Returning - Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Chance Encounter
When Zhao Yu went to the HR department to consult about something, she ran into Qin Yi in the hallway—the girl who had participated in several volunteer activities with her.
Spotting her, Qin Yi immediately rushed over excitedly to greet her. "Sister Zhao."
Seeing her in formal attire, hair tied back in a ponytail, Zhao Yu smiled and asked, "Here for an interview?"
"Yeah, I'll be a senior when school starts, and it just so happens your company is willing to take on interns."
"Judging by your expression, you passed?"
Qin Yi grinned smugly. "Passed on the spot. No need to go home and wait for a callback."
At that, she very formally extended her hand toward Zhao Yu. "We'll be colleagues from now on. Please guide me well."
Zhao Yu smiled and shook her hand, but inwardly she was thinking—if Qin Yi knew Ji Sui worked at Lanxi, she definitely wouldn't be standing here right now.
Too bad Ji Sui was her target; otherwise, she'd have been willing to give Qin Yi a hand.
Once back at her desk, she thought it over and seized the moment to send Ji Sui a WeChat message:
[Remember Qin Yi?]
Ji Sui: [Who]
[That pretty girl who did volunteer work with me. The day we first met, you even took her back to school. Remember now?]
[Mm]
[Want me to tell her you work at Lanxi?]
[What do you mean]
Zhao Yu: [Can't you tell she's interested in you? Didn't you say you needed to save yourself? Diving into a new relationship is the best form of self-rescue. The girl is quite pretty with an outgoing personality. She was here at Huacan for an interview today. If she knew you were at Lanxi, she'd definitely go there instead. Or, if you don't like office romances, I could give her your WeChat and you two can just chat casually.]
She sent a huge block of text. It took Ji Sui several minutes to reply, and it was only four short words:
[Not necessary, thanks]
Zhao Yu was still considering whether to apologize and say she'd been nosy, but then Ji Sui added:
[I don't like someone too young]
Probably he felt those first four words were too stiff, making him seem a bit cold, so he deliberately added this last line.
Zhao Yu smiled and left it at that.
At noon, Xue Zi'ang took Zhao Yu to a well-known specialty restaurant for lunch, saying she needed nourishing food during her period.
The restaurant's price point was high, and it was the lunch hour, so it wasn't very crowded. As soon as Zhao Yu walked in, she spotted Shang Lu at a table in the corner.
Shang Lu saw her as well. Their gazes met, and both maintained perfectly neutral expressions.
It was the man in his early thirties sitting across from Shang Lu who called out to Xue Zi'ang from a distance. "What brings Junior President Xue here for a meal?"
This place was some distance from Huacan but very close to Kuangshiji. Zhao Yu guessed the man was likely from the same company as Shang Lu.
Xue Zi'ang seemed quite familiar with the man. Holding Zhao Yu's hand, he walked over and smiled. "President Fei, surely you're not claiming territorial rights over this place too?"
The man smiled, gesturing at the still-empty table. "We just arrived too, haven't even ordered yet. Want to join us? I have a few questions I'd like to discuss with President Xue."
Under normal circumstances, Xue Zi'ang would have sat right down, but with Zhao Yu present, he turned to look at her, seeking her opinion.
Zhao Yu knew that since he hadn't refused outright, he'd already considered sharing a table with them, so she nodded with a smile.
The sofa was spacious. The man rose on his own initiative and moved to sit beside Shang Lu, yielding the opposite seats to them. Xue Zi'ang put his arm around Zhao Yu's waist and let her slide in first, so she ended up sitting directly across from Shang Lu.
Xue Zi'ang made introductions. "This is President Fei from Weile. And President Shang from Kuangshiji—you met him last time."
Zhao Yu smiled in greeting. "President Fei. President Shang."
The man chuckled. "No need for formalities. Just call me Fei Heng."
Fei Heng?
Zhao Yu paused. The name was familiar.
Xue Zi'ang continued the introduction. "Zhao Yu."
"Zhao Yu?" Fei Heng seemed momentarily taken aback as well, his slightly inquisitive gaze landing on her face, but he quickly resumed a casual smile. "As in Yu from Consort Yu? Quite a distinctive name."
Having said that, he cast a meaningful glance at Shang Lu, but Shang Lu's face remained totally expressionless.
Zhao Yu understood what Fei Heng meant.
Three years ago, when Shang Lu took her to the United States, she had been under an H1B visa. The visa had been arranged by Shang Lu, who had asked Fei Heng to process it under the pretense of employment at the American company where Fei Heng was working at the time.
Though she and Fei Heng had never met, they knew each other's names. In fact, Fei Heng was fully aware of her past relationship with Shang Lu.
Sensing the hint of amusement in Fei Heng's eyes as he looked at Zhao Yu, Xue Zi'ang instinctively grew guarded. He deliberately pulled Zhao Yu closer, draping his arm over her shoulder, and placed the menu in front of her. "See what you'd like to eat."
Zhao Yu smiled faintly. "You order."
"True. I know your tastes anyway." Xue Zi'ang grinned smugly and signaled a waiter over to take their order.
Meanwhile, Fei Heng took advantage of Xue Zi'ang looking down at the menu to mouth silently at Shang Lu: "Your woman?"
Shang Lu swept a cool glance over him and pushed the menu in his direction. "You order."
Fei Heng shrugged and remarked with a pointed tone, "True. After all, I know your tastes."
Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Yu glanced discreetly at Shang Lu. Shang Lu flicked a look at Fei Heng, then fixed his gaze squarely on her.
Though his expression gave nothing away, Zhao Yu understood. He was telling her that Fei Heng wouldn't reveal their past relationship—she could rest assured.
But that wasn't what Zhao Yu was worried about. She had just been reminded of the phone call he'd made to her on the day of his engagement.
Fei Heng, watching the silent exchange between the two, seemed to find it quite entertaining. He let out a low chuckle, pulled out a cigarette, and asked, "Mind if I smoke?"
Xue Zi'ang looked up and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, my girlfriend can't tolerate the smell of smoke."
Girlfriend? Those three words were the first time Zhao Yu had ever heard them from Xue Zi'ang's mouth.
Hearing this, Shang Lu couldn't help but glance at Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu thought, Shang Lu probably finds me incredibly ironic right now.
Because back when they met, she was at the peak of her smoking habit, easily going through several packs a day. Yet now, in front of Xue Zi'ang, she was playing the delicate flower who couldn't stand the smell of smoke.
Unable to light up, Fei Heng put away the lighter he'd already taken out. His gaze lingered briefly on the seemingly affectionate couple before he suddenly remarked, "Never thought the great Young Master Xue, who's romanced countless women, would actually settle down and find himself a girlfriend."
Though it sounded like an exclamation, it was clearly an underhanded dig.
Shang Lu knew his good friend was probably doing this for his sake, so he shot Fei Heng another look. But Fei Heng merely returned a thoroughly innocent smile.
Before Xue Zi'ang could respond, Zhao Yu turned to the waiting server with a smile. "I'll have the mushroom and sea cucumber soup. A bit more salt."
She then turned a gentle gaze on Xue Zi'ang. "Zi'ang, what will you drink? How about the cordyceps flower and fish maw with aged pigeon soup? I remember it's your favorite. Perfect timing too—you've been overworking the past two days. It can help nourish your lungs and protect your liver."
The drink choice didn't matter. What mattered was that in front of everyone, she gave Xue Zi'ang full face and helped him parry Fei Heng's mischievous teasing with this kind of stance.
Xue Zi'ang beamed, his gaze toward Zhao Yu turning impossibly tender. "Thank you. You really do know me best."
Fei Heng found the sweetness so cloying his mouth twitched. Suppressing the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes, he turned helplessly toward Shang Lu.
As a result, Shang Lu returned him an extremely frosty, razor-sharp glare.
Great. Now he was the bad guy on all sides.
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