Chapter 50 What I want is more than just a hug…
Suddenly, a series of footsteps approached from outside the door. It wasn't a scattered, dragging sound, but rather the steady and orderly sound of several pairs of leather shoes stepping on the marble floor, interspersed with a few hushed discussions.
Everyone in the conference room instinctively sat up straighter, even their breathing became softer. The next second, the doorknob was grasped from the outside, the cold, metallic click breaking the silence.
The frosted glass doors slid open, and Zhou Shilin, dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, walked in. He was looking down at some documents, and even the sunlight couldn't dispel his aura of unapproachability. Tian Xu, carrying a black leather folder, followed him in.
After entering the conference room, Zhou Shilin closed the document in his hand, glanced up slightly, and scanned the conference table with his gaze. His gaze remained indifferent until it landed on Shen Ci, where it paused for half a second before quickly looking away.
"Is everyone here?" Zhou Shilin placed the documents in his hand on the table at the head of the table, sat down in the chair, and said, "Let's begin."
Chen Ci and Miao Duo had already gone over today's meeting agenda. Miao Duo spoke a few words first, then handed the conversation over to Chen Ci. Chen Ci had specially prepared a PowerPoint presentation for today's meeting. She connected her computer to the large screen in the meeting room, and her computer desktop was immediately projected onto the screen.
It's a photo of Zhou Shilin.
The conference room fell silent.
Something else is fermenting.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the big screen, including Zhou Shilin's. Previously, Chen Ci had sent Zhou Shilin's emojis in the work group, using photos of Yang Shuang taken at the IP Summit. Many people had taken photos of Zhou Shilin that day, so it wasn't surprising that Chen Ci had those photos. But the one on the screen now was a candid photo of Zhou Shilin.
Calling it a candid photo isn't quite accurate, because Zhou Shilin is eating with his head down in the photo, unaware that someone is secretly taking pictures of him.
Yes, that's right, it was a covert photograph.
Chen Ci secretly took photos of Zhou Shilin and even set the photos as her wallpaper.
What's even more shocking is that this perspective is the same one that was once very popular online – the girlfriend's perspective.
How ambiguous!
The second in the office felt exceptionally long. After a moment of surprise, Chen Ci quickly opened the PPT she had prepared: "Hello everyone, I am Chen Ci from Pupu Paradise. Regarding this joint event with the World Expo, all the preliminary work has been completed. Today, I will mainly report to you on the results of the preliminary work and further discuss the follow-up work arrangements."
She continued speaking without changing her expression, as if the scene had never happened.
What did she do wrong? She was just a little girl who was tired from work and wanted to look at handsome guys, but forgot to change her wallpaper before the meeting.
Fortunately, she didn't post the picture she secretly took of Zhou Shilin during a video call, showing him in his pajamas with his collarbone showing.
God knows that just two days ago, this was her wallpaper.
After she started explaining the PPT, everyone's attention gradually shifted to the work. After she finished, Miao Duo asked her a few questions, which Chen Ci answered very well.
In short, the little incident earlier had no impact whatsoever!
Chen Ci thought this way, deceiving herself.
With Zhou Shilin personally overseeing the meeting, it proceeded smoothly and efficiently. The sample items brought by Chen Ci received unanimous praise, and everyone agreed that no further modifications were needed.
"Mr. Zhou, what do you think?" Miao Duo could have made the decisions on these matters directly, but since Zhou Shilin was sitting here, she definitely had to ask for his opinion first.
Chen Ci then looked at Zhou Shilin. Today, they were the ones doing most of the talking at the meeting, while Zhou Shilin spoke very little, but every time he did speak, he was expressing important opinions.
Just like now.
"President Shen has done a very good job. Let's get to production right now."
"Okay, thank you, President Zhou." Chen Ci breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she flattered Zhou Shilin, "It's mainly because of your excellent leadership, President Zhou."
Zhou Shilin's lips curled up almost imperceptibly as he stood up from his chair: "Let's adjourn the meeting. Mr. Shen, could you please come to my office for a moment? I have something to discuss with you."
"...Okay, Mr. Zhou." What exactly is this strong sense of déjà vu, like being called out by the homeroom teacher after class?
While Chen Ci was still immersed in campus life, everyone else who heard this was thinking about 18+ restricted content.
"President Shen," Yang Shuang called out to her with a suggestive expression as he packed his things, "Should we... wait for you?"
"..." Chen Ci thought for a moment and said to them, "You guys go back first. I'll go back myself after I finish talking with President Zhou."
"Okay." Yang Shuang's expression became even more ambiguous as she said this.
Chen Ci: "..."
She finally realized that something was wrong.
She quickly packed her things and took the elevator to the top floor. Secretary Liu from the president's office saw her and greeted her familiarly, "Ms. Shen, you've arrived? The president is already waiting for you in his office."
"Okay, thank you." Chen Ci smiled at her, walked to the door of the president's office, and knocked twice.
"Come in." Zhou Shilin's voice came from inside. Chen Ci subconsciously took a breath before pushing open the door and going in.
Besides Zhou Shilin, Tian Xu was also in the office. Zhou Shilin handed a signed document to Tian Xu and looked up at Chen Ci, saying, "Sit down."
He gestured for Chen Ci to sit down across from him at the desk. Chen Ci did as he asked, and just as she passed Tian Xu. Tian Xu didn't linger in the office; after getting the documents, he left, making sure to close the door behind him.
Zhou Shilin sat in the CEO's chair, looking at the person opposite him. Chen Ci's mind flashed back to the photo on the big screen earlier, and she immediately felt embarrassed: "Um, what's the matter that you called me here for, Mr. Zhou?"
Zhou Shilin didn't answer her, but instead looked down at the canvas bag on her shoulder—the very same Cheese Lin canvas bag she had just shown everyone, with "Shijie Yanxuan" printed on the front and "Cheese is Power" printed on the back.
"Are you planning to take these back?"
"Huh? No." When Chen Ci heard him ask this, she took off the canvas bag from her shoulder and placed it on Zhou Shilin's desk. "There are three sets of this sample. We kept one set, gave one set to Miao Duo, and this set is specially for you."
"..." There's no need to be so polite.
Seeing him looking down at the canvas bag, Chen Ci immediately started promoting it to him: "I've adjusted the color with the factory several times, and this version is almost color-correct, perfectly replicating the beauty of Cheese Rin. There's also a T-shirt and a mask inside. The T-shirt is pure cotton and very comfortable to wear. It even has the words 'I love going to work' printed on it, which perfectly matches the spirit of modern office workers."
Zhou Shilin chuckled at her long speech: "President Shen should be able to achieve great things if she switches to sales."
“I am indeed quite well-rounded.” Chen Ci tossed her hair rather dramatically. “Then these are for you, remember to use them! The embroidered badges I made are perfect for attaching to canvas bags!”
“…Hmm.” Zhou Shilin responded, opened a drawer, took out a gift box, and placed it on the table. “I also happen to have a gift for you.”
Chen Ci's eyes lit up immediately, and she moved the box to her side: "What is it?"
"Just open it and you'll see."
Chen Ci had some doubts in her mind. She had mentioned gold bars when she chatted with Zhou Shilin last time. Could it be that he really sent her gold bars? After opening the gift box, Chen Ci realized that she had underestimated President Zhou.
This is filled with ita-gold! Ita-gold made with the cheese Rin pattern she drew!!
"My God, you actually ordered the Pain Gold?!" Chen Ci looked at the four Pain Gold pieces in the box, somewhat surprised. "You got them so quickly?"
Zhou Shilin said, "I can do it by paying more money."
"..." Okay. Chen Ci picked up the one in the upper left corner, the pattern of which was the same one she used on her canvas bag. This piece of gold-plated paper was not only exquisitely crafted, but also quite heavy. The moment Chen Ci picked it up, she felt it: "This is so heavy. I've seen other people's custom-made gold-plated paper before, and they were all relatively thin and basically hollow. Yours isn't solid, is it?"
Zhou Shilin raised an eyebrow slightly: "Hollow gold, can I present it to you?"
"..." Shen Ci put down the pain gold in her hand, stood up from the chair, walked around the president's huge desk, walked to Zhou Shilin's side, bent down and hugged him.
Zhou Shilin: "..."
He coughed lightly and said with a hint of mockery, "There's no need to throw yourself into someone's arms for a few pieces of gold."
"It's not for the gold, I just want to hold you."
"..." Zhou Shilin paused for a moment, then placed his hand on Shen Ci's waist and, with a little force, lifted her up and placed her on the desk.
Chen Ci was stunned and hadn't come to her senses when Zhou Shilin leaned over and placed his hands on the table on either side of her body, trapping her between himself and the desk.
His scent instantly enveloped him, the perfume Chen Ci had given him last time, cool yet with a hint of sweetness. Chen Ci gripped the edge of the table with both hands, clearly feeling Zhou Shilin's knee gently push his legs apart, the distance between them so close that he could see himself reflected in Zhou Shilin's eyes.
"What I want isn't just a hug." Zhou Shilin's voice was lower than usual, a little hoarse, his warm breath brushing against Chen Ci's nose. Chen Ci nervously swallowed, then heard Zhou Shilin ask her, "Why did you set my photo as your computer wallpaper?"
“…” Chen Ci said, “When we women are tired from work, we need to look at these things to have the motivation to continue working.”
Zhou Shilin's lips curled up slightly, and he lowered his head to gently kiss the tip of her nose: "Oh, but the moment I saw the photo, I wanted to kiss you."
He lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on Shen Ci's lips. The next second, a warm kiss landed on her lips. It wasn't an eager plunder, but rather a patient probe. Zhou Shilin's thin lips looked somewhat cool, yet incredibly soft. He even gently rubbed his lower lip, as if confirming something.
Chen Ci's breathing suddenly became erratic, and her fingertips unconsciously gripped the hem of Zhou Shilin's suit. Zhou Shilin, who had been supporting himself on the table, withdrew his hand and gently held the back of her neck, slowly deepening the kiss.
The pen that Zhou Shilin had just used to sign documents rolled halfway around when someone bumped into it, making a soft sound, but no one paid any attention.
Zhou Shilin tightened his grip on Shen Ci's nape, his fingertips gently caressing the soft skin behind her ear, a slight tremor in his voice. The kiss, which had begun tentatively, was slowly growing more urgent.
His lips and teeth gently swept across Chen Ci's lower lip, then down the corner of her lips to her neck. Chen Ci felt all her strength slowly dissipating, and only the fingertips gripping the hem of his suit unconsciously tightened their grip.
Zhou Shilin's hand slowly moved up her waist, and through the thin shirt, the warmth of his palm made her heart tremble slightly. Noticing her tension, Zhou Shilin softened his movements, his voice muffled between her collar, carrying a touch of sexy gentleness: "Don't be afraid."
"..." Chen Ci paused for a moment, then spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "If this isn't your office, then there's really nothing to be afraid of."
I wonder if Tian Xu locked the door for them when he went out earlier.
Zhou Shilin seemed to chuckle softly, slightly raised his eyes, and brushed his nose against her chin before distancing himself from her.
Chen Ci's eyes were slightly red. Zhou Shilin looked at her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and then he lowered his head to kiss the corner of her eye: "Knowing that the office is not suitable, why did you come over to hug me?"
Chen Ci felt that he was accusing her first: "I just hugged you, who knew you were so easily tempted?"
"Hmm, so don't test me like that next time." Zhou Shilin's eyes still held lingering emotions as his fingertips gently traced Chen Ci's reddened lips. "You changed your perfume? It smells a little different from last time."
His tone and actions were too ambiguous, and Chen Ci responded somewhat awkwardly, saying, "I bought a lot of samples to choose perfume for you. Since I've already bought them, I can't let them go to waste."
Zhou Shilin smiled and reached out to straighten her disheveled collar: "It smells nice."
"..." Chen Ci was a little embarrassed again, probably because of the office. She had performed better at her house the last two times. "Actually, the one that smells the best seems to be a fake. I went to the counter to buy the real one later, and the smell is different."
"Um."
"But I went back to that store later, thinking that it was fake, but it smelled pretty good anyway..." At this point, Chen Ci couldn't help but click her tongue, "But the ones they sold didn't even have that smell anymore! The shopkeeper told me that each batch of their products had a different version!"
"..."
Zhou Shilin lifted Chen Ci off the desk and sat back down in his chair. He reached into a drawer and took out a document: "Didn't you ask me to recommend a car for you before? Tian Xu has compiled some information; you can take it back and take a look."
"Oh." Chen Ci tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took the documents Zhou Shilin handed her. "You came to see me just to give me these? I'll head out now?"
She's been in Zhou Shilin's office for so long; if she doesn't leave soon, who knows what everyone will think?
...Well, although they are indeed not innocent.
Zhou Shilin sat in the chair, looked up at her, and unconsciously curled up a little more at the corner of his mouth: "I suggest you sit for a while before you go out."
"……Why?"
"Because of the way you look now, anyone can tell what we just did."
Chen Ci: "..."
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Author's Note: [Huang Xin]
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