Transmigrated as a White Lotus Heroine, but I’m Pursuing the Cold Villain - Chapter 28

Chi Jiheng spoke through gritted teeth, forcing each word out with difficulty. It was hard not to suspect he might suddenly explode in anger.

Lin Qinglian acted as if she didn’t notice his fury. The old Lin Qinglian would have already been apologizing with tear-filled eyes.

Instead, she smiled and said, “During my shift, I’m not obligated to answer your calls. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”

Chi Jiheng stared at her. Her eyes, once playfully curved, now regarded him with a strange, mocking gaze.

A sudden pang of discomfort struck him.

This discomfort wasn’t due to anything specific, but rather the feeling of something that had once belonged to him suddenly no longer being his.

He clenched his jaw and abruptly stood up, dragging the chair behind him with a harsh screech.

His things—he had never lost anything he didn’t want to lose. Nothing had ever left him of its own accord.

Narrowing his furious eyes, he gripped the table so tightly that the veins in his arms bulged. “What did you say, Lin Qinglian? Say it again!”

Lin Qinglian’s eyes curved into a smile. “President Chi, I have other matters to attend to. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”

This man was truly peculiar.

Ever since Lin Qinglian had transmigrated, she had interacted with him on and off for several years, and her opinion of him had never wavered.

He was so strange that even when he was clearly displeased by her words today, he still demanded to hear them again.

Silently mocking him in her mind, Lin Qinglian forced the smile on her face to remain.

Lin Qinglian struggled to understand others, so she generally chose to be compliant to avoid trouble. Arguing with people only led to one person yielding to the other, and she didn’t mind others outwardly submitting to her, as long as she didn’t have to inwardly submit to them.

Especially with someone like Chi Jiheng, who was prone to explosive anger, Lin Qinglian obediently repeated her words, even making her expression appear more sincere.

She gazed at Chi Jiheng with her eyes curved into a smile, while he clenched his teeth so hard they ground together, his hands gripping the table so tightly that the muscles in his arms bulged.

Seeing Chi Jiheng’s clenched jaw, Lin Qinglian thought, Is this fight scene happening early, or is it just out of order?

This isn’t good.

What if Chi Jiheng actually tries to hit me? What if I accidentally slap him so hard he flies across the room?

This wasn’t just Lin Qinglian boasting. Before transmigrating into the novel, she had been an eighth-degree black belt in Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) and a ninth-degree black belt in Judo. Though she had grown somewhat lax after transmigrating, her foundational skills remained sharp. While her physical strength parameters had been adjusted, her martial arts prowess was still formidable. If she and Chi Jiheng came to blows, the furniture would likely suffer the most.

Fortunately, Chi Jiheng’s chest heaved violently, his eyes bloodshot as he demanded, “Why are you leaving? Am I not good enough for you?”

Lin Qinglian nearly laughed at this.

Even compared to her own bleak and uneventful past, her daily life as Chi Jiheng’s year-round, on-call servant was undeniably miserable.

Lin Qinglian’s impression of him soured further.

How can he be so shameless? she wondered. I truly don’t understand. But for the sake of maintaining the Male Lead’s superficial image, she decided to avoid the topic altogether.

Lin Qinglian said, “Adults don’t have ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ Please approve my resignation application.”

Lin Qinglian thought happily, If the System were here, it would definitely praise me for my progress.

Could it be because of that woman yesterday?

As Chi Jiheng grasped this, his frustration grew. “Yesterday was just a misunderstanding! She was the one who wouldn’t leave me alone. How many times do I have to explain? When will you stop being so unreasonable?!”

An unnamed fire blazed in his heart, searing his chest. So immature! He had brought Lin Qinglian close precisely because he seemed sensible.

He raised his hand high, but when he met Lin Qinglian’s watery eyes, his heart suddenly lurched. His mind, which had been blank with rage, instantly cleared.

His hand slammed heavily onto the desk.

What’s going on?

He felt a flicker of confusion, but quickly suppressed it.

How could I be confused? It must be because of what happened last night.

Lin Qinglian thought he was probably a bit crazy, but since he could function in daily life, he was considered normal.

Lin Qinglian nodded absently, dismissing his words as nonsense. She planned to leave as soon as he finished rambling.

But in the next moment, Chi Jiheng said, “I promise I won’t bring anyone else here casually. Is that enough?”

He felt he had already conceded too much. If Lin Qinglian continued to act up about this, she would only provoke his annoyance.

Lin Qinglian, thinking he had agreed, turned to leave, only to hear his words.

Even if you’re trying to act affectionate, this is ridiculous.

She lifted her head, her long lashes rising to reveal eyes as clear as water. Her gaze shifted from the floor to meet Chi Jiheng’s directly.

But when she saw the strained expression on his face—as if a god were condescending to bestow a favor upon the world—she was taken aback.

What is this?

Lin Qinglian frowned.

“I suggest you get your brain checked at the city hospital,” she said.

“Stop pretending,” Chi Jiheng replied coldly. “It’s not cute anymore.”

He sneered inwardly. She’s just a little plaything I keep around. Sometimes her tantrums are amusing, but today she dares to—

Lin Qinglian was so speechless she couldn’t even bother to respond. She turned and walked toward the door, tossing the paper she had scribbled on earlier onto the desk as she passed.

A heavy stack of paper landed on the desk with a thud.

“This paper shows the money you gave me and the amount I’ve repaid,” Lin Qinglian said flatly. “Some of it is for my caregiving services. You’d have to pay a nanny anyway, right? I’ve been cooking for you for so long, so I’m valuing that at three thousand yuan. By the end of this month, I’ll only owe you six thousand yuan. You can keep my salary this month to cover the rest.”

Chi Jiheng stared at the stack of paper, furious. “You never trusted me, did you?! You’ve been guarding yourself against me all along!”

Tsk.

Lin Qinglian silently rolled her eyes. By then, she had reached the door. She kicked it shut as she left.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, followed by a sharp click as it latched.

After closing the door, she glanced around.

The white tile floor gleamed brightly.

Lin Qinglian wandered over to the restroom across the hall. As soon as she entered, she spotted what she was looking for.

She grabbed the object and returned to the President’s Office, wedging it diagonally against the door handle.

At first, the object was too long to fit. Lin Qinglian pressed down hard, the soft tip of the wood wedging firmly into the doorframe.

Satisfied, she clapped her hands.

Then, she suddenly looked up, facing the camera. A sweet smile bloomed on her usually expressionless face.

Her red lips parted slightly as she slowly mouthed three words before leaving with a satisfied air.

The loud slam of the door startled Chi Jiheng, who immediately flew into a rage.

How dare she give me attitude?!

That was the only thought in his mind.

Ever since he could remember, everyone had catered to his every whim, practically kneeling to comfort him whenever he was upset.

And now someone dared to give him attitude? And that someone was his own lover!

An inexplicable fury surged through him. Chi Jiheng’s face darkened as he strode toward the door.

He grabbed the handle and yanked hard, but the door didn’t budge.

Chi Jiheng: “?”

He applied more force, but the aluminum alloy door, which fit perfectly into its frame, remained unyielding.

That b1tch actually locked me in?!

His gaze turned icy as he reached for his pocket, only to find it empty.

Where was his phone?

Just before stepping out of the elevator, Lin Qinglian casually shook her sleeve over the trash can, and a black object slid out and fell precisely into the bin.

It was none other than Chi Jiheng’s phone, and she had also cut the office’s communication line a month prior.

After all, what could be faster than a quick, casual move?

Given Chi Jiheng’s idiotic personality, no one in the office dared approach him unless absolutely necessary—and even then, they hesitated. He’d likely be stuck in there all day.

As she exited the elevator and walked to her workstation, Lin Qinglian noticed the small box she had just packed was gone.

Her expression darkened involuntarily.

At that moment, one of the team’s interns approached her hesitantly, stammering, “Senior Lin, the supervisor threw your things away earlier. Senior He helped you pack them up and said to come find him when you get back.”

Lin Qinglian smiled faintly, her eyes curving slightly and the corners of her lips lifting. “I understand. Thank you.”

The intern immediately relaxed, convinced that her earlier fear had been a mere illusion.

Senior Lin is so kind and always helps the rest of the team. How could I ever be afraid of her?

The intern smiled at Lin Qinglian and turned to leave.

Watching the intern’s retreating figure, Lin Qinglian’s smile immediately faded. She recalled the intern’s tentative, carefully controlled smile.

Turning slightly sideways, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the elevator’s gleaming doors, then gently curved her lips into a smile.

Anyone who could have seen that fleeting smile would have been chilled to the bone. The curve of her lips was identical to the intern’s earlier smile.

With that smile still playing on her lips, she knocked lightly on the door to He Qing’s office.

Inside, He Qing was instructing her junior apprentice on adjusting the proportions of a garment.

Without looking up as Lin Qinglian entered, she said, “You’re here?”

Lin Qinglian nodded obediently. “Master, I’m here. Where’s my stuff?”

He Qing feigned annoyance. “You come in asking for your things right away? Don’t you care about your master at all?”

Lin Qinglian winked playfully. “I’m right here, isn’t that the best way to show I care about you? Or do you not want to see me?”

He Qing couldn’t help but smile, charmed by her flattery. “There, your things are by the computer. Do you still want to leave?”

A faint blush suddenly tinted Lin Qinglian’s pale cheeks. She neither confirmed nor denied anything, merely bit her pink lip and shyly gathered her belongings.

As she reached for her things, she subtly glanced inside the box.

Clothes, a pen… nothing else.

No! Where’s her doll?

Her heart leaped violently, her hands trembling involuntarily, and her composure nearly crumbled.

Yet she maintained her expression, pretending not to notice anything amiss as she picked up the box and casually peered inside.

“Teacher, where’s my doll?” she asked anxiously, rummaging through the contents. “How could it be missing?”

He Qing immediately set down her own work and joined the search, her voice tinged with panic. “What doll? Did I forget to bring it? Or did it fall out on the way? Keep looking.”

Lin Qinglian tossed the contents of the box into disarray, pointing to a corner. “It was right here! How could it vanish? It was a gift from Chi…”

She stopped abruptly, realizing her slip of the tongue. She clamped her mouth shut, continuing the frantic search with a look of desperate urgency.

He Qing sensed the unspoken meaning in Lin Qinglian’s words and immediately became ecstatic, but she remained vigilant. “Who sent you this gift? A little lover? When did you get a boyfriend? Why haven’t you introduced him to your teacher?”

Lin Qinglian’s heart turned cold. She and this industry titan were barely nodding acquaintances; she didn’t deserve such probing questions. Moreover, He Qing’s tone was clearly that of a mother-in-law sizing up her future son-in-law. Lin Qinglian asked herself honestly: they weren’t even remotely close enough for such familiarity. They had never even spent time together face-to-face.

Yet she maintained her anxious facade, rummaging frantically through the bag. “It’s fine if it’s anything else, but this item holds special sentimental value for me. I’m worried he’ll be upset if I lose it.”

Just then, He Qing suddenly exclaimed, “Oh dear, my memory! I remember now!”

Lin Qinglian had assumed it was the item she had brought in, but it turned out to be a love token from Chi Jiheng. He Qing had gone to great lengths to intercept it, only to make a mistake.

Though inwardly frustrated, she feigned sudden delight and pulled the small doll from her deep pocket.

“Look at me,” He Qing said, “almost causing trouble for you! Good thing I remembered.”

Lin Qinglian accepted the doll with a face full of gratitude.