Chapter 10: The First Intimate Encounter

In the next moment, after the elevator had skipped a floor, it came to a halt again.

Suppressing his racing heart, Su Yue looked up and saw that this time the elevator had stopped accurately, aligning with the 3rd-floor corridor. Meanwhile, a voice came through the intercom speaker below the emergency button in the elevator cabin. It was a staff member from the building's property management elevator control room.

They explained that the elevator had malfunctioned due to a running program issue but had now been restored to normal.

Holding Fang Wanqing, who was now weak from fright, in his arms, Su Yue confirmed the information before assisting her out of the elevator. They stopped in the corridor on the 3rd floor.

"Let me rest for a moment..."

Ignoring any sense of decorum, Fang Wanqing sat on the floor of the 3rd-floor corridor. After a few minutes, her face and lips still seemed somewhat pale, and her legs were shaky.

"Sure!" Su Yue sat down next to her and nodded.

"Thank you for just now!" After a brief pause, Fang Wanqing, feeling less scared than before, leaned against the corridor wall and managed to sit up, her hand supporting her. She expressed gratitude, "Younger brother, you saved my life."

By now, Su Yue's nervousness had mostly subsided, and he smiled, saying, "Sister, you don't need to think too much about it. In that situation just now, I didn't think too much either."

"Okay!" Fang Wanqing nodded.

Although she understood that Su Yue was telling the truth, she still kept this favor in mind.

"Can... you help me down?" After hesitating for a moment, Fang Wanqing made a somewhat embarrassed request, "I... my legs still feel a bit weak."

Su Yue knew that the terror of a life-threatening situation like this would make anyone afraid. Regardless of who experienced it, it was a natural reaction. He held her hand as she reached out, and the moment their skin touched...

Su Yue felt that Fang Wanqing's hand was soft and delicate. At the same time, he could feel that her palm was sweaty.

Grasping Su Yue's hand, Fang Wanqing felt as though she had grabbed a lifeline. She held onto his hand tightly, and her body's weight shifted completely onto Su Yue. With each step, they moved along the staircase, gradually making their way to the ground floor.

When they reached the ground floor lobby, the elevator control room staff had gathered and quickly sealed off the elevator that had malfunctioned. Several staff members approached Su Yue and Fang Wanqing, arranging for them to sit on the couch in the lobby. They carefully inquired about their experience, simultaneously apologizing and documenting the incident.

Seeing that Fang Wanqing hadn't fully recovered her spirits yet, Su Yue explained the experience to the staff.

After the staff had finished their inquiries, they once again apologized sincerely to the two and assured them that a thorough inspection and investigation of all potential faults would be conducted to prevent any such incidents from happening again. With that, they left.

"Su Yue, could you go to the nearby supermarket or convenience store and buy me some... lollipops?" After the staff had left, Fang Wanqing felt that her palms were still sweaty and her legs were still weak. Knowing that her nervousness couldn't be easily relieved, she looked at Su Yue and softly mumbled her request.

Hearing the words 'lollipops', Su Yue was taken aback, thinking he had misheard.

"Oh, forget it," Fang Wanqing said, noticing Su Yue's reaction, her ears turning red.

"Sure!" Su Yue suddenly nodded and asked, "What flavor?"

Fang Wanqing hadn't expected him to agree, and her heart was touched. After a moment, she responded, "Just buy any flavor except 'blueberry'."

"Okay!" Su Yue replied with a simple nod before leaving her sight.

Five minutes later, Su Yue returned, holding a variety of flavored lollipops.

Seeing him slightly embarrassed and uncertain, Fang Wanqing felt somewhat pleased for some reason. She took an 'apple' flavored Alps lollipop from his hand, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth, smiling as she said, "Thank you!"

"It's nothing, just a small gesture." Su Yue put the remaining lollipops into her bag and said.

"Thank you again!" Fang Wanqing repeated.

Su Yue didn't respond immediately. He just continued to gaze at Fang Wanqing.

Feeling his gaze, Fang Wanqing smiled and asked, "Do you find my thoughts and actions strange?"

"No!" Su Yue shook his head.

Fang Wanqing seemed not to have heard Su Yue's response. After some thought, she continued, "When I was little, whenever I encountered something scary or got really nervous, my mom would buy me a lollipop. She'd tell me that eating something sweet would make me feel less scared and nervous. Over time... it became a habit."

"Oh!" Su Yue suddenly understood. After a moment, he noticed that Fang Wanqing seemed to have returned to a more normal state.

"This habit of mine, currently only you at the company know about it," Fang Wanqing said after some thought. "Please don't accidentally mention it to our colleagues, so they don't think it's odd for a grown woman like me to eat the snacks kids like. They might think I'm an immature girl on the inside."

Su Yue chuckled and replied, "Don't worry, Sister. I won't blab."

"That's good!" Fang Wanqing nodded and felt much better. She got up from the couch in the resting area and said, "Let's go, I'll treat you to dinner."

"That's not necessary," Su Yue said.

"No way," Fang Wanqing insisted. "I must treat you to dinner tonight."

With that, Fang Wanqing pulled Su Yue out of the office building. They walked toward the Jinmao Tower, a few hundred meters away. After reaching the tower, they took the elevator to the 86th floor and entered a chic Italian restaurant with an elegant atmosphere and a moderate crowd.

"Hello, Miss Fang!"

As they arrived, the responsible restaurant manager greeted Fang Wanqing with a smile and personally led them to a quiet private room.

Su Yue noticed the manager's attitude and realized that Fang Wanqing was a regular here.

"How's the environment here?" Fang Wanqing asked after putting down her bag and taking a seat in the private room. She looked out of the window at the nighttime view of the city and smiled.

Following her gaze, Su Yue could see the Bund's night scene and the Oriental Pearl Tower in the distance. The dazzling cityscape of Shanghai lay below them. He nodded slightly and said, "The night view is indeed great from here, but if you look at it for too long, it can be a bit overwhelming."

Fang Wanqing chuckled, and her delicate fingers slid across the tablet used for ordering as she asked, "Su Yue, what would you like to eat?"

Su Yue took a glance around at the restaurant's decoration and the service they had received since arriving. He knew the prices of the dishes here probably wouldn't be cheap. He casually responded, "Sister, you decide. I'll go along with whatever you order."

"Sure!" Fang Wanqing nodded and tapped a few times on the tablet.

Then, she handed the tablet back to the manager and said, "That's it, just follow the usual details and preferences."

"Got it!" the manager acknowledged.

Afterwards, their gaze unintentionally brushed over Su Yue before the manager smiled and left the private room.

Shortly thereafter, they waited for a few minutes, and the waitstaff began to bring in the dishes. They started with an appetizer of burrata cheese paired with ham and diced vegetables, followed by Bolognese stuffed pasta, lobster squid ink spaghetti, the restaurant's signature quinine beef steak, and of course, red wine and tiramisu.

"Su Yue, thank you again for tonight!" After sampling a few dishes, Fang Wanqing asked the waitstaff to open a bottle of red wine. Then, she put down the utensils she was using to cut the steak, lifted the glass that was already half-full in front of her, and smiled, "And I also wish for our future to keep getting better, for our work to go smoothly, and for our health and safety."

"Sure!" Su Yue nodded, seeing the bright smile on her face. He picked up his wine glass with a smile, gently clinked it against hers, and said, "As the saying goes, 'after a great difficulty, there will be good fortune.' I believe your words will come true."

"I hope so!" Fang Wanqing replied simply. Then, she took a sip of the wine, shifted the topic, and asked, "Su Yue, from your accent, is your hometown in Chengdu?"

"No, my hometown is in Chongqing," Su Yue said.

"I see." Fang Wanqing nodded. "After you graduate, have you thought about going back there to develop your career?"

Su Yue remained silent for a moment before responding, "There aren't many people left in my family, so there's not much point in going back. Staying in Shanghai offers more opportunities for the future. By the way, from your accent, you're not from Shanghai either, right?"

"That's right!" Fang Wanqing said. "I'm from Zhejiang Province. Like you, there aren't many people left in my family. My mom passed away when I was young, and my dad succumbed to cancer a couple of years ago. Now... I don't go back very often. I only visit my grandparents and grandfather on holidays."

"Sorry to hear that," Su Yue said. "I brought up sad things."

Emotion didn't show too strongly in Fang Wanqing's eyes. She smiled and said, "It's fine. I brought it up first. No matter what happened in the past, as people, we need to look forward. If we keep dwelling in the past and can't move on, I believe... that's not what my parents would want to see."

"True!" Su Yue nodded slightly. "It's evident that you're a very rational person, Sister."

Fang Wanqing chuckled. "As traders, if we're more emotional than rational, we'd probably be eliminated from the market long ago."

"Exactly!" Su Yue responded with a smile. "When it comes to financial trading, being overly sentimental can easily make the market lead you around by the nose, causing you to focus excessively on emotional reactions rather than the essential trading logic."

"Speaking of rationality..." Fang Wanqing stared intently at Su Yue. She remembered the thrilling scene in the elevator after work and said, "Su Yue, among the people I've met, you are the one with the strongest rational thinking."

"People often say that the essence of trading lies in the tempering of one's mentality. They also say that the most elite traders in the market can always remain 'unmoved even when mountains collapse in front of them,' and they can quickly find reasonable solutions in times of crisis. I used to be skeptical of that, but now I'm starting to believe it. From your personal character, trading mindset, and analytical judgment of the market, Su Yue, I personally think... you have the potential to become a top-tier trader!"

"I hold you in high regard, Sister." Su Yue said with a smile.

Fang Wanqing's eyes glimmered with conviction as she lightly smiled and said, "I have a good eye for judging people. You should believe in me, but more importantly, believe in yourself."

They chatted on and on.

From family to work, from reality to aspirations, from school to society, from the present to the future... Unconsciously, it was already past 9 p.m. Finally, Fang Wanqing received a phone call, glanced at the time, and realized it was getting late. She then concluded their conversation and left the private room with Su Yue.

"Miss Fang, here's your bill for tonight."

As Fang Wanqing approached the front desk, the manager had already printed out the bill in advance.

Fang Wanqing glanced at the bill, found no discrepancies, used her phone to scan the payment code, and paid the bill directly, signing it.

Su Yue stood behind Fang Wanqing. Taking advantage of her signing, he roughly glanced at the numbers on the bill and was somewhat surprised to see a total of 28,888 yuan.

"Let's go!" After signing the bill, Fang Wanqing smiled and called Su Yue.

Then, the two of them left the restaurant, took the restaurant's private elevator to the lobby on the first floor.

On the ground floor, as they exited the Jinmao Tower, Su Yue intended to call a taxi to send Fang Wanqing back. However, he noticed a black Bentley parked about ten meters away with hazard lights flashing. It was the same Bentley that had picked up Fang Wanqing yesterday.

"Goodbye, Sister!" Su Yue waved to her as he saw she had a dedicated car for transportation and didn't need to worry about it himself.

"Su Yue, let the driver take you back first," Fang Wanqing hurriedly said. "It won't detour much, and I'm not in a rush either."

Su Yue shook his head and said, "No need. Taking the subway would be faster."

After saying that, without waiting for Fang Wanqing's response, he walked directly toward the Lujiazui subway station a few hundred meters away.

Watching Su Yue's figure gradually disappear from view, Fang Wanqing paused for a moment. Then, she headed towards the black Bentley that had briefly stopped by the roadside.

When she proficiently opened the rear car door and got in, she saw a pair of deep eyes carefully observing her from inside the car. Those eyes held evident questions.

"Aunt, why did you..." Fang Wanqing, after clearly seeing who was in the backseat, was both surprised and puzzled. She smiled and said, "I'm already a grown woman. Are you worried that I'll get lost?"

The middle-aged woman addressed as 'aunt' by Fang Wanqing chuckled and replied, "I came to pick you up mainly because I wanted to know who you were on a date with for most of the evening. What about that young man just now... don't you want to talk to Aunt about it?"

"What should I say?" Fang Wanqing smiled and took hold of the middle-aged woman's hand. She said, "He's just a colleague from our company. The boss asked me to look after him a bit. Besides that, there's nothing else."

"Is that so?" The middle-aged woman clearly didn't believe it.

Fang Wanqing responded, "Aunt, if you don't believe me, I can call him back, and you can ask him in person?"

"Forget it, you..." The middle-aged woman lightly patted Fang Wanqing's hand. "Regarding your matters, Aunt won't pry too much. Whenever you're ready to talk, Aunt will be a patient listener. If you don't want to talk about it, Aunt will pretend not to know anything. Anyway... as long as you're happy spending time with Aunt, any request you have, Aunt can fulfill it, no doubt."

She genuinely cared for her niece.

That's why, anything that benefited Fang Wanqing, anything she could do, as long as Fang Wanqing asked, she would agree without hesitation.

"Alright!" Fang Wanqing nodded.

"Not long ago, I had your uncle buy you an apartment at 'Sea View No.1' near your company," the middle-aged woman said, taking out a property deed from her bag and handing it to Fang Wanqing. She continued, "I just signed the contract today. From now on, don't rent with colleagues or friends anymore. First, it's not safe, and second, it's inconvenient. Also... while our Fang family might not be considered wealthy in the city, Aunt can't let you suffer like this."

Seeing her aunt directly handing her a property deed, Fang Wanqing was genuinely surprised and a bit taken aback. She quickly refused, "Aunt, living with colleagues or friends is mainly because I don't want to live alone. There's no other meaning behind it."

"I know." The middle-aged woman smiled as she pushed the property deed into Fang Wanqing's hands. "But since you've chosen to work and develop in the city, you should have a place of your own. You can't keep renting outside. And... your birthday is in two months. Consider this Aunt's birthday gift for you."

Fang Wanqing was about to refuse again.

However, the middle-aged woman's expression had already turned serious as she said, "This is Aunt's heartfelt intention. If you don't accept it, Aunt will really be upset."

Seeing her aunt's demeanor shift, Fang Wanqing's smile did indeed diminish quite a bit. Her expression gradually shifted from one of happiness to annoyance. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Well... fine, thank you, Aunt."

The property deed had her name on it, and her aunt had indeed purchased it in her name.

Although she knew that for her aunt, buying an ordinary apartment at 'Sea View No.1' was like adding a piece of furniture to the house or buying a suitable brand-name bag while shopping—a cost that didn't need to be specially considered or cared about—she was still very touched by her aunt's thoughtfulness.

"That's more like it!" The middle-aged woman's face lit up with a smile as Fang Wanqing accepted the gift.

Subsequently, as the black Bentley weaved through the traffic, the two of them resumed their cheerful laughter and conversation, enjoying each other's company.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Su Yue had taken the subway and returned to his residence.

"Why did you get off work so late today?" Sitting on the living room sofa, watching TV and catching up on Argentina's recent performance in the World Cup, Fu Xinhai glanced at Su Yue, who had just arrived home. "Your company's overtime culture is quite intense. Working late on a Friday? Oh... right, did you eat? I steamed a lot of mantou (Chinese steamed buns) this afternoon and made twice-cooked pork. Do you want some?"

Su Yue lightly shook his head and said, "No need. I already had dinner with colleagues tonight."

"Colleagues?" When Fu Xinhai heard this, his eyes suddenly narrowed in alertness. He carefully observed Su Yue's change in expression and grinned, "Female colleague, right?"

"Yeah, a female colleague," Su Yue responded.

"Damn..." Fu Xinhai stood up from the sofa as he heard the term 'female colleague,' "Is she pretty? So, you actually went on a date, no wonder you didn't bring anything back when I messaged you. I even thought you hadn't eaten, so I saved dinner for you."

"My phone was out of battery," Su Yue replied.

"Huh, wait a second..." Fu Xinhai suddenly sniffed the air, "Did you guys also drink?"

Seeing his expression change and realizing that a thousand scenarios had already flashed through his mind, Su Yue coughed lightly and hurriedly explained, "It's not what you're thinking. We just had a simple dinner."

"Hehe, no need to explain, explaining is just a cover-up." Fu Xinhai's expression was one of 'I get it.' "But you, going out with a girl for dinner and drinks, why did you come back alone? Was it because there are no hotels in our grand city or because all the hotels were full?"

"Mainly because you're not that charming," Su Yue teased with a smile.

Fu Xinhai felt a little teased and lost interest. He scratched his head, then turned back to watching the game.

Su Yue changed into fresh clothes in his room, charged his phone, and went to the bathroom to freshen up before returning to his room. He looked at his phone, which had enough battery to turn on, and saw several messages on WeChat.

He filtered out the messages that didn't require a reply and only responded to the ones that needed it.

Afterward, he checked the time, opened his computer, reviewed the market trends for a while, browsed through significant financial news from both domestic and international sources, and then went to bed.

The next day, when he woke up.

After finishing breakfast, his cousin Su Xiaomo called him, asking if he had made arrangements to meet someone.

Su Yue indicated that he had already arranged to meet at a specific location. After hanging up, he left, feeling the envious gaze of Fu Xinhai upon him as he departed.

(End of this chapter)