Unable to Fall in Love Syndrome - Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Time Speaks 02

“Mr. Zuo, what are you talking about! I’m Qiao Shan, not Cheng Shan… Bah… What nonsense am I spouting!” Qiao Shan slapped her own mouth, hurriedly correcting herself. “I’m Cheng Shan, not Qiao Shan!”

The man’s sharp, pitch-black gaze landed on the top of her head, a chilling aura emanating from him. “Still struggling on your deathbed? Look at you—even thieves don’t get this guilty?”

She clenched her fists tightly, her palms slick with sweat.

It was almost May Day, and Jinyang’s tourist season was in full swing.

The quaint snack street, brimming with ancient charm, was adorned with layers of Chinese lanterns, evoking a strong sense of traditional elegance. Even the candied hawthorn shop in front of them had a string of lanterns hanging from its entrance, decorated with a fine brush painting of Chang’e flying to the moon. The flickering candlelight made the fairy on the lampshade come alive, her flowing silk ribbons seeming to dance in the breeze.

The street was packed with people, and the tall and short pair stood awkwardly in front of the candied hawthorn shop.

The towering Zuo Yi blocked the light spilling from the lanterns, leaving half of Qiao Shan shrouded in darkness.

She didn’t dare move or speak, her mind racing to find an emergency plan…

She felt frozen in place; even turning her head became an impossibly difficult task.

After a few minutes of standoff, Zuo Yi spoke up. “What? Too noisy here to talk? Let’s go to that rice noodle shop up ahead and chat while we eat.”

“Oh…” Overwhelmed with nerves, her legs felt like they’d been zapped, and as she took a step, her body swayed, nearly toppling to the side. Instinctively, she grabbed the hem of the man’s shirt to steady herself.

They entered the rice noodle shop, where customers were overflowing outside. The owner led them to a small private room.

Seated across from each other, Qiao Shan kept her head down, not daring to look at him. After a long pause, she asked, “How did you find out?” Her identity details could pass for real as long as no one checked the public security system.

The man didn’t respond. Instead, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out an exquisite business card holder. Against the cold metallic sheen, his long, pale fingers stood out even more strikingly.

He drew out a card, pinching it between his fingers, and with a flick of his wrist, sent it spinning like a playing card, landing right in front of her.

Zuo Yi looked up at her, his eyes like a predatory eagle.

“After all these years, you’ve only grown in height and age?” He tapped his temple lightly with a finger, mocking her. “Why hasn’t your IQ caught up?”

“…” Qiao Shan glanced at the card and finally realized where she’d slipped up.

The phone number—the one on the card matched the one she was using now and the one she’d given to the company…

A hundred precautions, but one fatal oversight. There’s no dumbest, only dumber!

“Gold medal matchmaker Qiao Shan is quite the celebrity in Jinyang, with nearly a million Weibo followers. No photos, but it’s not hard to trace leads and dig a little. If you’d changed your number, I might not have suspected you.” Zuo Yi paused, then asked, “So, spill it. What’s your game, coming to my company?”

“You win!” Qiao Shan took a deep breath and got straight to the point. “It’s for Tong Xiaoli. I have a client who’s interested in her.”

This answer caught Zuo Yi off guard. “Not trying to set yourself up?”

Qiao Shan froze for a second, then laughed awkwardly. “What a joke! Do I look like I need a boyfriend?”

Zuo Yi countered, “You have a boyfriend?”

Qiao Shan replied, “What’s with that tone? Like I shouldn’t have one or something.”

Zuo Yi furrowed his brows, his voice low. “You’re still the same as before.”

That remark suddenly bridged the gap between them, and Qiao Shan followed his lead. “Yeah, still the same. You’ve changed a lot, though.”

Qiao Shan fell silent for a moment, then said seriously, “Give me a week to wrap things up. I’ll resign by next Wednesday. How’s that?”

“Fine by me. My company doesn’t keep dead weight,” Zuo Yi said, looking at her.

“Can’t you at least pretend to ask me to stay?”

“Why would I?” Zuo Yi teased back. “Unless… was that your first kiss in the elevator?”

Qiao Shan instinctively touched her lips, a spark of anger in her dark, glossy eyes. She slammed the table. “You’re bringing that up? Didn’t we call it even?”

“Want me to take responsibility?” Zuo Yi asked again.

“…Are you nuts? I have a boyfriend, okay!” Qiao Shan fumed.

She knew it—once he found out who she was, he’d come for revenge. And sure enough. This was just… too much!

His voice remained cool and detached. “Oh, so you have a boyfriend and still flirt with other men. Didn’t peg you for that kind of woman.”

The phrase “that kind of woman” pushed Qiao Shan over the edge. She snapped, “Enough, Zuo Yi.”

“Alright, that’s it for today. Head home.” Zuo Yi unusually offered, “I’m going your way. I’ll give you a ride.”

Qiao Shan clenched her little fists, her teeth chattering with rage. Just looking at him was enough— no way she’d get in his car. What a waste of that handsome face.

So she hailed a cab and went home herself.

*

The next day, Qiao Shan submitted her resignation to the HR department.

As she left, a group of female colleagues hugged her one by one, reluctant to let her go. Qiao Shan said, “Everyone free tonight? Dinner’s on me.”

“A farewell dinner? That’s the worst kind— so sentimental,” Tong Xiaoli said.

Supervisor Chen Li was a bit sad to see her go too, sighing. “We have to have the farewell dinner, but we’re all still friends after this. We can meet up often. Little Qiao, if you come across any new cosmetics, feel free to recommend them to us.”

Qiao Shan made an “OK” sign with her fingers. “No problem.”

Zuo Yi happened to step out of his office and, passing by the assistants’ area, overheard “farewell dinner.” He took a few steps back and lingered at the door, eavesdropping.

An employee emerged from the elevator and spotted him lurking suspiciously by the assistants’ office door.

Zuo Yi noticed and quickly bowed his head, frowning at the floor as if searching for something. The employee passed by and greeted him; he adjusted his tie, nodded slightly, and gave a serious, solemn “Mm.”

…

That evening, Qiao Shan and her colleagues met at a high-end Chinese restaurant for dinner—a table full of over a dozen girls.

Their private room had no door, separated from the neighboring table only by a carved screen, but that didn’t dampen the group’s spirits at all. They drank glass after glass, bold and carefree, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Qiao Shan watched in stunned amazement.

Even the usually demure Miss Li was knocking back an entire bottle with ease.

When the bottle came her way, she couldn’t refuse. She shot a quick text to Xiao Jia first, then dove in worry-free, hugging the bottle and taking a few sips.

Those small sips hit her stomach like a fireball, the heat rolling from her abdomen up to her neck and spreading to her cheeks.

One of the more tipsy ones climbed onto a chair, bottle in hand, and started yelling at the top of her lungs from her perch: “That old hag Zuo Yi— so arrogant, what’s with all the attitude! So what if he’s handsome? So what if he’s rich? No woman wants him, hahaha…”

Tong Xiaoli looked up at Qiao Shan, tugging weakly at Supervisor Liu Li’s sleeve. “Liu Jie, looks like the general manager’s been giving her a hard time lately…”

Liu Li pulled Qiao Shan down from the chair. “You’ve had too much.”

Qiao Shan shoved Liu Li away, losing her balance and swaying wildly. She stumbled back a few steps and crashed into a warm, soft wall behind her.

The person behind steadied her by the shoulders and snatched the bottle from her hand.

Drunk and dizzy, Qiao Shan’s vision blurred. She tried to turn around to see who it was, but the hands on her shoulders held her firm, preventing her from twisting.

In her haze, she heard someone call out “Mr. Zuo.”

Zuo Yi glanced at the table of women. “Tonight’s on me. She’s drunk—I’ll take her home first. You all head back early and rest.”

With that, he grabbed Qiao Shan by the back of her collar and dragged her out of the room.

Qiao Shan was pulled backward, struggling to turn around.

Seeing it was Zuo Yi, she balled her fists to punch him, but her arms were limp and powerless. Undeterred, she lowered her head like a water buffalo and charged at his abdomen…

Mooing angrily all the while.

So when Xiao Jia stepped out of the elevator, the first thing he saw was Qiao Shan ramming her head into a man’s stomach like a water buffalo.

Xiao Jia rushed over, yanking Qiao Shan to him and pressing her little head firmly against his chest with his broad palm until she quieted down a bit. Only then did he turn to the man and apologize.

“Sorry, she’s like this when she’s drunk.”

Zuo Yi asked, “Who are you?”

The question caught Xiao Jia off guard. Friend? Childhood sweetheart? Neighbor big brother?

“Boyfriend?” Zuo Yi asked again after a pause.

Xiao Jia didn’t verbally confirm, just gave a muffled nod.

Qiao Shan’s little head was buried in the man’s chest, much quieter now, though she still mumbled “Zuo Yi, that old hag.” Zuo Yi felt inexplicably irritated.

Irritated about what?

Was this girl out of her mind? Flirting with him when she had a boyfriend?