Fake dating my enemy, The playboy billionaire-Chapter 80: Password

JUN’S POV

"Yifan’s not just meddling; he’s trying to steal the potential golden ticket. If he gets his hands on the designs, he could use them to make a bid for the legendary Hawthorn Engines himself." Chen concluded. But I didn’t ignore the word ’potential’. It’s been eight years but Daryl hasn’t found the one that impresses him most. And yep, my design doesn’t guarantee anything but has a huge potential.

"Precisely," I reply, scrolling through the detailed information he’s gathered. "It’s a way to open the doors to a whole new industry worth billions. The amount of money involved here can add a new name to the Forbes richest 100." But one thing bothers me, why he is contacting other directors as well?

Chen’s gaze sharpens. "Sir, what would you like us to do?"

"For now," I say, my voice steady, "keep monitoring his moves. I want each and every details. Don’t interfere, but if he steps over any line, I want to know immediately. We’ll let him think he’s making headway. Meanwhile, dig deeper on director with ties to Yifan. And check if he has contacted others as well."

"Understood," Chen replies, already typing notes

But Yifan doesn’t have the skills to back his ambitions. Are their more players with him? If yes, who else?

I must say their trust in my design is more than what I have in myself.

"Uncle Juju..." Yuyu tugs on my pajama, rubbing her eyes, a sleepy grin on her face. Looks like my little devils have finally woken up. I scoop her up, and she plants a kiss on my cheek, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck.

"What can I do for my princess?"

She grins mischievously. "Nothing. Just get me a bucket of ice cream and I’ll keep my mouth shut about you and Aunty Yiren sneaking out to the gazebo last night."

"..."

"How do you know?"

She smiles innocently. "Bear woke us up after you left and wouldn’t stop complaining. So we followed him."

"We?"

She points with her stubby finger, and sure enough, there stand the other two ringleaders, Honey and Lan, looking far too pleased with themselves.

"We heard...strange noises like clapping and---"

I quickly clap a hand over his mouth. These three will drive my blood pressure through the roof. "Message me your demands."

"We love you, Uncle Juju!" they chime, practically hugging me, no doubt already planning their next shakedown.

Ah, the things I do for these little troublemakers.

******

YIREN’S POV

I reach my tiny, rented office—the one I squeezed into my budget last week. It may be small, but it gets the job done, and today, I’m buzzing with excitement over a new idea that might just be a game-changer for my business. Ironically, the inspiration comes from none other than Hong. She may be insufferable, but her success on YouTube sparked an idea: why not tap into that massive audience myself?

I’ll call it Yiren’s Interior Whispers! I can use the platform to educate, inspire, and showcase designs, bringing my brand directly to the audience. First things first, though—I need a good camera, tripod, and mic. And maybe a crash course in editing.

"Morning." Bruce’s voice pulls me from my thoughts as he walks into the office, setting his bag down.

"Hey!" I grin, shutting my laptop. "What do you think about starting a YouTube channel for the company?"

"Sounds good."

"That’s it?"

"Yea. What else?"

"Then help ’Queen Elizabeth’ here pick out a decent camera and mic," I say with a playful wink.

He frowns, "Queen Elizabeth?"

"Yeah, remember? You called me that once." I laugh, watching his expression. He coughs, clearly caught off guard.

"Right... must have slipped my mind."

I raise an eyebrow. "Eat some almonds, Bruce—weak memory isn’t a good look."

He nods with a vague smile. "I’ll keep that in mind."

Something feels off. Normally, he’d have a quick, witty comeback. It’s strange seeing him this quiet; in our WhatsApp chats, he used to be bold, witty, sometimes even... sassy. Lately, though, he’s been keeping things short—no jokes, just one-word replies or the dreaded thumbs-up emoji. There’s an odd gap between the Bruce I got to know on the whatsapp and the one standing here now, looking all reserved.

"Do you not go to Feng Enterprises at all?" I laugh, he is by my side always and that worries me he’d be fired. Sadly I have no way to match the pay and hire him fulltime.

"I resigned. My side jobs are giving me more."

Ah okay.... Strange.

I push the thought aside and open my laptop again, determined to get back to my meeting prep. But Bruce, in an unexpected move, pulls the laptop toward him.

"Let me make sure you’re all set for this meeting," he says, his tone unusually sharp. "Password?"

I blink, a little thrown. There’s a hint of insistence in his voice that feels... off. I pull the laptop back to my side, trying to brush it off with a light smile.

"Let me punch it in." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

But Bruce’s hand lingers a moment too long on the laptop, his jaw ticks, and his biceps flexes that scares me. "Yiren," he says, his voice lower and edged. "It’s just a password. We are a team, I’m here to help you, remember?"

A strange tension fills the room, and I feel the weight of his stare.

I don’t give a password because my old project was stolen by Kristy from my laptop. Not going to repeat the same mistake. And with Jun going to share his designs with me, it’s my responsibility to make sure I take all precautionary measures to keep them safe with me.

"Thanks, Bruce," I reply, keeping my tone steady, "but I’ve got this. I’m ready for the meeting."

He pulls his hand back sharply. For the first time, I feel an unsettling impatience in Bruce’s demeanor that’s never been there before.

"Fine. Don’t blame me if anything happens."

Mt temper soars, "Careful Bruce. Remember who is the boss here. I have full right to keep my personal things protected by password. Be mindful."

He steps back as if taken by my comeback. "I-I didn’t mean it that way." He runs a hand down his face, "I’m sorry. Had a bad day yesterday and I lashed on you. "Please.... I’m really sorry."

"Don’t repeat. Let’s respect the boundaries."

*******