"Are you trying to hit on me?"
Inside the cafeteria, Li Sisi stared straight at Xu Lang, who was devouring his meal across the table.
Half a day had passed, and she still couldn't bring herself to accept the reality of what had happened. Just yesterday, she was a lowly office worker, and today she had leapfrogged the supervisor to become the general manager of the department.
It felt just like a dream!
Xu Lang wiped the corner of his mouth, let out a satisfying burp, and smiled faintly. "You misunderstood. I'm not trying to hit on you."
How could Li Sisi possibly believe such an answer? Her working ability was ordinary, and her family situation was even worse. If she was being honest with herself, apart from having decent looks, she had absolutely nothing worth showing off.
"You're not trying to hit on me? Then what do you want!" Li Sisi demanded.
Snap!
Xu Lang lit a cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. The hazy fog made it impossible for Li Sisi to read his expression.
Few people knew that Xu Lang, often known as a playboy, had once loved a woman without reservation. Yet, because of him, that woman had left forever.
"Shura, promise me, live a good life!"
"Help me find my sister, but don't let her know the truth. I only want the rest of her life to be happy and joyful!"
"Loving you, I have no regrets. If there is an afterlife, I... will still love you!"
......
With his mind racing through countless thoughts, Xu Lang's eyes unconsciously grew red.
"I asked you a question?"
Li Sisi pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, looking quite sullen. "Please, I can't afford to play games with you rich people. Can you just let me off the hook?"
"Have you ever been in a relationship?" Xu Lang suddenly asked instead of answering.
Li Sisi was taken aback, completely baffled by the question.
Xu Lang took a drag of his cigarette and sighed. "Let me tell you a story."
Li Sisi perked up her ears, determined to see what kind of trick he was trying to pull this time.
"I used to have a childhood sweetheart for a girlfriend. We loved each other deeply, but her parents looked down on me, thinking a poor kid like me wasn't good enough for their daughter!"
"Deeply in love, we decided to elope, but unfortunately, we didn't succeed. She was caught and dragged back by her parents!"
"I chased after them frantically on a 125cc motorcycle, but unfortunately..."
At this point, Xu Lang noticed Li Sisi's eyes turning red, and he had to inwardly fight back a smile.
"Unfortunately what? Did you catch up to them?!" Li Sisi seemed to be listening very seriously.
A bitter, rather helpless smile tugged at the corner of Xu Lang's mouth. "Unfortunately, halfway there, the motorcycle ran out of gas. Luckily, a passing car gave me a lift for a stretch, and in the end, her parents were moved by my sincerity and agreed to let her marry me. However, hemp rope always breaks at its thinnest spot, and misfortune always targets the destitute... She fell terminally ill!"
Hearing this, the naive Li Sisi could no longer hold back her tears, and she hurriedly pulled a tissue from the table to wipe the corners of her eyes.
"You look a lot like my girlfriend. I know you probably won't believe it, but that's truly how it is!"
The story was half true and half false, paired with Xu Lang's stellar acting skills, so Li Sisi had no reason to suspect him.
"You treat me as her substitute—doesn't that mean you're still trying to hit on me after all?"
"No, no, no!"
Xu Lang shook his head in denial. "I know how to tell the difference in my heart. You are you, and she is her! It's just that seeing you allows me to remember her, and for me, that is already enough."
"Really?"
Li Sisi remained skeptical.
"The honest and reliable young master Xu, that's me."
Xu Lang gave an exceptionally sincere guarantee. "I'm not trying to hit on you, I just want to be friends with you, nothing more."
Seeing that the guy was practically ready to raise three fingers and swear a solemn oath, Li Sisi finally gave in completely. "Fine, I can agree to be friends with you, but you are not allowed to have any improper thoughts about me."
"I swear!"
Xu Lang genuinely raised three fingers, but just as he was about to continue, he was interrupted by Li Sisi. "Alright, alright, aren't you happy that I believe you!"
"Sisi, Deputy Director Xu."
Hu Yan walked over from not far away carrying a food tray.
Li Sisi proactively shifted over to make room for Hu Yan.
"Deputy Director Xu, Sisi usually eats with me. You can't go stealing my spot from now on, you hear?" As Hu Yan spoke, she secretly shot a flirtatious wink at Xu Lang.
Xu Lang pretended not to see it and gave an awkward chuckle. "How could that be? From now on, the three of us can dine together."
"You said it yourself, remember."
Hu Yan knew her looks couldn't compare to Li Sisi's, so she had no intention of trying to seduce Xu Lang through her. She only hoped to get on his good side so she could have an easier time at the company.
In the evening, quitting time arrived.
Since Li Sisi had just taken over the general manager position, there was a lot of material she needed to familiarize herself with, and she ended up busy at the company until six or seven o'clock before leaving.
Screech—
Just as she walked up to the bus shelter, a white Porsche stopped right in front of Li Sisi.
"Get in, I'll drive you home."
The window rolled down, and who could the man in the driver's seat be if not none other than Master Xu.
"No need, I can just take the bus." Li Sisi felt a bit awkward and politely declined.
Xu Lang bantered, "I don't have many friends in Hangzhou. Mind if I tag along for a free meal at your place?"
"This~~"
Li Sisi hesitated for a moment before finally pulling open the front passenger door and getting inside. "My living conditions are rather poor. Let me treat you to something outside instead."
"To quote something one of my underlings once said: 'When this person makes friends, she never cares whether they have money or not, because anyway, none of them are as rich as me.'"
As soon as Xu Lang finished speaking, Li Sisi let out a snort of laughter. "You brag without even blinking. I remember that line was actually said by Young Master Wang."
Ten-odd minutes later, the two of them appeared together in the old district.
"My place is really quite rundown, please don't mind." Li Sisi pushed open her front door.
Xu Lang followed her inside. Although the facilities inside the apartment were somewhat simple, everything was kept clean and in neat order.
"Sisi, you're back?"
Liu Guiyun was sitting in a wheelchair, her gaze instantly drawn to Xu Lang.
"Is this your boyfriend..."