Su Qingqing was leaning against the opposite sofa.
Her slender legs were crossed, and the sharp tip of her high heel tapped lightly against the carpet.
Seeing him come out, she slowly stood up.
"Turn around."
Lin Ze braced himself and turned around, his back feeling as if it were being scorched by her gaze.
Suddenly, Su Qingqing stepped closer.
The faint, elusive scent of her perfume instantly enveloped him.
His gaze fell on Su Qingqing's glistening, tender lips.
Thump, thump.
He heard his runaway heartbeat.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he instinctively licked his suddenly dry lips.
Ah, ah, ah!
Why did she have to suddenly step so close?
This woman was definitely playing games with him!
Pulling such ambiguous stunts in a public place.
What did she take him for?!
Su Qingqing felt a bit self-conscious under Lin Ze's stare.
Feigning calm, she commanded, "Close your eyes."
Lin Ze closed his eyes by reflex.
What on earth was she trying to do?
Was she going to kiss him?!
Could it be...
With so many people watching... wouldn't that be inappropriate...
Cool fingertips suddenly pressed against his Adam's apple.
"!"
His whole body stiffened, and his breathing stopped.
Su Qingqing leisurely straightened his collar.
Her fingers inadvertently brushed against the skin of his neck, sending a series of tiny shivers through him.
—Just this?
Lin Ze opened his eyes with a look of utter disappointment.
Su Qingqing wore a half-smile.
With her fingertips still pinching the corner of his collar, her lips brushed almost against his earlobe: "Heart beating so fast? Thought I was going to kiss you?"
"...Don't flatter yourself!"
Lin Ze turned his face away in embarrassment, the tips of his ears burning red enough to bleed.
Fine, fine, fine.
You win!
Su Qingqing, are you satisfied now?!
"Wrap this outfit up, and add a black silk tie."
Su Qingqing turned around and flashed her black card at the store clerk.
"Wait!"
Lin Ze panicked.
Su Qingqing looked so badass swiping her card!
But Lin Ze was in no mood to appreciate it.
A woman's words could not be trusted.
What if she made him pay her back later?!
Lin Ze hurriedly refused.
"Su Qingqing, I really don't need this. I have clothes to wear."
"If you don't want them, throw them away."
Su Qingqing coldly interrupted him, a flash of darkness passing through the depths of her eyes.
Why wouldn't he accept?
Back then, when he forced designer clothes on her,
he hadn't looked like this.
Now she had money.
Yet he was pushing away even this small gesture?
Could it be that all his kindness to her back in college...
was fake?! Was it just charity?!
She decisively swiped her card to pay. For her nowadays, this amount of money was just a number.
The store manager nearby was smiling from ear to ear, his face practically splitting in half.
Lin Ze stared at the mountain of clothes piled in the shopping cart.
Suddenly enlightenment struck him... wasn't this his exact line from back then?!
A sense of humiliation rushed to his head.
Wait!
Did she say she was going to throw them away?
Since she was going to throw them away...
He might as well sell them second-hand!
The sense of humiliation from a moment ago was instantly slapped to death by reason.
The shopping cart suddenly turned into a mountain of glowing gold cash right before his eyes.
It's so good to be rich!
This humiliating method of burying someone in cash—
please don't hold back at all!
Smash it down even harder! Harder! Humiliate him harder, you rich lady!
..............
Lin Ze returned to his rented apartment.
His gaze landed on the pile of brand-new clothes on the sofa, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help curving upward.
Without a second thought, he grabbed his phone and started taking pictures.
He spent over an hour snapping pictures with his phone, going *click*, *click*.
Then he opened a second-hand trading app.
His fingers flew across the screen—
"Selling top-tier designer menswear, brand new with tags and receipts!!"
"Free shipping locally, buyer pays shipping for other cities!!"
"Don't miss out while passing by! First come, first served!"
After finishing the post and attaching the carefully edited photos, he clicked send.
Done!
He contentedly refolded the clothes, neatly stuffed them back into their packaging bags,
and collapsed onto the bed.
The moment he closed his eyes,
his vision seemed to fill with floating banknotes.
………
The next day, eight o'clock.
In the office.
Another busy, hopeless day for the working class.
Lin Ze sat at his workstation, his head hitting the keyboard heavily for the third time.
A string of meaningless gibberish instantly popped up on the display screen.
Last night, in order to list those designer clothes on the second-hand platform,
he had spent hours taking and editing photos,
tossing and turning until 3 AM before finally falling asleep.
Now his eyelids were too heavy to keep open.
His mind was entirely filled with Su Qingqing's half-smiling face.
Well!
That woman's goal of torturing him was certainly achieved!
A wave of sleepiness washed over him, and Lin Ze couldn't hold on any longer.
He slumped forward onto his desk and fell fast asleep.
After an unknown period of time, someone gently shook his shoulder through a hazy blur.
Lin Ze gave a muffled response, his eyelids feeling as heavy as lead.
In his dream, Lin Ze saw someone who looked just like Su Qingqing by his side.
"Why am I dreaming of her again..." Lin Ze muttered to himself.
He longed to go back four years.
Impulsively, he reached out his arm and wrapped it tightly around her slender waist.
The soft tactile sensation against his palm brought a satisfied sigh from the back of his throat.
He grinned: "This dream feels pretty realistic..."
He naturally buried his head into her lower abdomen.
His cheek felt the warmth beneath the silk shirt.
With a heavy nasal tone, he mumbled, "Why are you still so thin..."
In reality, back in the office.
Su Qingqing froze in place, lowering her gaze to look at Lin Ze's dark hair.
Her earlobes turned red at a visible speed.
Lin Ze's breath brushed against her skin through the fabric, like an electric current racing up her spine,
leaving her whole body tingling.
Suppressing the panic in her heart, she said in a trembling voice, "Lin Ze!"
She reached out to push him away.
"Don't make a fuss... let me hug you a bit longer..."
Lin Ze mumbled as he tightened his grip.
The tip of his nose brushed against the soft flesh of her waist, "Why are you so soft..."
He even rubbed his cheek against her waist.
His powerful arms caused Su Qingqing's heart to beat so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
The office suddenly plunged into an eerie silence.
The sound of typing and chatting abruptly stopped.
Dozens of eyes snapped over in unison.
Assistant Liu's eyes widened in shock.
How could Lin Ze do something like this?
Has he lost his mind?
How dare he openly take advantage of President Su.
Even if he wanted to hug President Su, he should at least pick the right time and place!
Bai Weiwei's phone dropped to the floor with a loud *clack*.
Her earphones fell out right along with it.
The phone screen was still playing a short drama titled "The Domineering Female CEO Fell in Love With Me".
Bai Weiwei's phone suddenly blared out loud: "President~ Don't be like that~"
The overly sweet lines sounded exceptionally loud in the silent office.
Su Qingqing snapped back to her senses.
"Lin Ze! What are you doing!"
Her cheeks burning hot, Su Qingqing began pushing him away with all her might.
Lin Ze thought to himself:
This isn't right!
Even if it's a dream,
doing this kind of thing in the office is not appropriate.
Still, Su Qingqing's waist was so slender and soft, the tactile feel was absolute perfection...
Right, previously Su Qingqing always wore loose clothes, so he had never noticed she had such a great figure.
He had always wanted to try burying his face right in the middle.
Since it was a dream, he might as well take the opportunity to try!
Lin Ze lifted his head from her waist, gazing at the protruding swell.
Just as he was about to bury his face into that soft spot,
Su Qingqing reacted with lightning speed and pressed her hand firmly against his face.
Shy and exasperated, she said, "Lin Ze."
"Wake up and take a good look at what you're doing."
Of course he wasn't awake.
Of course he was dreaming.
You can get anything you want in a dream!
Hehehe.
In his dream, Lin Ze reached out and touched Su Qingqing's slender waist again.
When would he ever have the guts to do that in reality?
Still!
This feel was way too realistic!
Lin Ze gave a violent start.
He instantly woke up.
Opening his eyes, he met Su Qingqing's flushed face.
The next second, he let go as if electrocuted.
He sprang up abruptly and stepped back two paces.
Looking at Su Qingqing's blushing cheeks,
his toes curled in embarrassment so hard they could dig a three-bedroom apartment.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"I was dreaming, I mistook you for someone else..."
Su Qingqing's expression instantly turned icy.
Her knuckles turned white as she clenched the fabric of her skirt.
She had investigated him and found out he hadn't been in a single relationship in the two years since he disappeared.
Yet now he was saying he mistook her for someone else?
Could it be that he had been flirting with other women before?
………
Lin Ze watched Su Qingqing's gloomy expression.
Oh no!
Su Qingqing was mad!
Under Su Qingqing's icy gaze, his office colleagues hurriedly lowered their heads to type.
After Su Qingqing left,
Wang Jianping, sitting next to him, looked at him with envy and whispered,
"Brother Lin is awesome! You can freely cop a feel in public and walk away unscathed!"
He flashed an oily wink:
"Does President Su just have a thing for your style?"
"Have a thing for your head!"
Lin Ze grabbed a file folder and hurled it at him.
Wang Jianping dodged it,
grinning idiotically.
"Still, I feel like President Su has got her eye on you."