Chapter Thirteen

As Su Xiaobai took Su Miao's red Ferrari onto the road, she couldn't help but press down on the accelerator.

In an instant, the car shot forward like an arrow leaving the bow, streaking across the highway at breakneck speed.

Under normal circumstances, if it were Su Bai's primary persona behind the wheel, he would never drive such an attention-grabbing car.

Leaving aside the inconvenience it might cause others, he simply couldn't tolerate the strange looks people would cast toward the vehicle.

Besides, for a sports car worth tens of millions, the cramped interior was suffocating, and every little bump or scrape could cause an anxiety attack. Given Su Bai's unambitious and conflict-averse nature, he would have zero interest in a flashy luxury supercar designed purely to show off.

But the Su Xiaobai of today was different.

She didn't mind the feeling of being wrapped inside the car, of her entire body relaxing as the machine roared to life.

The way the car surged forward—so fast it felt like she was weightless, as if she were being catapulted into the air—sent a rush of pleasure through her veins, almost addictive in its intensity.

If it were any other day, she wouldn't be so ostentatious.

Supercars like this weren't exactly meant for city driving.

If she were on a spacious, empty racetrack, she might actually enjoy pushing the limits of speed.

But here in the city, she couldn't push the car anywhere near its true performance threshold.

That took some of the thrill away.

But this wasn't about enjoying the drive.

This was about making an entrance.

Or rather, if we're using the right term… stirring the pot.

Wait, no—that phrase didn't feel quite right either.

In any case, since Fang Cheng had gifted her with this perfect opportunity, there was no way she was going to waste it.

If she didn't put on some kind of show, people might actually think she was just a dull, ambitionless woman.

Sure enough, as she pulled up to the entrance of the compound, the on-duty security personnel flagged her down.

It was no surprise.

The moment the young officer spotted a fiery red vehicle tearing up the winding road leading to the compound, he was already on alert.

By this point, she had left the noisy downtown area behind, and on this quiet, secluded hillside road, her car was the only one in sight.

The way it streaked forward with a domineering presence was impossible to ignore.

But just as quickly as it had arrived, the car slowed and rolled to a stop at the entrance.

The officer had been working this job for half a year now.

He had seen his fair share of luxury cars.

But at most, those were high-end Mercedes-Benz models.

Most employees at this unit drove black Audis or the occasional domestic-brand sedan.

No one—absolutely no one—would dare bring a multi-million dollar supercar into a government compound.

If a leader saw that?

Instant career suicide.

The officer's brow furrowed deeply.

But procedure was procedure.

He had no choice but to go through the usual protocol, stepping forward and motioning for the driver to present their credentials.

That's when things got interesting.

This particular Ferrari didn't have roll-down windows.

To get out, the only option was to open both doors upward, like the wings of a bird about to take flight.

Or, to put it bluntly—

This car was literally designed for rich people who lived to make an entrance.

A high-end status symbol for those who thrived on flaunting their wealth.

Su Xiaobai let out a long sigh.

Then, with a casual flick of her hand—

She popped the doors open.

The moment the doors swung open, the dazzling way the car doors lifted left the young officer staring, completely stunned by what he was seeing.

Before he could process it, he hadn't expected that the person stepping out of the car would be a young woman.

She was wearing a smoky pink dress that clung to her frame, revealing a pair of long, smooth legs with no effort to cover them.

As she stepped out, her heels clicking delicately against the pavement, she nonchalantly gave the officer a number.

Still in a daze, the officer hesitated, but after confirming the number with a call, he finally let her through.

He watched as the luxurious red Ferrari disappeared into the distance, still questioning what just happened.

Was she really that naive, or just so arrogant to drive such an expensive car into the compound?

He couldn't decide.

But one thing was for sure: his face was a little flushed.

He was just a young man in his twenties, and it was the first time he had ever seen such a sensually dressed woman.

Even though her large sunglasses obscured half her face, he was sure she must be beautiful.

But Su Xiaobai had no time to care about the officer's thoughts.

She turned the steering wheel, guiding the car to the right, following the directions Fang Cheng had given to find the yellow office building he worked in.

The office complex Fang Cheng worked at was huge.

Though Su Xiaobai kept the car at a moderate speed, it still took her nearly six or seven minutes to find his office building.

The sprawling area was vast, flanked on both sides by neatly arranged rows of cedar trees.

The buildings weren't numerous, but the landscaping was well-maintained, and everything was in orderly, precise rows—each marking an air of seriousness and discipline.

Su Xiaobai didn't quite like this kind of atmosphere.

If she had to work here, she felt it would take some getting used to.

Today, there were many people coming for the meeting, and various cars were parked below the yellow office building.

With about ten minutes until the meeting started, Fang Cheng, having received Su Xiaobai's call, was already on his way down from his office.

It wasn't surprising that he ran into Chen Xingran and Zi Yu by the building entrance.

"Su Bai's already here?" Chen Xingran asked lightly.

Fang Cheng gave a slight nod before replying, "You and Zi Yu go ahead. I'll wait here for Su Bai."

"It's fine, no rush. Didn't you see Gong Zheng upstairs?" Zi Yu added, sneaking a glance at Gong Zheng and his group on the second floor balcony.

"That kid Gong Zheng has been riding a wave of popularity recently. Of course, he's dying to impress everyone today. And with Qiao Nan hosting, he's probably racking his brains trying to find a way to attach himself to her ship."

Probably noticing Zi Yu's malicious gaze, Zhang Bo, who had been standing next to Gong Zheng, couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Look at Fang Cheng and Chen Xingran, they're probably just waiting for us to drop dead."

Gong Zheng, however, only smiled indifferently at Zhang Bo's teasing, glancing at his wristwatch. "Let's go in. It's about time."

So the two of them leisurely turned around, just about to head towards the conference room, when a wave of chatter caught their attention. Most of the attendees were mid-level employees, around thirty years old, some even younger. Naturally, their curiosity was piqued by anything new, such as the red supercar parked outside the office building. Among these younger people, there were many who knew their way around and could immediately tell that this car was far from ordinary. It was something that regular folks couldn't afford. But even though it was a supercar, in Pearl City, it wasn't exactly a rare sight. What truly caught everyone's attention was the owner of the car—who was bold enough to drive this thing inside? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

It wasn't just the employees attending the meeting who were watching the spectacle. Even Qiao Nan, the head of this meeting, was among the onlookers, though he was standing quietly in a corner, blending in.

One of the staff members couldn't take their eyes off the red supercar, but still asked in surprise, "Leader, isn't this a bit much? How could they just drive their own car in here?"

But the young leader didn't respond. He was clearly interested in watching the situation unfold. The staff member couldn't press further and reluctantly closed his mouth.

Among all the people there, the most surprised one was Fang Cheng. Though his face remained calm, inside, his thoughts were swirling. He had seen this car before, back in the Su family's garage.

Sure enough, after the Ferrari came to a stop, the car doors opened slowly, resembling a bird about to take flight. A long, flawless leg stepped out first. The leg was unmistakably feminine.

And as expected, a slender, graceful young woman emerged from the car. She wore a pink ruffled dress, and her wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders. With a slight turn, she retrieved a yellow paper bag from the car and, after scanning the area, walked toward Fang Cheng with a smile on her lips.

Fang Cheng took the bag of documents from her, without needing to inspect it, his gaze still calm. But up close, Su Xiaobai noticed a slight chill in his usually composed eyes, and his lips were thinner than usual.

Su Xiaobai didn't care in the least. In fact, she felt a twinge of satisfaction in her heart. Fang Cheng had always thought of Su Bai as docile and obedient, but now Su Xiaobai wasn't going to play along. She was going to show off in front of his colleagues, even his superiors, to make sure he knew that she, Su Xiaobai, wasn't some meek, aimless woman.

Behind her sunglasses, Su Xiaobai's eyes glinted with mischief as she waited for Fang Cheng's "questioning." But to her slight disappointment, Fang Cheng was too shrewd to confront her openly. His approach was still the typical calm, married-couple-like questioning.

"This car isn't Su Miao's, is it?" He probed, as clever as ever.

Su Xiaobai had already anticipated this question and had a ready response. "My car's engine's been acting up lately, so I plan to have it repaired soon. Miao Miao's car was the only one available, and I didn't want to risk taking a taxi. I didn't have much of a choice... Was I showing off too much?"

"It's fine. Just head back for now. I'll pick you up for dinner after work," Fang Cheng said, knowing full well that all eyes were on them, and he'd prefer her to leave for now.

Su Xiaobai had accomplished her goal and had no intention of staying longer. She nodded obediently and turned to head back to the car. The engine roared to life once again, and the red supercar left as smoothly and stylishly as it had arrived.

"Holy crap, is that really Su Bai? Has she lost her mind?" Zi Yu exclaimed in astonishment, still staring at the departing car. She didn't even notice Fang Cheng's face darkening in that moment, his eyes filled with cold intent.