Qin Jia returned to his room, took a shower, and gradually regained his senses, the effects of the alcohol slowly wearing off.
She changed into the bathrobe provided by the hotel. The bathrobe was knee-length and of moderate thickness, and it was quite comfortable to wear. However, tying the ribbon at the end was a bit troublesome, and she had to take it off and on three times before she could tie the bow properly.
Her washed long hair hung down on both sides of her shoulders, and round water droplets dripped from the ends of her hair, soon leaving a small water stain on her clothes.
Qin Jia stared at the water droplets at the ends of her hair for a while before picking up the hair dryer, plugging it in, and deftly turning on the hot air button with her slender fingers.
This was Qin Jia's second time using a hair dryer, and she still found it very novel.
Because, in her true form, it would take her hundreds of years of cultivation to heat up a small area of cold air. Humans, on the other hand, don't need to cultivate or learn spiritual arts; they can accomplish the same thing simply by turning on a hairdryer.
After finishing her hair, Qin Jia took a hydrating face mask from a small box, tore open the packaging, and applied the mask to her face following the instructions.
The face mask was placed in her room by Shen Yushu, who had been urging her to take care of her skin lately. Considering that the original owner also loved beauty, she thought about it and agreed.
After applying a face mask, Qin Jia stepped out of the bathroom.
As soon as I stepped outside, the phone screen on the table lit up and then started vibrating frequently.
Qin Jia walked to the table, picked up her phone and glanced at it. There were many message notifications on the screen. She opened WeChat and found that Qin Mo had sent her a lot of photos.
Several photos, taken outdoors, document her donation process. The expressions on the faces of the crowd in the photos are intriguing. Several other photos show her sitting in the audience, and the photographer even captured her accidentally drinking champagne.
Qin Jia paused for a moment, then continued swiping upwards.
The last two photos are group photos on stage; in one they are facing the camera directly, and in the other they are adjusting their positions.
Whether it's a visual effect or not, judging from the photo, Lu Tingzhou's gaze followed her as they changed positions, his calm demeanor tinged with tenderness.
Qin Jia stared at the person in the photo; she had seen that look in his eyes more than once. A wave of guilt washed over her as she recalled her rash actions that evening.
Qin Mo said that Lu Tingzhou was held by her for over an hour. If she were still small, that duration wouldn't be so bad, but she's a giant biped now. Being held captive for so long must have been very uncomfortable for him, right?
The message notification interrupted Qin Jia's thoughts. She scrolled to the bottom and read the text message Qin Mo had sent.
Qin Mo: Sis, are you still dizzy?
Qin Mo: If you're still not feeling well, I'll have the waiter bring you some honey water.
Qin Jia pressed the record button and sent him a voice message: "No need, I'm not feeling unwell."
After saying that, she remembered something and recorded another voice message: "Xiao Mo, do you have Lu Tingzhou's WeChat?"
She felt she should at least apologize for her "weird" behavior tonight.
Qin Mo: I'll ask my friend. It seems my friend knows his secretary.
Qin Mo: You need to see him for something?
Qin Jia replied, "I hugged him without his permission, and I want to apologize to him."
The screen showed that the other party was typing. After a while, Qin Mo called directly with a voice message.
Qin Jia answered the call, and a gentle male voice came from the phone's microphone: "Sis, don't worry, I've already asked for your opinion."
"Mr. Lu did it voluntarily, so you don't need to apologize. Let's move on from this."
Qin Jia paused, then suddenly felt guilty and asked, "How did you explain it to him?"
"How else can I explain it? I can't exactly say you're drunk and acting crazy, can I? I'll just say you ate too many mushrooms and are having strange hallucinations."
Qin Jia: "Mushrooms have this effect?"
Qin Mo choked up for a moment, "Yes. Especially those brightly colored ones, they can cause dizziness at best, and require emergency treatment at worst."
He added, "Sis, please don't try it out of curiosity."
"No," Qin Jia said softly. "I don't like mushrooms, but I like..."
She likes leaves.
But saying this might scare Qin Mo, so she didn't continue and changed the subject: "In that case, I won't trouble you to ask for the number."
There was an instant silence on the other end of the phone.
Qin Jia frowned slightly and said awkwardly, "Xiao Mo, you haven't already gotten your number, have you?"
Qin Mo coughed lightly, "There's nothing I can do, my friend is just too efficient, and his secretary happens to be awake too."
"Then..." Qin Jia hesitated, "Should I add it or not?"
In the next room, after Qin Jia finished speaking, Qin Mo thought about it seriously for a long time.
Adding someone on WeChat late at night is too ambiguous. Given his sister's current unpredictable state, it would be difficult for her to handle a man who is so calculating, aloof, and hard to understand.
She might say ten sentences to him, and he might not even reply to one. If this happens too often, she'll definitely feel disappointed and think that someone dislikes her.
Thinking that his sister would be sad, Qin Mo quickly said, "Sis, let's not add it tonight. We can talk about it when a suitable opportunity arises later."
"It's getting late, go to sleep."
On the other side.
Qin Jia gradually calmed down. She counted the days and realized that she had only been in this world for a few days. She hadn't fully digested many of the rules yet and was likely to make a fool of herself.
Let's wait until she learns how to be a normal human being before we think about making friends.
She thought.
After hanging up the phone, Qin Jia put down her phone and walked to the bedside. She picked up the remote control, turned on the TV in the room, switched to Animal World, and found a program featuring squirrels.
The squirrel on TV is agile and nimble. When it nibbles on a pine cone, its cheeks puff out and its eyes are bright. It looks a lot like its friend, Little Squirrel.
While watching the documentary, Qin Jia thought about the Misty Forest and quickly passed the time while wearing a face mask. She removed the mask, went to the bathroom to wash her face, and then returned to bed to continue watching the rest of the film.
As she watched, drowsiness crept in, so Qin Jia turned off the TV and wall lamp, lay down, and went to sleep.
She fell asleep quickly and drifted off to sleep.
-
Qin Jia didn't get up until 10 a.m. the next day. She slowly rinsed her mouth and washed her face, then walked out of the bathroom, opened the wardrobe, and took out a set of clean clothes to change into.
The clothes were packed by the housekeeper last night and delivered by the driver. She put the clothes in her room, but when she found she wasn't there, she called Qin Mo, which led to what happened next.
After changing her clothes and shoes, Qin Jia was called downstairs for breakfast. At this time, most of the people who attended the banquet yesterday had already left, and the restaurant was almost empty, with fewer than ten people dining there.
As soon as Qin Jia sat down, Shen Yushu said to her, "Jiajia, Mom just received a call from President Zhen Yuan's office. They asked when you're going back to work."
"I've given you two weeks off. If you still want to go back to Zhenyuan after two weeks, I won't stop you. If you don't want to go back, I won't force you."
Qin Jia paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes."
"Thank you, Mom."
Despite being forcibly instilled with a great deal of knowledge by the system, Qin Jia was unsure whether she was up to the task of jewelry design. After all, possessing knowledge and mastering skills are two different things.
She wasn't the type to worry unnecessarily. After a similar thought flashed through her mind, she didn't dwell on it and silently picked up her spoon to drink the porridge in front of her.
This was a bowl of soy milk and yam porridge. The porridge was sticky, fragrant, and had a sweet taste. Qin Jia liked the sweetness and slowly finished the porridge.
Seeing the clean bottom of the bowl, Shen Yushu raised her eyebrows happily, "Jiajia, do you like this flavor?"
Qin Jia nodded obediently.
"Mom will ask the chef to make it for you from now on," Shen Yushu said with a smile. "But you can't be too greedy for sweets, too much sugar will affect your skin."
Qin Mo, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted her: "Mom, how old are you and how old is my sister? They're young, what's wrong with them eating a few sweets?"
Shen Yushu glared at Qin Mo, "I'll give you a chance to rephrase your words."
Qin Mo smiled, leaned over to massage Shen Yushu's shoulders, and said obsequiously, "My mom is forever eighteen, forever young, forever youthful."
Shen Yushu: "That's more like it."
The warm sunlight slowly shines into the restaurant, and golden glints dance on the translucent floor tiles.
Looking at the heartwarming scene before her, Qin Jia was suddenly filled with many questions—
My mother and younger brother are both very good, so why was the original owner not favored in her past life, and even ended up being kicked out of the house?
An Jun harmed her like that, and Shen Yushu went to great lengths to stand up for her. Qin Mo didn't seem to have any grudges against her. What happened that made them turn "bad"?
After she changed the plot, will those bad things still happen?
"Sis, we're home."
A deep male voice pulled her back to reality. Qin Jia snapped out of her daze and pointed upstairs.
"I haven't picked up my clothes yet."
"It's alright." Qin Mo glanced at his watch. "Auntie will be here soon, she'll help us get ready."
Upon hearing this, Qin Jia stood up from his chair and followed Shen Yushu and Qin Mo out.
The car was parked outside the hotel entrance.
Qin Jia got into the car, and a beautiful hand reached out and handed her an earphone.
"Sis, want to listen to some music?"
Qin Jia took it and, imitating Qin Mo, put the earphones in her ears. A melodious tune came out, pleasant and beautiful to the ear.
She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and silently savored the beauty of the music. As her body relaxed, the tension in her mind gradually eased.
We'll see what the future holds.
She chooses to live in the present.
We'll take it one step at a time.
-
Friday is a day for slacking off, and the president's office at Zecheng Technology is filled with a free and happy atmosphere.
As the workday drew to a close, Secretary Lin absentmindedly stared at the computer screen, tidying up her things whenever she could find a spare moment.
Messages kept popping up in the WeChat group. Secretary Lin quickly muted her phone and secretly clicked to see the details.
Colleague A: [Hey everyone, has anyone noticed that Mr. Lu seems a little different today?]
Colleague B: [I noticed! President Lu seems to be in a particularly good mood today. He even greeted me first when he came in this morning, which surprised me!]
Colleague C: [Could it be that you had a romantic encounter at the banquet last night? Tell us more. @Secretary Lin]
Colleague D: [A romantic encounter? Forget it. What kind of person is our CEO Lu? When has he ever let a woman get close to him? Impossible. It's definitely a project deal.]
Everyone started talking at once, getting more and more excited as they spoke.
Secretary Lin typed rapidly on the keyboard: [I have a huge secret to tell you! Our CEO Lu is going to start dating soon!]
The moment these words were spoken, the group chat exploded.
Colleague A: [Who is it? Tell me quickly!]
Colleague F: [Shocking! CEO Lu actually has a girlfriend?! Who is this amazing girl who made the barren tree bloom?!]
Colleague E: [I heard the Luo family is interested in a marriage alliance with the Lu family. Is it the Luo family's daughter?]
Colleague D: [A business marriage? No way! If it were going to be a marriage, it would have happened already. Why wait until now? Hey, Secretary Lin, stop keeping me in suspense and just tell me!]
Amidst a flurry of mentions from her colleagues, Secretary Lin mysteriously replied: "That young lady only added President Lu on WeChat yesterday, let's give her some time."
[She's not the daughter of the Luo family, but her family is quite wealthy; she's a real "rich, beautiful, and successful" girl.]
Colleague A: [How boring. He's still pursuing her, huh? When has President Lu ever been won over by a girl? Secretary Lin, you're overthinking it.]
Colleague B: [I feel sorry for the little girl.]
Colleague C: [Feeling sorry for you +10085]
Secretary Lin clicked his tongue, thinking to himself that these people were too young and didn't understand matters between men and women.
As the old saying goes, it's easy for a woman to pursue a man.
Miss Qin is beautiful and generous. President Lu already had a good impression of her. This time, Miss Qin took the initiative to show her affection. After a while, they will definitely get together.
At 5:30, someone's alarm clock went off in the office. Everyone looked at each other, and coughs rose from the floor. They shut down their computers and gradually left.
At 5:35, only Secretary Lin remained in the office. He glanced at his watch and counted down in his mind. When he reached twelve, the door to the inner room opened, and Lu Tingzhou walked out.
Secretary Lin stood up, smiled, and said, "Mr. Lu, are you leaving get off work?"
Lu Tingzhou was looking at his phone when he heard this. He looked up at him and said, "Yeah, I'm leaving."
Secretary Lin followed Lu Tingzhou out of the office and went to the stairwell to wait for the elevator.
He glanced at Lu Tingzhou furtively and saw that he was actually reading financial news. He gave a helpless twitch of his lips.
The boss gets really into jealousy, so why does his emotional intelligence seem to disappear at crucial moments? It's Friday after get off work, such a great time, shouldn't he be asking that young lady out for dinner?
The elevator stopped at the 24th floor with a ding, and the doors opened to both sides.
Secretary Lin strode in, cleared her throat, and said, "Mr. Lu, it's almost the weekend. Aren't you considering going on a date?"
The elevator doors closed, Lu Tingzhou pressed the button for one floor, and turned his head to look at him.
What kind of date?
Secretary Lin: "A date with Miss Qin! Didn't she add you on social media last night? Strike while the iron is hot and ask her out for dinner and a movie."
Lu Tingzhou frowned, "?"
Secretary Lin immediately became anxious, "Mr. Lu, Miss Qin specifically asked someone to ask me for the number last night, you haven't approved it yet, have you?"
Lu Tingzhou calmly withdrew his gaze and focused his attention back on his phone. He exited the news app, opened WeChat, and scrolled through his friend request history.
Yesterday, only one person added him, whose name was "AAA Premium Tea Retailer V587".
Secretary Lin composed himself and took a closer look; the time didn't seem to match up.
He looked up and met Lu Tingzhou's expressionless face, then gave a dry laugh.
"Mr. Lu, it seems Miss Qin hasn't added you." He swallowed hard, looking nervous. "Maybe I gave her the wrong number."
Secretary Lin took out her phone and carefully checked yesterday's chat history. The WeChat ID was correct, which meant...
He stared at the changing numbers in the upper right corner of the elevator and experienced for the first time the feeling of time dragging on endlessly.
Seeing that her boss's face was getting worse, Secretary Lin had no choice but to bite the bullet and comfort him: "Mr. Lu, Ms. Qin is probably too busy. Please wait and see, and don't lose hope."
Lu Tingzhou: "..."