Lu Yichen was already drowning in morning meetings when a sudden thought hit him.
He checked his drawer.
No lunchbox.
"…Mother must've forgotten again," he muttered.
He called her—purely to complain.
"Mother, you didn't prepare my lun—"
Madam Lu gasped loudly.
"Oh no! Did Xinyi not reach yet?"
Yichen froze.
"Reach… where?"
"To the office, of course! She left ten minutes ago with your lunch. She should be there any moment!"
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then—
"WHAT?"
(Yichen never raised his voice. Not even during board meetings.)
But today was special.
Madam Lu happily continued,
"You two should spend more time tog—"
He cut the call.
Not because he was rude.
Because he was panicking.
XINYI IS COMING.
ZHEN YU IS HERE.
THEY CAN'T MEET. NOT TODAY.
He shot up from his chair.
"Secretary Wen!"
Wen rushed inside.
"Sir??"
"Find Zhen Yu. Move him anywhere—now."
Wen blinked.
"Sir… what happened?"
"Xinyi is coming," Yichen said through gritted teeth.
Wen froze for one second.
"Oh."
Yichen ran a hand through his hair, something he NEVER did.
"What if she sees him? What if she recognises the name? No. No. No."
Suddenly—
DING
DONG
– elevator arrival sound from outside.
Wen whispered, horrified,
"…Sir, I think she's already here."
Yichen's soul left his body.
He rushed out of his office like a jealous cat preparing for battle.
The elevator doors slid open.
Out stepped Xinyi — bright-eyed, smiling softly, holding a lunchbox wrapped in a neat cloth.
Her simple presence felt like sunlight cutting through the cold, glass walls of Lu Corporation.
Several employees stared.
Nobody ever brought lunch to the CEO.
Nobody ever walked in like that was normal.
Xinyi waved politely at a confused receptionist.
"I'm here to deliver Yichen's lunch."
The receptionist almost choked.
"P-President Lu's… lunch?? Ah—yes, Miss Xinyi! T-this way!"
Meanwhile, somewhere on the same floor…
Zhen Yu walked out of the copy room, holding a tall stack of documents.
He adjusted his glasses, his steps timid as always.
Secretary Wen grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Go downstairs!"
Zhen Yu blinked.
"…Sir?"
"Go! Anywhere! Take the stairs! The basement is fine too—JUST GO!"
Zhen Yu panicked and turned—
Straight into Lu Yichen.
The CEO stood there, tall, sharp, and looking like someone who had personally fought destiny and was losing.
Zhen Yu froze.
Yichen stared at him like he was some dangerous object that needed hiding.
"What… are you doing on this floor?" Yichen snapped.
Zhen Yu gulped.
"Uh… delivering documents, sir…"
"Not anymore."
Yichen snatched the stack from Zhen Yu's hands.
Zhen Yu blinked.
"S-Sir…?"
"Leave. Now."
"O-okay… but… did I do something wro—"
Yichen stepped close, voice dropping low.
"You don't have to understand."
His jaw clenched.
"Just don't be seen today."
Zhen Yu had no idea why the CEO looked stressed enough to combust.
But he bowed and ran toward the stairs like his life depended on it.
Back at the lobby of the executive floor…
Xinyi walked down the hallway, her steps small and careful.
She peeked around.
"This office is so big… where was his room again…?"
Just then—
The elevator dinged again.
Xinyi turned curiously.
A man stepped out.
Zhen Yu.
Carrying nothing.
Panting.
Clearly terrified.
Running from the stairs like he'd been chased by a demon.
Xinyi blinked.
Zhen Yu blinked.
For a split second—
Their eyes met.
Just a fraction of a second.
But it was enough.
Something soft flickered in Zhen Yu's expression.
Recognition? Confusion? A feeling he couldn't identify?
He opened his mouth—
"I—"
Before he could say more—
A tall figure stepped between them like a wall.
Lu Yichen.
He appeared out of nowhere and blocked Xinyi's view so fast that even the air felt insulted.
Xinyi's eyes widened.
"Yi… Yichen?"
Yichen smiled stiffly.
Too stiffly.
"You're early."
"I brought you lunch," she said shyly.
Behind him, Zhen Yu tried to politely slip away.
But Yichen extended one arm without looking
and slammed a hand against the wall—blocking Zhen Yu from escaping.
Zhen Yu froze again.
Xinyi looked confused.
"Um… Yichen? Why are you standing like that?"
Yichen didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
"I'm… stretching."
"…On the wall?"
"Yes."
"…While trapping your employee?"
"He needs stretching too."
Zhen Yu shook his head violently.
"N-no, no sir, my muscles are VERY relaxed—"
Yichen cut him off sharply.
"Leave. Through the other exit."
"There is no other exit—"
"There is now. Find it."
Zhen Yu saluted and sprinted away in the most awkward zig-zag possible, praying destiny didn't drag him back again.
Xinyi watched the entire scene silently.
Then she stared at Yichen.
"Yichen… why do I feel like you're acting weird?"
Yichen straightened, dusted his suit, and put on the cold CEO mask.
"I'm perfectly normal."
Xinyi raised a brow.
"Then why were you glaring at that poor guy like he stole your money?"
Yichen looked away.
"…He looked suspicious."
"He barely breathed!"
"Exactly."
Lu Yichen's office was usually a place of silence, order, and cold air-conditioning.
Today?
It felt like a battlefield.
Because Xinyi entered with a bright smile, holding his lunchbox…
…and Yichen's entire brain went into DEFCON-1.
"Sit," he said quickly, guiding her to the couch as if pushing her away from every danger zone in the room.
Xinyi blinked. "Are you okay? You're acting like I'm visiting a crime scene."
Yichen coughed once. "I just don't want you walking around too much. This is a workplace."
She nodded innocently. "Oh… then after lunch I'll take a small look around! I want to see what your company is like—"
"NO."
Xinyi jumped. "…No?"
Yichen's eyes widened at his own reaction. He immediately softened his tone.
"I mean… no need. The office is boring. You won't like it."
"But I want to meet the employees—"
Yichen's smile froze. He almost choked on air.
"Employees?
Why?"
"To thank them for working hard under you."
No.
No no no no NO.
If she walked around…
If she met people…
If she bumped into Zhen Yu again…!
Yichen internally screamed.
"Xinyi," he said, smiling too politely, "you're here for lunch with me, not for sightseeing."
Xinyi pouted a little. "Oh… I just thought—"
"You thought correctly," he interrupted before she could finish.
"You're very thoughtful. Sit. Eat. Don't move."
"…Are you sure you're not hiding something?"
Yichen nearly dropped his chopsticks. "Hiding? I don't hide things."
Xinyi tilted her head. "Then why did that employee run like someone was chasing him when he saw me?"
Yichen inhaled sharply.
"…He's training for the annual marathon."
"In the hallway?"
"It's… special training."
She squinted at him suspiciously.
Yichen quickly opened the lunchbox. "Let's eat."
As Xinyi served him food, Yichen kept glancing nervously at the glass door—
Checking. Waiting. Praying no one walked by.
But fate hated him today.
A faint sound echoed in the hallway.
Footsteps approaching.
Soft. Careful. Terrified.
Zhen Yu.
Yichen's entire body stiffened.
Xinyi looked toward the door.
"Oh, someone's coming—"
Yichen reached across the table—
AND GENTLY cupped her face to turn it back toward him.
Xinyi froze.
"…Y-Yichen?"
"Yes?" he said calmly, pretending his heart wasn't exploding.
"You… grabbed my face…"
"Did I?"
He forced a cough.
"I thought I was… offering support."
"…Support for what?"
"For… chewing."
Xinyi stared at him like he had lost his brain.
Behind the glass door, Zhen Yu peeked inside—
Made eye contact with Yichen's death glare—
And immediately vanished like a ghost.
Xinyi blinked again. "…Why are you acting so strange today?"
Yichen picked up his chopsticks with a straight face.
"I'm always like this."
"No, you are not."
Yichen's voice dropped lower.
"Xinyi… just stay with me right now."
The way he said it—quiet, tense, possessive—made her cheeks warm.
"O… okay."
And Yichen finally relaxed—
Because he had successfully protected her from the truth for one more day.
But destiny wasn't done.
Not even close.