MIDNIGHT FLOWER

CHAPTER 10: HIS EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Jenny stood up abruptly, creating some distance between them. “I’m not here for such things, Mr. Zhang.”

He reached out, trailing his fingers down her arm, sending shivers through her body. “You can act cold all you want, but I know you. I know how you respond to me, how your body betrays what your mind tries to deny.”

Her breath caught in her throat, and she hated how her body reacted to his touch, how her heart raced when he was near. But she couldn’t let him have the upper hand.

“If there’s nothing else, I should go, Mr. Zhang.” she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.

Shau smiled, but there was a sharp edge to it. He leaned forward that made their faces almost left no distance, his expression serious. “Daddy. You used to call me daddy, right? Baby?"

He touched his lower lip that made her froze that if he continue this way, she might surrender the wall she's been trying so hard to build.

"If you'll excuse me." She past walk him, only to stop near the door when she heard him talk to someone.

“Mr. Duavis, I need you to make the necessary arrangements for Jenny to shift to the role of my executive assistant starting immediately." She suddenly turned go him startled while he was staring at her like he wanted to grab her to eat. "She’ll need to be relieved of her current duties.”

On the other end, Mr. Duavis sounded surprised but agreed without asking anymore question. “Understood, Mr. Zhang. I’ll get it sorted out right away.”

Jenny was stunned, as Shau hung up the phone. “You can’t just decide this for me,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"No more refusal. You are here in my company and I will decide everything you will do."

As Jenny left Shau’s office, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. The news of the promotion was a shock, and the prospect of working so closely with Shau brought a mix of excitement and anxiety.

As Jenny walked back to her desk, she could feel the weight of every pair of eyes in the room following her. The news had already spread like wildfire—Shau Zhang had officially hired her as his executive assistant. The air was thick with curiosity and envy, a mix of emotions palpable in the glances being thrown her way.

Whispers buzzed around the office, and she could catch bits and pieces of conversations as she passed by. “Did you hear?” one voice said. “She’s working directly for him now!” another added, the tone tinged with disbelief and envy.

As she reached her desk, a few of her colleagues couldn’t contain themselves any longer. They swarmed her, offering congratulations that were laced with undertones of jealousy. “Wow, Jenny, you’re moving up fast! What’s your secret?” Jessa asked, trying to sound casual, though the curiosity was evident in her eyes.

Gemma leaned in, her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “You will finally feel what’s it like working so closely with Mr. Zhang.”

Jenny forced a polite smile, trying to keep her composure despite the storm of emotions brewing inside her. “It’s just work, like any other job,” she replied, hoping to deflect the attention. But they weren’t so easily dissuaded.

“Oh, come on,” Kier pressed, “there has to be more to it than that! You can’t be in his office all the time and not have some juicy stories to share.”

Jenny could feel the tension in her shoulders, the pressure to give them something, anything, to satisfy their curiosity. But she wasn’t about to let them pry into the complicated and confusing situation she found herself in with Shau.

She sighed inwardly, knowing that this was just the beginning. Being Shau’s executive assistant was going to put her under a microscope, with every move she made being scrutinized by her colleagues. And while they were eager for gossip and drama, they had no idea about the storm that was brewing just beneath the surface.

As she turned back to her computer, as she typed, she could still feel their eyes on her, the curiosity and envy burning into her back. She knew this was far from over—both the whispers in the office and the complicated situation with Shau.

First Day as Shau’s Executive Assistant

Jenny took a deep breath as she stood outside Shau’s office. Today was her first official day as his Executive Assistant, and despite her resolve to keep things strictly professional, the memories of their past encounters made her heart race.

As she walked in, Shau looked up from his desk, a playful smile curling his lips. “Good morning.” He greeted, his tone formal but with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Ready for your first day?”

Jenny forced a smile, nodding politely. “Yes Mr. Zhang. And... good morning,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady, refusing to let him see how flustered she really was.

Shau leaned back in his chair, studying her. “There's your table." He pointed a desk not away from his.

“Thank you.” She set her bag down and prepare to take notes on his schedule for the day.

He chuckled softly. “I see you’re serious about this. I won't give you so much work anyway. I just want to make sure that I'd see you everyday.”

Jenny kept her gaze focused on her laptop, determined not to let him get under her skin. But she could feel his eyes on her, and it took all her self-control not to react.

As she went through his schedule, Shau suddenly stood up and walked around his desk, moving closer to her. He leaned over her shoulder, pretending to look at the screen she was facing. “You missed something,” he murmured, his breath warm against her ear.

Jenny tensed but refused to step back. “I don’t think so,” she replied, her voice tight.

He smiled, clearly enjoying her discomfort. “Right there,” he pointed at a blank spot on the screen. “How about we add a dinner meeting for tonight? Just the two of us, to discuss your new role, of course.”

Jenny turned her head slightly to meet his gaze, her eyes cold. “If you have something work-related to discuss, we can do it during office hours, Mr. Zhang.”

Shau straightened up, clearly amused by her response. “You’re playing hard to get, aren’t you, baby?”

She arched an eyebrow, maintaining her composure. “I’m just doing my job.”

He grinned, clearly not deterred by her icy demeanor. “We’ll see how long you can resist.”

The rest of the day continued much the same way. Shau found every opportunity to tease her, dropping little comments and innuendos whenever he could. He’d lean in too close when she handed him papers, brush his fingers against hers when she passed him a pen, and once, he even pretended to drop something just to see if she would help him pick it up.

But Jenny stood her ground, maintaining her distance and refusing to give in to his playful advances. She answered his questions curtly, avoided unnecessary eye contact, and kept her interactions with him strictly business.

By the end of the day, Shau could see that she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. But instead of being frustrated, he found himself more intrigued. The cold, professional Jenny was a challenge he hadn’t expected, and the more she pushed him away, the more determined he became to break through her defenses.

As Jenny gathered her things to leave, Shau leaned against the doorframe of his office, watching her. “Are you over me?” he said casually.

She glanced at him, her expression unreadable. “Good night, Mr. Zhang,” she said simply, before walking past him without another word.

Shau watched her go, a smile playing on his lips. “She's so different from the Jenny I met before,” he murmured to himself and chuckle.

Early Morning at Shau’s Condominium

The sun was barely up when Jenny received a call from Shau. His voice was smooth and slightly husky, as if he had just woken up. “I need you to come by my place to finish the work you started yesterday. I have back-to-back meetings and can’t make it to the office.”

Jenny, still half-asleep, was startled by the request. “Your place?”

“Yes,” he replied casually, “I’ll text you the address. I’ll be expecting you within the hour.”

Before she could protest, the line went dead, and a moment later, a message appeared with his address. Jenny stared at her phone, her mind racing. She knew she had no choice but to go, yet she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that settled in her chest.

As she got ready, memories of that blurry night flashed in her mind. She vaguely recalled refusing to go home with Vincent and stumbling into a car with a man she didn’t recognize at the time. Could it have been Shau, for real?

Jenny arrived at Shau’s condominium and double-checked the address before stepping out of the elevator. She hesitated at the door, her heart pounding as she raised her hand for a doorbell. It's the same unit with a woman who opened the door.

After a brief moment, the door swung open, and she found herself face-to-face with Shau, who was standing there in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.

Jenny’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened in surprise. Shau leaned against the doorframe, a lazy, mischievous smile playing on his lips. “Good morning, baby. Come in.”

She swallowed hard, trying to maintain her composure as she stepped inside. “I… I didn’t expect—”

Shau cut her off with a chuckle. “Expect what? That I’d be dressed? Or that you’d find out I was the one who brought you home?”

Jenny’s cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and frustration. “You could have told me,” she muttered, trying to avoid looking directly at him.

He shut the door behind her and walked closer. "You don't have to take away your eyes from me," he teased, standing just a little too close. “Besides, it’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, and she felt a surge of indignation mixed with something she couldn’t quite place. “That was different,” she protested weakly.

“Was it?” he asked, his tone playful yet laced with something deeper. “You don’t have to be so shy around me, baby. After all, we’re just two professionals getting work done, right?”

Jenny took a step back, trying to put some distance between them. “Yes, exactly. We’re here to work,” she said firmly, though her heart was racing for reasons she couldn’t entirely deny.

Shau’s smile softened, though the teasing light in his eyes remained. “Of course. Let’s get to it, then,” he said, moving away to finish getting dressed. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be ready in a minute.”

As he turned his back to her, Jenny couldn’t help but take a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. Being around Shau was like walking a tightrope, and she knew she had to be careful not to lose her balance. But as much as she tried to keep things professional, there was an undeniable tension between them that she couldn’t ignore.

After the Meeting

The meeting had gone smoothly, with Shau leading the discussion effortlessly, as always. Jenny sat beside him, meticulously taking notes, her mind focused on the task at hand. Despite the tension that lingered between them, she couldn’t help but admire how competent and commanding Shau was in a professional setting.

As they exited the meeting room, Shau glanced over at Jenny. “You did well in there,” he said, his tone friendly but with an undercurrent of something more.

Jenny simply nodded, her expression neutral. “Thank you.”

He studied her for a moment, as if waiting for her to say more, but when nothing came, he sighed and motioned for her to follow him to the car. “Let’s head back to the office.”

The drive was quiet, with Jenny gazing out the window. Shau, on the other hand, occasionally glanced at her, his frustration growing at her continued coldness. He wanted to break through her walls, but every attempt seemed to push her further away.

When they arrived at the office, the reaction was immediate. The employees who saw them together couldn’t hide their curiosity and envy. Whispered conversations and sideways glances followed them as they made their way through the halls. It wasn’t every day that someone got to accompany the chairman’s son to a high-level meeting, and even less often that it was someone as unassuming as Jenny.

She could feel the eyes of her colleagues on her, their curiosity burning holes into her back. They were probably wondering what she had done to catch the attention of the chairman’s son for making her the executive assistant, and why she seemed so indifferent to it.

Jenny felt the eyes on her, the buzz of excitement and speculation, but she kept her head down, determined to stay professional despite the discomfort. She walked a little faster, eager to get back to her desk and bury herself in work, but Shau wasn’t about to let her slip away so easily.

He stopped walking, forcing her to stop as well. She turned to look at him, her expression unreadable. The hallway was empty now, and for a moment, it was just the two of them, surrounded by the echo of distant office chatter. “Why are you still avoiding me?” Shau asked, his voice soft but laced with frustration.

Jenny’s eyes flickered with something he couldn’t quite decipher before she quickly masked it. “I’m not avoiding you. This is just my job, what else do you expect me to do?”

His jaw tightened slightly at the formality.

A flicker of irritation crossed his face at the title, but he quickly masked it with a small smile. “We’ll need to go over the notes from the meeting.” He continued walking.

She nodded. “Of course.”

As Jenny work on her desk, Shau's mind is racing. Jenny’s coldness was beginning to wear on him, but it also made him more determined. He wasn’t going to let her push him away so easily—not this time.

Breakroom Gossip

The breakroom was buzzing with the usual mid-morning chatter as employees took their coffee breaks. Jenny had just poured herself a cup of coffee when she noticed a few of her colleagues subtly glancing her way. Before she could even take a sip, they began to gather around her, curiosity evident in their eyes.

"Jenny!" Kier called out, his tone playful but with a hint of something more. "We’ve all been dying to ask—how did you suddenly get promoted to be Mr. Zhang's executive assistant?"

Jenny tried to maintain her composure, stirring her coffee a little too intently. “It was just an internal shift. Mr. Duavis thought I was fit for the role, I guess,” she said nonchalantly.

Her attempt at brushing off the question didn’t work. Gemma, leaned in closer, lowering her voice as if she were sharing a juicy secret. “Come on, Jenny. There’s got to be more to it. Did you do something to impress him? What’s it really like, working so closely with him?”

Jenny forced a smile, feeling the weight of their expectations. “It’s work, just like any other job. He’s professional, and I’m just trying to do my best.”

“Professional?” Jessa echoed, raising an eyebrow. “Girl, we see how he looks at you when you two walk in together. Are you sure there’s nothing else going on?”

The room fell silent, the air thick with anticipation. Jenny felt her cheeks flush slightly, not because of what they were implying, but because of how much she was hiding from them. “Nothing’s going on,” she said firmly, hoping to put an end to the conversation.

But Gemma wasn’t satisfied. “And how does it feel? Being with someone like him every day? He’s so... intense.”

Jenny hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “It’s... challenging,” she admitted, thinking of the way Shau had been acting since she started working closely with him. “But I’m here to do my job, just like everyone else.”

Her colleague exchanged a knowing look, but they seemed to sense that Jenny wasn’t going to give them any more details. The group slowly began to disperse, though Jenny could still feel their curiosity lingering in the air.

As Jenny returned from her break, she steeled herself for another round of working closely with Shau in his office. The duality of her position—as both his executive assistant and the woman grappling with unresolved feelings—was starting to take its toll. She took a deep breath before opening the door to his office, her desk waiting just a few steps away.

The moment she stepped inside, however, the atmosphere was charged with tension. Shau was standing by his desk, his expression a mix of frustration and annoyance. But it wasn’t just him in the room—a familiar woman stood facing him, her back to Jenny.

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