Su Xiaoxi stared at the small number "28" on her computer calendar and sighed. October 28th—her birthday. On this busy Monday, it seemed no one remembered the date—even her best friend, Li Meng, had only sent her a brief birthday message in the morning.
"Su Xiaoxi, conference room, now!" Director Wang's voice called from the office door.
Xiaoxi hurriedly saved her files and jogged to follow. The entire morning was spent in endless meetings discussing final revisions for the "Starlight" project. She stole a few glances at Lin Yi, who sat across from her, his face as professional and unreadable as ever, taking notes without even looking her way.
"Of course a secret agent wouldn't remember something like a birthday..." she grumbled inwardly, feeling an inexplicable pang of disappointment.
By six in the evening, the workday finally ended. Xiaoxi stretched, packed her bag, and prepared to head home. *Well, that's that for today. I'll just make myself some longevity noodles—that counts as celebrating, right?*
The elevator doors opened, and as she stepped in without looking up, she nearly collided with a solid wall of a person.
"Not watching where you're going?" A familiar voice came from above.
Xiaoxi looked up and met Lin Yi's deep, unfathomable eyes. "S-sorry..." she stammered, her heartbeat suddenly accelerating.
As the elevator descended, the confined space held only the two of them. Xiaoxi could smell the faint scent of cedar on him, mixed with a trace of coffee bitterness. Today, he wore a dark gray turtleneck that accentuated the sharp line of his jaw.
"Any plans?" Lin Yi asked abruptly.
"Huh? Plans for what?" Xiaoxi was confused.
"Today," he said succinctly. "October 28th."
Xiaoxi's head snapped up, her eyes widening. "You... you know it's my birthday?"
Lin Yi didn't answer, but the slight upward curve of his lips said it all. When the elevator reached the ground floor, he gestured for her to go first. "Come with me."
Outside the office building, the autumn wind swirled fallen leaves in little eddies. Lin Yi led her to a black SUV she'd never seen before and opened the passenger door for her.
"Is this... your car?" Xiaoxi asked in surprise. In the month she'd known Lin Yi, she'd never imagined he owned a personal vehicle.
"Work necessity," he replied tersely, starting the engine.
As the car merged into the evening traffic, Xiaoxi stole glances at Lin Yi's focused profile. The fading sunlight cast a soft golden glow over his sharp features, his long eyelashes casting delicate shadows.
"Where are we going?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Safe house," he answered. "Need to test your recent progress in a different environment."