Half an hour later.
Meng Chu got out of the car by the roadside and stood still, looking up at the towering skyscraper before her.
It was nearly ten o’clock, but the high-rise in Shanghai’s CBD area remained brilliantly lit, its sleek and luxurious glass exterior wrapping the entire building in a dazzling glow.
Standing in harmony with the surrounding structures, the building formed part of Shanghai’s most prosperous landscape.
After withdrawing her gaze, Meng Chu walked straight through the main entrance.
Just inside, she noticed a dedicated access lane nearby.
Only those with access cards could enter the building’s interior.
Meng Chu hesitated—should she register as a visitor first, or call Cheng Jinyu directly?
“Miss Meng?”
A gentle voice suddenly called out.
Meng Chu looked up and saw a woman in a white blouse and a light blue knee-length skirt walking toward her.
The woman appeared to be around thirty, though her mature demeanor and well-maintained appearance made it hard for Meng Chu to pinpoint her exact age.
“I’m Wu Shan, Secretary to President Cheng. He specifically asked me to come down and greet you,” Wu Shan introduced herself as she approached.
Meng Chu nodded politely.
“Thank you.”
“Please don’t stand on ceremony-it’s my duty,” Wu Shan replied warmly.
She then gestured toward the elevators. “Shall we head upstairs?”
Meng Chu nodded and followed Wu Shan.
After swiping her card to let Meng Chu through the employee access lane, Wu Shan entered as well.
“I’m President Cheng’s reception secretary,” Wu Shan explained as she led Meng Chu to the elevator. “He’s currently in a project meeting with the visiting CEO, so he couldn’t step away.”
Meng Chu nodded.
“I came unannounced.”
Her calm expression left Wu Shan slightly unsettled.
When Wu Shan had received Cheng Jinyu’s instructions, her boss had emphasized that the visitor was extremely important—she was to do everything possible to keep them in the office until his meeting ended.
At all costs, they must not leave.
Wu Shan had expected to meet someone seething with impatience.
But this Miss Meng was composed and remarkably serene.
Most importantly, she was exactly as Cheng Jinyu had described.
One glance, and you just knew—it was her.
Because Cheng Jinyu had told her to go down to the lobby and receive someone.
After learning Meng Chu’s name, Wu Shan had even asked about her appearance and age.
Though the lobby was nearly empty at this hour, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Cheng Jinyu had simply looked at her and said calmly, “The moment she appears, you’ll know at first sight-that’s her.”
As a long-time secretary who had worked closely with Cheng Jinyu, Wu Shan naturally didn’t question her boss.
But this “one glance and you’ll know” description… it was far too abstract.
Yet when she saw Meng Chu walk into the lobby, Wu Shan truly felt her eyes light up.
Wu Shan was no stranger to high-profile encounters-she had even met plenty of celebrities.
But Meng Chu stood out effortlessly.
Not only was she strikingly beautiful-tall, fair, and slender-but she also carried an aura of quiet elegance, like a piece of jade nurtured to perfection.
Initially, Wu Shan had been unsure about the nature of Meng Chu’s relationship with Cheng Jinyu.
Now, she was beginning to piece it together.
It seemed President Cheng’s long-dormant heart might finally be blooming.
Although Wu Shan always appeared mature and composed, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat curious about her boss’s affairs.
The two took the elevator up to the 30th floor of Cloud Trace Capital.
Despite being quite renowned in the investment world, Cloud Trace Capital’s office wasn’t particularly large, occupying just one floor.
Star Origin, with its numerous robotic devices, spanned several floors.
However, the location and office space of Star Origin couldn’t compare to that of Cloud Trace Capital.
Wu Shan led the way inside until they reached an office door.
She gently pushed it open and said, “Miss Meng, this is Mr. Cheng’s office. Please wait here for a moment.”
Meng Chu didn’t say anything, quietly stepping inside.
Wu Shan asked, “Would you like something to drink?”
Standing quietly in the office, Meng Chu glanced around before suddenly asking, “When he’s not here, can others enter this office?”
Wu Shan froze. She seemed surprised by the question.
After some visible internal deliberation, she answered truthfully, “Of course not. This is the first time.”
Although Cloud Trace Capital’s office wasn’t exceptionally large, it did occupy an entire floor.
Investment project managers typically attended eighteen meetings daily—if nothing else, there were always enough conference rooms.
Visitors were usually received in designated meeting rooms.
Even CEOs of invested companies only entered this office when Cheng Jinyu was present.
“Then it seems I’m special,” Meng Chu nodded slightly.
Hearing this, Wu Shan was stunned again.
She carefully chose her words: “Indeed, you are quite special.”
Meng Chu smiled at Wu Shan.
“Do you know why I’m so special?”
Her tone was calm, not accusatory-merely a simple question.
Wu Shan could only shake her head.
“I’m sorry, Miss Meng, I don’t know. Perhaps Mr. Cheng truly…”
“My apologies for troubling you with my questions.”
Seeing Wu Shan’s hesitation, Meng Chu spoke gently.
Wu Shan had been polite before, but after these words, she felt an indescribable warmth toward Meng Chu.
A genuine fondness.
Despite appearing to have her own concerns, every word remained gentle and considerate.
Meng Chu chuckled lightly.
“You may go about your work. I’ll wait here for him.”
Wu Shan nodded, quietly closing the door behind her.
About twenty minutes later.
A meeting originally scheduled for over an hour concluded in forty minutes.
As the group exited the conference room, Cheng Jinyu and the visiting CEO walked at the forefront, still conversing in low voices.
Wu Shan, who had been waiting outside, quickly joined the crowd.
When they reached the elevator, Cheng Jinyu apologized, “Mr. Zhang, I can only see you off here.”
“No problem at all, Mr. Cheng. Thank you for personally overseeing our project despite your busy schedule.”
As they shook hands, Cheng Jinyu glanced at an investment manager nearby.
“Please escort Mr. Zhang to his hotel.”
“Of course, Mr. Cheng. The car is already waiting downstairs.”
The investment manager nodded.
Just then, the elevator arrived, and the group filed in.
When only Wu Shan remained by Cheng Jinyu’s side.
Only after the elevator doors closed did he turn to look at Wu Shan: “Where is she?”
“Waiting in your office,” Wu Shan quickly replied.
Cheng Jinyu immediately turned back.
Wu Shan added, “Don’t worry, Mr. Cheng. After entering your office, she hasn’t mentioned leaving.”
Earlier, when Cheng Jinyu had instructed her to fetch Meng Chu, he had emphasized that if Meng Chu wanted to leave, Wu Shan must do everything possible to keep her there.
Given how seriously her boss had taken this, Wu Shan had been on high alert.
Yet, this Miss Meng had been extraordinarily quiet in the boss’s company.
Tit…
Wu Shan lowered her voice: “When Miss Meng entered your office, she asked me if others could enter your office when you’re not there.”
Cheng Jinyu, who had been walking, suddenly stopped.
He turned to Wu Shan: “What did you say?”
“I said no, this was the first time,” Wu Shan naturally reported her conversation with Meng Chu to Cheng Jinyu.
She continued, “Then she said it seemed she was special.”
At this point, Cheng Jinyu’s expression subtly changed.
He didn’t interrupt Wu Shan, still listening to her report.
“After that, Miss Meng asked me if I knew why she was so special to you,” Wu Shan cautiously glanced at Cheng Jinyu and whispered, “But I didn’t know the reason, so I didn’t dare answer for you.”
Cheng Jinyu looked at her calmly: “She’s my wife.”
“From now on, you know the reason.”
Wu Shan nodded.
Oh, his wife…
No wonder.
What? Wait, what? What did she just hear?
Wu Shan had been by Cheng Jinyu’s side for several years.
She had been his secretary even before he founded Cloud Trace Capital.
Though she wasn’t as close as his assistant, Yao Zheng, who followed him everywhere.
She had always thought she had a decent understanding of Cheng Jinyu’s personal life.
But then, the boss suddenly dropped this bombshell.
That Miss Meng was actually the boss’s wife?
Mr. Cheng was married? Since when?
Oh my god.
Wu Shan suddenly felt like she had stumbled upon a monumental secret.
“I didn’t say anything unnecessary,” Wu Shan quickly added.
Cheng Jinyu nodded. Just as he was about to continue walking, he abruptly halted mid-step and asked, “How do I look right now?”
Wu Shan was surprised but quickly replied with a hint of confusion, “Radiant?”
Even though it was nearly 10 p.m. after a full day’s work, Cheng Jinyu still looked impeccable, every hair in place.
Handsome as ever, without reservation.
After listening expressionlessly, Cheng Jinyu directly removed his suit jacket.
Once he draped the jacket over his arm, he suddenly ruffled his short hair.
His previously neat and polished hairstyle became slightly messy, giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance.
It was a subtle shift from his usual sharp and commanding demeanor.
“Alright, you don’t need to follow me anymore,” Cheng Jinyu said, then resolutely headed toward his office.
Wu Shan stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded by this series of actions.
She watched with a complex expression as he walked to his office.
Had she just witnessed her boss transform??
As Cheng Jinyu reached the office door, his hand grasped the handle only to release it again.
When he undid the buttons of his shirt, his entire demeanor became more relaxed and disheveled, inexplicably exuding an indescribable fragility.
He pushed open the office door, and the person standing by the window turned around at the sound.
Their gazes met mid-air.
Though no words had been spoken yet, it seemed they already understood each other’s purpose for being there.
Cheng Jinyu casually draped his suit jacket over the guest sofa in the office.
Meng Chu remarked calmly, “The night view from your office is beautiful.”
Cheng Jinyu nodded slightly.
“Thank you.”
Their politeness bordered on unfamiliarity.
Until Meng Chu took a deep breath and said directly, “Though some things are now in the past, I still want to ask for clarity.”
“That first time we met, you knew I mistook you for my blind date, didn’t you?”
Meng Chu stared straight at him.
Cheng Jinyu quietly returned her gaze.
True to Meng Chu’s style-direct questioning without beating around the bush.
“What I want to know is, why did you reach out to me a second time?”
Cheng Jinyu didn’t evade but answered frankly, “Meng Chu, do you remember what I said when I proposed to you?”
Proposed?
Meng Chu stared at him in shock.
Then she felt an urge to laugh in exasperation.
That was a proposal?
That actually counted as a proposal??
But Cheng Jinyu’s words seemed to drag them both back into that memory.
It wasn’t actually that long ago.
After that blind date, Meng Chu had put the matter out of her mind.
She didn’t think someone like her and Cheng Jinyu could ever be a successful match, nor did she expect any follow-up between them.
Yet precisely two weeks later, just as she was about to completely forget the incident, she received a message from Cheng Jinyu requesting to meet.
Though he hadn’t mentioned the purpose, Meng Chu agreed out of courtesy.