Tonight Wasn't So Cold

The argument went on for nearly a minute. Then the conference room fell silent, and every gaze turned to Mo Xie at the head of the table.

Mo Xie rested his cheek on one hand, tapping his fingers against the table in a steady rhythm.

After a while, he clasped his hands in front of him and leaned forward, his gaze sharpening.

"Activate the emergency backup plan."

"The emergency backup plan?!"

"But..."

Everyone in the conference room looked at one another, their faces full of shock and hesitation.

"Boss, isn't activating the emergency backup plan a little rash?"

At last, someone could not help asking Mo Xie.

"Rash?"

At that, Mo Xie gave a cold smile and leaned back in his chair, his face otherwise expressionless.

"The Zhou Group wronged us first. They can't blame us for what comes next! The Zhou Group has no reason to exist anymore. And..."

That sworn enemy who had colluded with the Zhou Group and kept trying to suppress Chenxi probably didn't need to exist either.

Mo Xie smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in it.

"Every department is to mobilize its people, including the Hangzhou branch. I'll send you the next steps. Follow the plan to the letter... Chenxi has played it safe for so long that they've forgotten we can strike back."

"Understood!"

Everyone in the conference room nodded solemnly and immediately got to work.

The meeting lasted more than an hour. Everyone filed out, leaving only Mo Xie, Jiang Ya, and Lin Jiayu.

Jiang Ya came over and placed her tablet in front of Mo Xie.

"Boss, this person has been watching us for a while."

Mo Xie froze when he saw the person on the screen, then blinked.

He knew her. Wasn't that Tang Yue?

Was she the one who followed me this afternoon?

But how did she find this place?

Mo Xie frowned, startled and uncertain.

"Boss, should we make her leave?"

Seeing Mo Xie's frown, Jiang Ya asked him.

After a moment's thought, Mo Xie shook his head and handed the tablet back.

"If she wants to hide in that corner, let her. Don't pay her any attention."

"Hmph! Another shameless vixen from who knows where, hoping to seduce the boss."

Lin Jiayu folded her arms with a huff and whispered to Jiang Ya.

"That's enough. Keep it down."

That girl really doesn't know when to hold back.

Jiang Ya shot her a warning look.

Mo Xie had heard Lin Jiayu, of course, but he chose to ignore her.

Tang Yue's arrival had genuinely surprised Mo Xie. He could not understand how she had tracked him here.

He clearly remembered shaking her off on the straightaway. There was no way she could have kept up.

If it had been Wind Wings, Mo Xie might have believed it. But Shadow Escape? Please.

If Tang Yue wanted to hide, she could hide. Given enough time, she would probably leave on her own.

"Jiang Ya, Jiayu, come to my office. There are a few things I need to explain."

"All right."

Mo Xie rose and left the conference room. Jiang Ya and Lin Jiayu followed him to the office on the top floor.

Night had fallen. Brilliant neon lights shone across the city, pulling it back from the dark.

A breeze swept up a few fallen leaves, sending them spinning through the air.

It was still March, nowhere near summer, and the night wind had a chill to it.

Beneath a streetlight, a figure crouched behind a flower bed, facing the cold breeze.

She hugged herself tightly, her body trembling. In the pool of light, she looked a little forlorn.

"Achoo!"

Tang Yue shivered and could not hold back a sneeze.

She was a Fire Element mage, but her clothes were thin, and the night was cold.

"Damn it, it's almost nine! Why hasn't that Little Rascal come out yet?"

Tang Yue fixed her eyes on Chenxi's entrance and bit her lower lip.

She had been lying in wait for almost four hours since finding the building.

Tang Yue had originally planned to use Shadow Escape to slip through the entrance and see what Mo Xie was doing inside.

But as soon as she approached, the two security guards looked straight toward her, forcing her to retreat.

Only after sensing their strength did she realize that both guards were Intermediate Mages—and fairly capable ones at that.

Tang Yue had heard of Chenxi. It was a rising star that had appeared a few years ago and made some waves in the business world.

But stationing two Intermediate Mages as security guards at the entrance was going overboard!

In Bo City, a single Intermediate Mage could enjoy considerable status.

Yet here were two of them working as guards. Since when had Intermediate Mages become so common in Bo City?

If she hadn't been afraid of being discovered, she would have used her Fire Element Magic Energy to warm herself up instead of freezing out here.

Earlier, when she tried using Fire Burst, one of the guards had headed toward the flower bed. Luckily, she had slipped into the shadows in time.

She found it astonishing. Even a security guard could detect her now?

Little did Tang Yue know that a hidden camera above her was pointed right at her.

Her every move was being watched, and the control room relayed what it saw to the guards through their Headsets.

If she used Magic, the guards would be told to stop her immediately.

Tang Yue knew none of this, which was why she had run into so much trouble.

Another cool breeze passed, lifting her soft hair.

"Hah..."

Tang Yue breathed warmth onto her hands and rubbed them together.

Suddenly, something blocked the cold breeze, and a roomy coat settled over her shoulders.

Tang Yue paused and looked up. A hand was extended in front of her.

Following it upward, she found its owner looking down at her with a mischievous grin.

"Well, if it isn't the ever-righteous Teacher Tang Yue. What are you doing out here? You'll freeze."

The moment Tang Yue saw that it was Mo Xie, she sprang to her feet.

But after crouching for nearly four hours, her legs had gone numb. There was no way she could stand properly.

As soon as she rose, her legs gave out and she pitched toward the ground.

Seeing the ground rush closer, Tang Yue knew she was in trouble and squeezed her eyes shut.

But the pain of hitting the ground never came. Instead, she felt something firm and warm.

She opened her eyes to find herself in Mo Xie's arms, her hands braced against his chest.

Mo Xie's arms had settled around her waist to keep her from falling again.

For a moment, Tang Yue rested quietly against Mo Xie. Her first thought was how warm his body was. Even her own body felt less cold.

"Don't... Let go of me..."

Realizing how close they were, Tang Yue began struggling in Mo Xie's arms.

"Hey, stop moving!"

Tang Yue shoved him hard and broke free from Mo Xie's arms. But her legs still had no strength, and she began to fall again.

Mo Xie sighed helplessly and caught her.

"See? Your legs are too weak."

Tang Yue's face flushed bright red. Unable to argue, she muttered under her breath.

"Little Rascal..."

"Hey, what's with 'Little Rascal'? Could you stop giving people nicknames?"

"That's what you are."

Mo Xie curled his lip, unwilling to indulge her.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Tang Yue's hands were red from the cold. He breathed on his own hands until they were warm, then gently rubbed hers.

"Hands as pretty as these shouldn't get hurt by the cold."

Tang Yue stared at Mo Xie as he kept breathing warmth onto her hands and rubbing them with such gentle care. A sparkle rose in her bright eyes.

She even began to feel that tonight was not so cold after all.

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