At lunchtime.
"Hey, have you seen the group chat?" Ye Li asked, sitting down opposite Luo Shu with her food tray.
"Nope, too lazy to look," Luo Shu replied, her completely unfazed expression earning Ye Li's admiration.
"I wish I could be half as calm as you are when things happen," she said, then began to dig into her food with relish.
"I heard that the design drafts on your desk were accidentally placed there by Yu Xi, who was on leave that day. She's a new intern, probably didn't know any better and put them in the wrong place."
"Mm."
She could tell that when she had first walked in, most people's gazes had changed, but they still didn't quite dare to approach the quick-witted Luo Shu.
"By the way, did Mr. Yu scold you today? You seemed so out of it when you came back," Ye Li chattered on.
"Isn't it normal to be scolded by that ice-block face of his," she mumbled.
Ye Li lowered her voice. "He never scolds anyone."
"Is that so? I think you've just been captivated by his good looks. You can't be so shallow."
Luo Shu snorted. Just as she put down her chopsticks, she looked up and saw Yu Zhan carrying a tray, coming over to eat.
She couldn't help but kick Ye Li under the table, signaling her to shut up, then squeezed out a smile. "Hello, Mr. Yu."
It was as if nothing had happened that morning.
Ye Li jumped in fright and buried her head in her food.
"Mm."
He didn't even spare them a glance, sitting down at a nearby window seat and starting to discuss business with Shen Yan.
"He didn't hear what we were just saying, did he?" Ye Li worried.
"I doubt it. Gossiping about the boss behind his back, a few words won't kill you," Luo Shu said, taking it in stride.
After finally making it through the workday, Luo Shu changed into a stunning red dress and applied exquisite makeup.
She drove directly to Qin Heng's workplace and parked her car in the most conspicuous spot.
People began to stream out of the building after work, all of them staring at this sudden appearance of a beautiful woman.
Luo Shu smirked. This was exactly the effect she wanted.
Qin Heng was even bolder, walking out of the building cheerfully as if nothing was wrong.
He had no idea he was about to fall into the beauty trap set before him.
The moment he saw her, Qin Heng's eyes were glued to her. He never expected that the normally plain Luo Shu could look so beautiful when dressed up. She looked like she had stepped out of a book—a true stunner.
"Qin Heng."
She was unusually enthusiastic, walking up to him in public and gently wrapping her arms around his waist.
Qin Heng was somewhat taken aback, thinking for a moment that he was seeing things!
The old Luo Shu would never have done this. All their affection had been subtle, at most holding hands or a kiss on his forehead. This was probably the most intimate they had ever been.
"So fucking disgusting."
As Luo Shu hugged him, she was cursing him in her heart with disgust!
But when faced with such a shameless man, she had to be even more shameless than him to get her revenge!
Qin Heng looked down dotingly at the woman in his arms.
She could feel the strange looks from the crowd of people leaving work.
"Let's go. Let's have dinner together."
Luo Shu put on a fake smile and pulled his hand with a cloying sweetness.
"Okay."
Like he was coaxing a child, Qin Heng opened the passenger door for her, fastened her seatbelt, and then returned to the driver's seat to start the car.
As soon as he was gone, Luo Shu subtly brushed off any lingering scent of him from her body and wiped her hands with a tissue in disgust.
"I've booked a table at 'Shi Fu'. How does that sound?"
Qin Heng was a rich kid. Shi Fu was a place he frequented, with an average cost of over a thousand per person. A single meal could easily cost ten thousand.
Normally, Luo Shu would have objected, but now she felt there was no need to be frugal. She should eat and drink what she wanted and not shortchange herself.
"Sounds great."
Luo Shu flashed a sweet smile.
——
[Shi Fu]
She ordered dishes she never would have dared to before—Beef Wellington, French baked snails, and so on. She even ordered a bottle of '82 Lafite.
In short, she ordered whatever was most expensive. Tonight, she wouldn't stop until she had to be rolled out of here!
Qin Heng didn't mind, as long as she was happy.
He was probably madly in love with Luo Shu, but his unfaithful body disgusted and repulsed her!
The better he treated her, the more ridiculous she found it!
Before the food even arrived, as expected, Qin Heng received a call from his father.
"Shu'er, I need to take this call!"
Qin Heng guiltily turned his phone towards his chest so she couldn't see it.
"Okay."
Luo Shu gave him a seductive smile, which made his face turn red.
The moment Qin Heng left, Luo Shu's nauseating smile vanished, only to be replaced by the shock of meeting a familiar gaze…
Yu Zhan!
He was here too!
Luo Shu quickly averted her eyes and shakily took a sip of water.
Strange, I haven't done anything, so why do I feel so guilty?
She stole a glance and saw that Yu Zhan was still staring at her.
Just then, she noticed that the person dining with him was a beautiful woman.
It was rare for him to be out having dinner with a woman.
Seeing that Yu Zhan was constantly looking in her direction, the woman also turned her head to look. Luo Shu lowered her head, utterly mortified.
"I didn't do anything…" she muttered to herself.
"Yu Zhan, what are you looking at?"
The woman's voice was soft and enchanting. Even from a table away, Luo Shu's sharp ears could pick out the key words.
"It's nothing…" Yu Zhan retracted his gaze, picked up his wine glass, and clinked it with the woman's.
——
The call was probably from Qin Heng's father. The scene at his workplace entrance earlier had been seen by many, so the Liao family must have been putting on pressure.
Luo Shu rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the city's nightscape. It was beautiful!
Ding—
A message from Liao Xian on WeChat: [[Picture of an ultrasound scan] I'm pregnant!]
"..."
Luo Shu's hand, holding the phone, trembled. Her eyes turned bloodshot.
They had been so quick. Did this mean the two families' marriage alliance was now on the agenda?
No wonder Qin Heng didn't dare to take the call in front of her. That call was probably from Liao Xian!
Luo Shu quickly stood up and headed for the nearby restroom.
She had mentally prepared for this fact countless times, but for a moment, she really wanted to reach out and tear apart Qin Heng's hypocritical face.
The bitterness in her mouth spread throughout her body, turning into a bone-chilling pain and numbness. The pain of her nails digging deep into her palms was the only thing pulling her back from the brink of a complete breakdown.
Hmph! What a pair of scumbags—
She composed herself and walked out of the restroom.
"Hey."
Yu Zhan was leaning against the corner, his eyes downcast.
His deep, dark eyes reflected her pretty, charming face, and his thin lips couldn't help but purse slightly.
She jumped in fright. His dark, imposing figure was truly intimidating.
"Looks like you're not completely dead yet. Are you sure you don't need help?" he asked, his breath smelling of alcohol.
"No need. This last breath, I have to strangle it out of him with my own hands."
"Mm, good." Yu Zhan pushed himself off the wall and staggered away.
Luo Shu let out a sigh of relief.
When this whole thing had started, Shen Yan had admitted that both he and the boss had witnessed it, and it had become a regular topic of their after-work gossip.
She never thought that her meticulously professional boss would also gossip about his employees.
She felt like a joke now, her life being watched like a live broadcast by these two men, yet she was powerless to do anything about it.
Sometimes, she really wanted to rip Shen Yan's mouth apart.