Chapter 8

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Chi Yin grabbed her bag and left first. Just as she was opening the door, she bumped into Cheng Peng, who was waiting at the entrance.

“Chi Yin,” Cheng Peng greeted politely, his eyes repeatedly darting towards the room. “I’m looking for Qiao Ziman.”

Chi Yin’s face showed displeasure as she shifted slightly to block his view. “Is there something?”

Cheng Peng adjusted his glasses and replied tactfully, “Personal matter.”

Qiao Ziman, hearing the noise, peeked out from behind Chi Yin. “I happen to have something as well.”

Chi Yin’s gaze darkened, and her expression changed almost instantly. She abruptly turned around, her tone cold, “Qiao Ziman, have you finished organizing the meeting notes?”

Qiao Ziman was taken aback, surprised by Chi Yin’s sudden change of demeanor. “Not yet,” she began to answer, but before she could finish, Chi Yin furrowed her brows. Qiao Ziman, anxious, stepped forward to check, her hand resting on Chi Yin’s stomach. “Still in pain?”

Chi Yin watched Qiao Ziman’s actions, her gaze softening gradually. After a moment, she gently replied, “Just a little.”

Qiao Ziman was annoyed. “Then let me take you home. If you’re like this, what’s the point of going out? Is that kind of thing really so important?”

That kind of thing? Chi Yin was momentarily stunned, then abruptly seized Qiao Ziman’s wrist, halting her from grabbing the keys. She looked at Cheng Peng and said, “Today’s meeting notes are very important. Qiao Ziman needs to work overtime to finish her tasks. Could you possibly give me a ride?”

The unexpected development left Cheng Peng somewhat at a loss.

Qiao Ziman said, “Chi Yin is right. This is indeed my work, so please help me out.”

Cheng Peng nodded.

“And, she’s not feeling well today, so don’t let her go out to ‘meet friends,’” Qiao Ziman said, turning the phrase to be more polite, “Let me know when you’re home.”

Cheng Peng: “Got it.”

Chi Yin: “…”

*

On the way home, Chi Yin sent a WeChat message to her friend, Yu Shuyan. [Not available today.]

The phone buzzed incessantly, conveying the strong displeasure of the person on the other end.

[Damn, you’re ditching me again?]

[What am I supposed to do?]

[What about my □□ and my future?]

[Do you have any conscience at all?]

[I’m already at your bar. If you don’t explain today, this isn’t over!]

Chi Yin looked at the explicit messages, feeling an uncontrollable headache. How did she end up knowing such a character? She gently pressed her temple and replied. [Hypocritical Teacher Yu, if you don’t shut up, I’ll send screenshots to the parent group.]

Yu Shuyan was a regular at Chi Yin’s lesbian bar, coming one to two times a week for her usual “hunt.” Her flamboyant outfits, explicit behavior, and reputation as a heartless vixen were well-known. But no one expected that she had another identity—a strict and aloof teacher by day, while being a seductive creature at night.

Coincidentally, she was also Chi Yin’s sister, Jiang Shu’s, homeroom teacher.

Teacher Yu dared not be impudent anymore and obediently replied, [My mistake.]

Five minutes later, she couldn’t resist sending another message. [What about my little toy?]

Due to family and work constraints, Yu Shuyan had Chi Yin handle purchasing these items.

[(Cat crying.jpg)]

Chi Yin was at a loss for words. [At the company, your stuff has caused someone to misunderstand.]

Someone? Yu Shuyan successfully caught this key piece of information and, combined with the unusual fact that Chi Yin was working from home, guessed the situation with near certainty.

When things seem odd, there’s often something more to it. The only explanation is that she’s “keeping a mistress in a golden house.”

There’s something going on!

Yu Shuyan slyly replied. [I’ll come by to pick it up when I have time, no need for you to go out of your way.]

Casual flings aren’t as interesting as gossip; she had to see it for herself.

Chi Yin turned off her phone and tossed it into her bag. As soon as she looked up, she met Cheng Peng’s gaze in the rearview mirror. Chi Yin silently observed the man in the driver’s seat and suddenly said, “Cheng Peng.”

Cheng Peng tensed up, his shoulders stiffened, and he nervously asked, “Ms. Chi, is there something wrong?”

Chi Yin gazed at him with a hint of curiosity, “How old are you?”

Cheng Peng tightened his grip on the steering wheel, “Ms. Chi, if you have something to say, please go ahead.”

“Do you like Qiao Ziman?”

“Yes, you must have heard that I want to pursue her. I recall there isn’t a company rule against employees dating, right?” Cheng Peng sensed that Chi Yin had an inexplicable “hostility” towards his pursuit of Qiao Ziman.

He hadn’t done anything to provoke Ms. Chi, and the only explanation he could think of was that she might be concerned about company interests.

“Regardless, I won’t give up on pursuing her.”

Chi Yin’s hand tightened briefly before she relaxed her tone and said, “Just talking. The company doesn’t interfere in employees’ private matters. Anyway, Qiao Ziman is my assistant now, so I need to keep a close eye on things for her.”

Cheng Peng sighed in relief and smiled shyly.

“What do you like about her?”

When it comes to Qiao Ziman, Cheng Peng became more talkative, “She is hardworking and caring, sharp-tongued but kind-hearted. Even though she struggles, she never complains about life.”

Chi Yin nodded in agreement, “So how do you plan to pursue her?”

Cheng Peng awkwardly smiled, “I actually don’t have much experience in pursuing someone. I can only give her the best I can. Qiao Ziman rented my old house; the environment there is poor and far from the company. I planned to pick her up and drop her off to make it more convenient.”

Chi Yin thought: There’s no need; she needs to pick me up now.

“The house is too old. I’ll renovate it when I have time so it’s more comfortable for her.”

“It seems you really don’t know how to pursue a woman,” Chi Yin crossed her legs and lightly tapped her toes, “I’ll teach you.”

Cheng Peng was delighted and unconsciously pressed the accelerator, “Really?”

Chi Yin crossed her arms and said nonchalantly, “Rather than worrying about her transportation, why not just give her a car. Rather than renovating the house, why not give her an apartment.”

Cheng Peng: “…Ms. Chi, I suspect you’re joking. Qiao Ziman isn’t that materialistic. Even though she’s short on money, she would never take advantage of anyone. She absolutely wouldn’t accept it.”

Chi Yin thought: You still can’t do it. How did I end up giving her a car, then?

*

The next day, Cheng Peng began to pursue Qiao Ziman in a high-profile manner.

In the morning, he sent over his specially made handmade flowers and a carefully prepared breakfast, and left two movie tickets on her desk before he left. During his free time, he kept running to the original art department.

He came by eight times in the morning.

Qiao Ziman was speechless. She wanted to be straightforward with him several times but refrained because of the crowd and gossip at the company.

That day, she happened to finish her work tasks early. Qiao Ziman tidied up her desk, got up, and handed the keys to Chi Yin, “Ms. Chi, can you drive yourself home today? I have something to do.”

She sent a message to Cheng Peng to arrange a meeting at a restaurant for a face-to-face talk.

Chi Yin did not answer directly but took out several folders from the drawer and called Qiao Ziman to the sofa, saying, “Sit, I need to talk to you about something.”

Qiao Ziman stood still, “Can we talk tomorrow? I have an appointment today.”

“Are you in such a hurry to meet Cheng Peng?”

Chi Yin’s words were sharp and boundaryless. Qiao Ziman frowned and said sternly, “Does it matter who I’m meeting with, Ms. Chi? That’s my personal business and it’s after working hours.”

Chi Yin’s gaze darkened. She spread the folders on the desk, one of which was the intercepted promotion recommendation letter. “Who told you it’s after hours? Ji Yun strongly recommended you, saying you are diligent and progressive in your work. How come now you’re only thinking about romance? Qiao Ziman, to be honest, the higher-ups are evaluating you and Liu Dahai. You need to understand that the final decision on this matter is up to me.”

“Are you threatening me?” Qiao Ziman glared at Chi Yin, fuming with anger.

Chi Yin lowered her head and said calmly, “This isn’t a threat, it’s a fact.”

“Alright,” Qiao Ziman gritted her teeth, swallowing her anger. Whether she got promoted or not was one thing, but losing her job because of offending this woman would be too costly. At least she couldn’t act on impulse right now.

Chi Yin pointed to the files, “The company is currently developing three games. You need to follow up on these. Track the real-time progress and data for each department.”

“Each department?” Qiao Ziman looked at her in shock, “There are over a dozen departments in the company. How can I handle this alone? And there are some departments whose work I’ve never been involved with.”

Chi Yin stood up, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door, “If you don’t understand, go ask and learn. I’m leaving. I won’t be staying at Yunding tonight. Drive safely.”

Haha, she leaves work punctually and looks quite carefree. Qiao Ziman cursed inwardly, wishing she could whip this person a hundred and eighty times to ease her frustration.

The date was ruined.

In the following days, Qiao Ziman ran around various departments every day, working so hard she nearly fainted when she got home. But there was a silver lining—at least she didn’t have to face Chi Yin all the time.

In a rare day off, Qiao Ziman met up with Ji Yun, who had returned from out of town, at the “Chunsheng” restaurant. After parking the car, Qiao Ziman turned around to see Ji Yun at the restaurant entrance, looking as if she were about to drop her jaw in astonishment.

“Qiao Qiao, did you win the lottery?”

“No.”

“Where did the BMW come from?”

Qiao Ziman dragged the stunned Ji Yun inside and told the waiter, “Reservation for number 99, under the name Qiao.”

The waiter glanced toward the parking lot, then nodded and said, “Please wait a moment.” After a while, a manager dressed in a black suit walked through the hallway, “Congratulations, you two are today’s lucky customers. Your meals will be personally prepared by the owner, and all expenses are waived.”

“Qiao Qiao, you’ve been having good luck lately.”

Qiao Ziman selected a few of Ji Yun’s favorite home-style dishes and handed the menu to the manager, who asked in surprise, “Is this enough?”

Qiao Ziman, who wasn’t one for extravagance, nodded and said, “It’s enough,” then turned to answer Ji Yun’s previous question, “It’s all just a flash in the pan.”

Ji Yun: “???”

“Let’s not talk about it, it’s a downer,” Qiao Ziman said. The last time she was at Chunsheng Restaurant was for a blind date, and she hadn’t paid much attention to the place then. This time, she noticed the design was quite impressive.

The restaurant had a new Chinese style, with natural integration of landscape elements. Unlike traditional Chinese opulence, the subtle and soft tones provided extreme comfort and pleasure.

“By the way, how’s it going with that one-night stand boss of yours?”

Qiao Ziman’s joy instantly vanished, and her expression froze for a moment. “What one-night stand? Could you use the right terms? Besides, don’t bring her up. Just mentioning her makes me angry.”

Qiao Ziman pointed to her dark circles, “Look, what do you see?”

“…”

“My dim and unpromising future.”

As Ji Yun pressed further, Qiao Ziman began to vent her frustrations. She took a bite of the food and thought to herself that the owner’s cooking skills were exceptional. She told Ji Yun, “This person is a vengeful, petty, and sadistic jerk!”

Ji Yun: “Sadistic?”

“Yeah, you don’t know. This person actually brings that kind of stuff into the office.”

“What kind of stuff?”

Qiao Ziman stopped herself in time. No matter what, it was someone’s privacy and shouldn’t be revealed casually.

Ji Yun guessed, “Toys? A submissive?”

Qiao Ziman widened her eyes in disbelief. Ji Yun’s eyes slightly brightened, and she excitedly said, “That’s really something.”

Qiao Ziman: “???”

Ji Yun cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject, “So you said she’s vengeful, but she still gave you a car?”

Qiao Ziman nodded with a smile, “She treats me like a nanny, and besides, it wasn’t a gift.”

“So, is she acting as your chauffeur?”

Qiao Ziman: “It’s more like she’s afraid I’ll be late.”

“Is she paying you to be her assistant out of revenge?”

Qiao Ziman: “It’s just a rich person’s trick, trapping me with money and then tormenting me slowly.”

“To prevent you from dating, she’s making you work overtime?”

Qiao Ziman: “She’s doing it for the company’s benefit.”

Ji Yun: “…”

Qiao Ziman continued her tirade. She hadn’t noticed that at some point, Chi Yin had stood behind her, arms crossed, looking down with a dark expression. Ji Yun desperately blinked and coughed strategically, but couldn’t stop Qiao Ziman’s next words.

“That Ms. Chi is really unbearable. When will my hard times come to an end?”

Ji Yun shook her head, thinking: You might as well strip yourself and throw yourself on Ms. Chi’s bed; otherwise, there’s no saving you.