Zhou Yi'an had a million curses to say.
I should have investigated sooner.
After the meeting, around noon, Xu Qingzhu called out, "Designer Zhou, could you stay behind for a moment?"
Zhou Yi'an placed her phone face down on the table. "What is it?"
"I think you have something to say to me," Xu Qingzhu said. "Let's have lunch together."
Zhou Yi'an: "..."
She had nothing to say.
//
It's still a novelty that Xu Qingzhu and Zhou Yi'an are having dinner together.
In this company, it's always a novelty to see who eats with Zhou Yi'an.
As everyone knows, Zhou Yi'an drives a car worth over two million yuan to work, wears jewelry worth six figures, and her clothes cost tens of thousands of yuan.
If she had a better personality, maybe some people would want to be friends with her.
But this girl is a total jerk. She never talks to anyone. After coming to the company, she just sits at her workstation, draws pictures, plays on her phone, and leaves on time. She doesn't socialize with anyone.
He was nicknamed "eccentric and reclusive".
Even Lumi, who is known as the "ceiling of corporate talent" in the office, was defeated, saying that this was an insurmountable obstacle and an iceberg that could not be melted.
Xu Qingzhu went out to eat with her at noon at a Hunan restaurant.
Zhou Yi'an looked at her calmly. "What do you want to ask me?"
"No," Xu Qingzhu said. "I just want to treat you to a meal to thank you for your advice this morning."
Zhou Yi'an: "..."
She thought Xu Qingzhu couldn't contain her curiosity and was going to ask.
It's also very uncomfortable to have these words stuck in your throat and not be able to say them.
Zhou Yi'an didn't ask any questions and just ate quietly.
After they finished eating, Xu Qingzhu said, "You stared at me for half an hour during the meeting. What did you want to say to me?"
"You listen to everything I say?" Zhou Yi'an retorted.
Xu Qingzhu pursed her lips: "Su Yao..."
It took a lot of effort and courage for her to say that name.
But she paused for a moment and then asked, "How have you been these past years?"
"May I ask in what capacity you are asking this?" Zhou Yi'an curled her lips into a wicked smile, took out a cigarette from her pocket, but after seeing Xu Qingzhu's somewhat pale face, she twirled the cigarette between her fingers a few times without smoking it.
Xu Qingzhu shrugged. "It was just a casual question. If you don't want to say, fine. I thought you would really want to."
Zhou Yi'an: "..."
"A strategic retreat?" Zhou Yi'an asked.
Xu Qingzhu shook her head: "I really mean it."
After finishing speaking, she paid the bill and got up to leave. Zhou Yi'an, with her back to her, let out a soft sigh.
Xu Qingzhu had already left the restaurant; the air was indeed fresher after the rain.
Moreover, at this time of year, the temperature fluctuates wildly. Yesterday it was only four or five degrees Celsius, but today it has risen to over ten degrees Celsius.
The sun shone warmly on people, and Xu Qingzhu's back view was aloof and desolate, yet exceptionally charming.
Zhou Yi'an sat upstairs for a while, and after her figure disappeared, she guessed that she had gone back to the company before sending her a message: "Do you think someone who has been living in a mental hospital for years is doing well?"
Chapter 71
Before returning to the company, Xu Qingzhu went downstairs to the coffee shop and bought a cup of coffee.
When she reached for her phone to pay, she saw a message from Zhou Yi'an, so she paid the bill first.
Just then, the barista handed her the coffee. She tapped the screen with one hand to read the message, and when she saw that sentence on the screen, her hand trembled and she almost spilled the coffee.
"Watch out!" the shop assistant exclaimed, reaching across the counter to help steady the counter.
Xu Qingzhu snapped out of her daze and hurriedly said thank you.
Despite the turmoil raging within her, she remained calm and composed, closed her phone, and went into the company with her coffee.
As a result, I ran into Zhou Yi'an again at the elevator entrance downstairs.
People who had just finished lunch outside flocked back to the company, making the elevator entrance a bit crowded.
But Zhou Yi'an has a unique ability to keep everyone away from her.
She stood alone at the edge, not squeezing in with others, one hand in her pocket, the other playing a little game, tapping randomly.
Xu Qingzhu glanced at her across the crowd, then looked away.
With just a simple glance, Zhou Yi'an noticed her.
However, neither of them greeted the other.
Sally happened to walk over and patted Xu Qingzhu on the shoulder. "Blanche, didn't you go out to eat with Zhou Yi'an? Why did you come back separately? Did you have a fight?"
Xu Qingzhu shook her head: "No."
“Okay.” Sally glanced at Zhou Yi’an, who was standing there all alone. “Anyone who can argue with Zhou Yi’an is quite capable.”
Xu Qingzhu: "Hmm?"
“Zhou Yi’an is probably the kind of person who would rather take action than talk,” Sally said.
Xu Qingzhu smiled dismissively and didn't continue the conversation.
Sally had been chatting with her for a bit, but in the crowded elevator, neither of them spoke again.
Back in her office, Xu Qingzhu placed the coffee on the table, took out her phone again, and opened her chat with Zhou Yi'an. The message read, "Do you think someone who has lived in a mental hospital for years is doing well?"
He has been living in a mental hospital for many years...
Xu Qingzhu wanted to ask something, but she didn't know where to begin.
And there was no motive to ask.
She sat there thinking. Why did she ask that question?
What's the point of asking?
What kind of answer are you looking for?
Reason forced her back to her senses. After a long silence, she replied to Zhou Yi'an with a message: "Truly, heaven is jealous of talent."
Just like her poor uncle.
Geniuses are like shooting stars; they fall at their most brilliant moment.
Zhou Yi'an quickly replied to her: [?]
It seemed he hadn't expected her to respond with an outsider's attitude.
In response to her question, Xu Qingzhu replied: "Get to work."
Zhou Yi'an: [...]
He was indeed very calm.
He was calm to the point of being almost cold-blooded.
Zhou Yi'an stared at the two replies on the screen, her brows furrowed, and couldn't help but reply: "President Xu probably inherited more from his father."
Xu Qingzhu: [...Why do you say that?]
Zhou Yi'an: [Those who know, know.]
Xu Qingzhu: [I don't understand.]
Zhou Yi'an was struggling with whether or not to speak when Xu Qingzhu sent her a long message.
I don't have much time for cryptic talk. If you're trying to spread rumors, I don't want to hear them. Whom I inherited from isn't important; what matters is that I've grown into who I am today. Designer Zhou, it's their business, so please refrain from interfering. If you have more free time, why not think more about our theme for next quarter?
Zhou Yi'an: [...]
She put down her phone and looked towards Xu Qingzhu's office from a distance. The moment their eyes met, Xu Qingzhu closed the office blinds.
Zhou Yi'an suddenly smiled.
Lin Luoxi passed by Zhou Yi'an's workstation and then went to Xu Qingzhu's office. She placed the documents she had just picked up on Xu Qingzhu's desk and asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly go out to eat with Zhou Yi'an?"
While flipping through the documents, Xu Qingzhu replied, "We talked about some things."
"You two didn't have a fight, did you?" Lin Luoxi asked.
Xu Qingzhu shook her head: "No, what's wrong?"
Lin Luoxi paused, then shook her head and said, "It's good that you didn't argue. When I walked past her workstation, I saw her staring at your office and smiling."
Xu Qingzhu: "Huh?"
Lin Luoxi shook her head, trying to banish Zhou Yi'an's smile from her mind, but found it was futile.
The person was beautiful, but had a sinister smile.
Once you see it, it's hard to forget.
Lin Luoxi could only say, "Anyway, be careful. Her smile is... kind of weird."
Xu Qingzhu: "...Oh."
//
Xu Qingzhu was indeed a little distracted at work in the afternoon, but she still forced herself to finish the tasks at hand.
I left the company at 3:30 and drove directly to the Dongheng Group building.
She didn't urge Liang Shi, but simply sent her a message: "Arrived."