In the private booth.

The lighting was soft, the sound of cutlery gentle.

The atmosphere appeared calm and proper on the surface.

Jiang Yourong lowered her head to eat her salad, but her peripheral vision couldn't help but drift toward the opposite side.

She secretly sighed inwardly, thinking that the relationship between Tang Song and Ms. Ouyang was indeed unusual.

He actually dared to directly comment that Ms. Ouyang was "full of charm."

This slightly flirtatious vocabulary already carried a hint of the kind of appreciation between a man and a woman.

She secretly glanced up, wanting to see how this "Precision Queen," always known for her dignified majesty, would react.

Would she coldly reprimand him, or skillfully divert the topic?

However, to her surprise,

Ouyang Xianyue not only didn't get angry, but instead slightly lowered her head, the corner of her mouth curling into a seemingly somewhat shy smile.

Jiang Yourong was stunned for a moment.

That kind of expression appearing on the face of this eternally elegant, noble woman who never showed her emotions... it looked so incongruous, yet inexplicably alluring.

She couldn't help but mutter to herself: Indeed, even Ouyang Xianyue is, deep down, still a woman.

Faced with a man like Tang Song—young, handsome, and holding a high position—what woman could truly bring herself to dislike him?

He is, after all, the man Director Jin has set her sights on.

Take herself for example, didn't she also always find excuses to try and take some advantage of him?

"President Tang, those words of yours seem to carry a deeper meaning, hmm."

Ouyang Xianyue raised her head again, her voice still elegant and composed, not betraying the slightest emotional fluctuation.

Tang Song leisurely withdrew his finger, picked up a napkin, and wiped the water droplets lingering on his fingertip.

Meeting Ouyang Xianyue's gaze, a gentle, proper smile hung at the corner of his mouth as he said with a serious expression:

"As the ancients said, the writing mirrors the person, the brush follows the heart. This 'water character' of Ms. Ouyang's appears restrained and controlled on the surface, but its essence is very... abundant."

Hearing Tang Song's comment, Ouyang Xianyue's hand trembled violently.

The writing mirrors the person?

He said she was like this character.

Like "wet," like being soaked through with water, damp, in the midst of a great flood...

The "brush" follows the heart?

Essence abundant? Juices abundant?

These words, if heard normally, would sound like commentary on the artistic conception of calligraphy.

But if one savored them from the perspective of adult men and women,

This was practically making a dirty joke.

Too direct! Too crude! Too vulgar!

It was even humiliating her.

Ouyang Xianyue looked at Tang Song.

His gaze was clear and profound.

Gentle, polite, without a trace of overstepping boundaries.

Yet that faint, almost imperceptible sense of composure and control was more aggressive than any overt flirtation.

Under the table.

Her legs unconsciously tightened a little.

A strange shiver climbed up her spine.

Tingly and numb, as if something rough yet irresistible had lightly scratched the very tip of her heart.

She had known from a young age that her identity was different.

The treasured pearl of the Ouyang family.

The daughter-in-law of the Lin family.

The helmsman of Tang Yi Precision.

Around her, everyone treated her with polite respect, maintaining a perfectly appropriate safe distance.

The praise of elders, the respect of peers, the fear of juniors.

Even her late husband, when interacting with her, always treated her with mutual respect and courtesy, never crossing the line.

Never had anyone dared to tease her, to be so familiar with her, using such language.

This feeling of being seen through, this shame, mixed with an indescribable thrill and sense of transgression.

It actually gave her, in this brightly lit private booth, in front of a third person, a strange sense of... pleasure.

Ouyang Xianyue picked up her coffee and took a small sip.

The coffee had already gone cold, the bitter liquid sliding down her throat, yet unable to suppress the restlessness in her chest.

She lowered her eyelashes, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Using this action to regain her composure,

Then she sat up straight, elegantly crossing her legs again.

Her posture remained as graceful and beautiful as ever.

It was just that the legs crossed under the table were pressed together a little tighter than before.

"President Tang flatters me." Her voice regained its composure, even carrying a faint trace of a smile. "Then take another look, how is this character written?"

She extended her hand again, her fingertip probing into the water glass.

This time, the movement was slower, and steadier.

Her slender, fair finger dipped fully into the water droplets, slowly descending onto the dark gray tablecloth.

The water traces meandered, gradually taking shape.

Qing (Affection/Feeling)

She wrote it with extreme care.

The "heart" radical was written with lingering tenderness, the strokes curling back.

The "qing" part was written with slightly heavier pressure, the water stain spreading into a small patch of darker color.

The entire character, within the framework of wild cursive script, concealed a cautious neatness.

It lacked some of the dripping, overflowing quality of the "wet" character, gaining instead a heavy, hesitant quality of wanting to speak but holding back.

After finishing, she lifted her gaze to Tang Song, a seemingly faint inquiry in her eyes.

"Does President Tang think this character of mine is written to the heart? Or does it merely float on the surface?"

Tang Song looked at the water character on the table, then at her eyes that appeared calm but actually churned with hidden waves.

"The brush and ink follow the heart, the paper is short but the feeling is long. Ms. Ouyang's character, of course, reaches the heart. It is written very well."

Hearing this praise, Ouyang Xianyue's chest rose and fell slightly, the light in her eyes changing rapidly.

For a moment, she actually couldn't quite grasp what he really meant.

Was it a response, or an evasion?

The reason she was so urgent today, even willing to lower her status to actively probe, was simply because she felt uneasy, uncertain of his true feelings.

After all, all along, even during the lingering ambiguity in the study of the semi-mountain villa last time... it seemed to be because of her impulsiveness and initiative.

And Tang Song was always the composed, accepting one.

He had never explicitly said any words of commitment.

She was like a person standing outside a door, not knowing whether the person inside actually wanted her to enter.

This led to her, even if she had a thousand words in her heart, being unable to voice them due to various concerns.

Let alone hinting to him, "take me to sea with you."

Right at that moment.

Jiang Yourong suddenly stood up, speaking rapidly, "Excuse me, Ms. Ouyang, President Tang. I'm full. There are still several sets of optical waveguide data waiting for me to run in the lab, so I'll take my leave first. Please take your time chatting."

That previous ghostly scribble of a character, she couldn't understand at all.

But this one! The character "qing" (affection), she saw it clearly.

She was, after all, a woman in her thirties, having experienced both the ivory tower and the complex workplace as an associate professor, and having been immersed in the high-pressure environment under Director Jin.

She still had basic observational skills and emotional intelligence.

She had already sensed something off about the two people opposite her.

She suddenly understood many things.

For example, why Director Jin had inserted her here to constantly monitor this Ms. Ouyang's movements.

She had always thought this was merely a matter of business stance, a confrontation of power structures.

But now it seemed, it probably also involved more personal, more complex emotional factors.

Was Director Jin sending her here to annoy Ms. Ouyang?!

Looking at that graceful, beautiful noble lady, then at the handsome, upright CEO,

Jiang Yourong's large chest heaved violently, cold sweat almost breaking out.

When gods fight, mortals suffer.

Afraid that staying any longer, she might be silenced for knowing too many secrets she shouldn't.

At this point, even a Le Cordon Bleu mousse cake had lost its appeal.

Hearing this, Ouyang Xianyue lifted her gaze to look at her, giving only a slight nod: "If Director Jiang has work, please go attend to it first."

Tang Song, however, stood up, picked up that plate of matcha mousse, and offered it over: "Take this with you, don't let it go to waste. Replenish some sugar before working."

Jiang Yourong hesitated for a moment, then took the plate. "Thank you, President Tang."

Then she turned and left the private booth.

The sound of high heels gradually faded away in the empty outer corridor until it was inaudible.

...

Ouyang Xianyue withdrew her gaze, looking back at Tang Song.

"President Tang, your mastery of cursive script, I have always known. So, could I ask you to also write this character, let me properly feel your brushwork?"

Tang Song looked at the noble lady attempting to seize the initiative before him, the corner of his mouth slowly curving up.

"Alright. Since you have such an elegant interest, I am of course happy to oblige."

Hearing him agree, Ouyang Xianyue proactively lifted the water glass in front of her, offering it toward him.

"Please."

Tang Song did not take the water glass.

He simply extended the long index finger of his right hand, casually dipping it lightly into the water.

Then.

His hand crossed over the table, not landing on the dark gray tablecloth, but going straight down.

Under Ouyang Xianyue's shocked gaze,

It directly landed on her thigh, tightly encased in flesh-colored stockings.

The icy water droplets contacting the warm skin brought a bone-chilling coolness.

Ouyang Xianyue's entire body trembled violently as if electrified.

Tang Song's finger did not linger.

Through that extremely thin layer of stocking, he applied slight pressure, his fingertip sinking into the full, firm soft flesh, writing in an extremely unrestrained manner.

Because of the absorbency of the stockings, and the fact that leg skin was far from as smooth and flat as the table surface, he wrote somewhat slowly, with more force.

The cold water stain spread on the stocking, clinging tightly to the warm, sensitive skin. As his fingertip moved, it brought an extremely intense sensory stimulation.

A blush instantly spread across Ouyang Xianyue's face, her hands gripping the arms of the chair.

"Writing on paper is easy to float on the surface. Writing like this to feel it, isn't it more tangible?"

"Indeed... very tangible." Ouyang Xianyue bit her lower lip, her voice trembling. "Thank you for the instruction, President Tang."

"What does Ms. Ouyang think of how I wrote this character?" Tang Song's finger did not leave, still resting on her leg.

"Genuine and sincere, penetrating deeply. I have benefited greatly."

"As long as Ms. Ouyang is satisfied. Then, do you need me to write another character?"

"That won't be necessary." Ouyang Xianyue's breathing became rapid. "The character I've been pondering most recently... is this 'qing' (affection) character."

"Well then." Tang Song withdrew his hand. "Speaking of which, I truly admire Ms. Ouyang's literary talent, especially in poetry. Have you had any new compositions recently?"

"Work is busy, a thousand threads, I haven't had the chance to attend to that."

"Since we just discussed cursive script, how about I assign you a task?"

"Oh?" Ouyang Xianyue lifted her eyes, her heartbeat quickening again.

Tang Song leaned forward, his gaze burning as he stared at her: "Using those two characters just now, 'wet' and 'qing' (affection), compose a poem. Then, we can appreciate it together."

Ouyang Xianyue pressed her lips together, silent for a moment, before finally responding in a low voice: "Alright."

She straightened her slightly disheveled hair and skirt, elegantly standing up. That graceful, majestic aura returned to her.

"It's getting late, I need to return to Tang Yi Precision to handle some documents. President Tang... have a pleasant afternoon."

Tang Song stood up, thoughtfully pulling out her chair for her: "Take care on your way, Ms. Ouyang."

The two walked toward the private booth door, one after the other.

Ouyang Xianyue walked with graceful, measured steps. As she moved, her full, shapely waist and plump, rounded hip line, encased in the bodycon skirt, swayed with the elegance of a classical Eastern court lady, balanced and slender.

A faint lingering scent of agarwood, subtle and elusive, lingered around her.

It made Tang Song's breathing quicken considerably.

After walking only a few steps.

She suddenly stopped, turned around. Those phoenix eyes held indescribable emotions.

"By the way, I have another question I'd like to ask President Tang for advice."

"What is it?"

"You've been using 'Ms. Ouyang' to address me recently." She slightly raised her head, a hint of barely perceptible reproach in her eyes. "Have I done something wrong, made you unhappy?"

"Of course not." Tang Song's gaze shifted slightly, his tone calm. "After all, I now work at Xuanji Optical World, and you are the group's chairman. In the company, we must pay some attention to titles to avoid giving people grounds for gossip."

"Then privately, it's not necessary, right?" Ouyang Xianyue reached out, smoothing some wrinkles on his shoulder, her voice soft as water: "After all, given the relationship between us, always calling me 'Ms.' is too distant."

Tang Song looked at her gorgeous, mature face, feeling her deliberate closeness and probing.

Suddenly, he leaned forward, approaching her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.

"Then... Madam, what is our relationship now?"

The address "Madam" was like a drop of scalding beeswax, unexpectedly dripping onto Ouyang Xianyue's heart.

A sense of taboo and transgression surged again.

She looked at Tang Song, at his bright, deep eyes, at his young, handsome face, at that faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth.

What relationship?

This was actually the question she cared about most.

But now, he had thrown this question back, forcing her to speak first.

This left her momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Confidante? Too shallow.

Lover? Too frivolous.

Beloved...?

The upbringing of a daughter from a prominent family, the reserve of someone in a high position, the dignity of a widow, clashed fiercely in her mind with the longing, struggle, and hesitation of a woman.

She was accustomed to letting others guess her thoughts, accustomed to strategizing at the negotiation table, but had never thought of actively laying herself bare.

Especially in her awkward position, actively saying such words was too shameful.

And she didn't know how Tang Song would view her.

The inner struggle raged intensely.

Her full contours began to rise and fall, her breathing also becoming rapid.

"Then..." She finally spoke, forcing a trace of a smile, her eyes sparkling. "What does Sir think our relationship is?"

Tang Song seemed to have anticipated she would say this.

He advanced another half step. "This is the question I asked you, Madam. Do you not want to answer? Or do you not dare to answer?"

Ouyang Xianyue lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a shadow beneath them.

After a moment of silence.

She gritted her teeth and said: "I... whatever Sir wants me to answer, that is what it is."

Hearing her response, Tang Song raised an eyebrow.

He did not press further.

Instead, he suddenly lowered his head, his lips landing without warning on her long, fair neck.

"Mmm......"

Ouyang Xianyue trembled all over, instinctively grabbing his arm.

Tang Song did not stop at a mere taste. He opened his mouth, gently biting her skin, sucking hard.

An intense tingling sensation mixed with slight pain instantly spread throughout Ouyang Xianyue's entire body.

Soon, Tang Song's lips left.

But on the smooth skin of her neck, a faint kiss mark appeared.

"What I want to hear is the answer you truly want to say in your heart."

Having said that, Tang Song didn't wait for her to make any further response, reaching out to pull open the heavy door of the private booth.

The corner of Ouyang Xianyue's mouth twitched, as if she wanted to say something.

But her peripheral vision had already caught sight of staff figures moving at the end of the corridor.

Almost instantly, all the surging emotions were forcibly suppressed, reined in.

She took a slight breath, straightened her back. The moving blush on her face had not yet completely faded, but her dignified, calm, graceful demeanor had already returned to her body.

"Goodbye, President Tang."

Ouyang Xianyue used her collar to cover the mark on her neck and walked out with steady steps.

Secretary Chen Jing, who had been waiting quietly not far away, immediately came forward to meet her.

The two walked toward the elevator lobby, one after the other.

Taking the dedicated elevator directly down to the B1 level underground garage.

Soon, a black Audi A8L merged into the main road.

In the quiet cabin, Ouyang Xianyue leaned back in her seat, eyes half-closed.

The aftershocks of her heartbeat still echoed in her chest.

The scenes that had just happened played over and over in her mind like a movie.

Especially that character.

That "qing" (affection) character written on the stocking.

Even now, she could still feel the dampness seeping into her skin.

Itchy.

From her thigh, all the way to her heart.

Something seemed about to break through the soil.

["What is our relationship now?"]

This sentence, like a curse, echoed repeatedly in her mind.

She opened her eyes, looking out the window at the flowing street scene.

What she hoped for, of course, was to be open, legitimate lovers.

To be able to walk side by side with him under the sunlight.

If it were really like that, everything wouldn't be a problem.

Age difference? In the media's pen, it could be portrayed as "a beautiful tale of an older woman-younger man romance."

In the eyes of the world, it would become "the charm of a mature woman conquering a young talent."

But she knew in her heart, it was too difficult.

She needed to defeat Liu Qingning, defeat Jin Meixiao, needed to defeat Su Yu, Wen Ruan, defeat everyone.

Only then could she, openly, achieve a good union with him.

This path was too long, too difficult.

But if they were only secret lovers, having a child...

Then the problems she would face were far too many.

The light in her eyes trembled violently.

No matter what, she needed to prepare both hands.

Right at that moment.

Secretary Chen in the front passenger seat slightly turned sideways and said in a low voice: "Ms. Ouyang, both the legal department and the family office just forwarded an update regarding the structural adjustment opinion for the [Moonlight Trust]."

Ouyang Xianyue instantly gathered her thoughts, slowly opening her eyes. "Is Qingning preparing to sign the trust documents?"

"Yes." Secretary Chen nodded. "But Ms. Liu proposed modifications to several core clauses, mainly focused on the holding path and governance rights arrangement."

"Oh?" Ouyang Xianyue sat up straight. "How exactly does she want to change them?"

Secretary Chen organized her words and reported: "The original structure is: You, Director Jin, and Miss Su Yu act as co-contributors and founders, establishing a customized personal trust structure through the Kate Trust.

The assets under the trust are intended for long-term holding. Ms. Qingning is one of the primary beneficiaries and enjoys corresponding income distribution rights and voting suggestion rights.

However, Ms. Qingning proposed adding an operational vehicle layer between the trust asset layer and the specific equity.

First inject the [Qingning Technology] related equity intended for injection under the trust into a special purpose limited partnership fund (SPV) under the Tangjin Family Office.

The family office acts as the limited partner (LP) holding the financial rights and ultimate beneficial rights of the fund.

And Ms. Qingning herself, in the capacity of the executive managing partner representative (GP), is responsible for the daily management and decision-related voting of that portion of equity."

Ouyang Xianyue raised an eyebrow, quickly understanding Liu Qingning's true intent.

The outside world often mistakenly believes that the [Tangjin Family Office] is a holding entity.

In reality, it does not primarily use a structure of directly holding listed company or operating entity equity.

The core assets of the entire "Tangjin system" are mostly held in layers and cross-holdings through offshore trusts, special purpose funds, and SPV holding platforms.

The family office itself primarily serves as the investment decision-making hub.

It is a hybrid entity composed of partnership platforms, offshore trust networks, and a series of complex legal agreements.

In this system, what truly represents power is not mere wealth numbers, but beneficial interest shares, governance seats, and decision-making participation rights.

The 17% equity of [Qingning Technology], under the foreseeable AI wave, its value would undoubtedly be an astronomical figure.

If Liu Qingning directly accepted it all in the capacity of a "beneficiary," then this asset would become a heavy chain around her neck.

She would inevitably feel a sense of passiveness and burden, even accompanied by a sense of indebtedness and pressure.

Emotionally, she would also forever feel inferior to them.

Now, she was essentially giving up the beneficial rights, proactively transferring this huge asset out of personal hands, retaining only the core operational decision-making rights.

The benefits of doing this were obvious.

She was no longer a mere beneficiary receiving a gift.

By becoming the GP of this special purpose fund, she legitimately and justifiably stepped into the core decision-making layer of the [Tangjin Family Office].

Within the vast capital network of the Tangjin system, she gained a clear position and authority.

What a clever, perceptive woman.

In some aspects, her skill in handling interests and relationships did bear some resemblance to Jin Meixiao in her younger years.

"I agree to this modification plan." Ouyang Xianyue leaned back against the seat.

"Alright, I will go coordinate and handle it immediately." Secretary Chen respectfully acknowledged, then paused before taking a tablet from her bag and handing it over. "By the way, Ms. Ouyang, the thing you previously wanted to find has been prepared."

Ouyang Xianyue reached out to take it, her fingertip lightly tapping the screen.

The screen lit up, displaying the details page of a novel—

*Entered the Wrong Room, Then Picked Up a Domineering CEO*

Author: Qingqing Can't Get Full.

This was precisely Xu Qing's web novel that was about to be completed.

"......"

The corner of Ouyang Xianyue's eye twitched slightly.

Even she, who had weathered many storms, felt as if she had been forcibly fed a mouthful of cheap cotton candy the moment she saw this title.

Cloyingly sweet, and a bit tacky.

But she was, after all, Ouyang Xianyue, someone who always planned before acting.

Before deeply engaging with an important figure, she was accustomed to thoroughly understanding them: background, resume, social circle, behavioral style, leaving nothing out.

Especially for Xu Qing, whom she intended to deliberately get close to and utilize.

And reading a person's written words, especially this kind of fictional work infused with a large amount of personal fantasy, desire, and values, was undoubtedly the most direct and effective way to glimpse their fundamental character, inner world, and thought patterns.