Termination
Although he had received Lin Jingming's notice of termination, Xia Zhitang was still a worker with full professional ethics until he signed the termination letter.
Having just returned from a rainstorm in Qingdao, she received a text message notifying her of a dinner party. She hurriedly changed her clothes and put on makeup, then rushed to the banquet in her grueling high heels.
Inside the clinking hall, Lin Jingming, dressed in a suit and tie, chatted and laughed with investors, his glass of red wine swaying. Under the bright lights, he looked humorous and mature, completely betraying his recent temper.
Xia Zhitang smiled, picked up a glass of wine and walked into the crowd. No matter how difficult it was, he had to go on.
Cheng Shubai didn't show up tonight due to something, and Gu Zian was still not up to the task. Lin Jingming deliberately left her out in the cold. After a few rounds of probing, the old foxes smelled the scent and caught up with her.
A young, beautiful, and unconnected female executive director, even if she was powerful, was still considered ambiguous in the eyes of the old fox. Whether she was clean or not was no longer important, at least these people didn't believe it.
An hour later, she held onto the corner of the champagne tower table and caught a glimpse of her pale face reflected in the glass.
Xia Zhitang's termination letter was still stuffed in her handbag, and she had already been forced to drink several glasses of wine.
"Miss Xia, you can drink a lot!" The bald investor pushed a full glass of whiskey over. "Didn't Master Gu teach you how to avoid drinking?"
Xia Zhitang ran his fingertips across the rim of the glass: "He taught me how to tell the strength of the wine."
She raised her glass, the amber liquid casting a hazy arc of light under the crystal chandelier. "For example, this is at least half-mixed iced black tea."
Amidst the laughter of the entire table, Lin Jingming loosened his tie and said, "Mr. Gu's work is truly impressive. He's mixing Director Xia's cocktails with such care and sophistication."
His leather shoes touched the tip of her shoes under the table, and he immediately moved away.
During the third round of toasts, Xia Zhitang took advantage of the chaos to hide in the bathroom.
In the mirror, her eyes were filled with fatigue, and her simple makeup was already slightly mottled. Xia Zhitang sighed and quickly touched up her makeup.
After drawing the lip liner, Xia Zhitang gave the camera a business smile, and became a spirited career woman again.
"Director Xia, do you need help?" The drunk, short, round investor stumbled out of the bathroom door.
"Boss Wang, I work for Boss Cheng and Mr. Gu."
"I'm familiar with them, and what's theirs is mine." Mr. Wang squinted his eyes and burped.
Xia Zhitang's smile fell, knowing that it would not be easy for Lin to get through tonight.
With a cold face, she grabbed the pepper spray in her bag and walked away from the drunk man. The drunk Mr. Wang staggered and ran two laps. When turning, he accidentally hit the wall and tripped to the ground.
"Didn't Cheng Shubai teach you how to deal with drunks?" Lin Jingming appeared at the door without anyone noticing. He kicked the obstructing trash can, pulled out his phone, and called his assistant. "Boss Wang is drunk. Come to the ladies' room now."
Xia Zhitang let go of the pepper spray he was holding tightly in his bag and moved sideways to squeeze out the door.
Lin Jingming suddenly grabbed Xia Zhitang's hand and pinned her to the cold tile wall.
"Are you looking for death by yourself?" Lin Jingming lowered his voice and whispered in Xia Zhitang's ear. The hot smell of alcohol sprayed on her slender neck, leaving a red blush.
Xia Zhitang turned his face away, his back against the cold wall, and the grievances that had accumulated over the past few days slowly fermented.
One of her hands was tightly held by Lin Jingming, making her unable to move. She subconsciously stretched out her other hand and pressed it against her chest, blocking Lin Jingming's cold suit buttons and hot body.
The drunk investor on the floor was mumbling drunkenly with his eyes closed, and the two of them were stuck there.
"You've been here for a long time." Xia Zhitang's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with tears uncontrollably. "Is it fun to be a hero saving a beautiful woman?"
Lin Jingming's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he slowly let go of Xia Zhitang: "Do you believe me when I say I just arrived?"
"It doesn't matter anymore." Xia Zhitang lowered his eyes, avoided Lin Jingming and ran out.
When Lin Jingming returned to the main table, the bald investor was holding a cake to feed Xia Zhitang.
He suddenly stepped forward and put his arm around Xia Zhitang's shoulders: "Mr. Li, don't you know? This is the apple of our Mr. Cheng's eye."
His cold fingertips dug into her bare shoulders, but Lin Jingming's face was full of meaning as he spoke: "The young master of the Gu family sends supplements to the crew every day."
Mr. Li looked as if he had suddenly realized something, and smiled with a meaningful smile.
Xia Zhitang picked up the strawberries on the cake with a bit of annoyance: "The bird's nest you sent last week is still in Mr. Cheng's refrigerator."
She smiled and stuffed the strawberry into the investor's mouth: "Beauty and skin care."
When a beautiful lady from some unknown company came in, Lin Jingming dragged Xia Zhitang, who had drunk who knows how many glasses of wine, away from the table.
He walked too fast, and Xia Zhitang, wearing high heels that rubbed her feet, could only barely catch up with him by jogging.
At the corner of the aisle, Xia Zhitang missed a step and almost fell down due to the annoying heel of the shoe tilting.
Lin Jingming, distracted, picked up Xia Zhitang sideways while she screamed.
"Put me down." Xia Zhitang slapped Lin Jingming's chest randomly, but his strength was gentle and soft.
It was late at night, and the only sound in the empty corridor was Xia Zhitang's low struggle.
During the standoff, the drunk man still knew the way back to the room, "That's it, that one."
Lin Jingming hugged Xia Zhitang and struggled to find the door card in her handbag. She tugged at his tie with drunken eyes: "The termination agreement... has been signed..."
Lin Jingming finally opened the door, grabbed the drunkard, threw him into the bathtub, and turned on the shower head to pour cold water on him: "Wake up and act out your melodrama with me!"
Xia Zhitang curled up in the bathtub, laughing until tears came out: "Director Lin used to... this is how he taught new actors to get into the role?"
She tugged at her sticky skirt, tears streaming down her face as the cold water from the showerhead washed over her. "It's just that thing."
Lin Jingming watched her rushing towards him with a crazy laugh, and he couldn't help but step back and bumped into the wall.
Xia Zhitang smiled and cried as she untied his tie and unbuttoned his shirt that was against his Adam's apple.
The shower head had already fallen to the ground, and the flying cold water splashed on the two of them.
Lin Jingming hurriedly turned off the faucet, and his shirt was so wet that it was hard to tell whose work it was.
He grabbed Xia Zhitang's hands and asked, "What's the note you left for me in your phone?"
"Tyrant." Xia Zhitang looked at Lin Jingming and said with a smile, and took advantage of Lin Jingming's inattention to bite his neck.
"Don't bite my neck." Lin Jingming used one hand to push Xia Zhitang away. "Are you a dog?"
He pulled the towel over her head and said, "Go to the Finance Department tomorrow to collect the penalty."
As Lin Jingming slammed the door, Xia Zhitang tore off the bath towel and slowly fell to the ground.
Lin Jingming returned to the room with the teeth marks on his neck and bumped into Su Wen who came to check on him.
The two of them had a fierce quarrel. Lin Jingming put the blame on the beautiful woman brought by the investor, but Su Wen still refused to give in and made trouble with Lin Jingming.
In a fit of rage, he slammed the door and walked out. When he came to his senses, he was already at Xia Zhitang's door.
Lin Jingming looked at the closed door, touched the teeth marks on his neck and smiled bitterly.
He shamelessly woke up the staff in the material room. Facing the other person's suspicious gaze, he took out the hangover medicine that he had casually stuffed in his trouser pocket at some point and said, "I was in a hurry to buy medicine and forgot to bring my card."
With a dripping sound, the heavy wooden door opened.
The overhead light in the corridor cast a long trapezoidal shape in the dark room. Lin Jingming walked in slowly and gently turned off the light, allowing the darkness to engulf him.
He walked quietly in the darkness, holding on to the wall. His eyes, having adapted to the darkness, finally saw Xia Zhitang sleeping quietly in bed.
Lin Jingming slowly squatted down and looked at her with a complicated expression.
It was so beautiful, like a rose blooming in his heart, beautiful but with thorns.
He sighed, and involuntarily reached out his hand, lightly touching Xia Zhitang's lips with his fingertips, slowly sliding to the slightly upturned corners of the lips, the small tip of the nose, and the closed almond eyes.
I selfishly couldn't bear to let her go, but I was becoming increasingly out of control and couldn't protect her.
Xia Zhitang, who was immersed in sleep, suddenly slapped Lin Jingming's hand away, turned over with a mutter, and exposed his bare forearm.
Lin Jingming smiled and pulled up her calloused hand, placed it on his lips and kissed it, gently stroking her fingertips, then tucked her hand back into the quilt.
He slowly stood up and sat on the bedside table. He took out his lighter and turned it on and off in frustration. Finally, he sighed and threw the lighter on the table.
Looking at Xia Zhitang sleeping peacefully, Lin Jingming hesitated for two seconds before leaving and facing Xia Zhitang's anger tomorrow. He decisively took off his wedding ring and went to Xia Zhitang's side.
When Lin Jingming reached out to hug Xia Zhitang, he felt a little sad.
How many times have I told her to be careful of that wolf cub? She just won't listen! Why can the wolf cub do it but he can't?
He pulled Xia Zhitang into his arms, took a deep breath of the refreshing fragrance from Xia Zhitang's body, and finally closed his eyes in satisfaction.
When Xia Zhitang opened her eyes in a daze, she was enveloped by a strong male scent.
She instinctively curled up into a ball, but her lower back hit a warm chest.
Xia Zhitang's eyes widened, half sober.
A ray of watery moonlight filtered through the gap in the undrawn curtains, and a pair of unfamiliar fingertips hovered in front of her face.
"Don't move." Lin Jingming suddenly tightened his arms around her waist, and his fingertips grasped her wrist, covering the red rope hanging on it.
"You kicked the quilt three times."
Lin Jingming's hoarse voice came from behind her ear, and he took the opportunity to bite her earlobe!
Xia Zhitang hurriedly broke free from his restraints, turned over and sat up, huddled in the corner like a frightened rabbit: "Director Lin changed his career to become a nanny?"
Lin Jingming suddenly grabbed her ankle and dragged her back to the center of the bed: "Your phone has been vibrating all night." He fished out the phone she had slipped into the crack of the bed, "Gu Zian is quite attentive, constantly looking for me in the middle of the night."
Xia Zhitang snatched the phone: "Better than you climbing into bed in the middle of the night."
Lin Jingming's hand caressed the back of her neck, the thin callus rubbing against the sensitive area. "Back then, when you fell asleep in my editing room..." He pressed his thumb on her beating pulse, "You weren't this alert."
"You weren't so despicable back then." Xia Zhitang raised his foot to kick him in the ribs, but his ankle was grabbed.
Lin Jingming's kiss fell on the back of her feet, burning her so much that she trembled as if she had been electrocuted.
He noticed her weakness and leaned over to continue nibbling her earlobe. "Why don't you quit and become my..."
While Lin Jingming was still dazed, Xia Zhitang took out the anti-wolf alarm from under his pillow and said, "This is molest! Security, come quickly!"
A shrill electronic sound suddenly swirled in the darkness. Lin Jingming snatched the anti-wolf device, pulled out the battery and threw it to the ground: "Is this all Cheng Shubai taught you?"
"And this." Xia Zhitang took out the wrench from under the pillow, "Teach me how to punish those who have bad intentions."
The two of them were locked in a stalemate between the messy bedding, when Lin Jingming suddenly lost his strength. He rested his forehead against her collarbone: "Why can't you just be a good boy..." His sigh mingled with the cedar scent of his shower gel, "Back then, clearly..."
"Did I smash three pieces of glass on your side back then?" Xia Zhitang interrupted him with a cold face.
Suddenly, car lights flashed outside the window, and Su Wen's Maserati roared away from the hotel. The red light of the taillights climbed up Lin Jingming's tense jaw through the gap in the curtains, bringing him back to reality.
"Sign the termination agreement tomorrow." Lin Jingming pressed the man into the pillow. "Go to sleep now."
Xia Zhitang wanted to struggle, but Lin Jingming reluctantly assured her, "I won't touch you."
"Let go!" Xia Zhitang pushed the arm that was across her waist.
"Except for this." Lin Jingming suddenly narrowed his eyes, "Or do you want to..."
Xia Zhitang pushed his face away and turned away. Sleepiness mixed with the lingering smell of alcohol surged up in her, and soon she fell into a sweet dream.
While she was sleeping, she didn't notice that someone was smelling her fragrance and doing strange things.
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