Chapter 17

“Absolutely impossible!”

The answer burst out of Jiang Chao’s mouth the instant she heard the question.

But the puzzled look on Li Sensen’s face didn’t go away, even after Jiang Chao’s firm denial. Instead, she draped an arm over Jiang Chao’s shoulder and leaned in close until the two of them were almost pressed together.

“But look at how Director Sheng treats you. It’s really weird—or rather, she’s being very considerate, right? Don’t you feel even a little moved?”

Under Li Sensen’s eager gaze, Jiang Chao shook her head and refused just as firmly. “No.”

She hadn’t hesitated at all for either answer. That unwavering attitude only made Li Sensen even more curious.

Especially since a complicated look had flashed through Jiang Chao’s eyes so quickly—surprise, fear, hesitation, but not a trace of disgust.

This was Jiang Chao’s first answer after a brief pause. Her emotions were clearly all over the place because of Sheng Huaixi, so why was she denying it so bluntly?

Suspicious, Li Sensen pinched Jiang Chao’s sleeve with her fingertips and asked, “Why do I feel like it’s not that you don’t like her, but that you’re afraid of liking her?”

The word afraid struck Jiang Chao’s heart like a blade. Her eyes flew wide open, her mind shook violently, and she hurriedly covered Li Sensen’s mouth before she could say another word.

“Keep your voice down.”

Jiang Chao instinctively looked around, scanning left and right, terrified that the other person in their conversation might appear at any second.

Sheng Huaixi’s habit of showing up out of nowhere often caught Jiang Chao completely off guard.

And every time she found an opening, she would tease Jiang Chao a little; lately, though, with all her thoughts weighing on her, Jiang Chao had no way to fight back at all. She could only let herself be bullied.

“You say you don’t like her, but you get this scared just hearing it.”

Li Sensen’s muffled mutter pushed through Jiang Chao’s palm. Jiang Chao lowered her eyes, her thick black lashes falling, and looked a little helpless.

Right now, she could barely make sense of what Sheng Huaixi meant by the things she did, let alone find the time to think about her own feelings.

As long as she held to one basic premise—Jiang Chao did not have romantic feelings for Sheng Huaixi—that, Jiang Chao thought, would be enough.

“Still, if you really don’t like Director Sheng, that’s actually pretty good, Chaohua.” Li Sensen lifted Jiang Chao’s wrist and let it drop, then turned back with her brows relaxed again.

Thinking of the disaster scenes she had witnessed one after another, Li Sensen leaned lazily back in her chair and couldn’t help sighing.

“After all, Director Sheng really does have a lot of suitors.”

Hearing that joking remark by her ear, Jiang Chao, who had just straightened up, froze for a moment.

Her lashes fluttered rapidly, and Jiang Chao suddenly realized that in all the back-and-forth lately, she had completely forgotten one of the most important things.

Sheng Huaixi had so many suitors; there were plenty of people better than her, and plenty just like her. How could she judge Sheng Huaixi’s thoughts based on a phone whose intentions she didn’t even know?

She might have called them unknown, but with her thoughts in such a mess, wasn’t she already assuming that the chances of Sheng Huaixi liking her were higher?

After all, over this week of scattered thoughts, Jiang Chao had only just come to a stunned realization: she had never once thought about getting away from Sheng Huaixi!

“I’ve completely gone off the rails without even realizing it...” Jiang Chao murmured.

At the very beginning, when she learned how frightening Sheng Huaixi could be, she had even entertained the bold idea of going to the general manager and asking to be transferred out of Sheng Huaixi’s department.

Time had turned in circles for so many days, and now that she was standing on the scale with Sheng Huaixi again, it turned out her heart had already tilted long ago.

Subconsciously, Jiang Chao did not want to believe that Sheng Huaixi had put the phone in her room with any bad intentions.

Now, with just one sentence from Li Sensen, Jiang Chao was fully awake.

With so many suitors, how could Sheng Huaixi possibly like a rookie newcomer like her?

So Jiang Chao covered her face with her hand, and beneath the eyes she hid were nothing but helpless despair.

Sheng Huaixi had secretly put the phone under her bed after all; she really was up to something.

“Chaohua, check the messages in the group chat. We’re having a team-building dinner tonight.”

Li Sensen reminded her from the side.

Team-building? Jiang Chao fumbled for her phone and opened it in confusion. In the Creative Department group chat, a message Sheng Huaixi had just sent was clearly displayed on the screen.

To welcome her and Yuan Bai’s arrival, there would be dinner tonight at 6 p.m. in Private Room No. 1 at Zhuxuan Restaurant; all Creative Department employees were expected to attend.

Before Jiang Chao could even mourn the awkward scene that might await her later, Li Sensen beside her let out a long sigh first.

“Here we go again...”

Jiang Chao didn’t understand and turned to ask, “What do you mean?”

Spinning her chair around, Li Sensen answered with the tragic solemnity of someone marching to her doom. “Director Sheng’s charm hour.”

“?”

Jiang Chao didn’t understand the expression on Li Sensen’s face, but from that sentence she roughly understood one thing: Sheng Huaixi would be very popular at the team-building dinner.

In that case, there was no need for a newly hired rookie like her to get too close.

Jiang Chao pinched her palm; the scratch marks left by her sharp nails were clearly visible, showing just how unsettled her mind was. But she paid them no mind and simply pressed them down again and again.

Every time her fingertips tightened, it felt like she was pressing down the faint discomfort in her chest.

Her hair fell along the side of her face, hiding her expression. Only after her chest rose and fell once did Jiang Chao let out a heavy breath.

It’s fine, she told herself.

*

Today was Friday. Sheng Huaixi stayed at the company for one more meeting before coming over, though it could hardly be called late.

Even so, not long after walking into the private room, Sheng Huaixi’s mood had dropped to rock bottom.

There was only one reason: Jiang Chao.

A more evasive look than any day this week; the seat beside Jiang Chao already taken by someone else; not a single exchange after she came in...

Each and every one of those things made Sheng Huaixi’s expression darken.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. After sweeping the room once, Sheng Huaixi did not go to the seat specially reserved for her at the head of the table; instead, she walked straight to the seat opposite Jiang Chao, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

The chair scraped with a harsh, grating sound, but with the room full of chatter, hardly anyone noticed.

Sheng Huaixi bent slightly as she sat, elegant and composed. Eyes from every direction turned toward her, carrying confusion, surprise, and puzzlement, as though no one understood why she had chosen this seat today.

Her gaze lifted, and Sheng Huaixi met Jiang Chao’s eyes, which had not yet looked away.

The moment they met, those spring-water-soft eyes instantly showed a hint of flustered retreat; the next second, they seemed ready to move away from Sheng Huaixi and land on someone else.

Anyone was fine to look at, as long as it wasn’t her.

Sheng Huaixi gave a faint smile, gentle and gracious. To everyone else, she simply seemed to be in an especially good mood today, even smiling with a hint of spring warmth.

A slender wineglass was lifted by a long hand and set on the lazy Susan, moving slowly under everyone’s gaze until it finally came to a stop in front of Jiang Chao.

Sheng Huaixi reminded her softly, “Jiang Chao, there isn’t a glass in front of you.”

Jiang Chao’s body stiffened completely. She didn’t even know how she managed to take the glass and place it in front of herself.

She only remembered this:

In that instant, the raw aggression in Sheng Huaixi’s lifted eyes had been fierce and cruel, as if she meant to swallow Jiang Chao whole right then and there.

She didn’t care about anyone else. She didn’t care where they were.

Jiang Chao trembled, horrified to realize that Sheng Huaixi really was capable of doing something like that.

Sheng Huaixi was certain she had seen Jiang Chao trembling in fear. She pressed the tip of her tongue lightly against the roof of her mouth, and a satisfied smile slipped into the corners of her eyes.

Jiang Chao, you’ve noticed it...

A tiny corner of her greed, of just how terrible she really was.