Employee benefits

The deep voice echoed in the quiet carriage, each word like a heavy hammer, striking Lin Tingyue's heartstrings, making her eardrums buzz and her mind go blank.

Other...possibilities?

She looked up abruptly, meeting Chi Zhuo's unfathomable eyes.

The twilight and the dim light inside the car made the emotions in his eyes even more obscure, but his focused gaze, which carried a sense of inquiry and guidance, was like a net that firmly enveloped her.

Has she thought about it?

Xia Xiaoran's loud and boisterous pronouncements that "he must be interested in you" surged uncontrollably at this moment.

And then there were his unusual behaviors: his assertive defense of his position at the banquet, the ointment handed to him in the car, his pointed remark at the horse farm that "being too direct will scare them away," and now this almost blunt question...

Every detail was like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, previously scattered, but now, because of those words, they were suddenly pushed together, trying to piece together a pattern that made her heart race.

Her heart pounded wildly, and the blood seemed to rush to her cheeks, burning her skin.

His lips were slightly parted, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Deny? Admit? She was completely flustered.

Chi Zhuo did not urge her, but simply looked at her quietly, his eyes seemingly able to see through all her chaotic thoughts.

He continued to casually stroke the ointment with his fingertips, waiting for her reply.

Time seemed to stretch out countless times.

Finally, almost instinctively, Lin Tingyue managed to squeeze out a sentence, her voice dry and weak:

"I...I don't know what Mr. Chi is referring to..."

escape.

She chose the most ostrich-like approach.

A barely perceptible hint of disappointment seemed to flash across Chi Zhuo's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper darkness.

He didn't press her for answers, but just chuckled very lightly. The chuckle was short and ambiguous, making Lin Tingyue's heart tremble.

He handed the ointment back to her, then leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, as if his shocking question had never happened.

"arrive."

Almost the instant he finished speaking, the car came to a smooth stop in front of Lin Tingyue's apartment building.

The sudden silence and sense of distance made Lin Tingyue feel as if she had just been released from a suffocating confrontation.

She hurriedly took the ointment, as if fleeing from some raging flood, and whispered, "Thank you, Mr. Chi, goodbye," before quickly pushing open the car door and practically running away.

Even after she rushed into the elevator and leaned against the cold metal wall, she could still hear the wild, pounding sound of her heart.

He asked! He actually asked!

That statement was almost tantamount to tearing away the fig leaf called "compensation," laying bare a more dangerous and ambiguous possibility before her.

Lin Tingyue, haven't you considered other possibilities?

Does she want to? Does she dare to?

That man is Chi Zhuo!

He is a figure who stands on the clouds, able to turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist!

She was nothing more than a nobody who had unintentionally provoked him and foolishly tried to get rid of him with three thousand yuan.

There is an insurmountable chasm between them.

How could she dare to even consider that "possibility"?

But... if we don't consider that possibility, how can we explain his recent behavior?

Is it really just a super-rich person's weird hobby out of sheer boredom?

confusion.

Utter chaos.

That night, Lin Tingyue's insomnia was more severe than ever before.

Chi Zhuo's words played on repeat in her mind, every syllable crystal clear.

The look in his eyes when he spoke, the faint curve of his lips, the fingertips stroking the ointment...

Every detail was magnified infinitely and meticulously refined.

She felt as if she were standing on the edge of a giant vortex of mist, with Chi Zhuo standing at the center, reaching out to her and tempting her to step into that unknown, potentially doomed territory.

For the next two days of the weekend, Lin Tingyue was absent-minded.

She tried to numb herself with work, but the lines on the design drafts always distorted into Chi Zhuo's face.

She tried to analyze the situation with Xia Xiaoran, but Xia Xiaoran had already unilaterally concluded that Chi Zhuo was "flirting" with her, and no matter how she analyzed it, the conclusion was always "he loves her so much," which made her even more upset.

On Monday, she arrived at work with dark circles under her eyes and looked listless.

At noon, she went to have lunch with her colleagues in a shopping area near the company. When they passed by a top jewelry brand store, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the window.

It is a pond.

He was accompanied by his special assistant, Lu Tingyuan, who appeared to be inspecting something in the store.

The sales clerk was carefully showing him a set of dazzling diamond jewelry.

He was facing away from the shop window, his expression focused and aloof, the kind of expression commonly seen in business settings.

Lin Tingyue's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively wanted to pull her colleague away quickly.

However, the moment she turned around, Chi Zhuo in the shop window seemed to sense something, his gaze suddenly turning towards her, accurately capturing her figure.

Through the bright glass, their eyes met in mid-air.

Lin Tingyue seemed to be frozen in place, her hands and feet turning ice cold.

She saw his eyes flicker slightly, as if he whispered something to Lu Tingyuan beside him, and Lu Tingyuan also glanced in her direction.

The next second, to Lin Tingyue's horrified gaze, Chi Zhuo actually stepped out of the store and walked straight towards her!

Oh no! He's coming! What's he going to do?

Are we going to continue the same issue that happened in the car that day on the street?

Lin Tingyue's mind went blank; she was so nervous she could barely breathe.

Her colleague recognized Chi Zhuo and excitedly pinched her arm, saying, "Yueyue! It's Chi Zhuo! He looks like he's walking towards us!"

In the blink of an eye, Chi Zhuo had already walked up to them.

The tall figure cast a shadow, completely enveloping Lin Tingyue.

"Miss Lin."

He spoke, his tone as usual flat, revealing no emotion.

"Mr. Chi."

Lin Tingyue's voice was barely audible, and her head was so low that it was almost buried in her chest; she didn't dare to look at him at all.

She felt that all the eyes of the passersby around her were on her.

"Lunch break?" Chi Zhuo asked casually, seemingly oblivious to her near-suicidal rage.

"Yes, yes, just want to have a meal..."

"Hmm." Chi Zhuo responded, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment before he suddenly frowned slightly. "Didn't you get enough rest?"

Lin Tingyue: "!!!"

How did he figure that out?! And why did he ask so directly?!

"It's...it's alright..." She almost wanted to disappear on the spot.

Chi Zhuo didn't say anything more, but simply gestured to Lu Tingyuan beside him.

Lu Tingyuan immediately stepped forward and handed over a delicate little paper bag with the jewelry store's logo printed on it.

"I was just passing by when I saw this and thought it would suit you."

Chi Zhuo's tone was casual, as if he were simply handing over a document. "Take it."

Lin Tingyue was terrified when she saw the jewelry bag, which was clearly newly bought. She waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, no! Mr. Chi, this is too valuable! I can't accept it!"

Are you kidding me!

The stuff from that store!

A single earring could cost her several months' salary!

He actually said he "saw it while passing by and it suited her"?! That's an outrageous lie!

“It’s nothing.” Chi Zhuo’s attitude was firm, even carrying a hint of not being able to refuse. “Consider it… an employee benefit.”

Employee benefits?! What kind of employee benefits require the boss to personally buy jewelry?!

Lin Tingyue wanted to refuse, but Chi Zhuo had already stuffed the paper bag into her hand. Then, before she could react, he gave her a deep look, left her with the words "Get some rest," and turned to leave with Lu Tingyuan.

The whole process took only a minute or two, but it was like a sudden storm that completely stunned Lin Tingyue.

She stood there, holding that hot potato-like jewelry bag, feeling the envious, jealous, and inquisitive gazes from her colleagues and passersby. She felt like she was on fire!

"Employee benefits?!"

Her colleague grabbed her arm excitedly, her eyes wide. "Yueyue! When did you become Chi Zhuo's employee?! He even buys you jewelry as a perk?! Good heavens! What's your relationship?!"

Lin Tingyue opened her mouth, but couldn't explain a single word.

What exactly is her relationship with Chi Zhuo?

Creditor and debtor?

Boss and temporary worker?

Or... that vague "other possibility" he mentioned?

She looked down at the excessively delicate little bag in her hand, feeling as if it weighed a ton.

What exactly does Chi Zhuo want to do?

This unpredictable, sometimes distant, sometimes warm, sometimes coercive, sometimes generous approach frightened her and...disturbed her mind even more than direct retaliation.

She felt herself being slowly tightened and surrounded by a gentle yet dangerous net.