I'm perfectly fine

Ying Yue had just arrived at her desk, but her phone was already blinking with a pending voice call. She picked up the phone and clicked play.

"Miss Ying, to my office when you arrive, please." The deep, rich voice of CEO Fei rushed into her ears and made her mood falter. So early in the morning and she already needed to put her acting skills to the test.

She placed the phone back on the receiver and huffed out a sigh. Pouting, she hurriedly fixed herself, straightening her clothes and making sure her hair was in place. What did Monster Fei want now?

As always, she knocked on the door twice, striding in confidently, a tablet on her hand. She opted to wear 2-inch sandals today instead of the usual heels because of the annoying blisters on her feet. She stopped a foot away from Fei Huangjin's desk and put on a polite smile. "Mr. Fei…"

Fei Huangjin looked up, his eyes searching hers. After an awkward pause, he asked, "how are you, Miss Ying?"

She smiled in response. "I'm perfectly fine, Mr. Fei. Should we discuss the rundown of your schedule for today, sir?" She opened the tablet on her hand to the schedule she fixed for him.

Fei Huangjin frowned. She wasn't just perfectly fine. She was acting "too" fine for his liking.

"This morning at 9:00 AM, you have an online video meeting with the different branch managers of Feihua Malls. Discussion will revolve on the recent incident regarding item returns on one of our branches in B city…" Ying Yue went on.

He was only half-listening to her. "She's definitely avoiding the topic of last night's incident," he said to himself, raising an eyebrow and touching his chin. He observed her from head to toe. From the high ponytail she was sporting to the way she stood, down to the short-heeled shoes she was wearing today.

"…at 12 noon we'll be at the Jade Palace for a lunch meeting with the owner and president of Cheng Entertainment, Cheng Jinyao. I've already sent our revised proposal to them the other day…"

Cheng Jinyao that old brute, he thought. He'd been hesitant to hand over Cheng Entertainment to Fei International for the mere reason of Fei Huanjing being "unmarried." The negotiation had been stretched to over three months. Usually, Fei Huanjing was capable of clinching takeovers in two weeks or a month, at most.

"… Lastly, you have dinner with Vice President Fei later at the restaurant of your choice." Finally, Ying Yue looked up at her boss.

Fei Huangjin was staring straight at her with a piercing gaze. "Alright," he muttered. Pulling out Ying Yue's knife from his pocket, he placed it on his desk for her to see. "Now let's discuss something else."

She glanced at the knife like she already expected he would dangle it in front of her. She did not seem fazed by his intimidation, and instead, her smile seemed to inch a bit higher. "What is there to discuss, CEO Fei?"

"Sit down." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Aren't you going to ask me anything about last night's incident?"

She smoothed down her skirt and sat down. "Well, have you figured out why they wanted to kill us, Mr. Fei?"

"Not yet." The way Ying Yue was acting told him that she wasn't scared of the incident last night. It was almost like she embraced it. He wondered why. It made him even more curious about her. Even if she was raised by her father, the fact was, he died when she was twelve. For her to act the way she did last night, she'd have to had training during the recent years. "Tell me, why don't I find you the least bit surprised after what happened?"

She cocked her head to the side, her glossy pink lips slightly parted as she briefly thought of an answer. "Well, Mr. Fei, seeing the way you handle opposing companies, I've long expected that something like that would happen anytime." She smiled again, her eyes crinkling. "Isn't that what you told me when you hired me?"

Her response made Fei Huangjin chuckle. Such a smart mouth. If she had finished her schooling, she'd be a formidable executive that he would be willing to poach from whatever company she was in. He decided to dismiss her for now, after all, he had plans for her.

Fei Huangjin stood up, grabbed the knife on his desk and approached Ying Yue, who was watching him with guarded eyes. He kindly offered the knife to her.

Ying Yue grinned. Dealing with Fei Huangjin was easier than she thought. She stood up and lifted a hand to take it.

Unexpectedly, in a blink of an eye, Fei Huangjin had flipped open the knife and was directing it to her neck. Ying Yue didn't have time to think. On reflex, she deflected sideways, gave him a strike to the throat which temporarily choked him, and took control of his wrist. However, Fei Huangjin quickly recovered and moved faster than her, and she was twisted until her arm was caught in a pinning hold. The knife had stopped an inch off her jugular vein.

He wasn't trying to kill her; he was testing her! She groaned internally, realizing that she fell for his trap.

Fei Huangjin released her, steadying her before sliding the knife close. When she was steady and grudgingly glaring at him, he took her hand, put the knife on her palm, and smirked at her. "You can go back to work now."