C64 Come to My Office
C64 Come to My Office
At President Huo's words, all of them immediately turned to the woman sitting with them. Director Wang's eyes were lit up with jealousy as he stroked his chin, looking deep in thought. "Your girlfriend's a Ming's employee," he noted. "How come I've never seen her before?"
"You're a very busy person. Besides, my girlfriend's just part of the staff, so it's normal for her to go under your radar."
"If I had noticed her, I definitely wouldn't let you have her," Director Wang joked, slightly enamored by her beauty. Although there were hundreds of models who were far better-looking than her, there was something about her natural looks that seemed like a breath of fresh air. It was definitely a sight to behold.
The other managers laughed. "Seeing as Attorney Zhou got himself a pretty girl from Ming's, perhaps Director Wang can find a pretty lawyer from your law firm."
"You're welcome to do so!" Seeing as everyone had thought that Jian Yun was his girlfriend, he didn't bother denying it. His ego was further inflated in satisfaction, and he inched nearer to her seat.
She, on the other hand, didn't seem too pleased about the situation, but she couldn't really do anything about it. Pursing her lips, she inched a bit to the left, farther away from the man. If she had butted in, she'd lose face for the both of them, so it was better not to say anything at all.
"Cheng Muze's single! What do you say about being paired up with an attorney?" Since the executives didn't dare joke around with Huo Liancheng given his detached personality, they decided to pull his special assistant into their conversation.
"There's no need. I don't like sharp-tongued women." He had already been eating his food, having no interest in joining them with their jokes and teasings. He knew full well if this banter continued, a certain someone would be going on a rampage, and Cheng Muze wasn't going risk being in the bitter end of his wrath.
Seeing his sudden dismissal, everyone immediately fell silent.
"It seems that you really like Attorney Zhou," Huo Liancheng spoke again. His voice was a little hoarse, and his words were a bit muffled, but they still held a certain resignation in his tone. "You've been holding onto the flowers this entire time."
"Ah..." The more she smiled, the more embarrassed she became. Jian Yun glanced from one side of the room to another, wishing that the tiled floors could swallow her up this instant.
What was she supposed to say? 'Yes, I really like Attorney Zhou. Aren't these flowers pretty?' If she had said that, then Zhou Shaolong would misunderstand her. Although she found him respectable, he certainly wasn't his type! And she didn't want to keep his hopes up for feelings that weren't there in the first place!
But if she said differently, then that would mean that she had been lying to Huo Liancheng about not having a boyfriend. Wouldn't that make the situation even worse?
Unable to take the pressure, Jian Yun placed the bouquet on an empty seat and stood up. "I'll go get some food first," she excused herself.
Zhou Shaolong initially wanted to go with her, but seeing as all the higher-ups were gathered at one table, it would be inappropriate for both of them to leave in one go. Due to this, he glanced up at her. "Could you get a tray for me too?"
She nodded. "Sure."
"Attorney Zhou, your girlfriend's so kind to you." Director Wang gazed at her retreating back, squinting his eyes in appreciation. "It seems that both of you love each other very much. How long have you been together?"
"Not long, but our relationship has been good." Zhou Shaolong laughed, waving his hand.
Director Wang was about to say something else when one of the executives nudged him. It was then when he noticed that the atmosphere around them had darkened impeccably, and when he turned to the side, he could see a swirl of rage hidden in Huo Liancheng's eyes. Immediately, he stiffened.
"President Huo, is the food not to your liking?" Director Wang asked carefully, feeling as if he was tiptoeing across glass.
"I lost my appetite. I'll be leaving first!" Huo Liancheng suddenly stood up and grabbed his coat from the back of the chair. Kicking the seat to the side, he strode away.
As soon as he stood up from his seats, all the ladies in the company couldn't help but sigh and scream. The tight button-up shirt definitely did wonders to his body, and just the mere sight of his muscles rippling under his shirt was enough to make them fan their faces. It was like watching a celebrity from afar.
Huo Liancheng couldn't care less about the impression that he had left them, and his cold expression was enough to push anyone away at a moment's notice. Even then, that wasn't enough to stop the women from swooning, "So handsome!"
"He's so cool!"
"Look at him! He has a body of a god!"
"Hubby!"
As there were hundreds of people in the cafeteria, even if Huo Liancheng didn't like to be addressed as is, it wasn't as if he knew who it was. Plus, he wasn't bored enough to investigate the entire scene one by one. This was why the women were brave enough to speak up and show their appreciation of his looks. With a frown, he strode towards the elevator.
Despite his absence, the tension still hadn't left the table. Every single one of the Ming's executives looked at one another, wondering who or what had offended him. Even Zhou Shaolong was trembling in fear. "Did I say something to upset him?"
"Of course not! President Huo just lost his appetite." Cheng Muze burst into laughter, waving his hand dismissively. He was certainly not going to tell him the truth of the matter. It was like watching a mouse scurrying towards a mousetrap, he wanted to see the results.
Jian Yun had just heard screams from a bunch of lovestruck employees from the far right, and when she had turned around, she saw that Huo Liancheng left the cafeteria. She heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that she could finally eat in peace this time around. The young woman returned to the table with two trays in her hands.
"Thank you." Zhou Shaolong smiled up at her.
Although she smiled back, she couldn't help but be a little disgruntled over the entire situation. After what had happened today, all the good impression she had of him was slowly dissipating.
The only reason Zhou Shaolong wanted to be here was to stake his claim on her. If their relationship had lasted long enough, she wouldn't have complained, but they had only known each other for a week and a half! Why was he so anxious to tell everyone he was her boyfriend? Did he treat her as some object worth displaying all the time?
Jian Yun crinkled her nose in disgust. It seemed that she had misjudged him.
As time had passed, Director Wang and Zhou Shaolong grew even more familiar with one another as they talked about their experiences in the industry. Halfway through her meal, Jian Yun's phone rang. When she glanced at her screen, she saw that the call was from Huo Liancheng. She bit her lips.
At first, Jian Yun wanted to ignore the call completely, but seeing as the other executives had seen her pick up her phone, the action would seem deliberate. And that certainly wouldn't be good for any of them. With a sigh, her thumb hovered over the screen, unsure of what to do.
Zhou Shaolong quickly turned his head. "Your phone's ringing. Why aren't you answering it?"
"I–yeah." Afraid that they'd see the caller ID, she quickly swiped the answer button.
The moment the call was connected, Huo Liancheng's voice sounded from the other end of the line. "Come to my office!"
"No way!" Upon hearing his domineering tone, she refused almost immediately.
"It's either that or I'll go to the cafeteria to look for you," he warned.
"I'll go!" Just as she had agreed, Jian Yun could hear a soft laugh in the background, and she gritted her teeth. Was he really amusing himself with her dilemma?
Noticing the bitterness in her expression, Zhou Shaolong furrowed his eyebrows. "Is there something wrong?"
"I–I'm fine." Forcing a smile, she buried her head into her food. She wanted to wait a bit before going, as to not attract any attention from any bystanders. A minute had passed, and she turned, noticing that Zhou Shaolong and Director Wang were still in the middle of a conversation. With this, she made up an excuse. "I'm done eating. I'll be leaving first."
"Where are you going?" He turned to her, furrowing his eyebrows. "I'm almost done eating. Just give me a second."
"I'll just be heading to the bathroom to freshen up."
"Attorney Zhou, you still have more than half of your food on your plate. Is it because the food on Ming's isn't good? I'll ask the Head Chef to cook up a few of our specialties." Cheng Muze smiled, attracting his attention. He immediately instructed the chef at the side to prepare even more dishes. This time, the lawyer couldn't refuse his request. "Eat with us a little while more."
When Jian Yun walked out of the cafeteria, she noticed that hundreds of employees were crowding around the elevator. To avoid being noticed by any of them, she turned around and headed into the fire exit. There was a lounge on the second floor, so no one would see her there.
By the time she stood inside the elevator, she sighed and twisted her wrists. It was time to have a very thorough talk with Huo Liancheng, just to clear out the air between them.
However, when she stepped into the CEO's office, she noticed that it was empty.