The sweetheart of a strong president

Dai Chao watched as Su Wan and her husband's car disappeared around the corner. Like a playful elf, it vanished in a flash. He stood there, stunned, like a wooden stake under a spell, his soul seemingly escaping with Su Wan's car. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his finger. It was his cigarette, the butt a tiny demon, biting him hard. He composed himself and hurried toward Lan Lan's ward.

As soon as Lan Lan saw Dai Chao coming in, she jokingly said, "Hey, what's up? After seeing someone off, you're still reluctant to come back? Maybe you want to follow the back of the car to take a closer look?"

Dai Chao tucked in Lan Lan's blanket and rolled his eyes at her. He said, "Stop talking nonsense here. You're like a sick cat, worrying so much. Be careful not to get sick from worrying too much."

"Hey, that sounds quite plausible, like something a caring husband would say." Lan Lan smiled slyly and continued, "But I know what you're thinking. Are you planning on calling me to account?"

"Oh, you're quite smart. You guessed it all." Dai Chao said in surprise.

"Of course. Your thoughts are just like those of a child playing house in front of me. I can see through them at a glance." Lan Lan raised her eyebrows proudly.

"Then tell me why you called Su Wan here. Look at Lin Zihan's miserable expression. The words 'I'm unhappy' are almost written on his face. He's like a big baby who has been wronged." Dai Chao imitated Lin Zihan's expression, making Lan Lan giggle.

"Who cares? As long as my best friend is happy, that's all that matters. Besides, it's so lively with her here. Otherwise it would be so boring." Lan Lan said nonchalantly.

"Why are you arguing with Lin Xiaomei? She's just a troublemaker. Do you really think she's a real dish? I'll fire her tomorrow to stop her from being an eyesore."

"No, please don't be impulsive. Think about it, even if she doesn't exist, someone like Zhang Xiaomei or Wang Xiaomei might show up in the future. It would be fun to have her here as a shield." Lan Lan flirted with Dai Chao, her eyes seeming to say, "You know what I mean."

"You are just bored and have nothing better to do, so you set up an imaginary enemy and have fun with it." Dai Chao couldn't help laughing.

"I just can't stand her arrogant look. She becomes so ignorant every day, as if all men in the world belong to her. Can she even dream of my husband? Humph!" Lan Lan said indignantly.

Dai Chao sighed inwardly, thinking: What a silly woman! Your husband is still thinking about Su Wan. Why are you arguing with him? What is there to be proud of? However, he pretended to be calm.

Dai Chao felt guilty, so he spent the day in the hospital ward, hoping to make amends elsewhere. Except for their lunch break, the couple chatted incessantly throughout the day. Lan Lan chattered like a bird, and Dai Chao chattered along—he usually spent more time at the law firm and the court, and Lan Lan took every opportunity to exploit him. He managed to cheer Lan Lan up, and only then did his guilt ease slightly.

Lin Zihan saw Dai Chao's distant gaze in the rearview mirror and felt unhappy, as if Su Wan would leave him if Dai Chao looked at her one more moment.

Lin Zihan's knuckles tapped out a Morse code-like rhythm on Su Wan's shoulder. The car's insulator was emitting the scent of cedar mixed with bergamot, as if the entire autumn had been pickled into the glass window.

"If Lawyer Dai's look could be realized, the rearview mirror would have been covered in ice three feet thick."

He tightened his grip. "Madam, would you consider developing an anti-peeping coating specifically for those with advanced cases of 'Wife-Looking Stone'?"

Su Wan's nose brushed against the second button of his shirt. "Is Mr. Lin jealous or is he measuring the pH value?"

He subconsciously put his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her against his chest.

"Fighting green tea is a waste of brainpower, take a break."

"No, you don't know. It's really cool! That Ms. Lin's face turned green with anger today."

"This is the first time I've seen you act so smug. My wife is so down to earth!"

"Do you know how to praise people?" She raised her head angrily, and he smiled and kissed her forehead.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the hotel shrouded in twilight, Lin Zihan leaned lazily on the armrest of the sofa, the mobile phone in his hand vibrating like a death warrant.

"Vice President Li's call is even more accurate than the Beidou satellite." Lin Zihan shouted towards the kitchen, waving his phone. The blue light from the screen made the tip of his nose shine.

Su Wan came out with a celadon teacup in hand. The scent of mint mixed with the lingering aroma of Longjing tea lingered on his nose. "I'm sure she's asking if you want to pick an auspicious day for the release of those giant steel beasts?" (The release of the giant steel beasts refers to the launch of the flying cars.)

He deliberately threw his phone into the fluffy goose down pillows, the metallic clashing sound mixed with a muffled laugh: "He's just impatient, leave him alone."

"In ancient times, people would recite a poem before removing the veil from their bride's head. Yet, you're being so casual about a project worth hundreds of billions of dollars? When did Mr. Lin become so relaxed?"

Su Wan dipped her fingertips in tea and drew a wavy line on the back of his hand. "Who was it that almost cried out to the heavens while holding the circuit board in the lab? Now he's like an old monk in meditation."

(Flashback: On a rainy night at the R&D center, Su Wan grabbed a whiteboard marker covered in garbled characters and reverse-engineered the algorithm parameters on the bulletproof glass. The red marks fell like plum blossoms in the cold winter. Lin Zihan, standing by, took care of everything.)

Lin Zihan understood very well that the launch of a new means of transportation was a big deal, but compared to his wife, it was just a small matter.

"If Mrs. Lin hadn't used fluid dynamics formulas to break through the mystery of LiDAR..." He suddenly sat up straight, his fingertips tracing the lines of wisdom in her palm. "Now those engineers should be calling you Su Tesla Da Vinci Wan."

Su Wan flicked his brow with her finger. "Don't be so nagging. Last quarter's financial report also showed that each test car was loaded with an extra three kilograms of coffee beans. Mr. Lin plans to switch the autonomous driving system to delivering food?"

"Their testing is incredibly slow. I'm asking them to work overtime, and they're doing me a disservice. Plenty of coffee!"

"No hurry now?"

When the grandfather clock struck nine, Su Wan was rolling her coat into a baguette shape and stuffing it into the suitcase.

"Wait." Lin Zihan suddenly grabbed her collar, "What are you doing..."

"Of course I'm going back."

He buried his face in her hair and protested in a muffled voice: "Aren't you going to spend more time with your bestie?"

"She's doing fine now, and her husband never leaves her side. It's inappropriate for me to stay here."

Lin Zihan grinned.

The moonlight spread over the car keys on the coffee table, and two overlapping smiling faces were reflected on the metal surface, like lotus flowers blooming in a steel jungle.

Inside the Vice President's office, nestled within the towering Shangzhi Group building in H City, CEO Li paced like an ant on a hot pan, constantly scratching his increasingly thinning hair, as if he could devise a solution within that tiny space. His assistant, like a straight pole, stood across from his desk, eagerly awaiting the Vice President's instructions, looking like a pawn awaiting his general's orders.

Mr. Li frowned and said helplessly, "Mr. Lin's schedule is still uncertain. Please quickly inform the media that the listing event originally scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled."

Upon hearing this, the assistant's face instantly wrinkled into a bitter melon, and he stammered, "Mr. Li, this...this is a bit difficult. The media are tough to deal with. They're like cannonballs, barging questions at every opportunity. If we don't have a convincing reason, they might come up with some nasty speculations, and then we'll be in a passive position."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Li flew into a rage and said, "No excuse? Even if you don't, you'll have to come up with one! Go tell the PR department right away and have them be ready for PR at any time, just like a soldier ready to go to the battlefield. Without Mr. Lin's word, I'm unsure what to do!"

Mr. Li hadn't finished his complaints when his phone suddenly rang like a mischievous ghost. He saw it was Mr. Lin, and quickly picked up the phone, as if welcoming a distinguished guest. Mr. Lin said, "The event will continue as usual."

After hanging up the phone, the two people in the office looked at each other with a tacit understanding in their eyes. They smiled at each other, and Mr. Li couldn't help but teasing, "Hey, I knew Mr. Lin wasn't so unreliable. He's still reliable at the critical moment. Otherwise, I'd be worried about losing all my hair!"