The next day, Lin Zhi received her employment notice from Dongning, stating she would start work the following Monday. She officially became an inconspicuous little clerk in the Dongning Group's finance department. Every day, she was bossed around by senior employees and sent on endless errands. She was run off her feet, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow back at her dorm.
During these days, Zhou Ye played the disappearing act and didn't contact her at all. Conversely, she ran into Zhou Congli a few times. Most of the time, he was surrounded by a crowd as he walked past her, leaving her with only the sight of his tall, dark-suited back.
Once, in the cafeteria, he was eating with several department heads. With his tall and straight posture, he stood head and shoulders above the rest, making the other leaders look like a bunch of toads in comparison. The female employees swooned over him while complaining about how those leaders didn't know how to stay in shape.
Another time, she went out for some fresh air during her lunch break and unexpectedly bumped into Zhou Congli. He was on the phone, his expression three degrees colder than usual.
She was about to leave when Zhou Congli said, "Suit yourself," and hung up. He turned his head and saw her.
"Mr. Zhou," she said, looking embarrassed. "I came out for some fresh air. I didn't know you were here..."
She guessed that the person on the other end of the phone was a woman, perhaps even the female lead.
"It's fine," Zhou Congli replied.
Seeing her, however, reminded him of that cufflink. Assistant Zhang had found out that the hotel's surveillance footage had already been deleted. They couldn't track down the person for the time being, but one thing was certain: it definitely wasn't someone arranged by their business partner. Therefore, he had been schemed against that day.
He scrutinized the woman standing opposite him. She was dressed in a black-and-white professional suit, her eyes curving sweetly on her small face, and her long hair draping smoothly down her back. Her entire aura was gentle and sweet. Was it her? Did she deliberately set him up and specifically join the company to get close to him?
As the president of Dongning, he had indeed encountered many women who used all sorts of tricks to approach him for the sake of climbing the social ladder, including some female celebrities from the entertainment industry. But none had ever succeeded. Only that last time was an accident, and it was the only time.
Seeing Zhou Congli staring at her with an unfathomable expression, Lin Zhi felt awkward and said, "I'll let you get back to work. I'll head back now." Suddenly, she furrowed her brows, covered her mouth, and began to dry heave.
Zhou Congli stepped forward. "What's wrong?"
Lin Zhi clutched her chest, feeling so uncomfortable that tears welled up in her eyes. "My stomach hasn't been feeling well these past two days, and I keep wanting to throw up. Mr. Zhou, could I trouble you to pour me a cup of water?"
For some unknown reason, Zhou Congli's heart skipped a beat. He suppressed the sense of unease and nodded. "Wait a moment." He went to get a cup of water and returned.
Lin Zhi felt much better after drinking it. She thanked him sheepishly, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou. I've troubled you again. It's getting late, so I'll go back to work. I won't disturb you anymore." She smiled at him and quickly left.
Zhou Congli watched her retreating back, his brows furrowing bit by bit.
Lin Zhi returned to her cubicle and chugged two large mouthfuls of water. She then looked down at her stomach. She hadn't expected this little one to be such a troublemaker for its mother. However, judging from Zhou Congli's demeanor just now, he must have investigated what happened that night and had likely discovered that things weren't as he had imagined. Zhou Ye had handled the matter meticulously, having the hotel's surveillance footage deleted. Without a specific target, it wouldn't be easy to investigate.
She stroked her stomach. The little one was already a week old, and it could be detected using medical instruments now. But she wasn't in a hurry; naturally, such a matter required the biological father's accompaniment.
For now, however, she had to go to the Zhou family's home first.
Therefore, after getting off work, she took the initiative to contact Zhou Ye, reminding him not to forget to pick her up the next day. When no one replied to her messages for two hours, she made a voice call. Zhou Ye took a long time to answer. He was panting heavily and sounded very irritable. "Who is it? Whether you have something to say or not, get lost!"
Lin Zhi's expression remained unchanged. "Did you read the messages I sent you? Come pick me up tomorrow."
Only then did Zhou Ye remember, though he was still very impatient. "I know, I didn't forget. I'm hanging up. Don't bother me if it's nothing important."
A female voice rang out, "Ah Ye, who's calling?"
Zhou Ye hurriedly leaned over, his voice gentle. "Nobody, baby. Come, let me give you a kiss."
BEEP BEEP BEEP. The call was disconnected.
Lin Zhi was speechless. With such a loud voice, did they really think she couldn't hear them? However, with her goal about to be achieved, it was normal for those two to be a bit arrogant. The two of them had probably already slept together quite a few times behind everyone's backs. Tsk, they didn't take his older brother—her fiancé—seriously at all.
"Please wrap these up," she said, handing the clothes she had selected to the shop assistant. After all, it would be her first time visiting. Tomorrow, besides Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, the female lead would definitely be there, and Zhou Congli might be present as well. She needed to pick a couple of nice outfits to keep up appearances.
After finishing her shopping, she conveniently had dinner at the mall. Carrying her bags, she prepared to head back. Today was Friday, so there were quite a few people trying to hail a cab.
Lin Zhi stood by the roadside, waiting in line for a taxi, and looked around. Suddenly, she saw Zhou Congli walking out of the clubhouse across the street with a few people. They stood by the road, conversing. There were many high-end restaurants, hotels, and clubhouses near this mall. One could often see various luxury cars, as well as wealthy second-generation heirs and socialites dressed in different styles going inside. There were also people conducting business negotiations here. It was obvious that Zhou Congli was also here to discuss work.
Lin Zhi couldn't help but marvel that he was truly a workaholic, still busy even after getting off work. However, while he was working hard here negotiating partnerships, his fiancée was fooling around with his own younger brother elsewhere.
Perhaps her gaze was too direct, for Zhou Congli glanced in her direction. He then turned his head, exchanged a few more words with his business partners, and parted ways to get into his car. Lin Zhi blinked. With so many people around, he probably hadn't seen her, right?
HONK. A moment later, a car pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing Assistant Zhang's face. "Miss Lin, do you need a ride?"
Lin Zhi subconsciously looked at the backseat, but she couldn't see inside through the dark, tinted windows. She nodded. "Then I'll have to trouble you."
She was about to open the passenger door when Assistant Zhang glanced at the rearview mirror. "Why don't you sit in the back?"
Surprise flashed across Lin Zhi's face, but she didn't say anything and opened the rear door. Seeing Zhou Congli, she hesitated. "Mr. Zhou?"
Zhou Congli nodded. "Get in."
Lin Zhi had no choice but to say, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou."
She closed the car door, and the vehicle started moving. Zhou Congli glanced at her and said, "I saw you waiting for a car just now. I happen to have some business to attend to over at University A, so I can drop you off on the way." He paused. "You weren't feeling well last time. Did you go get a checkup?"
Lin Zhi maintained a perfect smile, looking very grateful for her boss's concern. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhou. I'll go when I have my days off next week."
"Your health is important. Don't put it off," Zhou Congli replied. Afterward, he casually asked her questions like whether she was adapting well to the company. Lin Zhi answered every question flawlessly.
Through the dim light, Zhou Congli observed her soft silhouette. She had a smile on her lips, and a faint, familiar warm fragrance emanated from her. His calm heartstrings suddenly rippled.
However, the car just happened to stop at the university gates at that moment. Lin Zhi thanked them, got out of the car, and waved goodbye while carrying her bags.
"Mr. Zhou?" Assistant Zhang called out, noticing his expression seemed off.
"Investigate Lin Zhi," Zhou Congli ordered.
Assistant Zhang nodded. "Yes, sir." He had later found out that the cufflink was actually in Lin Zhi's possession. Seeing the boss let her into the car tonight, he had guessed that he would investigate Lin Zhi. After all, everything was just too coincidental.