Si Hang pressed down the office door lock and walked in.

The moment the door opened, Zhuang Zi was startled and abruptly looked up at the person entering.

Facing Xie Kui’s question, she had just shaken her head and started to say, “There’s no way…” when she saw him suddenly push the door open and come in.

Her expression was one of complete bewilderment.

Xie Kui was also caught off guard, watching him warily. He immediately stood up from the sofa and greeted him with a smile, “Boss.”

Si Hang glanced at him indifferently and walked towards his desk, showing no obvious change in emotion. He curiously asked, “What are you doing here?”

Xie Kui instinctively exchanged a look with Zhuang Zi, wondering if he had heard anything.

It didn’t seem like it.

Both of them simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

“I came to ask for leave,” Xie Kui explained his purpose now that he felt more at ease. “Next Tuesday is my son’s first birthday. I want to take a day off. If you’re free in the evening, come over for dinner?”

“Sure,” Si Hang said as he sat in his office chair and signed the leave request Xie Kui handed over.

Xie Kui took the signed leave slip. “I’ll get back to work then.”

“Okay.”

After he left, the office fell silent again.

Si Hang lit a cigarette and began to go through the documents in his hand, as if unaware that there was someone else in the room.

Zhuang Zi saw that he was ignoring her and focusing on his work. She frowned slightly.

What’s going on?

She scrutinized him for a few seconds. On the surface, nothing seemed unusual, yet she felt something was off.

Could it be that he overheard her conversation with Xie Kui?

She thought about it and decided it probably wasn’t that.

What she had said was simply the truth.

He wasn’t pursuing her, and it was unlikely that he would be interested in her. He had admitted as much to Aunt Zheng Ruzhi before.

So even if he had overheard, it shouldn’t make him so upset that he’d ignore her.

The only other possibility was that it was something work-related.

Maybe he had been criticized during the meeting and was in a bad mood?

That seemed plausible.

So it would be best to be cautious with her words.

“I’ve finished writing,” she said, handing him the record form.

Without lifting his eyes from the document in front of him, he reached out and took it without even glancing at her. It was unclear whether he was genuinely engrossed in something important or simply didn’t want to look at her.

Zhuang Zi didn’t bother to guess further.

He began reading her report in silence.

Thinking of what he had mentioned before going to the meeting—that he still had questions to ask—she spoke up, “Do you have any other questions?”

He didn’t respond, acting as if he hadn’t heard her.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhuang Zi pressed her lips together, looked out the window, and decided to remain silent.

It seemed best not to disturb him when he was in a bad mood.

After a while, he finished reading the report and slowly raised his eyes, glancing at her profile.

She had put on light makeup.

Her fair cheeks had a natural rosy hue. Her features were delicate and refined, with long black eyelashes and lips that were a moist cherry red.

In the light streaming through the window, he could even clearly see the nearly transparent fine hairs on her skin.

Zhuang Zi was engrossed in the scene outside. Two plainclothes officers were bringing in a female suspect, and she was intently observing the woman’s appearance, unconsciously parting her lips slightly, oblivious to the gaze from across the desk.

Si Hang watched her for a while, then quietly looked away. He closed the file in his hand with a ‘snap’ and tossed it aside.

Zhuang Zi immediately turned her attention back, sitting up straighter and looking at him, ready for questioning.

Resting his arm on the desk, he looked at her, expressionless, and said, “We have now confirmed Zhao Yuan’s suspicion. Another target is still under investigation. I hope you will cooperate fully.”

Zhuang Zi responded, “Okay.”

His expression unchanged, he continued procedurally, “We’ve already investigated your family and Jiang Zhihao, who you’ve had close relationships with. The only one left unchecked is your ex.”

Her expression stiffened at his words, and her fingers instinctively grasped her coat.

He looked at her, his gaze devoid of warmth, and continued, “Tell me about their basic situation and if there were any emotional entanglements between you.”

Zhuang Zi’s breath caught for a moment.

Talking about her ex to him?

Her mind went blank for a second.

“Is it inconvenient to talk about?”

Zhuang Zi looked at him, and although she was extremely reluctant to discuss her past personal affairs with others, she knew she had to cooperate with his investigation. She tried to calm herself and nodded, “It’s fine.”

“Okay.”

The air grew still once more.

Si Hang pulled out a blank sheet of paper, ready to write something.

After several seconds passed without her speaking, he frowned and looked up at her, knocking on the table to prompt her, “Speak.”

“….” Zhuang Zi was stunned, staring at him for several seconds before saying, “I thought…you were going to ask, and I’d answer?”

“….”

He looked at her, speechless. Zhuang Zi met his gaze.

After a while, feeling uncomfortable, she looked away first and said softly, “I’ve had three boyfriends.”

Si Hang’s fingers holding the cigarette paused slightly.

Huh, quite an eventful romantic history, having had three boyfriends.

Without looking at him, Zhuang Zi continued nonchalantly, “The first one lasted six months, the second three months, and the third we only met twice.”

He interrupted impatiently, “Meeting twice counts as dating?”

She met his eyes for a second, feeling a bit embarrassed, “We met once for a blind date and once for the engagement.”

He slightly opened his mouth, seemingly finding her answer incredulous.

He had seen her previous records. Apparently, the day before the incident, that man had publicly proposed to another woman at Wanda Plaza.

Jiang Zhihao had reported her as a lovesick suicidal, but later Xie Kui had returned from the hospital saying she had confidently denied being the kind to do something foolish over an unworthy man.

If she could say such things, it was obvious there were no deep feelings.

Since there were no deep feelings, getting engaged after meeting just once was either very unconventional or she had some loose screws.

“Engaged after two meetings,” he repeated in a low voice, clearly finding it absurd, “I didn’t expect you to be so bizarre.”

“….”

He extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, letting out a light mocking laugh, “This is the first time I’ve heard of someone getting engaged after one meeting.”

Zhuang Zi could hear the sarcasm in his tone, making her uncomfortable.

Did he think she wanted to make such a decision back then?

If she had been lucky enough to encounter true love, she wouldn’t have felt so hopeless, resorting to using marriage as a bargaining chip with Jiang Tianchen under strict terms.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

He leaned back lazily in his chair, looking at her with a slightly raised eyebrow, and lifted his hand from the table, “Please, continue.”