"You still want to drink a glass?" Mr. Fang asked with raised brows.
Zhang Liling did not respond to this question.
How could she nod when she was still feeling guilty over the last time? She couldn't admit that to him openly, and she wouldn't reject it either. So, the decision would be left for him to make.
"Miss Zhang, why don't you take water instead?" Bolin suggested, leaving a way out for her.
He thought that Mr. Fang may not let her join her classmates if she insisted on drinking.
Zhang Liling frowned at him and replied with a grumpy look, "I really want to drink. I don't want to come back with my breath smelling like alcohol, that would be a lie to Mr. Fang."
'Suit yourself!' Bolin thought.
Mr. Fang narrowed his gaze toward her direction. He could still remember her kissing him when her breath reeked of alcohol.
'Just what gives this girl the courage to act the way she does?'
She wasn't his younger sister or friend, but the way she acts around him feels like they were close. Who on earth would know that she was his dosmetic helper if they were not told?
He really wanted to point it out to her that she was crossing the line, but seeing her act all pitiful plus what she must have suffered before in the Zhang family, was really coming in-between this decision.
He was holding back because of that, and this is the reason he should have never known about that, and Chuanli shouldn't have given him anymore insight to her possible family issue.
Glancing at Chuanli, he glared at him, causing the latter to look confused.
'What did I do now?' Chuanli thought to himself with a confused gaze.
Before he could actually voice his thoughts, Mr. Fang had already shifted his gaze back to Zhang Liling.
"You can go ahead and drink responsibly, but don't come back to my house by 9 pm drunk, also, don't come near me or I will withhold your salary for 2 months!"
In one sentence, Mr. Fang agreed to let her drink, while giving her the time she had to come back, and the punishment that would follow if she went against his instruction.
p This was well taken by Zhang Liling who smiled happily.
She immediately got out of her seat and bowed deeply. "Thank you Mr. Fang!" Her cheerful voice rang out.
Chuanli and Bolin were surprised that he agreed to this and glanced at him at the same time.
He was really giving her freehands to do what she liked, but had to add the rules to keep her in order.
Wow! He was really being lenient with her!
Mr. Fang did not say anything more, and picked up his cutlery to eat.
Zhang Liling got that as a cue to leave, but she got stopped by Chuanli and Bolin just as she turned to leave.
"Miss Zhang, this is a gift for you. I know how you young ladies like bags, so I got you a cute one. Don't thank me too much because it's not that expensive." Chuanli said as he passed the bouquet and gift bag to her.
"Wow! Thank you, Dr. Li." Zhang Liling thanked him before taking the bag and flowers from him.
She looked so happy to receive a gift today and peeped into the bag.
"Miss Zhang, here is my gift to you!" Bolin said as he handed her the bouquet he got for her.
Zhang Liling accepted it and thanked him with a warm smile, before slowly shifting her gaze to the man eating at the head table.
'Did he also get something for me?'
Chuanli and Bolin followed her gaze and coughed awkwardly.
Mr. Fang felt the gazes on him and looked up from his food. He first glanced at Chuanli and Bolin before shifting his gaze to Zhang Liling who had a cheeky smile.
"Are you expecting a gift from me? I allowed you to drink today, is that not enough?" He asked while pointing his knife at her.
Zhang Liling bowed hurriedly. "No, it's not that. I'm leaving." She said before running away hurriedly.
Mr. Fang rolled his eyes and went back to eating.
'How shameless!' Chuanli thought before picking up his cutlery.
Immediately Zhang Liling shut the doors to her room, she shouted in excitement. She climbed on her bed and jumped like a child while laughing to herself.
When she has had enough of the excitement, she jumped down and sat on her bed before picking up the bouquets to sniff them one after the other.
Oh! how she loved the scents of fresh flowers!
Putting the bouquets outside now, she picked up the gift bag and took out the box that was wrapped with a pink ribbon.
Putting the box on her bed, she clapped her hands before removing the cover. Shifting the wraps to the side, the beautiful pink bag came to view.
Honestly, she felt the colour didn't suit her because it was a princess colour. She has long passed that age where she would be excited to get things in pink. But because this was a gift, she looked past the colour, and appreciated the kind gesture and thoughtfulness that followed.
Taking the bag out from the box, she took it to her little work-in closet. Placing it on her thigh, she raised her foot up while glancing at the mirror.
She was trying to see how well the bag suited her in different poses.
Feeling satisfied after trying out different poses in different angles, she released a sigh of relief before going back to keep the bag on her bed.
"You just wait, I will rock you tonight!" She said to the bag after a few pats before turning to leave her room.
A few minutes later, she came back with a transparent vase and scissors for her flowers. She was going to arrange her fresh flower gift in it.
This process took her over 10 minutes, which left her satisfied at the end.
Zhang Liling used another 10 minutes to look for a dress with a party vibe in her wardrobe. She didn't have to search for long before she found one that could serve the good purpose.
"Alright, let's get dressed!" She said with a satisfied smile.
Twenty minutes later...