Chapter 3 Avoiding Him
For the first time, Lin Zaoyi had the idea of burying herself in the sand. She originally intended to change the subject by talking about something random, but little did she know that it would backfire...
Left and right gave up in despair, saying, "Maybe it's because you're handsome."
She then belittled herself, saying, "I'm a bit of a fangirl; I find all handsome guys familiar."
Forced a smile despite the pressure of stares, she said, "My mom called me, I need to talk to you. You're busy."
As soon as she finished speaking, she flashed away from his sight.
In the stairwell, Lin Zaoyi ran into Tan Jiani, but neither of them greeted her, not even bothering to maintain a pretense of hello.
Tan Jiani scoffed silently, "What's the point of running up to the third floor for no reason?"
Following the sound, he found the study. "Brother, what does Lin Zaoyi want with you?"
Tan Zhaojing didn't look up; his eyes were fixed on the computer screen. He tapped the fruit plate on the side with the finger that was moving the mouse.
Honestly, Tan Jiani didn't believe it at all. "You don't even eat fruit. Are you afraid they're using fruit as an excuse to ask you for something? Like, an interview?"
"No," the older brother replied half-heartedly.
She said "oh," and that just because it's not happening now doesn't mean it won't happen in the future.
Seeing that he was about to get busy, I wisely slipped away.
On the way back to his room, he ran into Lin Zaoyi.
There are some things that need to be said: "Lin Zaoyi, my brother doesn't like to eat fruit."
How could Lin Zaoyi not understand Tan Jia Ni's implied meaning? She just didn't get it. If she didn't like the food, why didn't she refuse it?
Should I find an opportunity to test the waters, or just be polite with my mother?
It must be the latter.
He nodded absentmindedly, "Then I'll deliver something else next time."
Tan Jiani: "?"
Is that what she meant?
I shifted my gaze to Lin Zaoyi's outfit today. She really didn't put any effort into it. She was wearing an extremely simple light green dress and no makeup. What's enviable is that her face is still so eye-catching even without any makeup.
I refuse to admit that Lin Zaoyi is pretty. I turned my head and said, "Hmph."
Lin Zaoyi passed her and moved downstairs.
In the living room, Mom was watching the news, with Uncle Tan keeping her company.
She walked over from behind the sofa and said, "Uncle Tan, can I borrow Mom for ten minutes?"
Uncle Tan's voice tinged with laughter, "I'll give you half an hour."
The mother and daughter didn't stay in the living room; they moved to the courtyard.
Mingxian spoke first, "Don't tell me you want to move out."
Lin Zaoyi was about to say a few more words, but since that was the case, she went along with it and said, "I have this idea, but the main problem is that it's too far from the newspaper office."
Her mother glanced at her and said, "Can't you think before you make excuses? It's less than an hour's commute in northern Beijing, and you're telling me it's far?"
"......"
Let's find another excuse.
"talk--"
Realizing that it was impolite to say his full name, Lin Zaoyi awkwardly changed her words, "Brother Zhaojing is back, it's not very convenient for me to stay here."
"What's inconvenient?" Mingxian took action this time, poking her daughter's forehead. "Are you sharing a room with Zhaojing or what?"
He gave the order directly, "Stay here. You promised to spend more time with me, have you forgotten?"
Lin Zaoyi hadn't forgotten; this was an accident.
Since we can't reach an agreement today, let's continue another day.
After wandering around for a while, she went to the backyard alone. It was quiet there, and the wind carried the fragrance of flowers.
After a chaotic half-day, she needed to calm down.
She said she was taking a break, but her mind was incredibly active. Did Tan Zhaojing recognize her?
She's an idiot too. With her professional sensitivity, how could she possibly miss any financial figure in Beijing, especially the head of the Tan family?
That being said, if Tan Zhaojing had ever been featured in any financial magazine, she wouldn't be in such a passive position.
I thought I had offended a carefree passerby that night, but little did I know, he was a Buddha.
I couldn't resist and hit myself with a hammer.
After sitting in the rattan chair for nearly an hour, Lin Zaoyi finally turned into the hall.
In the entryway, a figure came down the spiral staircase; it was Tan Zhaojing.
He had changed his shirt to black, so it looked like he was going out.
Subconsciously, I want to hide.
Ignoring the fact that he had only changed one shoe, he tiptoed and crouched to slip away, hiding himself behind a stone pillar in the pavilion.
The body was blocked, but the shadow was still there.
She didn't notice, but Tan Zhaojing saw it clearly, as did the driver behind her. He muttered in confusion, "Why is Miss Zaoyi hiding there?"
Tan Zhaojing didn't reply, but his lips curled up slightly for a moment.
The car lights flashed as it smoothly drove out of the courtyard.
Once the car was completely out of sight, Lin Zaoyi slowly stepped out of the shadows and let out a long sigh.
This is terrible.
......
Lin Zaoyi woke up thirsty in the middle of the night, probably because her mother's soup was too heavily seasoned.
As she walked into the living room, she suddenly stopped, her previously sleepy eyes widening instantly.
On the island, there stood a figure with a straight back and broad shoulders.
The Tan family has a habit of leaving the lights on, so even if the person has their back to them, they can still see and identify them.
Hearing the noise, the man turned around.
She pursed her lips, wanting to call out "brother," but swallowed the word back down her throat.
Regardless of whether he recognized her or not, judging from the cold "hmm" he received after she addressed him during the day, he didn't want to hear her call him "brother."
Should I address him as Mr. Tan?
It doesn't seem like a good idea.
Let's just stick to the formula: "General Manager Tan."
Tan Zhaojing frowned imperceptibly for a moment, "There's no need to be so formal."
Lin Zaoyi didn't want to either, she blinked her eyelashes and didn't reply.
After a brief silence, he asked gently, "Want some water?"
"Um."
In the middle of the night, when one's reactions are usually at their slowest, she was quick. It only took her ten seconds from picking up the cup to pouring water to drinking it. Without caring about her image, she wiped the excess water droplets from the corner of her mouth and said, "You should get some rest."
"Wait," Tan Zhaojing called out to her.
What to do...?
Lin Zaoyi's eyelids twitched involuntarily, and her heart began to pound erratically. "Is...is something the matter?"
She dared not meet his gaze, her eyes drifting to the clock hanging on the wall behind him, which showed 2:37.
Please, please, please don't ask about that night!!!
Don't say anything that sounds familiar; if you ask, just say you don't know and deny it to the death!
After a short pause, I heard him say, "I feel like you're avoiding me."
"ah?"
At the same time, she felt a sense of relief in her chest and quickly shook her head, "No."
"No?"
Tan Zhaojing walked around the central island platform. He was very tall, and even at a distance of half a meter, the shadow cast on her was still very heavy.
For the first time, Lin Zaoyi felt that at 166cm, she was short in front of him; this man must be over 185cm.
She unconsciously tilted her head back, forcing herself to meet his gaze to make herself feel less uneasy, and repeated her previous answer, "No."
The man just stared at her. The wall lamp was dim, so he didn't look that sharp, but his gaze on her had a hint of scrutiny that was hard to define.
Suddenly I forgot to breathe.
Until he spoke up, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home."
As I brushed past her, I left a "Goodnight" behind me.
Lin Zaoyi stood there stunned for a moment. How did this person suddenly become so...amiable?
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