Gong Hang was the last to come back, carrying two large boxes of washed strawberries, which he placed on the white coffee table in the lounge: “Come and try some; they’re quite sweet.”

Feng Qiuyu, sitting on the sofa, winked at He Ye.

He Ye felt helpless.

From college to graduate school, she often had boys pursuing her. While their various methods exhausted her, they also gave her plenty of experience. So, when Gong Hang placed a box of strawberries in front of her and glanced at her meaningfully, He Ye understood that Gong Hang was not trying to hide his intentions.

Direct pursuit can be clearly rejected. Now Gong Hang just invited everyone to eat strawberries; it would seem strange if she didn’t eat them.

When Feng Qiuyu had already started on her second strawberry, He Ye reached out and took one.

Just as she put the strawberry in her mouth, she saw a pair of long legs walking toward her from the office area.

You don’t need to look up to know who it is.

“Team leader, this one is the biggest. It’s for you!” Cheng Rui handed Lu Jin a big strawberry in a very servile manner.

Lu Jin smiled, took the strawberry, and looked at Gong Hang, who was standing opposite He Ye with one hand resting on the back of the sofa, posing stylishly: “Thank you.”

Gong Hang: …

There was nothing wrong with what Team Leader said, but why did his gaze make Gong Hang feel uneasy?

In terms of age, Lu Jin is the second youngest among the ten people, only twenty-four, slightly older than He Ye.

But in terms of presence, Mr. Xu, the leader of the entire R&D center, loses to Lu Jin.

The aloof male protagonist in TV series is just acting. Lu Jin is genuinely cold, but his various achievements give him an aura that makes people unable to admit defeat.

At five o’clock in the afternoon, Cheng Rui looked at He Ye and the other two who were working hard across from him, then slowly turned his head and asked seriously, “Team Leader, we have a dinner party tonight. What time do we leave?”

Someone coughed to cheer.

With the 996 work schedule ^[1]a common work schedule in China where employees work from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week., being off work at 7 PM every night is enough to make other teams envious.

Lu Jin tapped the keyboard and asked, “Which restaurant did you book?”

Cheng Rui replied, “The private restaurant you took us to last time was delicious, but it’s a bit far.”

Someone coughed again, and Cheng Rui shot them a glare.

Lu Jin said, “We’ll leave in ten minutes.”

Cheng Rui cheered and jumped up like a kid excited for the New Year: “It’s great to welcome new members! Let’s try to recruit one a year!”

Feng Qiuyu laughed, “You’re dreaming unless you quit your job.”

Despite the joking, she finished her work with a smile.

Ten minutes later, Cheng Rui led the operations control team down the corridor to the elevator, with Lu Jin treating the guests.

Suddenly, an angry voice yelled from an office: “Lu Jin, don’t be so arrogant!”

Feng Qiuyu whispered to He Ye, “Boss Fang from the visual team is a crazy overworker and has always disliked us.”

He Ye smiled.

Cheng Rui boasted to He Ye, “You should be thankful for our team leader. If you had a different boss, you’d feel embarrassed leaving before nine o’clock.”

He Ye glanced at Lu Jin, realizing what he was like at work.

All ten entered the elevator.

Cheng Rui asked, “Who didn’t drive?”

He Ye looked to her right but no one answered.

Feng Qiuyu looked over curiously.

He Ye explained, “I haven’t gotten my driver’s license yet.”

Feng Qiuyu smiled, “No worries, you can ride with us.”

Gong Hang added, “If you don’t want to feel like a third wheel, you can sit with me.”

Feng Qiuyu laughed, “No chance!”

He Ye felt relieved, happy to ride with her only female colleague.

Jiang Xu drove, while He Ye and Feng Qiuyu chatted in the back seat, making Jiang Xu feel like a full-time driver.

During rush hour, they had to stop and go a lot, and it took an hour to reach their destination. Cheng Rui’s claim about the restaurant being far was accurate.

They booked a large private room for ten people. It was lively, and He Ye sat between Cheng Rui and Feng Qiuyu, with Lu Jin at the edge of the row. She felt relaxed.

At 8:30 PM, as dinner wrapped up, Feng Qiuyu asked He Ye, “Where do you live now?”

He Ye told them the name of her community.

Brother Qiang asked, “Dan Gui Jia Yuan? Is it right across from Wang Chao Mansion?”

He Ye remembered her father mentioning Wang Chao Mansion, a luxury residential area that had just been completed.

Cheng Rui said, “That’s convenient. You can ask Team Leader to take you home. We can’t afford a house there!”

He Ye quickly responded, “Don’t bother, I can take a taxi back.”

Gong Hang smiled, “If riding with Team Leader is too stressful, you can sit with me. It only takes me ten more minutes to get home.”

Feng Qiuyu, trying to be considerate of He Ye, was about to pull her to ride with them when someone at the other end of the elevator said, “Just take my car.”

It was Lu Jin’s clear and calm voice.

Feng Qiuyu encouraged He Ye, “Listen to Team Leader. Don’t worry; he may look cold, but he’s a good person who helps us out when we need to rush work.”

Cheng Rui added, “Yes, we’re all in the same group. Junior sister, don’t be shy with Team Leader.”

He Ye felt uneasy but couldn’t refuse anymore.

The elevator descended to the underground parking lot.

Lu Jin, Gong Hang, and Brother Qiang’s cars were parked together.

As they were about to split up, Lu Jin looked at He Ye.

Feng Qiuyu patted He Ye’s shoulder encouragingly: “Go ahead, our team leader won’t bite.”

Everyone laughed.

He Ye, who felt slightly nervous, said nothing.

After greeting the others who were getting their cars, she reluctantly followed Lu Jin.

Brother Qiang walked alongside Lu Jin. Gong Hang took the chance to talk to He Ye: “Are you from Ancheng?”

He Ye replied, “Yes.”

Gong Hang said, “I’m from Ningcheng, but I’ll settle here.”

Brother Qiang joked from the front, “He has a car, a house, and savings. All he needs is a wife, right?”

Gong Hang laughed, “Aren’t you the same?”

Brother Qiang retorted, “Of course it’s different. I’m not in a hurry for a wife, but some are eager to start dating.”

Gong Hang cleared his throat and switched topics with He Ye.

Brother Qiang got in the car first.

After walking a bit more, they reached Lu Jin’s car, a sleek black Panamera.

Many black cars surrounded them, but Lu Jin’s was particularly new and clean, shining like its owner.

Gong Hang glanced at his own car parked across the way, feeling a little jealous.

While Lu Jin walked to the driver’s seat, He Ye forced a smile and started to approach the back seat. But noticing Gong Hang’s surprised look, she realized she should sit in the passenger seat instead.

She didn’t want to seem like she was treating him like a chauffeur.

Once she got in, Lu Jin stood outside. Gong Hang and Lu Jin exchanged looks for a moment.

Then, Lu Jin entered the driver’s seat, closed the door, and drove off without looking back.

Gong Hang stood there, feeling puzzled.

Earlier, Lu Jin’s look when passing out strawberries had a hint of meaning; now it felt like a clear warning.

It’s not about competing with him, but giving him a direct warning.

Gong Hang understood the look but couldn’t figure out why the usually ruthless team leader suddenly had such strong feelings for He Ye. He Ye is very pretty, but she isn’t pretty enough to make Lu Jin fall in love with her at first sight, right? Gong Hang thought about this but couldn’t understand it.

However, that didn’t matter anymore. The most important thing for a person is to know themselves, and Gong Hang wouldn’t compete with Team Leader.

In Ancheng during winter, the nights are very dark and bone-chillingly cold, even without the wind. 

The air conditioner was on in the car, so Lu Jin didn’t feel cold, even though he was wearing just a black shirt. He Ye, on the other hand, was in a down jacket ^[2]which is a warm jacket filled with down feathers..

She felt hot, and the thought of the big villa she imagined made her feel even hotter. Sitting stiffly in the passenger seat, she didn’t dare to look at Lu Jin at all, as she seemed unable to make small talk.

At that moment, she really experienced what it meant to feel uncomfortable in a situation.

A slender, white hand appeared in her view, and the car’s music was turned on. A soothing English song finally eased the awkwardness in the car.

Suddenly, He Ye’s phone rang in her bag. She grabbed it like a lifeline. Lu Jin turned off the music to let her talk more easily.

He Ye spoke with difficulty: “It’s Zhu Qing.”

Lu Jin hummed lightly, understanding that she needed him to be quiet.

He Ye leaned back in her chair and answered the call.

Zhu Qing’s cheerful voice filled the car: “Hello, are you off work?”

He Ye replied, “I just got off. I was about to go home.”

“How do you feel? Are your colleagues easy to get along with? They are all IT guys, so they shouldn’t need much social interaction, right?”

“Well, the atmosphere is pretty good. A female colleague and a senior from university take good care of me.”

“Then I’m relieved. Hey, are there any handsome guys among your male colleagues?”

He Ye bit her lip. She had originally suspected that Zhu Qing might have heard about Lu Jin being at Blue Ocean through Zhou Xiangming, but Zhu Qing’s tone showed she was unaware of the situation.

“It’s okay; you know I don’t pay attention to this.”

“It doesn’t matter if you didn’t pay attention before. Now that you’ve finished school, it’s time to try dating. The thing between you and Lu Jin was too short to even count.”

He Ye thought, “Is it too late to jump out of the car now?”

She changed the subject randomly and hung up after a few more words.

The man in the driver’s seat didn’t make any unnecessary movements while driving and remained silent like a robot on “mute.”

He Ye’s palms were sweating as she held the phone.

“Feel sorry,” Lu Jin suddenly spoke, and He Ye’s heart trembled with fear: “What?”

Lu Jin looked at the road ahead and said casually: “As a high school classmate, I don’t think I took special care of you today.”

He Ye replied, “No, I just mentioned it to Zhu Qing casually; I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Lu Jin asked, “Which gate of the community is it?”

He Ye thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go to the East Gate. It’s more convenient.”

“Okay.”

They were sparing with words.