Chapter 48

Early Monday morning, a florist arrived at the AFN Group building carrying a massive bouquet of roses. Flower deliveries weren’t unusual around the company, so nobody batted an eye. The delivery person rode the elevator up to the 11th floor, asked for directions after stepping out, and headed straight into Shen Zhirou’s office with the blooms in hand.

“Excuse me, which of you is Miss Shen Zhirou? Your roses are here—could you please sign for them?” the delivery girl asked politely.

The office buzzed with gossip as everyone crowded around to admire the roses. Huang Qingqing grinned at Shen Zhirou. “Zhirou, looks like you’ve got a secret admirer! Come on, let’s see who sent them.”

Shen Zhirou blinked in confusion. She turned to the delivery girl. “Are you sure this isn’t a mistake? Who would send flowers to me?”

“No mistake at all, Miss Shen. Here’s your bouquet—I need to rush to the next delivery.” The girl thrust the flowers into Shen Zhirou’s arms and hurried out of the office.

Zhao Tongtong had been on her best behavior lately, but she couldn’t resist a good spectacle. She dashed over to Shen Zhirou’s side. “Hurry up and check the card! Let’s see who it’s from.”

Shen Zhirou nodded and fished out the pink card tucked inside. She froze on the spot.

“Sister, can we start over? This time, I’ll chase you~”

“The lock on the house door’s been changed. The key’s in the flowers—don’t forget to grab our home key~”

Zhao Tongtong noticed Shen Zhirou’s frosty expression and leaned in. “So, who sent them?”

“It’s her. I’ll give her a call later and tell her to stop.” As Shen Zhirou spoke, she shook a shiny anti-theft door key free from the roses. A cute little strawberry keychain dangled from it.

Shen Zhirou stared at the girly keychain, then at the bouquet before her. This didn’t seem like Lu Yao’s style at all. From what she knew of her, Lu Yao would dismiss something this frivolous as a total waste of time.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Zhirou dialed Lu Yao anyway. They had already gone their separate ways—she’d even taken out a loan for a new place to kick off her fresh start. The last thing she wanted was any more messy ties to Lu Yao.

Unlike before, when she’d have to wait ages for an answer, the call connected after just one ring.

Lu Yao was in the conference room, leading the usual Monday meeting and listening to her team’s weekly plans. Then her phone screen lit up with Shen Zhirou’s name. A smile curved Lu Yao’s lips as she cut off the employee mid-report. “Hold that thought. I need to step out for an important call.”

She grabbed her phone and left the room, dying to talk to Shen Zhirou. The team members exchanged puzzled glances in her wake.

“Sister, did you like this morning’s flowers? Grab the key from inside—I’ve changed the locks at home. From now on, it’ll just be the two of us with copies.” Lu Yao launched right in. This was the first time Shen Zhirou had called her in ages.

“No need. I’ll get Shansong to drop the key off at your office. And please, no more flowers.” Shen Zhirou let out a sigh.

“Sister, wait—don’t hang up. I have more to say.” Lu Yao rushed the words, terrified she’d lose the connection.

“Fine. What is it?” Shen Zhirou’s tone stayed cool and even.

“Sister, let’s start fresh. This time, from the beginning—like we’re dating. I know I messed up before, but I swear I won’t again. I’ll change. Please, don’t turn me down. Just one more chance.” Lu Yao softened her voice, pacing anxiously around the office.

“There’s no need for that. We all have to move forward. I wish Miss Lu all the best in finding someone better.” Shen Zhirou’s refusal was polite but distant.

She hung up and immediately summoned a Shansong courier to return the key. For good measure, she dumped the roses in the trash bin between the buildings. Settling back at her desk, she dove into work. Her colleagues, sensing her mood, dropped the flower gossip.

By the time Lu Yao’s meeting wrapped up, the courier had arrived with the key. She sent Jiang Chen down to the lobby to retrieve it. Staring at the rejected key in her hand, Lu Yao’s heart sank.

How could someone as sweet-tempered as Shen Zhirou be so unyielding about this? Did she truly have zero interest in giving her another shot?

The more Lu Yao dwelled on it, the more frustrated she grew. She had zero experience chasing anyone. With the house key sent back—and the flowers no doubt trashed—she was fresh out of ideas.

Lu Yao propped her forehead with one hand, racking her brain for what else she could possibly do. Sending gifts would probably just get them shipped back via Shansong, and flowers were obviously pointless too.

She pulled out her phone and started searching on the browser.

“How to Quickly Win Back Your Girlfriend?”

“101 Little Things You Must Do to Pursue Your Girlfriend.”

The more Lu Yao read, the bigger her headache got. All these methods felt way too over-the-top; Shen Zhirou wouldn’t go for any of them. Right now, Shen Zhirou would reject anything she tried, so Lu Yao could only work on her subtly over time. She couldn’t rush it.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Zhirou sat at her workstation in a daze. She was the one she liked, after all—how could her heart not stir beneath that calm exterior? But she knew full well there were too many problems between her and Lu Yao. She didn’t want anything more to do with her. Breaking up was better for both of them.

Seeing Shen Zhirou in low spirits, Zhao Tongtong scooted over to her side to offer some comfort. “Forget it, don’t dwell on it. We can only take care of ourselves and try to stay happy every day. We can’t control other people. Zhirou, just let her go.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already bought a place. I won’t get back together with her.” Shen Zhirou let out a sigh.

Zhao Tongtong was about to say more when a colleague from the neighboring workstation tapped her on the shoulder. “Tongtong, I just got a call from CEO Xiao’s secretary over in Finance. She said CEO Xiao wants you to come up.”

Zhao Tongtong froze on the spot, staring at her colleague in disbelief.

Seeing her face drain of color, the colleague leaned in and whispered reassuringly, “Don’t freak out. You haven’t done anything wrong lately, so Xiao the Big Devil probably isn’t gunning for you. Just watch yourself up there.”

“Okay.” Zhao Tongtong mumbled weakly, her legs feeling like lead as she tried to move. What kind of cosmic joke was this? She’d managed to hook up with a company exec during a one-night stand—what were the odds?

Shen Zhirou noticed her friend had gone limp and came over to check on her. “Tongtong, you sure you’re okay?”

“Probably? I just wanna cry right now.” She hadn’t breathed a word about her fling with Xiao Qing to anyone; she was dealing with it solo.

Seeing her friend in such a state, Shen Zhirou hurried to reassure her. “CEO Xiao’s actually pretty decent. Don’t stress. Go on up—don’t keep her waiting. I’ll buy you lunch later.”

“You’re the only one who’s good to me. Fingers crossed I make it back alive.” Zhao Tongtong muttered in abject misery, shuffling toward the elevator with backward glances every few steps, like she was heading to her execution.

Amused, Shen Zhirou waved her off and shooed her into the elevator.

Zhao Tongtong drew in a deep breath before stepping inside. The floors ticked by until it dinged at the 17th. Grimacing, she stepped out, gave a quick greeting to Xiao Qing’s secretary Xu Hui at the door, then knocked and entered the office.

The moment Zhao Tongtong walked in, she felt her whole world crumble. She managed a stiff, “CEO Xiao, you wanted to see me?”

Xiao Qing flashed her a smile. Her long hair tumbled loosely over her shoulders, her red lips curved faintly as she lounged back in her chair, eyeing Zhao Tongtong. “Relax, I’m not gonna eat you. Come sit—we can talk nice and slow.”

Zhao Tongtong twisted her fingers behind her back but followed instructions, awkwardly taking the seat across from Xiao Qing’s desk.

“CEO Xiao, do you have some work for me to handle?” Zhao Tongtong couldn’t stand the weight of that gaze and forced herself to break the ice.

With evident amusement, Xiao Qing rose and strode to the door, locking it with a decisive click. She sauntered back, grinning. “Can’t I chat with you if it’s not about work? Hmm?”

The sound of the lock had already sent a chill through Zhao Tongtong; now these words confirmed her doom. Xiao Qing must be here to chew her out. Fired by afternoon? No doubt.

“Sure, of course. What would you like to talk about, CEO Xiao?” Xiao Qing wasn’t calling her out directly, so Zhao Tongtong decided to play dumb. Deny everything—plausible deniability was her best shot!

“Oh, just wondering if you’ve been dodging me these past few days. You were so fiery that night at the hotel, but the second we left the bed, you turned tail and pretended it never happened?” Xiao Qing asked with a teasing smile, her eyes locked on Zhao Tongtong’s face, dying to see Little Kitten fluff up in outrage.

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never been to any hotel. CEO Xiao, if this isn’t about work, I’ll head out.” Danger screaming in her head, Zhao Tongtong bolted up to make a break for it—only to find Xiao Qing blocking her path.

Xiao Qing was two or three centimeters taller than Zhao Tongtong, and with her high heels on, she cut an even more imposing figure. She curled her lips into a smile and planted herself right in front of Zhao Tongtong, then hooked an arm around her and pulled her straight into her embrace.

Zhao Tongtong hadn’t expected Xiao Qing to hug her right there in the office. Her face flushed red as she wriggled in Xiao Qing’s arms a few times. “What are you doing? We’re still on the clock! Let me go!”

“Who told you to sleep with me and then act like it never happened? I had no choice but to call you in here.” Xiao Qing let out a light chuckle before adding, “Have you dreamed about me these past few days?”

“Dream about you my ass—you big ghost! Let go of me. I’m warning you, that night I was just drunk out of my mind. I’m straight as an arrow; women don’t interest me one bit. Let me go already!” As she spoke, Zhao Tongtong reached out to shove Xiao Qing’s shoulder, but she’d been so rattled earlier that her arms had no strength left. Her feeble pushes only made it look like she was coyly resisting.

The smile never left the corner of Xiao Qing’s lips. She suddenly tightened her arm around Zhao Tongtong, pressing their bodies flush together. “Straight? You’ve always liked women? That night in bed, you were such a good girl—doing whatever I told you…”