A Couple Playing in the Off-lane

"Don’t believe me?" Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow. "Well, President Huo, you’re welcome to go ask President Su. If what I said was false, I doubt she’d let me keep my job as her secretary. Wouldn’t that be exactly what you want?"

Huo Shen clenched his fists.

How could he possibly go ask Hua’er?

What if it really was Hua’er’s order?

If he asked, wouldn’t that expose his feelings for her?

Right now, Hua’er was still very fond of Lin Xuan. If Lin Xuan egged her on, there was a good chance he’d be sent abroad—and then he’d have even less opportunity to be with her.

So, he couldn’t take that risk!

Jiang Qing smirked. "President Huo, you must still have work to attend to, right? Please, don’t let me keep you."

Even though she and Huo Shen were now openly at odds, she still had to maintain appearances.

Otherwise, someone might seize the opportunity to accuse her of disrespecting her superiors.

While President Su wouldn’t punish her for it, she worried others might follow her example, which would be bad for Su Corporation’s management.

Huo Shen gritted his teeth, his fists trembling as he spoke word by word, "Jiang Qing, just you wait!"

"Once I rise to power, I won’t let you off the hook!"

Originally, he had considered building a good relationship with Jiang Qing. But since she had already been bought off by Lin Xuan, there was no point in pretending anymore.

With that, Huo Shen strode past Jiang Qing without another glance.

Jiang Qing watched his retreating figure and shook her head with a soft chuckle.

Huo Shen really was stubborn to the core.

But that was fine—it just meant she’d have some entertainment to look forward to.

"Dreaming of rising to power? What a joke." She sighed, returning to her desk to continue her paperwork.

Meanwhile, Su Hua remained in her office, working diligently. Half an hour later, a senior executive entered.

"President Su, I’m here to—"

Before he could finish, Su Hua raised a hand to cut him off.

"Wait," she said, standing up from her chair.

"I’m leaving for the day. For the next few days, unless it’s something that absolutely requires my attention, the general manager has full authority to handle matters."

"Yes, President Su," the executive replied respectfully.

Su Hua left the office without another word.

An assistant frowned in confusion. "It’s barely past three, and President Su is already leaving?"

Jiang Qing chuckled. "She won’t be able to see Young Master Lin for the next few days. Of course she’d want to make the most of her time with him now."

"Assistant Jiang, isn’t it strange that Young Master Lin is also absent? And President Su suddenly has urgent matters too? What are they up to?" The assistant couldn’t hide his curiosity.

The timing was just too coincidental.

Jiang Qing smiled mysteriously. "Oh, they’re just handling some… important business."

And by "important business," she meant they were off playing the new competitive mode in King’s Glory.

She had recently become obsessed with the game, developed by Lin Xuan’s Tianmu Group.

At first, she had assumed it was just another mediocre mobile game like the rest on the market.

But after Su Qi dragged her into a few matches, she was hooked.

Now, she played whenever she had free time—so much so that she had even reached the national server rankings.

She couldn’t help but marvel at how Lin Xuan’s mind worked. How did he come up with such an addictive game?

The assistant rolled his eyes. "'Important business'? That’s not telling us anything, Assistant Jiang."

If they were disappearing for days, of course it had to be something important. But what?

"Come on, give us a hint. What exactly are they doing?" The assistant pressed, sensing there was more to the story.

Jiang Qing merely winked. "That’s classified."

She couldn’t very well tell them that President Su was the leader of the Night Rose Alliance, and Young Master Lin was the head of the Golden Dragon Gang—and that they were about to lead their factions into an all-out turf war.

At four in the afternoon, Su Hua returned to Night Garden.

This time, Lin Xuan was cooking again.

Since he’d be away for a few days, he knew Hua’er would be upset.

If she refused to let him go, he’d be in trouble.

So, he had to prepare a meal to sweeten her mood.

Su Hua stepped into the villa’s living room, scanning the area but finding no trace of Lin Xuan.

"Where’s A-Xuan?" she asked, frowning.

A maid bowed respectfully. "Miss, Young Master Lin is in the kitchen. He said he wanted to make your favorite dishes."

Su Hua’s lips curled slightly.

So, A-Xuan was trying to soften her up?

Clever.

"Got it," she nodded before heading to the kitchen.

Butler Wang was there, observing Lin Xuan’s cooking techniques.

No matter how closely he followed Lin Xuan’s steps, his dishes always fell just a little short in flavor.

When Butler Wang noticed Su Hua’s presence, he opened his mouth to greet her—

But Su Hua shook her head subtly, signaling him to stay quiet.

Butler Wang understood immediately.

"Young Master Lin, I have some matters to attend to. I’ll learn from you another time," he said politely.

"Sure, go ahead," Lin Xuan replied without looking up.

With a discreet gesture, Butler Wang motioned for the assisting chef to follow him out.

The chef cast one last longing glance at the wok.

As one of the top chefs in the country, he prided himself on his skills—yet compared to Lin Xuan, he always felt lacking.

Every time Lin Xuan cooked, he and Butler Wang would hover nearby, trying to absorb his techniques.

But Lin Xuan rarely cooked, making these opportunities precious.

Sigh. Another chance to learn, wasted.

Two years ago, this chef had despised Lin Xuan. Back then, if Lin Xuan ate even slightly less, his salary and bonuses would be docked. Worse, he constantly had to endure Su Hua’s icy displeasure—and one misstep could cost him his job.

But now?

His attitude had done a complete 180.

He practically worshipped Lin Xuan, admiring him to the point of reverence.

In his eyes, Lin Xuan was a genius who excelled at everything.

With Butler Wang and the chef gone, the kitchen was left with only Lin Xuan and Su Hua.

Lin Xuan remained focused on stir-frying, unaware of the woman approaching him from behind.

"Hua’er prefers lighter flavors… gotta go easy on the salt," he murmured to himself.

A soft smile touched Su Hua’s lips.

In the past, she had suspected Lin Xuan was just putting on an act.

But ever since he regained his memories of their time on the island, she had become increasingly convinced of his sincerity.

Now, no matter what he did, he always considered her first.

Her eyes shimmered with warmth as she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his back.

Lin Xuan’s hands stilled mid-stir.

In all of Night Garden, only one person would dare embrace him like this—Hua’er.

"Hua’er," he said, frowning slightly. "The kitchen’s full of smoke. Go wait in the dining room. Dinner will be ready soon."

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