Returning - Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Xue Zhan
On the second evening of her leave, Xue Zi'ang appeared at Zhao Yu's apartment.
The moment he came in, he took her by the wrist, pushed back the sleeve of her loungewear to look, and then let out a relieved breath.
Zhao Yu knew—he was afraid she had started self-harming again.
But Zhao Yu also knew that, right now, she meant nothing in Xue Zi'ang's heart. The saying went: a little drama can be endearing, but too much can ruin everything. Showing a bit of dejection and throwing a small tantrum was enough. If she suddenly went to such extremes, Xue Zi'ang would likely distance himself from her entirely.
Looking at the old scars on her arm, Xue Zi'ang sighed, pulled her down onto the sofa, opened the bag he'd brought, and took out a tube of ointment, patiently applying it to her skin.
"This is a scar removal ointment I had someone source. It's very effective—should erase all these scars. Don't do foolish things anymore."
When he finished and looked up, he found her eyes brimming with tears, staring at him in a daze.
"Why are you crying?"
He had just smiled and asked this when Zhao Yu suddenly leaned in and kissed his lips.
This was the first time she had initiated a kiss. Normally, her technique wasn't unskilled, but her movements now seemed clumsy. Yet he could feel the urgency and passion within it.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Xue Zi'ang responded with even greater fervor, tangling his tongue with hers, licking and sucking, swiftly pressing her down beneath him.
He quickly tore off her clothes, caressed her skin, kneaded her breasts, and teased back and forth between her legs. Once she trembled violently and moaned, he unfastened his pants and slid his heated desire into her.
From the living room to the bedroom.
From the sofa to the bed.
They continued what had been left unfinished that day in the office, embracing and doing it time and again, switching through countless positions until both were utterly spent and breathless.
The next day, they left for the office together, but Zhao Yu didn't ride in his car—she drove her own.
She deliberately avoided others, unwilling to let anyone know about their relationship. Naively, she told Xue Zi'ang that at the company, she wanted to rely only on herself, that she wanted to prove her work ability.
Contradictions still filled her being, but compared to a few days ago, a certain resolve seemed more solidified—or perhaps it was more accurate to say, she had sunk even deeper.
Xue Zi'ang said nothing. He tacitly approved everything she did, willing to preserve that sliver of pride and self-respect she thought she had.
But at the same time, he still did not give her a precise status.
Zhao Yu knew in her heart what that status should truly be called: a substitute.
It was probably an identity most people in this world despised intensely, yet it was also one she had schemed with all her heart just to secure for herself.
"Does this... need to be sent up to the forty-second floor for Director Xue?" Looking at the document in her hand, Zhao Yu looked troubled.
Xue Zi'ang paused. "Have Ye Zi deliver it."
Anticipation flickered in Zhao Yu's eyes. "Then, in the future... can I avoid seeing Director Xue entirely?"
That was, of course, impossible. She was Xue Zi'ang's assistant, and Xue Zhan was Xue Zi'ang's superior. There were times they had to interact.
Xue Zi'ang knew her worry and patted her shoulder. "It's fine, don't be afraid. Don't dwell on that incident. My uncle's mind is always solely on work—just treat him like a tool."
That was easy to say, but she had been seen completely naked under those circumstances. How could she possibly pretend nothing had happened?
Thus, to stay true to her role, Zhao Yu did indeed try her hardest to avoid encountering Xue Zhan. And whether because of what had happened that day or not, Xue Zhan never came by Xue Zi'ang's office again either.
That day, Xue Zi'ang and Fu Tao went to meet a major client, leaving Zhao Yu at the company to sort reports. Ye Zi stormed out of the elevator and slammed several documents onto Zhao Yu's desk with a sharp smack. "Can't you read? You can screw up something this simple?"
Zhao Yu looked down. Amid the densely packed rows of data in the spreadsheet, one column of figures had been circled in red pen.
"This isn't wrong. I already verified it against the raw data—it's correct as is."
"If it's not wrong, would Wang Qi have gotten so furious? You clearly made the data error, yet I'm the one who gets scolded upstairs. Did you do it on purpose?"
Zhao Yu sneered. "Why Wang Qi blew up at you—don't you know perfectly well? Who was it that was gossiping behind people's backs, saying Secretary Wang only got her position because of an improper relationship with Director Xue?"
Ye Zi was livid. "You're the one who's utterly clueless. Just because you have a bit of looks, you think you can seduce Director Xue? You wish. Let me tell you, don't get too smug too soon. He just finds you a novelty right now—how long do you really think you'll last here?"
Her gaze falling on the beauty mark beneath Ye Zi's eye, Zhao Yu couldn't help but curl her lips mockingly. "Those words should be the ones I give to Secretary Ye."
Everyone thought Xue Zi'ang treated Ye Zi specially, because she was the only one who knew Xue Zi'ang beforehand and was then brought into the company as his secretary. Even Ye Zi herself grew arrogant from this favor, truly believing Xue Zi'ang liked her that much.
But the moment Zhao Yu first laid eyes on Ye Zi, she understood. Some people merely happened to possess a trait that could trigger certain memories in a person.
Strip that away, and what was left of her in Xue Zi'ang's eyes?
Ye Zi had been simmering with resentment for days, growing more hostile toward Zhao Yu every time she saw her. Now, having finally found an outlet for her rage, only to be stared at with such scorn, the fury consumed her. All reason gone, she snatched the coffee cup from the desk and hurled it at Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu had been guarding against this move. She dodged aside nimbly; the cup grazed past her and hit the floor, shattering into pieces.
"Secretary Ye, this is the office. If you can't stand the sight of me and want to vent your personal grudge, shouldn't you pick a different venue? First, it's throwing cups—next, will it be throwing computers?"
The moment Zhao Yu finished speaking, Ye Zi's face drained of all color.
Instinct told Zhao Yu that her own dry speech hadn't caused this—so she turned around and, sure enough, saw exactly the person who had made Ye Zi panic.
Xue Zhan stood just two steps from the shattered coffee cup fragments. Coffee splashed when the cup fell had likely even landed on his immaculate dress pants.
His features bore some resemblance to Xue Zi'ang's, but his facial lines were even softer, giving him the appearance—at first glance—of a very gentle man.
Yet Zhao Yu, who had thoroughly studied his file, would never think so. Neither would Ye Zi, who had witnessed his methods firsthand before.
"D-Director Xue..." Looking at the man's expressionless face, Ye Zi grew even more nervous. "I'm sorry, Director Xue... I didn't see you arrive. It wasn't intentional."
"Is your implication that if I hadn't come, resorting to physical violence in the office would be acceptable?" A faint smile touched Xue Zhan's lips, but the light emanating from those deep, dark eyes was clearly all cold, sharp steel.
"No, Director Xue, she was the one who first..."
Ye Zi tried to explain, but the moment Xue Zhan's piercing gaze swept over her face, she was so terrified she fell silent.
Stepping around the debris and stains on the floor, Xue Zhan walked directly toward Xue Zi'ang's office. "Bring me the report Wang Qi mentioned. And also, the raw data you just spoke of."
Though he hadn't spared Zhao Yu a single glance the entire time, Zhao Yu knew these words were directed at her. And it was obvious he had already been there for a while. Most likely, after hearing Wang Qi's summary, he had personally come downstairs the moment Ye Zi left after being rebuffed.
"Yes, Director Xue." Zhao Yu picked up the documents from her desk and followed him into the office.
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