Chapter 21 Yan Shuang Has a Boyfriend
The next day in the tea room.
This is the third time Yan Shuang has come to make coffee today. Only here can she temporarily escape the feeling of being constantly on edge at her workstation.
"Wow, who is this?"
A familiar female voice came from behind. Yan Shuang turned around and saw Lin Yan, who had just returned from a business trip to Singapore, leaning against the door frame. She raised her eyebrows and looked her up and down.
Lin Yan is a senior employee in the marketing department, known throughout the company for her keen observation skills and gossipy nature.
"Good morning, Sister Lin." Yan Shuang forced a smile. "How did your business trip go?"
Lin Yan didn't answer, but walked straight to Yan Shuang, suddenly cupped her face and examined her from all sides: "My God, what kind of magical skincare products did you use? Your skin is so shiny it reflects light!"
Yan Shuang was startled by this sudden intimate gesture and took a half step back: "Just... the usual stuff..."
"Come on!" Lin Yan narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the suspect like a detective. "It's not just her skin, her whole aura is different."
She circled around Yan Shuang, then suddenly snapped her fingers as if in a flash of realization, "I know! You have a boyfriend, right?"
Yan Shuang's fingers trembled suddenly, and a few drops of the coffee she had just poured splashed onto her wrist, scalding her and causing her to gasp.
"I...I didn't..." Yan Shuang's voice was barely audible, yet she felt a surge of heat rush from her neck to her cheeks.
"Ha! You still say no!" Lin Yan clapped her hands as if she had discovered a new continent. "Your face is red to the roots of your ears! Tell me, who is it? Is it that new returnee from overseas in the technical department? Or the partner from the law firm next door? I saw you two go into the elevator together last week!"
Yan Shuang shook her head in a panic, unsure how to explain her change.
Over the past month, she has indeed often noticed that her skin is unusually smooth while showering, and that her reflection in the mirror has an inexplicable allure.
She initially thought it was because she had switched to new skincare products, but now she realizes that these are marks left after her body has been thoroughly explored.
The man who forced himself on her in the Maldives not only left a psychological scar but also etched indelible marks on her body.
"It's really not..." Yan Shuang stirred her coffee, trying to hide her nervousness. "It's probably because I've been sleeping better lately..."
"Who are you kidding!" Lin Yan leaned closer and lowered her voice, "I've been there, you clearly look like you've been... well... well loved by a man."
She winked meaningfully, "So, how was it? Pretty impressive, huh?"
The image of Shangqiu Zhu's weight pressing against her body immediately flashed through Yan Shuang's mind, the sensation of his alcohol-scented lips and tongue tracing every inch of her skin...
Her speechless expression became the best evidence in Lin Yan's eyes.
"Wow, she seems pretty amazing!" Lin Yan excitedly patted Yan Shuang on the shoulder. "When are you going to introduce her to the public? At the company's annual party?"
"No... really not..." Yan Shuang tried to explain in vain, but her voice grew softer and softer.
Just as Lin Yan was about to press for more information, clear footsteps and conversations came from the corridor outside the tea room.
"President Shang, I've prepared the materials for this afternoon's meeting..." Lin Sheng's efficient voice grew closer.
"Okay, put it on my desk first." Shang Qiuzhu's voice was deep, but it made Yan Shuang's heart pound like a drum.
The footsteps stopped at the door of the tea room.
Lin Yan turned her head and saw the person who came in, and immediately put on a professional smile: "Hello, President Shang! Hello, Lin Sheng!"
As if she had found perfect gossip fodder, she exclaimed, "Guess what? Yan Shuang has a boyfriend!"
Yan Shuang's cheeks flushed instantly. She didn't look up, but she could clearly feel a tangible gaze falling on her.
"Oh?" Lin Sheng asked with a smile, "When did this happen?"
Yan Shuang had no choice but to look up, her gaze meeting a pair of unfathomable eyes.
"Just recently!" Lin Yan, completely oblivious to the unusual atmosphere, excitedly added, "Look at how radiant she is, she's definitely in love!"
The air in the tea room seemed to have been sucked out, and every second felt like an eternity.
Shangqiu Zhu's gaze grew increasingly deep. His eyes first swept over Yan Shuang's flushed cheeks, then landed on her trembling eyelashes, which were quivering with nervousness.
"Is that so?" His voice was soft, yet it made Yan Shuang's back break out in a thin layer of sweat.
Yan Shuang opened her mouth to explain, but Shang Qiuzhu had already been called away by the investment department manager.
Lin Sheng hurriedly followed.
"Huh? Mr. Shang is acting strange..." Lin Yan scratched her head, finally realizing that the atmosphere was off. "His aura was so low just now. Did I say something wrong?"
Yan Shuang shook her head, feeling a wave of dizziness.
"I'm going back to work now."
She managed to squeeze out a sentence and practically fled.
On the last day of the London graduation exhibition, Lin Chengyu stood in the exhibition hall, mechanically dealing with yet another group of visitors who came to offer their congratulations.
A polite smile played on his lips, but his gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on the gray sky outside the exhibition hall.
For three days, his graduation exhibition swept four major awards at the Royal Academy of Arts, with The Times Art section calling him "the most perfect interpreter of Eastern and Western aesthetics."
His inbox contained hundreds of congratulatory messages, including invitations from several top international gallery owners.
Lin Chengyu's phone vibrated in his pocket. He excused himself from the crowd and walked to a corner of the exhibition hall. It was a text message from his mother:
[Happy graduation! Dad has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Yan family, and we'll officially begin business dealings next month. We'll introduce the kids to each other then, it won't be too deliberate. However...] The message paused for a few seconds before updating again: [Mom saw Yan Shuang's recent photos. Such a beautiful girl is single now, who knows what the future holds.]
Lin Chengyu's finger hovered above the screen, a sour feeling rising in his chest.
As his fingertips traced the words "strategic cooperation" in his mother's message, he realized that he had witnessed his parents' marriage based on love since childhood and despised business alliances that used emotions as bargaining chips.
And now, he actually allows his parents to pave the way with business cooperation, just for an excuse to get closer to her.
He can make the whole world understand his work, but he doesn't know how to make her understand his feelings.
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