Chapter 3

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What a blatant hint! Qiao Ziman never expected that the elegant-looking, beautiful woman could be so bold. Honestly, Qiao Ziman was terrified; she had never experienced anything like this before. She swallowed nervously and shakily typed out two words: [Not interested.]

Before she could hit send, the woman sent another message. [Address: Building 9, Yunding Villas, Changfeng Road.]

It was pretty close, just across the street in the villa district. And she was loaded too. Damn, why did she feel a bit tempted?

But she was straight!

Qiao Ziman slapped her cheeks hard, trying to snap herself back to reality. The message box popped up again with the words [The other party is typing…] in large letters, making Qiao Ziman panic even more. She was afraid the woman might say something even more shocking. Or worse, send a racy photo.

Just the thought of it was terrifying.

Qiao Ziman’s fingers flew across the keyboard, typing so fast it left afterimages. She managed to send a message just before the woman could send hers. [Thanks, but no thanks. Let’s not take this seriously—it’s all just for fun. I’m straight, as straight as an arrow, straighter than a steel pipe.]

Without hesitation, she deleted the contact. Everything in one smooth motion.

Her dignity was intact.

Qiao Ziman let out a long breath, finally feeling like her heart was back in its proper place. This incident was just a trivial footnote in Qiao Ziman’s life, easily forgotten after a night’s sleep. The heavy workload of the day quickly buried it in the stagnant waters of her memory, never to stir again.

A week passed in a blur. Today was the day the new manager was taking over.

Last night, the company executives held a meeting and announced that the new manager was a stickler for discipline and had zero tolerance for any infractions. No one was allowed to be late for any reason, or they would lose their attendance bonus and face double deductions in performance pay. When it came to money, Qiao Ziman always paid close attention.

But despite all her careful planning, she forgot to charge her phone.

Qiao Ziman had long struggled with insomnia, and even after taking melatonin, she only fell asleep as dawn was breaking. As a result, all the alarms she had set failed to go off, and she overslept by a full twenty minutes.

Being late on her new boss’s first day—she must have had a death wish.

Qiao Ziman quickly washed up, got dressed, grabbed her bag, and dashed downstairs. On her way down, she opened the ride-hailing app, grabbed a discount coupon, and booked a Didi, making a last-ditch effort to save her perfect attendance for the month. Her neighborhood was a bit out of the way, so she thoughtfully sent a message to the driver through the app, just in case they had trouble finding the location.

[Hello, driver. I’ll be waiting for you at the Starbucks by the traffic light.]

[White cv1888: Okay.]

Qiao Ziman noted down the license plate number and sprinted towards Starbucks, covering the few hundred meters with the determination of an Olympic athlete. A few minutes later, she finally reached her destination. She looked around and her eyes locked onto the white Maybach parked in front of the store. At first, she couldn’t believe it, so she double-checked the vehicle information.

cy1888.

Yep, that was the one. Driving a Maybach for Didi? She couldn’t comprehend the world of the rich. With mixed feelings, Qiao Ziman opened the car door and got in.

[Driver, let’s go, please.]

[Could you please hurry? I’m in a rush.]

Qiao Ziman fastened her seatbelt and then turned her head, and what she saw next gave her quite a shock. A beauty!

A stunning beauty.

Qiao Ziman stared intently at the driver’s flawless face and, after a moment, sincerely said, “You’re really beautiful.”

The person across from her showed little expression, placing the coffee cup on the central armrest before starting to scrutinize Qiao Ziman without blinking.

[Beautiful driver, if you don’t start driving, I’m going to switch to another car.] Qiao Ziman was starting to feel uneasy under the intense gaze.

The driver, Chi Yin, finally spoke, saying just two words: “Car door.”

Her voice was incredibly pleasant! So gentle! It’s true—seeing something beautiful first thing in the morning can really lift your spirits.

Qiao Ziman was completely immersed in this pleasant atmosphere and didn’t fully grasp the meaning of the beautiful driver’s words. Not until the driver suddenly leaned in closer, the tip of her nose brushing against Qiao Ziman’s cheek.

A rich fragrance instantly filled her nostrils. Qiao Ziman jolted in surprise, pressing herself against the seat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. “What are you doing?”

Chi Yin reached over her and secured the car door.

Click—the lock engaged.

Qiao Ziman then realized how overly dramatic her reaction had been and quickly apologized, “Sorry, sorry, it’s my first time getting such a high-end Didi. I got a little nervous. Sorry for the trouble.”

Chi Yin responded with a simple “Mm,” subtly pulling her gaze away from Qiao Ziman’s face. She then focused intently on searching the map. Seeing this, Qiao Ziman breathed a sigh of relief. The vehicle started, smoothly heading towards TOC, and Qiao Ziman began making small talk, “Beautiful driver, do you work at the TOC building too?”

Chi Yin replied lightly, “Mm.”

“No wonder you took my ride—it’s on your way. I didn’t expect rich people to be so thrifty.”

Chi Yin gave her a complicated look.

“I was going to say you looked familiar earlier, but I thought that might be a bit forward.” Qiao Ziman was forgetful and a bit face-blind, but she had a sharp nose for scents. When she leaned in earlier, she caught a familiar fragrance, a distinct lily-of-the-valley scent.

Qiao Ziman explained further, “I really wasn’t trying to hit on you—this kind of approach is so old-fashioned. You just genuinely looked familiar.”

Chi Yin glanced at her again, her expression growing even more complex. After a moment, she softly uttered a few words, “It is quite forward.”

Qiao Ziman yawned, her eyes tearing up slightly, “What did you say?”

Chi Yin averted her gaze, focusing on the countdown of the traffic light ahead, “I said, if you’re tired, just sleep.”

“Oh,” Qiao Ziman was indeed feeling sleepy, her eyelids growing heavy. “Sure, just wake me when we get there.”

Chi Yin gently hummed in acknowledgment and rolled up the window. The enclosed car was suddenly filled with a rich fragrance. Qiao Ziman, immersed in the floral scent, slowly closed her eyes. Twenty minutes later, Qiao Ziman was gently shaken awake.

Qiao Ziman groggily looked around, realizing she had fallen asleep so easily without any caution. When her eyes landed on Chi Yin, she was suddenly startled, instantly wide awake.

Chi Yin’s gaze was unwavering, fixed unmistakably on her lips.

The atmosphere suddenly became strange and ambiguous. Qiao Ziman grew cautious, instinctively leaning towards the door, her hand slowly reaching for the seatbelt buckle. Chi Yin’s expression froze momentarily. She raised her hand, pointed to the corner of Qiao Ziman’s mouth, and sparingly uttered two words, “Drool.”

Qiao Ziman: “???”

Chi Yin sighed, then took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to Qiao Ziman, “Drool, wipe it off.”

Realizing the truth, Qiao Ziman’s face turned bright red with embarrassment. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into and quickly raised her arm to wipe the corner of her mouth awkwardly.

Chi Yin watched Qiao Ziman’s clumsy actions with surprise, her eyebrows knitting together briefly before she quietly withdrew the tissue.

“Sorry for the trouble.” Qiao Ziman smiled awkwardly, pushed open the car door, and hurriedly fled.

“Beautiful driver, the fare will be automatically settled through the app. Bye-bye.”

In a flash, Qiao Ziman darted into the TOC building. During the morning rush, there was usually a queue for the elevator.  Today, luck was on her side, and she caught an ascending elevator just in time. Qiao Ziman dashed forward and successfully squeezed into the crowded elevator.

The elevator doors were slowly closing when a familiar figure casually walked in.

Qiao Ziman enthusiastically waved at her, “Beautiful driver, what a coincidence!”

Chi Yin looked over at the sound.

Qiao Ziman grinned and kept waving, “Over here, over here, over here.”

Chi Yin started walking towards her.

Qiao Ziman smirked, “Hehe, you can catch the next one.”

The elevator doors closed completely, cutting off Chi Yin’s slightly exasperated expression and the rest of Qiao Ziman’s sentence. “It’s about to be overloaded.”

In the end, Qiao Ziman managed to clock in at the last second. With her perfect attendance intact, Qiao Ziman was in an excellent mood. She wandered over to a group of gossiping colleagues and asked, “The new manager hasn’t arrived yet?”

“Nope.”

“The management can’t be late on their first day, right?”

Qiao Ziman nodded, “Yeah, exactly, exactly.”

A colleague standing guard at the door gave a loud “ahem.”

The group quickly scattered like birds and beasts. Just as Qiao Ziman returned to her desk, she saw a familiar figure appear at the main entrance.

A radiant and stunning face, dressed impeccably with a tall and graceful figure.

Isn’t that the beautiful driver? What a coincidence.

A few department supervisors quickly rushed over to curry favor. Chi Yin promptly interrupted them, speaking in a businesslike tone, “I ran into some trouble on the way and was late. We’ll meet in five minutes.”

She emphasized the word “trouble” and gave Qiao Ziman a meaningful look.

Qiao Ziman: “…”

If she wasn’t mistaken, she had just shut the new manager out of the elevator.

What a mess.

She swore it wasn’t intentional. Surely, the new manager wouldn’t hold a grudge over something so minor. Still, Qiao Ziman couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. She glanced up and secretly peeked at the new manager. Just then, Chi Yin and her entourage started walking in her direction, and their eyes met.

She’d been caught.

Feeling awkward, Qiao Ziman could only manage a friendly smile.

Chi Yin showed no expression as she walked past Qiao Ziman, coldly ignoring her as if she were invisible. This made Qiao Ziman feel even more uneasy.

Once Chi Yin entered the meeting room, the colleagues around Qiao Ziman finally breathed a sigh of relief. They began whispering to each other.

“The new manager is really good-looking.”

“She doesn’t look that old; I wonder if she has a partner.”

“Don’t even think about it. Look at her aura—she seems like someone you don’t want to mess with. Let’s all be careful, mind our words, and break it up.”

Qiao Ziman had no intention of joining the conversation; she slumped over her desk, feeling a bit down.

Xiao Jing brought her a cup of coffee, looking concerned, “Sister Qiao.”

“Are you feeling unwell? You seem out of it.”

Qiao Ziman slowly lifted her head, rubbed her stomach, and said gloomily, “I didn’t eat breakfast.”

Xiao Jing: “Sister Qiao, did you stay up too late last night? At least you weren’t late.”

Adding salt to the wound! Qiao Ziman felt even more frustrated.

Xiao Jing asked again, “How about I order some takeout for you?”

Suddenly, Qiao Ziman remembered something and smacked her forehead, “Do you have a Type-C charger?” She held up her phone, “It’s out of battery.”

“I’ll go find one for you,” Xiao Jing went to borrow one and brought it back.

Qiao Ziman plugged in her phone, and as soon as it powered on, several messages popped up. Most of the messages were from the Didi app.

Driver: [Hello, I’ve arrived.]

[Hello, where are you?]

[Why can’t I reach you on the phone?]

Five minutes later.

[Hello, I’ve canceled the order.]

[It’s such a waste of time dealing with someone like you first thing in the morning!]

Qiao Ziman stared at these messages, her mind going blank. Didn’t she already get in the car?

Qiao Ziman hesitated to type a reply, suddenly realizing that the driver seemed to be a man. She carefully double-checked the information. Suddenly, she realized she must have mistaken the license plate.

How ridiculous!

Buzz.

At that moment, a message popped up in the company’s WeChat group.

[Tagging all members.]

Qiao Ziman clicked on it.

[Executive: Let’s all warmly welcome President Chi Yin to our TOC family.]

Buzz.

[“Yin” has joined the group chat.]

Seeing that familiar profile picture and ID, Qiao Ziman’s mind buzzed in shock. Memories she thought were long forgotten flooded back, overwhelming her and leaving her breathless. No wonder she looked familiar. Isn’t this the same woman she met at the restaurant—the one who flirtatiously asked, “Wanna hang out?”

How ridiculous, how absurd, how utterly bizarre!

Sigh.