Chapter 28 My wife is not a mistress, nor is she a national calamity like Daji, as heard by King Zhou of Shang. ...
Awkwardness can really bring everything to a standstill. During the time she waited in Wen Qi's office, Zhu Qingzhi remained motionless, like a statue.
When Wen Qi pushed open the door, she saw her holding a mineral water bottle, looking completely arrogant. She didn't even notice the phone next to her flashing several times.
A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. He took off his coat and draped it over the sofa, but didn't press the matter: "Excuse me, the meeting has been extended by five minutes."
"Okay, okay."
...Is it really that hard to accept having her have lunch with him? He didn't think it was that bad.
Wen Qi reached out and took the bottled water from her hand: "What's wrong?"
Zhu Qingzhi stared blankly at the suddenly empty space in her hand for a moment before looking up and asking a rather pointless question: "You're back?"
It looks a bit silly and kind of cute, but what happened?
"Are you hungry?" Wen Qi didn't want to press the issue further, so she changed the subject.
According to his instructions, lunch should have been prepared and brought to the office by 11:30. But it's already eight minutes past the deadline, and Xiao Ao never forgets the time.
Zhu Qingzhi's habit is to drink a glass of juice before meals, a habit that's hard to change. He's already mentioned it, but today there's nothing on the table, so...
Wen Qi understood immediately, a slight ripple appearing on his lips: "Where is Xiao Ao?"
The name Xiao Ao was like a spell, instantly reviving Zhu Qingzhi. She almost immediately stood up and said, "I need to go to the restroom."
Xiao Ao was like a nemesis: "President Wen, Miss Zhu, lunch is here."
"It's better not to use the restroom," Zhu Qingzhi said, sitting down again.
Wen Qi glanced at Xiao Ao.
The anxiety that Xiao Ao had finally managed to calm down suddenly filled his mind again.
What does Mr. Wen mean by that? What does that look mean? He didn't offend anyone today! He even waited until Mr. Wen returned before serving the meal, just to be considerate of Miss Zhu's feelings.
You know, the CEO gave us specific times, and being late means a pay cut! He's already sacrificed himself! How could he possibly make a mistake!
Xiao Ao was on the verge of tears, his inner turmoil churning, but he didn't want to explain. With a meticulous smile on his face, he strode confidently, pushing the food cart to the sofa to arrange the dishes.
As Xiao Ao moved, Zhu Qingzhi leaned back imperceptibly. She had only one thought in her mind: as long as she didn't see Xiao Ao's face, it wouldn't count as a meeting.
These two are very strange people. Wen Qi knew he was right. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Xiao Ao, bring in a glass of pear juice in a bit."
Even faster than Xiao Ao's "Received." came Zhu Qingzhi's "No need."
Wen Qi chuckled softly, placed one hand on the armrest of the sofa, and slowly leaned back. It seemed like an unintentional movement, but it directly caused Zhu Qingzhi and Xiao Ao to make eye contact.
Then the two of them started pretending to be very busy, especially Zhu Qingzhi, who actually began to seriously study the texture of the leather sofa.
Even with Wen Qi's aloof nature, he couldn't help but laugh.
Xiao Ao deftly arranged all the dishes with practiced ease: "Mr. Wen, Miss Zhu, please enjoy your meal."
Almost simultaneously, his hand was already on the food cart, and he was about to take a step forward. But Mr. Wen's calm voice boomed like a thunderclap: "Miss Zhu?"
What happened now? What did he do this time? Does Mr. Wen talk to him?
Xiao Ao didn't dare not leave, nor did he dare to actually leave. He kept looking back at Wen Qi, who was still leaning lazily on the sofa, his head tilted, and the emotions surging in his eyes were unreadable.
Xiao Ao glanced at Zhu Qingzhi, who was still clinging to the sofa and clearly had no intention of speaking, and his heart was about to capsize.
No, what else should we call her if not Miss Zhu? Mr. Wen, don't forget you're a person of status!
"Do I look like someone like President Zhou?"
Mr. Zhou is a director of a building materials supplier that Wen's recently contacted. He is the type who is successful at home but successful outside.
But Zhu Qingzhi shouldn't know such a person, so is President Wen playing cryptic with him? Is he giving him a hint?
Alright, Xiao Ao was completely too scared to move. His hand gripping the food cart trembled slightly. Had the news of President Wen's marriage really not reached the entertainment industry? So he had to cover it up for President Wen?
Xiao Ao roared inwardly: I really want my values to follow my looks, but I just can't do it.
He shut his mouth tightly and shook his head vigorously.
Wen Qi remained silent, one hand resting on his knee, tapping it absently. Even if Zhu Qingzhi was slow-witted and embarrassed, she had no choice but to confront Wen Qi's question directly.
She never imagined that after seeing her at the villa halfway up the mountain, Xiao Ao would still mistake her for Wen Qi's extramarital affair partner!
She suddenly understood why those people reacted so strangely when Wen Qi spoke to her at Jingyuan that day.
So none of them knew who she was? Was it because Wen Qi didn't want others to know, so she hadn't mentioned it? She was a little confused.
Forget it, he already said it, why should she say it?
Zhu Qingzhi gave up on her foolish act of continuing to admire the sofa, picked up a broccoli floret with her chopsticks, and stuffed it into her mouth.
Xiao Ao didn't dare to be as lawless as her. When President Wen didn't speak, he would even look for the reason in his own breathing, let alone dare to run away.
He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was nearly 11:45. Then his gaze gradually shifted to Wen Qi, who was tilting his head and quietly watching Zhu Qingzhi eat.
Well, there was no other way; he could only rely on Zhu Qingzhi. Xiao Ao's eyes were bright, and the eager plea for help in them was something Zhu Qingzhi couldn't ignore.
She put down her chopsticks and asked casually, "Assistant Xiao, have you eaten?"
"Thank you... for your concern, I'm not hungry." Xiao Ao finally showed a genuine smile.
Zhu Qingzhi then looked at Wen Qi: "Aren't you hungry either?"
With a cold expression, and a hint of inexplicable resentment and awkwardness, Wen Qi didn't give Xiao Ao another chance to watch the show and let him leave.
Midday sunlight streams through the blinds, casting interplay of light and shadow on the floor, resembling the regular black and white keys of a piano.
Wen Qi leaned forward and pressed down on Zhu Qingzhi's hand, which was reaching for her phone: "Are you angry?"
"No." Her answer was still devoid of much emotion; she even forcefully pulled her hand away.
Zhu Qingzhi's phone screen lit up, showing three missed calls from Dani.
Normally, she would have returned the call, but she just didn't want to talk. If Xiao Ao hadn't been standing next to her, making things so awkward, she wouldn't have even wanted to say those two sentences.
"It's my fault, I'll be more careful in the future."
But as soon as Wen Qi opened his mouth, she couldn't help but say, "What's wrong, Mr. Wen? Our marriage is a marriage of convenience, and we're going to get a divorce after three years. There's really no need to announce it to the public."
Zhu Qingzhi didn't care how unpleasant Wen Qi's expression was. She stood up and started putting on her clothes. After busying herself for a while, she picked up her bag and walked out.
She didn't know why she was angry; in fact, it wasn't really anger, just a feeling of displeasure.
Why is it that everyone close to her knows he is her husband, but everyone around him seems to know nothing about him except his parents?
Even if he was considerate of her professional background, if even his assistant, who was with him every day, didn't know her identity, then weren't all the nice things Wen Qi said before just lies?
She hates the feeling of being deceived the most.
The moment she opened the glass door, something pressed down on her head—a woolen hat she had forgotten to wear.
...Fine, fine, so she's really that incapable of being seen by anyone, huh? Zhu Qingzhi gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened her eyes again—a series of movements performed smoothly and seamlessly.
Wen Qi stood beside her and opened the door a little wider. The quiet glass corridor was empty, but Zhu Qingzhi knew that countless eyes were watching them from the other side.
Wen Qi suddenly stepped forward and tidied her slightly messy hair under the brim of her hat. From the beginning, Wen Qi had not shown much emotion towards her coldness and sudden temper tantrums.
He led her through the glass corridor: "Xiao Ao, the afternoon meeting is postponed by an hour. I'll take my wife home."
What does this mean? How did it come to the point that she's been portrayed as a treacherous concubine, Daji, who seduced King Zhou into neglecting his duties?
Zhu Qingzhi said indifferently, "I have things to do this afternoon, so I don't need to trouble Mr. Wen to take me home."
Just then, the stairwell door opened with a "ding," and Wen Qi reached out and pressed down on one side of the door: "Then give me a ride on your way."
? ? ?
He wasn't having a meeting at the Wen Corporation, so why would he be going by any road?
Zhu Qingzhi held her breath, closed her eyes and ignored him, walking straight into the elevator. She subconsciously turned around and realized that Wen Qi was standing in front of her, completely blocking her view.
She took a step back, turned her face away, and picked up her phone to reply to Dani's message. Wen Qi put one hand in his pocket and leaned back slightly: "Are you really angry?"
"No."
The door to the staircase closed, and in the enclosed space, one could smell a hint of mint mixed with the amber scent on his body.
Under the incandescent light, their silhouettes were projected onto the gleaming stainless steel surface. Zhu Qingzhi suddenly remembered their first meeting, which was also in the elevator.
Wen Qi hadn't had time to put on his suit jacket; it was half-draped over his arm. He loosened his tie slightly before speaking, "Xiao Ao's matter was my oversight; it won't happen again. As for Ji Cen, do you want them to know?"
Zhu Qingzhi didn't speak, her fingertips unconsciously fiddling with the bag strap.
Wen Qi turned around completely and expertly raised her hand to press down the scarf that was covering most of her face. Her cheeks were flushed, whether from heat or anger, it was hard to tell.
He gave a short sigh: "Speak."
What was she saying... Zhu Qingzhi suddenly realized that they were not related, so why was she angry?
What could she possibly be angry about? Why would she be angry? Something feels off, I can't quite put my finger on it, but based on her years of experience filming ancient, fantasy, modern, and super-modern puppet shows, this shouldn't be a good omen.
At this moment, silence is golden.
Zhu Qingzhi bit her lower lip, stubbornly remaining silent, but the elevator was moving too smoothly. Out of desperation, she glanced at Wen Qi's face and then at the elevator's display screen.
Only then did they realize that she hadn't pressed the button, nor had Wen Qi.
"I had someone leak the news of the marriage alliance between the Wen and Lu families." Wen Qi noticed her gaze, but without turning around, he precisely pressed the elevator button for the second basement level.
His voice remained calm, each word clear: "And the things that happened in Xisha before, I did those too."
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Author's note: Kiyoshi [rolls eyes]: Oh.
Wen Qi [Please]: Okay.
Xiao Ao [The Clown]: The clown is actually myself.
Author [Glasses]: Hey!
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