CHAPTER 45: 042 SINCERE OR HYPOCRITICAL

Yan Yuzhen usually arrived at the office half an hour early. She had achieved her current position through real strength, and although many people cursed her behind her back, calling her a vixen and claiming she was having an affair with the president, she would just laugh it off. They were all jealous of her.

She relished seeing those women green with envy, yet not daring to do anything to her.

Today, when she arrived at the office, she found a few junior secretaries chattering away. Yan Yuzhen gave a cold laugh, "What are you doing?"

Their voices came to an abrupt halt, and the junior secretaries turned around with pale faces, "Good morning, Sister Yan..."

"I don’t see you this focused when it’s time to work, but you’re quite active when it comes to gossip. Half of this month’s bonus is deducted, and the next time I catch anyone, you can roll yourselves over to logistics," Yan Yuzhen scolded sharply.

The junior secretaries grumbled internally but outwardly agreed with an awkward sincerity.

Ah Li, a newly arrived intern with a lively personality, bravely handed a newspaper to Yan Yuzhen, "Sister Yan, we were just discussing the president, the president he..." Ah Li faltered as if unable to continue.

Yan Yuzhen glared at her, "Is the president someone you are allowed to discuss? You really have no idea how out of line you are." As Ah Li cast her gaze downward, Yan Yuzhen snatched the newspaper from her hands with an indifferent glance and saw the bold headline, widening her eyes in disbelief.

"How is this possible?" her face turned grave as she stared fixedly at the bold headline on the front page and the photoshopped picture of a man and a woman together, a sight that deeply irritated Yan Yuzhen’s eyes.

Clutching the newspaper tightly, veins standing out on the back of her hand, she turned and clomped into her office in her high heels, the door slamming shut with a "bang," sending a painful reverberation through everyone’s eardrums.

The interoffice phone rang, and Yan Yuzhen picked it up.

"Secretary Yan, come to the president’s office now," came the voice of Liang Yu, the president’s top assistant.

Only Liang Yu had free access to the president’s office; as a mere secretary, she needed permission to enter. Placing the phone down, Yan Yuzhen shredded the newspaper into bits, tossing it in the trash bin, quickly touched up her makeup, flashed a toothy smile in the mirror, and got up to leave.

Yan Yuzhen knocked on the door and soon heard Liang Yu’s voice from inside, "Come in."

When Yan Yuzhen pushed the door open, a wave of alcohol fumes hit her, causing her to frown involuntarily.

Yun Shen was lying on the couch, utterly unconscious from drunkenness, with several empty bottles lying on the coffee table. Liang Yu was squatting by his side, trying to lift Yun Shen, and without looking up at the sound of footsteps, he said, "Tidy up the office."

As soon as he spoke, he helped Yun Shen into the nearby resting room.

Yun Shen’s entire being was like a lump of mud, his head drooping. Suddenly, Yan Yuzhen caught sight of a fleeting expression of distress on his handsome face, and her heart sank.

She cleaned up the bottles while casting glances toward the resting room.

Having worked with the president for so many years, he had always struck her as calm and restrained. She had not expected to see him drinking, to the point of utter inebriation. Could it be because of Bai Ran?

Remembering the headline on the newspaper, she felt a murderous rage. One Kang Jinse was bad enough, and now a Bai Ran had appeared, the young lady of the Bai Family and a strong woman, far more difficult to deal with than a second-rate actress like Kang Jinse.

But what of it? She had an advantage over these women, much greater. Yan Yuzhen puffed up her shirt-front with prideful breasts, her expression smug as she glanced towards the resting room.

Soon enough, Liang Yu came out and glanced at Yan Yuzhen, "You look after the president. I’ll clean up here."

Yan Yuzhen pointed to herself, surprised that good fortune had come so quickly, and looked at Liang Yu with gratitude. Liang Yu had already diverted his gaze and began picking up the bottles on the table.

Without being pretentious, Yan Yuzhen thanked him and headed to the resting room on her high heels.

Liang Yu casually glanced at Yan Yuzhen’s self-satisfied silhouette and curled his lips in a mocking sneer.

As expected, a woman’s exaggerated scream soon came from inside, followed by a man’s chilling roar, "Get out..."

Yan Yuzhen ran out disheveled, her makeup slightly smeared, her eyes red-rimmed, looking rather pitiful.

Not wanting Liang Yu to see herself in such a plight, she was about to leave with her head down, when a handkerchief was extended to her, and the man’s elegant voice seemed to sweep away the gloom in her heart like a warm spring breeze.

"Wipe your tears, it was my lack of consideration. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have suffered such grievances."

She looked up in a daze, meeting the man’s concerned gaze. Liang Yu had always been indulgent and arrogant; he never showed concern for anyone. Yet, Yan Yuzhen found herself moved by such a version of Liang Yu.

A crack formed in her heart, through which a cold wind rushed.

"Thank you." She reached out to take it, lowering her eyes while a suspicious blush spread across her cheeks.

From an angle Yan Yuzhen couldn’t see, the corners of Liang Yu’s lips curled up slightly, and his eyes were deep and obscure.

——

Having left the Yun Family, Bai Ran wandered the streets aimlessly until she found herself in front of Jiangzhou University.

She ran to the bottom of the boys’ dormitory, and at 9:50 sharp, he appeared as expected.

He was a tall, thin young man dressed in a white shirt, wearing black-rimmed glasses, looking very refined and scholarly. The moonlight lingered on him, seemingly softening a few degrees.

He was followed by two other boys, but next to him, they seemed merely as a backdrop.

Seeing the woman waiting under the tree, the young man’s eyes brightened. He quickened his pace, his eyes shimmering with surprise.

"Why are you here?"

Bai Ran walked over and embraced him, "I missed you."

The two boys exchanged glances, greeted him, and then entered the dormitory building.

The young man wrapped his arms around her waist, his smile clear and rippling at his lips, "I was wondering if the wish I made this morning came true. I wanted to see you, and here you are."

The couple stayed at a nearby hotel for the night. When Bai Ran woke up, she found the bed next to her cool, and the sound of the toilet flushing came from the bathroom. She smiled, stretching lazily.

She grabbed her phone, which had over twenty missed calls, all from the same person.

Bai Ran’s good mood vanished in an instant.

The man walked out of the bathroom, the morning sun casting a golden glow over him, making his fair and delicate features seem somewhat translucent and blurry.

"Ranran, what’s wrong?"

Bai Ran hopped off the bed and kissed his face, "I have to go."

The smile in the man’s eyes gradually faded; he pursed his lips and looked down sadly.