Chapter 108 Ji Baishen is indeed a rival in love who cannot be ignored.
Lin Zaoyi raised her eyelids and looked directly into his eyes. The man's gaze seemed to have a temperature, burning her and making her breathe lighter.
She swallowed hard. "If you're not so domineering, then it's fine."
The air instantly froze, as if an inch of ice paste had been poured on it, thick and stagnant.
Tan Zhaojing fell into a brief silence. This wasn't the first time he'd heard this sentence, but each time it stirred something within him, and all he could seem to do was silently process it.
The driver standing on one side was still in the action of opening the car door, his palms sweating as he gripped the handle.
Not daring to make any big movements, he only glanced at the boss discreetly, his expression indifferent, but his brows were tightly furrowed.
Should we get into the car to take shelter?
Avoid it.
His presence was both conspicuous and obstructive.
He tiptoed into the car and carefully closed the door. It was really nerve-wracking; the couple's argument had made him very anxious.
In the end, it was Tan Zhaojing who compromised: "If you don't want to go, then don't go. We'll send you back to headquarters."
"Need not."
Lin Zaoyi forced herself to be firm in her stance, saying, "I'll take a taxi myself."
Tan Zhaojing: "You don't even want to ride in my car anymore?"
"Hmm," the girl said coldly, giving him three words, "I don't want to."
For a moment, the world fell silent. Lin Zaoyi's breathing gradually became lighter. Just when she thought the man was going to do something domineering again, she knocked on the car window. The driver rolled down the window and said, "President Tan."
"Send Zao Yi back."
"No--"
"I'm not getting on the bus," Tan Zhaojing said, covering her voice.
After saying that, he shoved her into the car.
As the car started, Lin Zaoyi couldn't help but turn around. The man was still standing there. The lighting in the underground parking lot was so dim that she couldn't see his expression clearly, yet she felt a pang of sadness for no reason.
The driver slowed down, but even then, he still had to turn. The figure disappeared from sight, so Lin Zaoyi turned her head back and looked out the window. After a while, all she could see was a blurry building.
******
Meng Henian had just finished his meeting when his secretary reported that President Tan had arrived.
Push the door open and go inside.
In the rest area, Tan Zhaojing leaned back on the sofa, his eyes lightly closed, his whole being exuding a cool and aloof aura. What caught the eye was a brown stain on his cuff, and his hands were even more interesting, wrapped in gauze.
He sat down next to her and chuckled rather unkindly, "Did you get angry because of Zao Yi?"
Tan Zhaojing opened his eyes and glared at him, "Is gloating interesting?"
Meng Henian made a shushing gesture.
There was a brief silence in the office; neither of them spoke, their mutual annoyances unspoken.
After a short while, Tan Zhaojing broke the silence, "You should try to persuade Ji Baishen."
As for what advice to give, there was no need to say it outright. Meng Henian told him, "I have given advice, but what Ji Boshen does is beyond my control."
A frown appeared between Tan Zhaojing's brows. "What do you mean? Is he planning to become a mistress?"
Meng Henian shrugged. "You'll have to ask him."
Tan Zhaojing: "I don't like talking to him lately."
Meng Henian smiled and leaned over to pour him a cup of tea. "It seems that Ji Baishen has become a threat to you."
Tan Zhaojing did not respond to this.
Meng Henian stopped joking and asked seriously, "Why did you and Zao Yi break up?"
Then it occurred to me, "Could it be Aunt Ming?"
Tan Zhaojing gave a soft "hmm".
Why don't you wait until everything is resolved?
When he didn't get an immediate response to his question, Meng Henian didn't urge him. He poured himself a glass of water and sipped it slowly.
After about ten seconds, Tan Zhaojing spoke up, "I've thought about it, but I'm afraid it will all come to nothing in the end."
Meng Henian didn't understand what his fear was. "What do you mean by that?"
Tan Zhaojing's voice was inexplicably cold and desolate. "I noticed a long time ago that Ji Baishen had designs on Zaoyi."
Meng Henian opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say, and finally nodded.
Ji Baishen is indeed a rival in love who cannot be ignored.
******
Lin Zaoyi arrived at her office five minutes before her shift started. As she passed Fu Sipei's workstation, she called out to her, "Lin Zaoyi, what did you do this morning?"
That tone of voice—anyone who didn't know better would think it was a leader.
Lin Zaoyi glanced at her indifferently, "Is there something you need?"
Fu Sipei's eyes crinkled into a smile. "I wanted to ask if you went out to cover the news."
Lin Zaoyi didn't quite understand; their relationship wasn't really at the point of casual chatting. "Get to the point."
Then Fu Sipei, in a friendly manner, said, "You can call me, and we can help each other out."
The words sound nice, but the underlying purpose is too obvious.
Lin Zaoyi wasn't so generous; she glanced at her and said, "I can handle it."
Without further ado, I returned to my workstation, turned on my computer, and began organizing the transcripts from the morning's interviews.
After finishing her work for two hours, Lin Zaoyi rubbed her stiff neck, picked up her cup, and went to the tea room.
During afternoon tea, many colleagues were standing inside, including Yuan Lai and Fu Sipei. It was unclear what they were talking about, but Fu Sipei's expression was quite expressive.
Lin Zaoyi glanced at them briefly, took her coffee, and while waiting, someone teased Fu Sipei in a joking tone, "Are you worried about not having resources? Just ask President Ming to sing a few lines, and all the news about Tan's Group will be yours."
Fu Sipei's smile froze slightly. "How could that be?"
"Why are you being modest? Hey, Mr. Tan hasn't agreed to an exclusive interview yet. Do you have the ability to get one?"
Fu Sipei's smile, which was already forced, froze instantly upon hearing this. "I can't carry it..."
"With President Ming's connection, what is there to be afraid of?"
"Oh, no, there isn't any."
My colleague said, "Si Pei, of all the big shots in Beijing, only President Tan has never shown up. Why don't we secretly take a picture of him one of these days?"
He then asked, "Does Mr. Tan have a girlfriend?"
This was completely Fu Sipei's blind spot. Adhering to the principle that the more she said, the more flaws she would reveal, she refused to answer and responded with a smile.
When her colleague received no response, she asked Yuan Lai, "Do you know how close you two are?"
Fu Sipei's head snapped to the side, her panic barely contained. "Editor-in-Chief Yuan, you—"
Yuan Lai gave her a reassuring look, then turned her gaze to her colleague, her eyes lingering on Lin Zaoyi. She was quite curious to know how things would end between the two of them.
She took a sip of coffee, her voice tinged with laughter, "Knowing so little, I guess it's just for fun. You all know, a family like the Tan's wouldn't just let anyone in. Marrying someone of equal social standing is very important."
“That’s true.” He readily agreed.
Lin Zaoyi's mood was completely unaffected; she was right about one thing—
What you can't have always seems more alluring.
I hooked the handle of the coffee cup with my finger and left.
Her older female colleague invited her to chat, saying, "Zaoyi, take a break."
Lin Zaoyi was about to refuse when she changed her mind and said, "I'd like to too."
Intentionally guiding the other person to continue the conversation, he said, "There's a lot of work to be done."
Not only the eldest sister, but Fu Sipei also took the bait, eagerly asking, "Did you meet up with someone again?"
Lin Zaoyi generously told her, "Yes, the Tan family, President Tan is truly amazing, he promised to give me all the news."
These words were like a storm, instantly creating quite a stir. Not only one group, but colleagues from other groups also looked at her.
The same thought popped into our minds: "This guy is really bragging, isn't he ashamed of himself?"
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