The CEO and Her Gentle Director - Chapter 7

For a woman of Lin Su’s concise, reserved temperament and habitually detached demeanor, sending a text message like that must have taken an immense amount of effort.

Having spent three full years by Lin Su’s side, Ye Tong understood her reasonably well after all their time together. Lin Su was never a person to lower her head or speak submissively; she possessed the ultimate capital and a formidable powerhouse capability that naturally made others willing to yield to her commands.

Lin Su had completely assumed control of the LT Group at the age of thirty, which happened to be the exact year they first crossed paths. Lin Su was the supreme CEO of the conglomerate, wielding absolute authority from a lofty height. Ye Tong, on the other hand, was merely a low-profile assistant to the president. When the classic melodramatic script staged itself in her reality, she felt exactly like Cinderella encountering a noble princess willingly falling straight into the trap of the princess’s affection and blindly plunging into the flames like a moth to a fire.

Throughout their days and nights spent together over that long duration, Ye Tong had never once witnessed Lin Su shed a single tear. No matter how monumental the crisis or how profound the setback and suffering she endured, the woman possessed an innate, guarded intellect. For a very long time, Ye Tong had genuinely believed that Lin Su’s protective exterior was entirely invincible that absolutely no one could ever shatter Lin Su’s self-assurance, not even herself.

Furthermore, the vast majority of corporations frowned upon and strictly prohibited workplace romance, and the LT Group was no exception. Given Lin Su’s corporate status and authority, they were destined to never demand too much from one another the way ordinary couples in a relationship would.

Ye Tong had operated with extreme vigilance inside the company, terrified that someone might accidentally expose their bond and cause an absolute crisis to Lin Su’s professional reputation. After all, the societal mindset during those years wasn’t nearly as open-minded as it was today.

She couldn’t commute home with Lin Su after shifts, nor could they share a ride to the office in the morning. Lin Su’s corporate schedule was exceptionally punishing, and she practically never spent her holidays browsing the shopping districts or traveling for leisure. Ye Tong had always been deeply considerate of Lin Su’s complicated situation, well aware that their bond could never see the light of day. Consequently, she never forced Lin Su to engage in anything the woman despised.

Lin Su had also never once voiced promises of eternity or declarations of undying devotion. Yet, even without those words, nothing could stop Ye Tong from anchoring her anticipation onto a beautiful future together. Back then, she genuinely believed that possessing Lin Su was equivalent to possessing the entire world.

To track Lin Su’s rapid strides and narrow the massive chasm dividing them, she had thrown herself into her tasks, constantly sharpening her professional capabilities. Whenever Lin Su traveled extensively for business, she used the isolation to enrich herself.

Yet, reality was frequently cruel and merciless…

After the passage of so many years, a single text message from Lin Su had effortlessly unearthed the memories buried in the deepest recesses of her heart. She stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly gazing down at the sweeping city landscape shrouded in the evening lights.

Having survived those chapters of her history, Ye Tong’s trust in Lin Su had practically devolved to absolute zero. It was barely nine o’clock in the evening, an hour when stepping out of the tower would make hailing a cab incredibly easy. Even if she couldn’t find one, couldn’t the woman simply order Secretary Xiao to drive the vehicle back?

Furthermore, looking at the 250-yuan transfer initiated by the woman, Ye Tong desperately wanted to fire back with a sarcastic “My assistant drove my car away as well.” Ultimately, she reined in the impulse.

After all, Lin Su was the core partner of the XM Group. Before their project reached its final execution, she had to maintain a perfectly polite, professional veneer. Personal sentiment had to be set aside, no matter how intensely she wished to avoid any private crossover with Lin Su.

When she had first stepped into the corporate ranks, she was nothing more than a green rookie completely devoid of industry experience, operating at an age of youthful innocence. Facing that mature, elegant woman day in and day out, her heart had involuntarily crossed the line before she could check herself. Having suffered a profound lesson, the sheer agony of falling down and fighting to pull herself back up was an experience she only needed to taste once. She would never allow herself to repeat the exact same mistake especially since they had already settled the scores between them.

As for the message Lin Su had forwarded, looking at it from the company’s perspective, Ye Tong found herself with no logical leverage to refuse. Ultimately, she accepted the financial transfer.

Meanwhile, inside the Executive Suite, Lin Su had been waiting without receiving a single line of response. The moment she rose from her desk, the sound of light, measured footsteps caught her attention. She closed her files, powered down her computer, and was just reaching out to retrieve her handbag when Ye Tong materialized at the threshold of the room.

“President Lin, clocking out?” Ye Tong internally harbored a faint hope that Lin Su’s shift wasn’t finished yet, though fortune was clearly not on her side.

Lin Su looked up, replying, “Please give me a brief moment. I am leaving now.”

Ye Tong bit her lip, taking a few paces backward as she turned around to avoid direct eye contact. Within minutes, the sharp, distinct click-clack of high heels echoed out behind her, sounding exceptionally loud in the absolute silence of the empty office suite. A clear voice dropped beside her ear: “I shall trouble Director Ye to give me a lift en route tonight.”

“It is no trouble at all. Think nothing of it, President Lin after all, you have already compensated me for the fare.”

Lin Su stood exceptionally close to Ye Tong, their forearms coming dangerously close to brushing against one another. Ye Tong could practically sense the warm trace of the woman’s breath lightly fanning across her cheek. Without making it obvious, she took a calculated, subtle step to widen the distance between them.

The minute adjustment naturally didn’t escape Lin Su’s sharp eyes. The woman standing before her looked perfectly soft and gentle on the surface, yet her entire being was wrapped in a defensive wall of sharp thorns, strictly refusing to let her draw a fraction closer.

With neither initiating the first step, they walked down the corridor in absolute silence and stepped into the elevator cabin once again positioning themselves on opposite sides, maintaining a balanced distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Upon arriving at the underground parking garage, Lin Su slid into the front passenger seat. Turning her head to look at the perfectly serene Ye Tong, she pulled the seatbelt across herself, inquiring, “Director Ye, are the initial garment design drafts for Project A finalized?”

“Mhm. They were locked down yesterday. I’ll forward them to your WeChat right now so you can review them.”

Ye Tong retrieved her device, sending over the collection concepts for the first quarter before igniting the engine and driving out of the garage.

Lin Su kept her chin slightly lowered, uniformly reviewing the digital blueprints. She heard Ye Tong inquire from the driver’s seat: “Is President Lin satisfied with XM’s design execution?”

Lin Su offered a measured evaluation. “The silhouettes are fresh, bold, and innovative, centering primarily on a youthful, fashionable aesthetic. The collection projects a luminous, vibrant energy that should align perfectly with the target demographic’s style profile.”

The critique was entirely text-book and safe, offering zero substantial operational notes. Recognizing that Lin Su was the supreme commander of a conglomerate rather than a professional fashion designer, Ye Tong let out a light chuckle and dropped the topic.

Although Project A operated under the primary execution guidelines laid out by the XM Group, the LT Group acting in its capacity as the core partner bore a professional obligation to monitor the project’s progression uniformly. Lin Su added, “Regarding the fashion design parameters, I hope Director Ye maintains robust communication with LT’s internal design division.”

Ye Tong replied, “Naturally.”

With the discussion surrounding the design concepts reaching its conclusion, Ye Tong desisted from raising further corporate matters. Both she and Lin Su shared a long-standing habit of refusing to deliberate on work once they clocked out.

Throughout the commute, Lin Su would initiate a casual prompt, and Ye Tong would offer a lukewarm, polite response. Occasionally, when the director’s eyes caught hers, they carried the structure of a smile, yet the depths remained anchored in a subtle, chilling detachment as though she had genuinely erased the chapters of their past. Lin Su recognized that a profound barrier still resided in Ye Tong’s heart, and gradually, she desisted from prompting further. She sat quietly, allowing the night breeze to sweep over her as she savored a rare, peaceful moment of isolated companionship.

The tower wasn’t far from their respective residential developments, and the drive concluded within thirty minutes. Both Jinbi and Huihuang were premier high-end residential estates in S City, requiring access cards at the checkpoints. Ye Tong brought the vehicle to a smooth halt right outside the Huihuang gates.

“Would you care to come upstairs for a brief moment?” Lin Su unbuckled her seatbelt, turning her head to fix her eyes on her.

“It is quite late already. Perhaps next time.” Meeting those deep, unreadable eyes, Ye Tong treated the prompt as nothing more than standard social courtesy. A light smile curved her lips. “Get some rest early, President Lin.”

Lin Su replied, “You as well.”

Ye Tong watched Lin Su open the door and step onto the pavement. Without a single moment of lingering delay, she smoothly turned her vehicle around and drove off.

Relocating to the LT Group headquarters did yield distinct corporate efficiencies: any conflict of opinion or operational bottleneck between the two entities could be addressed and resolved on the spot. The personnel Ye Tong led achieved a seamless integration with LT’s Project Department, and the two corporate bodies swiftly accelerated their workflow.

Over the days that followed, Ye Tong was thoroughly consumed by her immediate tasks, executing overtime until the dead of night on a daily basis. Lin Su operated under the exact same punishing rhythm. Outside of essential corporate deliberations concerning the project parameters, Ye Tong rarely initiated contact, intentionally and subtly designing her schedule to avoid encountering Lin Su outside of hours.

Yet, a collision was entirely unavoidable. Today, Ye Tong received a direct call it was an invitation to a commercial negotiation initiated by the General Manager of the HJ Group.

Fixing the time and location before disconnecting the call, Ye Tong rested her palms against her desk, massaging the space between her eyebrows as a wave of speechlessness hit her regarding the client’s highly eccentric stipulations.

Today, the double panels of glass between the suites had been frosted over, and the excellent acoustic insulation ensured that the internal dynamics of the Executive Suite remained completely cloaked.

Inside the Executive Suite:

“Lin Su, let’s grab dinner together tonight, alright?”

“It wasn’t easy for me to secure a return to the country you absolutely have to accompany me for a few days.”

“Lin Su, are you listening to me?”

“I am exceptionally busy; I lack the time.” Lin Su’s voice was frosty and thin. Hounded by the relentless pestering and unable to unceremoniously eject the visitor, her lips flattened into a hard line.

Ye Tong exited the Director’s Office, making her way toward the adjacent suite. Taking a few paces, the muffled sound of a unfamiliar female voice drifting out caught her attention. Reaching the threshold of the Executive Suite, her raised hand paused mid-air.

Lin Su sat perfectly straight, holding a gold fountain pen as she uniformly approved her files, her chin never lifting. Seated right beside her was an exceptionally glamorous, alluring woman with chestnut hair styled in soft curls. Her eyes carried an absolute radiance, and an innate, striking sensuality exuded from her very bones.

“Your brother explicitly stated that you should accompany me, yet you spend every single day buried in corporate data. Fortune is infinite; did you truly require me to personally march into the tower to hunt you down?”

“Accompany me for dinner tonight.”

“Lin Su!”

“Stop working! Look at me!”

Lin Su remained completely unmoved. Perhaps because Xie Wansu’s voice was far too distracting and her focus was anchored on the contracts, she failed to catch the soft approach of Ye Tong’s footsteps.

Ye Tong recognized the woman instantly. Back during her years serving as Lin Su’s personal assistant, she had heard Lin Su mention that Xie Wansu was the daughter of a long-standing family friend of the Lin lineage. Being roughly seven to eight years younger than Lin Su put the woman close to her own age. Lin Su tolerated her presence solely out of respect for the Xie family’s social status. Xie Wansu possessed a premier capability for relentless pestering, and Ye Tong used to encounter her silhouette constantly at the office before the woman moved abroad.

She hadn’t anticipated that the exact moment the woman returned to the country, she would immediately resume her pursuit of Lin Su. Lin Su’s romantic admirers had never seen a drought—spanning across age and gender. Had it not been for her naturally sterile temperament and her complete lack of focus regarding matters of romance, given Lin Su’s immense corporate stature, rumors would have long since flooded the industry.

Watching Xie Wansu cling to Lin Su and whine in a dramatic display of affection, completely disrupting the CEO’s corporate focus, Ye Tong noted that Lin Su true to her character hadn’t actually lost her temper. Realizing her arrival was poorly timed, Ye Tong prepared to turn on her heel to leave. However, the movement was a fraction too abrupt, and her forearm inadvertently struck the doorframe, producing a distinct sound not overly loud, yet more than enough to alert the occupants inside.

“Who are you?” Xie Wansu snapped.

Lin Su raised her eyes. Her brows knit together instantly as she smoothly pushed away Xie Wansu, who had been attempting to lean flush against her.

“Director Ye.”

Now, a retreat was entirely out of the question. Ye Tong reluctantly turned around, her eyes sweeping over Xie Wansu before locking onto Lin Su, who had already risen to her feet. Her voice carried a polite note of regret: “My apologies, President Lin. I did not mean to interrupt your conversation.”

Xie Wansu finally mapped Ye Tong’s features clearly, her eyes widening in absolute shock. “To think it’s actually you! Word had it that you had severed ties and departed from the LT Group years ago?”

Ye Tong offered a perfectly courteous nod, having zero desire to explain her history. Yet, out of the corner of her eye, she caught the subtle shift in Lin Su’s complexion. Adjusting her high heels, she turned around and walked away without a backward glance.