When asked about her relationship with Fang Yu, Zheng Yao guiltily looked away.
Zheng Yao could clearly see from Song Mai's eyes that she had already noticed, which made her feel uneasy.
"We're just ordinary colleagues, nothing particularly close."
Song Mai looked blank, then nodded without hesitation:
"Really? But the last time I ran into you two at a restaurant with my husband, you were holding hands and looked like you were really close."
Lin Ran immediately became interested upon hearing this, and her eyes lit up.
"When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was about something that happened a while ago, but there were too many things going on at that time, so I forgot."
Zheng Yao had originally come to gather information, but now she felt like she was the one being talked about, a feeling that made her feel uneasy. She smiled awkwardly.
"We just have a decent relationship, it's nothing special."
Fearing that Song Mai and Lin Ran would continue asking questions, she quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, why did you suddenly take such a long leave? Are you not feeling well? Or is there something wrong at home?"
She asked the last few words tentatively, with a hint of expectation in her heart.
Song Mai saw through her thoughts at a glance.
"Are you hoping I'm not feeling well, or is something wrong at home?"
Her words were sharp, and Zheng Yao's expression immediately changed.
What do you mean by that?
Song Mai shrugged.
"Literal meaning? I'd like to ask you what you mean. Instead of staying where you are, you came here to eavesdrop. Now that you can't eavesdrop, you're asking questions. Zheng Yao, how much do you want things to go wrong for me?"
The woman was frank and direct, bringing Zheng Yao's secret, hidden thoughts into the open, which made it impossible for Zheng Yao to maintain her fake smile any longer.
She glared at Song Mai with uncontrollable rage, her pretty face contorted with rage.
"Song Mai, what do you mean by that? I came here out of kindness to show my concern for you, and you make such malicious assumptions about me! It's utterly insulting!"
Seeing Zheng Yao's serious yet nonsensical manner, Lin Ran couldn't help but burst out laughing.
You know in your heart whether it's malicious speculation or not.
Song Mai lost patience with arguing with her.
"Taking leave is my private matter. I don't have a good relationship with you, so there's no need for me to tell you, and I don't want to tell you. Besides, I don't need your concern. You can leave now."
Zheng Yao was humiliated and left in a huff, seething with anger.
Lin Ran kept staring at Song Mai until Song Mai felt a chill run down her spine from Lin Ran's gaze, which was as if she were looking at a stranger.
"What's wrong?"
"I feel like I don't recognize you anymore. When did you become so assertive? I love it!"
Lin Ran always felt that Song Mai had too good a temper, was easy to talk to everyone, and often didn't even know how to fight back when she was bullied.
She recently noticed changes in Song Mai, but only now did she realize that perhaps she had never truly known Song Mai.
Song Mai smiled and said, "Actually, it's always been like this. It's just that I didn't want to cause trouble before. You know my situation, so I try to avoid trouble if possible."
But later she discovered that it wasn't that things would decrease if she didn't pursue or care; rather, it was precisely because she didn't retaliate or express her opinion that those who wanted to harm her thought she was too easy to bully, which is why they repeatedly tried to harm her.
Instead, they stood up straight and confidently retorted, which made those people wary.
After getting off work, Song Mai went straight to the supermarket and bought a lot of things before going home.
Her short holiday is about to begin, which makes her very happy.
She quickly packed her luggage and cooked all the groceries she had bought. By the time she finished, Chu Xing still hadn't returned.
Watching the setting sun, Song Mai brewed herself a pot of tea and placed it on the stone table in the yard. She then rolled up her trousers and continued tidying up the vegetable garden that she hadn't finished cleaning.
She would be willing to live this kind of life repeatedly for the rest of her life.
In contrast to Song Mai's leisurely pace, Chu Xing was much busier.
The extra work he had created by forcibly taking a week off was now piled up on his desk.
Even though it was already past the end of the workday, there was still a lot left.
Assistant Lu stood aside watching the man patiently open a new document, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Men in love have inexhaustible energy...
It's been a whole day, and he shows no sign of stopping, as if he doesn't feel tired at all.
Song Mai waited until it was completely dark, but Chu Xing still hadn't returned, and she couldn't help but feel worried.
Meanwhile, the man was having his last meeting of the day.
"I won't be here next week, so report to me immediately if anything happens. The marketing department should continue to follow up on the acquisition plan. The project proposal for the cooperation with the US country is still not good enough. I made it very clear last time, so why is this kind of quality still being handed to me?"
The vice president in charge of the marketing department was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe, and stammered:
"We have tried our best to make the changes according to your requirements..."
The man's face was frosty, and the atmosphere in the conference room was terrifyingly tense.
"Try my best? I don't want 'try my best,' I want the final product. You've been with the company for so many years, do I really need to tell you?"
Large beads of sweat appeared on the vice president's forehead. He wiped the sweat from his brow and repeatedly promised to continue making improvements.
"Fix it before you leave work."
Upon hearing this, the others turned ashen-faced, while a few, still unwilling to give up, glanced at the time.
It's already 9 p.m.
The phrase "correct it before leaving get off work" means that if they don't correct it, they can forget about leaving get off work tonight.
Chu Xing hummed in agreement, then turned his gaze to the legal department.
"How's the copyright infringement case going? Why hasn't it been resolved yet?"
The deputy general manager of the legal department looked at him cautiously:
“We have negotiated with the other company many times, but they still insist that they have not infringed on our patent rights.”
The man's face was cold and his gaze toward the deputy general manager of the legal department was as chilly as early spring.
"Do I need to teach you how to do it?"
"I……"
The deputy general manager of the legal department wanted to defend himself, but under the man's gaze, he couldn't utter a word and could only shrink back like a quail.
"I'll handle it as soon as possible."
The man then scanned the crowd, who were terrified that they would be called out.
Just as Chu Xing was about to become the deputy general manager of the information department, his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and answered immediately. The woman's voice was calm, as if she were in a good mood, and if you listened carefully, you could even hear a hint of laughter. It was like a spring breeze in his ears, and the frost in the man's eyes seemed to melt away a bit.
"When are you coming back? I've prepared dinner and am waiting for you."
The man's eyes softened, and his voice unconsciously became gentler.
"I won't be able to go home for dinner tonight. I have some work to do, so I might be a little late. Don't wait for me."
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