C18 The Girl Was in Love

The wonderful weekend had passed, and Ann was ready for her first official day at Huachen. Dressed in a sharp business suit, she stood beneath the towering Mosheng Group building, filled with a mix of emotions. Not long ago, she had been tirelessly working for a business opportunity, and now she was here as Huachen's Marketing Director.

Ann was excited, though it all felt a bit surreal. However, this feeling quickly faded as she was swept up in the hustle and bustle of the busy office crowd. This was her new reality, the start of her career journey, and a beacon of hope for Xinyi's recovery. With a buoyant spirit, she walked briskly into the building.

In the days that followed, Ann found herself incredibly busy. Just getting acquainted with Huachen's internal regulations took a whole day, not to mention familiarizing herself with projects and handling daily tasks she hadn't yet mastered. Fortunately, her strong learning ability allowed her to adapt quickly.

Yet, amidst the hectic work schedule, Ann's thoughts often wandered, mostly because of Kai. Although they worked in the same building, she hadn't run into him once in nearly a month. The 66th floor and the 16th floor felt so close yet so far apart.

Soon, Ann realized a more pressing issue: her thoughts easily drifted to him. Whenever she paused in her work, his chiseled, handsome face would appear in her mind, and she couldn't shake the occasional urge to see him.

This was quite a blow to Joann, who had always navigated her way smoothly among various men. Her lovestruck demeanor was as alarming as a fire breaking out in her backyard—utterly terrifying and shocking.

Moreover, that man hadn't given her a second thought; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone so long without reaching out to her. Joann tried to shake off her wild thoughts and pulled out a work document to review carefully. But after just a few seconds, she snapped it shut, seemingly with a hint of anger.

The next day, during the morning rush hour.

The hallway by the elevators was packed. A group of people who had been chatting quietly suddenly fell silent, all turning to look in one direction. Joann followed their gaze and saw the man who had been absent for so long walking toward the elevators.

As he approached, everyone greeted him in unison, "Good morning, Director Mo."

"Morning." Mo Kai's eyes swept over the crowd indifferently as he headed toward the private elevator on the other side.

Joann felt his gaze land on her for just a second before it drifted away, as if she were just another ordinary employee. In contrast, Gao Yi, who was behind him, held her gaze for several seconds, though his eyes carried a complex meaning.

As the employee elevator opened, Joann was nudged inside by the people behind her. Just as the doors were closing, she caught a glimpse of Mo Kai in the executive elevator across from her.

He wasn't dressed in his usual suit and tie today. Instead, he casually draped his jacket over his arm, and his dark shirt was neatly tucked into well-tailored slacks, highlighting his broad shoulders and slim waist.

As always, he exuded an air of elegance and charm. However, Qiao Ann noticed he seemed unusually tired, his expression lazy and worn out.

As the elevator ascended, Qiao Ann's thoughts began to drift.

"Ding!" The elevator doors opened.

"Anyone for the sixteenth floor, getting off?"

Qiao Ann snapped back to reality. "Sorry, that's me."

She stepped into her office, feeling a surge of satisfaction each time she opened the door. The job here paid several times more than her previous one, and the office environment was vastly superior. Just being in this office filled her with a renewed sense of energy and purpose.

After all, she had to live up to the generosity of her employer.

Her employer? That would be the man on the sixty-sixth floor. Qiao Ann felt a bit obsessed.

Idle thoughts often come from having too much free time. She pressed the button for her assistant. "Could you please bring me the proposal for the SRI project?"

This was the project she had been desperate to win. In a short time, she had gone from being a humble bidder to a decision-maker.

The frustration she felt quickly dissipated as she immersed herself in work. Just before the end of the day, a knock sounded at her office door.

Joan looked up from the pile of documents when she heard the voice and immediately went to greet the visitor. "Mr. Wang, you could have just called me if you needed anything. There was no need for you to come all the way here."

Wang He was taken aback by the familiar title "Mr. Wang." In the past, it might have made him feel flattered, but now it only startled him. They had shared some playful banter before, but now both pretended as if nothing had ever happened, maintaining a very professional demeanor.

"Director Qiao, about tomorrow night's Huachen event, I'd appreciate it if you could handle it," Wang said.

At the event, Huachen would announce its latest business partners, and all the industry peers in Kang City were invited. With Huachen backed by the Mosheng Group, it naturally drew a lot of attention. Joan could already anticipate the scale of the event.

"Don't worry, Mr. Wang. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly," Joan replied confidently, as she always did when it came to work.

"By the way, here's the latest list of partners and the cooperation plan. Since you're the Marketing Chief Inspector, why don't you report to my uncle about it?" Wang suggested, trying to avoid his uncle Mo Kai, whose presence had been quite intimidating lately.

His uncle had praised Joan's work on the proposal, so Wang thought it was a smart move to let her handle the report. "Me? Right now?" Joan asked for confirmation.

"Yes," Wang nodded seriously.