Chapter 2: Open the door

But Liu Yun didn’t think too much about it. After Lin Xiu left first, she followed a step behind him out of the office.

Once they were outside the office, Lin Xiu’s expression became even more nonchalant, his gaze drifting now and then to Liu Yun at his side.

In the elevator, Lin Xiu looked at the ‘man’ with a delicate frame next to him and intentionally leaned his body a little closer to her.

At first, Liu Yun didn’t notice anything, only moving a step to the side, but the young man immediately followed, closing in again.

By the time she finally came to her senses, she realized she had actually been forced into the corner of the elevator by the young man…

“Xiao Lin Zong, do you need something?”

To this, Liu Yun could only wrinkle her brows helplessly and speak.

Lin Xiu shrugged when he heard her, answering with a calm face.

“It’s nothing, I was just curious—Aunt Yun, I didn’t know you wore perfume?”

Liu Yun was stunned when she heard this and replied instinctively.

“Perfume? I don’t use perfume.”

Lin Xiu raised his brows, his words full of meaning.

“Really? But Aunt Yun, you smell really nice. I only leaned over to check, sorry about that.”

As he spoke, the young man also scooted aside, as if to prove he was telling the truth.

Liu Yun half-believed, half-doubted him, but what she cared more about was the scent he mentioned.

Could it be she really did smell like perfume? Why had she never noticed it herself? Or was this guy just playing tricks on her?

Actually, this was a small bit of trivia Liu Yun didn’t know. People in everyday life aren’t sensitive to their own scent.

It’s too familiar, so you grow used to it. For Lin Xiu, as long as he got a little closer to Liu Yun, he could catch that lingering, plum blossom-like fragrance on her.

The scent wasn’t strong, but it was especially enticing. Of course, to Lin Xiu, it was also very familiar, because…

“It’s nothing, maybe Xiao Lin Zong is just particularly sensitive to scents?”

At this moment, the elevator arrived at the designated floor. Liu Yun led Lin Xiu through the company’s various departments.

When the others saw Liu Yun, they all greeted her warmly and respectfully.

Lin Xiu, seeing this, teased.

“Aunt Yun, your prestige in the company is really high. I think you’re even more suited to run the Lin Group than I am.”

Liu Yun’s expression stiffened slightly at these words. If the Director had said them, it would mean she was close to being dismissed.

But since they came from Lin Xiu, this easy-going second-generation rich kid, she calmed down and forced a smile.

“Xiao Lin Zong is joking. I believe you’ll soon become the most perfect heir of the group.”

Lin Xiu wasn’t very interested in this. Besides, what he’d just said wasn’t a joke—he really thought so.

So before Liu Yun could finish showing Lin Xiu around the whole company, the young man made up an excuse and slipped away first.

Liu Yun was a bit helpless about this, but there was nothing she could do and could only let him go.

Fortunately, before the young man left, the two of them exchanged WeChat. Seeing the other party’s anime avatar, Liu Yun couldn’t help but smile.

“What a childish kid…”

She muttered softly and typed on her phone.

“Xiao Lin Zong, let’s meet again at nine tomorrow morning. Don’t be late, okay?”

But her message disappeared into the void. Still, Liu Yun felt he must have seen it, and even if not now, he would see it soon enough.

After that, she turned and returned to the forty-eighth floor, sat at her desk, and continued working.

It wasn’t until seven in the evening that Liu Yun checked the time, stretched, and picked up her briefcase to go home.

The company wasn’t especially busy lately, so she didn’t have to work overtime and could take her work home instead.

Liu Yun’s home was a rather upscale apartment. To be able to buy such a nice place in land-scarce Yun City, she truly felt lucky.

But before heading home, Liu Yun first stopped at the fresh supermarket downstairs to buy some vegetables and fruit.

While picking vegetables, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar young man’s silhouette—but that figure vanished in an instant, quickly disappearing from her view.

Seeing this, Liu Yun couldn’t help muttering,

“Did I see wrong?”

She shook her head and didn’t think much of it, continuing to select her favorite produce.

When she got home, Liu Yun set the bags on the table, then hurried to her room to shed her constraints and change into loose loungewear.

Standing before the bathroom mirror, Liu Yun gazed at the woman reflected there. She wore a white dress shirt, fitted trousers below, perfectly highlighting her slim figure and long, jade-like legs.

What’s more, the shirt’s top buttons weren’t fastened, so a stretch of fair skin and delicate collarbone could be seen.

Combined with her refined, mature face and short hair, she looked especially capable…

Liu Yun stared dazedly at herself for a long while before snapping out of it. She often found herself spacing out in front of the mirror. After all, she’d never thought she’d become so beautiful after turning into a woman. Was this her only consolation?

Thinking this, Liu Yun laughed and shook her head, then stepped out of the bathroom. Catching sight of the Wedding Photo with her wife in the bedroom, her eyes couldn’t help but flash with a trace of melancholy.

After a long moment, Liu Yun entered the living room and put the vegetables and fruit in the fridge. Since it was already past dinnertime and she wasn’t too hungry, Liu Yun decided to handle some work first and make dinner later.

She sat on the sofa, opened her laptop, and put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. The glasses were for blue light protection, though Liu Yun wasn’t sure they actually worked.

Time passed, second by second. The only sound in the room was her fingers tapping on the keyboard. In the quiet, a sharp crow’s caw suddenly echoed.

For once, Liu Yun noticed this and subconsciously looked outside, only to spot a black crow standing on the balcony, staring straight at her.

What shocked Liu Yun even more was that the crow had three legs? Before she could think it over, a familiar, hazy sensation washed over her.

Liu Yun’s heart jumped in alarm. This feeling… Was she about to be hypnotized again? So the one hypnotizing her wasn’t someone at work, but a crow at home?!

Liu Yun thought she would lose consciousness and become a puppet as before, but this time, things were a little different. Her mind remained clear, able to sense everything around her.

Then, a familiar young man’s voice sounded by her ear.

“Madam, open the door.”

Clearly, the young man wasn’t by her side, yet his voice eerily reached her ears. What panicked Liu Yun even more was that her body rose on its own, walking step by step to the entryway and placing her hand on the doorknob.

No, I can’t open it! There’s a beast outside that door!

Liu Yun screamed inwardly, but her mouth felt as heavy as lead, unable to open at all. Her body remained completely out of her control.

Click!

As the door opened, the figure that entered Liu Yun’s sight left her utterly shocked.