Chapter 10

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“Did you poison my food?”

“Your words are so sharp. ‘If you don’t want it, fine,'” Qiao Ziman replied, keeping her composure as she distanced herself and moved around to retrieve her lunchbox.

A faint chuckle came from behind, causing Qiao Ziman to frown deeply as she struggled to contain her anger. Still ungrateful!

Ms. Chi ignored her glare and turned to make a phone call to the front desk, “Send in the auntie named Liu.”

Five minutes later, a woman dressed like a housekeeper entered the office carrying a large thermal box.

“Auntie Liu,” Ms. Chi greeted her and pointed to the sofa where Qiao Ziman was sitting, “Just put it there.”

Qiao Ziman watched in astonishment as one exquisite dish after another was pulled out of the thermal box, like magic. The world of the wealthy was indeed so extravagant. Comparing her own lunchbox to the enticingly colored four dishes and a soup on the table, Qiao Ziman instantly lost interest.

She sniffed the aroma wafting through the air and couldn’t help but think, It smells so good.

Ms. Chi said leisurely from behind, “I made it.”

Qiao Ziman: Fine, so what if you made it. She silently moved to one corner of the sofa, picked up her small lunchbox, and swallowed hard. It’s not necessarily good, she thought with a humph.

She took a big spoonful of rice, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed vigorously, her eyes lingering on the tomato scrambled eggs. Qiao Ziman gazed longingly and, unable to resist any longer, pointed with her chin and asked, “Is it sweet or salty?”

Ms. Chi served two bowls of soup, pushing one in front of Qiao Ziman, “It’s salty.”

“What are you doing? I didn’t say I wanted to eat it!”

“Try it and see if it’s good,” Ms. Chi smiled at her and handed her the spoon, “You treated me yesterday, so I should treat you back. I consider you my nanny.”

Although Qiao Ziman had nothing to say, she was skilled in taking advantage of the situation. She calmly took the spoon, “Fine,” and eagerly tasted the soup in front of her.

“It’s delicious,” the chicken and mushroom soup was rich and fragrant, comparable to her favorite trendy restaurant. Qiao Ziman also picked up some tomato scrambled eggs, which were perfectly balanced in sweetness and saltiness, to her liking.

After several exclamations of how good it was, she looked up and met Ms. Chi’s somewhat smug gaze. Qiao Ziman’s hand holding the chopsticks stiffened, feeling a twinge of frustration. Qiao Ziman, oh Qiao Ziman, it’s just a few bites of food. Look at how pathetic you are.

“What’s up with my resume and the promotion recommendation letter?” Qiao Ziman cleverly changed the subject.

Ms. Chi replied with a question, “Why did you study painting in high school and then major in education in college? And why did you choose a job related to painting after graduation?”

Qiao Ziman’s expression darkened as she lowered her eyes and stirred the rice in front of her. “Ms. Chi, is this really important?” Her tone revealed a hint of resistance.

“I just want to understand my employees better.”

Qiao Ziman gave a casual smile and tightened her grip on the chopsticks. “It’s because of the money. The more you work, the more you earn. The company has good benefits, and luckily, I haven’t forgotten my painting skills.” This was her usual explanation. What else could she say? That she loved it, that she didn’t want to give up painting even if she had to start over, no matter how difficult it was?

As adults, talking about ideals would just make people laugh.

“Is it because you like it?” Ms. Chi asked. She had put down her chopsticks and looked serious.

Meeting that pure gaze, Qiao Ziman was momentarily stunned and unconsciously lowered her defenses. “Yes.”

“Qiao Ziman, you’re amazing. I really like you.”

Qiao Ziman: “???”

Ms. Chi paused, then continued with the rest of the sentence, “That indomitable spirit.”

Qiao Ziman: “…” Why is she so out of breath? It’s really frightening.

Qiao Ziman took a deep breath, calming her unruly, pounding heart. With a scoff, she said, “Just a corporate drone, getting by.”

“Qiao Ziman, I think you have great potential. Your past works have a lot of spirit, but your personal style is too pronounced and you lack experience. That’s why I asked you to follow up on the overall project and learn from various departments. This will help you address your weaknesses and better utilize your abilities. Moreover, the company doesn’t prohibit employees from dating, and I have no position against your personal life.”

So, working overtime wasn’t just to make things difficult?

So Ms. Chi had been fair from the beginning? What should she say then? “I don’t hate you that much,” or “I’m sorry”? Neither seemed appropriate right now. Qiao Ziman pondered for a moment, then decided to follow Ms. Chi’s lead. “It’s not a date. I just want to make it clear to him that I’m not interested and don’t want to lead him on.”

Qiao Ziman stared at her toes, completely unaware of the delight flashing in Ms. Chi’s eyes.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. A sultry voice asked, “Can I come in?”

Ms. Chi thought, Crap, I forgot about that vixen surnamed Yu. I promised her yesterday to come to the office to pick up that pile of random toys.

“Qiao Ziman,” Ms. Chi quickly turned her head with a hint of urgency in her tone, “You go ahead and get busy. Also, please clear away the lunch boxes on the table.”

“Okay,” Qiao Ziman placed her phone on the table and quickly tidied up the surface.

Holding the lunch box, she opened the door. As soon as the door opened a crack, a heavily made-up, voluptuous woman squeezed in eagerly, creating a gust of wind that almost toppled the lunch box in Qiao Ziman’s hands.

“Yu Shuyan!” Ms. Chi called out displeased.

Yu Shuyan: Is it really necessary? I didn’t even bump into you.

Ms. Chi shot her a glare. Got it, Yu Shuyan threw a flirtatious glance at Qiao Ziman and apologized, “Sorry about that, little sister.”

Little… sister? Qiao Ziman stared in disbelief, pointing at herself. Where am I little?

Ms. Chi: “Ignore her; she’s got issues. Qiao Ziman, you should leave for now.”

The atmosphere was oddly tense. Qiao Ziman looked around, understanding the situation, and then kindly closed the door.

“Ms. Yu,” Ms. Chi said coldly, “Are you that desperate?”

Yu Shuyan, seeing that Ms. Chi was genuinely angry, immediately backed down. “It’s just that I’m on summer break. Also, to keep an eye on things for you.”

Ms. Chi opened the cabinet and placed the black bag on the desk, her eyes cold. “Do I need you to keep an eye on things for me? Take your stuff and leave quickly.”

Yu Shuyan came around to face her, hands clasped in a pleading manner. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just curious, who is it that’s captivated the usually uninterested Ms. Chi? Today, I see that your partner is simply a goddess descended from the heavens—perfectly matched.”

Yu Shuyan didn’t hesitate to give a genuine thumbs-up.

The phrase “goddess descended from the heavens” and the term “your partner” successfully pleased Ms. Chi. Her expression softened considerably, and a smile appeared in her eyes. “Really?”

Yu Shuyan held up three fingers and pointed at the ceiling light. “More real than gold.”

“Alright, is there anything else?”

Yu Shuyan grumbled inwardly, thinking that this was delaying her pursuit of a girlfriend. Was it really necessary to be so urgent? “Big boss, did you forget that you still have a bar to manage?”

“You’re doing a good job as a hands-off manager; I’m about to die from exhaustion,” Yu Shuyan complained deeply, grabbing Ms. Chi’s wrist and pulling her close. “Look at my dark circles; I still have to prepare lessons during the day.”

Ms. Chi glared at her. “Let go.”

At this moment, a light cough sounded at the door, and Qiao Ziman poked her head in. “Sorry, I’m just here to get my phone.”

She awkwardly added, “The door wasn’t locked.”

Qiao Ziman went out, realized she didn’t take her phone, and turned back to get it. She swore she knocked on the door. But no one responded, so she waited for a while before opening the door. Who could have imagined the scene she walked in on?

The voluptuous woman was sitting boldly on the desk with her legs crossed, while Ms. Chi gazed deeply into her eyes, their bodies pressed closely together. Next to them was the black bag filled with various tools. In four words, it could be described as “dry timber and blazing fire.”

The office was almost on fire. Their eyes met, and Ms. Chi looked visibly flustered. Qiao Ziman clicked her tongue and said sarcastically, “Am I interrupting something?”