Chapter 51
Two days ago, in Chen Zhiyi's room, President Xing's secretary was going over the program for the anniversary gala with his assistant. Normally, he would never pay attention to such work coordination and would just wait for the press release to be sent to him. But this time, he was sitting in a swivel chair looking at the script, but his mind was on the content of the secretary's report.
"We know that Mr. Zhiyi's schedule is very full. In order not to take up your time, all he needs to do that day is give a speech and then help with the dance. We have prepared three candidates for the female lead dancer." As she spoke, the secretary took out three photos from her bag and handed them to the assistant.
"These three girls are outstanding in our company in terms of appearance, figure, temperament, and conversation. You can choose one. On that day, we will definitely hire a professional stylist to do her makeup and match her clothes. We will never let Teacher Zhiyi embarrass herself in front of the media."
Chen Zhiyi snatched the photo, glanced at it, and then placed it face down on the table next to him. He said with a serious expression, "I don't like this feeling of being arranged by others. Since it's your company's anniversary party, everyone should be having fun together. This is meaningless."
The secretary sensed the hidden meaning in Chen Zhiyi's words and smoothly continued, "Mr. Chen, you've misunderstood. As a public figure, we made these arrangements in advance to prepare for any potential issues that might affect you. However, if you have any opinions, please feel free to raise them, and we will definitely do our best to accommodate them."
"I wouldn't call it an opinion. Since your company is holding this anniversary celebration and has invited all employees to participate, you must be hoping to have fun with your employees. Rather than having the candidates predetermined, it would be better to decide them by drawing lots on the spot. This would add a sense of mystery and achieve the desired effect."
The assistant, however, was somewhat worried, saying, "The lottery is too unpredictable; what if something goes wrong?"
“What if what? Doing this in front of the media would be a ‘fan service,’ which would only benefit my image. I know you’re worried about security, but their company wouldn’t be careless about security arrangements for such a big event.”
"You can rest assured about the security. We don't allow anyone to enter the venue without an invitation, and we'll conduct a simple search before you enter. We absolutely will not bring any dangerous items in," the secretary quickly explained.
"Now you can rest assured." Chen Ziyu glanced at his assistant.
The assistant fell silent.
"Then let's follow Teacher Chen's suggestion. We will prepare a lottery box with slips of paper containing the names of the female employees."
"Can."
The assistant got up to see the secretary off, while Chen Ziyu took out the name tag from the drawer and looked at it for a long time.
"This time I will not let you escape."
Back to the party venue.
The hostess walked over to Chen Zhiyi with a lottery box, and he reached into the box to draw a name slip.
The women in the audience erupted in cheers, waving their hands to Chen Zhiyi in hopes of being chosen. Some of the younger girls were so excited that their faces turned red, as if they might faint from lack of oxygen at any moment.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the loneliness of the black figure in the corner was all the more apparent. What others flocked to was something Lin Ting avoided like the plague.
She had taken Song Xiaolei's words to heart. She had a feeling that Chen Zhiyi was attending the party mostly because of her. He was smart enough to know that she was working at the M Group.
Five years ago, his feelings for her were genuine, their relationship was real, and their promise to visit each other in the same city was true. That night, the excitement in his eyes and the passionate embrace couldn't hide his joy at their reunion.
She wasn't sure if she still had feelings for him.
But she was convinced of one thing: she shouldn't have any more involvement.
So she got up and prepared to leave the venue.
Just as she grabbed the doorknob, the voice coming from the microphone stunned her.
"Congratulations to Ms. Lin Ting from the Design Department for being chosen by Mr. Chen Zhiyi to perform the opening dance. Now, please come up to the stage, Ms. Lin Ting."
At that moment, it was as if she had been struck by lightning; her mind went blank, and she could only stand there, frozen in place, like a petrified sculpture.
"Is Lin Ting here? If so, please come to the front desk immediately. It's very impolite to keep the guests waiting," General Manager Xing called into the microphone.
Still no one stepped forward; everyone was looking around for someone.
Song Xiaolei spotted Lin Ting standing at the door through the crowd. She immediately lifted her skirt and rushed past the crowd to Lin Ting's side. Before Lin Ting could even notice her, Song Xiaolei raised her hand.
"She's here."
Lin Ting turned her head and saw thousands of eyes looking at her, with one beam of light shining directly at her like a strong ray of sunlight, leaving her nowhere to escape. She immediately turned her head back and lowered it.
Song Xiaolei leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You're so lucky! You were chosen by a big star to dance with him. Hurry up and get on stage!" As she spoke, she pushed her forward with her palm.
Lin Ting's feet felt like they were being held firmly to the ground by a giant magnet, unable to move an inch. She gripped the door with such force that all her knuckles turned white, and with just a little more force, she felt like she was about to be embedded in the door. Her heart was racing, she was at a loss, and she looked around frantically, desperately wanting to find a place to shrink into.
She deeply regretted her hesitation; she should have opened the door and left.
Excessive fear can cause a high heart rate and dizziness. Just as Lin Ting was about to faint, a familiar warmth touched her lower back. When she regained consciousness, that familiar face appeared before her eyes. The youthful innocence of the past had faded, replaced by a sharp and cold demeanor. The dark and deep eyes shone with a captivating light. One more look and she would be captivated.
With a gentle smile, he said, "Miss Lin, please be careful!"
There's a deliberate attempt to hide the difference in their relationship from those around them.
Ke Lin instinctively removed the hand that was hugging her waist and grabbed the doorknob again, wanting to leave.
Chen Zhiyi stopped her from opening the door, speaking in a voice so soft that only the two of them could hear, "Do me a favor. There are so many media here. If you leave now, I'll become the laughing stock of the entertainment industry tomorrow."
Lin Ting glanced at him, then immediately looked away. She couldn't face him calmly, let alone dance with him.
Chen Zhiyi released his grip on her wrist and turned it behind him. He bent down and extended his other hand forward in an inviting gesture, with a polite smile on his face. He said gently, "Would you be so kind as to invite Miss Lin Ting to dance with me?"
"Lin Ting, quickly agree to him! Dancing with a big star is an opportunity you can only dream of!" Xiao Lei, who was standing to the side, couldn't hold back any longer. Seeing Lin Ting's hesitant and awkward appearance, she wished she could just push her down onto Chen Zhiyi.
The others in the hall also started to jeer, urging Lin Ting to agree. In their eyes, this was a blessing accumulated from saving the galaxy in his past life, and if he refused, his ancestors would crawl out of their graves to scold him.
Under pressure from everyone, Lin Ting shakily stretched out her hand, but halfway through, she wanted to pull it back.
Chen Zhiyi grabbed her hand as she tried to pull it back, pulled her to the center of the hall, placed her left hand on his right shoulder, and placed his right hand on her lower back. He slowly opened her tightly clenched right hand with his left hand and intertwined their fingers. His eyes never left Lin Ting's face, the face that had tormented him repeatedly in his dreams.
He had never seen Lin Ting in heavy makeup before; she was like a blooming rose, beautiful and vibrant, making his heart flutter.
He had thought that if they met again, he would definitely question him fiercely: Why did you break your promise? Why didn't you come back?
But at this moment, all he wanted to do was hold her tightly in his arms.
Whenever the two meet again, he will still be crazy about her.
Chen Zhiyi pulled the person in front of him closer to his chest, whispering in her ear. His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, as if kissing it. And the words, "You look so beautiful today, it's like I'm taking you away from the venue," made Lin Ting's heart tremble.
Throughout the dance, Lin Ting didn't dare to look Chen Zhiyi in the eye, always avoiding eye contact. She was so nervous that she would occasionally step on Chen Zhiyi's foot.
She quickly apologized, "I'm sorry."
Chen Zhiyi still spoke in a very soft tone, "No need to apologize. Just look at me properly. Why can't you even look me in the eye?"
"We shouldn't see each other anymore." Lin Ting didn't look at him.
Chen Zhiyi tightened his grip on her waist and whispered in her ear, his words both gentle and fierce, "No, we'll see each other every day. This time you can't escape."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Ting felt a sudden tremor in her heart, her legs went weak, and she stumbled and almost fell backward. Chen Zhiyi quickly grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms, then hugged her tightly again.
Chen Zhiyi didn't understand. Her body was so soft, yet she had a heart as hard as ice, cold and hard, impossible to melt.
Lin Ting's cheek was pressed against his chest, and his rapid and strong heartbeat made her feel hot.
The person in front of her was no longer the boy she remembered from five years ago; he had become a man, or even a mature man. The strong aura of hormones made Lin Ting's heart tremble and she felt dizzy for a moment. Lin Ting couldn't let go of this embrace that haunted her dreams.
The applause from the surrounding crowd signaled the end of the opening dance. Lin Ting instantly snapped out of her daze, immediately pushed away the embrace, and left the venue without any hesitation.
Without thinking, Chen Zhiyi ran out, but his assistant stopped him after only a few steps. "Teacher Chen, we should go. We have other announcements to make."
The assistant's reminder made Chen Zhiyi realize that they were in a public place and he needed to be careful with his words and actions. He couldn't make any obvious reactions, because if the media or someone with ulterior motives amplified them, it would definitely attract public opinion, and Lin Ting would also suffer. This was something he didn't want to see, so he held back and could only watch Lin Ting's retreating figure with resentment and restraint.
"What did I do wrong to make you want to run away from me so much?" A sorrowful voice cried out from the bottom of her heart.
But then he gritted his teeth and thought, now that he knew where she worked, where could she possibly run off to? This time, she couldn't go anywhere!
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