Lead her astray

The brand department had a dinner party on Friday night, which was a welcome party arranged by Mao Jiadong for new employees.

The company, called "Pet Planet," has over a thousand employees and annual revenue exceeding 1 billion yuan. Its marketing and promotion departments are divided into branding, marketing, and public relations. The branding department is the smallest, with only five people, including Zuo Xiao and two designers.

"Can I drink alcohol?" Mao Jiadong asked. Zuo Xiao shook his head: "I've been allergic to alcohol since I was a child."

Mao Jiadong did not force it. He asked those who wanted to drink to pour wine, and those who couldn't drink to pour drinks, and then they clinked glasses together.

During the meal, Zuo Xiao, a new employee, was peppered with questions. Luckily, the company didn't have an outrageous "ice-breaking culture," so the questions stayed within the company's boundaries. Among them, Li Shuang, a copywriter, asked the most eye-catching question of the night:

"Does Zuo Xiao have a boyfriend?"

Zuo Xiao noticed that everyone present showed special concern about this issue. Gu Yanbin, who was also a designer, had a piece of beef in his mouth and immediately stopped chewing.

"Yes." Zuo Xiao said with a smile.

"Oh!" Li Shuang exclaimed exaggeratedly, leaned forward, and asked in a low voice, "Is it Mr. Luffy?"

As expected, Luffy was too attentive to her, which caused gossip within the company.

Zuo Xiao smiled and said, "Can you not tell me?" Suddenly everyone looked strange.

Mao Jiadong opened the chapter: "Why hasn't the hot and sour tripe that I just added been served yet? Li Shuang, go ask."

At the end of the dinner, Li Shuang asked Zuo Xiao where she lived and how to get there. Zuo Xiao replied, "A friend is here to pick me up." She winked and said, "Could it be Mr. Luffy?" Zuo Xiao didn't respond.

As they left the restaurant, Zhuang Jinghao rushed over and took her hand. "Is it over?" She smiled sweetly and waved to the others. Everyone's expressions were profound, and Li Shuang's envy was evident on his face. Although Zuo Xiao had been considered a "Tianlong" from her first day, Zhuang Jinghao's actions tonight had once again changed their perceptions.

Zuo Xiao was very open-minded about this: she had entered the convenient door that Zhuang Jinghao had opened for her, and the eyes of others were the price she had to bear.

Zuo Xiao drove the car into the villa's garage and then lay on the sofa waiting for Zhuang Jinghao to come check on him. Afterwards, the two of them and the dog went for a half-hour walk.

It was late at night. Zuo Xiao took a shower, dried his hair, and lay down on the bed. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he was hugged.

"I'm so happy now..."

Zhuang Jinghao buried his head in her arms and hummed with satisfaction like a pig: "It feels like I have a sister, a dear sister... It's so good..."

"Don't you already have a brother? Are you still not satisfied?" Zuo Xiao teased her. Zhuang Jinghao shook her head: "That's different. There are many things that are not suitable to be said to a brother, and there are many fun things that cannot be played with a brother... But a sister can!" She acted clingy and coquettish, "Teacher Zuo, can I call you sister..."

"No." Zuo Xiao refused decisively. Zhuang Jinghao's soft head poked her chin, making her feel itchy. She reached out and pulled it away, "I'm only two years older than you, don't take advantage of me!"

"Ah..." Zhuang Jing felt aggrieved. "Okay then..." Suddenly excited, "Then I'll call you something else? Is it okay to call you Xiaoxiao? Or... Xiaoxiao Baby?"

"No!" Zuo Xiao was really annoyed by her cheesiness. He pushed his little face away from her neck in disgust. "Just call me by my name, OK?"

Zhuang Jinghao smiled and said in his heart: I promise you today, you can call me whatever you want in the future.

"Zuo Xiao..." Hehe, it was the first time I called her name, and I felt a little shy. "Why is your pen name Zuo Xiao Afraid of Curses?"

Zuo Xiao smiled and said, "When I registered the account, I was attracted by a singer named Zuo Xiaozuo, so I just picked this pen name."

"Zuo Xiao Zhuwu? Is there a singer with this name? Does he sound good? Let me search it." He quickly took out his cell phone.

"It's the small one, the ancestor of the family," Zuo Xiao reminded him. Zhuang Jinghao entered the name into the music app and clicked on the first song in the default playlist...

"Oh my god!" She pressed the pause button and said tactfully, "Zuo Xiao, your musical taste is really unique..."

"Hahaha!" Zuo Xiao laughed. "His voice and singing style are very unique. I wasn't used to it at first, but the more I listened, the more I got hooked." Zhuang Jinghao was skeptical: "Really? Then I'll keep it for now..."

"He's on tour soon. I'll take you to see it," Zuo Xiao said. "Have you ever been to a live house? Or a music festival?"

"I've been to music festivals, but not live houses. My brother wouldn't let me go, saying it's too crowded and chaotic."

"It's a bit crowded. But I have a bodyguard, I'll bring him with me next time."

Zuo Xiao was a little sleepy, but Zhuang Jinghao was immersed in the excitement of sleeping in her arms and didn't feel sleepy at all.

She suddenly thought of a question and felt a little shy. She hesitated for a while before asking:

"Zuo Xiao, you wrote about that... umm... scene in your novel where Jasmine was so comfortable she cried... I've actually always been curious, is that... really that pleasurable? Have you ever experienced it?"

Zuo Xiao suddenly no longer felt sleepy.

She turned over and faced Zhuang Jinghao. The room was dark, but her eyes were bright, gleaming with curiosity and shyness.

It's time for this poor little thing growing in a glass case to take a sex education class.

Zuo Xiao pursed his lips and smiled, then asked, "Haven't you ever experienced this?"

Zhuang Jinghao was slightly startled and whispered: "No..."

"That's a pity," Zuo Xiao said. "If you're with someone you like, and they're gentle, it'll be very comfortable, extremely comfortable..." Seeing the poor little girl was stunned, she smiled and continued, "Sometimes you feel like you're floating on the clouds, sometimes like you're riding a dragon into the deep sea, and sometimes you feel like you're wrapped in honey, so comfortable that you're about to melt... At the peak, you feel like a volcano erupting, like a flood bursting a dam, like a nuclear bomb destroying the world..."

"Ah, that sounds a bit scary..." the sweet baby said blankly.

"No, no." Zuo Xiao corrected her, "That's an extremely pleasurable release, not scary at all. You'll know once you experience it." Then he changed the subject, "Do you have someone you like now?"

Zhuang Jinghao was stunned and pulled the quilt up: "No..."

Zuo Xiao pressed the issue: "Have you ever had a crush on a guy before? Have you ever been in a relationship?"

"I had a crush on someone in high school. We dated for almost a month..." Zhuang Jinghao said hesitantly, "But maybe it wasn't really love? After we broke up, I was sad for a week, but then I was fine... Well, maybe it wasn't love. Anyway, my brother said that wasn't what I called love..."

"Whether you like someone or not isn't determined by whether you're sad or how long you're sad after a breakup." Zuo Xiao corrected him again, "You want to be close to him, you miss him when he's not around, and you smile when you think of him. That's love. And liking someone isn't a lifelong thing. You might like someone for a while and then not like them anymore. Or you might not have liked someone before and suddenly like them again. These are all normal phenomena."

Zhuang Jinghao thought about it seriously for a while and said, "Then I must have liked him. After going to college, I also liked other boys."

"Hmm. So are you in a relationship?"

"No……"

"Why?"

"I don't want to say it... Can I not say it?"

"Then I won't say anything."

What’s strange is that although Zuo Xiaoming clearly said that he didn’t have to say it if he didn’t want to, Zhuang Jinghao suddenly wanted to say it.

"I went to college in Beijing. My brother was starting a business at the time, and although he was very busy, he would always take me home to stay with him during holidays. He would often visit me at school and bring me a lot of food and daily necessities. I think my brother might have said something to my roommates. Anyway, they would go out to play with boys, go to social gatherings, etc., and never take me with them... Sometimes they would chat about love affairs in the dormitory, but when they saw me come in, they would stop talking and say they didn't want to lead me astray..."

Feeling the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Zhuang Jinghao suddenly changed her tone to something cheerful: "So I just decided not to talk about it! There are so many fun things besides dating anyway, so it's not necessary to talk about it."

Zuo Xiao took a deep breath, feeling infuriated by the sister's cowardice and the brother's dominance, and even more pitiful. After a moment's thought, he said, "Love and sex are both very important experiences in life, irreplaceable. While we shouldn't deify them, we shouldn't ignore or suppress our own needs either. You should decide what you want, and no one else can make that decision for you."

She suddenly thought of the question Zhuang Jinghao had just asked and asked, "When you see the content in my novel, do you feel a little moved? Do you want to try it?"

Zhuang Jinghao was stunned, buried the lower half of his face in the quilt, and said honestly: "A little bit..."

Zuo Xiao raised his lip and smiled: "That's right. This shows that you are very healthy, both physically and mentally! Have you ever tried to do it yourself?"

"Ah?" Zhuang Jinghao was startled and stammered, "What...what?"

"Just make yourself happy!" Zuo Xiao's eyes sparkled. "Use your hands, or some small props. Haven't you tried it?"

"Ahhh!" Zhuang Jinghao hid herself completely under the quilt, but was immediately pulled out. "You've tried it before, right? What did you use?"

Zhuang Jinghao was on the verge of tears, covering her mouth and refusing to speak. Zuo Xiao tickled her, leaving her breathless, and she finally gave in: "Use your hands, use your hands! Ahahaha... Help! Stop tickling me..."

Zuo Xiao loosened his hand and asked cunningly, "Is it comfortable to use your hand?"

Zhuang Jinghao answered quietly, "It feels a little bit comfortable... but it doesn't seem to be as comfortable as described in the novel..."

"Maybe your technique is wrong." Zuo Xiao thought for a moment, "Forget it, I'll give you a small gift."

"Hmm?" Zhuang Jinghao pricked up his ears. "What gift?"

Zuo Xiao patted her head and said, "Keep it secret for now."

Zuo Xiao woke several times that night. Zhuang Jing was clinging to her like a puppy, unconsciously cuddling her in her sleep, only to be thrust back again seconds later. Finally, exhausted, she let the clinging creature cling to her with all his might, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

The two of them slept until noon. Zhuang Jinghao, who only knew how to cook instant noodles, cooked a pot of noodles and beat in four eggs. Zuo Xiao, who wasn't picky about food, ate whatever was available.

Before leaving, she asked knowingly, "Have you been practicing climbing the grid recently?"

Zhuang Jinghao's face wrinkled like a bitter melon, and she shook her head. Zuo Xiao then said, "I've seen that you don't like playing the guitar. Don't learn it anymore, and I won't teach you anymore." Zhuang Jinghao breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly.

Zuo Xiao's cell phone rang, and she walked out while answering the call. Zhuang Jinghao followed her, holding Peter Pan's hand, and walked her to the gate of the community.

"That little red-haired girl just now is your precious little disciple, right?" Chen Liqing said as he turned the steering wheel.

"Yeah." Zuo Xiao smiled. "Is it cute?"

"I didn't see her face, just a head of red hair, and I thought she was cosplaying..." Chen Liqing said, "I just introduced you to a job, and you're already committed to me?"

"That's right! Not only did he pledge his love to you, he also gave you everything he knew!"

She went home, changed her clothes, and headed straight to the airport.

After getting out of the car, Chen Liqing pulled out a bouquet of flowers and a dazzling sign from the back seat that read, "Welcome Ms. Dai Mengling to Beijing." Zuo Xiao was extremely annoyed by this servile behavior and rolled his eyes at him.

Half an hour later, the two met Ms. Dai Mengling and her young boyfriend who was less than 30 years old at the arrival hall.

Chen Liqing presented flowers, took photos and videos, and coaxed Ms. Dai into a beaming smile. Zuo Xiao stood by like a circus. If you didn't know, you would have thought Chen Liqing was the child of Ms. Dai!

Chen Liqing was driving, Zuo Xiao was in the passenger seat, and Dai Mengling and her boyfriend, Zhou Yiyang, were in the back. Chen Liqing was a chatterbox the entire time, and Zuo Xiao figured he probably didn't talk much at work, otherwise why would he be so reserved?

"Mom, what are your plans for the next two days?" Zuo Xiao asked.

Ms. Dai smiled and replied, "We'll visit the hutongs in the afternoon and go to the Forbidden City tomorrow. Don't worry about the day after tomorrow, Liqing has arranged it." Zuo Xiao turned his head to look at Chen Liqing, and felt that he was even more like a lackey.

After lunching on roast duck, strolling through the hutongs in the afternoon, and visiting Houhai Lake in the evening, Zuo Xiao lamented that 48-year-old Dai Mengling was even more energetic than she was. Could this be the benefit of not working?

Ms. Dai's main job now is being an internet celebrity, with hundreds of thousands of followers on short video platforms and a constant stream of advertising. She also has a sideline as an e-commerce model, carving out a niche in the mature women's clothing market. Her father, Old Zuo, forbids her from public appearances, primarily because he doesn't want his daughter to follow in his ex-wife's footsteps. It's pure spite!

The four of them sat in the bar for a while, and then Ms. Dai asked Zuo Xiao to go out with her for a cigarette—yes, she still smokes. If it weren't for her side hustle as a model, she'd have planned to get a tattoo of a phoenix rising from flames on her chest!

Zuo Xiao watched the red light flickering between her fingers, feeling it perfectly suited this bustling street. Suddenly, he heard the other person say, "You and that Zhou... Zhou what was that? Are you done?"

Zuo Xiao's lips moved lightly: "It's completely broken."

A swaying smoke ring blew out of her big red lips: "Then what do you say to Chen Liqing?"

"What do you mean?" Zuo Xiao frowned. "You're not trying to match me up with him, are you?"

"What's the point of matchmaking? You two aren't suitable for each other." A finger with peacock blue nail polish flicked the ash from a cigarette. "I'm just worried that you'll delay him."

"How did I delay him? You delayed him even more than me! Half a day today, a whole day tomorrow, will there be any next week?"

"Then find someone quickly. Don't leave him waiting, thinking he has a chance." Ms. Dai shook her head. "I feel sorry for him just watching. What a sin..."

Zuo Xiao instantly understood what she meant, but she didn't think there was any possibility of a romantic relationship developing between her and Chen Liqing. She immediately refuted her, "Don't talk nonsense! You're tarnishing our pure friendship! He's standing naked in front of me. If I had any reaction, I'd be a dog, right?"

"Haha!" Ms. Dai laughed heartily. "That's easy. Just let him take off all his clothes and try it, and you'll know. Hmm...looking at his face, I think he should be okay."

Yes? Yes in what respects? Zuo Xiao blushed. Looking at the charming face before him, he recalled all the messy knowledge she'd taught him. He'd only absorbed about five or six percent, but it had been quite useful...

Ms. Dai tossed her cigarette butt into the trash and headed back to the bar. Zuo Xiao remained standing, gazing at the lake in front of her called Houhai, suddenly remembering the day her mother announced her divorce.

It was also one night, and also by the lake. She had attended her elementary school graduation ceremony during the day, and her mother picked her up from school, took her to a big meal, and then took a detour to the lake, walked around it once, and then walked around it again.

She was wondering when her mother suddenly stopped her and said, "Xiaoxiao, your father and I are divorced."

At that time, the mother was far less passionate and unrestrained than she is now. There was a hint of sadness and confusion between her eyebrows. She pulled her daughter to sit on the bench and then told her why she wanted a divorce.

Young Zuo Xiao didn't quite understand, and her mother's explanation was rather subtle. It wasn't until later that she learned that her mother couldn't stand a sexless marriage; her husband was aloof. She had endured for years, finally waiting until her daughter graduated from elementary school. She decided she couldn't wait any longer.

"Xiaoxiao, one day you will understand: people should live for themselves, and their own feelings are the most important. Mom hopes you can understand it sooner." This was the last sentence her mother said to her by the lake that night.