Chapter Thirty-One
After his trip to Europe, Luan Mingfeng didn't contact Zuo Xutong for a long time. She didn't know if he had finally had a change of heart or was preparing something big. In order to make the most of every moment to conduct battery tests, she wished she could stay in the lab 24 hours a day.
One day, after dinner, Zuo Xutong was preparing to go back to the company to work overtime. As she approached the company entrance, she saw Luan Mingfeng get out of a car. He waved to the car and was about to turn away when the car door suddenly opened, and the person who stepped out was none other than Geng Yue. She called out to him, stepped forward, hugged his neck, and kissed him on the cheek.
Zuo Xutong was standing not far away when she saw this scene. Her first reaction was to find a place to hide, but at that moment, the two of them suddenly turned around and their eyes fell on her. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and quicken her pace to walk past them.
Luan Mingfeng pushed Geng Yue away, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes. When Geng Yue saw Zuo Xutong, she didn't recall their first meeting at the Western restaurant. Zuo Xutong's attire that day was so different from her current appearance. She only remembered the female assistant who had been humiliated by Zhao Jian at the KTV.
"You like her?" Geng Yue asked.
Luan Mingfeng nodded.
"I didn't expect you to like this style." Geng Yue chuckled softly, her eyes full of disdain. Indeed, she looked down on all women less beautiful than herself and firmly believed that beauty was a woman's most important asset. From the perspective of attracting the opposite sex, this might be absolutely true, but she seemed to have forgotten that "the most beautiful things in life are fleeting, youth fades like flowers falling from trees," and ignored the fact that the human brain can experience aesthetic fatigue under prolonged and repeated stimulation.
“She was my first love,” Luan Mingfeng said.
Geng Yue said "Oh," flicked her long hair over her shoulder, and said thoughtfully, "No wonder they say first love is the most unforgettable."
After saying that, he turned around and got into the car.
Zuo Xutong walked into the company and encountered this awkward scene, which inevitably affected her mood. Ever since becoming Luan Mingfeng's assistant, she had been living in constant fear. She unconsciously put her hand in her pocket, touched the key, and then thought again that she wasn't entirely at a disadvantage. At least she could now freely use the lab and call Tan Chao over to assist with tests whenever she wanted. Like now, he was watching the equipment for her, allowing her to get some fresh air during dinner time.
When Zuo Xutong arrived at the lab, she placed the takeout in front of Tan Chao, but he didn't even look up, just staring at his phone and grinning foolishly. Zuo Xutong frowned, snatched his phone from his hand, and tossed it onto the table: "Eat your food, stop looking at it..."
She didn't mean to look at his phone, but her eyes were too sharp; with just a glance, she saw the white chat box on WeChat: "Baby, buy this one."
She had assumed he was reading a novel, but instead stumbled upon some gossip. She could only awkwardly smile and say, "You've improved. You've gone from theoretical discussions to practical exercises."
Tan Chao's face flushed red, and he said awkwardly, "Keep it a secret for me first. Zhenzhen said she would only make an official announcement after I'm promoted to PM."
Zhenzhen? Zuo Xutong's expression was even more surprised: "You mean... Qin Zhenzhen?"
"Who else could it be?" A sweet smile appeared on Tan Chao's lips, but it quickly faded. "I don't know when I'll be promoted to PM."
Zuo Xutong also felt that given his current work situation, this goal seemed a bit out of reach: "Why should we wait for you to be promoted to PM?"
“PM salary doubled! Zhenzhen said the money I earn now isn’t enough to support my family.” Tan Chao came from a well-off family, was fairly good-looking, and owned a house and a car in the city. Although he lacked some of the traditional masculine traits, in today’s society, gentle and considerate men seem to be more popular with women. So, under his relentless pursuit, Qin Zhenzhen eventually succumbed to his advances, albeit reluctantly.
Once he started talking, Tan Chao couldn't help but continue complaining: "Her spending is too high. Last month, my take-home pay was 13,000 yuan. I bought her a Gi bag for 8,800 yuan, a dress for 1,200 yuan, a Chanel lipstick for 470 yuan, and took her cat to get spayed for 580 yuan. Not to mention eating out and going to the movies, I still owe more than 2,000 yuan on my credit card."
"Sigh, talking about feelings hurts your money." Zuo Xutong had never applied for a credit card, including any online or consumer loans, because she was afraid of damaging her credit score by not being able to repay on time. At this moment, she didn't know what to say. If she hadn't known Qin Zhenzhen, she probably would have thought Tan Chao had fallen victim to a pig butchering scam.
Just then, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw a new message on the screen from Luan Mingfeng. It contained only five words: "Come to my office."
This was the first time he had texted her since returning to China. She stared at her phone, which had already gone black, for a long time without moving. She wanted to pretend she hadn't seen it, but in the end, she sighed and slowly stood up.
At 7 p.m., people were constantly going up and down the company elevators. The corridor on the 24th floor was empty and quiet. She stood at the door of the general manager's office, knocked lightly a few times, and without waiting for a response, pushed the door open and went in.
The lights were off inside. Luan Mingfeng stood in front of the desk, his tall, indistinct silhouette facing the door. Hearing a sound, he turned his head, his gaze falling on her: "Tongtong, what you just saw..."
“I didn’t see anything,” Zuo Xutong said immediately.
Luan Mingfeng knew she was lying; she had clearly seen it.
“She’s a married woman, and there’s no future for us,” he insisted.
She glanced at the LED lights illuminating the tall buildings across the street and said casually, "You don't need to tell me all this."
Luan Mingfeng frowned, lowering his voice slightly: "Aren't you jealous?"
She smiled, trying to lighten the mood with humor: "I only eat Shanxi aged vinegar."
She was still in the mood to joke, which made Luan Mingfeng even angrier; she didn't care about him at all.
Outside the window, the setting sun had withdrawn its last rays, and the surroundings were completely dark. Perhaps the darkness gave him strength and ignited his desire; he took a step forward and pulled her into his arms.
She froze, stunned. This was the company, and the door hadn't even been closed when she came in. She struggled a few times, but his arms tightened around her, like a python catching its prey, coiling around her tightly.
With a "slap," her hand finally landed heavily on his face.
Luan Mingfeng released his grip and subconsciously touched his face. The spot where he had been slapped was hot and numb; this was the first time he had ever been slapped.
Zuo Xutong smoothed her messy hair. Since things had come to this, she thought she had no choice but to go all out: "President Luan, have you ever watched 'Animal World'?"
"I watched it when I was a child." Luan Mingfeng didn't seem as angry as she had imagined, and he answered her question honestly.
But she couldn't hold back any longer and asked in one breath, disregarding the consequences: "Then you must have seen in the animal world how male goats fight on cliffs to mate, male seals fight tooth and nail for mates, and male peacocks exhaust themselves to the point of baldness in order to attract attention... Don't you think the only difference between you and them is that you're wearing a suit?"
After she finished speaking, Luan Mingfeng remained silent for a long time, standing there in silence. She held her breath, waiting for him to explode. Unexpectedly, after a while, he nodded and said sincerely, "I understand. You want a promise, right? Yes, people are different from animals. People need promises."
Zuo Xutong thought to herself, "I don't want any promises. I'm comparing you to a beast." But since he didn't understand what she meant, she was too lazy to explain further.
Luan Mingfeng turned around, walked to the bookcase by the window, opened the door, and saw a safe in the corner. He crouched down, skillfully entered the combination, opened the door, and took out a velvet box. Zuo Xutong recognized the velvet box at a glance; it was the same one he had held up in front of her in the tea room that day.
He opened the velvet box and held up the three-carat diamond ring to her again: "Since I came to the company, I've been looking for an opportunity to give you... Tongtong, will you marry me?"
Zuo Xutong stared at the diamond ring with shining eyes. Of course, she didn't know that the D-grade loose diamond on it was worth more than two million yuan. What interested her more was the platinum setting, which cost less than three hundred yuan per gram.
Luan Mingfeng observed her reaction, secretly delighted. This time, he thought he might have a chance. Perhaps it was because she felt threatened after seeing him with Geng Yue. It seemed that the tactic of playing hard to get was really effective.
Zuo Xutong slowly extended a hand, but instead of taking the box, she pried off the diamond ring and left without saying a word.
She... agreed to marry him? Luan Mingfeng stood there dumbfounded, somewhat unable to believe it.
Not long after, Zuo Xutong returned. She carefully held something between two fingers and gently placed it on Luan Mingfeng's desk, saying calmly, "This is the diamond from the ring. Here you go."
Luan Mingfeng stared at her blankly, only to hear her say again, "It just so happens that the battery test downstairs ran out of platinum material, so I melted down the ring and used it for the test."
Luan Mingfeng was dumbfounded, his heart throbbing slightly, but as if she wasn't provoking him enough, she continued, "Don't give diamond rings as gifts next time, they're not suitable for you."
Luan Mingfeng's expression finally shifted from shock to anger, and he asked through gritted teeth, "Why?"
"Have you forgotten its advertising slogan?" Zuo Xutong didn't press the matter further and turned to leave.
Before stepping out the door, she turned back and said, "Let's get down to business, Mr. Luan. Paid dating is just as immoral as paid pooping."
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