Addicted after marriage - CHAPTER 7:
By noon, everyone in the company had heard that Luo Shu had
been called to the president’s office.
Rumors spread like wildfire. People whispered that the boss must
have questioned her, and by lunchtime, as she ate quietly in the
company cafeteria on the tenth floor, more eyes than ever turned toward her.
The gossip only confirmed what they already believed
that she had stolen someone’s design drafts.
But none of it affected her appetite.
She sat down calmly across from Director Nan Huai and said,
I’d like to take a short leave starting the day after tomorrow.
Nan Huai studied her tired face and thought about the morning’s chaos.
He sighed and agreed.
Ye Li, sitting beside them, quickly added, Yes, take a break.
Once the security footage is repaired, the truth will come out.
I’m not taking time off because of this incident, Luo Shu said.
I’ll clear it up before I leave. I just need a rest.
She didn’t explain further. Instead, she pulled out her phone, opened WeChat,
and sent Yu Zhan a red envelope labeled: Breakfast money.
Upstairs, in the middle of a tense executive meeting, Yu Zhan’s phone gave a soft chime.
Everyone froze. The air was so heavy that the executives began sweating for him.
Who would dare keep their phone on during one of his meetings?
Yu Zhan glanced at the screen, opened the message and suddenly, he laughed.
The room went silent in shock. The president had actually smiled.
Shen Yan, standing at his side, instantly understood what had happened.
That’s all for now, Yu Zhan said. We’ll continue this afternoon.
He opened the red envelope and collected fifty yuan.
Later, over lunch, Ye Li leaned close and whispered to Luo Shu,
I heard from HR that the president’s hiring a new secretary. A woman, specifically.
Her eyes sparkled mischievously. Think the ice man is finally melting?
Melt? Luo Shu nearly laughed.
The man had just accepted her fifty-yuan red envelope like it was a business transaction.
Even if someone tried to melt him with a blowtorch, he’d probably stay cold as stone.
She didn’t bother arguing and finished her meal in silence.
After they parted, Luo Shu went down to the parking garage and
called Qin Heng from her car.
She told him she hadn’t shown up for their date last night
because her car had broken down and asked if he could help take it in for servicing.
Ironically, she’d later learned that Qin Heng had run into Liao Xian the night before.
The two of them had awkwardly pretended to be nothing more than casual acquaintances,
terrified that Luo Shu might see them together.
Qin Heng had waited outside the movie theater all night for her.
In the end, the only one who showed up was Liao Xian laughing at him.
Still, he agreed immediately to help her. His guilt was written all over his eagerness.
Men who’ve done something wrong never turn down a chance to redeem themselves,
she thought dryly.
Sitting in the car, she adjusted the tiny camera she had installed,
then fixed her makeup in the mirror.
Her mind drifted back to the morning, to the faces that had accused her.
Most of them had seemed genuinely angry, but one face stood out
the one with the faint smirk, watching everything like it was a show.
Wen Qi. The daughter of the logistics department head,
and one of the senior designers in their division.
Popular, pretty, and rich enough to buy affection with gifts.
Luo Shu didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but something about that smile felt wrong.
When the workday ended, she left ten minutes early
the first time she had ever slipped out before everyone else.
In her car, she changed into a black windbreaker and matching pants,
then hid near the elevator, watching the flow of people leaving the building.
Phone ready in her hand, she waited.
A few minutes later, the sharp rhythm of heels echoed across the garage.
Wen Qi appeared, elegant as ever, stepping into a silver BMW 290 and driving off.
Luo Shu’s suspicions deepened.
She lingered for several minutes, thinking hard, then finally stepped out from the shadows
only to collide with someone just exiting the elevator.
Her small white sneakers caught against a pair of polished leather shoes.
Her phone slipped from her fingers, and her body pitched forward.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her up before she hit the ground.
Her face crashed against a firm, warm chest. The hair tie in her golden hair snapped,
sending a cascade of strands over her shoulders.
Instinctively, she grabbed at his shirt for balance two buttons popped free,
one of them bouncing off her forehead.
Ah!
She winced, pressing her head against his chest, breathing in that familiar faint scent of sandalwood.
When she finally steadied herself, she looked up into his face.
President Yu… Her voice was barely a whisper. Her cheeks flamed red.
Their eyes met his dark and unreadable, hers wide and startled.
She could feel his heartbeat beneath her fingers, steady but strong.
Off to the side, Shen Yan quietly turned his head, pretending to see nothing.
Yu Zhan looked down at her loosened golden hair, then at his torn shirt,
the fabric gaping open to reveal the sharp line of his collarbone and
the curve of muscle beneath.
This is the second shirt you’ve ruined, he said evenly.
The second.
The first had been in the car.
He released her waist slowly.
Biting her lip, Luo Shu reached up to fix his shirt, gently pulling the fabric
together and straightening his tie.
He didn’t move. Her fingers brushed against his skin again and again,
sending a faint heat through him. His body tensed, his breathing heavier, his eyes darkening.
When she finished, she stepped back quickly and bowed.
I’m sorry, President Yu!
He said nothing, only swallowed hard, and held out her phone.
She took it with both hands, stammered a thank-you, and fled toward her car.
Once inside, she buried her face in her hands, groaning against the steering wheel.
Great. Just great. What cosmic curse had she offended to keep running into him like this?
And why was her face still burning?
After sitting there for a while to calm down, she waited until she
was sure Yu Zhan had left, then quietly slipped out again.
She took the elevator up to the second floor, went to the break room,
and made two cups of coffee. Breaking a sleeping pill in half,
she dropped one piece into each cup.
When the elevator doors opened on the security floor,
she walked to the monitoring room and set the two steaming cups by the door,
tapping three times before stepping away.
A guard opened the door, looked around, saw no one just the coffee and a note that read:
Thank you for your hard work.
He smiled, picked up the cups, and went back inside.
Ten minutes later, Luo Shu returned and knocked again. No response.
She glanced around, made sure the hallway was empty, and slipped into the room.
The cameras hadn’t been broken they’d been edited.
On the desktop, inside the recycle bin, she found the deleted footage,
copied it to her drive, and left as quietly as she’d come.
Back home, she made a bowl of instant noodles and watched the video on her laptop.
There she was Wen Qi caught on camera around one in the morning,
sneaking through the design office and later speeding out of the parking garage.
So it had been her all along.
Luo Shu’s stomach tightened.
Had Wen Qi seen her with Yu Zhan that night?
Her face grew warm again just thinking about him.
But if she exposed Wen Qi, it could hurt Yu Zhan too.
Wen Qi’s father worked closely with him, handling logistics for the entire clothing division.
No, she decided. She couldn’t act rashly.
She sighed, lifted her bowl, and turned on a movie.
As she settled back on the couch, something caught her eye
the president’s suit jacket draped neatly over the armrest.