Chapter 44: Threat

That sharp, urgent ring of the doorbell abruptly cut off the towering fury about to erupt from Yu Ling. She froze in place, her chest heaving violently, her reddened eyes glaring fixedly at Zhao Chen.

The imperceptible tension buried deep within Zhao Chen’s eyes vanished the moment the doorbell rang. The "helplessness" and "innocence" on his face when facing her interrogation were swiftly replaced by a well-measured surprise at being interrupted. He gave Yu Ling a reassuring "wait a moment" gesture, his gaze carrying a deliberate trace of innocence and apology, before turning and striding toward the foyer.

Standing right where she was, Yu Ling felt a chill spread through her entire body, her fists clenched so tight that her nails dug deep into her palms. The silver metal case emitting an eerie glow inside the study, the label reading "Gu’s Group - Project Nirvana - Core Encryption Alpha," and Zhao Chen’s utterly absurd explanation of a "game walkthrough"... wrapped around her heart like cold vipers. Anger, fear, and the humiliation of being made a fool of were tearing her apart! Yet that damned doorbell...

The sounds of Zhao Chen opening the door and murmuring in conversation drifted from the foyer. Yu Ling forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to calm her exploding emotions. She could not lose control in front of an outsider, nor could she act like a hysterical madwoman. She needed to be calm. She needed to... see the true face of this man!

Soon, Zhao Chen returned carrying an insulated bag branded with the logo of a well-known fresh food supplier. A faint, relaxed smile hung on his face, as if the tense confrontation from moments earlier had never happened. "It’s the fresh food delivery. The Australian Wagyu beef I ordered yesterday has arrived, along with those cherries you love." He shook the bag, his tone as natural as someone sharing good news, attempting to smooth over the atmosphere. "Perfect, I’ll pan-fry some steak for you at noon?"

Looking at his nonchalant demeanor, Yu Ling felt an even deeper chill rise from the depths of her heart. This man’s psychological endurance... was simply terrifying! Having just been caught by her in such a earth-shattering secret, he could switch back to the mode of a domestic, loving husband within mere seconds, and still be worrying about what steak to eat for lunch?

Watching him approach, watching that gentle smile on his face meant to divert her attention with food, the very last shred of lingering luck in her heart was completely extinguished. Interrogate him? Tear into him? In the face of his airtight disguise and formidable psychological barrier, she would only end up looking like a senseless, brawling fool.

She abruptly averted her face, her voice as icy as poison-tipped frost. "No need. I have no appetite." No longer looking at him, she turned and walked briskly toward the bedroom, slamming the door shut with a heavy bang! The massive echo reverberated through the empty living room, sounding just like the desperate cry of her despairing heart.

Zhao Chen stood in the center of the living room, still holding the bag filled with expensive ingredients. The smile on his face faded bit by bit, his gaze resting heavily on the closed bedroom door. Deep within his eyes, complex emotions churned—the pain of rejection, profound helplessness, and a trace of... unspeakable exhaustion and gloom. He stood in silence for a moment, finally placing the bag gently on the dining table, and turned toward the study, closing once again the door that isolated two separate worlds. Through the crack of the door, the low murmurs of him reconnecting to his meeting in English and the crisp clicking of the keyboard were faintly audible.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere in Apartment 1601 plummeted to freezing point.

Yu Ling and Zhao Chen lived like strangers under the same roof. She deliberately avoided all his peace offerings—she wouldn't touch the breakfast he made, opting to buy bread on her own; she turned a blind eye to the warm water he left on her bedside table; when he tried to strike up a conversation, she either met it with silence or gave cold, perfunctory replies.

She shrank herself into a hard shell, arming herself with silence and frost, refusing any possibility of communication. Only at night, lying in the same bed with her back turned to him, could she feel the weight of his silent gaze—so heavy it almost made her unable to breathe.

Zhao Chen made no further attempts at forced explanations or closeness. He merely and silently fulfilled the obligations of a "husband"—preparing food, cleaning the house, still leaving the porch light on when she worked late and returned home. His thoughtfulness remained everywhere, yet it carried a cautious alienation and a suppressed silence. That heavy gloom shrouded him, turning his entire aura heavy and melancholic.

The door to the study remained tightly shut much of the time, emitting the sound of continuous keyboard tapping late into the night, silently dealing with the turbulent waters of the so-called "Project Nirvana."

This suffocating stalemate was soon shattered by a storm from the professional world.

On Wednesday morning, Genesis Tower, project team meeting.

The atmosphere was as heavy as the dead calm before a storm. Around the massive conference table, Project Director Lin Wei’s expression was ashen, and the core members of the project team hardly dared to breathe. Sitting near the back, Yu Ling looked at the revised proposal on the projection screen marked in red, her heart turning icy cold.

Seated across from the head of the table, representing the company's biggest client, the Hongyuan Group, was Deputy General Manager Wang Dehai. At that moment, he was leisurely tapping his fingertips against the tabletop, a thinly veiled arrogance and sarcasm written across his face. Approaching fifty and well-groomed, his shrewdness and calculating gaze made people extremely uncomfortable.

"Director Lin," Wang Dehai dragged out his syllables, his tone carrying a condescending scrutiny. "It’s not that I’m not giving Genesis face. With a portfolio as large as Hongyuan's and an annual strategic partnership this important, is this the kind of garbage you trot out to fool us?"

He pointed a finger at the screen. "The proposal is hollow! The data is outdated! The core value proposition is completely off the mark! Especially this part regarding the expansion of the Southeast Asian market," his sharp gaze swept across the room before nailing precisely onto Yu Ling. "Manager Yu, is it? Did you take the lead on this section?"

Yu Ling’s heart tightened. Meeting Wang Dehai’s unkind gaze, she straightened her back. "Yes, Director Wang."

"Hmph," Wang Dehai let out a cold snort from his nose, his eyes like poisoned blades. "Young people having ideas is a fine thing, but you have to keep your feet on the ground! Spouting off about new markets and new opportunities—do you have any idea how deep the waters are in Southeast Asia? Regulatory risks, cultural differences, supply chain barriers—how much research have you actually done? Talking on paper! Pure pipe dreams!" His reprimand was merciless, every word piercing straight to the heart, drawing the gazes of everyone present toward Yu Ling.

"Director Wang, the data for this section, we..." Lin Wei tried to explain.

"Data?" Wang Dehai rudely interrupted her, his expression growing even more scathing. "I don’t want cold data! I’m looking for practical, actionable strategies based on deep market insights! What Manager Yu has put together is flashy and superficial, dodging the heavy stuff to dwell on the light! In my opinion, this simply shows a lack of ability and a perfunctory attitude!"

He directly escalated his attack into a personal one. "I seriously doubt the qualifications of the personnel your esteemed company assigned to handle Hongyuan's core project! If your side cannot immediately replace them with a more experienced and capable lead, and produce a substantive proposal that satisfies me, then..." He dragged out his syllables, dripping with threat, "Hongyuan will re-evaluate the necessity of our cooperation with Genesis!"

Absolute silence fell over the conference room. Everyone was stunned by Wang Dehai’s merciless, borderline humiliating tirade. This was no longer a rejection of a proposal; it was a total negation of Yu Ling’s personal competence and professional ethics! It was a severe questioning of the entire Genesis project team! Hongyuan was one of Genesis's most crucial financial backers; if the partnership fell through, the consequences would be unimaginable.