Returning - Chapter 77
Chapter 77: Elusive
Zhao Yu's entire body was tense, and she didn't dare to move a muscle.
Although Ji Sui kissing her was the very outcome she had schemed and calculated to achieve, if she acted too eager or too casual, her persona would collapse.
That was why even Ji Sui could clearly feel the stiffness of her body.
It was a signal, reminding him that he had crossed a line.
Abruptly leaving her lips and straightening up, seeing her so nervous and at a loss, he too was suddenly flustered, not knowing how to react.
What had come over him just now? How could he be so impulsive? How could he do such a thing?
He kept saying Xue Zi'ang bullied her, but wasn't what he had just done to her also outright bullying?
Remorse, regret, self-blame, lingering fear... all these emotions intertwined, making his already heavy breathing even more rapid. He moved his lips, struggling and brewing for a long time before he could speak: "I'm sorry... I..."
At this moment, he even thought that if Zhao Yu slapped him, it would be deserved.
Yet he couldn't help but think, she could hit him or scold him, but if she were to ignore him from now on, to not see him... an even more intense panic welled up from within.
"Zhao Yu..."
Before he could finish, she had already shaken her head: "No need... no need to apologize... I..."
She bit her lip, her face reflecting the same fluster as his, with an added touch of shyness. "I... I don't blame you..."
At this point, as if afraid he might misunderstand, she quickly explained, "I mean... it's... I know you are a very good person, a gentleman..."
Was he a gentleman?
Hearing these words, Ji Sui couldn't help but bitterly curse himself in his heart again.
In what way could he be considered a gentleman?
If he were, he wouldn't have kissed her so abruptly just now. Besides, she had no idea what filthy thoughts had flashed through his mind when he was applying the medicine for her earlier.
"The medicine... is it applied?" She lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
"Yes, it's done."
Zhao Yu quickly pulled up her collar and hurriedly got up from the sofa to head for the door: "Then... then I'll go back first."
Ji Sui also stood up, wanting to ask her to stay but not knowing how to start.
At the entrance, Zhao Yu seemed to remember something. She turned around, head still lowered, and ran into the guest bedroom where she had been staying these past few days. Soon she came out carrying a bag, but still didn't dare look at him: "I... I came to get my things. I left something here. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. I... I'm leaving now. Goodbye."
With that, she went out the door without looking back. This time, it was for real.
Ji Sui stared blankly at her flustered figure, watching her open the door and close it, watching the room instantly become quiet and empty. He felt as if all his strength had suddenly been drained away.
Dazed and bewildered, he collapsed back onto the sofa. Noticing the ointment left behind, he once again tasted the flavor of regret.
Why had he been so rash? Would she be unwilling to see him ever again?
But, she had just said she didn't blame him, and the shyness on her face, her reaction, didn't seem like she blamed him at all. Instead, it seemed more like...
Perhaps, she actually had a little bit of a special feeling for him too? Otherwise, why would she trust him so much, dare to stay at his home? Why would she be willing to let him apply medicine for her?
Amidst the regret and worry, a spark of hope couldn't help but ignite in his heart.
In the following days, Zhao Yu did not see Ji Sui, nor did she chat with him on WeChat. She even stopped interacting on Shi Yu's Moments, leaving Ji Sui with no way to see any of her activities.
She knew very well that, with the current progress, getting Ji Sui's body would be simple. But what she wanted was his heart.
Progressing too quickly would inevitably arouse his suspicion and wouldn't fit the persona she presented in front of him. The more reserved she was, the more elusive she seemed, the more he would worry.
"Order takeout or go out to eat?" Before twelve o'clock even arrived, Xia Nan couldn't help but whisper the question.
Ever since Xue Zi'ang moved to the top floor, she had moved up as well. The three of them being together actually made it convenient to slack off at work.
"Let's go out to eat. I'm sick of ordering takeout, never know which place to pick." Wang Qi waved the voucher in her hand. "Leftover from last time, don't let it go to waste."
"I think I might still have a couple here too." Zhao Yu pulled open her drawer and rummaged inside for a moment. She didn't find the vouchers, but did see a pair of gleaming leather shoes come to a stop in front of her.
She had always carried a faint smile, but upon seeing these leather shoes, her expression instantly turned cold: "May I ask what instructions President Xue has?"
"Asking you out for lunch."
"No time."
Wang Qi and Xia Nan had no reaction to this. After all, this kind of scene had played out countless times in front of them. One persistently offering warmth, the other returning cold indifference. It actually carried a certain "domineering CEO and his willful little wife" vibe.
Truthfully, at first, seeing Zhao Yu torment Xue Zi'ang, that scumbag looking for a substitute, they found it quite satisfying. But after seeing it so much, they'd grown numb. Now they were more interested in watching "the secret affair between the domineering uncle and his former niece-in-law."
Unfortunately, that uncle had been incredibly busy lately and didn't seem to have had much contact with his former niece-in-law.
While the two were chatting animatedly on QQ, they suddenly heard the phone on Zhao Yu's desk ring. After answering, she only replied with a smile: "Alright, Director Xue, I'll be right there."
Then, without giving Xue Zi'ang any chance to speak, she got up and strode towards Xue Zhan's office, her high heels clacking loudly. After entering, she even closed the door.
Stealing a glance at Xue Zi'ang's ashen face, Wang Qi and Xia Nan exchanged a look, instantly understanding the mutual thought in their eyes: That was satisfying.
Zhao Yu also didn't know what Xue Zhan wanted her for.
Although she was now technically his assistant, it wasn't officially justified. Usually, tasks that needed doing were directly assigned by Xue Zhan's special assistant, Gu Shuyang, with no need for Xue Zhan to speak personally.
When she reached Xue Zhan's desk, he gestured towards the chair opposite him: "Sit."
Zhao Yu obediently sat down and saw Xue Zhan slide a bank card across the desk towards her: "This is the compensation from the Yu family for you. Yu Fei also agreed to come in person to apologize to you."
Regarding the allergy incident last time, she had said she would leave it entirely to Xue Zhan's decision. He hadn't asked her about it since. She hadn't expected this outcome.
Seeing her hesitate, Xue Zhan added: "Or, do you want some other form of compensation?"
Zhao Yu smiled and decisively put away the bank card: "No need, I'm very satisfied. There's nothing more substantial in this world than money. As for that Miss Yu's apology, that won't be necessary. Someone like her, even if willing to apologize, would only do so due to external pressure, not because she actually feels sorry. In truth, from beginning to end, she would only ever think that people like us, with our status, deserve to be toyed with and trampled on casually. Such a hypocritical formality like an apology, better to forgo it."
On the surface, her words were about Yu Fei, but to Xue Zhan's ears, they were clearly a jab at Xue Zi'ang.
Regarding her steadily for a few seconds, Xue Zhan suddenly asked: "Have you thought it through? You won't give him another chance?"
Zhao Yu didn't answer, but boldly countered: "If one day, Director Xue was also treated as a substitute by a woman, used repeatedly as a tool for venting desire, would Director Xue forgive her? Would you still reconcile with her?"
Xue Zhan fell silent. The answer was obvious.
Zhao Yu gave a self-deprecating smile: "I know, Director Xue, you are his biological uncle and would surely stand on his side. But I... I'm very sorry, I will disappoint you."
Xue Zhan also gave a soft laugh: "What makes you think I'm here as his advocate?"
Zhao Yu was taken aback: "You're not?"
"No." Xue Zhan stood up, took his coat off the nearby coat rack and put it on. "Have lunch with me."
Zhao Yu was stunned again.
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