Chapter 26 Girlfriend
"So, we're also part of President Chen's office play?"
Lin Yujing carried the Moon Fishing Fireball Lamp back to her dormitory and placed it on the carpet next to her bed like a treasure.
She then walked to the desk and took out a small moon-shaped fishing lamp wrapped in a transparent acrylic box from the deepest corner of the drawer.
That was the first gift Chen Jingshu gave her seven years ago in Pengzhen.
It was also the only item she took with her when she left.
Unfortunately, the nightlight broke down when she was a sophomore.
During that period, Lin Yujing practically scoured the entire city's lighting market trying to get it repaired.
Without exception, everyone told her that it was beyond repair.
When she finally resigned herself to her fate, she placed it on her desk as a decorative item.
Later, when she moved to a new dormitory on campus, her roommate thought it was a pile of garbage and helped her throw it away.
Then Lin Yujing went crazy, crying and squatting by the trash cans outside the dormitory building, searching through bag after bag of garbage.
From then on, everyone knew she had a broken baby.
It was sealed in a transparent box and hidden in the most secluded place.
It was so precious that she herself couldn't bear to take it out to look at it.
Lin Yujing's eyes reddened slightly as she lifted the acrylic box, the light on the ground illuminating the small lamp as well.
Two identical lamps, one large and one small, seem to possess a magical power to transcend time, piecing together the past and the present.
It was as if it were picking up her shattered soul piece by piece.
In the empty dormitory, Lin Yujing dropped her pretense, took off her shoes, and sat cross-legged by the fishing lights.
The full moon-shaped spherical lamp, while mimicking the uneven, crater-like surface of the real moon, is covered with a relatively soft material.
She held him in her arms; he was soft and warm.
Lin Yujing stroked and traced the image with her palm, as if she could hear the sound of distant waves rising and falling in her ears from her youth.
The warm yellow light shone on her face in the winter night, seemingly penetrating her body and illuminating the depths of her heart.
It also illuminated the insincerity, unspeakable disappointment, and the preciousness of love throughout the night.
But after being stranded at midnight, the girl, who wouldn't have succumbed to lust even if she were fully conscious for more than 15 seconds, finally uttered a trembling, choked command: "Turn off the lights."
-
The next day, Lin Yujing went to the hospital to see Qi Woxue early in the morning.
A pale-faced person leaned weakly against the headboard, watching her clumsily peel an apple.
"No need to shave it so clean," Qi Woxue said weakly.
Lin Yujing smiled and said, "Who just said they like to eat fruit without any peel?"
Lin Yujing is actually someone who dislikes trouble the most. She would never think of peeling fruits like apples and pears before eating them, since they can be eaten with the peel on.
Before she met Qi Woxue, Chen Jingshu was the most meticulous person she had ever met when it came to eating fruit.
Even when eating pomegranates, they would first take a small bowl, peel the whole bowl, and then stuff it into their mouths to eat.
Later, she went there and swallowed the pomegranate seeds along with the fruit. Chen Jingshu then invented fresh fruit juice for her.
That same year, she gained a real understanding of life.
They know that their mothers will get up in the morning to cook for them; they know that they don't have to endure being bullied alone, because someone will stand up for them; they know that loving someone is an instinct.
"This morning, your senior brother Xu called and said that JING Capital wants to reserve an office for us in the president's office." Seeing her silent look, Qi Woxue teased her deliberately, "Did you take the initiative to talk to President Chen about it, or did he come up with this idea on his own?"
Lin Yujing pursed her lips and said only, "He confessed to me yesterday. But I rejected him."
Qi Woxue looked at her, her expression sorrowful, "Because of me?"
Lin Yujing first shook her head, but then, feeling uneasy under her gaze, she finally nodded in compromise. "Senior sister, I can't do what you did and sacrifice myself for love. I have no one behind me, and I dare not try to climb the social ladder. Love can't save me; I can only carve out my own path."
If a girl born in a remote mountain valley is not abandoned at birth, then she must have other uses.
Over the past seven years, she has been pressured by her parents to get married more than once. Even during her first year of graduate school, her father secretly demanded tens of thousands of yuan as a bride price, intending to sell her to someone from afar.
Perhaps it was because her reality and her current dream were so disconnected that it stifled her right to fantasize.
“Perhaps, President Chen is different from Liu Hua?” Qi Woxue looked at her with heartache. “Liu Hua has been too well protected by his parents since he was a child. He has always had a smooth life. He is used to the whole world revolving around him and no longer has the wings to fly out on his own.”
"Mr. Chen has a very good business sense and is outstanding among his peers from prominent families. He's capable of handling things independently, and perhaps..."
Lin Yujing shook her head with a wry smile, "There was no one behind him either..."
The only two people in the Chen family who were happy about his arrival were Old Master Chen Zhenfeng and Chen Rongqing.
The others outwardly fear him, but in reality, they are only wary of the old man. If the old man were to pass away one day, Chen Rongqing would only think about how to preserve the honor of their second branch of the family.
It's true that Chen Jingshu holds Jing Capital, but within the Huaren Group, the one whose position remains unshakable to this day is Chen Jinyi, the eldest daughter of the Chen family.
“I won’t give up myself for him, so how can I expect others to give up everything for me?” Lin Yujing shrugged, her shoulders slumping as she sighed. “Besides, having a memory to accompany me through my life is enough.”
A person who is not afraid of life and death is actually afraid of getting caught up in the whirlpool of worldly affairs.
It sounds ridiculous, but it's a true reflection of Lin Yujing.
"Silly girl, I feel more sorry for you."
Lin Yujing leaned closer to Qi Woxue and rested her head on the soft pillow between her knees.
When tears fall silently from the corners of their eyes, only Mianxin and Lin Yujing know how bitter those tears are.
"Senior sister, let's not be men's appendages in a cage. You should be Dr. Qi, an outstanding figure in the field of biology, and I should be the great painter Lin."
Qi Woxue's eyes were filled with tears as she gently stroked her head. "Okay. He should grow up now."
-
Qi Woxue stayed in the hospital until after New Year's Day before being discharged. At the same time, the Hundred Schools Alliance began to move its original office to JING Capital.
The boys were in charge of the larger furniture items, while the girls took some books and personal belongings.
Considering that Qi Woxue's health had not fully recovered, Lin Yujing only allowed her to come with her for car rides to relax and clear her head.
On the last trip, she only brought three or four medical and surgical reference books and her photography magazine.
As soon as the two entered the JING Capital Building, they saw a group of men and women dressed in high-end suits walking towards the entrance.
The raven-black color was visually oppressive, and everyone hurriedly moved aside. Lin Yujing also helped Qi Woxue move to the side.
Once the two of them stood still and looked over, they realized that Chen Jingshu was walking at the very front of the crowd.
Unlike the others, he wore only a dark shirt, the fabric shimmering with embroidered orchid and bamboo patterns in the shifting light and shadow.
Standing at 189cm tall, with long legs striding forward, he exudes a refined and noble air.
As I walked through the crowd, a long-haired woman in a white suit dress jogged alongside me. "Mr. Chen, I'm the head of Mumu Technology. Let's add each other on WeChat to facilitate communication and follow-up work."
Lin Yujing held the book, her fingernails inexplicably digging into her flesh.
Even she herself didn't notice that when she looked over again, her expression changed from calm to a slightly sour jealousy.
"Senior sister, let's go." Lin Yujing supported Qi Woxue with one hand and walked around to the back of the crowd.
But before the two could even step out, a gentle male voice came from the dark room.
Liu Hua had been searching for Qi Woxue for many days, and finally met her today. "Xiaoxue, wait for me a moment."
Chen Jingshu also looked up from the crowd, but his gaze fell on Lin Yujing.
The man's expression, which had been as indifferent as deathly ashes, suddenly ignited with a spark of light the moment their eyes met.
Chen Jingshu pulled Ren Moyin aside and explained to the curly-haired beauty, "Director Ren will be fully responsible for the cooperation with Mu Mao from now on. You can contact her directly."
Lin Yujing rolled her eyes inwardly and warned herself: Don't give him attitude. Even if he's with someone else, I have no right to complain.
He quickened his pace and helped Qi Woxue walk towards the elevator.
After the two stopped, Liu Hua caught up first, "Xiao Xue, why did you block all my contact methods?"
A group of people watched, and a few who knew Liu Hua whispered among themselves.
"Is this the PhD's mistress?"
"They're about to get married, and you're still entangled with them."
"Didn't you see? It's clearly that guy who's being persistent and harassing her. He's a modern-day Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife). The PhD student's first love turned into a mistress. How pathetic."
Lin Yujing, holding her books, forcefully stepped between the two, saying, "President Liu, everyone's watching. Don't make things too difficult for my senior sister."
Liu Hua, whose face was even more beautiful than a girl's, was on the verge of tears again.
Lin Yujing sighed silently. No wonder her senior sister was always so soft-hearted.
"Jingjing, I'm going out to talk to him for a while, I'll be right back."
Lin Yujing nodded and watched the two figures leave.
At that moment, Chen Jingshu suddenly walked through the crowd, went straight to her side, and took the book from her arms without saying a word.
It was the afternoon rush hour, and the aroma of coffee filled the elevator waiting area on the first floor.
Now, without the need for coffee to stay awake, Chen Jingshu's unusual reaction instantly jolted everyone awake.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen. This book isn't heavy." Lin Yujing felt like she was being pierced by all sorts of gazes, but she tried her best to maintain a calm expression. "I can do it myself."
Chen Jingshu stood lazily next to her, showing no intention of returning the book.
He even tried to get close to her, saying, "What's wrong, little sister? It's your first day at work, and you're already pretending not to know your brother?"
Lin Yujing's scalp tingled. She saw that the people around her were initially shocked, but then, after hearing Chen Jingshu call her "sister," they realized that the two were siblings and felt relieved.
But the expression on her face was more like a grimace than a smile, and she replied dryly, "No, it's just that I was afraid of causing you unnecessary trouble."
Just then, the elevator doors opened.
Lin Yujing wanted to avoid the first wave of crowds, so she stayed put and didn't go in.
Chen Jingshu deliberately stood still, as if waiting for her.
As for a group of employees, since the big boss doesn't come in, they don't dare to come in either.
People are aware of the gazes cast upon them.
Lin Yujing suddenly felt that her back was burdened with 30% curiosity, 20% anger, and 50% gossip and ambiguity.
Finally, unable to withstand the overwhelming whispers of her superiors, she stepped into the elevator.
Chen Jingshu was closest to her, and he chuckled softly, as if to say that he had won.
"It's almost time to start work, come in, everyone," Chen Jingshu said.
Then the group of people filed in, each giving way to the other.
The workers arrive at the company at the appointed time, so in the rush to get into the elevator, the hierarchical distinction between boss and subordinate disappears.
In such a cramped space, you can't even hide your view.
Lin Yujing wished she could become invisible air to minimize her presence.
Unfortunately, air is transparent, which also symbolizes its omnipresence.
Chen Jingshu, on the other hand, was exceptionally open and honest, standing behind her as immovable as a mountain.
No matter how crowded the crowd was, they protected her and kept her safe and happy.
During the steady ascent, Lin Yujing was momentarily distracted.
It felt like they were back in Pengzhen, when they took the bus with Chu Yan and Qu Xi to go out and have fun.
Inside the crowded carriage, Chen Jingshu stood behind her, not too far away, just like he was now.
In addition to ensuring there is no intimate physical contact with her, I will protect her safety.
During the brief flashback, Lin Yujing's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
With a "ding," the elevator doors slowly opened.
Her memories, along with everything else, were brought back to reality.
Lin Yujing bit her lip tightly, not giving Chen Jingshu any chance to react, and quickly snatched her book from his arms.
Amidst a crowd of curious and gossipy gazes, they fled in a panic.
Chu Yan came up from the president's private elevator at this moment, walking over with his hands in his pockets.
She clicked her tongue repeatedly at him, "Very good. In an hour, the entire Jing Capital will know that you have a cousin working here."
Chen Jingshu shrugged it off and walked toward his office. "SO?"
"A swarm of admirers will flock to you, Chen Jingshu, vying to become your brother-in-law." After all, every year, many female employees want to step through Chen Jingshu's door.
"Become my brother-in-law?" Chen Jingshu sneered. "You have some courage."
-
The Hundred Schools Alliance spent three days finally moving into its office and held a brief alliance meeting, deciding to start developing the "Spring Days in Hoh Xil Field Trip Plan" starting tomorrow.
After the meeting, Xu Jibai and Lin Yujing stayed in the office to work on the online forum page.
The other members can go back and rest for now.
"I'll have to discuss with your senior sister Qi about giving you a new title during tomorrow's meeting," Xu Jibai said with a smile.
"Great! Then I'll take the title of the number one beauty of the Hundred Schools Alliance." Lin Yujing's fingers flew across the keyboard as she modified the announcement regarding the change of office address in the website's backend.
“I’m serious.” Xu Jibai looked at her. “You don’t need to always take on so much work for yourself. What happened before is long gone. Everyone’s impression of you is that you are a very hardworking, beautiful and talented junior sister, Jingjing.”
Lin Yujing raised an eyebrow. She knew Xu Jibai was talking about the past in Hoh Xil, but she didn't want to engage with him. So she stood up and said, "Senior brother, would you like a cup of tea to refresh yourself?"
Xu Jibai nodded helplessly, "Okay, thank you, junior sister."
Lin Yujing took the two cups and walked out of the office. The lobby of JING Capital's president's office was still the same familiar scene.
Everyone kept their eyes fixed straight ahead, busy with their own work.
She glanced at Chen Jingshu's office out of the corner of her eye. The white wooden door was half open, and he was sitting in front of a tea table with two or three middle-aged men, drinking tea and chatting.
Chinese men possess an innate sense of maturity and composure.
Having spent several years navigating the business world, she was reminded of the #NewChineseStylePresident# trend that had recently gone viral online.
Chen Jingshu has that feeling now, especially since he grew up in a province famous nationwide for its intense competition for civil service exams.
She couldn't help but feel sorry for him; it was a pity he was a CEO and a businessman. He should have gone into politics and entered government.
Whether it was sensing her intense and direct gaze or a shared understanding, Chen Jingshu simultaneously looked up towards the outside of the office.
When their eyes met, Lin Yujing felt a moment of guilt, as if she had been caught spying.
She immediately turned around, quickly pushed open the door, and walked into the tea room.
JING Capital is equipped with high-end and complete facilities, including coffee machines, direct-drink machines, and a wide variety of coffee beans and tea bags of various brands and flavors. There is even a sofa and a coffee table, with a tea table set up as if for real.
Lin Yujing smiled, and a scene inexplicably appeared in her mind's eye: Chen Jingshu sitting there, brewing tea and enjoying it with his employees.
However, using overly high-end equipment also has its downsides.
For example, she stood in front of the water dispenser with two cups in her hands, but no water came out.
Helpless, she had to manually heat the water using the stainless steel kettle next to her.
Just use the time spent making tea as an excuse to give yourself some space to relax and slack off.
But just as she was waiting for the kettle to heat up, the door to the tea room was suddenly pushed open.
Chen Jingshu walked in carrying a Chinese-style white porcelain teacup, feigning an expression of unexpected encounter, "What a coincidence, my sister is here too!"
Lin Yujing pursed her lips, thinking to herself that he clearly saw her when she came in. "Mr. Chen, isn't that a bit of a coincidence? Doesn't your office have its own tea and water?"
When she saw through him, Chen Jingshu didn't seem embarrassed at all. He just glanced at the two cups on the table and asked, "Won't you have trouble sleeping tonight if you drink two cups of tea?"
Lin Yujing pointed to another cup, "This one belongs to Senior Brother Xu."
Chen Jingshu said "Oh," raised his hand and placed his porcelain white teacup next to her thermos, and asked, "Little sister, is it because we're not familiar with each other that you only make tea for your senior brother Xu, but don't ask your own brother if he's thirsty or wants some tea?"
Lin Yujing pursed her lips, finding this person too flirtatious. "I saw it all. You were just having tea with someone else. And I went there specifically for that. Don't you think it was a bit unnecessary and had ulterior motives?"
Chen Jingshu took a step closer to her and blew a breath into the hair on the side of her cheek.
A refreshing, minty jasmine scent wafted onto her cheeks, more like a mint candy than tea.
“Little sister, unless you have ulterior motives towards me, everyone will just think you're simply feeling sorry for your brother.” He spoke with such conviction that Lin Yujing couldn’t refute him.
Lin Yujing frowned, then picked up another tea bag from the tea canister and tossed it into his cup. "There should be a long line of people who want to feel sorry for President Chen. I don't need to go to such lengths."
"For example, that long-haired beauty at noon today." The person, seemingly sarcastic but actually laced with sourness, was completely unaware of their own words.
Chen Jingshu was stunned for a moment before realizing who she was talking about.
Then he casually took his hand out of his trouser pocket, leaned over, brushed his arm across Lin Yujing's waist, and placed her on the table behind her, trapping her against his chest.
From his perspective, however, it looks like a natural imprisonment posture.
"You mean Liu Hua's assistant? I was only looking at my sister at the time, I didn't even notice her." Chen Jingshu stared into her eyes, giving her no chance to look away. "What's wrong? Is your sister... jealous?"
Lin Yujing was so angry she laughed. She reached out to push him, but he took the opportunity to close the distance between them again. "I already said she's my sister. What kind of sister is jealous of her brother?"
"Why not?" Chen Jingshu raised his hand and tapped her forehead. "What if you're worried that your brother might suddenly find you a sister-in-law, and then no one will care about you anymore?"
"..."
"For example, if I had a sister-in-law, I would definitely ask her if she could approve an office for my younger sister."
Lin Yujing's anger was completely aroused by him. She pushed hard, and the two of them stumbled towards the window.
Fortunately, Chen Jingshu reacted quickly, putting his arm around her waist and using his arm as a cushion to protect her from being hurt.
However, the shackles of confinement have changed from being in front of the stage to being in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor.
Lin Yujing instinctively turned around, her gaze falling upon a hundred meters in the air. The intense feeling of weightlessness made her nervously grab Chen Jingshu's shirt collar immediately.
"Don't..."
Chen Jingshu let her grip his collar tightly, then stopped by the window with interest and asked, "Stop? Does it mean stop finding you a sister-in-law, or stop letting go of you?"
Lin Yujing raised her hand to hit him, "Right now, you're not like a brother coaxing his sister, you're more like a perverted boss sexually harassing a female employee."
"Fine, fine, I'll let you go." Chen Jingshu released his grip. "You've become a pervert."
Just as he was about to turn around, the door to the tea room was pushed open again.
The way the two were in this position was incredibly intimate, even without outsiders seeing it.
Lin Yujing was startled by the fact that the tea room was a place where romantic rumors were likely to spread. She grabbed his collar and pulled him over.
Following her movements, Chen Jingshu pulled the curtains aside to cover the two of them before the door was fully pushed open.
Thus, the already ambiguous posture became even more erotic the moment the curtains covered them.
Especially when they were so close, their breaths began to mingle, and if one of them took just a step closer, it would be enough for them to kiss.
"Have you heard? Today, Mr. Chen helped a girl move books in the elevator on the first floor. She's Ms. Lin, the one that Director Ren praised before, saying she's beautiful, smart, and talented."
Sure enough, the tea room and restrooms became hotbeds for gossip.
The worst part is that the two parties involved are enjoying their own drama in a manner resembling an affair.
"But some people say that President Chen calls that girl 'little sister.' It must be because she's a cousin, since everyone knows that President Chen never gets close to women."
Lin Yujing glanced at Chen Jingshu and gave a silent, cold laugh.
He wanted to shout, but he was nothing like the womanizer they described.
"My cousin's words make sense. They do look quite alike."
Lin Yujing's brow twitched slightly; they weren't cousins at all.
But when it comes to resemblance, the first word that comes to her mind is "couple's resemblance".
Then she looked up and saw the ambiguous look in Chen Jingshu's eyes.
I knew it; that's definitely what he was thinking.
"But I've never heard of Mr. Chen having any cousins or sisters!" Hua Ren's son has a Baidu Baike profile that's even more comprehensive than some minor celebrities'. "He only has one cousin, Ms. Chen Jinyi."
There was a few seconds of silence in the break room, then the two girls simultaneously let out a knowing but ambiguous "Oh~".
Oh~
This word has a profound meaning.
It's even more ambiguous than expressing ambiguity.
"So, we're also part of Mr. Chen's office play?"
Lin Yujing's face instantly turned bright red. Looking at Chen Jingshu, she saw him trying to suppress a lewd laugh at her.
In the office building during winter, the central air conditioning was turned up very high.
Lin Yujing was only wearing a knitted sweater, and she could already feel sweat beading on her back.
Then there was the cramped space, and her nostrils were filled with the scent of ebony and sandalwood emanating from Chen Jingshu.
She used to find the scent light and pleasant, but today it was inexplicably strong, and she could hardly breathe.
Fortunately, just a second before she suffocated, the two girls made coffee and left.
Lin Yujing used all her strength to push Chen Jingshu away.
Then he bent over and rested his knees on his waist, taking deep breaths.
But she was still so embarrassed that she couldn't even think of a word to curse Chen Jingshu.
I had no choice but to awkwardly walk past him and go get the kettle that had been boiled to make tea.
Unexpectedly, Chen Jingshu was one step ahead of her, picked up the kettle, and while pouring water, teased her in her ear, "Now that you've been promoted from sister to rumored girlfriend, I can't let you do this kind of tea-serving work anymore."
Lin Yujing muttered under her breath, "Stop talking nonsense. You should be more concerned about the company's employees. Gossiping in the break room during work hours."
"Oh." Chen Jingshu said with a nonchalant and roguish expression, "You're adapting to your new identity pretty quickly. You've already started ordering around your rumored boyfriend and managing the company employees."
Lin Yujing bit her lip, feeling that she had truly lost to him.
Being too concerned with saving face can sometimes prevent you from dominating the world.
"I think you should take care of yourself first! You're being too improper."
"Got it. My rumored girlfriend is getting serious about me."
A note from the author:
Jingjing: He suddenly changed, and I was very surprised...
-
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-09-16 23:26:01 and 2023-09-17 23:40:54!
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