"Do you understand now?"

Chen Xi looked at the man in front of her, whose face was full of shock. A smile played on her lips as she tied her long hair into a style identical to Bai Xi's, under his increasingly wide-eyed gaze.

The young girl's intelligence allowed her to learn anything quickly. With just a change in her gaze, the allure in her eyes transformed into extreme gentleness. She even deliberately mimicked the other person's voice when she spoke:

"For you, I can learn to be like her. When I'm willing to do something like this, I no longer care what others think of me..."

A hint of obsession flashed in Chen Xi's eyes, hidden for who knows how many years:

"I only want you... Yan Feng, for you, I'm willing to do anything. Don't you understand yet?"

In an instant, the world plunged into darkness, human senses partially blocked, leaving only faint hearing.

With a crisp sound, chopsticks fell to the ground.

Metal scraped violently against the floor, creating another sharp screech, likely from a table leg or chair leg.

Breathing became heavy, audible even from nearly a meter away.

A gulp sounded, the subconscious swallowing of saliva after excessive tension.

Footsteps collided with the ground, accompanied by a dull thud growing louder and louder, as if in fear, or desperately eager to escape.

Then came a plea mixed with sobbing, and a forceful departure, tearing fabric with a ripping sound.

The door opened, click...

The door closed, bang!

At this moment, the most important sound seemed meaningless. After the noise, only faint breathing remained.

Just as Chen Xi had anticipated, this was a difficult process, with countless twists and disappointments. But she wasn't in a hurry, nor could she be.

The world was recolored, yet the smile on the young girl's lips remained pale.

…………

Two days later.

Yan Feng sat in his office, sporting dark circles under his eyes, staring at the document on his computer screen, his mouse wheel scrolling incessantly.

The door opened, and Gu Qing walked in slowly, placing a cup of coffee on the man's desk: "What, did that young girl kick you out of the house? You look like you've been pulling all-nighters."

"It's work time, don't pry into employees' personal matters."

Yan Feng took the coffee but found the weight off. Opening it, he saw only a small amount of coffee powder inside.

Seeing her success, Gu Qing smiled smugly and mimicked the man's tone from a long time ago: "Didn't someone say before? 'There's a cup next to you, make it yourself, I'm busy.'"

Yan Feng sneered coldly, retorting, "Is your next line going to be telling me to drink it outside?"

"Oh, you've learned to answer back? Not bad, not bad. It seems that following me around, your brain has become much sharper, little madman."

"At least I'm better than a five-year-old," the man said casually. "Anything else? I still have work to do, very busy."

Gu Qing ignored his question, instead glancing at his hair, frowning slightly: "I don't have much to say, but how many days has it been since you washed your hair? It's so greasy."

"Two or three days, but things unrelated to work shouldn't be..."

"So you've been staying in the office these past few days?"

Yan Feng opened his mouth slightly, speechless for a moment, shifting his gaze to the computer screen, tacitly agreeing with her statement.

Seeing this, Gu Qing's expression turned more serious. She sat sideways on the desk, asking earnestly:

"Tell me, what exactly happened between you and that young girl? Looking at you, it's not just a simple quarrel, is it?"

The man remained silent, only the sound of his keyboard grew louder.

"What, don't want to talk?" Gu Qing continued, her tone tinged with curiosity: "This isn't like you. How could our little madman, who dominates the workplace, be at a loss with a young girl?"

"Could it be... related to her?"

The keyboard clattering abruptly stopped. The man glanced at her, sighed, and shook his head with a bitter smile: "Sometimes I really admire your brain, sometimes sharp, sometimes dull, but when it comes to prying into others' affairs, you're almost as good as Sherlock Holmes."

"You're too kind, too kind," the woman smiled, then returned to seriousness: "But since it's about her, I won't ask too much. But that child..."

Before she could finish, Yan Feng interrupted bluntly: "Sorry, boss, it's work time now, please don't..."

"Don't talk to you casually, right?"

Gu Qing rolled her eyes at him, then took out her phone, fiddled with it, and then pressed the shutdown button on Yan Feng's computer. In his stunned gaze, she replied confidently:

"I'm giving you a day off, so it's not work time now. Can you talk to me now, little madman?"

Yan Feng was speechless, pointing at the black screen of the monitor, his tone flat: "With that press, you just wiped out my entire morning's work."

"So what," Gu Qing shrugged, looking indifferent: "It's not like I'm the one redoing it, and didn't you already make a backup?"

The man's silence was deafening.

Seeing his speechless expression, she sensed something was wrong and quickly confirmed:

"You definitely made a backup, right?"

Yan Feng squinted his eyes, his gaze growing cold: "I remember telling you a long time ago not to touch my computer."

Under his gaze, Gu Qing shivered instinctively, recalling unpleasant memories, feeling a mysterious pain somewhere, and stammered:

"Well... um... little madman... you won't be mad, right?"

"You definitely won't, right?"

"You won't... Dad!!"

"Dad, I'm sorry, Dad! Have mercy! I'm your daughter from another father and mother!"

Watching Gu Qing's childish and exaggerated performance, Yan Feng couldn't help but laugh, asking, "I really can't believe you. What's all this nonsense? So, what brings you here?"

"Nothing, really, what could I possibly want," the woman had already retracted her playful demeanor, her lips still carrying a lingering smile:

"So? Feeling better now? You should smile more, you look much better that way. Always having a stern face is so unattractive."

After a pause, the woman mumbled: "But seeing you can still smile now means your mood isn't that bad after all..."

To this, Yan Feng just smiled and shook his head, saying: "I've been working for so many years, I'm no longer that young and inexperienced. I can handle my emotions."

"Uh-huh, indeed," Gu Qing continued, asking a seemingly random question: "So you owe me a favor now, right?"

Yan Feng blinked, nodding woodenly.

"That's great!" Seeing her plan succeed, the woman dropped her pretense and said directly: "I just happen to need your help with something! In a few days, during the holiday, pretend to be my boyfriend and accompany me back home to meet my parents!"

Yan Feng's mouth twitched, asking, "Again!? Can I refuse?"

"What do you think, little madman," the woman's smile grew more mischievous, even licking her lips, threatening: "Hehehe, sir, you wouldn't want your year-end bonus to be zero, would you?"

"This is extortion!" Yan Feng protested: "Abusing your power for personal revenge!"

"So what? I'm the boss," the woman grinned wickedly, staring at him, almost drooling, looking very sleazy: "Little madman, just obediently come back with me and be my husband, hehehe..."