Chapter 99 Mango Pomelo Sago [VIP]

Chapter summary: "This one... there's no solution."

Fu Xianyin was actually a little nervous.

I can't explain why I'm nervous.

Gu Linzhao must have seen her cursing. Even if he didn't see the whole thing, he saw most of it. Under these circumstances, it's actually quite reasonable for Fu Xianyin to want to talk to him.

But Fu Xianyin was worried that Gu Linzhao would refuse.

She attributed this worry to the fact that he was the company owner and she was just an employee.

With her fingertips twisting the hem of her sweater, Fu Xianyin could even clearly hear the sound of her own heartbeat.

After a second or two, Gu Linzhao asked, "Where to?"

Where to?

Where are you going?

Fu Xianyin was momentarily stunned. She looked at Gu Linzhao and asked, "Where else do we need to go? Can't we stay here?"

Is it because he's used to being a boss or what? He can't seem to have a proper conversation in the hallway.

Fu Xianyin thought to herself.

Seemingly sensing Fu Xianyin's thoughts, Gu Linzhao chuckled and then asked, "Do you think this is a suitable place to talk?"

Fu Xianyin: ...

She was already annoyed today, and her outburst just now really brought out her temper.

Looking at Gu Linzhao now, that last bit of temper started to flare up again.

Fu Xianyin didn't want to get involved in the matter. She shrugged, her expression not very pleasant.

She said in an almost dismissive tone, "But Mr. Gu, I haven't eaten yet."

Even though the tone of those words was far from pleasant, Fu Xianyin inexplicably felt that Gu Linzhao's mood seemed to have become somewhat cheerful.

He struck a relaxed pose and casually began, "Alright, let's chat here then."

In the end, they didn't actually talk in the same spot.

The two took two more steps forward and stopped at the corner of the corridor.

Gu Linzhao leaned against the wall, looking down at her with a lazy posture, and asked, "What do you want to say?"

Fu Xianyin took a deep breath, and then went straight to the point: "President Gu saw everything that just happened."

It is not a question, but a statement that is so certain it cannot be more certain.

Gu Linzhao hummed a sound through his nose.

Fu Xianyin didn't expect him to be so unresponsive.

But since the topic had already been brought up, she had no choice but to continue.

As she was pondering her next words, she suddenly heard Gu Linzhao say out of the blue:

"You want me to fire them?"

Fu Xianyin: ?

She looked up, trying to discern a hint of a joke on Gu Linzhao's face.

But all I could see were his unfathomable eyes.

There was no smile on his face, but rather a serious expression.

It seems they are genuinely considering firing the entire project team.

Fu Xianyin felt like she was about to lose her composure.

She took a short breath and said, "That's not what I meant."

She wanted to explain, but found that she had no idea what to explain to Gu Linzhao.

Explain your earlier act of swearing.

Even if Gu Linzhao hadn't seen her cursing clearly, Fu Xianyin couldn't imagine what she should explain to Gu Linzhao because of her cursing.

How can you explain that she's not a person with such a bad temper?

But she really is.

Is the explanation just a momentary emotional outburst?

But she didn't lose control at all; she just wanted to swear.

Fu Xianyin even wondered if she had been too impulsive just now.

She speaks without thinking; as soon as she sees Gu Linzhao, she says she wants to talk to him.

When they were alone together, they found they had nothing to say to each other.

But... it doesn't seem so.

Just now, when she blurted out that she wanted to talk to him, the scene of her cursing just now didn't appear in her mind.

It was that lonely cup of mango pomelo sago lying in the trash can.

She heard rustling footsteps behind her; the person seemed to be drunk, and Fu Xianyin could smell the alcohol from a distance.

She subconsciously took a step forward, and only realized what was happening when the familiar scent enveloped her.

They seemed... a little too close.

Fu Xianyin was so close that she instinctively wanted to back away.

However, before he could take a step, he bumped into an arm from behind.

It was a touch through the fabric, yet it still made Fu Xianyin's heart tremble.

The smell of alcohol behind him grew stronger, and the man staggered, sounding as if he was barely able to maintain his balance by clinging to the wall.

At the corner, the straight wall suddenly disappeared, and Fu Xianyin heard heavy footsteps behind her, followed by a slurred apology:

"I'm...sorry."

He seemed to have bumped into Gu Linzhao's arm, because Fu Xianyin felt the arm that was originally loosely placed behind her waist suddenly wrap around her, creating an embrace between them.

The embrace was fleeting.

Before her nerves could transmit the information "they hugged" to her brain, Fu Xianyin felt the physical contact separate.

She heard Gu Linzhao say, "Is this all you want to talk to me about?"

He withdrew his hand and leaned against the wall, his posture lazy and relaxed.

He wasn't surprised at all.

It's not that we couldn't guess that Fu Xianyin actually had something else to say.

But he knew her too well.

Understand her personality and her temperament.

Know everything about her.

This also means that, at this moment, the words that truly compelled Fu Xianyin to speak up and say she wanted to talk to him will most likely remain buried in Fu Xianyin's heart and will not be uttered.

In high school, we could still joke around and say some truths, but now it's not appropriate to joke around anymore, and naturally, we can't say the truth either.

But if he knows so clearly, why is he still standing here?

Gu Linzhao asked himself.

He didn't know the answer.

But the body already had the answer.

He looked at Fu Xianyin.

The dim lighting obscured faces and blocked vision.

She couldn't see the subtle changes on Fu Xianyin's face, but she could see her slowly lower her head.

It seemed like a struggle, or perhaps a frustration.

Suddenly, she raised her face.

She just looked at him, stared straight at him, and then said, "No."

That's not what I wanted to talk to you about.

“That cup of mango pomelo sago,” she paused, not wanting to miss a single expression on his face.

“I know you saw it, you saw Alex throw it away.”

"It's a misunderstanding."

Fu Xianyin said, "I asked him to throw away the plastic sheet, and I just asked him to hold the mango pomelo sago for me. But I didn't expect him to be so quick and just throw it to me."

She said, "I didn't realize it either."

Gu Linzhao looked at her and suddenly smiled.

It wasn't the sarcastic mockery, nor even the usual light laugh.

It's a genuine, heartfelt laugh that's gradually spreading and expanding.

Looking at Gu Linzhao's upturned lips, Fu Xianyin suddenly understood the saying, "One should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane and eventually be exhausted."

Because she spoke again, asking, "Why?"

Gu Linzhao's voice still carried a hint of pleasure, and his eyebrows were relaxed with a smile as he casually asked, "What? Why?"

Fu Xianyin looked at him and said:

"Mango Pomelo Dew".

"Why."

They've gone mad.

That's insane.

She actually explained the misunderstanding about the mango pomelo sago to Gu Linzhao, and even asked him why, among a bunch of identical milk teas, there was a unique mango pomelo sago.

Fu Xianyin felt her mind was foggy.

If it's clearly a misunderstanding, why bother explaining it clearly?

If you receive it, just pretend you don't know and accept it. Why bother asking for clarification?

Is there something you want to know?

Is it something you want to verify?

Fu Xianyin felt her breath trembling slightly.

She didn't know what answer she would hear from Gu Linzhao; she wasn't even prepared to hear an answer.

But she just blurted it out.

Time seems to have been delayed.

Every second felt incredibly slow.

After a long pause, she heard Gu Linzhao say, "It's exactly what you think."

...

"Don't you have an appetite?"

Chen Nianke nudged Fu Xianyin with her elbow, and seeing Fu Xianyin's empty plate, she picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks.

Fu Xianyin picked up the meat with her chopsticks and ate it. She took a deep breath, her little face all scrunched up.

"I'm hungry, but I'm just annoyed."

Across the table, Cheng Zhaozhao and Alex were already having a lively conversation. Cheng Zhaozhao's English education was more exam-oriented, and she wasn't quite used to having to speak so much spoken English all at once. So she spoke part of it, gestured part of it, and left the rest for Alex to guess.

The two of them were able to chat smoothly using this communication style.

Fu Xianyin poked the bottom of the plate with the tip of her chopsticks and sighed.

After a long pause, she frowned and asked, "What exactly does he mean?"

Chen Nianke pulled the plate out from under Fu Xianyin's chopsticks and put food on her plate, asking as she did so, "What do you mean?"

Fu Xianyin said, "Exactly, tsk, exactly..."

Chen Nianke nodded, turned her head to look at her, and said, "Tell me."

Fu Xianyin: ...

She noticed.

Chen Nianke was perfectly aware of what she was talking about.

This person knew perfectly well that he wanted her to say it herself.

Fu Xianyin took a deep breath and said slowly:

"He took me to check into the hotel, gave me such a nice office, and when the cafeteria was crowded, he let me eat in his room. He also let me take as many drinks and fruits as I wanted from the refrigerator..."

Chen Nianke made no attempt to interrupt her.

Instead, she gave me an expression that seemed to encourage me to continue speaking.

Fu Xianyin paused for a moment, then decided to go all in. She looked at Chen Nianke and said:

"When he treated the entire project team to afternoon tea, he bought the same milk tea for everyone else, but he gave me a cup of mango pomelo sago."

"They also added crispy boba."

She added.

Seeing Chen Nianke's smile widen, Fu Xianyin sighed softly and spoke with a hint of helplessness:

"If a man did this to me, or to Cheng Zhaozhao, how would you feel?"

Those words stuck in Fu Xianyin's throat, and she couldn't utter a sound for a long time.

After a long pause, she lowered her head and whispered, "I would think it's because I'm interested in you."

Chen Nianke put the plate back in front of her, put down her chopsticks, looked at her and said, "See, you understand perfectly well, don't you?"

Fu Xianyin opened her mouth, but her voice weakened: "But he is Gu Linzhao."

He is Gu Linzhao.

He was someone who treated her so well during her student days, but in the end, she deceived her.

She left without saying goodbye, abandoning everything and leaving without even a word to him.

Chen Nianke looked at her and said, "So you think Gu Linzhao is numbing you and deceiving you. He'll give you the best, make you fall in love with him, and then turn around and leave without a second thought, dumping you ruthlessly."

She added, "Just like you were back then."

Fu Xianyin remained silent for a long time before softly saying, "I don't know."

She didn't know, or rather, she felt that Gu Linzhao wouldn't do that.

Even after many years, Gu Linzhao still knows that she is not someone who will swallow her anger.

She still knew that Gu Linzhao would not, or rather, would disdain, retaliate against someone in this way.

Perhaps people do change.

This was the last thought that Fu Xianyin kept in her heart.

Chen Nianke didn't pressure her too much. Her eyes fell on the dish, signaling Fu Xianyin to eat quickly.

Just as Fu Xianyin was enjoying her meal, Chen Nianke suddenly narrowed her eyes and spoke in a somewhat irreverent tone.

She said, "However, some of what you just said, if you really have to say, could be attributed to Xingfan Technology doing things in a more respectable and appropriate way?"

She went over what Fu Xianyin had just said: "Taking you to the hotel to check in was just a convenience. Giving you the best office is a sign of respect for an MIT PhD. If the cafeteria is crowded, I'll let you eat in his room, since he's not often there anyway."

“But you,” Chen Nianke looked at her with a smile, “you have to bring up something like this. What are you up to, Fu Xianyin?”

Fu Xianyin was directly exposed, and somewhat awkwardly looked away, saying in a flustered manner, "This, isn't this what you told me to say? I just said what you told me to say... I didn't even remember to filter it first."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost gone, and she only managed to speak with the last shred of her courage:

"Then, what about the willow branch sago?"

She added in a low voice, "They also added crispy boba."

Chen Nianke's smile widened.

She suddenly leaned closer, extended her index finger, and waved it at Fu Xianyin:

"This one?"

There is no solution.

[Author's Note]

I really want to drink mango pomelo sago!