The weather was a bit gloomy, much like the mood of the woman standing in the kitchen, not very bright.
Dong Enyu leaned against the counter, holding a freshly brewed black coffee.
She needed some caffeine to wake up.
On the table in front of her was a phone, and on the screen, a woman was organizing documents.
Occasionally, she would look up at Dong Enyu.
Even through the screen, the woman’s sharp gaze was undiminished.
Her aura of authority was impossible to ignore, and her every move was perfectly executed, making one hold their breath.
“What happened to your eyes?” Huo Ai put down the data in her hand and pointed to her eyes.
The unusual redness and swelling puzzled her.
Dong Enyu took a sip of coffee, the bitter taste jolting her awake.
She adjusted her posture and said calmly, “Allergy.” Her tone was so flat it was almost inaudible.
Huo Ai either didn’t hear or chose not to respond, her dark eyes staring straight at Dong Enyu without a word.
“How’s your progress over there? Is everything going smoothly?” Dong Enyu placed the empty coffee cup in the sink, turned on the faucet to wash it, and the loud sound of water echoed in the kitchen, making the atmosphere tense.
It wasn’t that Dong Enyu was meddling in Huo Ai’s affairs, but her evasive actions plunged them into silence.
The coffee cup was already clean, but the water kept running…
“We just received new goods, still in the negotiation stage.” Huo Ai broke the silence first.
As if breaking a barrier, Dong Enyu took a deep breath, turned off the faucet, and nodded slightly, a faint smile on her lips.
“Antique?” She didn’t intend to reveal Luo Ye’s request, just asked with a hint of skepticism, knowing Huo Ai was holding back.
“No.” The woman behind the screen shook her head, her long, smooth hair casually draped over her shoulders, quite sexy.
Sometimes she was honest, yet also mysterious.
“What about you? How’s your task going? Did you get the information on WutangBoss?” Huo Ai took back control of the conversation.
Only she asked, and Dong Enyu answered.
What was meant to come would come… Dong Enyu mimicked Huo Ai’s gesture, shaking her head.
“No.” Not only did she not get any clues, but she was also “disciplined” by Luo Ye.
The entanglement in the car last night, half-forced, half-helpless embrace, even Luo Ye’s face was imprinted in her mind, her perfume, warmth, and breathing, everything was still so clear… It was sickening.
“They’re very tight-lipped.” Dong Enyu’s eyes were somewhat vacant, she said lightly, as if defending herself.
Although it was all just an excuse.
“Even meeting them didn’t work?” Huo Ai raised an eyebrow, not angry, just expressing her doubt.
But this question was like a stone, falling straight into Dong Enyu’s calm heart, stirring ripples.
“I’ll think of something.” Two minutes later, she responded to Huo Ai.
Not that she could or couldn’t do it, but she needed more time to think of a way, she had to think of a way.
“I’ll be back in five days,” Huo Ai slowly lowered her gaze, tidying up the documents on the table, finally looking up, “Before then, you better give me an explanation.” She was willing to give Dong Enyu time, but only five days.
If the woman wasn’t proactive within these five days, she could replace the useless assistant at any time.
After the call ended, the kitchen fell into silence again.
A more suffocating silence…
In three days, Dong Enyu tried every way to communicate with Luo Ye, but the woman was like a wall.
Every time Dong Enyu threw the ball over, it bounced back, a one-sided effort that never got a response.
Luo Ye refused to reveal any information about the Boss, so Dong Enyu had no way in.
As time ticked by, her heart grew tighter, like being bound by a rope, tightening an inch every second… It hurt, but she couldn’t cry out.
“Miss Dong?” Shirley, holding documents, raised her voice, finally bringing the woman at the desk back to her senses.
Dong Enyu held a pen, the desk covered with data sent by Huo Ai last night, just ordinary artworks, which she was to sell in the next few days.
The woman’s expression was somewhat dazed.
She drank the tea on the table in one gulp, then brushed her bangs aside, finally regaining her composure.
Burning the candle at both ends had left her exhausted.
“It’s okay, I’ll handle the next contact part myself.” Dong Enyu waved her hand, letting Shirley leave first.
The artworks were naturally to be sold to Han Ge, as for Luo Ye’s proposal, Dong Enyu decided to discuss it after Huo Ai returned.
She dialed a number, not expecting anyone to answer until it was almost going to voicemail.
Finally, someone responded, but it wasn’t Han Ge, making Dong Enyu instinctively check the number, confirming it was correct before speaking.
“Please find Han Ge, thank you.” Without the formal tone, Dong Enyu’s voice carried a hint of fatigue.
“You really know how to pick a time, Han Ge can’t take the call right now, just tell me what’s up.” On the other end, Yong Le’s clear voice came through, not harsh, with a rebellious tone, like a mischievous bad girl.
“I have a batch of artworks to sell, interested?” Dong Enyu rubbed her temple with one hand, even closing her eyes.
She didn’t want to beat around the bush, directly stating her purpose.
Yong Le was also straightforward, laughing, “Of course, I’ll pick you up downstairs at your company in thirty minutes.”
Dong Enyu hung up the phone, feeling a bit weak as she lay on the desk.
She had many paths in her mind, like a maze winding around.
Now, she was lost in a corner.
Maybe she could break through the high wall, but she could also turn back.
The decision was in her hands.
If the path with Luo Ye didn’t work, could she ask Yong Le? Dong Enyu asked herself, the answer was nothing but a cold laugh.
When Dong Enyu saw the blue sports car stop in front of her, she had been standing at the entrance for a full twenty minutes.
It wasn’t that Yong Le was late, but Dong Enyu felt that if she didn’t get some sun, she would be swallowed by darkness.
So she stood alone under the sun, enjoying the scorching and blinding light, standing there sweating, yet always with a faint smile.
The sports car smoothly spun and stopped in front of Dong Enyu, and the door opened.
Dong Enyu got in without hesitation.
Once inside the air-conditioned comfort of the car, she let out a slow breath.
The summer sun was indeed not to be underestimated, but occasionally baking in it wasn’t so bad, at least it was more refreshing than staying in a cold concrete space.
“Here, hydrate yourself.” Yong Le casually took a bottle of mineral water from the glove compartment and tossed it to Dong Enyu.
The rare thoughtfulness was gladly accepted by the woman, who drank half the bottle, feeling refreshed.
“If you want a sunbath, just tell me, I can take you to a private beach for a romantic summer fling.” Yong Le held the steering wheel with one hand, speaking without looking at Dong Enyu, but her tone was very suggestive.
Dong Enyu turned to look at Yong Le.
She was wearing a fresh white shirt, paired with black pants, a bit different from her usual wild attire, but it didn’t diminish her straightforward aura.
The silver hoop on her ear still shone so brightly that Dong Enyu couldn’t open her eyes, her fiery red eyes were piercing, even without being looked at, there was no escape.
“Were you with Han Ge just now?” Dong Enyu ignored Yong Le’s sweet talk and changed the subject.
Yong Le turned the steering wheel, casually responding with a nasal sound.
“Why didn’t Han Ge come? Is this batch of goods also up to you?” It seemed Han Ge had entrusted this kind of transaction entirely to Yong Le, or perhaps, it was Yong Le’s idea? Dong Enyu unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt to cool down, her head a bit dizzy from the heat.
“That’s right.” Yong Le nodded, driving the sports car onto the highway.
Dong Enyu shifted her position, not asking where Yong Le was taking her, but leaning back in the seat to rest.
She was a bit sleepy.
“Han Ge trusts you a lot.” Out of nowhere, Dong Enyu said.
At the same time, she heard Yong Le chuckle, but the laughter was a bit strange… Disdain? Mockery?
Dong Enyu glanced at Yong Le, her hair dyed a fiery red always so flamboyant.
“Where are you taking me?” Five minutes later, Dong Enyu asked.
A few seconds ago, they missed the last exit to the North District… If they went any further, it would be too far.
“I know a good place, want to go?” Yong Le asked provocatively, causing Dong Enyu to raise an eyebrow.
“I’m in your car, do you think I have a choice?” Unless she jumped out of the car.
But that was definitely not a good idea.
Yong Le laughed heartily at her words.
“Good girl,” she said, as if praising a pet, lightly complimenting Dong Enyu.
Those two words successfully sparked the woman’s displeasure.
Just as she was about to retort, her phone inconveniently rang.
“Hello, this is Dong Enyu.” She quickly answered the call, and to her surprise, it was Luo Ye.
In the confined space of the car, there was no privacy for phone calls.
“Where are you?” Luo Ye’s steady voice came from the other end, her concise words always getting straight to the point.
Dong Enyu held the phone with one hand, leaning against the car door.
“In the car.” She wasn’t quite sure of the purpose of Luo Ye’s call, as they usually discussed business matters when she contacted Luo Ye, but today…
“With Yong Le?” After a moment of silence, Luo Ye asked lightly.
With Yong Le…
“Yes.” Dong Enyu’s heart skipped a beat.
Why would Luo Ye ask that? At the same time, she glanced at Yong Le, just a brief look.
“Stay calm.” Unexpectedly, Luo Ye said something inexplicable, telling Dong Enyu to stay calm.
Why? Dong Enyu was momentarily confused, and just as she was about to speak, Luo Ye revealed the reason.
“An hour ago,” Luo Ye suddenly paused, then lowered her voice, “Yong Le killed Han Ge.”
Killed… Han Ge?
Whether it was the air conditioning being too strong or the sudden change in atmosphere, Dong Enyu felt a chill run down her spine.
The woman sitting next to her, an hour ago… killed Han Ge?
“Got it, I’ll buy it back later.” Dong Enyu replied briefly and hung up the phone.
As if nothing had happened, she leaned back in her seat to rest.
Only she knew how fast her heart was beating at that moment…
“Who was it?” Yong Le glanced at the rearview mirror, switching the car into the inner lane, speeding up to 120.
The sound of the wind howling faintly came from outside the window.
Dong Enyu lowered her eyes, gripping her phone tightly.
“An office junior.”
To ease the tension, Dong Enyu added, “She asked me to bring back some snacks, the strawberry cake from the station.”
“So nice? Do I get any?” Yong Le chuckled a few times, making it hard to detect any flaw in her tone.
Dong Enyu remained quite calm, placing one hand on the car door switch.
“If you want some, I’ll buy an extra one.”
The usual bickering and noise were absent, making Dong Enyu a bit uneasy.
Just as she was about to ease the atmosphere, Yong Le placed a hand on the back of her hand, the warmth causing Dong Enyu’s heart to tremble slightly.
“By the way,” Yong Le kept her eyes on the road ahead, but her grip tightened as she smiled, “also bring one for Luo Ye?”
