The Girl Who Made the Devil Smile

At Lu Group, there was one rule nobody needed to write down. When President Lu was angry, stay away from him. Everyone knew it. From the newest receptionist to the senior executives who had worked at Lu Group for more than a decade, they all understood the same thing. Do not knock on his door. Do not enter his office. Do not bring him unnecessary problems. And above all, do not make the mistake of thinking that because you worked for Lu Group, you were somehow safe from his temper. That afternoon, the entire eighty-eighth floor felt like it was holding its breath. The doors to the conference room suddenly opened. Several executives walked out first. Nobody spoke. Their expressions were tense, and one of them was still holding a folder with trembling hands. Then Lu Beichen stepped out. He was dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit, his dark hair neat, his expression cold enough to make the corridor feel several degrees colder. He didn't look at anyone. He simply walked. His assistant, Chen Hao, followed a few steps behind him. The meeting had gone badly. A major business deal had nearly collapsed because someone had deliberately hidden important information from Beichen. He had discovered the truth halfway through the meeting. And Beichen hated being lied to. "President Lu..." One of the executives gathered enough courage to speak. Beichen stopped. The entire corridor went silent. He slowly turned his head. The executive immediately lowered his eyes. "I—I just wanted to explain..." "Explain what?" The man's face paled. "I made a mistake." Beichen stared at him for several seconds. Then he said quietly, "Then fix it." "Yes, President Lu." Beichen turned away. "Before tomorrow morning." The executive nodded quickly. "Yes." Beichen continued walking. Nobody spoke until the elevator doors closed behind him. Only then did the employees begin breathing normally again. A young employee who had joined the company recently leaned toward Chen Hao. "Is he always like that?" Chen Hao looked at him. "Like what?" The young man hesitated. "Terrifying." Chen Hao sighed. "You're new." The employee nodded. "Then remember something." Chen Hao lowered his voice. "When President Lu is angry, don't approach him unless the building is on fire." The employee looked worried. "What if it really is on fire?" Chen Hao thought about it. "Call the fire department." --- Across Shanghai, Su Tangtang was having a completely different kind of afternoon. "Tangtang! You're going to be late!" "I'm coming!" Tangtang rushed out of her small bedroom with her hair half-tied. Her mother stood near the dining table holding a bowl of food. "You haven't eaten again." "I'll eat at work." "You said that yesterday." Tangtang stopped. She looked at her mother. Then smiled. "Okay. I'll eat today." Her father, sitting nearby, shook his head. "You work too much." Tangtang walked over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'm young. I can work." Her father frowned. "Being young doesn't mean you aren't tired." Tangtang laughed. "I'm fine." She wasn't rich. She had never grown up with much. Her father had spent most of his life repairing machines, while her mother earned small amounts of money from sewing clothes at home. As they grew older, work became harder for both of them. That was why Tangtang had moved to Shanghai. She wanted to earn enough to help them. It wasn't some grand dream. She simply wanted her parents to worry a little less. She picked up her bag. "I'll send money home when I get paid." Her father immediately said, "Keep some for yourself." "I will." She smiled. Then she rushed toward the door. Two seconds later, she ran back inside. "My lunch!" Her mother burst out laughing. "You forgot it again." "I remembered!" "You remembered after leaving." "That still counts." She grabbed the lunchbox and ran out before her mother could answer. --- By evening, Tangtang was working at Noir Lounge, the high-end café and lounge where she worked part-time. It was a place filled with expensive cars, designer clothes and customers who could spend more on dinner than Tangtang sometimes earned in several days. But Tangtang didn't care. To her, a customer was a customer. Coffee was coffee. And a delivery was a delivery. She moved quickly between tables, carrying drinks and checking orders. "Tangtang, table seven!" "Coming!" She picked up two drinks and carefully balanced them in her hands. She was halfway through the narrow passage when the atmosphere around her suddenly changed. People became quieter. A few employees straightened. Someone whispered, "President Lu." Another voice followed. "Lu Beichen is here." Tangtang didn't hear them. She was too busy trying not to spill the drinks. She turned the corner. And stopped. A tall man in a black suit was standing directly in front of her. He looked like he belonged in a completely different world. Cold eyes. Sharp features. An expression that seemed to warn people not to come any closer. Tangtang looked at him. Then at the drinks in her hands. Then back at him. He didn't move. She waited. Still nothing. She shifted the cups carefully. "Excuse me." Beichen looked down at her. Tangtang smiled politely. "You're blocking the way." Several people nearby froze. Chen Hao, standing a short distance behind Beichen, stared. Nobody spoke to President Lu like that. Nobody. But Tangtang wasn't trying to be brave. She genuinely needed to get through. She had two drinks in her hands, and her customer was waiting. Beichen stared at her for another moment. Then, without saying anything, he stepped aside. Tangtang walked past him. "Thank you." She continued toward the tables as if nothing had happened. Beichen watched her leave. He didn't know why. But something about that brief encounter stayed in his mind. She hadn't recognized him. She hadn't tried to impress him. She hadn't looked frightened. She had simply told him to move because he was standing in her way. For some reason, he found that strange. And strangely difficult to forget. --- Later that night, Beichen returned to his penthouse. The city lights stretched across the windows of his living room. Usually, after a difficult day, silence helped him clear his head. Tonight, it didn't. He removed his jacket and placed it over a chair. Then he loosened his tie. He should have been thinking about the business deal. Instead, he remembered a girl holding two cups of coffee. You're blocking the way. He frowned. Why was he thinking about her? He didn't even know her name. Beichen walked toward the window. His reflection stared back at him. Cold. Controlled. Unchanged. Yet somewhere in the back of his mind, he could still see her expression. Not afraid. Not impressed. Just... normal. He picked up his phone. "Chen Hao." His assistant answered immediately. "Yes, President Lu?" "That girl from Noir Lounge." Chen Hao paused. "Yes?" "Find out who she is." There was a brief silence. "Understood." Beichen ended the call. He placed the phone on the table. For a moment, he thought that would be the end of it. But as he looked out at the city, one thought returned again. Who was Su Tangtang? He didn't know it yet. But finding out her name would be the first step toward changing his entire life.