh, so annoying!"

Her voice—full of frustration and regret—echoed clearly through the deserted stairwell. She had given the performance everything she had, but truthfully, she couldn't be certain there was an audience. If no one had been there all along, then she was nothing but a ridiculous drama queen, a clown performing for herself.

But as it turned out, she had bet correctly.

A low chuckle drifted down from above. Startled, she looked up and saw Xu Chengyan slowly descending the stairs.

Panic seized her, but she quickly regained her composure. Gripping her phone, she looked at him calmly: "Do you need something, President Xu?"

Xu Chengyan sauntered up to her, studying her with a contemplative expression: "I'm rather curious—exactly how many faces does Assistant Zhao have?"

"I have no idea what President Xu is talking about." She forced herself to stay composed and turned to leave.

Xu Chengyan's voice sounded from behind her: "I'm even more curious—if I were to share Assistant Zhao's glorious exploits at the airport, what would your coworkers and supervisor think of you?"

"Is that a threat?" Zhao Yu sneered. "They can think whatever they want. I don't care."

"Really? From what I understand, Assistant Zhao cares a great deal about her image. Didn't some rumors recently stir up quite a storm? Pity. So many people still naively believe that standing before them is a pitiful, innocent little white rabbit."

Zhao Yu slowly approached him, her expression bordering on smug: "So President Xu is this interested in me—even dug up all that."

"Given that we're partner companies, a few casual questions are enough to get a clear picture."

"Then at least it proves I was right—you didn't throw away my business card. And what about that tie? Did President Xu throw that away?" She continued closing the distance between them, reaching out to take his tie and examine it carefully. Suddenly, she let out a low laugh. "It seems President Xu and I are just alike."

She lifted the tie to her nose and sniffed, then looked at him with playful amusement: "Such cheap perfume—hardly seems like something President Xu's fiancée would use. I wonder, who was warming President Xu's bed last night? I'm no pure and innocent little white rabbit, and neither is President Xu. For someone like you, what would the term be… a refined scoundrel? Or perhaps… a well-dressed beast?"

"Scoundrel or beast—at least I don't have to pretend the way you do. Does Xue Zi'ang know his assistant's true nature? Shall I help you tell him?"

"Of course he knows. Not only does he know, he's the one who sent me to get close to you. Let me be honest—I already knew who you were that day at the airport. I flirted with you deliberately, all to sabotage your relationship with Miss Zhuang. If the Yicheng-Lanxi alliance through marriage falls apart, who benefits? Huacan, naturally."

If you lopped off the head and tail of what she said, what remained would be absolute truth. But when true words were delivered like this, the person before her didn't believe a single one.

Xu Chengyan's face filled with scorn: "So Huacan has fallen so low it needs a minor assistant to pull a honey trap?"

The rivalry between the two jewelry giants, Huacan and Lanxi, was indeed longstanding. Yicheng Technology, controlled by the Xu family, was a leader in the domestic high-end packaging industry and maintained long-term partnerships with both Huacan and Lanxi.

Xu Chengyan's engagement to Zhuang Yiqing was a marriage alliance between two powerful families based on mutual interests—beneficial and harmless to both Yicheng and Lanxi. As for Huacan, it had no effect for now; all cooperation continued as before.

So Zhao Yu's rambling lacked any real substance. And that was exactly the effect she wanted—the method of seduction didn't matter. The most critical point was that she couldn't let him become suspicious, couldn't let him realize that she had indeed targeted him because of his status, that she had approached him with a purpose.

Judging by Xu Chengyan's reaction, it was clear: doing the opposite had been the right move.

"Who can say for sure? What if I actually succeed?"

Her slender fingers gripped his tie and pulled hard, drawing his body closer to hers. Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow, her fingertips slowly trailing up along his tie to his chest, caressing through the thin white dress shirt. Her red lips hovered near the corner of his mouth, her breath feathering against it: "So… does President Xu find me interesting now?"

Xu Chengyan caught her wandering hand, pinning her against the wall with ease. His breath, tinged with a hint of tobacco, fanned across her face: "What interests me… is tearing off someone's mask."

Zhao Yu giggled: "And what interests me is tearing off President Xu's clothes."

With that, she reached out her other hand to pull at his suit jacket, but he seized both her wrists.

Taking in the rise and fall of her chest, he asked: "Aren't you the one craving a man's body? With someone like Xue Zi'ang by your side, still have the energy to flirt with other men?"

He paused, then added with a mocking smile: "Almost forgot—Xue Zi'ang doesn't mix business with pleasure. That must have been quite a disappointment for you."

"A huge disappointment, actually. That's why I redirected my target to President Xu." Zhao Yu leaned forward, tilting her face up as if to kiss his lips.

Xu Chengyan swiftly turned his head. Though his lips escaped, a faint lipstick mark was left on his cheek.

Zhao Yu looked utterly innocent: "Oh dear, President Xu. This lipstick stain of mine is right there on your face. How are you supposed to continue the meeting? If word gets out, if that fiancée of yours finds out about our relationship, do you think she'll be angry?"

Xu Chengyan let out a scornful laugh: "Our relationship—what exactly is that?"

"It's the kind of relationship where you've got me pinned against the wall with my lipstick still on your face. You were sneaking glances at my chest too, and my wrists are all red from your grip. So rough. Truly a well-dressed beast."

"This… is what you call a well-dressed beast." His large palm suddenly covered her chest and kneaded firmly several times. Hearing her sharp intake of breath, he then unceremoniously reached beneath her skirt, palm pressing over that intimate area.

Zhao Yu trembled slightly and let out a low moan: "Don't touch there… mm…"

Noticing such an intense reaction, he pressed even harder, pressing his middle and index fingers together and stroking back and forth along the cleft, fingertips settling over her clit and rubbing, teasing, circling.

"Ah… don't… too much… President Xu… Xu Chengyan… stop… I'm going to… I'm going to come…"

Despite the barrier of stockings and underwear, his fingertips were soon drenched. Watching her flushed face, that expression mingling arousal and pleasure, he suddenly stopped. Raising his slick, glistening fingers before her eyes, he remarked: "Assistant Zhao is this lewd? My hand is soaked."

Zhao Yu took two deep breaths, steadying herself, then pulled out her phone. Right in front of him, she pressed the "Stop Recording" button and looked at him triumphantly: "So, President Xu—how did I sound just now? If this recording were released, how do you think your fiancée would react? Maybe she wouldn't mind you snacking around on the side, but if it became public knowledge and humiliated her… wouldn't she lose face?"

"Threatening me?"

"Exactly. As long as President Xu pretends he never knew me, this recording will disappear. And don't even think about grabbing my phone—that cheap move won't work. This has already been automatically uploaded."

Xu Chengyan smiled, taking his time. Slowly, deliberately, he smeared the wetness from his fingers across her lips, then wiped them a few times on her clothes before taking out his own phone. He turned the still-recording screen to face her.

"You did sound quite good. Still, a recording needs a proper beginning and end to be truly interesting. Shall we test it—see whose reputation gets hit harder if it gets out, yours or mine?"

Watching Zhao Yu's expression instantly change, Xu Chengyan straightened up, adjusted his clothes, cast her a glance, and walked back up the stairs with elegant poise.

Zhao Yu could clearly read the naked disdain in his eyes. The prouder the person, the more they saw others as utter fools.

But in the end, who exactly had fallen into whose web?

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