Li Qiao paused to think for a moment, her eyes brimming with a smile, "Not yet, has Master Yan eaten?"
Shang Yu did not answer and simply turned his gaze toward her slowly, his cool eyes deep, still, and without a ripple.
Li Qiao met the man’s gaze, his exquisite features highlighted and three-dimensional in the sunlight shining through the window, but the slight pursing of his lips and the crease between his thick eyebrows all spelled displeasure.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Li Qiao took a soft-hearted step forward, her hands propped on the edge of the large desk as she leaned in with a smile to explain, "You weren’t here when I left; I’ll let you know in advance the next time I go out."
Shang Yu reached out to crush the cigarette butt in the ashtray, languidly lifted his eyelids, and with a slight tilt of his chin toward the direction of the coffee table, he spoke in a somewhat helpless tone, "Go heat up the food."
"Yes, Boss," Li Qiao cheerily replied, turned around, and carried the meal box out the door.
In the break room, Li Qiao placed the delicate meal boxes from Crystal Garden into the microwave one by one, listening to the hum of the machine as she slipped into brief contemplation.
With her increasingly frequent interactions with Shang Yu, she had begun to subtly sense his extremely domineering side.
It wasn’t obvious yet, but the signs were beginning to show.
The typical characteristic was a strong and almost obsessive desire to control certain people and events.
Did she dislike it? Li Qiao asked herself.
After much thought, she looked down with a wry smile.
Of course, she didn’t dislike it—his domineering nature and desire for control were automatically romanticized in her eyes as care and concern.
The lunch from Crystal Garden was enough to prove his intentions.
A few minutes later, Li Qiao finished warming up the meal, carrying the meal box back to the office.
She pushed the door open and entered, only to be stopped in her tracks by a somewhat sharp low voice: "Why didn’t you knock? Who let you enter the Chairman’s office without permission?"
It was a woman’s voice.
Li Qiao narrowed her eyes instinctively and turned her gaze leisurely toward the resting area on the left.
A woman stood there, in black clothes and Doc Martens, the corners of her eyes sharp—not conventionally beautiful, probably due to her high cheekbones and short hair, which lent her a less feminine and more masculine air.
She stood shoulder to shoulder with Liuyun at the coffee table, both tall and thin, at least 178 centimeters in height.
Meanwhile, Shang Yu was seated on the sofa, his arms slightly curved resting on the back of the sofa, reclining in a posture both handsome and lazy.
After the woman’s sharp rebuke, Liuyun nudged her shoulder as a reminder.
At the sound, the man looked up from his recline, his gaze falling on Li Qiao as he gestured for her to come over with a relaxed eyebrow, "Come here."
Li Qiao faced the woman expressionlessly, stepped forward to place the meal box on the table, then immediately took a seat, leaning her slender shoulders against the sofa, crossing her legs, and looking up at the woman defiantly.
This scene slightly startled the other party.
Shang Yu observed the girl’s indifferent expression, his lips curving slightly as he introduced her in a magnetic voice, "Luoyu."
Li Qiao casually raised an eyebrow; so this was Luoyu, one of the four great assistants.
"Big brother, she is...?" At this, Luoyu reined in her surprise, brazenly sizing up Li Qiao.
Liuyun’s gaze flickered as he explained in a low voice to Luoyu first, "This is Miss Li, the boss’s special assistant."
It sounded very special!
Luoyu glanced at Liuyun beside her, her tone revealing wild defiance, "Zhui Feng left because of her..."
Before she finished, Shang Yu’s gaze paused, and with a raised eyebrow, he looked towards Luoyu, his eyes as deep as the sea, "Have you forgotten the rules after spending so long at Parma?"
Luoyu’s complexion turned pale in an instant, as she quickly bowed her head, respectfulness in her tone, "I apologize, Boss. I was just a bit surprised."