When the business trip notice arrived, Qing Ye was in the middle of cross-checking an M&A dossier.
It was an extremely brief email, sent by Ze Lin, with her and the driver copied.
Tomorrow morning, 6:00 a.m., fly to Nancheng.Accompanying personnel: President Huang, Assistant Ye.Itinerary attached.
She stared at the line "Accompanying personnel" for a full three seconds.
Only her.
Not an "assistant team," not a "secretarial group," but two names, written with unmistakable clarity.
Instinctively, she looked up toward the president's office. The door was closed, quiet as if nothing at all had happened.
Yet in that instant, her heartbeat lost its rhythm.
This was her first business trip since joining the company.
And it was also the first time she would be facing Chujiu Huang alone, in a space completely detached from the company environment.
No 28th-floor office area.No colleagues coming and going.No buffer at all.
Only him—and her.
At 4:30 a.m., Qing Ye was already standing in the departure hall of the airport.
The lighting was cold and white. Announcements echoed beneath the high ceiling. There weren't many travelers, yet the vastness made the space feel even more empty.
She wore a well-tailored light-gray suit, a white shirt underneath, her hair neatly tied back as always. For this trip, she had prepared almost obsessively—everything that could be prepared, she had prepared to the extreme.
Documents were categorized and labeled.The schedule was timed down to the minute.Three contingency plans were listed.
She would not allow herself to make a single mistake.
At 5:10, Chujiu Huang appeared.
He wore a dark overcoat and pulled a carry-on suitcase, his stride steady and unhurried. When he saw her, he simply nodded.
"Morning."
"Morning, President Huang."
Her voice sounded a little too light in the empty hall.
They walked side by side toward the check-in counter, maintaining a distance that was neither close nor far. Neither of them said another word.
Security check. Waiting to board. Everything proceeded methodically.
Until they boarded the plane.
The business-class cabin wasn't large, but it was private enough. Qing Ye took the aisle seat, Chujiu Huang seated inside.
Not long after takeoff, the cabin lights dimmed.
The prolonged silence sharpened her senses. She could clearly perceive the rustle of him flipping through documents, the soft tapping on his tablet, even the rhythm of his breathing.
She forced herself to focus on the itinerary.
But her body was more honest than her mind—
She was wound too tight.
When the flight attendant brought coffee, she accepted it instinctively. At the moment the plane encountered a slight turbulence, her hand trembled.
The coffee spilled.
Not much—but enough.
The dark liquid spread quickly across the front of her shirt.
In that instant, her mind went blank.
This was exactly the kind of "low-level mistake" she feared most.
"I'm sorry—" she stood up almost on reflex.
Too fast.
Her knee knocked hard against the armrest.
Chujiu Huang had already pressed the call button.
"Wet wipes."
His voice was steady.
The flight attendant quickly brought wipes and a towel. Qing Ye's face had flushed all the way to her ears. She lowered her head and wiped vigorously, only making the stain more obvious.
The embarrassment made her want to disappear into the floor.
"Sit down."
Chujiu Huang spoke suddenly.
It wasn't a command—more like a reminder.
She stiffened, then sat back down.
He took the towel and naturally held it out to her.
"Take care of yourself first."
Only then did she realize—
He hadn't looked at her clothes.
He hadn't even looked at her properly.
As if this were merely a small problem to be solved, not a mistake worth judging.
She accepted the towel and murmured, "Thank you."
The plane continued smoothly forward.
The stain eventually faded to a faint mark, but it never fully disappeared.
Qing Ye kept her head down the rest of the flight, regret and self-reproach churning inside her.
She didn't look up at him again until the plane landed.
The schedule in Nancheng was even tighter than expected.
Straight from the airport to the conference hotel. Nearly an hour's drive.
The driver focused on the road. The backseat space was so quiet it felt oppressive.
Qing Ye flipped through documents, forcing herself back into work mode.
"What happened earlier—don't dwell on it."
Chujiu Huang spoke suddenly.
She paused, then answered reflexively, "I wasn't careful enough."
"You're not the type who makes mistakes."
His tone was flat, but unusually certain.
Qing Ye's fingertips stilled slightly.
This wasn't comfort.
It sounded more like a judgment.
The meeting lasted a full three hours.
The Nancheng partners were aggressive in style, throwing out one pointed question after another. Qing Ye followed closely throughout—recording, supplementing data, barely given a moment to breathe.
During the break, she went to the restroom to touch up her makeup.
The person in the mirror looked far steadier than she had that morning.
She took a deep breath and told herself: this was not the time to obsess over a minor slip.
Near the end of the meeting, the other side proposed a temporary revision to one of the clauses.
The atmosphere tightened instantly.
"This clause requires internal confirmation," Chujiu Huang said.
The other party's lead smiled. "Then tonight."
Which meant overtime.
And also meant—they would be staying here together.
Dinner was arranged in a private room at the hotel.
There were many people on the other side. Conversation was laced with probing and bargaining. Qing Ye sat beside Chujiu Huang, almost becoming his shadow.
When he spoke, she handed over documents immediately.When he paused, she filled in the explanation.
Their coordination was seamless.
By the time they returned to the hotel rooms, it was close to midnight.
The corridor was quiet.
She stood in front of her door, room card in hand, when she heard him speak behind her.
"Qing Ye."
She turned.
"Send me a backup of the materials."
"Alright, I'll send them right away."
She went back into her room and opened her laptop. Just after sending the email, the doorbell rang.
She hesitated, then went to open the door.
Chujiu Huang stood outside, holding a clean shirt.
"A spare."
He said it simply.
She froze.
"There's another meeting tomorrow."
The sentence sounded like an explanation—and yet not quite.
She took the shirt. Her fingertips brushed against his by accident.
The warmth was brief, unmistakable.
"Thank you, President Huang."
"Get some rest."
He turned and left.
The moment the door closed, Qing Ye leaned back against it, her heart racing wildly.
It wasn't gratitude.
It was the disorientation that came after being carefully looked after.
The second day's meeting went more smoothly than the first.
The cooperation was finalized.
On the return flight, Qing Ye was visibly more relaxed.
After organizing the materials, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.
She wasn't sure how much time passed before the plane began its descent.
She opened her eyes to find a thin blanket draped over her.
She paused slightly and turned her head.
Chujiu Huang was reading documents, his expression as calm as ever.
As if the blanket had never been placed there by him.
She didn't say anything—only tightened her grip on the edge of the blanket.
At that moment, she understood clearly—
This trip was no longer just about work.
By the time they returned to Jing City, the night was deep.
In the car, she opened her notebook and wrote a few new lines:
"I embarrassed myself in front of him for the first time.""He didn't look at me when I was flustered.""He just… shielded me for a moment."
She stopped for a long while.
Then added one more line:
"I might really be falling for him."