Chapter 75

“Huh? Yuan Bai, why are you back so soon?” Li Sensen looked up in confusion. “These past few days, you’ve been just like Jiang Chao before—running in and out of Director Sheng’s office all the time.”

Back and forth like that, with Yuan Bai being the only one who noticed, it was basically three calls a day. That was way too often.

From where Yuan Bai stood, her expression was no better. Her mouth twitched as she rolled up the documents in her hand, utterly speechless.

“...She might’ve had an anxiety attack, hehe.” Yuan Bai forced up the corners of her mouth, unable to tell Li Sensen the truth under that curious stare.

“Anxiety?” Li Sensen frowned. “Has anything in our department lately been worth making her anxious?”

She idly spun her pen between her fingers. Thinking over everything that had happened in the office recently, she still couldn’t figure out what was on their direct supervisor’s mind.

Li Sensen said, puzzled, “Besides Jiang Chao taking leave recently, nothing else in our department has changed. It’s been the same as before the team-building trip, hasn’t it?”

That was exactly right.

Yuan Bai sat down, raised an interested brow, and slowly crossed her legs, turning to face Jiang Chao’s empty workstation. She pursed her lips and nodded.

“Yeah. At first she only said she was taking three days off, then she said she hadn’t finished dealing with things and took a full week instead. I already miss her.”

Yuan Bai had never missed Jiang Chao this much before.

If Jiang Chao didn’t come back soon, Sheng Huaixi was going to drive her insane.

In just one week, that woman had acted like she had separation anxiety. She called Yuan Bai into her office three times a day, more punctually than Yuan Bai ordering takeout when she was hungry.

Every day was like talking to a robot, repeating the same three questions over and over.

“Has Jiang Chao messaged you? Is Jiang Chao planning to come back early? Can you tell me more about Jiang Chao’s situation in England before?”

Like some fixed NPC—the trigger was Yuan Bai stepping into Sheng Huaixi’s office and politely saying, “Director Sheng.”

After days of endless questioning, Yuan Bai had gone from shock to numbness.

The first time Sheng Huaixi had suddenly asked her those questions, the sharp look in her eyes had nearly made Yuan Bai think Jiang Chao had dumped Sheng Huaixi and gone back to England to reunite with a lover.

In her shock, Yuan Bai no longer remembered what expression she’d worn then. In any case, Sheng Huaixi seemed to have seen something she liked, and her features softened by a fraction.

Once she’d gotten through the first time, the rest didn’t faze Yuan Bai anymore.

To be honest, Yuan Bai didn’t care much anymore about Sheng Huaixi’s harassment. But gossip was annoying.

In just a few days, Yuan Bai had fully experienced how fast rumors spread in their company.

Because she’d been called into the office by Sheng Huaixi these past few days, the company had already spread the ridiculous rumor of “the love triangle between the two Creative Department interns and Director Sheng.”

Yuan Bai didn’t know what the current situation was between Sheng Huaixi and Jiang Chao, but she was a girl with a girlfriend, okay? If this rumor kept spreading...

Thinking of what might happen to her, Yuan Bai shivered and decisively picked up her phone to message Jiang Chao.

“No, I have to ask Jiang Chao when she’s coming back.”

Li Sensen nodded in agreement. “Exactly. It feels like without her around, all of Director Sheng’s firepower is aimed at us.”

After sending the message, Yuan Bai pinched her cheek and waited for Jiang Chao’s reply, her pen tapping anxiously.

Before long, Jiang Chao’s message popped up; at the same time, a message from Sheng Huaixi in the group chat also appeared, summoning her to the office.

Li Sensen looked at Yuan Bai sympathetically. “Go on, Xiaobai. Director Sheng is calling for you again.”

Yuan Bai let out a long sigh. This time, she didn’t even want to bring a fake stack of documents with her; she just grabbed her phone and walked into the room.

After knocking and opening the door, Yuan Bai turned on her screen and held out her wrist in front of Sheng Huaixi. “Read it yourself.”

Jiang Chao: [Don’t know.]

The question and answer were displayed clearly. Sheng Huaixi saw at a glance the answer she had been desperately waiting to know.

Her expression cold, Sheng Huaixi got what she wanted and pointed toward the door. “Go back.”

“...” Yuan Bai did her best not to throw something nasty at her direct supervisor.

She suspected Sheng Huaixi might be watching her through the surveillance cameras. The moment she saw Yuan Bai message Jiang Chao, she’d been summoned right after—otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence...

She had just received Jiang Chao’s reply, and Sheng Huaixi had immediately messaged her to call her in.

Ugh... Just thinking about Sheng Huaixi possibly watching her through the cameras made Yuan Bai shiver. She quickened her pace as she left.

That perverted woman could stay there and wait for Jiang Chao to come back and serve her.

The lock clicked shut with a crisp sound. The coldness on Sheng Huaixi’s face abruptly changed; a trace of resentment colored her dark eyes, and she let out a long, bitter sigh.

“Still not back...”

The drawn-out words were thick with grievance. Looking at the chat window with Jiang Chao, Sheng Huaixi’s resentment deepened.

They had both messaged Jiang Chao, but Yuan Bai got a reply far faster than she did.

As for the countless messages Sheng Huaixi had sent Jiang Chao, Jiang Chao only replied with a selfie every morning and night; even then, it wasn’t even a photo of her face.

It was just a way of telling her not to worry.

Beyond that, Sheng Huaixi looked at the stream of messages she kept sending—whether plaintive, worried, or irritated—none of them ever got a single positive reply from Jiang Chao.

When Sheng Huaixi finally counted the days and dragged herself through three of them, what came next was news that Jiang Chao was extending her leave by four more days.

Their only written communication was still about work.......

At the thought of this, Sheng Huaixi wanted nothing more than to drag back the person who had once spoken such sweet words, who had specially come to her room before leaving to give her a hug, and then teach her a harsh lesson.

Before leaving, Jiang Chao had treated her wonderfully, showering her with a basketful of sweet talk and smiling at her every day.

After leaving, she had completely changed.

She didn’t answer messages, didn’t want her concern, didn’t take her calls; she only sent a few selfies of her hands, legs, and waist...

A whole week, and Sheng Huaixi still hadn’t seen Jiang Chao’s face once!

Night after night, anxious cigarettes were lit; sparks glowed in the empty dark. Sheng Huaixi breathed in and out, the restlessness in her lungs growing hotter and hotter. Ash fell scorching onto her fingertips, unnoticed.

Every night, what kept Sheng Huaixi company through the hours was, apart from the rising and falling cigarette smoke, that motionless little red dot; it was her only hope.

The little red dot did not move; Sheng Huaixi’s pupils, fixed on it, did not move either. Quietly, across a screen, she thought of the person on the other side.

Until her eyes were stained a restless, bloodshot red and the light outside the window began to brighten.

“Jiang Chao, you liar.”

Looking at the messages that had gone unanswered all night, Sheng Huaixi darkened with irritation.