Zhang Youwei stood there, clearly unbothered by the cursing crowd surrounding her. She leaned back and sat nonchalantly on the hood of a car.
As the conflict escalated, several people emerged from the Zhou Group headquarters and invited her inside, leaving others behind to handle the negotiations. The newcomers were clearly experts at public relations; with just a few words, the tension dissipated.
Watching Zhang Youwei disappear into the crowd, Qian Luo turned to Qian Zhen. “Do you think she would have actually made a move if she’d stayed out there bickering with them?”
Qian Zhen opened the car door and gestured for her to get in; the traffic was finally clearing. “That has nothing to do with us,” she said, closing the door.
As Qian Luo buckled her seatbelt with a sharp click, Ye spoke up from the back. “Hey, you guys know that the Zhang family has it much easier when it comes to ‘invoking the gods,’ right?”
Qian Luo’s tone was a bit sour. “What, looking to switch jobs already?”
Ye propped her feet on the back of Qian Luo’s seat. “When the Zhangs invite a god down, if anyone dares to be disrespectful, they just draw their swords and take revenge directly.” She shot a sidelong glance at Qian Luo. “They’re much more likable than a ‘follower’ like you.”
Qian Luo didn’t say a word. She started the car, drove a few meters, and then suddenly pulled a sharp U-turn, heading straight into the Zhou Group’s parking lot.
Ye sat bolt upright. “I thought we were going out to play! What are you doing at the office?”
Qian Luo parked the car, unbuckled her belt, and looked at Qian Zhen. “Sister, take Ye and go have fun without me.”
Qian Zhen grabbed her arm. “Luo, we all agreed to go out together. What is this? You should… at least consider other people’s feelings.”
Qian Luo forced a small smile. “Sister, someone is dead.”
With that, she stepped out of the car.
Qian Zhen watched her go in silence. Ye crossed her arms and looked away, refusing to even acknowledge the departing figure.
Finally, Qian Zhen spoke: “Lady Ye.”
Ye turned her head, surprised. It had been a long time since Qian Zhen used that formal title.
Qian Zhen looked at her with gentle, quiet eyes. “Why must you treat Luo this way?”
Ye straightened up defensively. “What did I do to her?”
Qian Zhen sighed softly. “Luo is actually very competitive at heart. Since this case fell into her hands, she’s determined to see it through to the end. Now that Zhang Youwei has appeared and you’re provoking her like this…”
Ye snorted coldly. “It has nothing to do with that!”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s because of that Zhou—that—” Ye almost blurted it out, but she stopped herself.
She couldn’t tell Qian Zhen about Zhou Xiaoming. How could she put it? Would she be a snitch? Should she say that Qian Luo was trying to shield a ghost? Or should she admit that she was… unhappy because Qian Luo was getting emotionally entangled in a messy case?
Ye turned away, her voice flat. “Let’s go. Let’s go have ‘fun’.”
Qian Luo’s silhouette had already vanished.
…
Zhang Youwei walked into the Zhou Group with an air of cold arrogance. She crossed her arms, her beautiful eyes scanning the lobby. “Status report.”
At that moment, Yin Tong happened to be coming down from the upper floors. The elevator doors opened, and the two women found themselves face-to-face. The air went still.
The receptionist hurried forward. “Miss Zhang, this is Manager Yin. she’s in charge of this matter and knows the details best.” He then turned to Yin Tong with a sycophantic smile. “Manager, this is Miss Zhang…”
Yin Tong arched an eyebrow. “Which ‘Miss Zhang’?”
Ah, she thought, the Zhang family descendant hired by those fools in the Zhou family. Every bit as arrogant as the legends say.
The hostility on Zhang Youwei’s face deepened. She tilted her chin up slightly, looking at Yin Tong through narrowed eyes.
As they faced off, the elevator doors began to close, only to be triggered open again. Everyone nearby held their breath; no one dared to speak.
Suddenly, the sound of frantic, uneven footsteps echoed down the hall. A woman in high heels came stumbling toward them, clutching a stack of files. “The elevator! Wait for the elevator!” she cried out.
Recognizing the voice, Yin Tong turned and froze in surprise.
Qian Luo was wearing a pair of oversized, dorky black-rimmed glasses she’d found somewhere, looking clumsy and a bit dim-witted. She scrambled into the elevator in ill-fitting heels, nodding breathlessly at Yin Tong. “Manager! Thank goodness I caught you! I’m going to the sixth floor, thank you!”
Yin Tong glanced at Zhang Youwei, a small smirk playing on her lips. She pressed the button for the sixth floor.
The doors began to slide shut.
Just before they closed, a sword scabbard was thrust between them, forcing the doors back open. Zhang Youwei stepped inside, ignoring Yin Tong completely. “Take me to my floor,” she said coldly to the receptionist.
The receptionist wiped sweat from his brow and stepped in, glancing nervously at Yin Tong, who remained silent. He reached out and pressed a random floor button.
Zhang Youwei turned to look at Qian Luo. “Is that heavy?”
Qian Luo’s eyes looked wide and vacant behind the thick glasses. “Huh? No, not at all! Just doing my job!”
Zhang Youwei reached out, her tone clipped as if words were expensive. “I’ll help you.”
“!! No, really! I can manage!”
Zhang Youwei ignored her and took the files anyway. Suddenly, she paused, her eyes locking onto Qian Luo’s face. “Have we met?”
Qian Luo looked everywhere but at her. “Um… have we?”
Zhang Youwei stepped closer, staring intensely. Qian Luo felt a bead of sweat form. She gave a nervous laugh. “Maybe? We must have a lot of ‘destiny’ together, right?”
Zhang Youwei took the heavy stack of files from her and muttered, “I suppose so.”
The receptionist hurried to intervene. “Miss Zhang shouldn’t be carrying those! Let me—”
Yin Tong shot him a look, and he instantly retracted his hand. “If Miss Zhang insists…”
The elevator dinged at the fifth floor. “Miss Zhang, please, this way,” the employee gestured.
Zhang Youwei adjusted the files in her arms, looked at Qian Luo, and said, “Take her to the sixth floor.”
Qian Luo: Wait, what?
The doors closed again, and the atmosphere returned to a dead silence. When they reached the sixth floor, the doors opened once more.
When Qian Luo had rushed in, those files weren’t hers, and she had no business on the sixth floor; she had only intended to bail out the slightly-more-tolerable Yin Tong from the arrogant Zhang Youwei. She hadn’t expected the girl to be so strangely helpful as to personally escort her…
Oh boy. I just made that up on the spot, and she took it seriously.
Zhang Youwei stepped out and waited in the hallway. Her long hair fell over her shoulders as she arched a brow. Her expression clearly said: Well? Are you coming?
“Um…” Qian Luo hesitated.
Yin Tong spoke up from the elevator. “What are you doing at the office on a weekend anyway?”
Qian Luo immediately slipped into the role of a lowly employee, bowing respectfully. “I didn’t finish my work yesterday, so I came to make it up. I’m not very talented, so I don’t want to get scolded by the boss…”
Yin Tong pulled a ring of keys from her bag. “The archives on the sixth floor. Go and ‘study’ a bit.”
Qian Luo felt like she’d received a divine pardon. She snatched the keys and wobbled out of the elevator, bowing like a servant. “Thank you, Manager! Thank you so much!”
She thought she’d successfully pulled off the act, but as she stepped out, she accidentally bumped right into Zhang Youwei.
As she looked up, she realized Zhang Youwei was already staring at her. They were inches apart.
Zhang Youwei’s eyes widened. She reached out with a slender, pale hand and snatched the glasses right off Qian Luo’s face. After a long silence, a smile actually touched her lips. “We did meet today, didn’t we?”
Qian Luo’s heart sank into an abyss. Yeah, we met. And I laughed at you.
“Actually…” Qian Luo stammered, “it’s all just destiny…”
Zhang Youwei arched an interested eyebrow. A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at her mouth. “Yes. Destiny.”
Because Qian Luo was so close, Zhang Youwei could see her face clearly. Suddenly, she reached out, tilted Qian Luo’s chin up, and pulled her closer. She whispered in a dazed tone, “Wait… have we met before today?”
“No! Absolutely not!” Qian Luo shouted.
Zhang Youwei seemed about to say something, but she suddenly turned her head away and took the stack of files back from the assistant. “…Where are you going? I’ll walk you there.”