Chapter 32: Those Two Have Something Going On

The rain had stopped and the wind had died down; it was already late into the night.

Wen Ganan and her team had been trapped in the hotel since the afternoon. The weather was naturally irritating and anxiety-inducing. She lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The next morning, she rose with puffy bags under her eyes.

The rain had ceased, but the danger posed by the mountain landslide had not yet been fully cleared, and the mountain road remained closed to traffic. After consulting with the driver, they decided to take a detour and return via the highway.

After a quick breakfast, they prepared to depart, but upon reaching the hotel entrance, they saw Cheng He, who had no reason to be there.

Wen Ganan was completely stunned.

"Ganan."

Cheng He walked up to her. Little Jiang gave Wen Ganan a teasing glance and pulled Li from the production department away, leaving them space to talk. Although Wen Ganan and Cheng He had not made their relationship public, anyone with eyes could tell that something was going on between them.

Wen Ganan couldn't be bothered to explain. She simply asked Cheng He, "Didn't I tell you there was no need to come?"

Cheng He was righteous and saw nothing wrong with it. Standing before her, he scrutinized her, his tone equally displeased.

"How could I not come? If it weren't for a delay with Xiaofeng, I would have arrived in the middle of the night. And you—why did you head out in that kind of weather yesterday? It was just a bit of work; a day or two's delay wouldn't have mattered. You're far too careless with your own safety."

He felt she didn't take her life seriously enough, but because he spoke too bluntly, his words carried a note of reproach.

Wen Ganan frowned. She felt their relationship hadn't reached the point where he could speak to her like that, but she chose not to show her dissatisfaction.

"There are no small matters in work, and I don't have the ability to foresee events like yesterday's in advance," Wen Ganan replied. "Besides, if I didn't care about everyone's safety, I wouldn't have chosen to turn back."

Setting aside the fact that they were only pretending to date, even if they were truly together, she would not want a partner to boss her around regarding her work. She disliked that feeling of being controlled.

Sensing her displeasure, Cheng He's tone softened. "That's not what I meant..."

He was at a loss, wanting to explain, but his tongue seemed tied, and he couldn't manage a complete sentence.

Wen Ganan looked up and saw the dark circles under his eyes. Realizing he might have driven through the night without sleep, her expression immediately softened.

"You really didn't need to come. We value our lives; we wouldn't take unnecessary risks."

"I wouldn't have been at ease if I didn't come." Cheng He was firm. He didn't want to hear any more refusals from her, so he changed the subject. "Are you all ready to head back now?"

Wen Ganan nodded. "The mountain road hasn't reopened, so we plan to take the long way back via the highway."

At that moment, the driver pulled up nearby with Little Jiang and Li in the car, waiting without interrupting. Wen Ganan saw them and was about to say goodbye to Cheng He when he stopped her.

"Ride in my car. I’m taking the highway too. Just let your team go back with the driver."

"I drove through the night and I'm quite tired. Could you keep me company and help me stay alert?"

Wen Ganan was about to refuse, but Cheng He anticipated her and cut off her words. In the end, she couldn't win against him.

The two cars drove onto the highway one after the other. Wen Ganan sat in the passenger seat. The sky after the rain was as blue as if washed clean. Yesterday’s thunderstorm felt like humanity had accidentally stumbled into a cyberpunk world in a parallel dimension, only to emerge again this morning as everything returned to normal.

"I heard everyone was worried sick yesterday," Cheng He said, making small talk.

He had noticed that ever since they agreed to pretend to date, Wen Ganan’s attitude had begun to shift, becoming distant from time to time. At first, he was baffled, but after Wei Ming spoke to him about it, he understood. This woman had been hurt in love and marriage, leaving behind indelible shadows. The coldness and distance she displayed were her protective armor.

Cheng He began to feel a sense of tenderness toward her. He secretly vowed to win her heart and treat her well. After all, it had been so many years since he had finally met someone who caught his eye and with whom he was compatible.

Wen Ganan, unaware of his thoughts, responded faintly. The car then fell into silence.

Cheng He smiled helplessly. "You seem very tired?"

"I didn't sleep well last night."

Wen Ganan spoke the truth. Glancing sideways, she saw Cheng He yawning. Her heart stirred, and realizing she wasn't fulfilling her duties as a passenger, she proactively struck up a conversation.

"What about you? You didn't sleep all night either, did you?"

Cheng He seemed flattered. He joked, "It's not a big problem; I'm used to pulling all-nighters at work."

Wen Ganan laughed. "Your company is truly inhumane."

"It can't be helped. The boss works even harder, so how could we employees not do the same?"

In truth, Liang Yuxiu, as the big boss, never forced his staff to work overtime. He was strict, but only with himself. Through influence, the entire Quantum team was filled with a spirit of upward mobility. Moreover, neither Liang Yuxiu nor Jiang Wenfei were stingy bosses; they were very generous with rewards. In summary, Quantum employees didn't work hard for the boss, but for themselves, which was why they were so motivated.

Cheng He was no exception, not to mention that he was a partner at Quantum and an original employee who had followed Liang Yuxiu since the startup's early days abroad.

The mention of Liang Yuxiu caused another awkward silence to fall over the car.

Cheng He observed Wen Ganan's expression and asked tentatively, "If you don't mind, you can tell me anything. I’m willing to be a good listener. Don't worry, I have the memory of a fish; I'll forget everything after seven seconds."

But that was Wen Ganan's most private past, and she was no longer the type to easily open her heart to others.

She curled her lips into a smile and sidestepped the question. "There's a service station ahead. Let's stop and buy some coffee. Otherwise, we still have a long way to go, and I don't know how we'll hold up."

Cheng He understood her meaning. He chose not to intrude into her private territory and backed off appropriately.

"Alright."

He could wait—wait for the day Wen Ganan was willing to share her heart with him.

As they neared the service station, Wen Ganan contacted Little Jiang. They stopped together and bought coffee. Three hours later, the two cars drove into the city.

Wen Ganan had originally planned to go straight back to her apartment, but Lin Li suddenly tagged her in the project group, saying there were project details that needed to be discussed in person. Consequently, Wen Ganan decided to let Little Jiang and Li return to the apartment while she took Cheng He’s car to the Quantum office.

By the time they arrived, it was lunchtime. Lin Li had already gone to eat, and Wen Ganan couldn't drag her back.

Cheng He suggested, "Let's go grab a bite to eat first. Look at how exhausted you are; you need food to replenish your energy."

Wen Ganan’s stomach growled at the worst possible moment. She was feeling awkward and about to nod when she saw Liang Yuxiu and Jiang Wenfei walking side-by-side in the distance.