In the elevator, Lei Yu's gaze swept over Fang Yu imperceptibly. Though her eyes fell on his outrageously countrified, hopelessly unfashionable attire, her delicate features betrayed not a flicker of surprise or disdain.
Just who was this man? How had he earned a personal audience with the chairman himself?
In Lei Yu's eyes, Mr. Yan Huaimin, chairman of the Yan Group, was a titan of industry, his days swamped with an endless torrent of urgent affairs. For most people to secure a meeting with him, a reservation weeks in advance was required; even the most urgent requests demanded a minimum of three days' notice. Yet today, the chairman had explicitly told her to wait downstairs for a man named Fang Yu, to escort him directly up to his office, and to turn away all other visitors without exception.
Though a thousand questions swirled in her mind, Lei Yu dared not speak out of turn. Yet when she saw Fang Yu gazing around the elevator like an overawed, wide-eyed child, her face darkened with exasperation.
At last, she could no longer contain her curiosity, and asked, "Mr. Fang Yu, I presume you're here to apply for a senior position? Might I ask what your relationship is with Chairman Yan?"
"I couldn't say. Someone referred me here." Fang Yu had been studying the elevator with rapt curiosity, his eyes fixed on the slowly climbing numbers beside the door, and he replied offhandedly when Lei Yu's question reached his ears.
"Hehe, surely you must be a relative of Chairman Yan's?" Lei Yu asked tentatively. By now, she was utterly convinced that the man before her was nothing more than a simple country boy fresh from the backwoods.
As a long-serving employee of the Yan Group, Lei Yu knew full well how rigorous the company's hiring standards were. Even entry-level staff were required to hold at least a bachelor's degree, and even the bodyguards were handpicked exclusively from dedicated police academies or retired military personnel. The Fang Yu standing before her clearly met neither of these criteria, which was precisely what had led her to her earlier assumption.
"I don't know this Chairman Yan you speak of." Fang Yu rubbed the bridge of his nose, his tone guileless and innocent. Though the woman before him was reasonably attractive, he had no patience for overly chatty, inquisitive women. What's more, it was clear to him that Assistant Lei was fishing for information about his background, and the attempt stirred a sharp sense of distaste within him.
"Oh, hehe, please forgive my impertinence." Lei Yu was left floundering by his blunt reply, and she laughed awkwardly. Just then, the elevator chimed, coming to a smooth halt on the eighteenth floor.
The doors slid open, and Lei Yu stepped out, turning to Fang Yu with a polite smile. "Mr. Fang Yu, please follow me."
"Mm." Fang Yu said nothing more, falling into step behind her and walking slowly forward.
"We're here, Mr. Fang Yu. The chairman is waiting for you inside. I shall take my leave now." She came to a stop outside the chairman's office door, offering him a respectful smile. With a quick nod to Fang Yu, she turned and departed swiftly, not daring to linger for a moment.
Once Lei Yu had vanished down the corridor, Fang Yu stood alone before the chairman's office door, a faint, unruffled smile playing across his lips.
Though Lei Yu had spent the entire elevator ride prying into his background, he had played the fool the whole time. Before he'd left the mountains, the old man had told him everything there was to know. He had come to City A for one purpose alone: to protect the young miss of the Yan family. What's more, the old man had promised that once this task was complete, he would be free to rest and live as he pleased for a good long while.
He paused for a brief moment of quiet contemplation, then rapped his knuckles gently against the solid wood of the office door. When a voice from within called out to invite him in, Fang Yu slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.