Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After that night of torrential rain, something subtle opened up between Fu Shiyu and me.

The gap was tiny. He was still the lofty CEO Fu, and I was still the composed, professional chief interpreter.

But some things were like undercurrents beneath spring ice, beginning to stir in silence.

After listening to my translation of a complicated clause, he would, on rare occasions, ask a follow-up question.

“When the German representative used that word, did you think his tone leaned toward cooperation, or was he leaving himself an out?”

When I handed him the summary of a long French report, he would lift his eyes to me.

“How long did you stay up?”

My answers remained as precise and professional as ever, without the slightest flaw.

Only once in a while, when our eyes met by chance, I would let a trace of ease slip into my gaze.

He began calling me “Jiang Wan” instead of “Interpreter Jiang.”

I knew I was drawing closer, step by step, to that cold flame.

The opportunity came sooner than expected.

Fu Shiyu needed to go to Munich in person to finalize a crucial technical collaboration.

The original team included a senior technical interpreter, but three days before departure, an emergency came up in that interpreter’s family, and he could no longer make the trip.

Finding a suitable and trustworthy replacement on such short notice was almost impossible.

It seemed I was the only option left.

Although my main focus was business interpretation, I had minored in a related field during my master’s program, and after joining Fu Corporation, I had handled quite a few technical documents as well.

When Zhou Yun came to ask me, his tone was businesslike, a formal inquiry.

I barely hesitated. “I can do it. I’ll need some time to familiarize myself with the latest technical materials.”

The night before our departure, I worked late at the company, checking the final batch of terminology.

The sprawling floor was empty and quiet. Around ten o’clock, the door to the CEO’s office opened.

Fu Shiyu walked out, overcoat in hand.

Seeing the light still on at my desk, he paused, then walked over.

“Still reading?” he asked, standing beside my workstation, his shadow falling over me.

“One last check.” I rubbed my slightly sore neck and looked up at him.

From this angle, I could clearly see the sharp line of his jaw, and the one button at his shirt collar that had been loosened.

He looked a little tired, too.

“There’s no need to be too hard on yourself,” he said. “The German side will have their own interpreter on-site.”

“The more prepared I am, the lower the chance of making a mistake.”

I smiled. “I can’t embarrass CEO Fu.”

He looked at me with deep, unreadable eyes.

After a moment, he suddenly said, “Read it on the plane tomorrow. For now, go eat something.”

I was stunned.

He had already turned and started toward the elevator.

“You have five minutes to pack up.”

I immediately shut down my computer, grabbed my bag, and followed him.

The elevator descended, its mirrored walls reflecting our figures.

He stood tall and straight, while I stood slightly behind him to one side.

Neither of us spoke. Inside the elevator, there was only the faint hum of the machinery.