“Which Little Sweetheart Is This?”
1977 Words
The entire reception area fell silent.
Every receptionist instinctively stopped what they were doing.
Beside her, Chen Peiran fixed his eyes on Song Shuangxu, refusing to miss a single word.
The man’s voice flowed clearly through the office phone.
A faint electronic buzz softened his already deep, magnetic tone, giving it a teasing edge that made Shuangxu wonder if she’d heard him correctly.
“So…”
“Which one of my little sweethearts is this?”
…
Shuangxu froze.
For a split second, she honestly thought she’d dialed the wrong number.
If this hadn’t been Yundun Group’s internal phone line, she probably would’ve hung up immediately.
Covering the receiver with one hand, she discreetly turned her back.
Understanding the situation instantly, Xiao Liao grabbed Chen Peiran’s arm and dragged him several steps away.
She deliberately raised her voice.
“Director Chen! Eavesdropping on someone else’s phone call is pretty shameless, don’t you think?”
Several people nearby looked over.
Embarrassment flickered across Chen Peiran’s face.
He shook her off impatiently.
“Why are you yelling?”
Only then did Shuangxu lower her hand from the receiver.
“This is Song Shuangxu.”
There was a brief pause.
“Song… what?”
Her heart sank.
The tiny hope she’d been holding onto—
That He Tingzhou might help simply because they had met before—
Vanished completely.
He didn’t even remember her name.
Left with no other choice, she decided to use the one connection she had.
She spoke slowly, emphasizing every word.
“Shuangxu.”
“Shen Yu’s younger sister.”
Another pause.
Longer this time.
“Looking for your brother?”
His voice remained as lazy and indifferent as ever.
“He’s not here.”
“I’m…”
She hesitated for half a second.
“I’m here to see…”
“…you.”
Silence.
Three long seconds.
Then his low chuckle came through the receiver.
“Wait there.”
⸻
Five minutes later—
The elevator doors opened once more.
This time, Yundun Group’s executive assistant personally stepped out.
He walked directly toward Shuangxu before stopping respectfully in front of her.
“Miss Song.”
“This way, please.”
He gestured toward the private elevator.
Chen Peiran’s face turned ashen.
“Impossible…”
He stared at her in disbelief.
Even Xiao Liao couldn’t contain her excitement anymore.
Her eyes practically sparkled.
“You really know President He?”
“Does this mean…”
“We actually have a chance?”
Shuangxu quickly leaned closer and whispered behind her hand,
“Don’t celebrate too early.”
“I’m…”
“…not that close to him.”
Only Shuangxu was invited upstairs.
Xiao Liao had no choice but to remain in the lobby, watching the elevator doors slowly slide shut.
Reflected in the polished metal doors was Chen Peiran’s face.
The confidence and arrogance from moments ago had vanished completely.
His jaw was clenched so tightly it almost looked distorted.
Seeing that expression instantly lifted Xiao Liao’s mood.
“Director Chen,” she said with a bright grin, “you don’t look so good.”
“It’s fine to be angry, but don’t make yourself sick.”
She laughed without restraint.
Chen Peiran shot her a murderous glare, no longer interested in arguing.
He hurriedly pulled out his phone and lowered his voice.
“Find out everything.”
“I want to know exactly who Song Shuangxu is.”
He had never imagined that He Tingzhou would actually agree to see her.
Chenxing had spent months pulling strings just to establish contact with a mid-level executive at Yundun Group.
He himself had visited the company countless times.
Yet every meeting ended with someone from the Technology Development Department.
He had never even caught a glimpse of He Tingzhou.
If Song Shuangxu truly knew him…
Then Chenxing’s cooperation with Yundun might collapse before it even began.
⸻
Ironically, Shuangxu herself wasn’t nearly as confident.
He Tingzhou was Shen Yu’s closest friend.
In theory, with Shen Yu caught in the middle, securing a small cooperation agreement like this shouldn’t have been difficult.
But among all of Shen Yu’s friends…
He Tingzhou was the one she knew the least.
And feared the most.
The only clear impression she still had of him…
Was that he was bad.
Not evil.
Just…
Dangerous.
⸻
The elevator carried her all the way to the top floor.
The executive assistant knocked gently on the office door.
“Come in.”
A cold, low voice sounded from inside.
Completely different from the teasing man she’d spoken to over the phone just minutes earlier.
The assistant pushed open the door.
“Miss Song.”
“Please.”
Shuangxu drew in a slow breath.
The loose strands of hair across her forehead fluttered before settling back into place.
She steadied herself.
Then stepped inside.
⸻
He Tingzhou’s office was decorated almost entirely in black and shades of gray.
Clean lines.
Cold metal.
Everything about the room reflected its owner’s distant personality.
What surprised her most…
Was that he wasn’t alone.
Several men in tailored suits sat in the reception area discussing business.
Yet despite the crowd, Shuangxu noticed He Tingzhou immediately.
He simply stood out too much.
Shen Yu’s handsomeness was refined.
Elegant.
Gentle.
He Tingzhou was the complete opposite.
Strong, sharply defined features.
Dark brows.
Deep-set eyes.
A high, perfectly sculpted nose.
His face possessed an aggressive kind of beauty that demanded attention.
He sat on the black leather sofa with the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him.
Broad shoulders.
A narrow waist.
Long legs wrapped beneath tailored black trousers.
Every inch of him radiated authority.
The moment the door opened…
He looked up.
Those long, narrow eyes swept over her.
Cold.
Sharp.
Merely meeting his gaze for an instant made Shuangxu feel an invisible pressure pressing against her chest.
Yet…
His eyes passed over her almost immediately.
As if she were nothing more than another visitor.
She wasn’t even sure he’d recognized what she looked like now.
⸻
Confused, Shuangxu quietly took a seat farther away.
If he was still discussing business…
Why invite her in?
Rather than interrupt, she silently lowered her head and waited, pretending not to hear a single word.
Nearly twenty minutes passed before the meeting finally ended.
One by one, the executives left the office.
The door closed behind the last of them.
Only then did Shuangxu stand and walk toward the reception area.
⸻
He Tingzhou remained exactly where he was.
Head lowered.
Reviewing documents.
It almost seemed as though he had forgotten she was even there.
Shuangxu knew perfectly well that these few minutes of his time existed only because of Shen Yu.
Without wasting another second, she explained why she’d come while he continued signing paperwork.
The fountain pen glided steadily across the paper.
Its soft scratching filled the quiet office.
His fingers were long and powerful.
The bold strokes of his handwriting were as decisive as the man himself.
She briefly summarized Feixue’s latest progress on the liquid-hydrogen drone project.
Halfway through…
She suddenly realized…
His attention had shifted away from the documents.
The blue folder now rested loosely across his lap.
One hand supported his temple.
His dark eyes remained fixed on her.
Without blinking.
They were deep…
Unreadable.
She couldn’t tell whether he was listening carefully…
Or simply studying her.
“I believe you’ve already been following Feixue’s liquid-hydrogen drone project for quite some time,” she continued calmly.
“Chenxing only obtained the research results because of an internal dispute between the two founders.”
He finally spoke.
“A lovers’ quarrel isn’t my concern.”
His tone was lazy.
Unhurried.
“I’m buying technology.”
“Not the product of their romance.”
“It doesn’t matter to me whether the child takes the father’s surname…”
“…or the mother’s.”
Shuangxu met his gaze.
“It does matter.”
Her voice remained steady.
“Shu Yang holds a master’s degree in Aircraft Design and Engineering.”
“Chen Peiran studied finance.”
“The true core of Feixue’s research team has always been Shu Yang.”
She paused briefly.
“Technology can be recreated.”
“But the people capable of creating it…”
“…are irreplaceable.”
“If you’ve been paying attention to this project for so long…”
“I believe you already know whose ability you truly trust.”
He Tingzhou’s brows lifted almost imperceptibly.
“So…”
“No more Tingzhou-ge?”
Shuangxu was momentarily speechless.
Didn’t you pretend not to remember me five minutes ago?
The complaint stayed safely inside her head.
“…Tingzhou-ge.”
She corrected herself obediently.
His gaze lingered on her for several silent seconds.
Slow.
Unhurried.
As though weighing something only he understood.
Finally, he asked,
“Why are you the one pulling strings for Feixue?”
Shuangxu opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to explain that she hadn’t come here intending to rely on connections.
She had only stepped in because Shu Yang couldn’t leave the hospital.
But then she thought about it.
If borrowing a favor could save the company…
There was nothing shameful about it.
“Shu Yang is my senior from university.”
“She’s hospitalized and can’t come herself.”
“I’m here on her behalf.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of He Tingzhou’s lips.
“You know…”
“You’re the first person who’s ever walked through my back door.”
The words should have sounded cold.
Instead, they carried an unmistakable hint of amusement.
He leaned back against the sofa.
“I suppose…”
“I could make an exception.”
Hope flickered in Shuangxu’s eyes.
But before she could thank him—
He continued calmly,
“Chenxing is offering the same terms.”
“If Feixue wants the contract…”
“Have your people schedule an appointment with my secretary.”
The hope that had just appeared disappeared almost instantly.
Shuangxu frowned.
“Those aren’t the same conditions.”
He looked at her without speaking.
She took a slow breath.
“Chenxing can afford to offer almost everything because they stole the technology.”
“They invested nothing.”
“They’re using someone else’s years of work to buy themselves an opportunity.”
“But Feixue is different.”
“Every yuan…”
“Every day…”
“Every breakthrough…”
“They paid for all of it.”
Her voice softened.
“If we give this project away at the same price…”
“Everything Shu Yang has sacrificed over the last two years…”
“…will have been for nothing.”
The office fell quiet again.
Shuangxu hesitated before speaking once more.
“Could we…”
“…renegotiate the terms?”
She hadn’t even finished her sentence—
When He Tingzhou smiled.
It wasn’t a warm smile.
Nor was it particularly kind.
It was the lazy, dangerous smile of a man who already knew exactly how the conversation would end.
The top two buttons of his black dress shirt were left undone.
Combined with that effortless grin…
He looked less like the chairman of one of China’s most influential corporations…
And more like a reckless aristocrat who enjoyed making people lose their composure.
He casually twirled the fountain pen between his long fingers.
Round and round.
Never taking his eyes off her.
Then, in that low, magnetic voice—
One that sounded far more like flirting than negotiating—
He said,
“Little Princess…”
“You really don’t have that much influence with me.”
⸻
Shuangxu’s heartbeat skipped.
She had expected rejection.
What she hadn’t expected…
Was for him to reject her like this.
There was no anger in his voice.
No ridicule.
No impatience.
Only effortless confidence.
As though he were simply stating an undeniable fact.
And somehow…
That made it even harder to argue with him.
- Writer
