Chapter Sixty-Four: Professional Problems? Let the professionals solve them!
That afternoon, Luo Yan was already packing up to leave work when Zhou Jiaqi suddenly ran over with a document, his voice urgent: "Sister Luo, there are some problems with a few data points in the environmental impact assessment report for Luoxia Peak! I didn't notice them when I checked this morning, but I only realized they were inconsistent with the original data provided by the scenic area when I entered them into the spreadsheet just now. The report is due tomorrow, can you take a look?"
Seeing Zhou Jiaqi's anxious expression, Luo Yan nodded: "Okay, don't worry, let's take a look together." She took the document and carefully checked it.
There are indeed discrepancies in the data, which affect the subsequent approval process and cannot be taken lightly.
She checked the time; the scenic area closed at six o'clock. So she immediately made a phone call, and the other party said that the original documents had been archived and it would take some time to find them.
"Looks like I'll have to work overtime today."
Luo Yan said helplessly to Zhou Jiaqi, "Okay, you organize all the information you can first, and we'll check it together." She took out her phone and sent a message to Jiang Sui.
I have to work overtime today, so my date is canceled. [Poor thing]
Jiang Sui quickly replied with "Okay," without saying a single extra word.
Upon seeing this message, Luo Yan felt a mix of emotions.
Perhaps Jiang Sui was also busy at this time. He was much busier than her, with almost no holidays. He worked until midnight six out of seven days a week. The fact that he could reply to her messages instantly already showed that she was different from others to him, right?
After calming herself down, Luo Yan threw herself into her overtime work.
Around 9 p.m., the data verification was finally completed.
Luo Yan stretched, feeling a sore back and aching waist.
Zhou Jiaqi said gratefully, "Sister Luo, thank you so much. I definitely wouldn't have been able to get this done today without you. I think it's getting windy outside. Shall I take you home?"
"I'm rushing to catch the subway, I won't be able to catch a breeze." Luo Yan smiled and waved her hand, politely declining.
The two walked out of the office building together. A gust of evening wind made Luo Yan sneeze. She was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt today, which felt a bit hot during the day, but now it seemed a bit thin. She rubbed her arms, which were covered in goosebumps. "It is a bit windy."
"Yes, it's already the beginning of autumn. Sister Luo, are you cold?" Zhou Jiaqi took off his coat and handed it to her. "Put this on. I'm not cold."
"No need, no need, the subway station is just over there," Luo Yan declined.
"It's alright. If you catch a cold, there won't be anyone to help you at work tomorrow." Zhou Jiaqi draped his coat over her shoulders without further ado, his smile sincere.
Luo Yan couldn't refuse any longer, "Thank you, I'll wear it for now."
Just then, a car horn sounded from ahead.
Luo Yan looked up and saw a black SUV with its high beams on driving towards her, then steadily stopping at the side of the road.
Jiang Sui opened the car door and got out, walking straight toward the two of them.
What brings you here?
When Luo Yan saw him, her first reaction was to take off her coat.
Zhou Jiaqi greeted him politely, "Hello, Mr. Jiang."
Jiang Sui gave him a cold look without responding, her gaze falling on Luo Yan's coat. "Finished working overtime?"
"Yeah, just finished." Luo Yan's voice was a little soft, and she didn't know why she felt a little guilty.
"Then get in the car and let's go home."
Jiang Sui's face and voice were equally cold, as if blown by the night wind.
Luo Yan nodded, took off her coat and returned it to Zhou Jiaqi, waving goodbye: "I'll be going now, see you tomorrow."
Zhou Jiaqi took the coat, smiled and said goodbye to the two, "Goodbye, Sister Luo, goodbye, President Jiang, take care."
Jiang Sui grabbed Luo Yan's still waving hand, opened the passenger door and shoved her inside, then quickly turned the car around and sped away.
Inside the car, Luo Yan sensed that familiar chill emanating from Jiang Sui again. She wanted to say something, but seeing his icy face, the words stuck in her throat, rolled around a few times, and she swallowed them back down.
"The coat fits you well," Jiang Sui said first, her tone laced with jealousy.
Sure enough, jealousy came late but arrived nonetheless.
Luo Yan sighed helplessly: "It's not what you think. It was a bit cold when I came out, and Xiao Zhou was just being kind by lending me his coat."
"Really? He's really kind." Jiang Sui sneered. "He's quite good at playing the game. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was your boyfriend."
"Jiang Sui, can you stop being so petty?" Luo Yan said angrily. "I've already told you, Zhou Jiaqi and I are just colleagues. He had an urgent matter to attend to today and needed my help, that's all."
"You think I'm petty, but he's generous?" Jiang Sui turned to look at her, his eyes filled with hurt and anger. "I just finished work at the company and rushed over to pick you up, only to find you wearing another man's coat, chatting and laughing with him? Did you even consider how I felt?"
"I wasn't chatting and laughing with him, we were just talking about work!" Luo Yan raised her voice, her pent-up grievances and doubts bursting forth. "You're always like this, getting angry without even asking any questions!"
Jiang Sui was stunned; he hadn't expected Luo Yan to be so angry.
After a few seconds of silence, his tone softened, and he took her hand: "I'm sorry, I saw you wearing his clothes, and I was a little... jealous."
"You can't be unreasonable when you're jealous." Luo Yan's voice softened, but her mind was in even more turmoil.
He compromised and apologized. Was it because he loved her? She wasn't sure.
The car drove smoothly all the way, and neither of them spoke again.
Back home, Luo Yan ignored Jiang Sui and changed her clothes to wash up and rest.
Jiang Sui walked over and hugged her from behind: "Don't be angry, okay? It's my fault. I promise I won't lose my temper with you again." His chin rested on the top of her head, and his gentle voice was filled with sincere apology.
Luo Yan leaned against him, smelling the familiar mint scent on him, but the unease in her heart grew stronger.
"Jiang Sui, do you love me?"
As she spoke, she felt the man behind her stiffen for a moment.
"Are you jealous because you care about me, or just because you care whether I completely belong to you?"
Luo Yan broke free from his embrace, turned around and looked at him, "You said you only feel happy when you're with me, is it because... only when I shamelessly approached you, and wasn't scared away by your indifference, and fully accepted your past, did you feel safe with me, and that's why you're with me?"
Jiang Sui frowned, her eyes filled with confusion: "Why would you think that?"
Luo Yan lowered her head and pursed her lips.
"You have so many better options, but even I don't know why you like me? I can only come up with these reasons after racking my brains... Is this... your way of rebelling against your father?"
"Enough!"
Jiang Sui interrupted her sharply. His face was terribly gloomy. He tried hard to suppress his anger, closed his eyes, and let out a heavy, short breath, as if mocking himself or feeling helpless. He chuckled twice and then remained silent.
Luo Yan bit her lip, her nose stinging with tears.
His reaction...was it because he was hit right and had nothing to say?
The room was so quiet you could hear the two of them breathing. Time seemed to stretch out, every second an agony, amplifying her disheveled state.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Sui slowly spoke, "I'm going back now."
He didn't say another word, and just turned and left.
The door slammed shut, startling Luo Yan and causing her heart to skip a beat.
That bastard, he just left like that?! And he even dared to slam the door?!
At one in the morning, the city is still awake.
Jiang Sui sat alone in the most secluded corner at the end of the bar. The amber-colored whiskey swirled gently in his glass, and the ice cubes clinked together. He had already drunk three glasses. He twirled the ice cubes in his glass with his left hand, while his right hand supported his forehead, his eyes glazed over.
"Handsome guy, all alone?"
A girl wearing a white halter-neck mini-dress suddenly sat down next to him.
Jiang Sui turned his head to look. The girl had a head of charming, long, wavy hair, casually draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were bright, but they made him feel inexplicably irritated.
"I noticed you a while ago; all the men in the room combined aren't as handsome as you."
Jiang Sui didn't reply, gave an ambiguous smile, and turned back to continue drinking.
The first time he met Luo Yan was while they were drinking. He thought she was strange; she was wearing a formal suit but kept drinking by herself, making a mess of the table. Then some thugs harassed her, and he, who usually didn't care about other people's business, went to help her out. This is how their "laughable and frustrating" relationship began.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" The girl in the short skirt put her hand on his shoulder. "Aren't you going to buy me a drink?"
Jiang moved aside to avoid it.
“I only drink with women I’m interested in, and obviously you’re not one of them.”
These words were like a sharp period, abruptly ending the conversation before it even began.
The girl had just left in a huff when Xiao Huang arrived, panting and with messy hair, clearly having just been dragged out of bed.
"President Jiang, let's go, it's already past one o'clock. You have a project exchange meeting at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, or rather, this morning. President Luo is also coming."
Xiao Huang specifically emphasized that Luo Muyang should participate, fearing that Jiang Sui would drag him out drinking all night.
Jiang Sui hummed in agreement, rubbed his temples, and followed Xiao Huang out of the bar.
A chilly night breeze crept into the car, making Jiang Sui a little more awake. She looked at Xiao Huang, who was driving, and asked, "Do you think there's something wrong with me?"
"Huh?" Xiao Huang was caught off guard by the question. "What specific aspect... is the problem?"
"I'm so angry! Why...why does she think I'm not sincere towards her?"
Jiang Sui's expression gradually shifted from that of a top student from a prestigious 985 university to that of a bewildered elementary school student standing in front of a rocking horse at the supermarket entrance. His eyes were unfocused, like the static on an old TV screen with no signal, and his brain cells were clearly on strike.
Xiao Huang scratched his messy hair. "President Jiang, I can't help you with this... Why don't you treat this problem as a challenging project? When you encounter a problem that is beyond your area of expertise, you need to find someone more professional to solve it."
"More professional people?"
Jiang Sui squinted, mimicking Sherlock Holmes, and after a long while, finally managed to retrieve a name from his chaotic mind: Zeng Rong.
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