When she counted to three, Cheng Sisi stopped but did not turn around.
A moment later, she heard the sound of a car door opening, followed by footsteps gradually approaching.
A large, broad hand grabbed her arm.
“Why are you so disobedient?”
Jiang Zhuo pulled her to the driver’s side door, opened it, and waited for her to get in.
“Do I need to stuff you in?”
As he spoke, he nudged her, as if dealing with a sulking child.
“What’s wrong?”
He keenly sensed something was off with her. Leaning down, he placed a hand on top of her head and looked directly at her profile, asking, “Did someone bully you at the company?”
She glanced at him, her eyes red.
“Brother Jiang Zhuo, I think I should just go back to my hometown. It’s easier to find a job there.”
He didn’t respond to that, instead confirming, “So, you really were bullied!”
“Tell me, who was it?”
He turned her body to face him and lifted her chin.
She tilted her head slightly, and her smooth chin slipped from his grasp.
“It’s just…” She kicked a pebble on the road. “They said the only reason I got into the company was because I… I…”
“Because you what? Speak up.”
“Because I slept with you!”
“Oh?” Jiang Zhuo didn’t seem genuinely concerned.
But Cheng Sisi was extremely anxious. “Brother Jiang Zhuo, I can tolerate whatever they say about me, but when it involves you, I can’t stand it. You’re such a good person, and I don’t want you to be dragged down because of me!”
Jiang Zhuo immediately caught the key point and asked with a smile, “So, you’re more worried about dragging me down and not wanting me to face criticism?”
Seeing him still able to smile, she felt a bit flustered.
He ruffled her hair and patiently comforted her, “But if you just run away like this, wouldn’t that confirm the rumors about us are true? They’d say you fled because you were guilty.”
Hearing this, Cheng Sisi’s perspective shifted, and she immediately saw the logic in his words.
“I’ve told you, what I value is your ability. The more you’re doubted, the harder you must work to turn things around. Show them you got into the company on your own merits, and let the rumors collapse on their own.”
Cheng Sisi suddenly grinned, thinking Jiang Zhuo was amazing.
With just a few words, he had cleared away her confusion and given her the right direction.
Facing malicious rumors, running away instead of confronting and shattering them would be nothing but cowardice.
Seeing her smile, Jiang Zhuo’s lips also curved upward. “Feeling better now?”
“Yes!” She nodded emphatically.
“Then can we get in the car and go home?”
“Mm-hmm!”
“Come on, take it slow. Watch your head.”
Once in the car, Jiang Zhuo immediately started the engine and continued driving home.
The Jiang family home was separated from the bustling city center by a river, across a large bridge, in the Jingshan Villa District on the other side. This area was exclusively inhabited by the wealthy and influential.
After crossing the bridge, the noise of the city faded away, and the entire world seemed to grow quiet.
But suddenly—
“Brother Jiang Zhuo, watch out!”
Cheng Sisi screamed, and the car came to an abrupt halt. Due to inertia, both of them lurched forward slightly, but thankfully they were wearing seatbelts, so nothing serious happened.
“Brother Jiang Zhuo, did you see something?”
“Yes!” Jiang Zhuo let out a sigh of relief and began unbuckling his seatbelt.
Cheng Sisi also got out of the car and saw a shivering golden puppy in front of the vehicle.
It was just a golden retriever puppy!
It had just darted out from around the corner of the street. If it had been just a moment later, the car’s wheels would have run right over it.
“It’s so tiny!” Cheng Sisi crouched down and gently stroked the little golden retriever.
It was very well-behaved. Though trembling with fear, it didn’t bark uncontrollably.
It was also very dirty, with patches of mud all over its body, as if it had been abandoned.
“Brother Jiang Zhuo…”
Cheng Sisi looked up at Jiang Zhuo, but paused after opening her mouth.
If this were her own home, she would have taken the dog back with her. But this was Jiang Zhuo’s home, and she couldn’t just bring a small animal back without permission. She didn’t want to put Jiang Zhuo in an awkward position either, so she changed her words.
“Brother Jiang Zhuo, could you wait for me for a bit? I’ll send a message in my class group chat to see if anyone wants to adopt it.”
Just as she was about to pull out her phone, Jiang Zhuo spoke up. “Pick it up. Let’s take it back.”
“Really?” she immediately perked up.
“I’m not joking with you. Let’s take it back.”
“That’s great! Thank you, Brother Jiang Zhuo!”
Right after, she carefully picked up the dog and brought it into the car.
Since it was found on the road, she named it Lulu.
Once they got home, she didn’t even bother eating and immediately took the dog to her room to clean off the mud. Because it was so small, she didn’t dare give it a bath, so she could only wet a towel and wipe it down bit by bit.
When it was time for dinner, Jiang Zhuo came upstairs to call her.
“Jiang Xin is working overtime tonight, so it’s just the two of us for dinner. Come down quickly, the food’s getting cold.”
Cheng Sisi came out of the bathroom holding the dog like a treasure, showing it to him. “Brother Jiang Zhuo, doesn’t it look much cleaner now?”
“Eat first.” Jiang Zhuo smiled helplessly. “I’ve already asked someone to buy puppy food, a dog bed, toys, and other things. You’ll have plenty of time to play with it later. Let’s eat first, okay?”
Cheng Sisi’s mouth opened slightly in surprise.
“I was so focused on cleaning it that I forgot something so important. And now I’ve made Brother Jiang Zhuo handle all this for me…”
“Enough of that. If you don’t come down to eat right now, I’ll throw the dog out this instant.”
“Okay, I’m coming right now!”
She put the dog down and obediently followed Jiang Zhuo downstairs for dinner.
During the meal, Jiang Zhuo’s assistant, Wang, delivered the dog food and other items—his efficiency was incredibly high.
Cheng Sisi finished her meal in a hurry and immediately ran upstairs with the supplies.
Only Jiang Zhuo remained seated at the table, sighing. “Even a dog gets more enthusiasm from you than I do!”
After getting everything settled for the dog, Cheng Sisi finally went into the bathroom to take a shower.
When she came out after her shower, she realized the dog was gone.
After searching around the room, she discovered she hadn’t closed the door properly, and the dog might have slipped out.
Finally, she heard faint barking coming from Jiang Zhuo’s room.
Jiang Zhuo’s door was also slightly ajar. Peeking inside, she saw the bathroom light was on—Jiang Zhuo was in there at the moment.
So, she decided to take advantage of Jiang Zhuo’s absence and quietly go in to retrieve the dog.
“Lulu!”
She tiptoed into the room and whispered to the dog, which was chewing on Jiang Zhuo’s slipper by the bed.
“Lulu, come here! Don’t chew Brother Jiang Zhuo’s slipper!”
“Come here!”
But the little golden retriever lay sprawled on the slipper. Aside from wagging its tail at her, it didn’t move an inch. In fact, it seemed to be chewing even more enthusiastically.
“You little troublemaker, stop chewing!”
Her mind made up, she dashed in, scooped up the puppy, and was about to make a run for it.
Click!
Just her luck—the bathroom door opened.
Cheng Sisi froze in place, watching helplessly as the door opened and Jiang Zhuo appeared.
Then…
“Ah!”
A startled cry escaped Cheng Sisi’s lips as she lifted the golden retriever to shield her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!”
Standing behind the door, Jiang Zhuo curled his lips slightly, tightening his bathrobe around him. He wore nothing underneath—Cheng Sisi had just seen everything from head to toe!
“Sorry, Lulu chewed up your slippers. I’ll… I’ll find you another pair.”
Using the excuse of finding shoes, she fled the room.