Chapter Thirty-Two: The Hidden Corner

Michael’s tie remained tied with meticulous precision. He paused for half a second, his gaze lingering on Monroe’s porcelain-white neck. "Your perfume is too strong. No female employee in the agency department wears it that heavily."

Monroe didn't look the least bit embarrassed. Instead, she dragged a chair over and sat down, her knees brushing against Michael’s trousers in a way that felt both accidental and intentional.

"Everyone is on holiday tomorrow; no one will notice such details. Just as no one will ever discover why I always appear in your office late at night."

Michael leaned forward, pressed a button to lower the blinds on the office’s glass walls, and turned on the desk lamp.

Monroe seized the opportunity to press against him, her open neckline nearly grazing his arm. She tilted her head to look up at him, her long lashes fluttering in a way that made one’s heart itch. "What is it? Are you in a bad mood lately?"

"I’m just busy with the end of the year."

The light and shadow from the desk lamp cast a beauty that shifted between hazy and sharp. Monroe lowered her voice, a hint of playful reproach and a trace of tenderness in her tone: "Are you busy securing business deals for my rival?"

Michael raised a hand and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Monroe’s ear. "She is someone Mr. Wang has specially looked after, as you know. The promotional power of short-video platforms is too great; with the technical department supporting her, there is very little we can do. Once we reach the second stage and the live streaming begins, your advantages will truly shine. Don't worry, the resources for the second stage are already lined up. I’m just waiting for the hype to build so we can negotiate the price."

Monroe was not entirely satisfied. "So I’m just supposed to watch a country bumpkin climb over my head?"

Michael’s hand slid from her ear to her cheek. "Why compete with her? Her track poses no threat to you. Mr. Wang has already poured a lot of money into her; the social and emotional track is the company's core development focus."

Monroe suddenly gripped Michael’s wrist. "And what is your focus?"

Seeming to have reached the limit of his patience, Michael suddenly reached out with his other hand, swept Monroe’s waist, and pulled her close. His voice sounded somewhat hoarse: "You’ve known where my focus lies for a long time."

The warmth of his palm seeped through the silk shirt into Monroe’s waist. Monroe, as if boneless, collapsed into Michael’s arms. Biting her red lip, she whispered, "How would I know? My body has already forgotten the feeling of you."

Michael picked Monroe up and pressed her against the desk. "I’ll make you remember."

In the office with the blinds tightly shut, muffled and indistinct sounds soon emerged. Lin Ke trotted back toward the office of the Director of the Agency Department. Just as she raised her hand to knock, she heard the strange noise.

She froze in her tracks.

She swore she wasn't trying to eavesdrop; she never imagined anyone else would be in Director Michael’s office. She had simply wanted to return and ask if that hundred-thousand-yuan payment could be issued early so she could take it home for the New Year. Having seen the lights on in the Director’s office as she walked down the hall, she had rushed over.

But now, it seemed she had stumbled upon something extraordinary.

Her mouth twitched slightly. Lin Ke silently lowered her hand, took a step back, then another, until she was out of the agency department's area. Fortunately, the blinds of the Director’s office were closed; although the light from the desk lamp leaked through, nothing else could be seen. Moreover, the entire office area was carpeted and soundproofed, so she didn't make a sound as she retreated to the elevator lobby.

*Ding.*

The sound of the elevator arriving startled her; in the absolute silence of the office area, it sounded deafening. Overcome by a sudden sense of guilt, as if she were a thief, she glanced back at the Director’s office, hurried into the elevator, and frantically pressed the "close door" button.

*Close, hurry up and close!*

Not until the elevator descended did her panicked heartbeat begin to settle. What kind of luck was this? Wasn't office romance forbidden?

*Forgive me, forgive me. Big Boss Michael, I truly didn't see anything.*

*Forget it, I'll just call the leadership later and ask when the money will arrive!*

...

True-to-False Studio.

All the employees had already left, leaving only Liang Feng sitting alone in front of his computer.

They had spent the entire day pushing hard to go head-to-head with the Po-Jian Company. If they ended up having a shorter holiday, worse benefits, and lower pay than the other company, wouldn't it be a laughingstock? Besides, most of the employees at True-to-False were university graduates from other provinces, and Liang Feng didn't want them to wait until the last minute and fail to get a train ticket home.

As self-media creators, they didn't necessarily have to publish a certain number of articles during the Spring Festival. True-to-False had built its reputation through deep cultivation and quality work; there was no need to pad the numbers now.

But Liang Feng didn't stop working.

It seemed that besides work, he had nothing else to do.

Music was still playing in his headphones: "They say leaving home is wandering, no matter how far it is."

Liang Feng felt a bitter ache in his heart, wondering where in this vast world he could call home.

"Going home for the New Year?"

"Ke-Ke is a little cute" popped up suddenly on his phone screen, and Liang Feng was brought back to reality.

This was the first time he realized that private messages on short-video apps could be used for chatting. He seemed to be getting more and more used to talking to this streamer, whom he had initially approached only to gather intelligence.

From a purposeful contact to sharing daily life, to eventually finding themselves unable to stop comforting and checking in on each other. And now, even without a specific reason, they could just chat for a while.

"Not going back. There’s no one left in my hometown. Are you going home?"

Ke-Ke replied quickly, her words filled with joy:

"Yes! I'm on holiday starting today! But it’s a pity. I hadn't decided whether to go back or when, so I didn't book a ticket in advance. Now there’s nothing left. Spring Festival train tickets are just too hard to get."

Unconsciously, Liang Feng’s mood eased a little. "Keep refreshing, put yourself on the waitlist for a few more trains, you'll eventually get one."

"I'll take your word for it! I haven't been home in years, and I’m actually a bit nervous."

"It's the feeling of 'the longer you've been away, the more timid you become as you near home.' It's a good thing; it means you still have a place to return to in this world."

Lin Ke realized Liang Feng’s mood wasn't quite right. Was it that... his parents were gone? She didn't continue to poke at his scars but deliberately steered the conversation away.

"I'll take videos of the fireworks for you when I get home! The fireworks in my hometown are especially brilliant and grand. You can't see them like that in the big city."

It wasn't that you couldn't see fireworks in the city at all; in the far suburbs, at amusement parks, or in casual little corners, there would be a brief feast of fireworks.

But that was different from the countryside.

Nowadays, only in the deep mountains could one see the sky and earth illuminated by fireworks, with no need for composition or design—just completely free, unrestrained, and passionate, filling the entire sky.

"Alright!"