**Saturday**
At exactly 4:30 PM, Elena slid into the backseat of Jin Di's car. Ryan Zhao was already in the driver's seat, hands steady on the wheel as he pulled away from the penthouse. Their destination was the Long ancestral residence, where Elena had agreed to have dinner with Zhang Tengfei and his wife.
Jin Di was dressed in a crisp business suit, his tie loosened just enough to hint at exhaustion beneath the polish.
He had left for work before dawn as usual, despite it being the weekend. The new project was still consuming his company whole. Even so, he had insisted on leaving early just to pick her up himself.
The moment Elena settled beside him, he didn't waste a second.
An arm hooked around her waist, pulling her against his chest, and his mouth came down on hers in a kiss that was anything but restrained.
Up front, Ryan Zhao reacted purely on instinct. He reached out and pressed a button. The partition wall slid up smoothly, cutting off the backseat from view.
