The CEO and Her Gentle Director - Chapter 4

The sky gradually deepened into darkness, and the city lights began to flicker to life. Yet, inside the private office, its occupant remained deeply engrossed in her work.

When one is completely immersed, time always flies. By 8:00 PM, the phone resting on the desk began to buzz repeatedly. Ye Tong waited until all the necessary project data had finished copying onto her flash drive before finally picking up the device to check her notifications.

Ji Huaiqiu: Still not off work?

Ji Huaiqiu: What happened to our dinner date?!

Ji Huaiqiu: Here you are, hustling away in a beautifully heated office, while I am out here freezing to death in the cold waiting for you.

Ji Huaiqiu: Another half hour has passed.

Ji Huaiqiu: Workaholic! Ye Tong!

Ji Huaiqiu: Fine, I resign myself to my fate…

The corners of Ye Tong’s lips curved upward. Amused, she scrolled through the wall of texts Ji Huaiqiu had left behind. Her shift was originally supposed to end at six o’clock, but because the team had to pack up and relocate to the LT Group tomorrow, she had to ensure all critical files were meticulously organized.

Ye Tong: Don’t wait up for me.

Ye Tong: Still have tasks to wrap up. Rain check on tonight.

Ji Huaiqiu: I suddenly realize why you’ve been single for so many years and why nobody wants you!

Ye Tong: …

Ji Huaiqiu: Because you are an absolute demon.

Ye Tong: …

Following Ye Tong’s brief responses, Ji Huaiqiu fired over a final, deeply resentful emoji. She knew all too well that once Ye Tong entered her hyper-focused work mode, she practically cut ties with the mortal world. Thus, after a few playful complaints, she stopped bothering her.

By this hour, the rest of the Project Department had long since cleared out. In the absolute silence of the director’s office, Ye Tong sat perfectly upright, steadily plowing through the files on her desk. The bright overhead lighting cascaded over her smooth, porcelain skin, softening the sharp intellect defined in her eyes.

Time ticked away uniformly, quickly passing eleven o’clock.

Ye Tong powered down her computer, retrieved the highly confidential project documents from the filing cabinet, and habitually packed them into a small storage box.

With everything in order, she scanned every nook and cranny of the office. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, she checked her watch. Without her realizing it, it was already past 11:30 PM.

Since she didn’t have to report to the office early tomorrow morning, she could simply arrive in the afternoon to supervise the department’s move, then lead her team members over to the LT Group together.

Turning off the office lights, Ye Tong stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the underground parking garage only to suddenly remember that she hadn’t driven her car to work today.

The security guard on night duty spotted her and quickly called out, “Director Ye, just leaving now? It’s incredibly difficult to hail a cab at this hour. Please be careful on your way home!”

“I will. Thank you,” Ye Tong replied, offering the guard a polite, warm smile.

Though she hadn’t been transferred to headquarters for very long and occupied a high-ranking position, she never put on corporate airs. The guards at the entrance had recognized her face from their very first greetings because she always responded with genuine politeness. Consequently, word had quickly spread that the company had a new director who was both exceptionally beautiful and incredibly down-to-earth.

Past eleven o’clock, hailing a taxi in the heart of the downtown commercial district was indeed an uphill battle. Ye Tong walked for quite a distance without spotting a single empty cab.

Her residence was roughly a thirty-minute drive from the office, meaning that if she were to walk all the way back, she wouldn’t step through her front door until the dead of night.

In the south, November days were mild, but the night air carried a distinct, piercing chill.

Walking entirely alone, the amber glow of the streetlamps stretched her solitary shadow long against the pavement.

Ye Tong scanned her surroundings as she walked. Just as her eyes swept the street in search of a taxi, a succession of car horns suddenly beeped right beside her. Startled, she halted and instinctively turned her head toward the sound. The tinted window rolled down smoothly, gradually revealing a highly familiar face.

Lin Su looked out at her, a faint smile gracing her lips. “Heading home, Director Ye? Let me give you a lift.”

Before Ye Tong could fully process Lin Su’s sudden appearance, the woman had already stepped out of the car, smoothly opening the front passenger door for her. “It isn’t safe for a woman to be hailing cabs alone so late at night. If you trust me, I’ll drive you home. It’s late; you should get back and rest early.”

Faced with Lin Su’s logical reasoning and her hospitable invitation, Ye Tong nodded. “Then I shall trouble you, President Lin.”

“Think nothing of it.” The moment Ye Tong settled into the passenger seat, Lin Su leaned half her body across the center console, reaching out to pull the seatbelt for her.

Old habits apparently died hard, but the gesture left Ye Tong feeling distinctly uncomfortable. In the cramped, enclosed cabin, Lin Su was practically hovering right over her, her unique, subtle fragrance instantly flooding Ye Tong’s senses.

“I can manage it myself.”

Before that hand could close the distance, Ye Tong swiftly buckled herself in.

Finding her hand striking empty air, Lin Su simply straightened up with a casual smile. “Sit tight then.”

“Thank you.” Ye Tong nodded with a polite smile, though her voice carried a clear, calculated distance a nuance that earned her a lingering glance from Lin Su.

Closing the door, Lin Su walked around the front of the car and slid into the driver’s seat. Before she could even fasten her own seatbelt, Ye Tong offered a light, dry chuckle from beside her. “What a coincidence, running into you here of all places, President Lin.”

“Mhm,” Lin Su responded evenly. “I was just returning from a business dinner when I spotted you walking alone on the curb, so I figured I’d see if you needed assistance.”

To cross paths under these exact circumstances? A small world for enemies indeed. For a split second, Ye Tong felt that the thread of fate connecting her to Lin Su was truly beyond words.

Lin Su turned her head to look at the passenger seat. Seeing Ye Tong staring blankly out the window, seemingly lost in thought, she lightly tapped her fingers against the steering wheel to snap her out of it. “Director Ye, do you actually intend to come home with me?”

“…”

“Give me your address.”

Ye Tong maintained her rigid, manufactured smile. “Fanhua Avenue, Jinbi Communities. Thank you.”

As the car smoothly merged into the street, a definitive smile curved the edges of Lin Su’s lips. “Since you stayed silent, I genuinely thought you wanted to come home with me.”

“…”

“Though, even if Director Ye truly wished to come back to my place, I wouldn’t mind it at all.”

“…”

Enough, you old fox.

Even though she knew Lin Su was merely teasing her after asking for the address, the playful innuendo made Ye Tong stare intently at the gap in the floor mat beneath her feet, wishing a hole would open up to swallow her.

Receiving no response, Lin Su stole another glance at her. While the director kept her head lowered to mask her expression, Lin Su’s eyes inadvertently caught the visible, pastel-pink flush staining the tips of Ye Tong’s ears.

Ye Tong obviously had no intention of going home with her; she was simply too thin-skinned to handle verbal flirtation and lacked a proper retort, choosing instead to remain entirely mute. Lin Su understood the mechanics of her silence perfectly.

After a brief pause, Lin Su added, “We actually live en route. I reside in the neighborhood right next to yours.”

Jinbi stood directly adjacent to the Huihuang luxury estates. Hearing this, Ye Tong froze, the question slipping from her lips before she could check herself: “You… you still live there after all this time?”

The moment the words escaped, Ye Tong caught herself. She bit her lip. “My apologies.”

“It’s fine. There is no need to apologize.” The smile on Lin Su’s lips deepened significantly as she offered a brief explanation. “I always found the logistics of moving too troublesome, so I never bothered. Besides, it isn’t far from the office.”

Ye Tong remained silent. She listened as Lin Su continued, “Since we live so close and happen to be working at the same company, we can easily commute to work together from now on.”

“If Director Ye doesn’t mind, we can also be friends in our private lives.”

“Naturally, I don’t mind,” Ye Tong replied, her expression turning noticeably frosty. “That is, if you truly believe we can still be friends.”

“Why shouldn’t we be?” Pulling the car to a halt at a red light, Lin Su turned her head to look at her directly. Ye Tong was soft and gentle with absolutely everyone else, yet the moment she faced her, she instinctively raised a wall of sharp thorns. If Lin Su dared to venture a fraction closer, she would undoubtedly end up bloodied.

Ye Tong completely bypassed the topic. “Do you mind if I roll down the window?”

“Of course not. Do as you please.”

As the vehicle accelerated once more, the cool night breeze rushed in, instantly clearing her head. Ye Tong suddenly felt a wave of regret for stepping into Lin Su’s car in the first place.

The woman sitting in the driver’s seat was a notoriously shrewd operator in the corporate world, possessing a lethally sharp vision. Whether executing a deal or negotiating a partnership, she loved nothing more than targeting her opponent’s exact vulnerabilities.

Yet, Ye Tong had to grudgingly admit that the reason she possessed her current professional caliber was entirely due to the rigorous training Lin Su had put her through years ago.

Fresh out of university at twenty-two, she had passed the interviews to intern at the LT Group. For reasons unknown to her at the time, Lin Su had taken notice of her and kept her by her side as a personal assistant. Though she had been relentlessly and unceremoniously bossed around by the woman, it was undeniable that she had gathered a wealth of invaluable experience under her tutelage.

Back during those years of youthful innocence, she had never imagined that the cliché trope of a domineering CEO falling for me would actually manifest in her own life…

Countless realities proved that art truly mirrored life. No matter how melodramatic the script, the most dramatic plotlines would eventually stage themselves at a certain intersection of one’s journey.

Case in point: their current reunion.

With neither woman initiating conversation, the atmosphere inside the cabin grew somewhat subdued. Lin Su focused on the road, that faint smile permanently anchored to her face. She was never a woman of many words unless the person beside her happened to be Ye Tong.

The street traffic was sparse. The black sedan navigated a few turns before pulling to a smooth halt at the entrance of the Jinbi residential gates.

“We’re here,” Lin Su murmured.

“Thank you for the ride home.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Drive safely, President Lin.” Unbuckling her seatbelt, Ye Tong opened the passenger door, stole a brief glance at Lin Su, and left the car without another word.

In the dim shroud of the night, Lin Su tracked the tall, graceful silhouette until it entered the gates and vanished from her line of sight. The corners of her lips curved slightly as she shifted gears, driving into the adjacent Huihuang estate.

By the time Ye Tong stepped into her apartment, it was already past midnight. A full day of overtime left her utterly exhausted. After taking a quick shower, she propped herself up against the plush pillows of her bed, steadily replying to the messages her close friends had left her.

Just as she was about to silence her phone and go to sleep, WeChat delivered a sudden notification.

The “New Friend Requests” tab showed activity. Ye Tong tapped it open, only to freeze at the sight of a highly familiar profile picture and name. She blinked in bewilderment. Why on earth is Lin Su adding my personal account in the dead of night? What is this woman playing at?

Seeing the request, and driven by a spark of curiosity, Ye Tong tapped “Accept.”

She wanted to see exactly what kind of narrative this woman would spin so late at night. Yet, forcing her eyelids open to wait for ten full minutes, the other end remained completely mute.

“How tedious,” Ye Tong muttered, the corners of her lips twitching as her curiosity instantly evaporated.

Considering she would be reporting to the LT Group tomorrow and they were the joint leads for the project meaning they would be under the same roof on a daily basis Ye Tong thought it over and ultimately decided to keep her on her contact list.

Then, resolving that she wouldn’t catch a free ride without due compensation, Ye Tong initiated a mobile transfer, fired over a brief text, silenced her phone, and drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in her own bedroom, Lin Su sat against her headboard, staring at the completely blank chat interface. Her clean, elegant fingers hovered over the keyboard, typing out a line of text, only to delete it character by character before hitting send.

Frowning slightly, she turned her head to look at the framed photograph resting on her nightstand. The picture captured two women; she stood on the left, while the young woman holding her hand on the right beamed with a radiant, brilliant smile, her eyes filled with a trace of bashfulness. It was a snapshot taken back when they had first entered a relationship.

Retracting her gaze, she slowly typed out the words Good night. Before she could hit send, a notification popped up as Ye Tong executed a financial transfer.

Ye Tong: Fare for the ride. We’re even.

Lin Su wasn’t surprised; a faint smile surfaced on her face. Ye Tong clearly had no desire to owe her any personal favors.

However, as her eyes scanned the specific figure of the transfer, Lin Su found the amount looking distinctly bizarre no matter how she parsed it. A standard taxi ride couldn’t possibly cost this much.

“250?”