Chapter 70 Will you be back tonight?
Chen Yao'an thought for a moment before agreeing, "Okay."
Xu Jialan, however, was somewhat dissatisfied with her reaction and pulled her along, refusing to let it go, "Why did you hesitate?"
"I didn't hesitate."
You hesitated.
...
Back in Yao'an Town, they were supposed to part ways at Xu Jialan's house, but Xu Jialan held her back, saying, "Come in and sit down."
Chen Yaoan cautiously glanced at her own front door, and Xu Jialan looked over as well.
"It's too late."
"It's not too late, Grandma won't know, and besides, I have something for you."
"What is that?"
"You'll see when you go in."
In the end, Chen Yao'an was still pulled inside by him.
After entering the room, he took a box out of the drawer.
"What is that?"
He walked up to her, opened the box, and inside was the double-ring necklace she had thrown away before. It turned out he had really found it.
Xu Jialan looked at her without any surprise and said, "This is the one you threw away."
"I know."
How did you know?
"Because I saw you pick it up."
Xu Jialan quickly realized what she meant and looked at her meaningfully, "So, the night you threw the necklace away, you went back to pick it up too!"
Chen Yao'an agreed somewhat embarrassedly.
He looked smug after hearing this, "I knew it, you wouldn't have wanted to throw this necklace away back then."
She stubbornly insisted, "Who said that? I really wanted to throw it away at the time."
"Then why go back to look for it in the middle of the night?"
Chen Yaoan couldn't find a reason to refute him, so she had no choice but to agree with his statement.
"Then why are you only returning it to me now?"
"Because I had our names engraved on the necklace."
"Where?" Chen Yaoan examined the necklace from all angles, but found nothing.
Xu Jialan handed the necklace over and pointed to the inside of the double rings. Chen Yaoan looked over and struggled a bit before she could see the letters engraved on it.
CYA and XJR are engraved on the inside of the two rings respectively.
Why would you carve your name on it?
Xu Jialan came over and hugged her, saying, "Because I want the two of us to be together for the rest of our lives, just like these two rings, tightly interlocked."
Chen Yaoan chuckled, "You're being rather cheesy."
He took the necklace and said, "What's so cheesy about it? Even if it's cheesy, you have to put it on me. I'll put it on you right now."
Chen Yao'an didn't refuse, gathered her hair, and let him put it on for her.
After he put the necklace on her, his hand did not leave her neck; instead, his fingers moved inch by inch over her skin.
She looked up at him and found him staring intently at her neck.
Xu Jialan did indeed think that her neck was fair and slender, especially after she put on the necklace. The thin chain around her neck made it look particularly fragile, arousing a destructive urge in people.
Chen Yao'an felt hot all over and had a bad feeling.
She pushed him away abruptly, her voice trembling slightly, "Um... it's getting late, I... I'll go back now."
Xu Jialan grabbed her, preventing her from leaving, "Can't you stay?"
"No." Chen Yao'an resolutely refused, broke free from the ground, and ran towards the door.
She ran home in one breath, her heart pounding like a drum.
—
Since having dinner with people from their company that night, Xu Jialan has never mentioned Huang Zhaozhao again.
Later, Chen Yao'an asked him out of curiosity, "How have things been between you and Huang Zhaozhao lately?"
Xu Jialan gave her a displeased look. "What do you mean by 'what' between me and her? We have no relationship whatsoever."
That does sound rather strange. "So how should I ask?"
Xu Jialan pinched her cheek and instructed her, "You should ask if that woman is still bothering your boyfriend."
"Oh, so is she still bothering you?"
"That's a good girl." Xu Jialan was satisfied. "Ever since that dinner with my colleagues, she's been much more restrained at work, trying to avoid me. Don't you trust your boyfriend?"
"Of course I'm worried. Have you forgotten how promiscuous you used to be?"
"It's not that you have to believe me, I've already turned over a new leaf." Xu Jialan laughed in exasperation. "Besides, I wasn't that bad before, was I?"
She cupped his face in her hands and comforted him, "Don't worry, next time something like this happens, the first thing I'll do is trust you."
When she said that, she had no idea that the next time she mentioned would come so soon.
At that moment, Xu Jialan remembered something, "Oh right, I'm going to Lin'nan on a business trip tomorrow and I might stay there for a few days. A few colleagues are going with me, including Huang Zhaozhao."
Chen Yao'an was somewhat unhappy, but she didn't show it. "Oh, then come back as soon as possible."
"When you heard that Huang Zhaozhao was coming with me, didn't you give me any advice?"
"Does giving a few words of advice really help with this? Isn't it up to people to be self-disciplined?"
Xu Jialan raised an eyebrow. "That makes sense."
"So you need to be self-aware."
"I will."
On Xu Jialan's first night away on a business trip, Chen Yaoan was still a little unaccustomed to it, after all, the two of them had been together almost every night since they got together.
She thought for a moment and then called Xu Jialan.
A few minutes ago, in Linan City.
Huang Zhaozhao knocked on Xu Jialan's door, but it wasn't Xu Jialan who opened it; instead, it was their colleague Chen Qing who answered.
Is Xu Jialan inside?
"He's taking a shower in the bathroom. Do you need to see him?"
"I want to talk to him about something related to work."
"Then come in and wait for him. I'm just about to go out."
Where are you going?
"Of course I'm going out for a stroll. It's rare for me to come out by myself, without my wife and kids."
After exchanging a few words, Chen Qing left, and Huang Zhaozhao entered.
The sound of water came from the bathroom. Huang Zhaozhao sat down on a chair and waited for Xu Jialan to come out. After a few minutes, Xu Jialan's phone, which was on the bed, rang.
Hearing the sound, Huang Zhaozhao looked over and couldn't help but walk closer to look at his phone screen, where it was labeled "girlfriend".
She smirked, a hint of sarcasm in her expression, though it was unclear who she was being sarcastic about.
The phone stopped ringing, and Huang Zhaozhao was about to leave when it rang again. This time, as she looked at the phone screen, an evil thought suddenly popped into her mind.
She recalled the last time the two of them left hand in hand in front of her. Was their relationship really that good?
Does his girlfriend really not have any concerns about him at all?
Why was she so skeptical? The moment she harbored even the slightest doubt, a rift would appear between them.
So she listened to the sounds coming from the bathroom; the water was still running. Then she picked up his phone and answered the call.
Chen Yaoan was still wondering why Xu Jialan wasn't answering the phone. It was still early, and Xu Jialan shouldn't be asleep yet. Was she still working?
She couldn't help but call again. The second time, the call was answered, but to her surprise, a woman answered: "Hello."
Chen Yao'an frowned. "Who are you?"
"I am Huang Zhaozhao."
"Where is Xu Jialan? Why are you answering the phone?"
"Xu Jialan is taking a shower."
Huang Zhaozhao's words were easy to misunderstand, and Chen Yao'an was no exception, immediately misinterpreting them.
Why are you in his room?
"Why do you ask? Of course, it's about matters of love and sex."
"You..." Chen Yaoan wanted to ask a few more questions, but Huang Zhaozhao quickly hung up the phone.
Looking at the phone screen where the call was disconnected, Chen Yaoan's chest heaved. Did Xu Jialan and Huang Zhaozhao really have something going on?
She gripped her phone tightly, stood up, and started to walk out, but forced herself to stop halfway there to calm herself down.
We can't jump to conclusions so quickly. Xu Jialan didn't say she should trust him; she promised to trust him.
She sat down again and calmed down for a while.
She should trust him; Huang Zhaozhao's actions were clearly intended to sow discord between them.
As for the truth...
Go and see for yourself, you'll find out.
But wouldn't that be too much of a fuss?
She then thought that if she didn't go, Huang Zhaozhao would probably keep trying to sow discord between them.
Finding an excuse, Chen Yaoan told Yan Shumei that she had called a car to Linnan. Fortunately, Linnan was not far away, and it only took an hour to drive there.
Meanwhile, Xu Jialan came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, wearing only a bathrobe.
He saw Huang Zhaozhao sitting in their room and was somewhat displeased. "What are you doing here? Where's Chen Qing?"
"He went out."
"I asked you how you got in?"
Huang Zhaozhao glanced at the phone she had put back on the bed, but he didn't notice that she had touched it.
"Chen Qing let me in. We happened to run into him when he was leaving, so he let me in."
Xu Jialan cursed Zhen Qing in her heart, "What are you doing here?"
"I came here to talk to you about work, but since you're so unwelcoming, let's talk during work hours tomorrow."
Huang Zhaozhao turned and left.
Just then, Chen Yaoan sent him a message, asking for the address and room number of the hotel he was staying at.
Xu Jialan sent it to her, and only then asked her what she needed it for.
Chen Yao'an was already sitting in the car and hadn't told him why she asked that.
An hour later, Chen Yaoan appeared at the door of Xu Jialan's room.
Xu Jialan opened the door for her. When he saw her, he was surprised, but then his face lit up with joy. "Why did you come all of a sudden? Did you miss me?"
"Let me take a look," Chen Yao'an replied, her gaze involuntarily drifting into the room.
Chen Qing had already returned from outside. Hearing the sound, she walked from her room to the door and asked, "Who is it?"
Upon recognizing her, his expression immediately became meaningful. "Oh, so your girlfriend has followed you here. Are you worried about your boyfriend?"
Chen Yao'an forced a smile at his joke, but her expression wasn't very good.
Xu Jialan realized something was wrong. "What happened?"
Chen Yao'an looked at Chen Qing, unsure whether she should say it in front of him. She hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment.
“An hour ago, I called you, and Huang Zhaozhao answered. She said you were taking a shower.”
...
Anyone who heard this would misunderstand. Xu Jialan and Chen Qing both looked grim. Xu Jialan went straight back to her room to check her call log. There were indeed two calls from Chen Yaoan, one of which she answered and the other of which she didn't.
"Let's go, let's confront her." Xu Jialan pulled Chen Yaoan to Huang Zhaozhao's room.
Chen Qing followed behind the two, feeling somewhat guilty. After all, he was the one who put Huang Zhaozhao in their room, and who knew she would do something like this.
Huang Zhaozhao lived with another female colleague, and she was the one who opened the door.
Xu Jialan's face darkened. "Call Huang Zhaozhao out."
Huang Zhaozhao heard Xu Jialan's voice and walked to the door, but she did not expect that Chen Yaoan was also outside.
The moment Huang Zhaozhao saw her, she felt guilty; she really hadn't expected her to come over so late at night.
Xu Jialan presented the evidence directly to her, asking, "Why did you answer my call without my permission?"
Huang Zhaozhao felt guilty, but she still tried her best to make excuses, "I just saw that no one was answering your phone, so I answered it for you."
Xu Jialan sneered, "Are you answering for me? Don't you know what you said to my girlfriend on the phone?"
When Huang Zhaozhao met Chen Yao'an's eyes, it seemed that her actions had nowhere to hide.
“You should know very well that Xu Jialan has a girlfriend. I know very well what you are thinking when you say those things that cause misunderstandings. Please don’t do anything to deliberately ruin our relationship in the future.”
Two colleagues from the company next door were watching. Huang Zhaozhao felt so ashamed that she couldn't help but shed tears. She tried to make excuses and act pitiful to get away with it, saying, "I really didn't mean to answer your call."
Even at this point, she still hasn't shown any remorse. Chen Yao'an felt there was no need to save face for her anymore. "Then why did you tell me on the phone that your sexual encounters weren't intentional?"
The two colleagues who had been watching the drama unfold couldn't help but want to open their mouths wide, but they managed to hold them back.
Xu Jialan hadn't expected Huang Zhaozhao to say that, and felt it necessary to prove his innocence. He looked at his two colleagues and said, "You two have to prove my innocence."
Chen Qing jumped out first, "I can only prove that you were taking a shower in the bathroom when I left the room, and that I ran into her coming to find you when I went out, that's all."
Xu Jialan then looked at the female colleague and said, "When did she go out and when did she come back? I sent her away as soon as I finished showering."
The group checked the time and confirmed that Huang Zhaozhao had only stayed in their room for about ten minutes, while Xu Jialan had been taking a shower in the bathroom during that time.
If not, Xu Jialan wouldn't have let her say those things.
He looked at Chen Yao'an, "Wouldn't this prove my innocence?"
Chen Yaoan nodded.
He glanced at Huang Zhaozhao and said, "Let's leave it at that. It would be too ugly to make things worse. I hope you'll think twice before acting."
"Let's go back first," he said, pulling Chen Yao'an along.
After the group dispersed, Xu Jialan pulled Chen Yaoan back to his room. He went to change his clothes first, saying, "I'll take you downstairs to get another room."
Chen Qing smiled knowingly and chased after him to the door, asking, "Are you coming back tonight?"
Everyone knows what that means.
Xu Jialan pushed him back, "Go!"
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