"What's on the ground?" Lin Zhi's voice asked.
"Uh... I don't know." - Qi Chuan's voice.
Immediately afterwards, several people walked over and pushed open the office door a few seconds later.
Lin Zhi was the first to see Jiang Lai. She was initially surprised, but then noticed the roses on the table. She pursed her lips, seemingly lost in thought.
Anna held the dog so tightly she didn't dare breathe, feeling like a volcano was about to erupt, but the dog was oblivious and kept barking incessantly.
Anna cursed the little devil inwardly: Why did you have to call out now of all times!
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Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-05-17 22:26:09 and 2022-05-18 21:15:44!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Yu (3 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 77
The air was deathly still. Anna huddled in a corner, shivering, clutching her dog. What sins had she committed in her past life to be caught up in such a world-shaking battle?
Qi Chuan seemed oblivious to everything; upon seeing Jiang Lai, he even went up to her to reminisce, regardless of whether she looked uncomfortable or not.
"Jiang Lai, it's been so long! It's been so hard to see you after filming wrapped up. I was hoping to catch up with you."
Jiang Lai's gloomy face broke into an inopportune smile: "Yeah, Brother Qi, I also want to catch up, but what are you doing all this for? You're not going to confess your feelings, are you?"
Qi Chuan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said shyly like a little girl, "Since...since you've already asked me, I'd like to ask you to be my witness."
After speaking, Qi Chuan walked to his desk, picked up the large bouquet of roses, then tidied his hair and, thinking himself dashing, turned to Lin Zhi: "Sister Lin, so many people are here today, all of you are my witnesses. If you hadn't discovered me and nurtured my potential back then, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today. I've always respected you like an older sister. Maybe I'm a little greedy, not satisfied..."
Qi Chuan talked for a full ten minutes. Anna could clearly see Jiang Lai's clenched fists bulging with veins, and Lin Zhi didn't interrupt him, letting him continue.
Anna: Please, bro! Can't you read the room?! Haven't you been in the entertainment industry for all these years been polished up yet?! (Panic emoji)
Qi Chuan poured out his heart like a machine gun, almost recounting his entire emotional journey from meeting Lin Zhi to the present, much like a school leader giving a speech.
"Please allow me to call you by your full name today." Qi Chuan knelt on one knee, presenting Lin Zhi with roses in both hands: "Lin Zhi, will you be my girlfriend?"
Ga-boom—
The sound of her joints moving was so loud that Jiang Lai was about to lose her temper that Lin Zhi finally spoke up.
Lin Zhi pinched her brow, feeling a headache coming on. Everyone present seemed like a child to her, including Jiang Lai, who was secretly clenching her fists and gritting her teeth without saying a word.
"Qi Chuan, have you forgotten what I told you?"
The question stumped Qi Chuan. He pondered for a moment and said, "You mean you want me to focus all my energy on acting?"
Lin Zhi nodded: "Then why are you still doing these things?"
Qi Chuan was speechless. Lin Zhi was trying to save his face, but he stubbornly refused to believe it: "Sister Lin, I won't be like that scumbag Cheng Anan. I'll treat you well!"
Before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind blew in from the back of his collar. He turned around and saw that Jiang Lai had grabbed him by the back of his collar. She was as strong as an ox and had actually dragged him away.
In the midst of his struggle, he cried out, "Sister Lin, you're not married and I'm not married either, I still have a chance, right?"
Lin Zhi pursed her lips, raised her eyes to look ahead, not at him but at Jiang Lai.
But that one glance led Qi Chuan to misunderstand. In the last second before Jiang Lai threw him out, he solemnly swore, "I will show you my determination!"
Click, Jiang Lai locked the door from the inside.
Lin Zhi was finally able to have a moment of peace. She was exhausted from the day and was now having a headache from all this. She had just sat down when Jiang Lai started making noise again.
"Why didn't you tell him you have a girlfriend! Why didn't you tell Zhang Zhen, isn't she your best friend?"
Jiang Lai suddenly slammed her hand on the table, startling An, who was trembling in the corner. The little fool in her arms, unaware of what was going on, thought she was going to play with her and struggled to jump out.
No matter how angry Jiang Lai was, or how strong her aura was, she still couldn't shake Lin Zhi.
She propped her head up with her hand, her eyes lowered: "Why are you so impetuous? How can you win Best Actress like this? Do you want Best Actress or do you want me?"
"you?"
Jiang Lai frowned. The person in front of her didn't seem like Lin Zhi. No, no, it wasn't that they didn't seem like each other. It was more like the old Lin Zhi who had shed her innocent facade. They had become distant.
"Wearing so little?"
Jiang Lai saw Lin Zhi frown and look unhappy, which meant she was concerned about her. She thought Lin Zhi's anger had subsided, but the next second Lin Zhi's words chilled her heart and she almost burst into tears.
"So you gave the clothes to the dog. You're something else. Don't bring the dog to the company next time. Xiao Wang's pay will still be deducted as usual."
Jiang Lai thought that she had made Lin Zhi angry because of her own insensitivity, so she chose to soften her tone, took her hand off Lin Zhi's desk, and said gently, "Let's go home first, and we'll talk about it when we get home."
Lin Zhi opened the file: "Okay, you can go back first, I still have work to do."
Today is Qixi Festival.
"Yes, I know."
"What kind of work absolutely has to be done today?"
"A project worth several million."
"I'll give you the money, come home with me."
Lin Zhi scoffed after hearing this: "Are you stupid? You think you can give me an artist's popularity and exposure? You're not an all-powerful baby. Be good, don't make things worse."
Normally, this "baby" would have been a sign of deep affection, but today, Jiang Lai only felt an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity, as if everything they had done together was just a fleeting dream.
Jiang Lai suppressed her temper, enduring it again and again, but Lin Zhi's attitude really angered her. She didn't know what she had done wrong to deserve such treatment.
Jiang Lai remained silent for a while, but Lin Zhi ignored her completely. Jiang Lai lost face and turned to leave.
Anna picked up the dog, hesitated for a moment, and then went out with Jiang Lai: "President Lin, please don't be angry."
Lin Zhi nodded, her gaze never leaving the screen, until she finally let out a long sigh of relief after the two had walked for a while.
He picked up the phone on the table and called the receptionist: "Xiao Wang, you can go home now."
After hanging up the phone, she casually tossed it onto the table and leaned back listlessly.
She caught a glimpse of the ring box on the table, reached for it, and muttered, "What a pity... the plan has been moved up."
She put the ring box in the drawer, glanced at the pile of read files, and then pressed the power button.
There were no documents at all. Faced with Jiang Lai's questioning, she panicked and knew that doing nothing would expose her.
She also wanted to tell her friends, "Jiang Lai, my girlfriend," but unfortunately, she couldn't yet.
She is now almost certain that the person who spread rumors about Jiang Lai was Lin Xi. This incident shows that Lin Xi is a meticulous and ruthless woman. Moreover, when she said she would bring down Jiang Lai, she was not just talking. Others may be jealous of Jiang Lai, but they would not dare to touch her for the sake of their own status and safety. Lin Xi is different. She has Yu Yang as her backer and the determination to perish together with him. Ordinary methods will not work on her. She must be caught off guard.
"Oh."
A cold glint flashed in Lin Zhi's eyes: "Endure what ordinary people cannot endure..."
Anna took Jiang Lai home. During the journey, the man didn't say a word, but he wasn't as frightening as before; he had clearly calmed down a bit.
The little rascal was extremely excited to be in his new home, digging around everywhere. Jiang Lai picked him up and scolded, "This sofa is real leather! Mommy will spank you if she finds out."
Anna breathed a sigh of relief: "You're not angry?"
Jiang Lai snorted and put the dog back on the sofa, letting it scratch at will. The poor sofa soon showed scratches: "She's angry! What can I do? I'll just wait for her to come back and talk to her properly. Maybe she's angry because I brought the dog to the company today."
Anna felt wronged for Jiang Lai: "But this is a gift you gave to President Lin."
Jiang Lai patted the dog that was digging a hole: "She doesn't know."
Anna sighed and facepalmed: Is he love-struck? Although Mr. Lin has a great physique, good looks, and money, our Lai Lai is just as good! How did she get bullied like this!
These are things I only dare to say in my heart.
Before leaving, Anna instructed, "Remember to take a hot bath, don't catch a cold."
Jiang Lai gave Anna an OK sign and watched her walk out.
The room fell silent, save for the sound of the little fool scratching at the leather sofa. Jiang Lai sighed several times, lying on the sofa watching her pry: "Lin Zhi..."
"Woof!"
The little idiot stopped digging and wagged her little tail like a propeller. Looking at her adorable appearance, all the gloom in my heart vanished.
Jiang Lai teased her by pointing a finger: "You know Lin Zhi is your mother, right? Don't make her angry in the future, she has a bad temper!"
"Woof woof woof!"
"Yes, a bad woman!"
Before she knew it, the clock on the wall struck ten, and the sound of entering a password came from outside. The next second, Lin Zhi entered the house, shook her umbrella, and placed it by the door.
The room was dimly lit, with only a small lamp on. Lin Zhi had only taken two steps when a white ball of fur pounced out of the darkness, hugging her leg and barking.
"Shhh."
Lin Zhi made a shushing gesture, nervously looking at the person on the sofa. He was still asleep, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
She lowered her voice and spoke to it: "Are you a gift from Lai Lai?"
The little guy nodded.
Lin Zhi smiled and picked up the dog: "Ah... I'm sorry, I scared you today."
A rustling sound came from the sofa. After a while, Jiang Lai sat up, staring blankly at the figure in front of her for a long time before exclaiming, "A thief!!!"
Lin Zhi put the dog down and walked to the light switch to turn on the light: "It's me, why are you making such a fuss?"
Jiang Lai breathed a sigh of relief: "I just woke up, I'm still a little groggy."
Lin Zhi went to the kitchen and got a cup of instant noodles, and then the sound of boiling water came from behind her.
"You haven't eaten yet?" Jiang Lai asked.
"Yeah, I'm a bit busy with work."
Your chance to shine has arrived!
Jiang Lai went into the kitchen and stood next to Lin Zhi: "I'll cook for you."
She was about to get the ingredients when Lin Zhi interrupted her mid-air: "No need, I'll just eat something. I'm too tired today and want to rest early."