Chapter 44

After seeing them off, Lu Xiaoqiao sat back at her desk, feeling lighthearted.

These past few days, she had been incredibly frustrated because of Jin Ling.  She had sent her several messages, but she hadn’t replied, and she wasn’t picking up the phone either.  If she refused to come in and go through the resignation process, she would definitely lose that money.

Now, she just hoped this deal would go through smoothly.  If she got a bigger commission, she wouldn’t have to worry about that eight thousand yuan anymore.

Lin Lin moved her chair closer to Lu Xiaoqiao’s and whispered, nudging her mouth towards Li Na’s direction, “Someone is about to explode. She’s just envious and jealous.  You two are actually relatives, why is she acting like this?  She even wants to hog the sample fabrics.”

Lu Xiaoqiao glanced in Li Na’s direction.

“It’s fine. The manufacturer said they’ll mail it to me in a few days. We have enough time.”

As they left work that evening, it started to rain.

The rain wasn’t heavy, but it was fine and steady, like countless silver threads falling gently from the sky.

It instantly reversed the recent warming weather.

Lu Xiaoqiao and Zhao Jia didn’t bring umbrellas, so they ran towards home, braving the drizzle, until they reached the bottom of the building and could finally catch their breath.

Lu Xiaoqiao was wearing a hooded raincoat, so she hadn’t gotten too wet from running.

On the other hand, Zhao Jia was wearing a cotton jacket, which was completely soaked.

“It’s so infuriating.  I haven’t worn my raincoat for a week, and it hasn’t rained.  The day I wash it, it starts raining.  And not only that, we both forgot to bring umbrellas.”

Lu Xiaoqiao looked at Zhao Jia’s jacket, the fabric becoming uneven due to the rain, and said worriedly, “Sister Jia, go upstairs and take a shower right away. I’ll make you some ginger tea.”

“It’s fine. I’m not that delicate.”

They walked upstairs one after the other.  Lu Xiaoqiao was thinking about what to eat tonight.  Momo had recently found a part-time job at a cake shop, so it was just her and Zhao Jia.  Maybe they should just eat noodles.  Actually, she hated eating noodles, but they were the cheapest.

“Sister Jia, shall we eat noodles tonight? I don’t know if there are any tomatoes left in the fridge. If not, we can just make egg noodles.”

Zhao Jia, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

Lu Xiaoqiao wondered why she had suddenly stopped.

She glanced at Zhao Jia and followed her gaze towards the entrance to their apartment, which was half a floor away.

Instantly, her breath caught in her throat.

A man in a black suit stood there quietly, his tall figure appearing hazy in the dim light.

If Zhao Jia hadn’t stopped, Lu Xiaoqiao would have thought she was going blind, even though she was still so young.

Lu Xiaoqiao had been having a rough few days and had completely forgotten about Zhou Qizhen’s request for her to think about it for a few days.

She still thought it was a joke.  Even if it were real, she had rejected him.  How could someone like Zhou Qizhen, a golden boy, allow himself to be rejected?  The words he used, asking her to think about it, were probably just a polite way to save face for both of them.

But what did he mean by coming here now?

Was he here to get her answer?

Thinking about this, Lu Xiaoqiao’s heart began to race, as if it were going to leap out of her chest.  This situation, for someone with no dating experience like her, was clearly beyond her capabilities.

Zhao Jia, who was standing between them, was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses.

What kind of shocking scene had she stumbled upon!

Oh my!

What did Zhao Zhizhi say earlier?

Oh! He said that a man like Zhou Qizhen wouldn’t be like a fool, blocking someone’s door.

But who was standing at her door right now?

He didn’t have an umbrella, yet he was completely dry.  It had been raining for a long time outside.  Who knows how long he had been standing there waiting?

They had been standing there for a while, and neither of them had spoken.  But Zhao Jia couldn’t wait any longer.  She was still soaking wet.

“Ahem!”

Zhao Jia coughed, trying to break the silence with her voice.

“Mr. Zhou, are you off work?”

Zhou Qizhen glanced at Lu Xiaoqiao, who was hiding behind Zhao Jia, and replied in a low voice, “Yeah, I just got back from a business trip.”

No wonder he looked so tired. Even Zhao Jia, as an observer, was moved, but the person involved was hiding behind her and wouldn’t come out.

“Oh, that’s right! Mr. Zhou, why don’t you come inside and sit down? It’s raining outside.”

After Zhao Jia finished speaking, Zhou Qizhen didn’t answer but looked at Lu Xiaoqiao behind her, as if seeking her consent.

Seeing the dignified CEO of Jiang Heng, chasing a woman and even needing to look at her face before entering the house to sit down.

Taking advantage of Lu Xiaoqiao’s inattention, she quickly leaned against the handrail of the stairs, completely revealing Lu Xiaoqiao.

Without Zhao Jia’s cover, Lu Xiaoqiao couldn’t avoid it anymore.

She pretended to dust off the nonexistent water on her clothes, then looked up at Zhao Jia.

“Sister Jia, you go inside first. Zhou and I will talk downstairs for a while and then come up.”

Zhao Jia felt that this Mr. Zhou was really pitiful. He wasn’t even allowed to sit inside for a while!

“But it’s raining outside!”

She wanted to put in a good word for Zhou Qizhen.

Lu Xiaoqiao looked out from the stair platform.

“It’s okay, I’ll get an umbrella later, and the rain seems to have stopped.”

Seeing that she was unyielding, Zhao Jia couldn’t say anything else. After all, it was a matter of the heart, and outsiders could only offer advice.

She looked at Zhou Qizhen helplessly, went upstairs, opened the door, and got a folding umbrella for the two of them.

She deliberately chose a small one, thinking that she could only help him this much.

After closing the door, Zhao Jia left the two of them outside. Before Zhou Qizhen could say anything, Lu Xiaoqiao turned and went downstairs first.

When she reached the first floor, the rain was falling lightly, making the surroundings hazy.

She scanned the area but couldn’t see Zhou Qizhen’s car. “Mr. Zhou, where’s your car?”

“The driver brought me here, and I asked him to take the car away.”

Actually, the driver went to the airport to pick him up, along with Li Yuxuan and Ding, the secretary. After leaving the airport, he couldn’t wait to tell the driver to take him to find Lu Xiaoqiao. After he got off the car, the driver went to pick up the other two. Li Yuxuan teased him all the way for this.

Lu Xiaoqiao was surprised. “Then how are you going back later?”

“The driver will come back to pick me up later.”

“Then why didn’t you ask him to wait here for you?”

Zhou Qizhen stared at her for a while without speaking.

Okay, she admitted she was just trying to make conversation.

Zhou Qizhen didn’t give her a chance to escape. “The driver went to pick up Yuxuan and Ding. I got off the plane and rushed here. I can’t wait until tomorrow to see you again.”

Lu Xiaoqiao couldn’t stand the way he suddenly spoke to her.

It was so… rustic and straightforward.

“The rain isn’t heavy anymore. Let’s go outside the neighborhood and talk!”

It was the time when everyone was getting off work and going home. If they stood here and chatted like this, it wouldn’t be convenient, not to mention Zhou Qizhen’s unique aura and unusual attire, which would be enough to attract people’s attention for a long time.

“Okay.”

Zhou Qizhen opened the umbrella that Zhao Jia had handed him upstairs. Lu Xiaoqiao looked at the umbrella that was clearly too small for the two of them and fell silent.

“The umbrella is too small. I’m wearing a raincoat, so I’m not afraid of getting wet. Besides, the rain isn’t that heavy anymore.”

Zhou Qizhen didn’t say anything and insisted on holding the umbrella over her head.

The two of them walked along the outer wall of the neighborhood. In a short while, Lu Xiaoqiao saw that the shoulder of Zhou Qizhen’s suit jacket was already soaked.

He wouldn’t let her hold the umbrella towards him, but she couldn’t just watch him get drenched like this!