Ou Yunchen sat in the meeting room of Xi'ou. He wasn't intentionally making things difficult for Liu Jinhua, but Liu Jinhua was also evasive, unable to say where Zhou Man had gone.
Liu Jinhua: "Mr. Ou, perhaps Zhou Man had an urgent matter. She really didn't tell me what she was going for when she left..."
Ou Yunchen: "Then report your work to me."
Liu Jinhua nodded stiffly.
Ou Yunchen: "How is the film preparation coming along?"
Liu Jinhua spoke at length, all about the same progress as before, deliberately avoiding the issue of the script.
Ou Yunchen: "What about the new script?"
Liu Jinhua: "Soon... soon..."
Ou Yunchen: "When is 'soon'?"
Liu Jinhua: "It's almost signed..."
Ou Yunchen: "You haven't signed the script yet?"
Liu Jinhua gave a muffled hum and dared not look up at Ou Yunchen.
Ou Yunchen: "What went wrong? Who between you and Zhou Man is responsible for the script?"
Liu Jinhua: "She's responsible for finding it, I'm responsible for negotiating."
Ou Yunchen: "So you found a suitable script, but didn't sign it?"
Liu Jinhua hummed softly again, feeling very uncertain. These days, she had been dealing with that damned Teacher Luo. It was also Zhou Man's stubbornness, insisting on Luo Ying's script!
Ou Yunchen: "Call Zhou Man."
Liu Jinhua quickly took out her phone and dialed Zhou Man's number. After only a few rings, the call was promptly hung up.
Ou Yunchen: "Call again."
Liu Jinhua redialed, and it was hung up again.
Liu Jinhua was terribly frightened. If Zhou Man were here, perhaps Ou Yunchen would be a little restrained out of consideration for Zhou Man's beautiful face. Now, she had to face her boss's scolding alone.
Ou Yunchen did hold back his temper. He wasn't good at arguing with women, nor was he good at getting angry with his subordinates. He always felt that Liu Jinhua was a very capable agent, and her achievements over the years had indeed proven his judgment correct.
Perhaps heaven heard Liu Jinhua's prayers, and someone came to rescue her.
Secretary: "Mr. Ou, a young man named Cai is on the phone."
Ou Yunchen glanced at the secretary who entered; it wasn't Crystal.
Ou Yunchen then looked at Liu Jinhua, who was head down, playing ostrich.
Ou Yunchen: "You can leave now."
Liu Jinhua quickly tidied the desk and rushed out of the meeting room.
Ou Yunchen: "What did he say on the phone?"
Secretary: "Mr. Cai said he wanted to ask if you were free tonight, and if he could invite you to dinner to discuss an important matter."
Ou Yunchen: "Alright, I'll contact him separately."
As the secretary was about to leave,
Ou Yunchen: "Wait a moment."
Secretary: "Mr. Ou, is there anything else?"
Ou Yunchen: "Where is Crystal?"
Secretary: "Crystal is on leave."
Ou Yunchen: "On leave?"
Secretary: "Yes, she said she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be coming in today."
Ou Yunchen: "Okay."
After the secretary left, a satisfied smile appeared on Ou Yunchen's face. It seemed Crystal had seen something she shouldn't have. The spy Xu Shuming had placed by his side could be smoothly removed. How ridiculous his tactic was. Did Xu Shuming think every man would be unable to resist a beautiful woman? Or did he think Ou Yunchen would be like him, made or broken by women?
—Ou Yunchen on the phone—
Crystal: "Hello? Mr. Ou? I'm sorry, I'm on leave today and didn't come to work..."
Ou Yunchen: "I know. I'm calling to ask what's wrong and if you're alright. Where do you feel unwell?"
Crystal: "No, it's nothing... I'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Ou Yunchen: "Is it too much pressure working for me? If you feel the workload is too heavy, you can tell me."
Crystal: "Mr. Ou, it's not about work. Something happened at home."
Ou Yunchen: "At home? Do you need me to come help?"
Crystal: "Ah? No, it's okay..."
A moment of silence.
Crystal: "Mr. Ou, thank you."
Ou Yunchen: "Crystal, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I will definitely help you."
Crystal choked up slightly and quickly said it was not necessary.
Ou Yunchen: "Are you crying?"
Crystal: "Mr. Ou, I'm sorry..."
Ou Yunchen: "What's wrong?"
Crystal: "No, I just... I just feel that you are so much better than my previous boss..."
Ou Yunchen chuckled softly. He was best at using words to gently comfort wounded women, even if it was just verbal solace, it could heal the wounds in their hearts or make them temporarily forget their pain.
Ou Yunchen: "If I were truly a good boss, I would be by your side right now, giving you support."
See, Crystal, hurt by Xu Shuming, was now falling into the trap as Ou Yunchen comforted her, willingly letting a wolf stroke her fur.
Crystal: "Thank you, Mr. Ou, I feel much better."
Ou Yunchen: "Mhmm, you can call me anytime, no matter how late."
—Call ends—
After hanging up, Ou Yunchen's smile deepened. He really had no good intentions. Rather than driving Crystal away, it was better to make good use of her. After all, she had been by Xu Shuming's side for so long; she understood Xu Shuming and the current Su Corporation better than anyone.
Ou Yunchen glanced at his watch and decided to put on a show for Xu Shuming.
Ou Yunchen drove to the downstairs of Crystal's apartment. He anticipated that Xu Shuming would definitely come to find Crystal again to reassure her. However, at this moment, how could Ou Yunchen give Crystal a chance to turn back? He had to offer this hurt woman a reliable shoulder before Xu Shuming arrived.
Just as he expected, Xu Shuming did come to find Crystal, and his car also entered the complex. And at this moment, Crystal had already come downstairs to greet Ou Yunchen.
Crystal: "Mr. Ou, you... why are you here?"
Ou Yunchen lifted the bag in his hand.
Ou Yunchen: "Bringing you food."
Crystal: "Huh?"
Ou Yunchen: "I remember you liked to order sushi for lunch when you were at work. I guessed you liked Japanese food."
Crystal felt a little embarrassed but was touched by Ou Yunchen's warmth. Her sadness was so overwhelming that she couldn't even think about eating. If Ou Yunchen hadn't come to bring her dinner, she might have gone hungry again tonight.
Crystal: "Thank you."
Ou Yunchen: "Why do you keep thanking me? Isn't it natural for a boss to take care of his employee?"
Crystal's eyes reddened again. Ou Yunchen smoothly gave her a hug, and this scene was just seen by Xu Shuming, who was still in his car! He stared incredulously at the two figures in the distance, wondering if Crystal and Ou Yunchen had already become a couple!
Ou Yunchen released Crystal and looked at the tears in her eyes, gently wiping them away.
Ou Yunchen: "What's wrong? Why are you crying again?"
Crystal shook her head repeatedly. She truly regretted helping Xu Shuming; Ou Yunchen was an excellent boss. If she had stayed by Xu Shuming's side, she would have thought it was love. But thanks to Xu Shuming's betrayal, she saw clearly that the old man would never change his ways! He could abandon her at any time, while Ou Yunchen remained consistently gentle.
Crystal: "Boss, what if I did something wrong?"
Ou Yunchen: "Wrong? How wrong?"
Crystal: "I mean, what if I did something that wronged the boss?"
Ou Yunchen: "Did you really do it?"
Crystal: "No, no... I was just asking."
Ou Yunchen: "Then you'd be fired."
Crystal: "Yes, I should indeed be fired..."
Ou Yunchen: "I wouldn't."
Crystal looked up at Ou Yunchen, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Ou Yunchen: "If my employee betrayed me, it would be my own incompetence for not being able to keep her."
Crystal: "Mr. Ou, it's not your fault!"
Ou Yunchen looked at Crystal vigorously defending him. He placed his hands on her shoulders, their faces very close. Crystal, this kind of woman, actually blushed.
Ou Yunchen: "Listen to me, whatever you've done, it's in the past. If there are problems, we'll solve them together."
Crystal nodded, seeing herself reflected in Ou Yunchen's eyes. She thought of Xu Shuming but couldn't recall any good memories. It was as if Ou Yunchen's eyes held a magic that made her forget the sting of betrayal. She wanted to rush into the embrace of the next man, like Ou Yunchen's embrace, which was so much better than that old man's!
Ou Yunchen: "Alright, pull yourself together and come back to work soon. I'm not used to you not being here."
Crystal blushed even more. She couldn't deny being moved, but who could resist a handsome, wealthy, and upright boss?
Ou Yunchen: "Go back up. I'm leaving."
And so, it was until Ou Yunchen had already driven away that Crystal was still shyly blushing. She thought Ou Yunchen was confessing his love to her. Just as Crystal was about to go upstairs, Xu Shuming turned on his car headlights, blinding Crystal. She raised her hand to shield her eyes.