322: Chapter 322 Massaging Binglan!

Shuyue Group, CEO's Office.

Ye Chen pushed the door open and entered, his gaze scanning the room.

Li Qin wasn't there, and the computer screen was black; she had likely gone to handle other matters.

Bing Lan sat behind the desk, her head lowered as she browsed through documents. Her long, slender fingers tapped gently on rows of data, occasionally jotting something down in a nearby notebook.

Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, coating her in a soft halo of light.

Hearing the door open,

she looked up. Seeing it was Ye Chen, a faint smile appeared in her cool eyes.

“You're here?”

Ye Chen walked over and sat in the chair opposite her. “Yeah, I came as soon as I finished my work. Is everything going smoothly with the medicine?”

Bing Lan gave a sweet smile at his words.

That smile was like melting ice and snow, clear and moving.

“Very smoothly.”

She closed the document in front of her and added,

“After the formula was handed over to the production department, they did a small-scale trial run overnight. The results were unexpectedly good!”

“The first batch of official products came off the line this morning, and they all passed quality inspection.”

Ye Chen nodded. “That's good then.”

Bing Lan looked at him and suddenly spoke.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

A woman's sixth sense is always so accurate... Ye Chen gave a dry cough and rubbed his nose.

“I might go to Jishou tomorrow.”

Bing Lan was stunned, her elegant brows furrowing slightly. “What are you going to Western Hunan for?”

Jishou was the capital of Western Hunan, located in the Wuling Mountains, quite far from Xiamen City.

Ye Chen looked at her. “To handle some business within the circle.”

He didn't elaborate, but once he mentioned 'the circle,' Bing Lan would certainly understand.

After all,

it was nothing more than the martial arts circle.

Of course, he wasn't intentionally hiding it, but the Miao Sect matter was deeply involved and a long story; he also didn't want to get Bing Lan dragged into it.

Upon hearing this, Bing Lan didn't press further. She just nodded slightly and said thoughtfully, “I thought you were going to accompany Sister Meiting.”

Ye Chen was taken aback, a flash of confusion in his eyes.

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?”

Bing Lan was somewhat surprised by his reaction.

“Sister Meiting didn't tell you?”

“A Younger Male Cousin of hers died suddenly.”

“Her family back home has been urging her to return. She was just discussing it with me half an hour ago.”

Ye Chen's eyes flickered as he blurted out, “It wouldn't happen to be someone named Li Huai, would it?”

That Li Huai had left a deep impression on him.

He had refused to pay back the money he owed Jin Meiting and even teamed up with Li Mei's grandfather, who practiced Gu, to try and kill Jin Meiting... In the end, Li Mei's grandfather died, and Ye Chen forced Li Huai to sell his body to pay off the debt.

If it was the same person... how long had it been?

The money wasn't even paid back yet, and he was dead?

Seeing his reaction, a trace of surprise crossed Bing Lan's eyes. “It's him. You know him?”

Ye Chen was speechless and explained the situation.

Bing Lan came to a realization, then narrowed her beautiful eyes. “In that case, you'd better accompany Sister Meiting on this trip. I'm worried her relatives might act against her.”

That's right.

Jin Meiting's background was quite pitiable.

She had parents, yet it was as if she had none.

Calling her back at a critical juncture like this likely meant there was a big problem.

Ye Chen frowned slightly and asked, “So Sister Meiting's hometown is in Western Hunan?”

Bing Lan nodded.

“Yes, it's a county under Jishou. I didn't ask which specific town, but it should be in that area.”

Ye Chen nodded thoughtfully and pondered for two seconds. “Okay, I'll give her a call.”

Bing Lan gave an acknowledgment and lowered her head to continue flipping through the documents at hand, no longer disturbing him.

Ye Chen took out his phone, found Jin Meiting's number, and dialed it.

After two rings, the call was picked up.

Jin Meiting's pleasantly surprised voice came from the other end: “A-Chen?”

Ye Chen skipped the pleasantries and asked directly,

“Sister Meiting, what's going on with your cousin?”

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by Jin Meiting's helpless laughter.

“You already know?”

“Actually, I'm not quite sure what exactly happened myself.”

“A few days after he went back, he suddenly died.”

“The family is pushing hard, saying the funeral needs to be held and that I must return.”

Ye Chen hummed in thought, then spoke: “I'll go back with you tomorrow.”

“Really?”

Jin Meiting was overjoyed, but then she hesitated. “No, no, what if Lan Lan needs you for something?”

She was very clear about her own status.

Therefore,

everything followed the lead of the 'First Wife'.

Ye Chen glanced at Bing Lan and smiled. “It was Lan Lan's idea.”

Hearing this, Jin Meiting was relieved.

“Okay.”

“Then I'll wait for you. We'll go back together tomorrow.”

The two chatted briefly, agreed on a departure time, and hung up.

Ye Chen put away his phone, looked up, and his gaze landed on Bing Lan's face.

She was focused on her documents.

Ye Chen stood up, walked around the desk, and went behind her.

Bing Lan felt him approaching and looked up, about to speak, when... a pair of hands landed on her shoulders and pressed down with just the right amount of force.

Bing Lan's body stiffened slightly, and a faint blush instantly rose to her fair cheeks. “You... what are you doing?”

There was actually a hint of fluster in her voice.

Ye Chen's fingers slowly kneaded her neck and shoulders. “You look a bit tired. I'm helping you loosen up your muscles and bones.”

Bing Lan pursed her lips and said nothing more.

She indeed hadn't rested well these past few days.

But that blush had already spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.

She lowered her head, pretending to continue reading the documents, but her fingers were lightly gripping the pen, and she didn't turn a page for a long time.

Ye Chen's fingers moved from her shoulders up to her neck, massaging the acupoints at the base of her skull.

The pressure was neither too light nor too heavy, perfectly loosening her tense muscles.

Bing Lan bit her lower lip, trying her best to remain calm.

But those hands seemed to possess some kind of magic; wherever they passed, every inch of her skin felt slightly hot.

She couldn't help but take a soft breath.

“Don't... don't press there...”

Ye Chen's fingers paused for a moment, then shifted to another spot and continued massaging.

Bing Lan's body grew softer and softer. Her previously straight back had, at some point, leaned slightly against the back of the chair.

She bit her lip to keep from making a sound, but when Ye Chen's thumb pressed an acupoint on her shoulder blade... “Mmm...”

She couldn't hold it back, and a moan escaped from her lips.

That sound was as soft as melting honey; even she couldn't help but blush upon hearing it.

She snapped her mouth shut, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

Ye Chen's hands stopped.

Bing Lan kept her head down, her ears so red they looked like they might bleed.

The office was quiet for a few seconds.

Then,

Ye Chen's voice sounded in her ear, asking with a hint of a smile, “Don't you feel much more relaxed than before?”

Bing Lan bit her lip and didn't say a word.

Ye Chen didn't press her and continued massaging her neck and shoulders.

This time, Bing Lan bit her lip even harder.

But the body's reaction couldn't lie.

The fatigue that had been tense for so long was melting away bit by bit under the pressure of those hands, turning into waves of tingling warmth that flowed down her spine.

To the point that,

she felt refreshed!

She leaned against the back of the chair, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her breathing gradually becoming long and even.

Some time later,

Ye Chen withdrew his hands and looked down.

Bing Lan had closed her eyes and was leaning her head against the chair, her breathing steady as if she had fallen asleep.

In the sunlight, her eyelashes cast faint shadows under her eyelids, and a lingering blush remained on her cheeks.

Ye Chen looked at her, smiled softly, took her coat from the nearby rack, and gently draped it over her.

Then,

he turned and quietly left the office, planning to check on the production line where Li Qin was supervising.

Only,

the moment the door closed, Bing Lan's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She didn't open her eyes.

But the corners of her mouth curled into a seductive arc...