No matter what, since the other person meant well, Zhuang Zi couldn’t be ungrateful. But after lowering her eyes and thinking for a moment, she still politely declined, “Please thank Auntie for me, but I’d rather not disturb her.”

“…….” Si Hang lightly ground his teeth.

The two stood there in silence, neither speaking.

She glanced at him, feeling the awkwardness of the silence, and wanted to leave.

He wasn’t the type to persuade people either, so after staring at her for a few seconds, he suddenly chuckled, “You’re not still bothered by what I said the other morning, are you?”

“……..” Zhuang Zi forced herself to deny, “No.”

Si Hang frowned, “So you think my mom’s hospitality isn’t good enough?”

Zhuang Zi was taken aback, not expecting him to say that.

“Of course not.” She hurriedly met his gaze, explaining gently, “It’s not that. I’m just a dangerous person right now, and I don’t want to trouble Auntie and the others.”

His expression remained unchanged, his tone businesslike, “The villa is as safe as a vault. If she was worried about trouble, she wouldn’t be inviting you so persistently.”

“…….” Zhuang Zi had nothing to say in response and remained silent.

His words implied that if she didn’t go, she would be seen as ungrateful, disregarding their good intentions.

Seeing her hesitation, he snorted and added, “If you don’t go, my mom will keep bothering me. I’m already incredibly busy and now I have to deal with you too.”

Zhuang Zi looked up at him, her expression showing a mix of shock and guilt for causing him trouble.

She pressed her lips together, about to say something.

But he was tired of the conversation and said directly, “Think it over and give me an answer before the end of the day.”

With that, he gave her a cold glance and turned to leave.

“……”

Zhuang Zi watched his back until he disappeared into the police hall. She then remembered she needed to get to work and quickly headed to the parking lot.

……

At ten in the morning.

As soon as his plane landed, Jiang Zhihai called Zhuang Zi.

Unaware of the events from two days ago, he mainly wanted to check on the progress at the police station.

Zhuang Zi had mixed feelings towards him now.

The experiences of the past few days had completely eroded her ability to fully trust anyone except the police, so she replied evasively, “They haven’t found anything yet.”

Jiang Zhihai invited her to dinner that evening, saying he had brought her a gift.

In the past, whenever he went on a business trip, he would bring gifts for his sister, Xiao Rui, and her. But things were different now; the situation had changed.

Ever since Xie Kui had talked to her, Zhuang Zi had developed a natural resistance to Jiang Zhihai. She even had an impulse to directly ask him if he had done anything to wrong her sister.

But reason prevented her from being so reckless.

Whether he was guilty or not, she thought she would never be able to face him normally again.

So she declined Jiang Zhihai’s invitation, saying she had plans for the evening.

Jiang Zhihai then asked her, “When are you coming to pick up Zhuang Yao’s things?”

Only then did Zhuang Zi remember, nearly forgetting something important.

“You just got back and need to adjust to the time difference. I’ll have Officer Xiao Zhao accompany me to pick them up after work.”

—

Just after hanging up the phone, the manager’s secretary came to find her, saying she was needed in the leader’s office.

Zhuang Zi had already guessed what it was about.

Their department head in the translation department was a middle-aged woman over forty. When she entered the office, the woman’s face initially wore a gentle smile.

Zhuang Zi was clear-minded, so she had prepared herself before coming in.

She didn’t want to make things difficult for others, so it was better to be a smart and tactful person. Likewise, she didn’t want to witness a clumsy and awkward performance before her.

Therefore, before the leader could laboriously organize her words, she took the initiative: “Manager, I actually have something to discuss with you.”

To be honest, communication between smart people often made things feel simpler and easier.

So when Zhuang Zi said this, the smile on the leader’s face naturally softened a lot: “What is it? You go ahead.”

Zhuang Zi placed an envelope on the desk: “Due to my current circumstances, I must maintain continuous contact with the police 24/7. Traveling would be inconvenient, and in the long run, it would significantly impact my work.”

As a translator, frequent business trips were unavoidable. Even if the manager didn’t mention suspending her today, in the long run, colleagues who felt unfairly treated would surely have something to say behind her back.

The manager glanced down at the resignation letter, then looked back up at her with a caring attitude: “We all sympathize with your situation and want to help, but our hands are tied. However, I don’t think you need to resign. I’ll grant you some time off. When things settle down, you can come back.”

From a professional standpoint, her skills were excellent. When other employees struggled with difficult or troublesome tasks, she could always handle them. In truth, the manager didn’t want to let her go, but faced with the current situation, the higher-ups had concerns, and she had to play the bad guy role.

Zhuang Zi understood this very well.

But right now, she really wanted to take some time off, or decisively resign.

…

When she left the company after work in the afternoon, Pei Zheng insisted on escorting her to the parking lot. Faced with so many colleagues, she couldn’t outright refuse him.

Approaching the car, Zhuang Zi took the storage box from him and said, “Thank you.”

Putting the items in the back seat, she was about to leave.

“Zhuang Zi.”

“Yes?”

“I’m planning to resign at the end of the year and start my own studio next year.”

Zhuang Zi smiled lightly, “That’s great. I wish you all the best.”

Pei Zheng also smiled and asked her again, “Would you like to join me? We could run it together, splitting the shares fifty-fifty.”

“I’m not cut out to be a boss.”

“What are you joking about? Over this period of time as colleagues, I’ve seen firsthand how capable you are.”

Zhuang Zi smiled again without speaking, opened the car door, and got in.

“Since you’ve already resigned now, think about it and give me an answer.”

Zhuang Zi fastened her seatbelt, stayed silent for several seconds, then turned to look at him after a while, “No need to think about it. I can give you an answer right now.”

…