My heart was still pounding so hard I thought it might explode.
Through the thin gap under the door, I could see his shoes—polished black leather, perfectly still. He hadn't moved an inch since the moment I screamed. Great. So now we were both frozen on opposite sides of the door like idiots.
I got dressed in record time, my hands shaking the entire way.
Once I was decently covered, I took a deep breath.
Maybe he already left?
Knock, knock.
Nope. He was still there.
I wanted to sink into the floor. "You can come in," I said, my voice small and dripping with embarrassment.
The door opened slowly.
And there he was—Liang Yichen, the man who never flinched during a board meeting—standing in front of me with bright red ears.
His cheeks were crimson. I'd never seen him like that before.
He looked almost... human. Like the cold, confident CEO had temporarily turned into a nervous teenage boy.
He avoided my eyes, scratching the back of his neck in this awkward, boyish way that made my heart skip.
Okay, what was happening here? Why was this suddenly so weirdly cute?
We both stood there in complete silence until I finally blurted out, "I—I almost finished my work… Maybe I'll need another hour."
Smooth, Hua. So smooth.
He cleared his throat. "Ah—um—c-can I take a look at your work?"
"Yeah, sure," I said quickly, trying to sound casual. (I failed miserably.)
We moved to my desk. I pulled up the spreadsheet, pretending to focus on the numbers even though my brain was melting.
He leaned in to look at the screen—too close. His shoulder brushed mine.
Oh no.
I could smell his cologne. Fresh, expensive, and dangerous. My heart rate spiked. He rested one hand on the desk, his rolled-up sleeves revealing the muscles in his forearm. The veins, the light tan of his skin—it was unfair. He shouldn't be allowed to look this good while I was barely holding on to my sanity.
"I can see you worked hard," he murmured, eyes still on the screen. "Where did you put the venue's data—"
We both reached for the mouse at the same time.
Our hands touched.
Time. Stopped.
His skin was warm against mine. My breath caught, and when I looked up, his eyes were already on me—dark, intense, unreadable.
He swallowed, and I saw the movement of his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
And for some insane reason, that made my stomach flip.
Oh my God. Stop. Thinking. About. His. Throat.
I coughed loudly, breaking the moment. "It's—it's in this sheet," I said, clicking wildly at random cells.
He nodded, pretending nothing happened, but I could see the tension in his jaw.
"Perfect. I see you're almost done," he said finally, stepping back—putting a safe, professional distance between us again. "When you're finished, come to my office."
He left so quickly I didn't even get the chance to respond.
The second the door closed, I let out a long breath.
"What was that?" I whispered. "Am I—am I in heat or something?!"
I slapped my cheeks lightly, trying to snap out of it, then forced myself back to work.
An hour later, I was finally done. I leaned back in my chair and stretched, my spine cracking loudly.
"Ahhh…" I groaned. "Freedom!"
I glanced at the clock—almost midnight. My brain screamed, Go home!
But then I remembered: When you're done, come to my office.
Right. That.
Was he even still there at this hour? What if he'd gone home already? What if he was sleeping in there? (Oh God, please not that again.)
I hurried down the quiet hallway toward his office, clutching my laptop like a shield. The entire floor was dark except for the emergency lights, which made it feel like a horror movie.
When I reached his door, I hesitated.
I knocked softly. "Mr. Liang?"
No answer.
I hesitated, then whispered to myself, "Please, God, let him not be naked, let him have clothes on please!" before slowly turning the handle.
The door creaked open. Darkness.
Then—
A single spark.
Like a firework.
A sparkler flickered in the middle of the room, glowing gold in the shadows.
"Xiao Ai," Yichen's voice said, calm and low, "lights."
The room lit up—and I froze.
Right there, on his desk, was a small birthday cake.
Candles. Balloons. Even a little ribbon banner taped to the wall that read Happy Birthday.
I blinked. "What… what is this?"
He smiled faintly. "Happy birthday."
My jaw dropped.
Wait—what?
Was this some kind of joke? Where was the terrifying boss from this morning? Who replaced him with this… sweet, awkward man lighting a cake?
For a long second, I couldn't move. I just stared.
No one ever celebrated my birthday. Not really.
Even my best friend had stopped trying after too many disasters. Growing up, my mother never made a big deal out of it.
Every year, it was the same story: she'd sigh, drink too much, and complain that another year had passed and my father still hadn't come back. My birthday became less about me and more about her heartbreak.
Eventually, I stopped caring. It was easier that way.
And yet—
Here was Yichen.
With a cake.
My chest tightened.
"How… how did you know it was my birthday?" I asked quietly.
He shrugged lightly. "You're my employee. And my wife." His lips curved slightly. "Does that answer your question?"
I didn't know if he was teasing or serious.
"Barely," I muttered.
He stepped closer, holding out the cake. The soft glow of the candles reflected in his eyes. "It's time to make a wish."
A wish?
Oh no. The last time I made wishes—three, to be exact—everything in my life turned upside down.
I kissed a stranger, got fake-married, and ended up working with my ex's brother who walked in on me half-naked.
Yeah. Not exactly dream-come-true material.
Still, he was waiting patiently, holding the cake with that unreadable look.
I sighed. "Fine. I'll make one."
He nodded slightly, his expression softer than usual.
I stared at the candles. Their small flames flickered gently, like tiny hearts beating in the dark.
This time, no complicated wish. No desperate plea to the universe. Just something simple.
"I wanna be happy this year," I whispered.
And then I blew out the candles.
For a moment, everything was silent. The smoke curled lazily in the air.
When I looked back at Yichen, he was still watching me.
But his expression was… different.
His eyes weren't cold anymore. There was warmth there—almost tenderness. The faintest smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He looked at me like someone watching a kitten discover sunlight for the first time.
I blinked. My heart did something weird again. "What?"
"Nothing," he said, turning away slightly, as if to hide the small smile that refused to leave his face.
It wasn't the smug grin of a CEO or the polite smile of a boss.
It was genuine.
And for some reason, that confused me more than anything.
He set the cake down on the desk and said, "You should get some rest. You've done enough for today."
I nodded slowly, still not believing what just happened. "Thanks… for this. I mean it."
He didn't respond immediately. He just gave me a quiet look, one that said more than words could.
Then, softly: "Happy birthday, Hua."
When I finally left his office, I walked down the empty hallway in a daze.
My mind kept replaying his face—the blush, the way he looked at me when I made my wish, the sound of his voice saying happy birthday.
It felt surreal.
Like maybe, for the first time, Yichen wasn't just the boss, or the cold-hearted robot, or even the man who had ruined my peaceful life.
He was just… a man.
And for one small, ridiculous moment, he made me feel seen.
I smiled to myself, whispering under my breath,
"Maybe this year… my wish will actually come true."
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Hey! You enjoyed it? Great ⸜(｡ ˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡
Do you think her wish will come true??