Secret Crush

Lin Yuan didn’t say it, but the truth was that ever since he received that brief phone call from Lu Chenyuan in his office at Yuanlong Technologies, he had been restless.

“Ren Qian came to see me.”

Just those few words, and Lin Yuan could already guess the gist of it.

He knew there was another woman in President Lu’s apartment.

He also knew about his senior, Ren Qian, and the feelings she had kept hidden for nearly a decade.

So, without hesitation, he set aside his work and drove over immediately.

He didn’t go upstairs. Instead, he waited silently in an inconspicuous corner downstairs.

He didn’t know what he could do—or even what he wanted to do.

Perhaps he just wanted to make sure she left safely.

Then, he saw her walk out, looking utterly devastated. He watched as she sat on a bench and broke down in tears like a child.

At that moment, Lin Yuan’s heart felt as though an invisible hand had clenched it tightly.

The pain left him breathless.

“Let me take you home,” Lin Yuan said softly, afraid of startling her.

Ren Qian didn’t refuse.

Right now, she truly had no strength left to think, let alone drive.

Her mind was completely blank.

The car ride back was quiet.

Ren Qian leaned against the passenger seat, her eyes closed, her long lashes still glistening with tears.

Lin Yuan drove steadily.

Every now and then, his gaze would flicker toward her, silently watching her.

In his eyes were concern, worry, and an emotion so intense he didn’t dare examine it too closely.

He had always loved Ren Qian.

From the first time he saw her in their university study group, he had been captivated.

She was radiant, capable, like an inextinguishable flame.

But he quickly realized that the light of that flame only ever chased after one person.

Lu Chenyuan.

Lin Yuan ruthlessly crushed those budding feelings and buried them deep in his heart.

He knew all too well the gap between himself and Lu Chenyuan.

So, he chose to become the most loyal follower, the most dependable ally.

He watched as she sharpened herself into the finest blade for Lu Chenyuan, cutting through every obstacle in his path.

He also watched himself, spinning like a top with no personal life, all in the name of following Lu Chenyuan.

Then, a girl named Qian Shanshan barged into his life.

She was bold and beautiful.

She said she admired his maturity and steadiness.

At the time, Lin Yuan was being pressured by his mother to start dating, and he thought perhaps it was time to move on and bury the past for good.

So, without much thought, he agreed.

They became a couple.

But Lin Yuan knew it wasn’t love.

He was too busy.

As Lu Chenyuan’s personal assistant, and later as the CEO of Yuanlong Technologies, his time was fragmented into countless pieces—none of which belonged to himself.

He had no time for dates, no time for movies, not even time to share a proper meal with Qian Shanshan.

All he could give her was money.

Designer bags, luxury goods, regular bank transfers.

This was how he compensated for his absence.

He knew their relationship wasn’t normal.

Qian Shanshan always treated him with a vague sense of indifference.

Her attitude toward his mother was lukewarm at best.

Lin Yuan wasn’t stupid—he could feel it.

But he always blamed himself.

He didn’t spend enough time with her.

He wasn’t romantic enough.

But tonight, when he saw Ren Qian sobbing on that bench, a thought rose from the deepest recesses of his heart with startling clarity.

All these years.

He had never, not once, forgotten his senior.

When Ren Qian cried, his heart ached.

But no matter what Qian Shanshan did, she couldn’t stir even the faintest ripple in his heart.

Along with that realization came an overwhelming wave of guilt.

Lin Yuan felt like a monster, no better than a beast.

He had a girlfriend.

Yet here he was, thinking of another woman.

......

The car stopped outside Ren Qian’s apartment building.

“We’re here,” Lin Yuan said gently.

Ren Qian opened her eyes. The confusion had faded somewhat, leaving only exhaustion.

“Thank you… for today,” she said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

“Senior,” Lin Yuan suddenly spoke up, “don’t overthink it. Get some rest.”

Ren Qian glanced at him, nodded, then pushed the door open and stepped out.

Lin Yuan didn’t leave immediately.

He watched as she entered the building, waited until the light in her apartment flickered on, then silently turned the car around and disappeared into the night.

Back in his own apartment, Lin Yuan shrugged off his coat and collapsed onto the sofa.

He pulled out his phone and stared at Qian Shanshan’s contact photo.

He wanted to ask where she was, what she was doing.

But after typing a few words, he deleted them.

He didn’t know what to say.

And suddenly, he realized he didn’t really care about the answer.

Closing his eyes, all he could see was Ren Qian’s tear-streaked face, the way she had clutched that bottle of warm water, fragile and helpless.

He realized then that the feelings he had buried had long since taken root in his heart, growing into something towering and unshakable.

......

In the days following her heartbreak, Ren Qian carried on as if nothing had happened.

She went to work, left on time.

The COO of Yuanlong Technologies was still the decisive, formidable queen everyone knew.

Her relationship with Lu Chenyuan reverted to a purely professional one.

Meetings, reports, strategy discussions.

No one could tell that just days ago, she had witnessed the end of a decade-long unrequited love.

Only she knew that a part of her heart now felt hollow.

But at the same time, it was as if a crushing weight had been lifted.

She no longer had to chase after that distant, unattainable light.

She could finally be herself again.

Lin Yuan’s appearance that night had been like a pebble dropped into the stagnant waters of her heart.

She began observing him unconsciously—this man she had always seen as nothing more than a reliable junior and capable colleague.

During meetings, he always made sure she had a glass of warm water.

When discussing problems, his focus was unwavering, his logic razor-sharp.

With subordinates, he was strict but fair.

And the way he looked at her—there was a careful tenderness in his gaze that she had never noticed before.

It’s easier to see things clearly from the outside.

Ren Qian laughed at herself inwardly.

All these years, her eyes had been fixed solely on Lu Chenyuan.

How had she never noticed the depth of emotion hidden in this junior’s heart?

As for Lin Yuan’s girlfriend, Qian Shanshan, Ren Qian had long sensed something off.

As a woman, she could easily recognize the calculation and falseness in another woman’s eyes.

She had run into Qian Shanshan at the company a few times when the girl came to see Lin Yuan.

She was always decked out in the latest designer brands, and the way she looked at Lin Yuan wasn’t the gaze of a lover—it was more like she was eyeing a long-term meal ticket.

Ren Qian had tried hinting at it to Lin Yuan before.

But Lin Yuan was either too busy to pay attention or simply oblivious when it came to matters of the heart.

Before, Ren Qian had considered it none of her business.

Her own unrequited love for Lu Chenyuan had been more than enough to handle.

But now, things were different.

She looked across the desk at Lin Yuan, who was intently reviewing documents.

This man was upright, loyal, capable, and utterly devoted to her.

A hundred times—no, a thousand times—better than that cold, unfeeling block of wood, Lu Chenyuan.

A thought took root in Ren Qian’s heart, growing wild and unchecked.

Lu Chenyuan’s heart wasn’t hers to claim, and she had no way—nor any desire—to force it.

But Lin Yuan’s heart? That belonged to her.

So then…

She couldn’t be blamed for making her move.

Once this realization settled in, Ren Qian felt as if a fog had lifted. Along with it came the complete shattering of any illusions she’d held about Lu Chenyuan.

All that remained was pure admiration—for a comrade and a boss.

And just a hint of resentment toward Lu Chenyuan for failing to warn Lin Yuan about any of this.