Ling Chuxia walked up to the office desk, her eyes scanning the surface, cluttered with numerous documents. Fearing that the medicine box might have been buried underneath, she stretched out her hand and began to search through them, one by one.
Because she was so focused, her attention fully absorbed by the task at hand, Ling Chuxia didn’t hear the sound of the door being pushed open, nor the footsteps entering the room until a familiar, deep voice sounded from behind her.
"What are you doing?"
At the sound of that voice, Ling Chuxia’s entire body seemed to be struck by something, suddenly freezing in place. Her eyes widened, and her hands stiffened midair, completely immobilized.
Hadn’t Shi Che gone to a meeting? Why had he suddenly come back?
A moment of blankness flashed through Ling Chuxia’s mind, but she quickly forced herself to calm down. No matter what, she couldn’t let Shi Che see any slip-ups, lest she arouse his suspicion.
Clasping her hands together, Ling Chuxia took a deep breath before slowly turning around, her body rigid. She tried to curve her lips into a smile, striving to keep her voice steady. Yet, as she spoke, a tremble still betrayed her, "I... I saw your desk was a bit messy, so I thought I would... tidy it up a bit."
Shi Che’s dark eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Ling Chuxia. She couldn’t tell if he believed her or not, and involuntarily, her head dropped further, not daring to look at him.
Shi Che observed Ling Chuxia’s nervous demeanor, his gaze growing darker, but he merely commented indifferently, "The secretary will take care of it." Then he stepped forward, standing right in front of Ling Chuxia, who had no idea what he was going to do. Feeling guilty, she buried her head even lower. Shi Che, however, slightly shifted his body, his long arm reaching past her side and taking a document from behind her before straightening up and turning to leave the office.
Only after Shi Che had left the office did Ling Chuxia finally let out the breath she had been holding, wiping the cold sweat off her forehead.
She stood for a moment before peeking outside to ensure Shi Che had indeed entered the meeting room and wouldn’t be returning to the office soon. Then she resumed her search for the medicine box.
Though Shi Che was in a meeting, his mind wasn’t fully on it, his dark pupils occasionally lifting to sweep unnoticeably over the direction of the office.
The meeting room was adjacent to the office with a large floor-to-ceiling window. With just a glance, Shi Che could see the busy figure of Ling Chuxia at his desk through the glass.
His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze growing more intense.
Ling Chuxia had searched through the office thoroughly but still couldn’t find any trace of the medicine box.
She slowly sat back down on the sofa, unsure whether she should be relieved.
The medicine box wasn’t at home nor in the office; could it be that Shi Che had never actually found it?
Ling Chuxia focused her thoughts, carefully recalling Shi Che’s attitude towards her. No matter how she considered it, his behavior didn’t seem like someone who had found the medicine box.
With this thought, Ling Chuxia’s heart gradually settled down. It seemed she had been worried over nothing.
As long as the medicine box wasn’t in Shi Che’s hands, no matter why it was missing, she didn’t need to worry about it.
The heavy stone that had been weighing on Ling Chuxia’s chest dropped, and she felt much lighter. She even started to eat the meat she had initially not wanted, finishing it all.
When Shi Che returned from the meeting, Ling Chuxia had already tidied up all the areas she had disturbed so thoroughly that no sign of disarray was evident.