Chapter 37: Do you wish it to be true? Or false?

Sleeping until well past mid-morning, Autumn Lu was finally dragged from her groggy slumber by a relentless stream of WeChat notifications.

Sunlight filtered through the heavy curtain gaps, casting bright bands of light across the floor—it was clearly nearing noon.

She struggled to reach for her phone on the bedside table, squinting to unlock the screen, only to be instantly flooded with unread messages.

[Lin Xiaoyu]: @Autumn Lu, Autumn, are you feeling better? We haven’t seen you online all morning—I was so worried!

[Zhang Zhiwei]: +1, Assistant Lu, do you want me to bring you lunch? Today’s menu has braised ribs and oil-braised prawns!

[Fu Yao]: Little Lu, your health comes first. Rest more. I’ve already informed President He about your condition.

[Su Nuo]: Take your medicine on time. Contact the admin department if you need anything.

Seeing the scrolling stream of caring messages, Autumn Lu’s foggy mind cleared just a bit, and a warmth stirred within her heart.

She replied thoughtfully to each one: “Thank you all for your concern, I’m much better now! No need to bring lunch, I’ll fix something myself later.”

After a full night’s sleep and taking her medicine, the fierce acute gastroenteritis that had struck so suddenly the night before finally began to subside. Though a dull ache lingered in her stomach, she was at least alive and on the mend.

She threw back the covers and stepped out of bed, her bare feet sinking softly into the plush carpet as she made her way to the bathroom for a hot shower.

The warm water cascaded over her body, washing away the last traces of fatigue and illness, leaving her feeling refreshed and light.

Drying her hair, she changed into a comfortable new outfit, applying moisturizer as she casually scrolled through her phone.

Her finger paused suddenly on a message sent two hours earlier.

Sender: [J]

Content: [Have you taken your medicine?]

Brief and to the point, just like him.

Autumn Lu pursed her lips, thinking: Capitalists only ever care about whether productivity can be restored.

As she pondered this, her finger flicked down and landed on another unread message from Zhou Lin:

[Zhou Lin]: Assistant Lu, are you feeling better? President He asked about you this morning before leaving.

Autumn Lu’s hand stopped mid-motion as she dried her hair.

Had she been too impulsive yesterday?

Not only had she snapped at Miss Zhou, but she had also been unfriendly to He Jingyue.

Even though he had coldly observed from the sidelines at first, it was still He who had taken her to the hospital, covered her medical expenses, and even stayed in the ward for a while.

Besides, she was still undercover at He Corporation—for now, at least working there.

Autumn Lu took a deep breath.

Well, considering his handsome face and the help he’d given, she decided to let it slide.

She put down the towel, took the medicine the doctor prescribed from her bag, and obediently swallowed it with warm water.

Autumn Lu applied for discharge from the hospital.

Standing before He Jingyue’s door, she summoned her courage twice before raising her hand to ring the bell.

After a moment, a familiar deep voice came from inside: “Come in.”

She pushed the door open and leaned in halfway: “President He, I heard you wanted to see me this morning?”

He Jingyue sat on the sofa, a slim laptop resting on his lap, fingers gliding over the touchpad, likely sorting through emails.

He looked up at the sound, his gaze behind gold-rimmed glasses sweeping over her face. “Feeling better?”

“Thank you for your concern, President He,” Autumn Lu stepped inside and closed the door behind her, “Much better.”

“Hm.” He responded shortly, then returned his attention to the laptop, giving no sign of wanting to say more.

“...”

What kind of attitude was that?

Was that all he had to say?

Not a word about the night market incident yesterday?

His casual dismissal left her carefully constructed, rehearsed excuse lodged awkwardly in her throat, unable to rise or fall.

Autumn Lu pressed her lips together, nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of her loungewear. Her mind raced, trying to steer the conversation naturally back to yesterday’s matter.

“Well, about yesterday...” she ventured tentatively.

He Jingyue’s fingers didn’t pause on the keyboard, and he didn’t look up: “What, Miss Zhou didn’t give you trouble? You find that strange? Or did my part in the argument not land well enough and you want to add something?”

“Of course not!” Autumn Lu replied quickly.

So that meant he had handled things with Zhou Shiyan and wasn’t going to pursue her outburst from yesterday?

Since the big boss was ready to move on, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to dredge up old trouble.

By the looks of it, he seemed in a decent mood today.

At least, he hadn’t docked her bonus or handed her a three-thousand-word self-criticism report.

The only sound in the room was the crisp tapping of his keyboard.

Autumn Lu found a spot at the other end of the sofa, hugging a soft pillow. She casually brought up, with a tone of post-crisis small talk: “By the way, President He, what about Miss Zhou and her friend from yesterday? I was so dizzy I didn’t get a chance to ask. Are they alright?”

She paused, as if recalling something, her beautiful apricot eyes flickering with just the right hint of curiosity. “Zhou Shiyan... that name sounds familiar.”

She pulled out her phone, scrolling through the screen: “Ah, I remember now! I think I saw a financial gossip post saying He Corporation and the Zhou family from Chengdong are considering a marriage alliance? Could that Miss Zhou be the same one?”

Carefully watching He Jingyue’s reaction, she continued: “I heard the chairman’s wife has been urging you to settle down lately. Is this true or just a rumor? Are you really planning to marry into the Zhou family?”

She finished speaking, her innocent yet inquisitive eyes fixed unwaveringly on He Jingyue, awaiting his answer.

The keyboard tapping stopped without warning.

After a moment, He Jingyue snapped his laptop shut with a sharp click and set it on the coffee table.

He glanced at his watch and then stood.

Autumn Lu’s eyes instinctively followed his movement.

He took a few steps toward her, looking down from above, his gaze behind the lenses deep and inscrutable, tinged with an amused knowingness.

He bent slightly, closing the distance between them, and the crisp scent of cedar engulfed her. His voice was low and slow.

“Autumn Lu,” he tugged at the corner of his mouth in an unreadable expression, “which do you wish were true—the rumor, or the reality?”

Her heart skipped an inexplicable beat.

The room fell so silent she could hear her own breathing.

Forcing herself to remain calm, she met his probing gaze with flawless composure, as if truly considering only her boss’s interests:

“I’m just worried that if the marriage alliance rumor is true, my impulsiveness yesterday might have left a bad impression on Miss Zhou, which could affect your relationship with the Zhou family. After all, I am your assistant.”

“Is that so?” He Jingyue chuckled lightly.

Then, straightening up, his voice deepened: “Autumn Lu, whether true or false, this is not something you should concern yourself with.”

“...”

Having said that, he no longer looked at her, heading straight for the door and gripping the handle.

As he opened the door to leave, his footsteps paused briefly, but he did not turn back. Instead, he coldly tossed over his shoulder:

“If you have time for these wild thoughts, you’d better remember to take your medicine on time. Don’t pull another midnight hospital stunt and waste medical resources.”

With that, the door closed with a soft but firm thud, cutting off his figure.

Autumn Lu hugged the pillow, chest rising and falling as she faced the shut door. The subtle tension just moments ago was instantly doused by this cold splash.

She slammed the pillow down on the sofa.

“He Jingyue, you damn dog of a man!”

She had known it—his words and his heart would never be anything but troublesome!

So arrogant! So infuriating! So utterly detestable!