With a light, gentle touch and warm breath, Qiao Zhen's face, which had just recovered, flushed red again.

Her face, as bright as a peach blossom, was flushed with a rosy glow, captivating the soul.

Lu Zheng's eyes darkened, his fingertips gliding over her delicate and soft jawline, pinching her exquisite chin. The wonderful feel and the charming woman before him made his breathing suddenly become heavy, desperately needing those soft lips to extinguish the fire.

"Mmm—" The moment Qiao Zhen sensed danger, Lu Zheng sealed her lips with his.

It was another deep kiss that seemed to suck her soul away.

She bit Lu Zheng's lip defiantly, thinking, "Why should I be the only one in pain?"

Lu Zheng winced in pain and released her.

Qiao Zhen, panting, managed to say, "I want to sleep."

Lu Zheng stretched out his long legs and got off the bed. "Good boy. I think you wouldn't want your aunt to see you uncomfortable and worry about you."

When it comes to manipulating people's hearts, no one can compare to Lu Zheng.

To show her "sincerity," Qiao Zhen kicked off her shoes, snuggled into the blanket, and said, "Mmm."

Lu Zheng leaned down and kissed her forehead with lingering affection, "I'll be back later."

As Qiao Zhen watched Lu Zheng leave the guest room, her tense nerves relaxed slightly. After two sleepless nights, she felt drowsy as soon as she touched the comfortable bed.

I tried to put up a fight, but I failed.

When Qiao Zhen woke up, the light in the room was as dim as dusk. She was startled, wondering how she had slept for so long.

She quickly got up, took out her phone from her pocket, and saw that it was only one o'clock in the afternoon.

Looking more closely at the dimly lit room, I realized that the curtains had been drawn at some point.

The shading effect is quite good; it somehow messed up her sense of time, even though it was the sunniest time of day.

Lu Zheng came back?

She hurriedly lifted the blanket to make sure that her clothes were on properly.

"Phew—" She patted her chest, reminding herself that she couldn't do that again, and that she must never let her guard down around Lu Zheng.

Although she had a good night's sleep, her back pain didn't subside much. She got up, supporting her back, and drew back the curtains to let the sunlight fall on her, trying to ease the panic caused by the disorientation of time.

Outside the window, shadows moved about, and then someone knocked on the door.

Through the peephole, Qiao Zhen saw two women in their forties or fifties with kind faces.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked as she opened the door.

The woman said with a smile, "Hello, Miss Qiao, we are massage therapists from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Massage Center. Mr. Lu instructed us to wait for Miss Qiao to wake up and then provide you with massage services."

Qiao Zhen was stunned. She looked at the business card and employee badge the woman handed her and let the person in.

The masseuses skillfully unfolded the folding bed, laid out soft cushions and disposable sheets, lit lightly scented incense, and asked Qiao Zhen to lie down on it.

It wasn't until a pair of skilled hands kneaded her lower back, sending a sensation that was both painful and pleasurable, that she fully woke up from her dazed state.

Lu Zheng is actually so meticulous and considerate?

Qiao Zhen rubbed her temples, wondering what kind of trick that scoundrel was up to this time.

Could he please stop showing her "kindness"?

It will only make her feel pain and conflicted in this unspeakable relationship.

"Ding ding," a series of text message notification sounds pulled Qiao Zhen out of her dilemma.

She fumbled for the password, then looked at the screen, paused, and hurriedly placed the phone screen-down on the massage bed. She then quickly glanced at the two masseuses.

They were all engrossed in their work and didn't notice her phone.

Qiao Zhen's fingers trembled slightly as she pressed the lock screen button forcefully.

The text message was from Song Ruyi.

"It's Monday, a workday, why haven't you returned the order to Yiyi yet?"

"I heard you didn't come to work. Did you think you could avoid paying me just by hiding?"

"You have ten minutes. Either return the form to Yiyi obediently, or you and the Yan family will be ruined. Choose one."

Unexpectedly, Song Ruyi recovered from the embarrassment at the charity auction so quickly and was determined to get revenge on her.

She didn't have much time left. Qiao Zhen endured the pain and got out of bed. She said to the masseuses who looked puzzled, "I have a work call to answer. Please leave for a moment. I'm sorry."

The masseuses nodded and left the guest room.

Qiao Zhen immediately called her supervisor, "...Supervisor, I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well. In addition to the three-day holiday, I would like to apply for annual leave. But the report from Fuzhou Hospital is urgent, and I can't continue to follow up right now. Could you... give the report to Ling Yiyi?"

The supervisor asked in surprise, "Zhenzhen, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Time passed slowly, and Qiao Zhen didn't bother with pleasantries. "Please hand over the project follow-up work to Ling Yiyi."

The supervisor hadn't forgotten the huge argument between Qiao Zhen and Ling Yiyi over the Fuzhou Hospital project, plus the matter between Song Ruyi and He Yang. They were practically sworn enemies. It was strange that he would suddenly be willing to hand over the project to Ling Yiyi.

"Why give it to her? I'll follow up on it for you, and wait for you to come back..."

"No way!" Qiao Zhen interrupted her supervisor, disregarding politeness. "Besides me, Ling Yiyi is the only person familiar with the project who can get up to speed quickly and not delay the progress. My personal grudges with her cannot affect the overall situation of the company."

The supervisor was deeply moved by her understanding and said, "Alright."

Qiao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, thought for a moment, and then specifically instructed, "Could this be arranged quietly? After all, the argument before was quite ugly, and I'm afraid it will cause gossip among colleagues and affect the company atmosphere."

"Okay." The supervisor's tone was very gentle. "Zhenzhen, take good care of yourself and come back to work as soon as possible."

"I will, thank you, supervisor. Please... just go ahead and arrange it. I'm afraid Fuzhou Hospital will be unhappy." Qiao Zhen knew it wasn't good for an ordinary employee to order their superior around, but seeing that there were only three minutes left, she couldn't worry about that now.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!