Chapter 50

Xiao Qing added Zhao Tongtong on WeChat and saved her phone number before finally letting her leave. Only after stepping out of Xiao Qing’s office did Tongtong have a chance to check her phone. As she headed out, Xu Hui enthusiastically offered to walk her to the elevator, but Tongtong politely declined. Right now, all she wanted was someone to talk to about everything that had happened.

Tongtong planned to grab dinner with Shen Zhirou that afternoon and fill her in on recent events. She felt like she was about to burst if she didn’t vent soon.

Worried that something might have gone wrong with Tongtong, Zhirou had ordered takeout and eaten in her office for lunch.

When Tongtong returned, the office was nearly empty. Huang Qingqing got up to fetch some water from the break room and, spotting her, glanced over casually. “Tongtong, isn’t that a different shade of lipstick? Did you go shopping earlier?”

“Ah.” Tongtong gave an awkward smile but didn’t elaborate.

Seeing her back, Zhirou quickly asked, “How’d it go? You were gone all morning—I was worried sick.”

“Nothing major. Let’s have dinner together tonight, and I’ll explain then. It’s not something I can sum up in a sentence or two.” Tongtong hurried back to her desk and sank into her chair to rest. The thrill of what had happened at the company had left her legs a bit shaky.

Noticing that Tongtong seemed eager to talk, Zhirou nodded. “Alright, we’ll catch up after work.”

A little after six that evening, Tongtong drove Zhirou to a popular private kitchen in Jiangbei City. After ordering some dishes, Tongtong hesitated before speaking up. “Actually, a lot has happened lately. I haven’t sorted it all out in my head, so I haven’t told you yet.”

“We can figure it out together, step by step. If you want to talk, I’m here—better than bottling it up.” Zhirou sighed. Lately, it seemed like not just her own life was a mess, but her friends’ too.

“Wei Xuan and I broke up. He cheated—on me with more than one person. As soon as I found out, I kicked him out of my place. Those next few days were rough, so I went to a bar to drown my sorrows. I got blackout drunk and ended up sleeping with a woman. When I woke up the next morning, I realized it was Xiao Qing.”

Zhirou’s eyes widened as she listened. What a wild coincidence—getting drunk and sleeping with the company exec?

“How could Wei Xuan betray you like that? You’d been together for a while.”

“I’m actually glad I found out what he’s really like sooner rather than later. Saved me a ton of future headaches.” Tongtong no longer cared about Wei Xuan; mostly, she just found him repulsive now.

“Fair enough. So, what are you going to do about Xiao Qing? Did she give you a hard time when she called you to her office today?” That was Zhirou’s main concern. As the vice president in charge of finance, CEO Xiao could fire an ordinary employee like it was nothing.

“She said she wants to try dating me. She didn’t even hide it from her secretary. I think she’s serious, so… I want to give it a shot with her.” Tongtong’s ear tips flushed pink as she spoke. She’d never thought of herself as liking women before.

“That’s great, whatever you decide. I’ll support you. Honestly, I’ve always thought CEO Xiao was pretty cool—a real powerhouse, and she suits you well.” Zhirou smiled.

“What powerhouse? She’s nothing like that in private.” Tongtong muttered, her face heating up at the memory of that morning. She’d never done anything so bold in her life!

Seeing Tongtong’s shy expression eased Zhirou’s mind a little.

It was already eight by the time Zhirou got home. She tossed her bag onto the sofa, poured herself a glass of water, and then checked her WeChat messages. The chat with Lu Yao had a dozen new ones. Zhirou just opened it without reading them.

She and Lu Yao were done. There was no point dwelling on those messages—it would only make her feel worse.

The next day at work, Zhirou found a bouquet of flowers and a box of exquisite pastries on her desk. Since she’d thrown out the flowers the day before, her colleagues didn’t dare tease her about it.

Frowning, Zhirou walked over. The flowers were now lilies, and atop the pastry box sat a card.

She picked it up and flipped it open. Inside was Lu Yao’s handwriting.

“Jie Jie, I heard the pastries from this shop are amazing. Remember to eat a good breakfast~”

Zhirou sighed. She’d made things clear with Lu Yao yesterday, yet here she was sending flowers again. It gave Zhirou a headache. She gathered up the bouquet to toss it in the hallway trash bin, but on the way, she ran into the building’s cleaning lady. Seeing what she was about to do, the woman asked Zhirou to give the flowers to her instead.

Shen Zhirou saw no point in keeping the flowers, so she simply handed them over to the cleaning lady. As for the pastries, she grabbed the box on her way back to her desk, intending to toss them in the trash. But the colleague sitting nearby spotted her and immediately intervened. “Zhirou, the pastries from that shop are super popular—you have to line up early just to buy them. Throwing them out would be such a waste.”

“If anyone skipped breakfast, help yourselves,” Shen Zhirou said as she passed the pastry box to the colleague who had spoken up. Out of sight, out of mind.

She figured that if she ignored Lu Yao for a few more days, the other woman would stop sending gifts soon enough. After all, to Lu Yao, these gestures would seem utterly pointless.

Meanwhile, Lu Yao was in the middle of a meeting, her gaze flicking to her phone every so often. She had sent over another little gift that morning, thinking that even if Shen Zhirou wanted nothing to do with her, she’d at least call to tell her to stop buying things like that. It would give them a chance to talk, at least.

But the entire morning meeting dragged on, and Lu Yao stared at her phone until she thought her eyes might wear a hole in the screen—yet no call from Shen Zhirou ever came.

The employees in the conference room had of course noticed CEO Lu glancing at her phone repeatedly, but everyone pretended not to see, dutifully giving their reports one by one. Only when the morning’s meetings finally wrapped up did they breathe a collective sigh of relief.

“What’s going on with CEO Lu lately? It’s been half a month of her looking like thunderclouds, and she nearly scared me to death during my report just now.”

“Me too. She’s always been cool and aloof in a normal way, but lately it’s this bone-deep chill that’s terrifying.”

“Whoever pissed off Her Majesty needs to fix it fast so she can go back to normal. I’m on pins and needles every day, terrified she’ll send my work back for a rewrite.”

“She’s acting so out of character—do you think CEO Lu got her heart broken?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Hasn’t CEO Lu always been immune to that stuff? She turned down a ton of suitors before, and eventually no one even dared try anymore.”

Lu Yao was oblivious to her employees’ chatter. Her eyes fixed on the lunch spread in front of her, but her chopsticks remained untouched as she stared blankly at the food.

She wondered if she hadn’t been proactive enough lately, which was why there’d been no progress between her and Shen Zhirou. The mere thought of Shen Zhirou ruined her appetite. For some reason, she found herself craving the noodles Shen Zhirou had cooked for her.

They weren’t anything special, but Lu Yao wanted them all the same. She wanted Shen Zhirou by her side. She was angry at herself—back then, she’d taken her good fortune for granted.

After forcing down just a few bites, Lu Yao had her assistant clear away the meal. She grabbed her keys and drove straight to Shen Zhirou’s company, arriving in no time.

It was lunchtime, and the building bustled with people coming and going. Lu Yao stepped into the lobby of Shen Zhirou’s company and hesitated. She decided it might be too forward to head straight upstairs, so she settled onto a sofa in the lobby instead, hoping for a lucky encounter.

Just then, Shen Zhirou stepped out of the elevator with Huang Qingqing and the others, heading out. She spotted Lu Yao standing not far away, watching her. Shen Zhirou froze for a moment—she hadn’t expected Lu Yao to show up like this. Lu Yao wasn’t the type to take the initiative, let alone wait around for someone.

Seeing that Shen Zhirou had noticed her, Lu Yao’s lips curved into a soft smile. She had freshened up her makeup before leaving and undone the top two buttons of her shirt, letting the little red mole at her collarbone peek out teasingly. She knew Shen Zhirou liked that spot, so she’d planned it with care.

Lu Yao hurried over but stopped a few steps away and called out, “Jie Jie.”

It was the first time Lu Yao had ever ambushed someone like this, and she felt a bit shy. Her delicate ear tips flushed pink, but she kept her eyes locked on Shen Zhirou. It had been days since they’d seen each other, and Shen Zhirou still had that same gentle, soft demeanor—but the look in her eyes held a trace of cool detachment.

Huang Qingqing and the others glanced back and forth between them, instantly getting the picture. With knowing smiles, Huang Qingqing said to Shen Zhirou, “Zhirou, your friend came to see you. We’ll head out for lunch first—you two chat.”

“Alright, go ahead without me,” Shen Zhirou replied mildly as she walked toward Lu Yao.

Lu Yao’s heart raced faster with every step Shen Zhirou took closer. Even from a couple of paces away, she caught the faint rose scent wafting from Shen Zhirou’s skin—the No Man’s Land Rose perfume she wore every day.

“Jie Jie, how were the pastries I sent this morning? Did you eat properly?” Lu Yao asked with a smile, wishing she could keep her gaze fixed on Shen Zhirou forever.

“Thanks for your concern, Miss Lu. I’m used to eating breakfast at home. I gave the pastries to my colleagues. And please don’t send flowers anymore—they’re a waste of money and your time.”

Shen Zhirou’s tone was very polite, but each word felt like a stab to Lu Yao’s heart. The old Shen Zhirou would never have spoken to her like this.

Lu Yao forced down the bitterness welling up inside her and kept smiling at Shen Zhirou. “No, I did all that willingly. You haven’t had lunch yet, right? Why don’t we grab something at a restaurant and talk while we eat?”

Shen Zhirou’s gaze lingered on Lu Yao. She seemed even thinner than before, and a pang of reluctance tugged at Shen Zhirou’s heart. But this kind of back-and-forth would only lead to a second time, then a third. It wasn’t what she wanted. Since she’d already decided to part ways, there was no need for them to keep meeting like this.

“I’ve made plans to eat with my colleagues. I’ll head straight over to join them. Miss Lu, feel free to do whatever you like.” Shen Zhirou nodded to Lu Yao and turned to leave, but Lu Yao stepped forward without a second thought, blocking her path.

“Jie Jie, there are too many people in the lobby. I just have a few words I want to say to you—only a few. Can we walk outside and talk while we go?”