Ch 56: Every Coincidence Is A Long-planned Scheme
Seeing that she didn’t speak, he pursed his lips, showing a hint of apology. “I’m sorry, I should have explained it clearly. Otherwise, your boyfriend would probably be unhappy if he knew, right?”
“Aren’t you afraid your girlfriend will misunderstand?” Her heart pounded like thunder, and she boldly probed further. She was always very sensitive to the goodwill of the opposite sex; if she didn’t like someone, she would avoid them early on.
If she liked someone…
He looked directly into her eyes, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend either.” She quickly replied, her big eyes curving slightly, overflowing with uncontainable laughter.
He also laughed, glancing at the steamed buns in her hand. “Try it. Do you like it? If you do, I can make it for you every day.”
Look, a man with ulterior motives, even his confession is so extraordinary.
You ate my steamed buns, from now on you are mine!
Xiao Yao was very moved. Looking down at the plump steamed buns, she felt her mouth watering and wanted to take a bite.
But, haven’t they known each other for too short a time?
If she immediately agreed, wouldn’t it make her seem too frivolous?
Xiao Yao spent her three years of high school under the strict supervision of her parents and Xiao Wenxing’s constant interference. Whenever she had feelings for someone, or as soon as she had a little flutter of emotion, it was nipped in the bud.
She hadn’t even had a first love before entering university. This time, her parents didn’t stop her from dating, but Xiao Yao’s standards were high, and she wouldn’t settle for ordinary men.
Severely poisoned by the currently popular Taiwanese dramas, she always wanted to find a handsome, unforgettable man who would wholeheartedly care for and cherish her.
During the first semester, she swept through countless male classmates at Ying University, none of whom caught her eye. Unexpectedly, she met one just after summer vacation.
However, few of these rich kids aren’t heartless. Is it normal for someone so handsome to not have a girlfriend?
Xiao Yao hesitated, wanting to observe him further.
She handed the steamed buns back to him, smiled sweetly, and said, “I ate breakfast already. You eat it.”
Zhuang Lingyun looked at the steamed buns in his palm, then looked at her again after a moment. “Are you sure you don’t want to try it? It’s delicious.”
Xiao Yao casually waved her hand. “I can’t eat it now… You can consider it again when I’m hungry.”
“Okay,” he smiled, “Steamed buns won’t grow wings and fly away anyway.”
With their unspoken words, it quickly reached 8:30 PM, and the employees began to walk towards the back door one after another.
Xiao Yao and Zhuang Lingyun were in the middle of the long queue. She saw him take out an ID card from his pocket and hang it around his neck. Xiao Yao glanced at it and was suddenly shocked.
“You’re the… General Manager of the Four Seasons Lord’s?”
Zhuang Lingyun smiled faintly. “Just finding out?”
“This… This is too much of a coincidence! I applied for a job at your shop yesterday…”
“Then it’s indeed fate.” He chuckled, “Silly girl, there aren’t that many coincidences in this world. There’s only long-term planning.”
Zhuang Lingyun was the regional manager, responsible for overseeing the sales performance of all Four Seasons Lord’s shops. Therefore, he was often on the move, staying in one shop for a while, another for a day, sometimes even going on business trips to other places for inspections.
So, after bringing Xiao Yao into the shop and personally selecting a blue and white suit for her to change into, when Xiao Yao came out again, Wang Xinru said that Manager Zhuang had already left.
Xiao Yao looked at herself in the mirror, feeling indescribable emotions.
She happily changed her clothes, waiting for his praise, but he left.
Xiao Yao’s job was easy and not so easy at the same time. Wearing high heels, she had to stand all day. Except for lunch breaks, her legs were stiff, and she had to maintain a certain posture, resulting in unbearable soreness all over her body by the end of the day.
All the shop assistants went through this; Xiao Yao certainly couldn’t handle it on her first day and needed time to adapt.
She had a cheerful personality and was pretty, so the other shop assistants loved talking to her. Xiao Yao was approachable and didn’t put on airs, making her quite popular.
The mall closed at 9 PM, and by 8:40 PM, there were basically no more customers. Xiao Yao went to the changing room to change back into her own clothes.
When she came out, Zhuang Lingyun, who had disappeared all day, was sitting leisurely on the rest sofa, legs crossed, smiling at her.
Xiao Yao was caught off guard and blushed instantly. Why was he here at this time? She wished she had fixed her hair in the changing room, instead of looking so messy now…
“Manager Zhuang.” She used the same address as everyone else.
Zhuang Lingyun stood up, took his hand out of his pocket, and conveniently took her backpack. “Let’s go.”
Under the ambiguous gazes of the other shop assistants, Xiao Yao’s face turned redder. What was he doing? Could he be here to pick her up from work?
In front of all her colleagues? So blatant?
“What are you still standing there for? Hurry up!” Wang Xinru leaned closer, nudged her, and whispered with a laugh.
Xiao Yao pursed her lips, lowered her head, and hurriedly followed.
Outside the mall, Zhuang Lingyun opened the door of his Navigator, gesturing for her to get in.
“You…” Xiao Yao felt helpless, “What are you doing? People will misunderstand.”
“Let them misunderstand then.”
“…But I haven’t agreed to anything!”
He chuckled, “I don’t have any other intentions; I’m just giving you a ride home. It’s too late, and it’s not safe.”
“I can ask Xiao Wenxing to pick me up.” She casually said, it was just a made-up lie. At this time, Xiao Wenxing was probably out partying with his friends and wouldn’t care about her.
“The one who picked you up yesterday at noon?”
Xiao Yao was startled. She didn’t expect him to have seen, and briefly explained, “Yeah, that’s my brother.”
His smile deepened. “Let’s go, I’m going the same way. If you don’t like it, I won’t do it again, whatever you prefer.”
Xiao Yao didn’t insist further and got into the passenger seat. He even personally fastened her seatbelt, without any ambiguous advances, just fastening the seatbelt.
But even so, Xiao Yao’s face turned bright red.
On the way, Zhuang Lingyun asked her how her work was today, and she said it was fine. While chatting, she occasionally glanced at him. His expression was a little tired, and he seemed very weary.
“Are you alright?”
He turned his head, smiled, and asked, “Do I look unwell?”
“It’s just… you seem very tired.”
“Yeah, I am,” he paused, then suddenly suggested, “Then how about we get a foot massage together?”
Xiao Yao must have been out of her mind to agree to him.
The foot massage parlor was large and luxuriously decorated. The two of them lay in a huge private room, served by a male and female massage therapist.
There was a small, square table less than half a meter wide between the two beds. Zhuang Lingyun lay on the bed, turning his head to look at her.
Xiao Yao was enveloped by an awkward atmosphere, her face as red as if she had drunk a whole bottle of baijiu, and she couldn’t look at him at all.
What was this?
A date?
Wasn’t it too bizarre to have a date at a foot massage parlor? A superior-subordinate relationship was plausible, but being with her boss at a foot massage parlor seemed inappropriate.
But if it wasn’t a date, their relationship wasn’t friendly enough to explain this ambiguous situation.
Xiao Yao had never had a foot massage before and was very uncomfortable. The massage therapist was very strong, and at first she was too embarrassed to speak up. Later, when the pain became unbearable, she quietly asked the therapist to be gentler.
This “gently” from her mouth, in the quiet background of soft music, sounded soft and tender, giving off a sensual feeling, as if she was…
Aaaaah! What was she thinking? She was going crazy!
It must be said that the over one-hour 『enjoyment』 was a very bizarre and novel experience.
Although Xiao Yao had never had a boyfriend, she had seen pigs run even if she hadn’t eaten pork. Watching her roommates Luo Li and Zhao Fangyuan date, their usual date spots were cinemas, restaurants, or amusement parks. The most unusual was going to a haunted house.
Doing a foot massage like this… it’s probably unprecedented and unparalleled.
It was truly memorable.
✦ ✦ ✦
