Photograph
“Bang, bang, bang, bang—!”
The rapid, rough knocking echoed throughout the corridor, sounding just like a debt collection agency had come knocking.
Lin Weiwei took the lead, her face filled with murderous intent, wishing she could personally pry open the door and drag that bitch out.
The door clicked open.
With wet hair dripping water and only a white towel hastily wrapped around his waist, Si Cheng appeared at the door with a frown.
With the steam rising, his well-defined abs and taut V-line were on full display, exuding a sense of languor and pressure, as if he had just finished showering.
"President Si?!" Lin Weiwei's raised fist froze in mid-air, her anger instantly extinguished, leaving only a dazed expression and a hint of barely perceptible panic.
Behind her, a group of people stood in a row, their eyes fixed intently on Si Cheng and the people behind him.
Si Cheng's gaze swept over this spectacular lineup, which could be described as an "assistant family bucket," and his eyebrows twitched violently, with veins on his forehead faintly appearing.
He precisely targeted Qu Shiyao, who was leaning against the wall pretending to be an innocent passerby, his voice sounding like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth:
"Assistant Qu! I demand a reasonable explanation! Why is my entire assistant team here like a sightseeing group?!"
Qu Shiyao immediately stood up straight, her big, innocent eyes wide open, and said sincerely, "President Si! I'm innocent! I came as soon as you called! As for the seniors..."
She spread her hands, her expression a mix of helplessness and distress. "As soon as they heard I was going to a bar, they were worried I'd get hurt alone, so they insisted on coming to protect me!"
The subtext is: What are you up to by sending a young and beautiful female assistant to pick someone up from the bar alone so late at night?
Unfortunately, Si Cheng's brain clearly didn't pick up on this hint at the moment.
His brow furrowed, and he was about to explode—
"Sicheng, what's wrong?" A charming, languid, and slightly hoarse female voice came from behind Sicheng.
A woman, also wrapped only in a bath towel and with a hot figure, with a flushed face from just having bathed, clung tightly to Si Cheng's side, curiously observing the large group of people at the door.
When Lin Weiwei and the others saw this woman, they were like cats whose tails had been stepped on, their hair standing on end!
The woman seemed to suddenly realize, covering her mouth and letting out a soft "Ah!": "So it's those cute little assistants from the phone call earlier?"
Her gaze swept over the crowd with a disdainful look, as if she were looking at ants.
Zhang Li, Lin Weiwei, Jin Yuxi, and others' eyes narrowed.
This woman... seems somewhat familiar?
The system suddenly jumped up in Qu Shiyao's mind: [Holy crap! Host! Doesn't this scene remind you of the first day we transmigrated into the book and caught someone cheating?!]
Qu Shiyao took a closer look and indeed they looked alike. Then she said with disdain, "Tsk, I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. They really are the same, both trash, a perfect match."
"Just now?" Si Cheng looked at the woman beside him with suspicion and scrutiny.
The woman smiled gently and innocently, her voice so soft it could melt your heart: "Yes~ There was a call just now, someone claiming to be your assistant. I was worried it was a spam call, so I dealt with it for you. After all, you were taking a shower at the time..."
As she spoke, she pressed her body closer to Si Cheng.
"Deal with?" Lin Weiwei's anger level instantly spiked, and her voice became shrill.
“We asked you to give the phone to President Si, but you kept making excuses and even said sarcastically that President Si was taking a shower! What are you pretending to be innocent for now!”
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry~" The woman immediately bowed and apologized, her posture extremely humble, making her appear pitiful.
However, the moment she bent down, out of Si Cheng's sight, the pitiful look on her face vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised contempt and mockery.
He even rolled his eyes silently at Lin Weiwei and the others, a contemptuous sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Snap—!"
A blinding white light suddenly shone brightly, accompanied by the crisp sound of a shutter!
Lin Weiwei, who was about to rush forward and tear off that hypocritical face, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The woman's smugness and disdain froze instantly.
Everyone was stunned, and their eyes all turned to the light source.
Qu Shiyao was holding up her phone, and the screen still showed the image of the successful photo capture.
"Wow! This lady!" Qu Shiyao exclaimed in surprise, as if she had discovered a treasure, and excitedly leaned closer with her phone in hand.
"Your expression just now was absolutely amazing! That look! The curve of your lips! It was so nuanced! Could you please do it again? I promise I'll capture you looking absolutely gorgeous!"
Her tone was sincere, her eyes were earnest, and she gestured with her fingers in the air, trying to guide the other person in managing their facial expressions:
"Yes! Just like that, three parts mockery, seven parts indifference, with a hint of 'you're all trash' condescension!"
System: [...] It's all numb.
As expected, strangers can never predict how low the limits of their host's outrageous actions will go!
Jin Yuxi was the first to react. She burst out laughing and leaned close to Qu Shiyao's phone screen.
Zhang Li, Wang Qian, and even Sun Mei, whose face was gloomy, couldn't help but curiously gather around.
On the high-definition mobile phone screen, the woman's beautiful face appeared somewhat distorted due to the sudden change in expression.
The half-rolled eyes, the half-twisted smirk, and the blatant contempt in his eyes were all captured in perfect detail by the flash!
Even through the screen, that arrogant aura was practically overflowing!
"Qu Shiyao! What are you up to now?!" Si Cheng was first dazzled by the sudden flash of the camera, and then his anger flared up as he was surrounded by people staring at his phone.
He strode forward, pushed through the crowd, and his gaze fell on Qu Shiyao's phone screen.
Before long, Si Cheng's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot! A surge of anger rushed to his head!
He turned around abruptly, his cold gaze fixed on the woman who remained frozen in place.
The tenderness and ambiguity from before vanished, leaving only disgust: "We're over! Now, right now, get dressed and get out of here!"
The woman felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water from head to toe; her whole body trembled violently, and all the color drained from her face.
She looked up, her eyes instantly filling with tears, her voice trembling with sobs, as she tried to pull at the edge of Sicheng's bath towel:
"Sicheng! No! Let me explain! Just now, just now my eyes were uncomfortable and I blinked! It was her! She deliberately took a picture to make me look ugly!" Her trembling finger pointed at Qu Shiyao.
Si Cheng disgustedly flung her hand away, as if he had touched something dirty, and pointed to the door, his tone resolute:
"Ten seconds! If I see you again, I'll call security to throw you and your things out!"
The woman swayed, then collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.
Qu Shiyao shook her head at the system in her mind: "See that? What does it mean to be heartless? He turns his back faster than flipping through a book! The ultimate scumbag!"
The system wholeheartedly agrees: [Scum! Despicable!]
One person, having unified the country, completely forgot who precisely handed over the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Si Cheng looked at the woman on the ground, frowning in disgust. His gaze swept over the people at the door, finally landing on Yi Yu, who was closest to Qu Shiyao. He ordered, "You! Throw this woman out!"
His tone was matter-of-fact, as if he were instructing his own servant.
"?" Yi Yu, who had been quietly taking half a step closer to Qu Shiyao, was stunned upon hearing this and subconsciously looked at Qu Shiyao.
Qu Shiyao shifted her feet and blocked Yi Yu's path.
The slight amusement on her face vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised displeasure: "Mr. Si, this is my friend, Yi Yu. He is neither your employee nor a waiter at this bar."
Si Cheng then took a proper look at the man who was being so protected by Qu Shiyao.
He is very young, with a healthy and vibrant tan, and his physique shows that he exercises regularly, with smooth and strong lines.
Especially at this moment, the way that kid looked at Qu Shiyao...
This look inexplicably made Si Cheng feel a little irritated and uncomfortable.
He looked at Qu Shiyao again, and asked unhappily, "You brought a man with you?"
"Yes! Is there a problem?" Qu Shiyao looked back at her with an innocent and frank expression.
"It's the weekend! Yi Yu was worried about my safety as a girl coming to a bar late at night, so he kindly accompanied me to pick you up. Isn't that perfectly reasonable?"
“Yes, yes!” From the corner, Sun Mei, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke in a soft voice. Her voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone’s ears.
"Shiyao...she received your call, President Si, right after having dinner with Mr. Yi, and rushed over immediately! Mr. Yi came along because he was worried about Shiyao's safety!"
After she finished speaking, she glanced timidly at Si Cheng, as if to say, "Please don't misunderstand."
Qu Shiyao gave Sun Mei a meaningful look.
Wow, no wonder you're a hidden "solo fan"! Your ability to read people's expressions and emotions has allowed you to accurately capture Sicheng's subtle emotional fluctuations.
Upon hearing this, Si Cheng's gaze fell on Yi Yu again, this time with a deeper scrutiny.
A simple T-shirt and jeans, nothing fancy, certainly not haute couture, but with a clean and sunny demeanor—clearly someone not from their circle.
Qu Shiyao...would she like this type? Or...was she deliberately bringing people here to provoke him?
The more Si Cheng thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and his anxiety intensified.
He didn't even glance at the distraught woman on the ground, then turned and walked straight back to the private room.
A few minutes later, he had changed into a well-tailored dark suit, reverting to his usual meticulous and domineering CEO image, though his face remained gloomy.
He strode out of the private room, ignoring the mess behind him.
The group walked out of the bar, and the cool night air invigorated them.
Si Cheng casually tossed a car key that gleamed with understated luxury to Qu Shiyao: "You drive."
Qu Shiyao instinctively caught the key to a house, but her face showed an extremely confused expression, even with a hint of philosophical contemplation:
"Mr. Si, if I may ask, how many points do you have left on your driver's license? Also, what are the coverage amounts for the personal accident insurance and third-party liability insurance you purchased for this car? Are they over 100 million?"
She asked the question with such seriousness, as if she were conducting an important risk assessment.
Si Cheng: "???" He didn't react to this abrupt question for a moment.
Jin Yuxi and others, who had worked with Qu Shiyao for many days, instantly understood and collectively facepalmed.
Jin Yuxi quickly jumped in to act as translator: "President Si! Um... Shiyao doesn't have a driver's license. Um... she can't drive either."
Si Cheng: "..."
An eerie silence fell over the air.
A night breeze blew by, swirling up a few fallen leaves.
“Mr. Si, I can drive!” Zhang Li was the first to break the silence, with a polite smile on her face, and volunteered, “I have eight years of driving experience and I am familiar with all the roads in the city.”
Si Cheng glanced at Qu Shiyao's unreliable demeanor, then at Zhang Li's calm and dependable face, and nodded almost without hesitation: "You do it."
As the elegant, imposing Rolls-Royce Phantom silently glided to the bar entrance, a real problem arose.
The car is a nice car, but it's a four-seater, and there are eight people here.
Si Cheng naturally opened the back door and prepared to get in.
His gaze swept over Qu Shiyao, as if he wanted to suggest that she sit in the back as well.
Qu Shiyao spoke first, directly to Lin Weiwei: "Senior Lin, would you please accompany Sister Zhang Li to take President Si home? Sister Zhang Li is a steady driver, so President Si will feel more at ease with you accompanying him."
She paused, then added very naturally:
“I just remembered that Dingfeng Industry sent me an urgent project confirmation email. I need to go back and deal with it right away so as not to delay the progress.”
The reasons are plausible and impeccable.
Si Cheng swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, gave Qu Shiyao a deep look, and ultimately said nothing before bending down and sitting in the back seat.
Lin Weiwei, unable to hide her excitement, quickly climbed into the passenger seat.
The Rolls-Royce, carrying three people with different thoughts, silently merged into the city's traffic.
The remaining people looked at each other in bewilderment.
Jin Yuxi patted Qu Shiyao on the shoulder: "Mother, shall we head back now?" Wang Qian and Sun Mei nodded as well.
Qu Shiyao waved her hand: "Go back, go back, be careful on the road."
Yi Yu looked at her expectantly: "Sister Shiyao, let's go back together!"
Although we couldn't take a walk together in the sunset, it was still nice to go home together in the evening.
Qu Shiyao nodded: "Okay."
As the noise subsided, Qu Shiyao returned to her apartment, washing away the smell of smoke and alcohol and her fatigue.
As she dried her hair and stepped out of the bathroom, picking up her phone, an unexpected unread message notification lit up on the screen.
Sender: Sun Mei.
Qu Shiyao paused in her act of drying her hair, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Since adding each other as friends, this domineering and toxic fan with an extremely low profile has never had any substantial communication with me, except for greeting each other every day as if it were a game task.
What could be going on in the dead of night?
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