Chapter 13: The Assistant’s Whisper

[Location: Xu Corporation HQ — Executive Hallway | Time: 11:15 AM]

Yuan Fei walked briskly through the executive corridor, a tablet tucked under his arm and unease tightening his shoulders. He rarely hesitated when approaching Xu Yichen—but this time was different.

Something had shifted.

Not just in the company.

In the man.

The door to the CEO's office was slightly ajar when he reached it. He knocked once, lightly.

"Come in," came the low voice from inside.

Yichen stood near the window, back turned, hands in his pockets as he stared out at the skyline.

Fei hesitated before speaking.

"Sir… I have news. About Du Haoran."

"Speak."

"He's been seen entering Chen Group's private legal division twice in the last 48 hours. Both times late evening. No announcement, no official record."

Yichen didn't turn.

"He's panicking."

"Likely. And there's something else." Fei stepped forward. "He's hired a private investigator. Specifically… someone who worked your father's case."

The silence that followed was heavy.

"Did he find anything?"

"Not yet. But he's trying to trace your sealed court documents. If he opens that box—"

"He won't," Yichen said coldly. "He doesn't have the clearance. And if he tries, I'll make sure he regrets it."

Fei nodded but lingered.

"Sir… permission to speak freely?"

Yichen finally turned.

"You've never asked before."

Fei exhaled, lowering his voice.

"Chen Yao's actions… they're reckless, but not random. I think she's working with Du Haoran."

Yichen's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

"She's ambitious. But not stupid."

"She's desperate, sir."

A pause. Yichen returned to his desk and sat.

"Keep an eye on them both. Discreetly. And if either steps too far out of line…"His gaze hardened."Cut the leash."

[Location: City A | Time: 12:30 PM | Venue: Elite Rooftop Restaurant]

Chen Yao stirred her iced coffee slowly, her manicured nails tapping against the glass.

Across the table sat Li Jiawen, her cousin and socialite-turned-public-relations officer at Chen Group. Jiawen leaned forward with an amused smirk.

"I heard you rejected Xu Yichen's papers twice."

"I didn't reject," Chen Yao replied coolly. "I simply delayed."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No. One is resistance. The other is… strategy."

Jiawen laughed, brushing her dyed copper hair over one shoulder.

"You still think he'll take you back?"

"No," Yao said quietly, setting the glass down. "But I think he still remembers."

"Remembers what?"

"What it cost him to leave."

There was silence between them until Jiawen asked:

"And what about Qin Lingxi?"

Chen Yao's eyes narrowed.

"What about her?"

"There's word she's resurfaced."

Yao didn't flinch—but her hand clenched subtly in her lap.

"Ghosts tend to do that. Just before they're put to rest again."

[Location: Unknown Rooftop Parking — Near City Medical Archives | Time: 2:00 PM]

Du Haoran adjusted his tie and leaned against the hood of his black sedan, sunglasses reflecting the gray sky. A man in a worn brown jacket approached, glancing around before slipping a thin envelope into his hand.

"Hard to track. But I pulled what I could."

"You found her original enrollment record?"

"Barely. She used a different surname—'Qin' only surfaced midway through med school."

"And what about the boy?"

"Which one?"

Du Haoran's gaze turned sharp.

"Don't play dumb."

The man paled slightly.

"No record. It's like he vanished. Or… never existed."

Du Haoran pocketed the envelope.

"Everyone has a shadow. I'll find hers."

[Location: Xu Corporation HQ — Archives Room | Time: 3:45 PM]

Yichen stepped into the dimly lit archive vault, the faint scent of old paper and polished wood clinging to the air. Rows of secured file drawers stretched before him.

He moved with purpose.

Drawer 4C.

He pulled it open.

Inside—pristine documents, sealed case files, legal forms from five years ago.

He reached for one.

A photo slipped loose—one he hadn't seen in years.

A younger Xu Yichen. Next to him, a woman in a white coat.

Qin Lingxi.

Unstaged. Natural. Happy.

He closed the drawer without another word, photo in hand.

[Location: Qin Lingxi's Apartment | Time: 5:00 PM]

Lingxi stood at her small kitchen sink, peeling an apple slowly. The television played soft music in the background. A news ticker rolled by at the bottom of the screen:

[BREAKING: Xu Yichen Reinstated as CEO of Xu Corporation. Press Conference Next Week.]

Her hands stopped.

Her eyes lingered on the screen.

"You never did anything halfway…"

The apple peel slipped from her fingers into the sink.

Her phone buzzed again.

[Message — From: Unknown Number]Are you ready to face him?

She stared at it.

Didn't reply.

Locked the screen.

And turned the volume down.

[Location: Xu Corporation HQ — CEO Office | Time: 6:30 PM]

Fei returned with a new file.

"Sir, we've received an event invitation from the Chen Family. A charity gala next weekend. It's being hosted in your honor."

"Decline."

"Politely or pointedly?"

Yichen smirked faintly.

"Do it with silence. That's louder."

Fei nodded and turned, but then hesitated again.

"There's one more thing. Miss Qin Lingxi—she's been invited too."

Yichen didn't respond immediately.

"Track who issued her invitation."

"It wasn't Chen Yao," Fei clarified. "It came from an anonymous third party under Chen Group's PR list."

"Then find the source. And make sure no one else gets curious before I do."

Fei bowed slightly and exited.

Left alone, Yichen pulled the photograph from his pocket once again.

Her smile in that picture was different.

It wasn't the quiet kind she gave to the world.

It was the kind meant only for him.

"It's not time yet," he murmured."But soon."

[End of Chapter 13]

A/N — Author's Note:Secrets have a way of surfacing when too many people start whispering. Du Haoran edges closer to the truth, while Xu Yichen treads the line between memory and calculated strategy. Lingxi, ever silent, remains the storm beneath the calm. Whose truth will be revealed first?