Chapter 37 Chapter 37
Company z, lunch break.
After the busy morning session, the secondary business departments often race against time to rest during the lunch break. The general manager also helps to pull down the blinds and thoughtfully turns off the lights in the office.
A hard-earned nap is always quiet and peaceful. But today, there's a hint of restlessness in the air. Many of my colleagues' phones are still on, streaming the newly updated variety show "Doomsday Lovers."
Company Z was notorious for its unequal treatment of male and female employees. The people gathered here were mostly young and attractive female colleagues, while the men were often dispatched on business trips.
The warm spring afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, casting hazy shadows. The high-rise workstations confined free minds. Only the bright, vibrant couple on the screen could fully bask in the gentle breeze and sunshine of Pingjiang's streets.
The lake blue cheongsam wrapped around Zhu Ling's exquisite body caused everyone to exclaim in surprise.
"Oh my god! This show is so good at choosing guests. They actually have such a beauty!"
"The cheongsam is truly stunning. Looking at all these female guests, only Zhu Ling could be a good match for Chief Lu."
"Luzhu and Lu are a match made in heaven. If I were Chief Lu, I would have chosen her."
"Chief Lu has always been incredibly low-key. Not only has he rarely appeared in the company since joining, he's also never attended any team-building dinners. I thought he wasn't interested in dating at all. But I didn't expect he had such excellent taste that he'd even choose a cheongsam for a girl."
"You don't understand, don't you? The CEO's dinners are reserved for valuable people. He might not even be able to schedule dinners with important clients every day..."
"Yeah, right, right. A while ago, there was a rumor from the first-level sales department that Chief Lu had contact with the daughter of the Lijiang Group. It was President Qin who personally made the connection."
Amidst the heated whispered discussions, no one noticed a hand rising from the gap near the window. The slender fingers touched a pair of earplugs from the storage cabinet and then retracted them silently.
Lu Ye lay on the camp bed set up by the window and turned over with a little fatigue.
After a busy day, he caught another red-eye flight back to City S last night. Just three hours after landing, he appeared in the livestream of the morning meeting. After analyzing the previous day's market trends, he rushed to a venue set up by a listed company for a roadshow.
He worked non-stop until lunchtime, ate something casually, and quietly returned to the company to prepare for lunch break.
His office was at the far end of the work area, and not wanting to disturb his colleagues who were taking a rare break, he turned into a secluded corner. Thus, he sat in on a conference where he was being dissected frame by frame.
Lu Ye felt rather helpless. He couldn't say for sure whether the financial world was chaotic or not. But wherever there were people, there would be gossip; that was a foregone conclusion.
It would have been fine if his colleagues had publicly criticized him in the office for a variety show clip he had appeared in, but the subsequent topics also became increasingly off-topic, and he felt a bit annoyed listening to them.
The daughter of the Lijiang Group, Zhong Xinli, had indeed been introduced to him by President Qin at that business dinner. She was, after all, the future head of the group, and she was elegant and graceful, without any excessive or explicit words or actions. She was only slightly attentive to his words and preferences, but it wasn't wrong to call her warm and hospitable.
These were just hearsay. Lu Ye closed his eyes, took a long breath, and his cold face was as serene as a sculpture.
Rumors are always absurd and distorted, but some things are almost true.
His alarm vibrated three minutes before the end of lunch break. Lu Ye tapped the watch on his wrist but did not get up immediately.
He held up his phone and sent a warm greeting to Shen Xingyu.
In the large first-level business department, Shen Xingyu, who was taking a nap reclining on the leather sofa in the office, woke up from a nightmare with his eyelids twitching.
"That's really not me. How dare I say such a thing? Regardless of your bottom line, I still have to consider the reputation of the Lijiang Group. Even if their daughter really pursues you, I will be hunted down by their company if I say this!"
It seemed to make sense. Lu Ye didn't reply to him. After typing a line of words, he put away his phone, walked past the rows of workstations with his long legs, and walked into his office with a slouched back.
Lu Ye: Today's intensity is not bad, there is a lunch break.
Summer had already arrived in P City. An Jiyue, wearing a vibrant jade-green dress, stood at the entrance of Huayi Building, braving the intense, scorching sun as she squinted her eyes and read the lighthearted message.
Lu Ye seemed to have become more clingy than before, reporting every detail of the day like a diary.
It’s not quite right to say that he is clingy, because he just shares his life on his own and doesn’t have any requirements for her reply.
Her finger hovered over the screen for a long time, but the input box remained blank. After thinking it over, she simply put the phone back in her pocket.
An Jiyue's job in the internet entertainment department has always been characterized by a free and flexible work environment. The morning's film review meeting had lasted until now, and afterward, everyone went out in groups of three or four to find food or group up for coffee.
Director Zhang, the chief director and producer, also knew that his team had been working hard these days, so he specifically instructed everyone to estimate the progress in the afternoon based on the conclusions of the film review meeting, and that they could leave work early if they had nothing to do.
An Jiyue was extremely grateful; she was about to take a leave of absence. Although Director Zhang had been harsh on her because of Lu Ye's incident, he was, after all, one of the most experienced directors in the industry, and his conduct and actions were worthy of her careful study.
The tourmaline gray BMW stopped hastily in front of her. Liang Sinan lowered the window and unlocked it for her with his dark wheat-colored forearm. He pressed his sunglasses and waved his big hand: "Get in the car!"
An Jiyue laughed and sighed. Liang Sinan always looked so energetic that he could be spotted in the crowds and traffic at a glance.
As soon as she got in the car, she fastened her seatbelt carefully and gently reminded him, "Brother Nan, the speed limits on domestic roads are very strict. There are speed cameras and surveillance cameras everywhere."
"Oh, really?" Liang Sinan didn't care and turned the steering wheel casually. "If it's so strict, it seems that breaking the law is really hard to avoid, isn't it?"
An Jiyue felt as if a huge apple had been stuffed into her mouth, and she choked shut. She asked Liang Sinan to pick her up because she had to deal with the traffic violation of Lu Ye's Volvo.
She didn't explain the car's origins, saying only that a friend had a long business trip for a major project and asked her to drive it for maintenance. Unexpectedly, she committed a traffic violation on her first attempt.
She regretted it so much that she didn't even have the mood to eat the midnight snack she bought. She gave it all to Liang Sinan and Yue Hui. She didn't even dare to think about Lu Ye's green face when he received the text message.
Seeing her pale face and a frustrated look, Liang Sinan simply took advantage of the situation and made things clear.
"I tried that Volvo this morning. Mr. Lu has good taste."
"No way," An Jiyue pouted and refuted him without thinking, "I think this is a complete waste."
After she finished speaking, she suddenly reacted, her almond eyes widened, and she covered her mouth and looked at him in horror. Liang Sinan squeezed the steering wheel with all his strength, and laughed so hard that his whole body trembled.
The words have been spoken and cannot be taken back.
"H-how did you know that?"
"What a coincidence." Liang Sinan finally spoke again, "The day he went to pick up the car, I happened to be with a lawyer. The lawyer received a call from his old classmate Lu Ye, asking about registering joint ownership of the vehicle. Unfortunately, this doesn't work."
"Jointly owned?"
"Guess who he wants to register? Here's a hint—"
"I don't want to know!" An Jiyue shouted, her face flushing as she stopped his teasing. Lu Ye's major was civil and commercial law, so he should be very familiar with these details, yet he still insisted on confirming them.
"Maybe, maybe they just thought it would be easier to get a license plate and deal with traffic violations if they could find someone local to co-register the ownership."
She tried to explain Lu Ye's whimsical motives, but Liang Sinan squinted at her coldly, smiled mischievously, and retorted:
"Well said. You know what's even more convenient? Just register your marriage."
An Jiyue's whole body trembled, as if she had heard some outrageous and disrespectful words, or had some extremely absurd daydream. She looked at him as if he was a lunatic.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" She hit Liang Sinan's thigh lightly, and considering that they were still on the road, she glared at him fiercely.
Liang Sinan raised his head and said seriously: "Hey! I'm not talking nonsense, this is the professional opinion of the lawyer. The original words are 'You should just get a marriage certificate and all the property will be shared after marriage'."
She shrank back slightly and cursed weakly, "Ridiculous."
"Is it ridiculous?" He didn't continue to hold her back, but just repeated the question softly, "Is marrying him a ridiculous thing for you?"
"It's not about who to marry, it's the whole idea of marriage that's ridiculous."
An Jiuyue answered weakly, and seemed to no longer want to continue this topic.
The man, who was concentrating on driving, glanced at the girl in the passenger seat and remained silent.
It is understandable that An Jiyue is so resistant to marriage.
She was originally the apple of her eye, born into a wealthy family with harmonious parents. However, one night something happened, her parents' relationship fell apart, and her family almost collapsed, which must have left a psychological trauma on her.
When her uncle and aunt from the An family "escorted" her to school that year, they were still a harmonious family of three.
Throughout the meal, the uncle and aunt treated each other with respect, and showed great affection to their graceful daughter, calling her "Yue'er" in a soft voice. Liang Sinan even secretly envied her for a long time.
Who could have foreseen that there would be a day when his wife and daughter would be separated? When he heard the news about An Shi, he immediately rushed to An Jiyue's residence. When he opened the door, the thinly dressed girl with tear-stained face happened to turn and look up at him. Every time he thought of her, his heart ached.
Having been raised in the best possible care for over twenty years, he can often see the moon and clouds casually photographed by the little girl on the social media platforms he occasionally refreshes, and the accompanying text often expresses her longing to go home.
Jiyue: The moon abroad isn't round at all! The moon is at its fullest when I'm reunited with the one I miss!
This is the best example of falling from heaven to hell. Liang Sinan himself is no different.
He was alone at that time, and had been struggling all the way. He could not bear to abandon An Jiuyue who was also stranded overseas.
"I'm still here, don't be afraid, Yue'er."
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