As Lillian pondered, the shop owner's voice cut through her thoughts."Young lady, your eight-treasure porridge and custard buns are ready."Snapping back to reality at his words, Lillian saw the shop owner had already packed her items and reached out to take them."Thank you, I've already paid.""Alright, take care and welcome back anytime."Lillian turned and walked away, bag in hand.She felt the stare linger until she entered the company's doors, then it vanished. Was there really someone in that black car earlier?On her walk back, she contemplated checking the car. Whether it was occupied or empty, a quick look would reveal the truth. But the thought sent shivers down her spine, and she refrained. After all, a car parked in broad daylight was likely empty.Rubbing her eyes, Lillian dismissed the notion as overthinking.Ding—the elevator arrived.She stepped inside.The afternoon's flurry of activity soon pushed the midday incident to the back of her mind.As quitting time approa
During the uncomfortable silence in the room, a man with an unpleasant disposition spoke up."Why change venues, beautiful secretary? We're all friends with Chen here; is there something we're not allowed to see? Don't worry, even if there is, we'll shut our eyes, promise."Hearing this, Lillian's delicate brows knit together. Spending time with Oliver had lent her an intimidating aura.Just one sharp glance from Lillian silenced the man, who then shrank back into his seat. As Lillian's gaze moved away, he finally realized his own reaction.Damn, what was he so afraid of? A young woman had intimidated him – had he lost his mind?"Secretary Shen, it might be inconvenient to switch places. If you can't stand the smell, we can keep the door of the private room open to air it out, how about that?" Chen Chen proposed with a sly grin, like a tiger baring its teeth in a smile.One of his more agreeable friends took command, "Did you hear that? Put out your cigarettes, don't smoke. What if we
Upon seeing his pallid complexion, Lillian surmised he must have recalled his past indiscretions."How about it? Master Chen hasn't forgotten the words he once boasted, has he?"Curiosity arose among his companions, "Chen, what did you say back then?"Chen Chen was momentarily lost, long having thought that Lillian simply looked down on his lineage, preferring the attachment to someone more influential. He hadn't realized she had overheard his braggadocious statements, which might have cost him a chance with her. He wanted to smack himself for it."It wasn't like that!" Chen Chen explained, with reddened eyes and gritted teeth, "I was just blabbering for fun back then, I didn't mean any offense."If he had only been after a fling, he wouldn't have bothered to go all the way to the hot springs after hearing she would be there."For fun?" Lillian tilted her head slightly, as if pondering the phrase, then slowly spoke, "So, such words are amusing in Master Chen's eyes?""I didn't mean it
Lillian hadn't expected Yolanda to be so clever, dialing Oliver right after getting out. On a regular day, she would have commended Yolanda's wit. But lately, she and Oliver were in a cold war, and the thought of his praise didn't sit well with her. Besides, knowing Oliver, he'd probably scold her for the night's escapades. Just imagining his brotherly sternness made Lillian inwardly groan.Most men coddle the women they fancy, speaking in gentle whispers, fearful of frightening her away. But Oliver treated her harshly, like an older brother might. That was Lillian's clue that he probably didn't harbor romantic feelings for her.Lost in thought, the steady approach of footsteps from outside was accompanied by the guards' respectful greeting, "Mr. Mo."Mr. Mo?The surname caught Lillian off guard."Where is she?"A voice, unfamiliar yet vaguely recognizable, called out."Miss Shen is inside.""Alright, you may leave," spoke the
Even though he had mentally prepared himself for it, Mason hadn't expected Oliver to hit him so hard. After beating him, Oliver didn't even bother to look at his face. He dragged Lillian behind him, holding her delicate wrist tightly, and lowered his head to glare at her with a warning and cold gaze.Lillian: "..."His fierce expression seemed to question her: Were you paralyzed or just foolish? Couldn't you push him away when he hugged you?"Tsk." Mason wiped the blood from his lips, amusedly looking at Oliver, then spoke, "I just returned to the country, and you give me such a grand welcome, Oliver."Oliver, with a cold and composed expression, nodded, "You're back."Mason raised an eyebrow at Oliver's response and smiled, "Seems like someone doesn't welcome me."Oliver's lips tightened, his eyes exuding displeasure as he asked, "What were you doing just now?"Upon hearing this, Mason's gaze briefly swept over Lillian's fair face before returning to lock eyes with Oliver. He smiled
On the way back, both of them fell into silence.Oliver's face was gloomy, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as if he wanted to tear it apart.Thinking about what Lillian had said before getting in the car, a sense of unease built up within Oliver.While driving, he listened to Yolanda's account of what had happened today. As she spoke, she seemed hesitant, almost hesitating to continue.Oliver, ever astute, immediately pressed her for the rest of the story.Yolanda, seizing the opportunity, interjected, "Qin, you mustn't blame me for this, and don't tell Lillian that I told you."Oliver, with a furrowed brow, replied, "Quit the nonsense.""So, I'll tell you!" Yolanda took a deep breath and then loudly declared over the phone, "That guy Chen said that since you bring women into the company, Lillian will soon be abandoned and left with no one to care for her. Since the Shen family has gone bankrupt, people can mistreat her however they want, and you won't defend her."Olive
In the end, Lillian nodded and agreed.When she returned to her room, she found Oliver sitting on the couch.Thinking about Grandma's words, Lillian subconsciously glanced at his clothes.As Grandma had said, he was only wearing a black shirt. Sitting against the dark-colored couch, his somber aura almost merged with it.Lillian hadn't expected things to escalate to this point between them. Even if they weren't married, they had been good friends since childhood, just lacking the intimacy of a husband and wife.Looking back, he had helped her a lot.Lillian knew she should be the one to lower her head, but for some reason, she stood there and stared at Oliver for a while. Eventually, she decided not to say anything and silently went to freshen up in the bathroom.When she emerged, Oliver was nowhere to be seen in the bedroom.Instead, her phone had several new messages.Lillian checked it and found a message from an unfamiliar number."Little girl, this is my phone number. Remember to
The voice unexpectedly played from the phone, and even if Lillian wanted to press it to stop, it was too late.By the time she got hold of the phone, the voice message had already finished playing.Lillian: "..."What was going on? She thought Sophie had finished whatever she was doing and would come back to rant about some idiotic boss. Instead, she ended up talking about her own situation.Realizing something, Lillian's expression changed, and she stood up, opening the door.The area outside was empty, with no sign of anyone.She let out a sigh of relief.She had asked Yolanda to close the door when she went out, so she shouldn't have stayed. With that voice message, she probably didn't hear anything.But Lillian was still a bit worried. She took a few steps forward, exploring the area, and once she confirmed that no one was there, she went back inside.Then she deleted the voice message Sophie had sent, scolding her sternly.Seeing Lillian angry, Sophie quickly apologized, saying s