Chapter 50 Jealousy

Having received the photos, Lin Zaoyi didn't linger. Just as she reached the door, Duan Lin's sarcastic voice drifted over, "Why are you two acting like a couple? What kind of conflict requires you to spend the night together?"

"..."

What an inappropriate metaphor.

He pretended not to hear and went out.

I ran into Yuan Lai at the elevator entrance.

Upon seeing her, Yuan Lai raised an eyebrow. "Here for an interview?"

She gave a curt "hmm".

"It's almost lunchtime, want to come together?"

"I have something else to do, you guys eat." Lin Zaoyi pressed the elevator button and stepped inside.

Yuan Lai feigned regret, "Then next time."

After saying that, he turned his back, the smile on his lips vanishing instantly. A moment later, he put on a smile again and walked toward his office.

Inside the staircase, Lin Zaoyi silently exhaled into the air.

Did they plan this together?

Otherwise what?

Lin Zaoyi, what are you worried about?

What does this have to do with you?

The phone rang. Lin Zaoyi looked down at the screen and saw it was Xixi. She asked where she was.

"Just finished interviewing Mr. Duan, what's up?"

"That's perfect timing. I'll come find you when I get there. There's a really good French restaurant nearby."

"OK."

After wandering around the neighborhood for about forty minutes, Xixi came over wearing a mask.

Upon entering the restaurant, a waiter led us inside.

In a fleeting glance, Lin Zaoyi spotted Yuan Lai's figure. At the same table with her were two men, whose figures were easy to identify: Tan Zhaojing and Duan Lin.

Around the same time, Yuan Lai also noticed Lin Zaoyi, a look of surprise crossing her face. She pretended not to see her and forked a piece of lamb chop onto Tan Zhaojing's plate, saying, "It's very tender, have a taste."

Tan Zhaojing immediately frowned. "I'll do it myself."

Suddenly, a soft voice called out in my ear, "Hey, Zaoyi, where are you going!"

He turned his head and saw only a hurried figure in his field of vision, and another figure was Meng Jinxi, who ran after her.

"That's Zao Yi?" Yuan Lai gasped in surprise. "Why is she running?"

Duan Lin roughly knew what was going on. "They're having a conflict with Zhaojing."

Yuan Lai found these words extremely offensive. She lowered her eyelashes, a mocking smile playing on her lips, then looked up again, her face blank. "What contradiction?"

The man in front of him didn't answer. He put down his cutlery, his refined features filled with indifference. "Interesting?"

Her expression froze, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on her knife and fork. "What?"

"What did you say?"

Tan Zhaojing's gaze was devoid of any warmth. "Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

Duan Lin was completely confused, his eyes scanning back and forth between the two of them. "What's wrong with you two?"

Tan Zhaojing remained silent with a blank expression.

Yuan Lai lowered her eyes expressionlessly.

After leaving the restaurant, Lin Zaoyi looked apologetic. "Xixi, how about we eat somewhere else?"

Meng Jinxi completely understood and couldn't help but wonder, "Was Yuan Lai doing this on purpose?"

Lin Zaoyi stared blankly into the distance. It turned out that she actually had a possessive streak towards him.

He said, "That's their business."

...

They grabbed lunch at a random restaurant, and after eating, the two girls went their separate ways.

On her way back to the newspaper office, Lin Zaoyi received a call from her mother, "I bought you a few outfits. Do you want to come pick them up yourself or have the driver deliver them to the newspaper office?"

When they encountered a traffic light ahead, Lin Zaoyi slowed down and said, "I'll go get it."

"Then come to the Tan family, I'm with your Uncle Tan right now."

On a weekday, the parking lot was almost full. After going through many twists and turns, Lin Zaoyi finally found an empty space, and there were three in a row.

It couldn't be more suitable for her, a terrible driver who keeps backing up.

As soon as I parked, a security guard came over and said, "You can't park here."

Why?

The security guard said, "This is Mr. Tan's reserved spot."

"...Is parking really divided into different classes?"

"That's the rule."

Lin Zaoyi tried to be accommodating, saying, "I'm just grabbing something, it'll only take ten minutes at most."

The security guard was adamant, "No."

As they were arguing, a car drove up in their direction, and the security guard suddenly became agitated, shouting, "Drive it away right now, the boss is coming!"

Lin Zaoyi glanced at it unconsciously, then looked away in an instant.

She opened the car door, climbed back in, and just as she started the engine, someone's car smoothly rolled into the car next to hers.

Assistant Shao naturally recognized the owner of the illegally parked car, but dared not act on his own, so he asked the person in the back seat, "Mr. Tan, this is Ms. Lin's car."

Tan Zhaojing: "You handle it."

Assistant Shao got out of the car. The security guard, thinking he was coming to reprimand her, apologized first, saying, "It was my mistake. I'll let her leave now."

He pounded on the car door with a bit of force, "Hurry up!"

Lin Zaoyi's eyelashes fluttered twice from the noise. She wasn't usually short-tempered, but this time she couldn't hold back and rolled down the car window. "I'm driving, hurry up!"

The security guard got anxious and was about to retort when he was stopped by Assistant Shao. Then, a strange scene unfolded: he nodded to the woman in the car with an extremely respectful attitude.

"Ms. Lin, you can stop now."

Lin Zaoyi didn't care anymore. "No need. Besides, I sincerely suggest that your boss put up a sign nearby saying 'For Tan Zhaojing Only'."

Assistant Shao thought to himself: The boss is nearby, why don't you just tell him yourself?

With a forced smile, she asked, "Is there something you need here?"

Lin Zaoyi calmed down, not wanting to take her anger out on innocent people. "Just consider it a stroll for me."

As they were talking, she saw the man push open the door and get out of the car, walk straight to the front of her car, and then stand there without moving.

"..."

Is something wrong with you?

He took a deep breath and forced a smile at his assistant, "Could you please ask your boss to move aside? My skills are terrible, and I'm afraid of touching his golden body."

Assistant Shao felt quite wronged. "You can argue all you want, but don't put me in the middle..."

The phone rang.

Lin Zaoyi picked it up casually, "Mom."

Where are we?

"Parking lot? Can't find a spot? Have a secretary bring it down."

“There are designated parking spaces, park there.”

"How dare I?"

Lin Zaoyi couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Can't stop, it's for the president's exclusive use, or I'll get kicked out. Hey—what are you doing!"

Her phone was snatched away. The man pulled open the car door with one hand, dragged her out of the car and towards the elevator, and snatched her phone with the other.

"Aunt Ming, it's me. I'll bring the morning offering up in a bit."

"Tan Zhaojing, what are you doing! Give me back my phone!"

The security guard stared in disbelief, then asked in a panic, "Assistant Shao, who is this...?"

Assistant Shao couldn't give a specific answer at the moment, but gave a general description: "Grandma, I guess."

security guard:"……"

He couldn't help but look at the electric scooter he had stopped; this old lady's car was worse than his, a security guard's.

Inside the elevator.

Lin Zaoyi tried to reason with him, "Mr. Tan, can you let go of me?"

He gave an irrelevant answer: "Why did you leave at noon?"

That's a good question.

She gave a fake smile, her tone normal, and said, "I was afraid of disturbing your public display of affection."

Tan Zhaojing had no idea how many times he had to process the emotions this girl had stirred up on his own.

"Do you have to talk to me like that?"

"Then what should we do?" Lin Zaoyi retorted, but her nose suddenly stung with tears. "What are you doing, wanting more than you have?"

The elevator car was deserted.

The man's gaze fell upon her, growing heavier, like the deep darkness of night.

Her heart sank, and she looked away.

After a moment of silence, he reached out and gently brushed the strands of hair that were falling across her cheek. The movement was gentle, but the somber look in his eyes did not soften at all.

She also lost her temper and forcefully pushed him away, saying, "Don't touch me."