Leave him
On a dull Monday, Zuo Xiao yawned silently during the lengthy weekly meeting.
Mao Jiadong methodically arranged his work for the week. The brand's official website renovation project was nearing completion, and based on feedback from management, a few minor adjustments were needed before the official launch. Furthermore, Zuo Xiao was also working on the complete VI design for a new brand under the company, having submitted three design concepts last week.
Compared to Zuo Xiao, who was constantly given important tasks while still on probation, Gu Yanbin, who held the same position, seemed to be neglected. The tasks assigned to him were often minor: a poster one day, a PowerPoint presentation the next. Mao Jiadong couldn't be blamed for favoritism; it was simply that Gu Yanbin was unfit for the job. He was slow to work, prone to whining and often meddling in others' work, yet when he did offer his opinions, he offered few constructive words.
However, compared to the underhandedly mean Li Shuang, Zuo Xiao found the overtly stupid Gu Yanbin much more endearing. This girl was a master at gossiping, and Zuo Xiao suspected she worked overtime every day because she was so busy gossiping during the day that she left her work until after work.
Zuo Xiao didn't quite understand why Mao Jiadong insisted on keeping two useless people in his department, and she didn't bother to understand. Even in a small department, there are powerful forces, and even a department with five people has its own problems. She arrived late, and because someone above her disdained to participate in their shenanigans, no one dared to openly cross her.
But on the dark side, it’s hard to say.
While Li Shuang was speaking, Zhan Jiaxin sent Zuo Xiao several chat screenshots on WeChat.
Li Shuang said in a small group: "Zuo Xiaochao is charming and has a good personality. If I were the boss, I would be crazy about him, haha!"
Then someone I didn't know said, "They're probably living together. Haven't you seen Luffy driving around in a luxury car every day? Last week he was driving a Cullinan, this week a Maybach. He wasn't this high-profile before, was he?"
Someone questioned: "With her plastic surgery face, how could Mr. Lu be interested in her?" Then several people started discussing what had been done to her. Some said she had a nose job, some said she had her jaw angle worked on, and some said she had breast augmentation.
Finally, someone said, "No wonder I was saying Luffy looked so listless lately. I'm afraid the snake spirit may have caused his kidneys to become deficient."
Zuo Xiao couldn't hold back and laughed out loud at the meeting.
At lunch, Zhan Jiaxin asked her what she planned to do, and Zuo Xiao simply said to let them be. Zhuang Jinghao felt sorry for her and said angrily, "Let Brother Luffy deal with them!" Zuo Xiao smiled and said, "No. He's already suffering from kidney deficiency, so don't waste his energy on him." The three girls laughed together.
"Xiaoxiao, can you also give me some advice?" Zhan Jiaxin put down her chopsticks and said shyly.
Zuo Xiao and Zhuang Jinghao immediately became excited and quickly found out everything about her.
It turned out that Zhan Jiaxin had recently gone on a blind date. She had a crush on the man, chatted well on WeChat, and even went out to the movies twice. However, the man remained silent, and she was unsure of his feelings and didn't know how to move the relationship forward.
"I think he might not be interested in me and is just keeping me as a backup," Zhan Jiaxin said dejectedly. "To be fair, his family background and income are much better than mine. He's also taller, so he should be very popular with girls..."
"Don't be so quick to deny yourself!" Zhuang Jing was even more anxious than she was. "Maybe she's just shy?"
Zuo Xiao said, "Xiao Jinghao is right. We can't jump to conclusions just yet. Spend some more time with him and then ask him about it. Tell him you want to introduce him to a friend and how best to introduce him. See how he responds."
Zhan Jiaxin hummed, and Zhuang Jinghao suddenly had an idea: "Why not invite him to the badminton game on Wednesday, and we'll help you out! Hehe, mainly Xiaoxiao will help you, I'll just be there..."
When she was halfway through her sentence, Zuo Xiao frowned and tugged at her sleeve under the table. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already finished her words.
"Okay, okay!" Zhan Jiaxin's eyes lit up with joy. "Then I'll ask him if he's free."
Back at the company, Zhuang Jinghao asked her on WeChat what she wanted to say just now. Zuo Xiao replied: "Don't bring men to your sisters' parties casually in the future. It's not appropriate." Zhuang Jinghao asked further, but Zuo Xiao was embarrassed to tell her the real concerns in her heart.
She'd suffered this kind of setback several times. The first time was in high school, when her deskmate had a crush on a boy from the next class, but she was too shy to do it. So, she asked Zuo Xiao to ask him out, but the boy confessed his feelings to her, leaving her so angry that she broke off all ties with him. In college, her roommate, like Zhan Jiaxin, brought her boyfriend to a gathering with her roommates. The next day, he met her outside the dorm with roses.
So, she was truly terrified that if she wasn't careful, she'd lose her friend, Zhan Jiaxin. She didn't like going to work in the first place, and facing her two clueless colleagues and boring boss, she felt like she was dying. She had to hold onto Zhan Jiaxin, her only friend. Otherwise, without her to share her arguments and complaints, she wouldn't be able to survive in the brand department.
On Wednesday night, Zuo Xiao donned a baseball cap and a mask, saying he'd suddenly developed a cough that afternoon and was worried about spreading the virus. He also said his leg hadn't fully healed yet, so he sat on the sidelines, watching the exchanges between Janice Man and her romantic partner.
The man's name was Xu Jin. He was about 1.8 meters tall, thin, and decent-looking. He wore black-framed glasses and was said to work in marketing for a large company. His tennis skills were average, and his stamina was average. After only ten minutes, he came down to rest, panting heavily. Zhuang Jinghao took over and continued to play against Zhan Jiaxin.
Xu Jin sat down next to Zuo Xiao, drank half a bottle of water, and turned to ask, "Are you feeling better?"
Zuo Xiao coughed twice: "Not bad."
"Jiaxin has mentioned several times that there's a colleague in the department who's highly capable and a particularly nice person. Could that be you?" Xu Jin said with a smile. "Is this weekend free? Jiaxin and I would like to treat you to a meal to thank you for taking care of her."
Treat me to dinner? On what terms are you treating me to dinner? Zuo Xiao's eyelids, hidden under the brim of his hat, fluttered slightly, and he said, "I've heard Jiaxin mention you too. Are you guys dating?"
"Oh?" Xu Jin said, "What did she say about me?"
"They said they were introduced by their family, and he's a nice guy."
"Haha!" Xu Jin said, "We're from the same hometown, both drifting in Beijing, so of course we have to look out for each other."
Zuo Xiao remained calm and labeled him a "scumbag" in his heart.
"Your accent sounds like you're from the south?" Xu Jin continued, "From Jiangsu, Zhejiang, or Shanghai?"
Zuo Xiao didn't want to pay attention to him at this time, but for the sake of Zhan Jiaxin's face, he couldn't act too cold. He was thinking about how to deal with it when suddenly his eyes lit up.
She stood up and greeted Luffy, warmly holding his hand. Luffy had never been treated like this before, and was slightly stunned.
"You're finally here." Zuo Xiao said with a smile, "Let me introduce you. This is Jiaxin's fellow villager. It's his first time here to play basketball."
The two men greeted each other. Zuo Xiao leaned against Luffy and said affectionately, "Honey, come with me to buy something to drink." Luffy then tacitly left the stadium with her.
"It seems I came at the right time." Luffy held her hand and said with a smile, "If I were any later, someone would probably get mad, right?"
"How could that be?" Zuo Xiao took off his mask and put it in his pocket. "My stomach will hurt if you don't come."
"It's a good thing I'm here." Luffy pulled her over and kissed her on the head, then said in a teasing tone, "Honey, what would you like to drink?"
Zuo Xiao led him into a chain beverage store and ordered four iced drinks, one for drinking on the spot and three to take away.
"Why didn't Chen Liqing come today?" Luffy asked.
"Their company has been having some trouble lately." Zuo Xiao took a sip of grapefruit tea. "An elderly man and woman came to their house to cause trouble, claiming they had suffered a heatstroke while working in their group. They felt the compensation wasn't enough, and they even filmed a short video and posted it online."
"Their business is indeed difficult. Traveling offline, and serving a bunch of elderly people, can easily lead to all kinds of trouble." Luffy looked at her and changed the subject, "Is it delicious?"
Zuo Xiao was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "It tastes good. But it has a high sugar content, so it's not suitable for people who exercise."
"I want a sip." Luffy stared at the straw, seeming to really want it. "Just one sip, okay?"
Zuo Xiao pushed the cup toward him. He smiled, took a sip, and commented, "It's really sweet." He picked up the cup and spun it around. "Is this actually Shao Shao sugar?"
Zuo Xiao took back the cup: "You are more suitable for eating chicken breast and protein powder."
"Honey," Luffy put his arm around her shoulders and leaned in close, "Shall we go to your house tonight, or mine?"
Zuo Xiao squinted at him and suddenly chuckled: "I'm going to tell you something, and you have to promise not to get angry."
"Well, I won't be angry about anything, unless you say Xu Jin is more handsome than me."
"I'm not blind." Zuo Xiao paused and smiled, "Some people say that Mr. Lu has looked listless recently. I'm afraid he may have kidney deficiency caused by the snake spirit."
Luffy was stunned, a trace of embarrassment flashed in his eyes: "Who is spreading rumors? I work out every day, how can I be listless?" He never mentioned the word "kidney deficiency".
"Excessive exercise seems to affect certain functions." Zuo Xiao said with a mischievous smile, "Do you want to look up relevant literature?"
In order to prove that he was in good health, Luffy followed Zuo Xiao into the house that night and asked her to prove in person that he was fine.
"Lord Snake, can I stay and serve you tonight?" Luffy said, hugging her.
Zuo Xiao raised his head, put his face close to his lips and kissed him: "If you are not afraid of kidney deficiency, you can."
The lights went out, and in the distance, there was a rumble of thunder. Occasionally, a flash of lightning would flash through the cracks in the curtains. Soon, raindrops began to fall with a crackling sound.
“Is it always so rainy in Beijing in the summer?”
Luffy pressed her into his arms. "There seem to be a lot more this year. But probably not as many as in Shanghai and Nanjing?" He paused and asked, "You came in April, right? Why did you suddenly want to come to Beijing?"
Zuo Xiao wanted to make up a random excuse to get away with it, but for some reason, listening to the sound of rain and Luffy's gentle and magnetic voice, he suddenly felt at ease. Thinking about how Luffy had treated him so well in the week since he sprained his ankle, he felt a sense of closeness in his heart and inexplicably wanted to confide in him.
"I broke up with Zhou Zhihui in March, and coincidentally, I was laid off from my job at the company around that time. It was a double blessing." She spoke calmly, as if she were discussing someone else's affairs. "During that time, my father kept pestering me and even came to Shanghai to look for me twice. I found it troublesome and wanted to get away from him, so I came to Beijing."
"Plus, there's Chen Liqing in Beijing." Luffy added in a gentle voice.
"Yes, he is a factor." Zuo Xiao said, "I'm going to a new city anyway, so why not go where I have friends?"
Luffy chuckled and kissed her on the forehead, "Then I'm glad Chen Liqing is in Beijing."
Zuo Xiao smiled and said, "Has anyone ever praised you for your conversation skills?"
"Yes." He nuzzled her forehead with the tip of his nose. "But their praise doesn't count. I want to hear your praise."
Zuo Xiao felt goose bumps on her arms and sighed, "If I were a rich woman, I would definitely support you. Your emotional value is maxed out!"
"My dear," Luffy smiled, "You don't need to be rich. I'm already yours."
After saying that, he turned over, pressed her underneath, and showered her with delicate and dense kisses.
Before falling into the land of tenderness, a thought flashed through Zuo Xiao's mind:
Is this a pig-killing scam?
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