Chapter Forty: How presumptuous of you!
Luo Yan never imagined that her relationship with Jiang Sui would unexpectedly enter into an indescribable state of harmony after they reached a consensus to keep it a secret for the time being.
It's not exactly a secret relationship, though. They work overtime together, eat together, and occasionally exchange glances. Even a casual touch of fingers can make their hearts race for ages, while they have to maintain a "don't touch me" expression. But when others are around, they tacitly revert to a "pure, innocent friendship," with their eyes never meeting for more than a fraction of a second, and their conversations as concise as telegraphic code. Jiang Sui remains the same sharp-tongued and calm CEO, and Luo Yan remains the occasionally eccentric but hardworking and reliable clerk.
That's so exciting! It's incredibly exciting!
Luo Yan felt that after this relationship, both she and Jiang Sui should be able to pass the special agent exam.
But this tacit understanding clearly failed to penetrate Mr. Luo Muyang's fatherly love, which was filtered through an eight-times magnifying lens.
Just one day later, Luo Muyang called again and began a very subtle "probing" in a roundabout way.
"Yanyan, how's the project going lately?"
Luo Yan had just returned from shoveling snow, put down her brush, and, holding her phone, didn't even look up: "President Luo, as the head of Feiyang, don't you know whether the project is going smoothly or not? Doesn't Jiang Sui report to you every few days?"
"Oh right, he reported it." Luo Muyang laughed awkwardly. "By the way, I had some seafood flown in by air. You can invite Jiang Sui over this weekend... to have some at your place, as a treat for you."
Alarm bells rang in Luo Yan's mind.
Send Jiang along? Wouldn't that be walking right into a trap?
"President Luo, you can bother me all you want, but please don't bother Jiang Sui, okay? Besides, I'm busy too. You can keep the seafood for yourself, or send it to Ms. Xu. She's always been quite free, and you can also make your presence felt. It's a win-win situation!" Luo Yan decisively refused and skillfully shifted the blame.
Luo Muyang was silent for a few seconds on the other end, then suddenly sighed, "Yanyan, after that day, Dad reflected deeply. After thinking it over, I realized that I had misunderstood before. I shouldn't have forced you and Jiang Sui together."
Luo Yan almost choked on her breath: "Old Luo, what's gotten into you again?"
“I finally understand…” Luo Muyang said with a weary voice, “Before, if I mentioned Jiang Sui, you would get angry and argue back even if you didn’t admit it. Now you’re so calm and even speak up for him… This attitude clearly shows that you have no feelings for him and are only going through the motions because of me.”
Luo Yan: "???"
What's Old Deng up to now?
"So!" Luo Muyang concluded firmly, "You actually have a new boyfriend, the one whose voice I overheard on the phone before, right? Who is he?"
Luo Yan: "..."
Good news: Old Deng didn't recognize the voice as coming from Jiang Sui.
Bad news: Old Deng's guess that she has a "new boyfriend" was right.
"Okay, Dad understands."
Luo Muyang spoke with an air of "I understand everything," saying, "You don't want to say that Dad won't force you, but you must protect yourself and not be deceived. Here's what I'll do: I'll have Zeng Rong go and see you. Girls can talk things out easily."
"Hey, no..."
Luo Yan stared at her phone, now that the screen was black, her head buzzing.
Sure enough, Zeng Rong appeared at the entrance of the Culture and Tourism Bureau at noon the next day, with a kind smile on his face that said, "I know everything."
"Yanyan, come on, let's go get something good to eat! Let's have a good chat."
Looking at her creepy auntie smile, Luo Yan wondered if it was too late to say she didn't want to go.
As soon as all the dishes were served, Zeng Rong began his prelude: "Yanyan, you look great, radiant. Is there some good news?"
Luo Yan felt a pang of unease, but her face remained as composed as an old dog: "Serving the people makes one feel good, and one's blood and energy are replenished, so one's complexion naturally improves."
"Don't give me that!" Zeng Rong lowered her voice. "President Luo told me that when he called you, he heard a man's voice, and it was very gentle. It's definitely not the cold and aloof person like President Jiang. He also said that you've been acting different lately, and you don't get angry when President Jiang is mentioned anymore. You must have someone else in your heart. Tell me, what kind of person is he?"
Luo Yan thought to herself that it was fortunate she had prepared in advance, so she decisively denied it, saying, "Granny Rong, that's not true. I, Luo Yan, am upright and honest. If such a person really existed, I wouldn't hide it."
Zeng Rong's eyes lit up, and she automatically translated it as: There is such a person, but the man is unwilling to go public.
She held Luo Yan's hand tenderly: "Yan Yan, is it because... his conditions aren't good enough? Or is he having some difficulties? I've been through this before, let me tell you, men who don't want to go public with their relationships are mostly problematic! Either they haven't had enough fun, or they never intended to be serious! Or... is he already married? You're not going back to Wu Yuzhou, are you?! This is a matter of principle, you absolutely can't do something foolish!"
Luo Yan: "..."
Why do we always end up talking at cross purposes? Why is communication between people so difficult?
Bad conditions? If Jiang Sui's conditions are bad, then no one's are good! Difficulties? His difficulties are probably having an overly imaginative future father-in-law and an overly enthusiastic secretary. And Wu Yuzhou? That guy's already old and weeds are three feet high on her grave, and she's still digging up his grave? Doesn't she find it smelly or earthy?
"No, not at all! Just the literal meaning!" Luo Yan tried to steer the conversation back on track. "Don't misinterpret it, and definitely don't embellish what you say to Luo Muyang!"
Zeng Rong frowned and sighed: "Sigh, I understand. You couldn't have President Jiang, so you settled for this secret relationship. Yanyan, you can't give up on yourself like this! You're President Luo's daughter and a civil servant. What kind of man can't you find? Why make yourself suffer?"
Luo Yan was speechless.
Zeng Rong's reading comprehension skills are absolutely perfect, so there's no point in saying anything. Oh well, as long as Luo Muyang doesn't mess with Jiang Sui, whatever happens, happens.
Thinking about it, she really felt wronged, well... so wronged that she drooled while sleeping on his eight-pack abs.
That afternoon, Zeng Rong went back and immediately called Luo Muyang to report on the firsthand situation at the front.
"Mr. Luo, we found out. Yanyan does have a new boyfriend, but it seems he doesn't want to go public. She was stammering, probably because he's not a good match and she's afraid you won't approve. Sigh, this girl, she must have been hurt by Wu Yuzhou before, and then she couldn't have Mr. Jiang, so she's lost all confidence now..."
Upon hearing this, Luo Muyang flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "How dare they wrong my precious daughter? This is outrageous! No way! I must find out who this shady man is!"
At that moment, Jiang Sui, holding the project schedule, knocked on the door. "President Luo, Secretary Zeng said you were looking for me?"
Luo Muyang calmed down, took the progress chart, and nodded with satisfaction as he looked at it: "The projects in the payment collection stage will be handled by the business department. You only need to keep an eye on the smart tourism project this year. It will be launched and tested in four or five months. Keep a close eye on the cultural and tourism bureau. The industry is watching us. Thank you for your hard work."
"Yes, Mr. Luo, I'll get back to work now."
Just as Jiang Sui was about to get up and leave, Luo Muyang called her back.
"Xiao Jiang, there's something else I'd like to ask you for help with."
"Please speak."
"You and Yanyan really didn't have those feelings for each other. I was just overthinking things before. I apologize to you, and I hope you won't take it to heart."
"You're exaggerating, actually..."
"I know that matters of the heart cannot be forced, but... it seems that Yanyan has recently started dating a new boyfriend."
"..."
Jiang Sui remained expressionless, but her eyes subtly shifted.
Luo Muyang carefully chose his words, "But I'm not at ease. It seems that the man doesn't want to go public, and I don't know who he is. I'm afraid Yanyan will be deceived. I thought you two had a lot of contact at work, and you're quite observant, so could you keep an eye out for me and see if she's been associating with any shady men lately?"
Jiang Sui was silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, "President Luo, isn't this... a bit inappropriate?"
Luo Muyang waved his hand and said, "There's nothing inappropriate about it. I've long considered you one of my own. Alright, that's settled then. I'm counting on you."
Jiang Sui silently got up and walked towards the door.
"If I find out which man it was..."
Luo Muyang gritted his teeth, "I'll break his legs! I'll twist his third leg into a pretzel!"
Jiang paused, unconsciously looking down at her legs, feeling a dull ache in a certain area.
Back in his office, he sent a message to Luo Yan.
- Your unsuspecting old father sent me to spy on you and threatened to break my legs.
A moment later, Luo Yan replied:
- Lao Luo's brain circuits are so complex they're almost unusable [sweating], just ignore him!
Luo Yan had just finished replying to the message and put down her phone when Zeng Rong's message came in quick succession.
-Yanyan, I have a lot of high-quality men in my contacts. I've done a preliminary screening, take a look at a few? They're all young and promising. Although they're not as good-looking as President Jiang, they're about the same as Wu Yuzhou. But you can't judge a man by his looks alone, right? The important thing is that they're all capable and can be taken out in public openly! Aren't they better than your shady one?
Then, seven or eight photos and messages came in quick succession, so fast that Luo Yan's hands went numb.
-How about this one? Investment banking, very lucrative! He's a bit bald, but incredibly smart!
Look at this, doctor, how stable it is! It's just a bit busy, but it will be convenient for family members to see a doctor in the future!
Hey, this photographer is pretty good. He's artistic and romantic! He just might not be home often.
...
Looking at the flood of "boyfriend candidates" on WeChat, Luo Yan was speechless.
She simply took a screenshot and sent it to Jiang Sui along with a comment:
-Mr. Jiang, am I currently a hot commodity in the Yu'an matchmaking market? Or did Luo Muyang set KPIs for Rong Momo? She's pushing harder than any Double Eleven livestreaming host.
Jiang returned quickly:
-You can add them all and see, I'm a little curious about what kind of gods they are.
Luo Yan:
-So generous? Aren't you afraid I'll actually fall for them and dump you? [Smug]
Jiang Sui:
-You can try it; it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. [Smug]
Luo Yan: "..."
What a jerk! How dare he brag about being so reckless?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
