Chapter 245: Together Down to Hell

The two on the car talked at length; Liu Tianxian learned Fang Hong's most genuine thoughts and relaxed, for she never cared what others thought of her.

She only cared what Fang Hong thought of her.

Because this relationship was serious to her, and so was this man.

She didn't want to leave a stain in his heart, for their love was pure in spirit.

She had always wanted to explain that her body was pure too, but couldn't bring herself to say it—such was her pride.

Wait for the right moment; when the time comes, he'll know naturally! In truth, she'd overthought it—Fang Hong had always seen her as pure, in body and spirit, never once doubted it.

And her spirit was even higher than his.

The car arrived at the underground parking lot beneath Jade Rabbit Tower.

They got out; Fang Hong pressed the key fob, then returned the car key to Liu Tianxian.

"General Manager Fang! Tianxian!"

"."

It was work hours; after they stepped out, department heads and management came to greet them.

After all, those who could afford cars had good salaries.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian responded, mostly nodding in acknowledgment, mainly because there were too many people.

Seeing them, many others glowed with gossip—wondering when they'd gotten together, how long they'd been dating, and so on.

Some had joined recently, others long ago.

Some knew them well, others didn't.

"Oh my, Xianxian, it's been so long since I've seen you!" Bao Jinjin sprinted over, three steps at a time from afar.

Liu Tianxian turned and saw Bao Jinjin and Jiao Huajing, her old friends.

Her face lit up; she stepped forward and grabbed their hands: "I was so busy before—are you all well?"

"We're fine! How about you?" Bao Jinjin laughed.

"You can see how I am from the news," Liu Tianxian said, referring to her high public exposure.

Bao Jinjin leaned close, finger to lips, whispering: "So how's it going with the Principal?"

"We're doing great," Liu Tianxian whispered back.

The two spoke like intimate girlfriends; Jiao Huajing, nearby, overheard.

"Then you'd better hurry up—when are you having babies for us to dote on?" Bao Jinjin chuckled.

"Why don't you have some?" Liu Tianxian reached for her belly.

The two women became lively again, laughter echoing; others' moods lifted too.

Everyone here was internal staff of Jade Rabbit! "I'm heading up—I'll be on the 18th floor if you want to come." Fang Hong stepped behind Liu Tianxian.

"Aren't you on the 13th floor?" Liu Tianxian turned her head.

"We moved. The Principal's on the 18th; we're on the 17th," Bao Jinjin said.

"Then I'll go with you."

Liu Tianxian had never seen Fang Hong's new office.

Besides, Now You See Me hadn't started its meeting yet—it needed everyone present.

"Can't live a moment without him," Bao Jinjin teased.

Liu Tianxian reached again to tickle her belly; Bao Jinjin yelped and stepped back.

But Liu Tianxian was only teasing; she linked arms with Fang Hong and walked off, waving back to say goodbye.

"Look how good their relationship is—what's going on with you and your Wang Ran?" Jiao Huajing watched Liu Tianxian and the Principal; their demeanor felt deeply reassuring.

Effortless and natural—this was the first time she'd seen Liu Tianxian publicly linking arms with the Principal.

"Don't mention that bastard."

Bao Jinjin pouted and stomped off, angry—clearly they'd quarreled again.

But it's normal for young couples to break up and reconcile.

Maybe next time we see them, they'll be back together.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian took the elevator to the 18th floor; it felt much more spacious, with only a few people—secretaries, cleaners—no longer crowded as before.

The "Chang'e Holding Rabbit" statue still stood at the entrance, unchanged—probably moved up from the 13th floor, no bother to replace it.

Now it felt good: bright and open. Liu Tianxian glanced around and asked: "Why did you choose the 18th floor? Like the 18th layer of hell."

"As they say: if I don't descend into hell, who will?" Fang Hong clasped his hands together, feigning absurdity.

Liu Tianxian giggled, pointing at herself: "Then if you're going to hell, what about me?"

"I'd drag you down with me, of course—how could I leave you behind?" Fang Hong smiled, reaching to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"Get lost!" Liu Tianxian shoved him away.

Laughing and teasing, they entered the office; Fang Hong's new office was far larger and more luxurious than before.

It had a reception area, a lounge, potted plants, and a full-wall panoramic window.

Liu Tianxian walked to the window and drew the curtains; warm sunlight poured in.

The bustling city of Beijing stretched below, offering a sense of looking down on all below.

No wonder CEOs love high floors—seeing people below like ants, and the sweeping view, stirs a feeling of grandeur.

"What do you think of my office?" Fang Hong crossed his arms.

"Very nice."

Liu Tianxian walked to the desk and trailed her hand across its surface.

The desk had been replaced too—elegant and luxurious.

Centered on the wall behind the desk still hung the calligraphy "Tandang"; on either side now stood bookshelves, filled entirely with books.

She walked over to the bookshelf and picked up a book at random: "People like you don't read much, do they?"

"No, who told you that?" Fang Hong said.

"That guy Jack Ma—he said don't read too much, not reading is fine too, life is just one book," Liu Tianxian said.

Fang Hong leaned back against the office desk, facing her: "You believe him? You're wrong. Every big shot reads—and they read over a thousand books. That Jack Ma you mentioned? He's read at least five thousand in private, and he's still reading."

"Warren Buffett reads five hundred pages a day. Bill Gates reads fifty books a year. Yu Minhong reads sixty books every three months—that's one book every one and a half days. Can you say successful people don't read? Reading is the most cost-effective learning method in the world."

Liu Tianxian hadn't expected Fang Hong to have such insight—he saw through those big shots completely.

"Of course, success or failure has nothing to do with how much you read—that's true. Their success came from methods outside reading, as long as they didn't read themselves into oblivion," Fang Hong chatted with Liu Tianxian.

"Then what about you? How many books have you read?"

Liu Tianxian put the book back on the shelf.

Fang Hong placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, smiling at her: "I've read only one book—you."

"Really?" Liu Tianxian smiled too.

"Yes!"

The mood was right; their heads slowly drew nearer, close enough to feel each other's breath. Liu Tianxian closed her eyes slightly in anticipation.

Actually, she didn't like taking the initiative—she preferred to be passive. Her past boldness was just to give Fang Hong a response, so he wouldn't think she was hard to deal with.

"Knock knock knock!" A sudden knock on the door.

Liu Tianxian immediately opened her eyes, stepped back, and felt embarrassed. "Who the hell is it?!"

Fang Hong, annoyed he hadn't kissed her, went to open the door.

There stood Meng Jun, head down, flipping through thick piles of documents.

"General Manager Fang, this is—"

Meng Jun closed the documents, looked up to speak, then saw Liu Tianxian and fell silent.

Fang Hong had once told him this was confidential.

Fang Hong, seeing it was Meng Jun, suppressed his irritation, gestured for him to enter, then shut the door: "What is it?"

"About Tesla," Meng Jun whispered, cautious.

"Just speak!" Fang Hong's tone was firm.

Liu Tianxian watched their dynamic and realized this was Fang Hong's secret—yet he showed no hesitation about her being present.

Hearing Fang Hong's firm tone, Meng Jun no longer hesitated: "Here's Tesla's shareholding proof—all compiled. Total: NNNN million shares. Take a look."

He handed the thick stack of documents to him.

Tesla had bought one hundred million dollars' worth of stock—already completed. Now they just wait for appreciation. This is a long-term play.

It had taken half a year.

Fang Hong took the thick stack—it was heavy—and placed it on the desk, encouraging: "You've worked hard on this!"

"Also, as you mentioned, Nvidia—I've been watching it lately. The stock price has remained stable, no cliff-like drop." Meng Jun said.

"What's its current market cap?" Fang Hong didn't know the lowest stock price—he only knew the lowest market cap.

This company was impossible to ignore—too famous! "Current market cap is around nine billion dollars," Meng Jun said.

Fang Hong fell silent, thinking. Nine billion wasn't enough. He remembered Nvidia's lowest market cap was seventy-five billion—but it was just a few months ago, and he didn't recall which month.

Since it hadn't reached that point yet, he'd wait. Besides, he had no money right now.

Yutu was losing money. China was preparing to film Fifty Shades of Grey—and that movie would drain all of China's current funds.

Fortunately, The Purge: Anarchy, now showing, had put money back into China's accounts.

"Keep monitoring. Report any news immediately," Fang Hong said.

It wasn't time to enter yet.

"Got it!" Meng Jun nodded.

After their conversation, Fang Hong signaled he could leave—why was he still standing there, so clueless?

Meng Jun took the hint and left.

Fang Hong picked up the thick shareholding proof, walked to the cabinet behind him—the one beneath Tandang—and pulled open a hidden safe.

"What are you doing?" Liu Tianxian was curious.

"Storing it. This is my lifeline," Fang Hong crouched down and turned the safe's combination dial slowly.

Each digit had to be confirmed by turning the dial again, so it was slow.

"Lifeline?" she said, the phrasing ambiguous. She tapped his head from behind, watching him enter the code, silently reciting: 870702!

The numbers matched her lunar birthday.

"Is this number my birthday?" she asked.

"Yes. It's easy to remember. If I used mine, others might guess it," Fang Hong opened the safe and placed the shareholding proof inside.

Inside were stacks of documents—Liu Tianxian remembered they were copyright certificates, even taller than when she'd last seen them.

"Mine? No one else would guess it!" Liu Tianxian was speechless.

Everyone knew her birthday.

"As the saying goes: the most dangerous number is the safest number."

Fang Hong closed the safe, stood up, and faced her: "If a thief breaks in, he'll try my birthday first. If that fails, he'll try yours—but he won't get another chance. The safe only allows three tries. After that, it triggers an alarm."

"You really are…" Liu Tianxian didn't know whether to call him clever or just imaginative.

If someone really came to steal, it'd be someone close to Fang Hong—an insider. After all, only people who knew the office well could get in—strangers couldn't break in anymore!

There were cameras outside, but not in the office. The boss wouldn't let anyone—not even his own people—spy on him.

If an insider came, he'd first try Fang Hong's birthday. When that failed, he'd try someone he knew well—like his mother.

Even if he thought of Liu Tianxian, he'd assume her birthday was August 25th, not July 2nd.

After all, there are only so many chances!

"What exactly? Are you that smart?" Fang Hong leaned closer, wrapping his arms around her soft waist, smiling at her.

"Mm, very smart—your thoughts are different from others'. I never thought of it."

Liu Tianxian teased: "Now I know your lifeline—aren't you afraid I'll steal it away?"

"My lifeline has always been yours," Fang Hong said, then moved to kiss her.

Liu Tianxian closed her eyes slightly again, ready to meet him.

"Knock knock knock!" The knocking suddenly sounded again.

"Fuck, who is it now?!"

Fang Hong, impatient, couldn't help cursing.

Liu Tianxian couldn't help covering her mouth, giggling, and tapping his chest, signaling him not to swear so crudely.

"Manager Fang, you're really busy with business!"

"Usually they're never this eager—not a single person shows up for half a day. Today's really weird," Fang Hong grumbled.

Usually they just email and communicate online! "Alright, stop complaining—go open the door. Work comes first," Liu Tianxian pushed him.

Fang Hong went to open the door and saw Han Jianü standing outside.

"You're both here? The main creators and cast of Now You See Me are all downstairs—only you two are missing," Han Jianü said, her purpose clearly to summon them.

The Now You See Me meet-up is on the 17th floor, not the 18th. The 18th floor is only used for senior meetings or large gatherings.

"Then let's go down!" Liu Tianxian walked to the door.

"You go first—we'll be right behind you," Fang Hong told Han Jianü, then shut the door.

He pulled Liu Tianxian close and eagerly kissed her lips.

He was determined to kiss her today!

The move was sudden and domineering—Liu Tianxian was caught off guard, but once she recovered, she wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to meet him.

This man truly wanted it—and so did she!

The two kissed passionately; outside, Han Jianü, seeing the door suddenly shut, stood there dumbfounded.

They didn't even let her respond before shutting the door—what were they doing? But she didn't think much of it and went downstairs.

Inside, after a long kiss, their foreheads rested together. Liu Tianxian's face was flushed, breathing lightly.

Looking at the man so close before her, she reached up and wiped the glistening droplet from his lips, softly saying: "Look at you—you're like a child."

"You need to spoil me!"

(End of Chapter)