Pacific Standard Time, 10:00 PM.

California, Palo Alto, top-floor suite of the Rosewood Hotel.

Outside the window was the iconic night view of Silicon Valley.

In the distance, Highway 101 was a constant stream of traffic, its lights extending like ribbons into the darkness.

The campuses of Google, Apple, and Meta glowed with a cold white light in the night.

The temperature in the suite was comfortable.

Secretary Jin was wearing a set of loungewear, her thick brown hair loosely tied into a bun. She leaned lazily against the wide sofa.

She wore a pair of gold-rimmed semi-frame glasses and was intently listening to an English business podcast.

The direct flight from Europe to the West Coast, over ten hours of long-haul travel, had left a faint layer of weariness between her brows.

Coupled with jet lag, she felt no sleepiness at all right now.

The schedule for the next few days was still packed.

This trip to Silicon Valley was a routine quarterly inspection.

However, the pace this year was more urgent than in previous years.

The reason was simple.

This Spring Festival, she was going to take a short vacation for herself,

to Jing County.

So she had to finish all the work in hand before that.

Thinking of Jing County, thinking of that household in that small city.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and her attention drifted away from the business analysis in the podcast.

"Knock, knock—"

A soft knocking sound.

"Come in."

International Affairs Assistant Sarah quickly walked in, holding an encrypted tablet, a trace of gravity in her expression.

"Director Jin, we just received an internal motion sent by the Family Office Secretariat. It was initiated personally by Mr. Tang."

Secretary Jin looked up, the light in her eyes behind the lenses flickering slightly.

This was Tang Song's first move after formally entering the Family Office.

He hadn't even attended an internal meeting yet.

It seemed particularly special.

Sarah said nothing more, handing over the tablet with both hands.

"It's a motion for a strategic-level business trip, requiring your review. And... the situation is somewhat special."

Secretary Jin took the tablet, her fingertip sliding across the screen, her gaze quickly scanning the key information in the email.

Destination: Monaco, Monte Carlo

Purpose: Closed-door strategic discussions with senior management of [Crown Bank] regarding offshore financial cooperation, cross-border capital channel establishment, and other matters for strategic alignment.

Recommended accompanying personnel: Ouyang Xianyue

Suggested time: January 30th - February 4th

Her gaze finally settled on the four characters: "Ouyang Xianyue."

The room fell quiet.

Sarah stood respectfully to the side, eyes downcast, carefully observing her boss's expression from the corner of her eye.

That exquisitely beautiful face seemed to show little ripple.

But as a trusted aide who had followed her for many years, Sarah vaguely sensed something.

"Director Jin," she ventured to speak, "do you need me to immediately arrange a flight route and go to Monaco on your behalf?"

According to the top-level structure of the Tangjin Family Office, as the core decision-maker on the surface, Director Jin possessed "right to know" and "right to suggest" regarding any major strategic cooperation trips.

She could absolutely raise objections, convene an emergency executive committee meeting for discussion, or even forcibly halt this trip.

She could also arrange for more accompanying personnel—especially her own people.

Over the past years, whenever it involved important strategic-level matters and was related to Ms. Ouyang, Director Jin had always been extra cautious.

Sending her own people to keep an eye on things was almost standard practice.

Not to mention this matter involved Tang Song, Ouyang Xianyue, Anne Kate, and the entire Crown Bank.

Every keyword in the document stepped on her most sensitive points.

"No need." Jin Meixiao shook her head, handing the tablet back to her, her tone betraying no emotion. "Do not interfere in any way. Let it go through the normal approval process."

Sarah paused, didn't ask further, and simply nodded in acknowledgment. "Understood."

Next, Sarah began reporting on other pending work matters.

Secretary Jin lightly tapped her fingertips on her knee, listening quietly, nodding occasionally.

11:00 PM.

After Sarah left, the room returned to quietness.

Only the lights outside the window remained, gently floating in the night.

Secretary Jin stood up and picked up her private phone from the coffee table.

She tapped on that familiar contact.

The most recent chat was a photo of the [Xuanji Optical World] laboratory he had sent.

She opened the chat box, her fingertip landing on the keyboard, wanting to ask something.

But in the end, she closed the chat interface and turned off the screen.

Some things, since he hadn't communicated with her in advance, meant it was either inconvenient or unnecessary.

It had always been like this over the years.

But when her emotions fluctuated, he would react, seemingly always paying attention to her.

Be it a phone call, an email, or, of course, more often, in dreams.

A long time later.

Secretary Jin took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, suppressing all the churning, fragmented emotions in her heart.

She turned and walked into the suite's master bedroom, took her prescribed dose of Oryzanol tablets, and placed a small, low-dose melatonin tablet under her tongue.

After showering, she changed into a soft silk nightgown, lay down on the soft bed, turned on white noise, and set it to low-frequency rain sounds.

Swiss snow-capped mountains, Silicon Valley lights, Jing County streets, and Tang Song, Liu Qingning, Ouyang Xianyue...

These images flashed and intertwined in her mind, gradually melting into a soft chaos.

She didn't know how long had passed before her consciousness gradually blurred.

Her body grew lighter bit by bit, as if lifted by an invisible force.

Boundless mist slowly surged, gently enveloping her.

In a hazy, indistinct state, she seemed to still be standing in this hotel suite,

yet vaguely felt something was different.

There was a hint of a familiar scent in the air.

Suddenly, a pair of hands reached around from behind.

Gently embracing her body.

"Good evening, my Ms. Smile."

Secretary Jin's body stiffened slightly, then slowly relaxed.

She didn't turn around, just curved her eyes into a beautiful arc.

"President Tang, why have you come so suddenly?" Her voice carried a hint of lazy amusement. "If I haven't miscalculated, it should be around 3 PM in Shen City right now, shouldn't it? Is there something so urgent that you had to choose this time to come talk in my dream?"

"Missed you. Isn't that allowed?"

Tang Song's arms slowly tightened.

His fingertips pressed against her slender, soft waist, feeling the delicate, warm, smooth texture.

Secretary Jin seemed to sense something, gently pursed her lips, turned sideways, and slipped out of his embrace.

She didn't refute his words, just stepped on the soft carpet and elegantly sat down on the single armchair in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

The hem of her nightgown slipped slightly, revealing only a section of her pale, slender calf.

Tang Song smiled slightly, a thought stirring in his mind.

"Swish—"

The space opposite Secretary Jin twisted gently.

An identical single armchair quietly appeared.

Tang Song sat down, leaning forward slightly, his expression becoming a bit more serious.

"Next, I will comprehensively advance the cooperation between [Crown Bank] and the [Tangjin System], and gradually use it to replace [Miss Kate Bank]'s clearing and custodial role in our core business."

"I fully understand that." Secretary Jin looked at him, her tone calm and professional. "As Tangjin's scale continues to expand, having a completely controlled, independent payment system and financial infrastructure is the inevitable endgame. Regarding President Tang's layout in this regard, I will fully cooperate."

Tang Song nodded.

Then, clearly and densely, he began discussing his overall plan for Crown Bank.

This was a plan he had repeatedly simulated over the past days.

With his Comprehension breaking through ninety, the logic and details of the entire approach had been polished to be even more rigorous and precise.

The two of them were just like in many past years.

In this dream space that belonged only to them, they engaged in high-frequency, highly efficient communication.

Often, as soon as Tang Song proposed an idea, Secretary Jin could immediately grasp his train of thought, supplement details along that direction, and propose more professional implementation plans and risk contingency plans.

The current Tang Song possessed top-tier thinking with Comprehension breaking through ninety.

But in terms of knowledge reserves, he was still far inferior to Secretary Jin.

She was like a top-tier think tank he carried with him.

Their coordination was seamless.

As the familiar work rhythm returned,

Secretary Jin also completely relaxed, elegantly crossing her legs.

The hem of her nightgown lifted gently.

Her pale, well-proportioned legs glowed with a delicate sheen under the warm yellow light,

so captivating it was hard to look away.

Once the discussion on the core layout concluded.

Tang Song's gaze returned to her eyes. "And to truly get this Swiss private bank up and running domestically, I need to first open a breakthrough in the Huaxia market and establish compliant cross-border capital channels. In this stage, the facilitation of local political and business resources is crucial. Banks are different from other industries; their sensitivity is extremely high. So, I need Ouyang's help."

Secretary Jin was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. "President Tang said so much, but were you actually worried I'd get jealous?"

The corner of Tang Song's eye twitched slightly. "That reason certainly exists. After all, you are the most important in my heart. Your feelings must be my top priority. But the main reason is... I truly couldn't wait any longer to see you."

"Oh?" Jin Meixiao tilted her head slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering gently. "I didn't see President Tang being so urgent back when we were in Shen City."

"This is different."

"How is it different?"

Tang Song's gaze swept across this replicated hotel suite, finally landing deeply on her. "Here, it's a secret that belongs only to the two of us. It's also our unique romance, isn't it?"

Hearing these words.

The emotions that had been accumulating in Secretary Jin's eyes for a long time suddenly surged.

She gently bit her lower lip, barely suppressing the smile that was about to spill from the corner of her mouth.

"President Tang really is getting better at sweet talk. It seems having many girlfriends isn't for nothing."

Tang Song didn't take up this dangerous topic. He directly reached out and grasped her calf, exposed outside her nightgown.

Her skin was as delicate as porcelain, smooth like mutton-fat white jade.

He exerted a little force, and with a soft gasp from Secretary Jin, pulled her entire person into his embrace.

Warm yellow light wrapped in an ambiguous atmosphere slowly flowed between them.

Tang Song lowered his head, looking into her clear, spirited eyes, moving closer bit by bit.

"Starting today, I might appear in your dream at any time. Secretary Jin, are you ready?"

As his words fell, his increasingly close outline was reflected in her slightly widened eyes.

The next moment, his lips gently descended.

One of his hands supported her back.

The other hand, following the lines of her long, graceful leg, slowly traced upwards.

Within the dream.

Light, shadow, and space slowly rotated.

The room, the floor, the night scene, constantly transformed as if gently shattered.

The world seemed to contain only the two of them.

And Secretary Jin had long ago, in the gentle and prolonged dream, lost the last shred of clarity.

......

Xuanji Optical World, President's Office.

Tang Song woke up on the bed in the rest suite.

Consciousness gradually returned.

He picked up the phone on the nightstand to check the time.

16:32.

Only an hour had passed.

But he now felt refreshed and clear-headed. The dull ache and fatigue in his brain had completely vanished, and his spirit was restored.

From 9 AM to 3 PM, over six consecutive hours of high-intensity work and brainstorming had been terrifyingly draining on his energy. By the afternoon, he clearly felt his thinking slowing down and his eyelids growing heavy.

Fortunately, with the sleep buff from [Male-God Halo (LV5)], he could quickly rest in fragments and recover energy.

And coincidentally, Secretary Jin had also entered sleep.

So he eagerly activated [Dream Link], crossing the Pacific Ocean for a date.

It must be said, this unique way of meeting was truly very romantic.

Tang Song sat up from the bed, an unconscious smile of reminiscence curling at the corner of his mouth.

Secretary Jin's legs were truly perfectly aligned with his preferences.

Straight, well-proportioned, every inch of muscle contour just right.

Especially when wearing stockings, that extreme contrast between restraint and sensuality was simply blood-pumping.

Unfortunately, a dream is ultimately a dream.

After waking, everything was separated by a thin mist.

Those sensations, temperature, heartbeat—all felt as if behind a veil, not quite real.

He sighed, his gaze falling on the grayish sky outside the window.

He wondered when the next character interaction task would trigger, unlocking more permissions.

Tang Song got out of bed, changed his shoes, and pushed the door open to walk out of the rest suite.

Just as he sat down behind the desk, he noticed the internal system terminal on the desktop was lit with a green light.

That was a reminder left by the reception desk when someone visited.

Tang Song reached out and lightly tapped the screen.

A visitor information message popped up:

[Visitor: Chen Jing (Chairman's Secretary, Tang Yi Precision)]

[Waiting Time: 35 minutes]

Tang Song raised an eyebrow slightly, pressed the intercom button on the desk, and said calmly, "Let Secretary Chen in."

A moment later.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The heavy double wooden doors of the office were gently pushed open.

Secretary Chen, wearing a dark-colored professional suit and holding a tightly sealed manila envelope, walked in quickly.

"President Tang, good afternoon. I'm very sorry to disturb your rest."

"It's fine." Tang Song's gaze fell on the envelope. "Did Ms. Ouyang send you?"

Secretary Chen nodded slightly, presenting the envelope to Tang Song with both hands.

"Ms. Ouyang has already received the invitation from you and the Family Office Secretariat. This is what she instructed me to personally deliver to you—her reply to your invitation."

Tang Song took the envelope. It felt light in his hand.

"Alright, thank you for your trouble."

"You're too kind." Secretary Chen understood the cue, bowed slightly. "President Tang, I'll take my leave then."

"Goodbye."

The door was gently closed.

The office returned to quietness.

Tang Song looked down at the manila envelope in his hand, opened the seal, and took out a plain white envelope from inside.

Opening the envelope, inside was a neatly folded piece of gold-flecked rice paper.

Unfolding it.

Wild, unrestrained Cursive Script came into view.

The brushstrokes were sharp and powerful, the ink vivid and dripping, conveying a sense of unbridled freedom released after long suppression.

Tang Song's gaze swept over the rice paper, landing on the final line.

"Wait until the clouds part and the clear sky blends, let the spring tide soak through the peony's red."

After reading it softly, his expression became somewhat peculiar.

All along, because of her status and age, Ouyang Xianyue had always carried a layer of "elder" filter in his eyes.

This feeling wasn't entirely the same as that of a female CEO, after all, Ouyang Xianyue had truly been married.

Therefore, in his interactions with her, he had always maintained a certain degree of respect and restraint.

Last time in the study of the Shekou Villa, the passion and loss of composure displayed by this usually graceful and dignified noble lady, he thought was just a brief loss of control under the external influence of [Desire's Echo].

However, it now seemed that wasn't entirely the case.

After his interactions with her during this period, which were ambiguous and not without provocation.

She had actually directly written such an erotic poem.

Ms. Ouyang, I never expected you were this kind of person.

Such a contrast!

Tang Song pinched the high-quality rice paper in his hand, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

His anticipation for the yacht outing was instantly raised to its peak.

He wondered if that noble lady would truly have her "spring tide soak through the peony's red" once out on the open sea.

After carefully reading it several times.

Tang Song carefully folded the rice paper and placed it in the safe behind his desk.

"Click," he turned the combination dial, locking it.

After finishing this, he leaned back in his chair, took out his phone, and began dealing with the backlog of unread messages.

He was truly busy now.

Not just with work, but also with so many Wings that needed soothing.

The beautician, the junior, the designer, the partner... those far away in Yancheng also often sent messages.

Sometimes sharing a photo, sometimes a simple concern, sometimes just work-related chatter.

Feelings require time and energy to nurture.

As a standard male god, Tang Song never cut corners in this matter.

Messages were always replied to, and rarely perfunctorily.

Even if it was just sending an emoji, he had to make the other person feel "he is there."

Fortunately, after [Comprehension] broke through 90 and he unlocked [Brainstorming] and [Memory Palace], his brain had completely "overclocked."

Not only work efficiency, but even time management and multi-line chatting abilities had risen accordingly, handled with ease.

Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened, and lights began to shine along Shencheng Bay.

Tang Song chatted a few sentences with Liu Qingning on WeChat, confirming the location for their dinner date later.

Just as he was about to get up and leave.

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

His phone suddenly vibrated. It wasn't a regular WeChat message, but a video call request through the [Tangjin] internal encrypted line.

[Anne·Kate (Anne·Kate)]

Tang Song casually pressed the answer button.

The screen lit up, and Anne Kate's exquisite, beautiful face appeared in the center.

She seemed to be sitting in her office in Zurich.

She wore a deep V-neck French-style blouse made of silk, her dazzling blonde hair casually tied at the back of her head, revealing her slender neck and deep, captivating collarbones.

"Good evening, my dear Song." Her voice was husky, carrying a lazy yet dangerous magnetism. "Shen City should already be in the evening, right? I hope I'm not disturbing your wonderful night."

Tang Song's tone was calm. "Are you ready on your end?"

"Of course." Anne leaned back slightly into her chair, her ice-blue eyes fixed directly on him on the screen. "The handover channels on the [Crown Bank] side were all cleared the moment you notified me. In fact, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

She paused, her tone suddenly taking on a meaningful note.

"But I didn't know before that the person accompanying you to Monaco this time would actually be Ouyang Xianyue. Really... surprising."

Tang Song ignored the probing in her words. "[Crown Bank] formally entering the Huaxia market and completing the integration of the underlying financial ecosystem with [Tangjin] is the most important strategic layout next. This matter cannot afford any mistakes."

"I know." Anne shrugged nonchalantly, deliberately turning the phone camera slightly to expose more of the full, almost overflowing curve of her neckline in the frame. "Song, you underestimate me. I was just lying low before, unwilling to show too much. But now... since you've pushed me to the center of the table, holding real power, naturally, everything is different."

Tang Song's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze deepening. "What are you implying?"

"Implying? No, no, no." Anne laughed, a gorgeous yet thorny smile. "I'm just stating a fact, and by the way, hoping to get a little praise. Master."

She deliberately said the last two words in Chinese.

Tang Song didn't respond, letting her continue her performance.

"Alright, since you're not interested in my report card, let's change to a lighter topic and talk about Monaco." Anne shifted the subject, her tone becoming flippant. "That's a charming place. Yachts, casinos, F1 tracks... and beautiful girls full of hormones all over the streets."

"Song, you know what? Last week I even received an invitation to go there. Remember the Moe I mentioned to you? The heir of the Mellon family. He invited me to his private yacht party."

"So?" Tang Song leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at her.

"Oh, don't misunderstand, I haven't agreed yet." Anne waved her hand with a smile, but a certain crazy provocation flickered in her eyes. "To be honest, the number of similar invitations I've received lately is truly annoying."

"Those people lining up to see me, their bloodlines and origins are more exalted than the last, their backgrounds more special than the last."

"After all, the current Ms. Anne, holding real power in [Crown Bank], is already a far cry from the past."

"Those old-money families and certain forces desperately in need of liquidity are like sharks that have smelled blood, frantically swarming towards me."

"They've even started arranging all sorts of high-sounding 'blind dates' and 'social gatherings' for me through my elders."

She tilted her head slightly, her red lips curving into a charming yet dangerous arc. "Song, tell me... should I, perhaps, give it a little consideration?"

Their gazes confronted each other silently across more than ten thousand kilometers on the screen.

Tang Song could clearly feel.

This mare he had let loose in Europe was recently, due to the rapid expansion of her power, getting a bit carried away, even becoming restless.

She was frantically testing his bottom line, deliberately provoking him.

It was undeniable that she had succeeded.

His male instinct and sense of territoriality indeed made him feel extremely displeased.

"Anne."

"Hmm?"

"Are you provoking me?"

Anne blinked gently. "Provoke? How could I? I'm just sharing the rich and colorful life I've been having lately. Also, I'll tell you some good news. On the 15th of next month, I will officially attend the Kate Family Council and become its youngest formal member."

She raised her chin slightly.

"Isn't this worth—"

"Stand up."

Tang Song suddenly interrupted her, his voice not loud, but exceptionally cold.

Anne's smile instantly froze.

Looking into Tang Song's utterly emotionless eyes, her heart suddenly tightened inexplicably.

She bit her full lower lip, trying to maintain her previous arrogance, but her body, driven by instinct, slowly stood up from the chair.

"Kneel." Tang Song said faintly.

Anne's face instantly changed. "Song, you... you can't treat me like this..."

Her eyes flashed with intense shame and struggle.

But when she met those bottomless eyes again, her breathing involuntarily became rapid.

"Last time. Kneel."

The air seemed to solidify.

Anne's ample chest heaved violently.

The humiliation in her eyes was gradually replaced by a more complex emotion.

Finally, under his gaze, her body slowly descended.

Her knees together, she obediently knelt on the soft carpet of the office, her long swan neck slowly bowing down.

"Do you remember the words I wrote on you back in Modu?" Tang Song's voice was low.

Anne shuddered all over.

"... I remember."

Of course she remembered. That red marker pen, stroke by stroke, writing those words on her most private skin.

[Tang Song's Possession].

At the time, he even took a photo.

That indescribable shame and humiliation remained vivid even now.

"Good." Tang Song's tone was indifferent. "When I see you in Monaco, I want to see that phrase again, in the same place. This time, you write it yourself."

After saying this.

He didn't give Anne a chance to respond, directly pressing the end call button.

"Beep—"

The screen instantly went black.

The office returned to quietness.

Only the city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling window remained, like a silently flowing river of stars, quietly spread under the night sky.

"Tap, tap, tap—"

Low, unhurried footsteps headed towards the cloakroom.

A moment later, Tang Song, now changed into casual clothes, walked out.

He passed through the quiet corridor of the President's Office, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

The lights extended beneath his feet, ending at the elevator lobby.

"Take care, President Tang."

"President Tang, have a good weekend."

Employees stopped one after another, greeting him respectfully.

Tang Song nodded slightly, his steps not pausing.

"Ding—" The elevator door slowly opened,

then slowly closed.

The numbers jumped down floor by floor.

Soon arriving at B1.

The silver elevator doors slid open silently.

The air in the underground garage was slightly cool, carrying the mixed smell of concrete and engine oil.

Occasionally, car lights swept in the distance, casting flowing light and shadow between the thick pillars.

Tang Song stepped out of the elevator lobby, but his footsteps suddenly paused.

Beside a pillar ahead, a familiar figure stood quietly.

She wore a beige shearling coat and a sweater, making her look all fluffy.

In one hand, she held a handbag; the other hung gently by her side, as if she had been waiting there for a long time.

Liu Qingning looked at him, her smiling face like a flower.