“Ouch!”
As Li Feng stepped out of the elevator into the lobby of Fengyuan Group, someone crashed into him.
A faint fragrance hit him, and Li Feng was certain it was a woman. He hadn’t expected to be embraced by a beauty right upon arriving at the company. His heart swelled with a sense of bliss.
Looking down, he saw that the woman in his arms was none other than Hu Yuanyuan’s assistant, Xu Qing.
Recalling how Xu Qing had tended to him in the VIP ward at the city hospital, Li Feng’s mind wandered to fanciful thoughts.
Could it be that Xu Qing had developed feelings for him after that incident, missing him so much that she threw herself into his arms the moment she saw him?
Yes, that must be it. How else could one explain why a composed woman like Xu Qing would do something so bold in a public place?
Li Feng couldn’t help but admire his own charm. He hadn’t realized it was so potent that a single intimate moment could make Xu Qing so infatuated, even leading her to such an act.
At the same time, he admired Xu Qing’s boldness. Normally so reserved, she was acting so recklessly here in the company lobby. Wasn’t she worried about being seen? Wasn’t she afraid Hu Yuanyuan would find out?
Or was Xu Qing preparing to challenge Hu Yuanyuan?
As Hu Yuanyuan’s assistant, Xu Qing must know about his relationship with her boss. Her actions now might be a declaration of war against Hu Yuanyuan.
Li Feng felt a bit torn. On one side was Hu Yuanyuan, on the other Xu Qing—both stunning women he liked. If he had to choose between them, he truly didn’t know what he’d do.
Sigh, Xu Qing, you’ve really given me a tough one!
With a sigh, Li Feng prepared to wrap his arms around her. A beauty throwing herself at him deserved a response.
But as his imagination ran wild, Xu Qing lifted her head, looked at him, and said, “President Li, sorry, I was walking too fast.”
“It’s fine, I—”
Before Li Feng could finish, Xu Qing slipped past him and headed for the elevator.
“This…” Li Feng stared blankly as Xu Qing disappeared into the elevator, struggling to process it. Had he been imagining things?
No, it must be that Xu Qing was shy with so many people around.
With a chuckle, Li Feng turned and walked inside.
“President Li.”
“President Li.”
Employees greeted him along the way, a stark contrast to his first visit to the company.
“President Li,” Liu Ruyan greeted him with a charming smile.
“Manager Liu, hello,” Li Feng replied, a smile tugging at his lips. He recalled their close encounter in the elevator last time, her soft, fragrant lips, and couldn’t help but feel a stir of desire.
“President Li…” Liu Ruyan gave him a shy, almost reproachful glance. Seeing the look in his eyes, she knew what he was thinking and felt a mix of bashfulness and uncertainty.
Back in the elevator, she had been caught off guard when Li Feng kissed her. Reflecting on it later, she wondered if she’d stumbled into the infamous unspoken rules. She felt lost and anxious. In the past, she would have quit and left the company. But strangely, after the incident, she felt no anger—only a faint trace of joy.
Liu Ruyan couldn’t understand why she felt this way. Was she really the kind of woman swayed by money? Did she actually like her boss? Was she thinking of becoming the other woman?
At Fengyuan Group, with Li Feng as president and Hu Yuanyuan as vice president, anyone could see what that implied.
Though Liu Ruyan was considered beautiful at school and confident in her looks, she knew she paled in comparison to Hu Yuanyuan. She couldn’t fathom why Li Feng, with Hu Yuanyuan by his side, would act this way toward her. Were men really just creatures driven by their lower halves?
Unsure how to handle her relationship with Li Feng, she had avoided him as much as possible recently. Fortunately, he hadn’t been to the company in days, which relieved her, though it also left her feeling a bit disappointed. Had Li Feng forgotten her, or…?
Seeing him today, Liu Ruyan felt a mix of joy and unease. She didn’t know how to face him. What if he made demands? What would she do?
“Manager Liu, how about finding a place to report on your recent work?” Li Feng said suggestively.
“President Li, you’re not my direct superior. I don’t need to report to you,” Liu Ruyan said, mustering her courage. She could guess what his “work report” meant—likely a pretext to be alone with her. In such a situation, with just the two of them, anything could happen.
“Is that so?” Li Feng sounded disappointed. He had hoped to build a closer connection with Liu Ruyan. At the company, Hu Yuanyuan, Xu Qing, and Liu Ruyan were his targets. Hu Yuanyuan was nearly secured; if not for her focus on cultivation, he could have had her already. That left Xu Qing and Liu Ruyan, both of whom he’d had close moments with and who didn’t seem to dislike him. More interaction could deepen their bond, but Liu Ruyan was so guarded, giving him no chance.
“President Li, I have work to do, so I won’t disturb you,” Liu Ruyan said, turning to leave. She didn’t want to linger near Li Feng, whom she saw as dangerous. Her emotions were in turmoil, and she didn’t want complications, especially in the company with so many eyes watching. She couldn’t handle the gossip.
Watching her go, Li Feng opened his mouth but said nothing, only sighing helplessly. Xu Qing and Liu Ruyan, his two targets at the company, were avoiding him. Was he really that frightening?
Shaking his head, he headed to Hu Yuanyuan’s office. His main purpose today was to see her. He felt it necessary to inform her about Zheng Haoyuan in person, as it might not be clear over the phone.
With Xu Qing gone, Hu Yuanyuan had no other secretary, so Li Feng pushed open the door and walked in.
In the office, Hu Yuanyuan was buried in a pile of documents. Hearing the door, she looked up.
Seeing Li Feng, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes. “Li Feng, why aren’t you resting at home? Why are you at the company?”
“To see you. A day apart feels like three autumns. By that count, from this morning till now, it’s been a year. I missed you so much,” Li Feng said, pulling a chair in front of her desk and sitting down.
“Such a smooth talker,” Hu Yuanyuan shot him an exasperated look. She was increasingly noticing his flirtatious ways.
Li Feng smiled, glancing at the pile of documents on her desk and frowning. “Don’t tell me you have to handle all these files yourself?”
“This is just half a day’s work,” Hu Yuanyuan said, glancing at him with dissatisfaction. “Not like you, a vice president who rarely shows up. If I don’t handle this, who will?”
“Where’s Xu Qing?” Li Feng asked.
“That’s thanks to Xu Qing helping me. She handles even more than I do every day. It’s not just me and Xu Qing—every executive here deals with a ton of work daily,” Hu Yuanyuan said.
“I don’t care about others, but if you keep working like this, you’ll ruin your health eventually. You need to hire secretaries to share the load,” Li Feng said, shaking his head.
“Hire secretaries? That’s a lot of expense,” Hu Yuanyuan said, shaking her head. “I can manage everything daily. No need for secretaries.”
“What, can’t our company afford a secretary’s salary?” Li Feng gave her a displeased look. He hadn’t expected Hu Yuanyuan to be so frugal. Comparing his Black Eagle Team’s expenses to her reluctance to hire a secretary, he felt their perspectives were worlds apart.
“It’s not like that. A secretary’s base salary, plus bonuses and benefits, is a significant cost for the company. We need to save where we can,” Hu Yuanyuan said, shaking her head.
“If you ruin your health, won’t the company just shut down?” Li Feng glared at her. “If you keep working like this and have a child later, what then?”
“What child? Who’s having a child?” Hu Yuanyuan’s face flushed as she glared back at him.
Li Feng winked at her. “If I weren’t holding back for your cultivation, you might already be carrying one.”
“You’re so annoying, saying this here…” Hu Yuanyuan said, her face crimson.
“There’s no one else here. What’s there to fear? Besides, this is a big life matter,” Li Feng said seriously.
“You’re still talking…” Hu Yuanyuan raised a file, pretending to hit him.
Li Feng laughed. “Alright, let’s drop the baby talk. But seriously, you need to build a secretary team. The company will soon roll out all sorts of new technologies, entering a rapid growth phase. With just Xu Qing as your assistant, even adding two more secretaries might not suffice. You need to hire four or five to form a proper team.”
“New technologies?” Hu Yuanyuan looked at him, stunned.
“Yes, like Intelligent One. As long as the company can sustain it, I can roll them out,” Li Feng nodded. This was his next plan. The Black Eagle Team and Eagle Eye required astronomical funding, which Fengyuan Group couldn’t currently support. The only way was to scale up the company.
For others, this would be a daunting task, but for Li Feng, it was effortless. Any technology from his mind would be a groundbreaking invention in this era. The only challenge was turning it into a product, which required management.
Fortunately, Hu Yuanyuan’s strong management skills covered his weakness. Though Fengyuan Group was already strong, in Li Feng’s view, it was just the beginning. He wouldn’t allow Hu Yuanyuan to overwork herself to ruin.
Hu Yuanyuan was silent for a moment, staring at Li Feng. “I want to crack open your head and see what’s inside. New technologies seem like nothing to you. Are you even human?”
After a pause, she asked, “I’ll consider your suggestion. But what brings you here today?”
