Chapter 73: The Pitiful Female Supporting Character from a Patriarchal Family in the 2000s (20)

After Ye Zhou returned home, he still felt dazed.

He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. His heart was still beating fast. Even when he closed his eyes, his mind was full of Ai Xiaoling’s face.

He had a bit of insomnia.

The difference was, this time, his heart was filled with joy and excitement.

At the same time, Ye Zhou was very worried. He feared he wouldn’t do well and racked his brains trying to be a good boyfriend. He was afraid Ai Xiaoling would think he wasn’t good enough and then break up with him.

He didn’t want to break up with her. He wanted to be with her forever.

The next morning, he arrived outside the supermarket early to wait for Ai Xiaoling to come downstairs.

As a qualified boyfriend, of course he had to pick up and drop off his girlfriend for work. As long as he had time, he wanted to be with her.

As for Ai Xiaoling, her thought was, since she couldn’t control the future, she would just enjoy the happiness of the present. At least, she wouldn’t have any regrets.

If you like someone, then boldly express your feelings. If you love someone, you should love them with all your heart.

When Ai Xiaoling came downstairs and saw Ye Zhou, her eyes sparkled with undisguised joy. Like a child, she bounced over to him, her face full of smiles. “When did you get here?”

“Not long ago,” he replied, infected by her smile. The distance between them instantly shortened. He naturally reached out and held her hand. “I’ll take you to breakfast.”

“What are we eating?” Ai Xiaoling tilted her head and asked, her face full of anticipation.

Ye Zhou smiled and interlocked his fingers with hers. “Whatever you want to eat.”

“Beef noodles!”

“Okay.”

While eating beef noodles, Ye Zhou no longer had any misgivings. He could now openly put all the meat into her bowl and eat the vegetables she didn’t like.

In the office.

Wang Dazhou and a few others arrived early today. Seeing that neither Ye Zhou nor Ai Xiaoling had arrived, someone brought it up, and soon everyone began gossiping.

“Do you think Ai Xiaoling and He Wenlei are together?”

“They should be, right? These past few days, the two haven’t gone home after work. They’ve been stuck together laughing and chatting. I heard He Wenlei even got a batch of blueprints and can make quite a bit of money.”

“If you ask me, Ai Xiaoling must truly love He Wenlei. She’s not short of admirers in the design institute.”

“Not just the design institute. Even the guys at the inspection station upstairs like her.”

“It’s easy for a woman to chase a man. How could they not be together?”

……

Not only did they think so, but the employees at the design institute also believed the same.

He Wenlei had never been sociable, and now that he had taken on a big project, it looked like he had gotten close to Ai Xiaoling and was being taken care of.

Since Zhao Ming confessed to Ai Xiaoling and failed, he became the person in the entire company who held the biggest grudge against He Wenlei. The two bumped into each other downstairs this morning.

He Wenlei greeted him first. “Morning.”

Zhao Ming didn’t respond. Instead, he looked at He Wenlei up and down, and his expression grew darker by the second.

Because of the heavy workload, He Wenlei had been rushing to finish drawings and hadn’t taken care of himself. His hair was long, his beard unshaven, and he wore a shirt with slippers.

Sloppy and pale, lacking any masculine energy.

Zhao Ming couldn’t understand how someone as beautiful and lively as Ai Xiaoling could like him.

“What are you looking at?” He Wenlei grew uncomfortable as Zhao Ming kept staring.

Wasn’t he just busy making money?

He hadn’t even changed yesterday’s clothes. Could he have been found out?

“You piss me off just by being here. So annoying!” Zhao Ming had finally met someone he truly liked. He gritted his teeth and glanced at He Wenlei again, his face bitter. “What exactly does she see in you?”

It was honestly heartbreaking.

He Wenlei knew clearly that Ai Xiaoling wouldn’t like him. Her eyes were always on her work. So he comforted Zhao Ming instead. “There are plenty of women out there. No need to be like this.”

“You don’t understand me!” Zhao Ming covered his face.

He Wenlei replied, “I do understand. There are people worse off than you.”

How could he not understand?

Everyone said Ai Xiaoling liked Ye Zhou. Ye Zhou was trying hard behind the scenes to win her over, yet Ai Xiaoling still seemed oblivious and stayed close to him instead.

Ye Zhou must be in even more pain.

For the sake of money, He Wenlei had even been persuading Ai Xiaoling lately to seriously consider Ye Zhou. Men like him weren’t easy to come by.

“Who? Who’s worse off than me?” Zhao Ming didn’t believe it. He didn’t want to keep talking to He Wenlei. Just as he was about to go upstairs, he suddenly saw the two of them walking toward the building from afar.

His small eyes widened in shock.

He Wenlei was puzzled and just about to turn around when Zhao Ming quickly threw an arm around his shoulder, urging him with urgency, “You said someone’s worse off than me. Let’s go. We’re going to be late for work.”

Zhao Ming spoke as he dragged him inside.

He Wenlei was completely confused but still got pulled upstairs.

Ye Zhou and Ai Xiaoling followed close behind, holding hands. When the two appeared at the company entrance, the group of gossipers was instantly stunned.

All eyes landed on their joined hands. Their pupils shook.

Ai Xiaoling had caught Ye Zhou?

No, wait. Why was their boss holding her hand so tightly? And he looked unusually happy too.

“Good morning, everyone.” Ye Zhou even greeted them for the first time ever.

Everyone: “…..”

Ignoring their shocked stares, Ye Zhou walked Ai Xiaoling to her desk, placed her water cup on the table, and said gently, “I’m going to work.”

“Okay.” Ai Xiaoling nodded obediently.

Ye Zhou thought for a moment. “We’re going to the construction site this afternoon. Let’s leave at 3:30 so we avoid the sun.”

“Alright.”

Ye Zhou looked at her a couple more times before reluctantly heading back to his office.

As soon as he left, the office erupted.

Wang Dazhou pounced on Ai Xiaoling’s desk and whispered with wide eyes, “What’s going on between you two?”

Just a few days ago, she had been glued to He Wenlei. Now she was suddenly with the boss?

“What do you mean?” Ai Xiaoling looked puzzled.

Wang Dazhou held up two fingers and brought them closer together. “Are you two… together?”

“What’s the problem?” Ai Xiaoling asked back.

Wang Dazhou quickly shook his head. How could he say there was a problem? This was the boss’s girlfriend. Who knows, she might become their boss lady one day.

He only asked curiously, “Isn’t it kind of sudden that you two got together?”

The others all nodded.

Ai Xiaoling sorted her documents. “What’s sudden about it? If two people like each other, then they should be together. Life is short. You should spend it doing what you love.”

After she said that, no one could argue.

That was a valid point.

But they still felt it was too sudden. Looking at the smile on Ai Xiaoling’s lips, anyone could tell that both she and Ye Zhou were in a great mood today.

They couldn’t help but wonder—what about He Wenlei?

That poor guy.

Gossip spreads fast. In less than half an hour, the news that Ai Xiaoling and Ye Zhou were together was known by everyone.

He Wenlei was working when Zhao Ming unexpectedly bought him a cup of water. The look in his eyes was unusual.

Very complicated.

He Wenlei felt a wave of nervousness inside. Had they found something out?

“Feelings are like that. Don’t be too sad,” Zhao Ming comforted him.

“I—I—” Sorrow filled He Wenlei’s eyes.

Seeing He Wenlei like this, Zhao Ming patted him on the shoulder heavily and promised, “Brother will take care of you from now on.”

“Thanks, brother. I’ll work hard. Maybe we still have a chance.”

It was just a fight after all.

As long as two people truly love each other, they can break through all shackles.

“Forget it, forget it,” Zhao Ming advised.

He Wenlei insisted, “No.”

Zhao Ming saw he couldn’t be persuaded and felt even more sympathy inside.

If He Wenlei were competing with him, that would be one thing. They were both losers in love. But Ye Zhou was different. He was Ai Xiaoling’s boss, handsome and rich. An ordinary woman simply couldn’t resist.

He just didn’t expect that even Ai Xiaoling had fallen for money.

At lunchtime, Zhao Ming specially invited He Wenlei to eat together.

The two of them were now fellow sufferers. He Wenlei had taken a harder hit than him. He felt obligated to console him.

“Come on, brother will treat you. Stop working,” Zhao Ming slung his arm over He Wenlei’s shoulders and no longer envied his earnings. With heartfelt words, he said, “Health is most important. Everything else is an illusion.”

“Mm.” He Wenlei stood up, very happy that someone had invited him to eat.

“We’ll come too,” said two male colleagues as they got up.

The more the merrier, and He Wenlei was naturally glad.

Just as the group was about to leave, they ran right into Ye Zhou walking out hand-in-hand with Ai Xiaoling.

Zhao Ming was instantly dumbfounded.

This was a battlefield of love. Who could handle it?

Behind Ye Zhou and Ai Xiaoling, Wang Dazhou and the others also came out. Seeing those across from them, their expressions changed instantly.

Good grief.

What was going on?

Ye Zhou had finally gotten together with the one he had yearned for. He couldn’t stop talking. He was tilting his face, speaking to Ai Xiaoling in a low, affectionate voice.

And Ai Xiaoling, finally having a boyfriend who treated her so well, clung to Ye Zhou’s arm like a delicate little bird. Her eyes were full of smiles, and her face was brimming with sweetness.

Ye Zhou looked up and saw He Wenlei across from him.

Everyone gasped.

Ai Xiaoling also looked up and saw He Wenlei.

Wang Dazhou and the others craned their necks, trying to see the expressions on their faces.

This scene was really damn exciting.

What kind of expression would Ai Xiaoling show?

Panic? Guilt? Unease?

Though Ai Xiaoling had pursued Ye Zhou first, it didn’t work out. Hadn’t she then gotten close to He Wenlei? How did she end up with Ye Zhou again?

It was somewhat awkward.

Under everyone’s gaze, Ai Xiaoling didn’t move her arm from Ye Zhou’s. With a smile at the corners of her brows, she greeted He Wenlei, “What a coincidence. Want to eat together?”

He Wenlei looked at the intimate gesture between the two and was stunned.

He clearly didn’t know they were already together.

Seeing this, everyone held their breath.

A fierce conflict was about to erupt.