Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Jealousy
Lin Mo suddenly became nervous. Her first reaction was not to answer the phone, but to look vigilantly at the three colleagues in the tea room.
How could such a commotion not attract attention? The three people who had been unpacking their takeout boxes suddenly paused, staring at her motionlessly.
Lin Mo pulled the corners of her lips awkwardly, her voice rising a little, her attempt to hide her feelings only making them more obvious. "Sorry, Mr. Xiao, I didn't see you." Without waiting for a response, she snatched the phone from him, "Thank you."
Lu Yanxiao: "..."
His question was simply ignored.
Lin Mo took a few steps into the tea room and suddenly realized that this midnight snack was treated by Lu Yanxiao. She turned around and smiled sheepishly: "Well, thank you for the midnight snack, Mr. Xiao."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other three people seemed to have pressed the play button again, continued to open the lunch boxes, and expressed their gratitude to Lu Yanxiao one after another.
"Boss, do you want to eat together?" Song Yue symbolically invited his boss, but he was actually a little nervous inside. Who really wants to have a meal with the boss? It would be so stressful!
"No."
Lu Yanxiao followed Lin Mo in, opened the refrigerator door, and took out a bottle of purified water. He turned his gaze to Lin Mo and asked indifferently, "How's the experiment going?"
"Very good." Lin Mo answered politely.
As they were talking, Song Yue sat down next to Li Ningxin. At this moment, he stood up and handed her a glass of watermelon juice from two chairs away. He even helped her insert the straw. "Here, Mr. Lin. Remember you like fruit drinks."
Lin Mo took it: "Thank you."
Song Yue: "You're welcome! Would you like some crab roe noodles? I'll help you."
"No, I can do it myself." Lin Mo was embarrassed to trouble others, so she stood up and stretched out her arm to barely reach it.
Song Yue took the small plate from her hand and without saying anything, stuffed his plate into hers, saying exaggeratedly: "Oh, it's hot, hurry up and take it."
Lin Mo had no choice but to take it and said again: "Thank you."
Lu Yanxiao took all of this in without making a sound. He scanned Song Yue's body before returning to Lin Mo. "Engineer Lin."
Lin Mo raised her eyes and looked at him.
Lu Yanxiao said in a calm voice, "Don't let everyone stay up too late, go home early."
Lin Mo hummed softly, and after a quick mental estimate, she said rigorously, "The last bit of data analysis and verification remains, which will take at most another forty minutes."
Lu Yanxiao nodded, and without staying any longer, he and Wang Qian left the tea room.
With the boss around, apart from Song Yue pretending to be relaxed, Li Ningxin and Liu Junyin had only heard of Lu Yanxiao's reputation and had little contact with the real him, so they dared not breathe and ate very awkwardly. As soon as Lu Yanxiao left, they completely let go.
"If I can have this kind of top-notch feast every day, I wouldn't mind working overtime!" Li Ningxin repeatedly exclaimed that the food was delicious.
Song Yue joked: "Who in the lab was saying it's better to give out red envelopes in cash?"
"Really? Who? Where?" Li Ningxin laughed and pretended to be confused, "Senior Sister, did you hear that?"
It was a rare opportunity to relax during her busy work schedule. Lin Mo agreed, "No, Teacher Song, please don't make up stories about my junior sister."
"Senior sister is the best to me!" Li Ningxin leaned on Lin Mo's shoulder and curled her lips at Song Yue provocatively.
"Okay, your research institute is our family. I'm isolated and helpless, so I surrender." Song Yue joked unconvinced. He caught a glimpse of Lin Mo picking up a dish that was farther away, so he moved the plate towards her.
Li Ningxin's sharp eyes caught the look, and her gossip radar immediately stood up. She handed her plate to Song Yue: "Teacher Song, please help me with two more shrimps, thank you."
Song Yue was merciless: "Work hard and you will have enough food and clothing."
Li Ningxin narrowed her eyes and said meaningfully, "Teacher Song, there's something wrong with you."
Song Yue, not only did not defend himself but took advantage of the situation to get out of the way when his thoughts were hinted at, saying, "You guessed it right." He then thoughtfully helped Lin Mo pull out two napkins and acted attentive, "Mr. Lin, I actually have something to ask of you."
Lin Mo took the paper and smiled: "Please speak."
Song Yue: "My car broke down yesterday and I had to get it repaired. After working overtime, I probably won't be able to catch the last subway. I heard that your home is on the south side of Qinzhou Lake, so it should pass by my area. Can you give me a ride?"
"No problem." Lin Mo agreed crisply, "Send me the specific address."
"Okay."
Song Yue lowered his head and sent Lin Mo his location on WeChat. The corners of his lips slightly raised for two seconds, and then quickly returned to normal, but it was still caught by Li Ningxin.
Li Ningxin rubbed her chin and muttered, "That's absolutely not normal. It's not like I can't get my taxi fare reimbursed for working overtime. Why do you have to bother my senior sister to give you a ride?"
After dinner, on their way back to the office, Li Ningxin complained again. Lin Mo overheard her, but she didn't notice the hidden meaning. She just thought the girl was concerned about her and didn't want her to work too hard. But she felt a little bad for Song Yue working overtime with them, so she was happy to help out.
Forty minutes later, today's work was completed.
Li Ningxin and Liu Jun got out of the elevator when they reached the first floor, while Lin Mo and Song Yue went down to the underground garage.
At eleven o'clock in the evening, the garage was empty. Lin Mo saw the dazzling Rolls-Royce at a glance. It was not very close, and she vaguely saw a figure in the car, but she was not very sure, so she squinted her eyes and kept staring at that place.
"Mr. Lin, is your home in Jinwan Community?" Song Yue asked.
Lin Mo hummed nonchalantly.
"Then I remember correctly. I overheard you chatting with Ning Xin yesterday. Your home is very close to Qinzhou Lake, right?"
"Yeah, about a kilometer."
"The environment around Qinzhou Lake is really nice. I used to go there often when I was in school. Maybe I even passed by you then."
Song Yue walked and talked, always finding topics to chat about, and even after working a full day, he was still energetic and not a bit tired. Lin Mo was different. She was highly focused when working, but once the long workday ended, her brain would be exhausted and she was too lazy to think, so she responded without much thought.
"It's possible. I often..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the lights of the Rolls-Royce suddenly lit up, casting two beams of light in front of them, like a barrier blocking their way. The two of them stopped in their tracks and looked inside the car.
Lin Mo suddenly realized that she was not mistaken. There was indeed someone in the car, it was Lu Yanxiao.
There was no light on in the car, and the man's face was hidden in the shadows, his expression unclear. Through the front windshield, one could just make out his outline. He had his hands on the steering wheel, and there was no sign of starting the car.
"Goodbye, Mr. Xiao." Song Yue waved towards the car.
Lin Mo's mind was almost still. She raised her hand and said "goodbye", then walked past the Rolls-Royce with Song Yue.
After walking a short distance, they heard the accelerator suddenly roar behind them, making a loud noise in the empty garage. They looked back and saw the Rolls-Royce speeding away like a gust of wind.
Lin Mo didn't think much about it. She opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat. The air in the car was stuffy, and she couldn't help yawning.
Seeing this, Song Yue quickly unbuckled his seat belt and said, "How about I drive? I'm not sleepy and I'm very energetic."
"It's okay, I can do it." Lin Mo took out the hydrating spray and sprayed it on her face a few times, which immediately made her feel more awake. This was her magic weapon for refreshing herself, and it always worked. Then, she put the spray back into her bag and said to Song Yue, "Don't worry, I will make sure to get you home safely."
Jinwan Community is her own home, and the main road back home does pass through the area where Song Yue's home is, but she and Lu Yanxiao now live in Fenglin Garden. After sending Song Yue back to Fenglin Garden, she needs to take a detour. Therefore, she plans to take another shortcut to send Song Yue first, which can save a little time.
Fortunately, there were few vehicles on the road during this period, and it only took me fifteen minutes longer than usual to get back to Maple Forest Garden.
Thinking that Lu Yanxiao might have already rested, Lin Mo opened the door quietly.
When she entered the house, she found the living room lights on. She leaned halfway inside and happened to meet Lu Yanxiao's eyes. Lu Yanxiao had just taken out a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet and stopped when he glanced at her.
Lu Yanxiao: "He went south?"
"Well, I'll give Song Yue a ride on the way." Lin Mo said and yawned.
Lu Yanxiao frowned: "On the way?"
"It's on the way to my house, not far anyway. It's too late, there's no subway, and it's hard to get a taxi." Lin Mo changed into slippers and pointed at the red wine in Lu Yanxiao's hand, "Drinking so late?"
Lu Yanxiao didn't answer her question, but snorted coldly: "What a good leader."
Lin Mo's mind was already half-shut down at this point, and she didn't notice the man's emotions at all. She put her bag on the sofa and replied with a smile, "It's my duty." Lu Yanxiao: "..."
"Is that wine good?"
Lin Mo followed Lu Yanxiao into the restaurant, thinking that drinking some red wine might be more effective in helping her sleep. She took out a glass for herself and placed it on the table. Then, she sat quietly beside him, waiting for Lu Yanxiao to open the bottle.
The man was wearing a black silk shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The action of opening the bottle made his arm muscles tense, and his lines were smooth and powerful. Perhaps it was because he was so skilled at it, his movements were graceful and natural, as if they were only in an oil painting.
Lin Mo stared blankly at the cork, feeling that watching others open bottles of red wine was quite relaxing. She couldn't help but yawn again.
"Sleepy?" Lu Yanxiao glanced at her.
Lin Mo nodded slowly: "Maybe I'm too tired, so I can't fall asleep quickly. Do you think drinking red wine will help?"
Bang.
The cork was roughly pulled out of the bottle, which shocked Lin Mo and almost shook off some of her sleepiness. She looked up at Lu Yanxiao with dissatisfaction.
Lu Yanxiao put the bottle opener on the table without answering her or taking any further action, but he breathed heavily from his nose, as if he was enduring something.
"Lu Yanxiao?" Lin Mo pushed her cup forward.
As if he had been thinking for a long time and finally couldn't bear it anymore, Lu Yanxiao looked at her sideways, his face was cold and his voice was low: "Look at the time now."
Lin Mo didn't understand what was going on. She glanced at the time on her phone and answered seriously, "Five minutes past twelve."
“…”
Lu Yanxiao, "Our company doesn't advocate overtime."
Lin Mo hadn't realized the seriousness of the problem yet. She thought Lu Yanxiao was just chatting, so she followed his words and said, "You're lying. Didn't you work overtime during the Spring Festival holiday?"
Lu Yanxiao was stunned for a moment.
Lin Mo reminded him: "On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, after the basketball game, you took me to your company and wanted to poach me. That was the day."
Lu Yanxiao was speechless, but what the girl said was true. He said coldly, "We only do it occasionally, not to the extent of you, for eight consecutive days." As if he was angry, he poured himself half a glass of red wine and drank it all in one gulp. "In my company, you have to follow my requirements. From now on, no overtime is allowed."
The attitude is tough and unquestionable.
Feeling the man's extremely low energy, Lin Mo regained consciousness and started thinking again.
At this moment, she finally realized that he didn't reply to her WeChat after get off work and "disturbed" them in the middle of the experiment. Now he was angry because he was mad at her and blamed her for working overtime, which made his company employees work overtime as well.
She worked overtime for eight consecutive days, but this was not something she could control. The project had deadlines and was planned in advance. The team only had four people and limited manpower. If the workload could not be completed according to the stages, the deadline might be delayed in the end. As the person in charge, was it wrong for her to work hard to rush the work?
She is also a human being and gets tired too.
Although Lu Yanxiao wasn't the head of the research institute, he was still the boss of a partner company. Not only was he unaware and unsympathetic, he even criticized her harshly. How could he be so?!
The more Lin Mo thought about it, the angrier she became. She tried her best to suppress her emotions and said in a businesslike manner, "Please rest assured, Mr. Xiao. Starting tomorrow, I will not let your employees work overtime with me for even a minute. If they don't leave, I will kick them out."
“…”
Lu Yanxiao was so angry that he was speechless for a moment. What was going on in this guy's train of thought?
"I'm not drinking anymore. I'm going to sleep." Lin Mo said angrily, picked up the glass and was about to leave.
"Stop." Lu Yanxiao shouted, strode forward, and stood sideways to block her way.
"What again?"
To be honest, she was a little scared at that moment. The man's voice was not loud, but the anger in the word "Stop" surged, like a wall blocking her. The oppressive feeling made her unconsciously timid. She quietly reached into her pocket, holding her phone, and even considered whether to call the police, "Lu Yanxiao, I'm telling you..."
"Not someone else, I mean you."
"Can your body handle it?"
Lin Mo wanted to continue venting, but she was stunned when she heard the other party's words. Her throat suddenly got stuck. She raised her head and saw the man staring at her quietly. There was no anger in his eyes, but they were dark and only reflected her small self.
So, he actually cares about her?
In an instant, her tense nerves collapsed, and her original anger was immediately replaced by grievance. This feeling was too subtle, like enduring great hardships outside without saying a word, but returning home, a simple word of concern from her family would touch her heart, and all her emotions would burst out in an instant.
My eyes felt slightly hot, and I inexplicably had the urge to cry.
It was too embarrassing to cry at this time. Lin Mo bit her lower lip and tried hard to suppress her emotion.
"If I get sick, it's considered a work-related injury. I have to take responsibility." Lu Yanxiao's voice softened.
After a few breaths, Lin Mo calmed down a little and said in a muffled voice, "You didn't reply to my message today, called me in the middle of the experiment, and asked us to have a midnight snack, is it because of this?"
Lu Yanxiao did not deny it.
"I just want to finish work early and return to Changli so that I won't disturb you."
"do not bother."
Lin Mo was confused: "What do you mean?"
Lu Yanxiao repeated, "I don't think you're disturbing me."
"Then you can't disturb us in the middle of the experiment." Lin Mo raised her chin stubbornly, with a look of rebuke in her eyes.
"Feel sorry."
Seeing that the other party admitted his mistake with a serious attitude, Lin Mo's anger subsided a lot.
She put the glass back on the table and negotiated in a gentle voice, "The main reason is that I think your employees will find out sooner or later. Also, I feel guilty about lying to Ning Xin and the others, so I want to finish this quickly. If I can finish the assignment early, I can tell them we're husband and wife and we don't have to be so secretive anymore."
Lu Yanxiao said, "How many more days will it take?"
Lin Mo counted on her fingers: "At this stage, the latest time is this Thursday."
Three more days!
Although Lu Yanxiao felt extremely distressed, he didn't want to make her angry, so he could only compromise indulgently: "Only allow it to be extended to Thursday."
"good."
The two of them reached an agreement.
Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Lu Yanxiao had no intention of pouring her some wine, she simply picked up the bottle herself: "I'll pour it myself..." Just as she lifted the bottle, before she could pour out a drop, it was suddenly snatched away by the man.
Lin Mo: “?”
Lu Yanxiao confiscated her cup and turned to get a small box of room temperature milk from the sideboard: "Don't drink alcohol if you have a bad stomach. Drink milk. It will help you sleep."
Lin Mo wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction: "Stingy."
But she could tell that the other party had good intentions, so she took the milk obediently and said "thank you". "Then I'll go upstairs."
After saying that, he was about to leave when someone grabbed his collar from behind.
She turned around, her face full of question marks.
Lu Yanxiao looked down at him and said righteously, "Also, from now on, you are not allowed to send other men home, even if they are on the way."
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