Chapter 32: Pt.1

The general manager's office was spacious, and the air conditioning was set to the lowest temperature. Whenever Xu Chuanchuan entered this room, she would feel like she had just entered a freezer room. Now that Murong Shi was absent from the room, she could finally look around without fear.

The color of the solid wooden desk was dull, the large bookcase was of a similar color, and dark leather wrapped the sofa set in the lounge area… The color of almost every furniture in the room was of a dreary tone.

In reality, Murong Mingkun was the one who oversaw the refurbishment of this room. However, Murong Shi didn't have much opinion over the furniture. The only change she made was replacing the previous office chair with an oversized, red office chair with a comfortable backrest.

Xu Chuanchuan dared not let her hands wander. After obediently taking a seat on one of the sofas, she pulled out her phone and messaged Ange while Murong Shi was still away from the office.

Xu Chuanchuan: "I'm alone in my boss's daughter's office right now. It feels so weird."

Ange: "???"

Xu Chuanchuan: "It's nothing. I'm just a little nervous."

Ange: "Boring. I thought you were going to tell me something juicy."

Xu Chuanchuan: "[Grin] Are you not taking an afternoon nap?"

Before Xu Chuanchuan could receive a reply from Ange, she heard the sound of the door opening behind her. After storing her phone away in a panic, she turned around to look who had entered. When she saw it was Murong Shi, she instinctively stood up from her seat.

Sending Xu Chuanchuan a glance, Murong Shi said, "It's fine. Sit."

Xu Chuanchuan sat down again. Although she sat in the same relaxed posture, her nerves were no longer as relaxed as before. Seeing Murong Shi moving closer to her, she asked, "Have you had lunch yet?"

"Mhm." When Murong Shi passed by the water dispenser, she paused and asked, "Do you want some water?"

"No, no, you can go about your business," Xu Chuanchuan said as she waved her hand in a hurry. She then shrank back her neck in an attempt to reduce her presence as much as possible.

Unfortunately, Xu Chuanchuan was incapable of going invisible, so she could still feel Murong Shi's gaze landing on herself. To be precise, Murong Shi's gaze landed on the top of her head.

Xu Chuanchuan grew embarrassed when she noticed where Murong Shi was looking. However, she dared not recklessly move about, either. So, she deliberately shifted the topic and asked, "Are you planning to rest? I'll make sure I don't make a peep."

Unfortunately, Xu Chuanchuan didn't know that Murong Shi would typically lie down on the sofa she currently sat on when resting.

After a moment of silence, Murong Shi said, "No need." She then circled her work desk and opened a drawer, revealing a box of instant coffee. Taking out a stick, she looked at Xu Chuanchuan and asked, "Do you want some coffee?"

"Huh?" It took several seconds for Xu Chuanchuan to process that Murong Shi's question was directed toward her. Immediately afterward, she shook her head and said, "No, I just had lunch."

Murong Shi did not insist on the matter. After shaking the powder in the bag, she tore open the package and poured the coffee powder into a clean mug.

When Xu Chuanchuan saw Murong Shi walking over to the water dispenser, she hurriedly stood up and said, "I'll help you with that."

However, Murong Shi sent Xu Chuanchuan an indifferent glance and said, "No need. I'm not used to the smell of paint, so just sit down."

Xu Chuanchuan: "..." Fine, so she's disgusted with the smell coming from my body.

I wonder if the paint has dried yet? Shifting her neck around uncomfortably, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "How long does Linda usually take to finish lunch?"

While filling her mug with water, Murong Shi nonchalantly said, "She takes a while."

How long must I wait here?

Growing anxious, Xu Chuanchuan said, "How about I—"

As if knowing what Xu Chuanchuan was going to say, Murong Shi cut Xu Chuanchuan's words short and said, "You only ended up like this because she asked you for help. It's only reasonable for her to help you in return, so just sit down and be at ease. You can read some magazines if you're bored. You can also pretend as if I don't exist."

Xu Chuanchuan: "..." This is your territory. How can I pretend you don't exist?

"You can also read your novels."

Xu Chuanchuan's heart thumped, and she lifted her head to look at Murong Shi in surprise.

Murong Shi had made the suggestion in a casual tone, and even her expression was one of indifference. Yet, for some reason, Xu Chuanchuan kept getting the feeling that Murong Shi's gaze when looking at her was somewhat strange. Murong Shi's straight and penetrating gaze made her feel as if she was the subject of an experiment.

Xu Chuanchuan found this feeling extremely discomforting, so she hurriedly lowered her head to avoid looking at Murong Shi. Upon looking down, she noticed several magazines placed under the coffee table. She then grabbed one of these magazines and started flipping through it.

All the while, Xu Chuanchuan could hear Murong Shi's footsteps coming from behind her. Shortly afterward, she felt the airflow behind her changing, and she couldn't help but tense up her body.

The next second, Xu Chuanchuan heard Murong Shi's voice coming from above her, saying, "This is the first time I've seen a girl with a green head."

Xu Chuanchuan recalled that Murong Shi had just said that she was unused to the smell of paint, so she subconsciously lowered her posture even further. While doing so, she suddenly heard a "click" coming from above her.

Confused, Xu Chuanchuan lifted her head and looked up.

What entered Xu Chuanchuan's eyes was an iPhone. At the same time as she looked up, another "click" came from the phone as it captured her horrified expression.

Murong Shi pursed her lips and admired the masterpiece she captured. She then said, "Adding a filter indeed makes it look better. It looks as if you've grown a patch of grass on top of your head."

"..." Xu Chuanchuan couldn't bring herself to smile at Murong Shi's comment. Pulling up the corners of her stiff mouth, she asked, "You're not planning to share it on social media, right?"

Murong Shi did not answer. Instead, she scrutinized Xu Chuanchuan's faze for a moment before saying seriously, "You have good facial features. There are no major flaws on your skin, either. Overall, you are quite photogenic."

Xu Chuanchuan temporarily lost her ability to speak at the sudden praise. However, before she could blush out of embarrassment, her face froze at Murong Shi's following words.

"Do you know what is the difference between you and your little sister?" Murong Shi asked while still staring at Xu Chuanchuan's face.

Stunned by the question, Xu Chuanchuan blurted, "My little sister?"

Murong Shi was very tall, and she also wore a pair of high heels. While examining Xu Chuanchuan's face from a condescending posture, she slowly bent down her waist and moved closer to Xu Chuanchuan's face, all the while wearing a solemn expression.

In this situation, even though Murong Shi wasn't doing anything to her, Xu Chuanchuan still couldn't help but be frightened. She didn't know what Murong Shi was trying to do, and she subconsciously held her breath and stiffened her body.

As the distance between the two grew shorter and shorter, Xu Chuanchuan suddenly had the misconception that the other party was trying to kiss her. If it wasn't for Murong Shi's stern expression…

Xu Chuanchuan could no longer maintain her composure and hurriedly shifted aside. Immediately afterward, she felt blood rushing up to her face, heating it.

At this time, Murong Shi gradually straightened her posture again.

Unlike Xu Chuanchuan, Murong Shi was the epitome of calm. Ignoring Xu Chuanchuan's attempt to avoid her, she casually said, "The reason why your little sister appears cuter than you are is because she treats people sincerely. You, on the other hand, are a lot craftier."

Xu Chuanchuan had yet to recover from the previous predicament, so this abrupt criticism stunned her thoroughly. Blinking her eyes, she asked, "How am I crafty? I'm very sincere toward everyone."

Snorting, Murong Shi said, "Is that so?"

Xu Chuanchuan felt that she was innocent, so she questioned, "How am I not sincere?"

However, Murong Shi didn't answer. Instead, she retracted the emotions on her face and tapped her finger on her phone's screen. She then said, "I deleted it."

What Murong Shi deleted were the two pictures of Xu Chuanchuan's head she took just now. Hearing this, Xu Chuanchuan breathed out a sigh of relief.

"However, do be warned that I will never delete the voice recording from before," Murong Shi said as she waved her phone in front of Xu Chuanchuan.

Immediately, Xu Chuanchuan stiffened once more.

Xu Chuanchuan truly regretted her decision now. The company building was such a big place, yet out of all the places she could choose to hide in, why did she have to choose Murong Shi's office.

As Xu Chuanchuan had expected, Murong Shi wasn't a kind person. Every second and minute she spent with Murong Shi felt like torture.

If Xu Chuanchuan had known this would happen, she would rather let the whole company laugh at her instead.

When will Linda come back? Can anyone hear my heart's pleas?

Perhaps Murong Shi had grown tired from standing, she suddenly decided to change her posture and sat down on the armrest beside Xu Chuanchuan. With this, the distance between them shortened even more, and Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but shift her body away in this situation. However, afraid that Murong Shi would go along with the flow and move into the space she created, Xu Chuanchuan shifted back a little, ensuring that there wasn't enough space for Murong Shi to sit down.

When Xu Chuanchuan realized how stupid her actions were, Murong Shi's voice suddenly entered her ears, saying, "By the way, you said you read novels to deal with insomnia previously. Do you have any recommendations for me?"

Xu Chuanchuan stopped moving and looked at Murong Shi skeptically.

Murong Shi's eyes were calm and revealed none of her thoughts. She behaved as if she was having an entirely normal conversation.

Blinking her eyes, Xu Chuanchuan said, "You can try local and foreign masterpieces."

Casually running her fingers through her hair, Murong Shi said, "I'll pass on famous works. I don't like reading profound books."

It's so hot. Why is it getting hotter in here? Pinching her palm, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "What genre do you prefer? You can take a look at the nearby Xinghua Bookstore. There is a wide variety of books there. You can—"

"Pass. It's too troublesome," Murong Shi interrupted. She then changed the topic and asked, "What kind of novels do you usually read?"

This was a perfectly normal question, yet Xu Chuanchuan had a sense of foreboding when she heard it. However, when she looked at Murong Shi's face and saw the latter's indescribably calm expression, she couldn't help but be confused.

"I generally read web novels that don't have any nuance. You won't be interested in them." Under pressure, Xu Chuanchuan answered without properly thinking over her reply.

However, Murong Shi grew interested upon hearing Xu Chuanchuan's reply. Subconsciously smiling, she relentlessly asked, "What are you currently reading?"

"This…" Ever since Xu Chuanchuan started writing, she very rarely talked about novels with other people. Meanwhile, the most recent book she read was Ange's latest serialized work. However, there was no way she could reveal this fact.

Why did she suddenly bring up novels? Is she just holding a casual conversation? Or is she testing me? What is her goal in testing me? Could Murong Shi be Passerby Shi? Several questions appeared in Xu Chuanchuan's mind.

The last question, in particular, gave Xu Chuanchuan a scare.

"What's with that expression? Don't tell me you read horror novels?"

Letting out a dry cough, Xu Chuanchuan played along with Murong Shi's words and said, "Y-Yes. There's horror in it."

This was, in fact, not a lie. Ange's novels belonged to the infinite horror genre. Xu Chuanchuan would always become afraid of going to the bathroom whenever she finished reading one of Ange's novels.

"You read horror stories to cope with insomnia? You seem to be looking down on my intelligence."

Xu Chuanchuan fell silent.

"If you don't want to say it, forget it." Murong Shi suddenly stood up and looked at Xu Chuanchuan condescendingly, her eyes seemingly saying, "Admit it. You're not an honest person. You indeed have a crafty heart."

After seeing Murong Shi returning to her desk, Xu Chuanchuan finally dared to wipe the sweat in her palms on her pants. Unable to bear the torture anymore, she stood up and said, "I'm going to the washroom."

Without waiting for Murong Shi to respond, Xu Chuanchuan quickly rushed out of the office.

There was nobody in the washroom. After finally getting the opportunity to look at her green hair through the mirror, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but be at a loss for words.

When she tried touching the green paint, she found that it was only partially dried.

Meanwhile, only after scrubbing her hand with soap for a long time did she manage to remove the paint staining her hand. When Xu Chuanchuan looked at herself in the mirror again, she suddenly had the urge to slap herself.

Of course, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't bear to be heavy-handed against herself. After symbolically slapping herself on the cheeks, she pointed at the person in the mirror and quietly scolded, "Must you panic to such an extent from a few questions? Can you get your act together?"

The next moment, the sound of a crisp slap echoed in the washroom.