"President Yuan."
Only after they entered the guest-room corridor in the castle's west wing did Shen Yi manage to gently catch Yuan Chen's arm.
He discreetly tugged at his wrist, still held in a tight grip, and watched Yuan Chen's expression with extreme caution.
"Was there... something wrong with that conversation?"
It was rare for Yuan Chen to display such undisguised, barely contained anger.
Shen Yi could not help worrying. Silence lingered in the old stone corridor for a moment.
After he waited patiently, Yuan Chen's tightly pressed lips finally parted a little. He raised a hand and irritably loosened his meticulously knotted tie, the gesture betraying an unmistakable agitation.
"...Don't ask. This time, do as I say."
The answer allowed no argument. In their working relationship, Yuan Chen was always the decision-maker, and as the one carrying out his decisions, Shen Yi was expected to obey.
Unable to press further, Shen Yi could only nod.
In the end, everyone in the entourage except Shen Yi would attend the signing ceremony.
While the rest of the team busied themselves with final checks of the documents and details, Yuan Chen's expression remained as cold and hard as stone.
Shen Yi approached without a word, deftly straightened his tie, and smoothed the tiny creases in the silk.
To be so unsettled on the eve of such an important signing... Yuan Chen was truly acting unlike himself.
"I'll stay in the room and remain on standby. If you need anything, please contact me immediately."
His sharp gaze settled on Shen Yi's face with an almost physical weight. Yuan Chen seemed to want to say something, his Adam's apple bobbing once, but in the end he merely clenched his jaw and let out a stifled sigh through his nose.
He released the hand he