Chapter 71 A Sudden Peach Blossom Calamity?!
When Luo Yan said the words "cooling-off period after a breakup," it was just a casual remark. She simply didn't want to forgive Jiang Sui so easily, but when she actually put it into practice, she realized that she had dug a hole for herself.
During the day at work, she has to keep a straight face when other colleagues ask her with concern, "You look much better today, have you come to terms with things?" She can only manage to force a smile that screams "strong and independent woman."
When I got home that evening, I saw a message from Jiang Sui:
-Today's performance report: I ate on time, didn't get jealous, and missed you (your tomato and egg sandwich).
She had to desperately suppress the upward curve of her lips and reply with a haughty "Mmm".
It feels like having a five million lottery ticket but not being able to claim it, and having to pretend to be penniless—frustrating yet exciting. Isn't this like going back to the days of a secret relationship? This kind of romance is like a circle with its ups and downs.
That day after work, Luo Yan was pondering whether to order takeout at home or go to Jiang Sui for a "surprise check-in" when Zeng Rong appeared at the entrance of the Culture and Tourism Bureau. Seeing her come out, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
"Yanyan, come on, let me take you away from the crooked tree and into the whole forest!"
Zeng Rong's loud voice drew the attention of Liu Su and Wang Qiushi, who came out from behind Luo Yan, who both looked up and cast sympathetic yet curious glances at him.
Luo Yan felt a chill run down her spine: "No need, I'm fine..."
"What's so good about it!" Zeng Rong exclaimed in anguish. "Look how thin you've become! Forcing a smile is the most painful thing. Listen to me, the best way to forget a relationship is to start a new one! I'll take you to a great place right now, I guarantee it will reignite your passion for life!"
Half an hour later, Luo Yan sat in the barbecue restaurant that featured "handsome waiters dancing energetically." The deafening dance music filled her ears, and in front of her was Zeng Rong's face, which seemed to say, "Praise me!"
"How's it going? Feeling more relaxed now? Look at that energy, those muscles...so impressive!"
Zeng Rong pointed at the young boy swaying his hips on stage, leaned close to Luo Yan's ear and shouted, "Out with the old, in with the new! President Jiang is too highbrow and difficult to deal with, so let's find someone more down-to-earth!"
"Hehe... there's no need for that."
Luo Yan got up to slip away, but Zeng Rong grabbed her back: "Men, if one doesn't work out, just find another. Why hang yourself on one tree? Your attitude clearly shows you can't let go. You can't be a simp. Even if you like someone, you have to have a bottom line!"
"Okay, okay... I think that's alright?"
Luo Yan knew she couldn't explain it to Zeng Rong, her lips twitched, and her gaze shifted to the handsome man performing energetically on stage. But in her mind, she saw Jiang Sui's collarbone, barely visible when he wore only a loose T-shirt at home, his legs that looked longer than her life when he was usually wrapped in a shirt and suit, and the tempting face she saw when she turned over in the morning...
Stop! Luo Yan, what are you thinking? You two are in a cooling-off period right now, a breakup cooling-off period!
She silently picked up a skewer of grilled chives and ate it as if it were wax.
Now I finally understand what it means to be "outshone by the beauty of all the beauties in the palace." It's as if she has a 24-hour Michelin-starred private chef, but can only eat compressed biscuits every day, and is about to have an endocrine disorder from being so bored.
"Don't just eat! Watch the show!" Zeng Rong exclaimed excitedly, waving his arms and legs. "Get up and let's have fun together! Let's shake off all our worries!"
Luo Yan watched her stiff and awkward movements, her brows furrowing into deep wrinkles. "You've directed hundreds of vehicles in just two minutes..."
"Young people, be more open... oh no, more uninhibited!"
Zeng Rong reached out and pulled her, causing Luo Yan's loose shirt collar to be pulled askew, unexpectedly exposing an ambiguous red mark below her collarbone.
"!!!"
Zeng Rong froze, his eyes wide like saucers, his finger trembling as he pointed: "This...this...Yan Yan, you...you...you..."
Luo Yan blushed, hurriedly pulled her collar up, and tried to appear calm: "It's from mosquito bites! Autumn mosquitoes are even fiercer than summer mosquitoes!"
You're kidding me!
Zeng Rong shoved her back into her seat, lowered his voice, and looked heartbroken as if he were looking at a wayward girl, "Yanyan, I know you're upset. A man like President Jiang is certainly intoxicating, and breaking up is a huge blow, but you can't just give up on yourself like this! It's okay to be heartbroken, but you can't lose your mind! It's only been a few days! And you're already finding someone... What if you run into a scammer, a pervert, or a con artist? You're a civil servant, this... it'll have such a bad influence!"
Luo Yan: "..."
A natural at filling in the blanks with your imagination, I'm going to take you on!
Seeing that Luo Yan remained silent, Zeng Rong became even more certain of her judgment. She sighed deeply and grabbed Luo Yan's hand, saying, "Yan Yan, if you're upset, just tell me. I'll help you curse that bastard Jiang Sui, but how can you demean yourself like this?"
"I……"
Luo Yan had no words to say.
What could she say? That the "mosquito" was named Jiang Sui and that it committed the crime on her sofa?
"Alright, stop talking!"
Zeng Rong gave him an "I understand" look. "It seems your heartbreak is more severe than I thought. Well then, I have a few high-quality resources on hand, this time they're definitely reliable, I'll arrange them for you in the next couple of days!"
Luo Yan: "..."
You have to jump into the hole you dug yourself, even if it means shedding tears.
At 10 p.m., Luo Yan finally escaped Zeng Rong's efforts to "start a new life" for her and returned home, exhausted both physically and mentally. She had just collapsed onto the sofa when her phone rang; it was a message from Zhou Jiaqi, who was still hospitalized.
"Sister Luo, are you asleep? I'm sorry to bother you so late. I've been very worried. Did what happened at the hospital the other day cause a misunderstanding between you and President Jiang? Are you both alright?"
Luo Yan looked at the screen and sighed. This child is quite thoughtful.
-It's okay, it has nothing to do with you, we've already broken up.
Not long after the message was sent, Zhou Jiaqi called immediately, his voice filled with urgency and guilt: "Sister Luo, you two really... broke up? I'm sorry... I'll go talk to President Jiang and explain everything after I'm discharged from the hospital!"
No! Please don't!
Luo Yan immediately jumped up from the sofa. "Xiao Zhou, it's really not your fault. It's our own problem. Don't think too much about it, and don't go to explain to him!"
Just kidding, Jiang Sui has finally calmed down a bit, and Zhou Jiaqi has the nerve to come and "explain"—what's the difference between that and throwing a match into a gasoline can? It'll only make things worse!
She didn't want to experience Jiang Sui's "car-into-the-car wolf-like" behavior again. She couldn't understand the psychology of those who liked "forced love." In reality, if you encountered something like that, you wouldn't even have time to call the police.
After much persuasion, I finally managed to calm Zhou Jiaqi down, who was determined to add more scenes for himself. After hanging up the phone, I felt even more exhausted than if I had worked overtime for three days straight.
Two days later, Director Zheng asked Liu Su to organize colleagues from the department to visit Zhou Jiaqi in the hospital.
The ward was filled with fruit and milk, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Zhou Jiaqi still had a cast on his leg, but he was in good spirits. He smiled and thanked everyone, his gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over Luo Yan with an apologetic look that seemed to want to say something but couldn't. Luo Yan quickly gave him a look that said, "I'm really fine, don't worry," afraid that if she hesitated for even a second, he would go to find Jiang Sui to "explain" to her on his crutches.
After staying for half an hour, everyone got up to say goodbye. As they walked to the hospital entrance, Luo Yan reached into her pocket and realized she had left her phone in the ward!
She greeted them and quickly turned back.
As I walked to the corner of the corridor where the ward was located, I saw a girl hurriedly come out of Zhou Jiaqi's ward and quickly enter the elevator on the other side.
Luo Yan was stunned for a moment. That girl, how come she looks like... Lu Xingyao?
How did she end up here?
A hint of doubt crossed Luo Yan's mind, but she didn't have time to think about it before she walked into the ward. Zhou Jiaqi was a little surprised to see her return.
"Sister Luo? Did you leave something behind?"
"Um, I forgot my phone." Luo Yan picked up her phone from the chair beside the bed and asked casually, "Did a friend come to see you just now?"
Zhou Jiaqi's eyes flickered. "No, oh... a beautiful woman just went into the wrong room."
"I see."
Luo Yan didn't press the matter further, thinking that perhaps Lu Xingyao had other friends hospitalized here, and it was normal for him to have gone to the wrong ward.
"Then I'll go first."
Luo Yan put her phone back in her bag and was about to leave when Zhou Jiaqi called out to her, "Sister Luo, it's already this late, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I ordered a set meal from Jufenglou, it should be here soon, let's eat together? Consider it... a way to thank you for helping me, and also to give me a chance to apologize."
Jufenglou? That's a famous, expensive restaurant in Yu'an.
Seeing Zhou Jiaqi's earnest eyes, and considering that his leg was in a cast and he was having difficulty moving around, she really couldn't refuse this "patient's meal," so she could only nod and say, "Alright, then I'll eat some."
Four dishes and a soup were laid out on the small table by the hospital bed, their aroma filling the air.
"Sister Luo, try this shrimp... you dipped it in some sauce."
Zhou Jiaqi naturally picked up a tissue and reached out to wipe Luo Yan's mouth.
Luo Yan quickly leaned back to avoid his hand.
"Uh... I can do it myself!" She quickly took the tissue, wiped her mouth haphazardly a couple of times, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Comrade Xiao Zhou, you can't do this to people you don't like, you know? It's easy to cause misunderstandings."
Zhou Jiaqi paused, his hand holding the chopsticks still. He looked up, his eyes behind his glasses staring directly at Luo Yan, his tone becoming serious: "What if it's someone you like?"
Luo Yan blinked, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.
"I like you."
Zhou Jiaqi suddenly put down his chopsticks, taking it very seriously.
"Hmm... Ah?!!"
Luo Yan was startled and almost spat out the shrimp she had just swallowed.
Zhou Jiaqi took a deep breath, looked at her, and said sincerely, "I've liked you ever since you patiently taught me how to do my job when I joined the company... I know I can't compare to President Jiang, so I've always liked you silently. Now that you've broken up, I dare to say it... Even if you reject me now, I will continue to like you! Sister Luo, can you give me a chance?"
Luo Yan: "..."
She sat there blankly, unable to utter a single word, staring at Zhou Jiaqi's young face, which was filled with sincerity, feeling utterly bewildered.
The jealous boyfriend needs to be appeased, the enthusiastic best friend is frantically trying to match him up, and then a cute young man suddenly appears and makes a heartfelt confession.
Did she accidentally start worshipping the ancient Greek god who controlled unwanted romantic relationships?
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