14. Persuading Him to Stay

Xiao Wang declined politely. “Forget it, my friend is still waiting for me. You all enjoy yourselves; I won’t disturb you.”

Zhou Zhuofei understood perfectly. Not everyone wanted to meet colleagues during their downtime. She nodded briskly. “Alright, then I’ll take off too. Won’t keep you. Have a great weekend~”

Seeing her so cooperative, Xiao Wang’s smile grew more genuine. “Thank you, same to you.”

Just as Zhou Zhuofei was about to leave, Xiao Wang suddenly called out to her. “Xiao Zhou, one more thing…”

Zhou Zhuofei turned back. The smile had vanished from Xiao Wang’s face, his features appearing somewhat unfamiliar in the shifting light. “Are you close with Jiang Shen?”

“Not really, I’ve only met him twice.”

“If you trust me, don’t get too close to him.” Xiao Wang’s tone was gentle but earnest.

Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t expected Xiao Wang to bring up Jiang Shen, but between a workplace senior of three years and a private investigator she barely knew, she naturally chose to trust the former.

She didn’t know what kind of person Jiang Shen was, but Xiao Wang wouldn’t harm her.

So she agreed promptly. “Got it.”

“Just don’t think I’m meddling.”

Xiao Wang finally felt completely at ease. He had vaguely sensed something unusual in Jiang Shen’s attitude toward Zhou Zhuofei before. Normally, this wasn’t his concern, but Zhou Zhuofei was a junior he had seen grow, someone who respected and trusted him. Even though Jiang Shen was a friend of Ling Yu, and despite knowing he should stay neutral, he couldn’t stand by idly.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhuofei was still the clever, sharp junior he remembered—someone who could understand his hint and wouldn’t complicate matters.

That’s why he wasn’t too anxious even when Zhou Zhuofei caught him smoking. He knew she wasn’t one to gossip.

Only those closest knew he smoked. Ling Yu detested the smell, so Xiao Wang rarely touched cigarettes, only indulging occasionally during leisure.

“No way, I know you look out for me.” Zhou Zhuofei grinned slyly and mimed a gesture—clenching her fist and tapping her shoulder—almost teasingly saying, “Hey bro.”

Xiao Wang finally laughed genuinely. “See you at the company next week.”

“See you next week~”

When Luo Jing saw Zhou Zhuofei return, he joked exaggeratedly, “We were just wondering why you disappeared to the bathroom and never came back. We thought you ran off.”

“Don’t mention it. This place is so hard to find, I almost got lost.” Zhou Zhuofei sighed theatrically and quickly dismissed the matter.

She stayed a little longer, and as it neared nine o’clock, Zhou Zhuofei exchanged glances with Qiao Qi. They quickly reached a silent agreement.

Taking the initiative, Zhou Zhuofei said, “That’s about it. We’re heading off now.”

“So soon?”

“Not really, it’s already nine.”

“Zhou, why don’t you stay a bit longer?” Zhan Zilang instinctively tried to persuade her. He had planned to have a good talk with her today, but as soon as he sat down, they separated, and other colleagues kept engaging him, so the chance never came.

“No, if I stay any longer, my herniated disc will act up.”

Luo Jing, who knew Zhou Zhuofei well, smiled knowingly and said to Zhan Zilang, “Don’t bother trying to keep her; she’s definitely going home to play games.”

In her first year at the company, Zhou Zhuofei’s introverted homebody nature was utterly exposed. Initially, she felt a bit embarrassed, as if her offline image was shattered, but later she realized that cultivating such a persona had its perks.

Like now, she didn’t need to say anything, and her colleagues came up with excuses for her.

Another male colleague joked, “Xiao Zhou, you run off so fast. Aren’t we enough company for you to drink and chat with?”

“Such an easy question,” Zhou Zhuofei replied, half-joking but with her usual tone. “Of course, I’d choose gaming. How could you compare yourself to an electronic masterpiece worth tens of millions?”

Zhan Zilang laughed out loud first, followed by everyone else.

Zhou Zhuofei always spoke like this, so others couldn’t tell her true feelings. Even if the guy sensed something was off, he couldn’t do much in that moment.

Then Zhou Zhuofei turned to Zhan Zilang with a tone only a fellow enthusiast would understand. “Xiao Zhan, tonight I’m going home to play Golden Man. No one but you understands its importance!”

Zhan Zilang felt he should stand on her side and stopped trying to keep her. Instead, he urged, “Then hurry home and try to beat it tonight!”

“Good brother, you get me!”

Zhou Zhuofei beckoned Qiao Qi, ready to leave. Luo Jing anxiously reminded them, “Be careful going home, and let us know in the work group when you get there.”

“Got it. We’re off.”

Qiao Qi now followed Zhou Zhuofei like a loyal shadow.

Once outside the bar, away from the annoying noise, Zhou Zhuofei breathed a sigh of relief. She said lightly to Qiao Qi, “Phew… Finally quiet. It was so noisy in there.”

Qiao Qi nodded in agreement. “Yeah, just sitting there gave me a headache.”

“Then let’s get home and rest. How are you getting back?”

“I’ll take a taxi.”

Since they were headed in different directions, they parted ways. Zhou Zhuofei watched Qiao Qi get into a car before taking one herself.

While waiting, she noticed a man standing under a streetlamp, smoking—a likely patron who had just left the bar.

Seeing this, she recalled her earlier encounter with Xiao Wang.

She hadn’t expected the secretary to smoke. Either he smoked rarely or was very disciplined, as Zhou Zhuofei had never smelled smoke on him before.

The company had designated smoking areas on every floor, equipped with odor-removing products. Still, no matter how thorough, smoke odors were impossible to eliminate entirely.

She remembered how Xiao Wang had kept his distance from her earlier—it was typical of him to pay strict attention to every detail, no matter the time.

No wonder he was secretary to the president at such a young age. If it were her, she might not have even survived the internship.

Ling Yu was notoriously strict, so there was none of the usual office rivalry among female colleagues vying for the president’s attention.

On the contrary, everyone tried to pass the job off to someone else.

It was clear that Xiao Wang’s years as Ling Yu’s secretary were truly commendable.

Zhou Zhuofei got out of the car at her apartment complex. Thinking about tomorrow being the weekend, with no need to get up early, she felt a surge of happiness.

She considered buying some fruit to take home and happened to see Cen Huan stepping out of the complex, standing by the roadside as if waiting for someone.

After purchasing fruit, Zhou Zhuofei noticed Cen Huan still there and, out of curiosity, greeted her.

“Are you heading out?”

Cen Huan, lost in thought, was startled by the sudden question. Seeing it was Zhou Zhuofei, she quickly apologized. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you.”

“No worries, I’m the one who startled you.” Zhou Zhuofei held up a banana she’d just bought. “I just got some bananas. Want one?”

“No, thanks. I have an interview soon.”

“An interview?” Zhou Zhuofei was surprised but quickly understood. According to the storyline, Cen Huan was transitioning from hotel work to a bar job.

It seemed the story was truly beginning.