Su Mianmian had just taken a sip of her milk tea when she saw Gu Yizhou's message and almost spat it out.
She searched everywhere, but couldn't find Gu Yizhou. She picked up her phone and quickly replied, "Gu Yizhou, how did you know I was drinking milk tea?" The message was followed by a surprised bunny emoji.
Two seconds later, Gu Yizhou replied with four words: "You're a fortune teller." Gu Yizhou usually sent Su Mianmian complete messages, except for one time—after she defended Tang Yunzheng after he hit him.
Su Mianmian felt a chill run down her spine. "Really? Haha, what else can you predict?" Gu Yizhou: "With men." Well, this time it really was just three words, and he really knew she was drinking milk tea with a man!
Su Mianmian sensed something was wrong. Remembering how she had racked her brains to coax Gu Yizhou last time, she took a deep breath and proactively admitted her mistake. "Gu Yizhou, I just bumped into Tang Yunzheng on the street and had a milk tea with him. I didn't specifically ask him out." Gu Yizhou:
"Really?" Two words, just two words! Su Mianmian was on the verge of tears. "Really, I swear, I'm a dog if I'm lying." Gu Yizhou: "Hmm." Hmm? The familiar routine, the familiar formula… Su Mianmian blinked her dark eyes, trying to make amends.
"Don't you have a meeting tonight? How about we video chat when we get back?" After waiting for a long time, Gu Yizhou didn't reply. Su Mianmian silently let out a sigh of relief. This Gu Yizhou is really hard to coax.
Tang Yunzheng looked at Su Mianmian, who had been smiling broadly while drinking milk tea, and then suddenly became dejected after replying to a few messages. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Su Mianmian shook her head. "Nothing, I've finished my milk tea. Let's go."
"You haven't even had much! Why are you in such a hurry? Is he urging you to go home?" Su Mianmian replied, "No, I have to get up early for work tomorrow. Going home too late won't allow me to rest well."
Since Su Mianmian had said that, Tang Yunzheng didn't say anything more. He called the waiter to pack a few more desserts. "I'll take you home."
Su Mianmian hadn't sat in Tang Yunzheng's passenger seat in a long time. It was still that sports car, still speeding along, but she felt as if she were in a different world. It seemed like her entanglement with Tang Yunzheng was something from a past life.
Tang Yunzheng initiated a conversation, "How's your internship at Huarui?" Su Mianmian pouted. "So-so. Mentally, it's more tiring than physically." Indeed, she hadn't done much real work; she spent all her time on guard against being bullied by petty people.
Tang Yunzheng, having honed his skills at the company, had improved considerably. He picked up on Su Mianmian's underlying meaning and guessed that she was facing some difficulties. "I remember your company also has written and oral translation, right?"
Su Mianmian nodded. "I've been with the company for a week, and the manager took me out once for a translation assignment. The rest of the time I've been doing written translation in the office."
Tang Yunzheng smiled slightly. "You mentioned before that you seem to prefer oral translation. You've only done one oral translation in all this time. Is it because your superiors aren't giving you opportunities?"
Su Mianmian sighed. "After all, I'm an intern, still in my probationary period, and I don't have much experience. It's normal." Tang Yunzheng nodded and didn't say anything more. The car quickly arrived at Yushui Bay. Su Mianmian thanked him, got out of the car, and went straight into the villa.
Tang Yunzheng waited until Su Mianmian's figure had completely disappeared before turning his gaze away. A hint of melancholy appeared on his face as he took out his phone and dialed a number. "It's me. Have you contacted the translation company for the business banquet at Shengyuan Hotel in a couple of days?"
After saying something on the other end, Tang Yunzheng started the car engine. "Cancel it. I have someone else."... When Su Mianmian got home, Gu Yizhou still hadn't replied to her messages. She thought she'd call Gu Yizhou after showering to explain what happened today.
Just as she took off her clothes, Gu Yizhou conveniently popped up a video call. Su Mianmian glanced at her naked body, quickly grabbed a towel to wrap herself up, and then answered the video. "Gu Yizhou?"
Gu Yizhou's social engagement wasn't over yet. He'd gone out for a smoke, and his desire to see Xiaotu (Su Mianmian's nickname) grew stronger. He tried to resist, but finally couldn't help sending her a video. "Didn't you say you'd send me a video when you got home? Did you forget?"
Su Mianmian looked at Gu Yizhou on the video. He seemed to be standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, his features deep and mysterious. Behind him was transparent glass, through which she could vaguely see the bright lights outside. Su Mianmian blinked her wet eyes.
"You didn't reply to my message. I thought you were busy. I was going to call you after I finished showering." Gu Yizhou raised an eyebrow, looking at the familiar background behind Su Mianmian, his voice hoarse from the smoke. "So, you're showering now?"
Su Mianmian nodded, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Tonight, my encounter with Tang Yunzheng was really just a coincidence. Don't overthink it."
Gu Yizhou hummed in agreement. From the moment Su Mianmian said she was showering, Gu Yizhou's thoughts had completely drifted away from her and Tang Yunzheng. "I didn't think much of it, I just wanted to remind you not to drink iced drinks."
Su Mianmian lowered her eyes. "I know, my lower abdomen is already a little uncomfortable today, I definitely wouldn't dare to drink anything." "Lower abdomen uncomfortable?" Gu Yizhou's expression was a little worried. "You've been drinking medicinal soup for so long, why isn't it helping at all?"
Su Mianmian pursed her lips. "It's still helping, just a little bit uncomfortable, much better than before."
Ever since Gu Yizhou learned that Su Mianmian had menstrual cramps, besides strictly controlling how often she drank iced drinks, he also frequently cooked medicinal soups to regulate her uterus. Su Mianmian felt that it did have some effect.
Hearing this, Gu Yizhou was slightly relieved, and the thought of teasing the little rabbit vanished. "Then hurry up and finish washing up and go lie down in bed."
Su Mianmian said "Okay," and was about to hang up when her hand suddenly slipped, and the phone fell to the ground. Su Mianmian exclaimed in surprise and quickly bent down to pick it up.
As the screen flipped, Gu Yizhou only caught a glimpse of snow-white skin before the call ended. Su Mianmian immediately sent a message: "I just dropped my phone. I'm going to rest after my shower. You should rest early too, goodnight!"
Gu Yizhou had planned to finish his cigarette and return to the private room, but because of what had just happened, a sudden heat rose in his lower abdomen. He had no choice but to light another one. ...The next day, everyone was right.
Liu Shu really did come to the company with her swollen, red cheek. Completely unconcerned by the mocking or disdainful looks from everyone, she walked gracefully in her high heels, as if she weren't the one who had been beaten so badly by the wife yesterday.
Liu Shu walked into the office and immediately called three people in. Su Mianmian was one of them. She stood among them, silently watching Liu Shu touch up her powder and apply lipstick in front of the mirror.
The scratches on her face were still clearly visible, the kind that even powder couldn't cover. After touching up her makeup, Liu Shu casually tossed the mirror onto her desk. Her upturned, fox-like eyes scanned the three of them from left to right, then from top to bottom, before she parted her red lips slightly.
"Were you three working overtime the night before last?" The three nodded in unison. Su Mianmian kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, knowing that Liu Shu was silently observing their expressions, so she dared not reveal a single clue. "Tell me, what did you do during your overtime?
And what time did you get off work?" The woman to Su Mianmian's left spoke first. "The day before yesterday, the contract with Yuntong Company was quite urgent, so I worked overtime for a while. I didn't pay attention to the time when I left, it was probably around eight o'clock."
Liu Shu nodded, her gaze shifting to Su Mianmian. "And you? I don't remember assigning you any special work the day before yesterday, why did you stay to work overtime too?"
Su Mianmian's tone was neither humble nor arrogant. "Although I didn't have any urgent work on hand, there were quite a few documents to translate, so I stayed to work overtime for a while. I left around nine o'clock."
Because of the timekeeping records, Su Mianmian didn't dare to hide the time. Hearing this, Liu Shu's eyes narrowed. She had secretly decided that Su Mianmian was the only one she had a slight conflict with recently.
But Liu Shu suppressed her anger and looked at the woman to Su Mianmian's right. Before she could ask, the woman spoke first.
"I didn't have any special reason. I had nothing to do going home alone, so I stayed at the company for a while. It happens often, and Deputy Manager Liu probably knows that. As for my off-duty time, it's about the same as Su Mianmian's."
When Liu Shu heard that her off-duty time was the same as Su Mianmian's, her brows furrowed immediately. She had already narrowed it down to Su Mianmian, but now there was another suspect. Just in case, she needed to investigate further.
She waved her hand, signaling the first woman to leave. Then, her gaze lingered on Su Mianmian and the other woman.
"I didn't ask you to stay for any other reason. The other night I found something in the restroom, and I wanted to ask if it belonged to either of you."