“Ha, what are you saying? There are so many people in the company. Does everyone go to the boss to borrow money just because they are short on cash? Besides, I am just a small intern.”
Cheng Di looked at her for a while, seemingly trying to guess if she was telling the truth.
“Transfer me a thousand yuan. I don’t have money to eat.”
Cheng Luo let out a sigh of relief. After haggling with him for a bit, she finally transferred six hundred.
As she picked up her bag to leave, Cheng Di spoke behind her with disdain. “What is the use of reading so many books? In the end, you are still just working for someone else.”
Cheng Luo left without looking back.
Just as she walked out of the alley, she crossed her arms and wondered whether to return to the villa or go straight to the company. Suddenly, a white car with sleek lines pulled up in front of her. The car window lowered slowly, gradually revealing an expressionless face.
“Boss, why are you here?” Cheng Luo asked cautiously while fastening her seatbelt.
“What time did you arrive?”
Cheng Luo gave an approximate time.
“What, do you have trouble sleeping in new places?”
Cheng Luo shook her head.
“If you don’t have trouble sleeping there, then why did you run off so fast? I thought you regretted staying over.”
“Of course I don’t regret it!”
Cheng Luo’s words were so firm that Zhai Qing actually glanced at her.
“Ahem, only a fool would turn down a stay at a villa,” Cheng Luo said, rubbing her nose.
It definitely had nothing to do with the person.
At the entrance of the alley that they hadn’t noticed, a person wearing a thin coat was staring at them with glowing eyes. Just as he wanted to step forward, the car drove off unexpectedly, leaving him in a cloud of dust.
Cheng Di spat on the ground. He had followed her out on a whim to see what was happening, only to see the brat get into a car that he could never afford in his lifetime. That brat actually dared to lie to him.
The moment Cheng Luo stepped into the company, her eyelid twitched violently. It gave her a sense of inexplicable panic, as if something were about to happen. She worried all morning, but everything remained normal. Her work had no errors. She figured it was just because she had woken up too early.
At noon, when she went to pick up her takeout, Zhai Qing unexpectedly followed her down.
Cheng Luo looked at the delivery person from a distance. Something seemed wrong today. She didn’t know if the shop had high standards for quality or service, but the person delivering the food was usually a handsome young man in a suit. The first time Cheng Luo picked it up, she thought he was there to discuss a business partnership.
Instead, today’s person wore a worn-out jacket and shoes covered in mud. He wore a gray baseball cap pulled low, hiding his face. If Cheng Luo hadn’t seen the familiar packaging, she wouldn’t have dared to walk over.
“Excuse me, which one is order number ten?”
As soon as Cheng Luo spoke, she noticed the slip in the delivery man’s hand was indeed number ten.
“This is it. I’ll take it.”
Before she could finish, the delivery man raised his head. Cheng Luo was stunned when she saw her brother’s face.
Cheng Di gave a predatory grin and reached out to grab Cheng Luo’s arm. However, someone moved faster, and Cheng Luo was shielded behind a back.
“Who are you? I’m calling security,” Zhai Qing said with an unfriendly expression.
Cheng Di saw that her clothes looked expensive and quickly put on a flattering smile. “Hehe, don’t get excited. I am Cheng Luo’s brother. I just wanted to come and see her.”
He looked at Cheng Luo as he spoke, acting as if he were truly a good brother caring for his sister.
“Oh, family visits are not allowed during working hours. Please leave,” Zhai Qing said, dismissing him bluntly.
“As expected of a large company, there are so many rules.” Seeing Cheng Luo hiding behind the other woman like a frightened quail, Cheng Di didn’t linger. He had already achieved his goal.
Zhai Qing turned around after the man had walked away. She saw Cheng Luo looking at her intently, her eyes full of anxiety. Without hesitation, Zhai Qing placed a hand on the back of Cheng Luo’s head and let her lean against her shoulder. From that close, she could hear Cheng Luo’s teeth chattering.
Zhai Qing’s hand moved from the back of her head to her neck as she whispered comfortingly, “Don’t be afraid. No matter what happens, I am here.”
Cheng Luo closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Zhai Qing’s waist. Just one hug, just for a moment.
Zhai Qing allowed her to hold her until Cheng Luo’s emotions stabilized. Then, Zhai Qing took out her phone. Cheng Luo didn’t know who she was calling, but she heard her say:
“I want to change the delivery person. From now on, the food must not pass through a second person’s hands.”
Cheng Luo let out a laugh. “I didn’t expect the first thing you would worry about was the food.”
“I haven’t grown tired of eating it yet.”
“Why does your body feel so stiff?”
“I am nervous.”
Cheng Luo quickly felt the slender waist a few more times before reluctantly letting go. At the moment her arms pulled away, Zhai Qing felt a sudden sense of emptiness in her heart.
“Thank you for the comfort, but aren’t you going to ask who he was?”
“It is not important.”
“You are my employee, and he is not.”
“Alright, but he definitely won’t let this go. If he can come to the company to block me today, he might go to the villa in a few days. Will that bother you? Maybe I should move.”
Before she could finish, Zhai Qing interrupted her. “It won’t. I pay property fees every year; the community security is not useless.”
Perhaps because she was so serious, the fear in Cheng Luo’s heart vanished. Instead, her heart stirred, and she asked provocatively, “So, does that mean you will protect me?”
Zhai Qing looked into her eyes with total sincerity. “Of course.”
Just as Zhai Qing had said, Cheng Di did not appear for several days. However, when they returned home today, they found two people sitting on the sofa. One of them even waved at them as if they were the owners of the house.
“Why are you off work so late? You don’t need to push yourself so hard.”
Zhai Qing frowned at them. “Why are you here?”
“What, are we not welcome?” Zhai Qing’s father also frowned, staring at them intently. He had thought Zhai Qing was just acting last time, but he hadn’t expected her to bring the girl home. His authoritative voice echoed in the living room.
“Come here, let me see.”
After he spoke, no one in the room moved. Finally, Ji Duo reminded them, “Sister-in-law, Uncle wants to see you.”
Before Cheng Luo could move, Zhai Qing said unceremoniously, “Just look from there. Leave after you’ve seen enough.”
Ji Duo looked at the person hidden behind Zhai Qing; he couldn’t see a single hair. Zhai Qing’s father was furious at her words.
“Is this how you speak to your elders? Is this how Zhai Wen educated you?”
Zhai Qing became even angrier when he mentioned her mother. “Get out! My home does not welcome you!”
“Hmph, if I had known, I shouldn’t have recognized you. You are just a frustrating creature!”
“That would have been for the best.”
The two went back and forth, neither willing to back down. While Zhai Qing and her father were in a standoff, Ji Duo moved to another seat and gave Cheng Luo a subtle look. We just wanted to see you, and then we will leave. You don’t want them to keep fighting, do you?
Cheng Luo looked at Zhai Qing’s clenched fist. She steadied her mind and took a step to the side. “Uncle, you’ve seen me now. Can you leave?”
Zhai Qing’s father made a disdainful sound. He looked Cheng Luo up and down, this time very carefully.
“The appearance is not bad. If you truly like each other, then settle down quickly. I will pay for all the wedding expenses.”
After leaving those words, Zhai Qing’s father departed. With a loud bang, Zhai Qing slammed the door shut. The noise startled Ji Duo so much that he nearly tripped. He walked faster to keep up.
“Uncle, isn’t it a bit hasty to have them get married now?”
Zhai Qing’s father glared at him. “They aren’t young anymore. What is hasty about it!”
The villa fell silent. After they left, Zhai Qing locked herself in her room. Cheng Luo asked her what she wanted for dinner, but she didn’t respond. Cheng Luo could only cook whatever she found in the fridge. The spread was much simpler than the day before. She hand-kneaded some dough and made two bowls of noodle soup before daring to knock on the closed door.
“Boss, it’s time to eat.” Cheng Luo turned the handle, but it wouldn’t open, so she could only call through the door.
Zhai Qing didn’t speak. Cheng Luo could only hear heavy coughing.
“Boss? Boss? What’s wrong?”
Cheng Luo was worried and began patting the door while calling her name. Just as she planned to break the door down with force, the lock clicked. Zhai Qing appeared with an exhausted expression and the smell of cigarettes.
“You were smoking?”
Zhai Qing raised her hand as if trying to wave the smell away. “Just two puffs. I’m not used to it.”
Cheng Luo looked at her with disapproval. “It is bad for your health. Don’t smoke in the future. Come down and eat.”
Zhai Qing looked at the two bowls of noodles on the table and asked in surprise, “Did we have noodles at home?”
Cheng Luo blinked. “I made them from scratch.”
“You don’t need to do anything so troublesome in the future. You aren’t a nanny.”
“I wanted to make them for you to taste. They shouldn’t be bad.”
Zhai Qing had nothing more to say. She took a bite of the noodles; they were smooth and chewy, and the texture was truly excellent. In the end, only the two large bowls of noodles were completely finished. The other dishes were barely touched.
Zhai Qing washed the dishes as usual. Cheng Luo sat in the living room watching television, her laughter occasionally echoing through the house. However, she stopped laughing when Zhai Qing walked over. Zhai Qing sat on the armchair and used the remote to pause the television.
“Let’s talk about this afternoon when you took it upon yourself to stand forward.”
Cheng Luo was confused. Is this what you’ve been angry about all this time?
Zhai Qing saw her wide eyes, looking as if she were trying to be cute, and barked, “Fix your attitude!”
“But I didn’t lose anything by standing forward. He left very quickly.”
Zhai Qing’s brows furrowed. “You do whatever he says? He also told you to marry me. Are you going to marry me!”
“I will marry you!” Cheng Luo shouted boldly. Then she whispered, “Not likely.”
Zhai Qing heard it clearly. Her mood swung up and down, making it almost painful to breathe.
“Fine. No more television.”
Not only was Cheng Luo’s television time taken away, but she was also forced to participate in a lecture on her mindset. It wasn’t until she was yawning repeatedly that Zhai Qing let her go to sleep.
The first temporary family meeting officially came to an end. Cheng Luo vowed never to have one again; her body and soul had suffered greatly.