Chapter 24: Oh, my God, this man is a liar.

Chapter 24

Li Zhen's breath stopped abruptly.

The time she felt embarrassed and awkward actually lasted only a second.

But that one second felt like a year of being fried in a pan.

Her peripheral vision happened to fall on Lu Yanming.

He sat beside Wang Peng, dressed in a suit and tie, his eyes indifferent behind the golden-rimmed glasses, staring at her...and the pink envelope in his hand.

His expression still had the same clarity and elegance as before.

However, in the blink of an eye, she suddenly realized that Lu Yanming seemed displeased.

She became even more flustered, hastily stuffing the envelope into the small pocket behind her pencil skirt. Her black-and-white eyes blinked as she stammered, "Um...that...uh..."

Everyone: ?

Yu Sheng calmly looked at her with a serene gaze, quietly waiting for her to speak.

Li Zhen nervously swallowed her saliva. "Um...Mr. Yu, I'll go have lunch first. I have some work matters to attend to. I'll talk to you later."

After speaking, Li Zhen didn't dare to look at anyone, turning around to leave.

But just as she reached the door, it opened in front of her.

The head chef of the staff canteen came in carrying several lunch boxes. "Xiao Li, you're going to the staff canteen this late? There's no more food left."

Li Zhen forced a laugh. "It's fine, it's fine. I'll order takeout."

Did she want lunch?

What she wanted was an excuse to leave!

"But won't you have to wait for an hour?" the head chef complained, placing the lunch boxes on the coffee table. "Leaders, please enjoy."

"Li Zhen..."

Li Zhen had just taken half a step out when she heard Yu Sheng calling her.

Li Zhen inwardly sighed. Why did he have to call her? Was he afraid that others wouldn't know about their past relationship?

She pretended not to hear and continued walking out.

But she was abruptly pulled back by the head chef who was about to leave. "The leader is calling you, Xiao Li."

Li Zhen wanted to ignore him, but the head chef, who was used to stirring pots, had a strong grip and forcibly dragged her back into the office.

After the head chef left, he considerately closed the door.

Li Zhen: ...

"Mr. Yu." Li Zhen obediently turned around, forcing a smile on her face that looked more like a cry. She didn't dare to lift her head, afraid that she wouldn't be able to maintain her expression.

She also didn't dare to look at the others present.

"I'm not hungry. Come and eat my portion," Yu Sheng commanded without any room for refusal.

"Mr. Yu, you're still in a meeting. It's not appropriate..." Wang Peng, as the leader, was always lenient towards the staff. "It's fine, Mr. Yu shouldn't waste the food. Come in."

"And you, come over here," Yu Sheng said, looking at her.

Li Zhen knew Yu Sheng's temperament. If she said "no" at this moment, it would be useless.

Just eat!

If he didn't eat, it would be best if he starved!

One of the marketing managers sitting beside Yu Sheng had sharp eyes. He immediately stood up and gave up his seat. "Li Zhen, come, sit here."

Li Zhen was surprised. "Do you know me?"

The marketing manager smiled and said, "Everyone in our marketing department knows you."

Li Zhen: ...

Why did she ask that?

Sometimes, Yu Sheng would treat her with a bit more care than others, disregarding the occasion. The people in the marketing department were all astute, so naturally, they knew about it.

Li Zhen raised her head and placed her chopsticks on the table with a "snap." "Mr. Lu, first of all, my name is Li Zhen, not 'this female colleague' or 'that female colleague'."

He's pretending not to know her.

If her name wasn't on his household register, she would have believed it!

Didn't he see with his blind eyes!

He should go get his ears, nose, throat, and even his eyes checked!

"Secondly, during my lunch break, I can socialize with my colleagues without breaking any laws. Mr. Lu, do you want to know more? I'm sorry, but I'm not willing to tell you!" Li Zhen's lips were vibrant, every word she uttered was sharp.

"I'm done eating. Sorry for the interruption, everyone." Li Zhen finished speaking and stood up in anger.

The managers in the marketing department looked at Li Zhen's departing figure, exchanging glances with each other.

Yu Sheng glanced at Lu Yanming, then coldly withdrew his gaze.

He didn't really care if Li Zhen was angry today.

On the contrary, he subconsciously hoped that Li Zhen and the new vice president wouldn't get along.

Li Zhen waited for the elevator, feeling furious about the way Lu Yanming deliberately made things difficult for her.

His genes weren't good enough!

He was too petty.

Although she had spent the past couple of days spreading rumors about him being inadequate, fabricating a serious illness, and even saying he was close to death...

Um...

She might have gone a little too far.

But it wasn't intentional!

She had her reasons!

And yet, he embarrassingly made things difficult for her in front of their superiors.

The elevator doors opened.

Li Zhen was about to step inside when someone pulled her into the nearby stairwell.

Li Zhen recognized the person and became even angrier, "Mr. Lu, didn't you have enough fun in the office just now?"

The stairwell had small windows, and the lighting was dim.

Dim rays of light seeped in, falling on Lu Yanming, who was leaning against the fire door.

He closed the door, walked towards her, his steps steady and unhurried, his broad shoulders straight.

When he wasn't speaking, he exuded an air of coldness that added to his usual gentleness.

Li Zhen involuntarily became nervous, "Alright, alright. I did some unfriendly things to you these past few days. Let's call it even for what happened just now. Don't be angry anymore."

She secretly glanced at Lu Yanming and noticed that something was off about his expression.

Could it be that he didn't unleash his wrath earlier and was waiting for a moment when no one was around to scold her?

Lu Yanming approached her, slightly bent down, and buried his head in the crook of her neck. His deep voice carried a hint of weariness, "I'm sorry."

Li Zhen froze in place.

He broke the rules, why isn't he getting angry?

After just a second, Lu Yanming raised his head and gently lifted Li Zhen's chin, kissing her lips.

The movement was gentle, almost reverent.

Dominant yet tender.

At this moment, it was the end of the lunch break, and the corridor outside the fire door was filled with the lively sound of colleagues chatting.

Behind the fire door, Li Zhen's heart pounded loudly, the sound overwhelming her ears.

In the embrace of Lu Yanming, she felt her body go weak.

Li Zhen thought to herself, "Goodness, this man knows how to charm a person!"