Are You Threatening Me, President Qiao?

It was more of the sound of a car engine revving than the screeching of Fang Lingyi's alarm that woke her from her sleep. She flung off the bedcovers, sleepily sliding her feet into a pair of slippers. Sunlight poured into the room, soaking her room with a soft golden light. She rubbed her eyes, turning her head to look directly at the clock sitting on her bedside table.

7:52.

Lingyi suddenly jumped up, a panick-stricken look crossing her face. She'd spent all of last night reviewing information on ACE, trying to understand their system to aid her in the near future. And due to her lack of sleep, she only had eight minutes left to get ready.

With inhuman speed, Lingyi rushed into the bathroom, a bundle of clean clothes in her arms. It took her no more than five minutes to rinse her body, brush her teeth and fix her hair before changing into a white button-up shirt and straight-legged jeans, exiting the apartment building exactly two minutes until eight o'clock with a piece of burnt toast hanging from her mouth.

Catching a ride to city center was harder than she expected, especially since all the buses had left and the roads were overflowing with people like her hurrying to work. Lingyi took a deep breath, glancing at the ticking hands of her weathered watch.

8:01.

And almost by magic, a black car which looked far too familiar pulled up in front of the bus stop she was currently standing at. Her face lit up at the sight of the unexpected uber taxi, relief flooding her features.

But when the window rolled down and a pair of cold brown eyes regarded her, all that relief washed away.

"Get in," Qiao Zeyan commanded through the gap in the darkened window, unlocking the passenger side door.

Lingyi immediately pulled back, looking away. "I'm all right, thank you," she said, desperately searching for another taxi. People passing by stopped to stare at the polished, invaluable vehicle parked before her.

Qiao Zeyan's signature smirk returned to its place on his lips. "You do know you can go on strike for being late for work." Lingyi scoffed, disbelief written along the lines of her face. "I'll turn a blind eye this time if you get inside right now."

"President Qiao, are you threatening me?" Lingyi questioned, throwing an incredulous look at the man in front of her.

Arrogance shone in Qiao Zeyan's eyes. "I think you are gravely mistaken, Miss Fang. I'm only reminding you where you stand."

Lingyi looked far from convinced. "And where is it that I stand?"

His eyes sparkled. "Why don't you get in and find out?"

Fang Lingyi adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder, lifting both eyebrows. "Like I said before, President Qiao, I'm quite all right."

And with that, Lingyi began walking in the general direction of the office building, completely ignoring Qiao Zeyan.

"Fang Lingyi, you will not be walking the whole way there," Qiao Zeyan called as his car rolled along slowly beside her.

"Watch me," she challenged, raising her chin a fraction and maneuvering past the people crowding the sidewalk.

"Are you sure?" Qiao Zeyan's confident voice echoed over the bellow of cars. "It's already 8:05."

Lingyi stopped as soon as those words left her boss's mouth. She whirled to face him, lips tight in a straight line when she nodded at his car.

"You're taking me straight to the office," she demanded, feeling the bite of wind on her cheeks.

Qiao Zeyan chuckled. "Miss Fang, what else do you think I could possibly do?"

Not really knowing if what she was doing was the right choice, Lingyi pulled open the car door, slipping inside and into the shocking warmth. The interior of the car was a plain but eye-pleasing beige, finished off with red and black leather. The glass making up the windows were tinted black, disallowing anyone to peer through and witness the two of them sat together, not speaking, not touching.

Without warning, Qiao Zeyan moved toward Lingyi, his hot breath grazing her flushed skin. She watched the muscle cording his body tense when he leaned over her for the seatbelt, eyes suddenly meeting her own as he secured it firmly around her torso.

Lingyi wouldn't be surprised if he could hear the rapid thumping of her heart against her chest.

"You always forget to put on your seatbelt," he said quietly before pulling away, hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles went white. She loosened a breath she didn't know she was holding, facing forward silently.

His close proximity wasn't making the ache in her heart any better but she tried to look unbothered as he ignited the engine and set off down the road toward the old TO, now another useless building belonging to the international ACE.

And then she heard the song playing in the background.

A sweet, soft melody filled with a sorrow no one should ever have to experience. Her eyes instantly flickered to the radio. It had been nearly six years since she had heard the heartbreaking lyrics and despairing tune.

Involuntarily, Lingyi's fingers stretched for the volume button, which just so happened to be at the same time Qiao Zeyan's hand reached for the same button, and for the briefest moment, she felt the spark of electricity when their fingertips brushed together, setting her heart on fire.

She withdrew her hand and cradled it to her chest as if she had injured it. There was a moment of dead silence other than the song before the volume of the melody finally increased, drowning out the numb feeling growing inside Lingyi.

"After all these years you still remember this song?" Qiao Zeyan asked, eyes focused on the road.

"Of course I remember this song. It was a classic."

"And is it still as meaningful to you now as it was before?"

Lingyi's head pitched back against the head of the car seat. They were only in high school when the song came out, and almost everywhere anybody went the song was there, streaming from a radio.

She only nodded, picking at her fingernails with feigned boredom. Even now she could sing it without looking once to check the lyrcis. She knew it like the back of her hand.

Qiao Zeyan didn't persist with another round of questions which Lingyi was secretly grateful for. He drove them past a row of shops, the streets blurring past like a forgotten memory.

Then the channel switched as soon as the song was over, a reporter's voice taking over.

"And tonight, we have another performance from our beloved star, the famous singer Han Qian. After travelling all the way back from America with her rumoured boyfriend, the CEO of ACE, Qiao Zeyan, she has been preparing for her next tour." Fang Lingyi knew she shouldn't be listening in to this nonsese, but the names mentioned made her blood go cold in her veins. "Fans are beyond excited for Han Qian's next show and almost all the tickets to tomorrow night's performance have been purchased-"

The radio switched off, Qiao Zeyan's face turning gray with disapproval. Lingyi's eyes softened, hands clenching in her lap.

"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend." Why did she feel bad for sounding so casual?

As expected, Qiao Zeyan's eyebrows knitted together. "I don't," he answered, though at this point Lingyi couldn't even tell if he was lying or not.

"It's okay if you have a girlfriend." Lingyi regretted it as soon as she uttered that sentence to Qiao Zeyan.

He turned to her, confusion clear in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," she didn't hesitate to reply with.

The car swerved right and into a half-empty parking lot. When the car was eventually parked in a space, Qiao Zeyan closed the distance between them and locked eyes with her, his arm going around the back of her seat.

"I don't have a girlfriend, and I haven't had one since the girl I fell in love with six years ago."

Something inside her twisted at those words.

"And do you still love her?" Lingyi blurted before she could stop herself.

Qiao Zeyan seemed unfazed by the question but instead of responding, he unlocked the door for her, gesturing outside. "We're here," he pointed out before twisting away, refusing to make eye contact with her. Maybe she really had stepped out of line this time. "You better get to work before you're put on strike for being late."

Acknowledging that that was an invitation to leave, Lingyi exited the car, taking one last look at Qiao Zeyan's car before heading for the elevators.