Sweet as Honey and Sugar - Chapter 23:

She stared at the chat window, dazed. Two simple words blinked back at her,

but they stirred a thousand tangled feelings in her chest.

They gathered at her throat, but she couldn’t speak,

and that tightness made it hard to breathe.

Maybe it’s true that once people reach a certain age, they start to grow sentimental.

She felt unreasonably moved, as if those two ordinary words carried the

weight of a lifetime like telling a wanderer to come home or whispering

I miss you to someone who has only known loneliness.

For her, someone so ordinary, so unremarkable, to be remembered at all

wasn’t that something precious?

She hadn’t seen such heartfelt words in a long time.

It made her heart tremble for a fleeting moment, though only for that one breath.

She typed back a simple Mm and hit send.

The message had barely gone out when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She locked her phone away quickly. The employee looked troubled.

“Manager Yun is here for inspection. She’s looking for you.”

Yun Xining was standing with Director Zhang in the middle of the exhibition hall,

surrounded by a few employees. Their conversation was indistinct,

but Yun’s expression was dark, her brows tightly drawn.

She looked deeply displeased.

One glance, and He Qingrou knew this wouldn’t end well.

She approached, calm and polite.

“Manager Yun, Director Zhang.”

Director Zhang nodded with a strained smile. Yun Xining didn’t bother hiding her scowl.

Her first words were an accusation.

“I heard from the logistics team that you took in a car without authorization.”

So word had already spread this far? That was fast.

He Qingrou steadied her expression and answered evenly,

“Yes. It was an unclaimed vehicle. I verified the situation and

reported it to the venue liaison before having it moved to logistics for temporary storage.”

She spoke carefully, keeping her tone professional and her reasoning watertight.

Everything had been handled properly otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to accept the car.

But Yun Xining still found a flaw to pick at. Her voice rose sharply.

“And why didn’t you report it to your superior first?

What if something went wrong—would you take responsibility?

What if the delivery team made a mistake? You think you can just take in any car you want?

You say you reported it, so why not let the venue handle it?

Do you think you’re capable enough to take full responsibility yourself?”

He Qingrou’s fingers tightened, but she kept her composure.

Yun was her superior; arguing back would be unwise.

She bowed her head slightly.

“Apologies for the trouble.”

She was the on-site coordinator. This sort of small issue fell within her rights to manage.

Reporting everything upward would waste hours, and the venue staff

were always reluctant to take on any risk slow, evasive, inefficient.

Yun didn’t understand the situation, and no amount of explanation would help.

Even if the car had been misplaced, it wasn’t her fault.

Since when did finding a lost item make the finder guilty?

Yun Xining wasn’t correcting her—she was looking for a fight.

But He Qingrou’s position was low, her influence smaller still.

When a powerful person wanted to make things difficult, all she could do was endure it.

“You already know,” Yun said icily. Her voice carried resentment not just toward the board,

not just toward Lin Nai, but toward anyone remotely connected to her.

The sarcasm in her tone dripped with disdain.

Before coming here, she had run into Yang Xingyi, freshly back from Nancheng.

Yang had taunted her with pointed remarks about Lin Nai most of which Yun didn’t believe.

But now Lin Nai was avoiding her entirely, refusing even a single meeting,

and Yun’s pride wouldn’t let her chase. The anger had been simmering ever since.

She’d been following Lin Nai’s every move. She knew Lin hadn’t gone home after returning to

Beijing. She knew which projects she’d taken, who she met with, who she supported.

All of it was within Yun’s line of sight including He Qingrou.

Lin Nai, so proud and ambitious, had requested to be stationed in Nancheng,

claiming it was for “experience.” Yun didn’t believe that for a second.

Back when Lin first joined the company, she’d refused to start even as a secretary.

Nancheng’s opportunities couldn’t compare to Beijing’s

there was no reason to go there unless for something else.

The trail of clues had led straight to He Qingrou.

Yun could not, for the life of her, understand what Lin Nai saw in this woman.

Someone like He Qingrou couldn’t even step foot in the Lin family’s house.

The gap between them was like heaven and earth. What was this a Cinderella fantasy?

What infuriated her most was how intentional it all felt, as if carefully planned from the start.

Lin Nai never did anything without purpose. Her move to Nancheng was no accident.

Suppressing the fire inside her, Yun stared down He Qingrou with sharp contempt.

“The site’s a mess—no cars placed, no display boards up.

As the person in charge, can’t you handle even the smallest tasks?

Did the company send you here just to stand around?”

Her voice cracked like a whip across the silent hall.

She swept her gaze across the staff. “What are you waiting for?

Planning to start after the car show opens tomorrow?”

The employees exchanged panicked glances and quickly scattered,

desperate not to be caught in the storm.

Director Zhang gave an awkward laugh, trying to ease the tension.

“Team Leader He is new to this project. It’s her first time, so there might be a few oversights.

I hope you’ll understand.”

He shot He Qingrou a warning look, silently begging her to bow her head,

apologize anything to smooth things over. But she stood still, eyes downcast, silent.

Yun’s frown deepened.

“I don’t know what management was thinking, picking people with no experience.

Blind ambition, no skill.”

Director Zhang felt his stomach twist. He couldn’t argue these appointments came from above,

part of the company’s “support new talent” policy. Still, Yun’s tone was hard to swallow.

He chuckled weakly. “We’ll make sure to be more careful next time.

Actually, the outer hall is ready now would you like to take a look?”

He knew how to read a room offering her an easy exit without confrontation.

Yun’s face eased a fraction. She gave He Qingrou one last look, her tone cold.

“I’ll come back tonight to inspect again. If it’s still not done properly,

don’t bother showing up tomorrow. We can always replace you.”

He Qingrou’s brow furrowed. She raised her eyes and met Yun’s glare head-on.

Director Zhang’s heart skipped a beat. He glanced nervously between the two.

One was his superior; the other had been personally recommended by the board.

He was caught right in the middle.

“Let’s go,” Yun said curtly, turning to leave.

He silently wiped the sweat from his palms. Thank goodness

He Qingrou hadn’t snapped back, or this would have been a disaster.

But before they could take a step, He Qingrou spoke.

“No need, Manager Yun.”

Yun stopped in her tracks, eyes narrowing.

“What did you say?”

He Qingrou’s voice was calm, clear, every word distinct.
“I’ll handle this area. Director Lin has already given me the instructions.

You’re busy enough you don’t have to come here personally.”

Everything they did followed a plan what to do, when to do it.

There was no chaos, no guesswork. Yun, without knowing anything,

had come in barking orders, trying to take over. It was too much.

“So you’re using Lin Nai to pressure me?” Yun’s tone turned glacial,

the air around them cold enough to freeze.

“No,” He Qingrou said quietly, meeting her eyes without flinching.

By nine that night, the exhibition work was finally wrapping up.

Xiao Wu jogged over, asking if she wanted to join everyone for dinner.

He Qingrou already had plans. She thanked them kindly and declined,

reminding them to rest early the car show would be busy tomorrow.

Once they left, the venue grew quiet. Though the lights still blazed, most of the staff had gone.

A few people lingered in scattered corners, either chatting or finishing last-minute work.

Still no message from Lin Nai.

So she waited, pacing the inner hall. She greeted a few familiar faces in passing,

then checked her phone again.

Nothing.

After half an hour, just as she was about to type a message herself,

the screen lit up Lin Nai had sent her one first.

She was at the entrance.

He Qingrou stepped outside. A black Land Rover was parked by the curb,

the passenger door open. Inside sat Lin Nai, dressed in an ivory casual outfit strikingly

similar to her own, though a different cut.

As she approached, He Qingrou noticed a stack of neatly packed meal boxes on the

back seat transparent lids revealing an array of carefully prepared dishes.

She bent down and slipped inside. The moment she closed the door, Lin started the engine.

The car rolled slowly away from the venue, heading toward a quiet spot

beneath the old Yan Pagoda, its lights glowing golden in the night.

The pagoda stood tall and ancient, bathed in warm light,

but their parked car sat in shadow a secluded corner hidden from the world.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Lin said softly,

“Uncle Song wants to see you.”

He Qingrou blinked. Song Tianzhong? What could he want with her?

Perhaps something about the cooperation between their companies.

It made sense she was the project contact, after all.

She glanced out at the dark street. “Then let’s go quickly. It’s almost ten-thirty.”

The night outside was still and empty. Inside the car, the air grew oddly heavy,

the silence intimate and close.

“No rush,” Lin murmured, turning off all the lights. Then she leaned across the console,

straddled her lap, and caught He Qingrou’s hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it.

Her breath brushed her ear as she whispered low and deliberate.

“Let’s wait a little longer…”