Returning home, Lin Qian walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and peeked down.
The black sedan had already driven away. Lin Qian let out a sigh of relief.
With a swish, she pulled the curtains wide open.
She flopped onto the sofa and let out a comfortable sigh.
Suddenly, she bolted upright, ran back to the window, and looked down once more.
It was empty down there; nothing remained.
She suddenly realized why Su Qingmo’s car looked so familiar. It was remarkably similar—strikingly similar—to the car that frequently parked downstairs while its owner “fed the mosquitoes.”
Was it the same model? Then again, black cars were everywhere. Even if it were the same model, it wouldn’t be that surprising.
Right, not surprising at all.
Lin Qian shook her head with a chuckle. There was no way the person feeding mosquitoes could be Su Qingmo. It was impossible to even consider.
Dismissing the absurd thought, she lay back down on the sofa to rest.
A hard object in her pocket pressed against her.
It was a box containing the blue earring. She took it out and held it up to the light, inspecting it from every angle.
She had intended to return it to Su Qingmo, but she hadn’t succeeded.
Accepting a gift for no reason—especially from someone she wasn’t close to, and her boss no less—made Lin Qian feel uneasy.
The item didn’t look cheap. Given Su Qingmo’s status, she wouldn’t wear inexpensive jewelry; it had to be quite valuable.
Since it was expensive, she had all the more reason not to keep it. She had to find another chance to return it.
As the thought arose, she suddenly recalled Su Qingmo’s words in the car: “A gift is a gift. I’m not in the habit of taking back things I’ve given away.”
That voice had been terrifyingly cold.
Lin Qian shrank back slightly, quickly tucked the earring into the box, and tossed it aside as if she were still afraid of it.
After lying on the sofa for a while and feeling rested, she got up, logged into her game, and began her pleasant daily gaming routine.
Gui Yin (Lin Qian): Sorry, I got off work a bit late today. I’m late.
Qing (Su Qingmo) replied quickly: It’s okay. I just got on, too.
Lately, they had been meeting up to play games every day. Moving from strangers to acquaintances, they occasionally chatted about life beyond the game.
Gui Yin: Today…
Qing: What happened?
Gui Yin: I just feel like today has been so surreal. I just got back in my boss’s car, and we even ate Jianbing Guozi together by the road.
Gui Yin: It was just… very weird. I’m a total mess.
Qing: You don’t like your boss?
Gui Yin: It’s not that I don’t like her.
Gui Yin: She’s just very mean.
Su Qingmo frowned, then walked over to the mirror in confusion, looking at herself. She then picked up her phone and dialed Li Linlin.
Li Linlin had just fallen asleep when she was jolted awake by the call.
Seeing it was Su Qingmo, she immediately composed herself, cleared her throat, sat up straight, and answered, “President Su.”
Su Qingmo’s cold voice came through the line: “Secretary Li, do I look mean?”
Li Linlin’s brain short-circuited for a moment.
What on earth? Calling in the middle of the night—I thought there was a work assignment, but she’s asking what?
Before Li Linlin could answer, Su Qingmo added, “Forget it. Pretend I didn’t ask.”
Beep, beep, beep…
The call was disconnected.
Li Linlin stared at her phone screen, her lips twitching.
A moment later, a text message arrived.
Su Qingmo: Help me find a makeup artist. Someone who is good at creating a “gentle” look.
Li Linlin’s lips twitched again.
She grumbled inwardly: With that aura of yours, President Su, you automatically lower the temperature of the room just by standing there. That innate “do not disturb” vibe means no amount of makeup will help. You and “gentle” simply aren’t in the same zip code.
The next morning.
Just as Lin Qian sat down, she noticed a bag on her desk. She looked around blankly, then opened it tentatively. It was a Jianbing Guozi.
Who put this here? Did they get the wrong desk?
Xiao Yan, sitting opposite her, suddenly poked her head over. “Secretary Li left that here. She told me to tell you to eat it while it’s hot. Since when are you so close with Secretary Li?”
Lin Qian looked lost.
Soon, something clicked.
When she was eating with Su Qingmo by the road yesterday, the boss had said, “I actually know how to make these. If there’s a chance later, how about I make one for you?”
Lin Qian looked down at the elegantly packaged crepe, her heart surging like a stormy sea.
Wasn’t that just a joke? She actually made it for me? Su Qingmo made this?
Lin Qian took a small bite, and her eyes immediately lit up.
It was delicious, at the very least, it suited her taste perfectly.
She took bite after bite, her cheeks bulging like a squirrel. Soon, the entire crepe was gone.
Inside the President’s office.
Li Linlin handed over a bandage and couldn’t help but nag, “You could have just bought her breakfast. Why did you have to cook it yourself? You’ve never even been in a kitchen and you’re not good at this. You ended up hurting your hand just to make one meal…”
Su Qingmo gave her a cold stare.
Li Linlin took the hint, immediately made a “zipping her lips” gesture, and beat a hasty retreat.
Su Qingmo applied the bandage to her wound. It seemed to sting, as her brows were knit tight. She checked the time—9:00 AM. She stood up, walked to the window, and peeked through the blinds.
The “little rabbit” was munching away, her cheeks puffed out. She was incredibly cute.
Su Qingmo’s brow relaxed, her heart filled with joy.
After finishing breakfast, Lin Qian started working. She revised the draft repeatedly until even the punctuation was flawless. Only then did she dare to head toward the President’s office.
She took several deep breaths, braced herself mentally, and finally summoned the courage to knock on the door.
“Come in,” a cold voice called from within.
Lin Qian suppressed her anxiety, pushed open the door, and entered.
Su Qingmo looked up. Seeing it was her, a faint glimmer flickered in her eyes.
Lin Qian walked over and handed over the documents. “President Su, this is the content I rewrote yesterday.”
Su Qingmo took them, a soft smile touching the corners of her mouth. “Have a seat first.”
Lin Qian sat as instructed, hands on her knees, sitting ramrod straight and as stiff as ever.
Su Qingmo opened the draft and scanned it. Before long, she nodded. “Just a few more minor adjustments to the details, and it’ll be about finished.”
Hearing this, Lin Qian let out a long breath.
Su Qingmo thought for a moment and added, “You write very well. It fits our product perfectly, and the content isn’t boring; it’s witty and humorous. In short, it’s excellent.”
Lin Qian was stunned.
When she worked under Director Liu, the words she heard most were “a total mess” and “utter rubbish.” Even when a draft finally passed, she’d only get a “it’s passable enough to use.”
Being praised was almost an impossibility.
She had been discouraged so often that receiving affirmation made her feel completely out of her element.
Afterward, they discussed a few more work details. Before leaving, Lin Qian hesitated, then finally spoke up: “The Jianbing Guozi was delicious. Thank you, President Su.”
Su Qingmo: “I’m glad you liked it. What do you want to eat tomorrow?”
Lin Qian froze, staring at her blankly.
“How about white fungus and lotus seed soup? I remember you liked that at the last dinner. Let’s go with that. All right, I’m a bit busy now, you may leave.” She spoke quickly, and as soon as she finished, she lowered her head to work. She seemed truly busy so busy that Lin Qian didn’t even get a chance to say another word.
Lin Qian left the office in a complete daze.
What does this mean? She’s going to make me breakfast again tomorrow?
Making a crepe today was strange enough, but tomorrow too? Why?
She couldn’t figure it out at all.
Xiao Yan walked by and saw Lin Qian looking like her soul had left her body. She shook her head in sympathy.
Going to President Su’s office once and getting scolded into this state poor thing, poor thing.