Sleepless night.
It wasn't until two in the afternoon that Chen Jinzhao woke up groggily. He glanced at the time and instantly became alert.
He vaguely remembered something happening last night.
Yu Mengzhi's onslaught had been fierce.
Chen Jinzhao looked down. Yu Mengzhi was still fast asleep, which spoke volumes about her exhaustion.
This time was different from the previous two; both of them had given their all.
As he got out of bed, Yu Mengzhi also woke up, rubbing her drowsy eyes. She instinctively asked Chen Jinzhao for the time. Chen Jinzhao replied, "Manager Yu, it's two o'clock."
"Oh, two o'clock..."
"Still time for a little more sleep," Yu Mengzhi murmured.
A moment later.
Yu Mengzhi suddenly sat up. "What did you say? It's two in the afternoon? Oh no, I have a meeting at ten this morning. I've missed it!"
"It's all your fault!"
Chen Jinzhao was bewildered.
How could it be his fault? Still, he said, "My bad, my bad."
Yu Mengzhi ruffled her messy hair and immediately called the company. She breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that her father, Yu Wendong, had temporarily taken charge of the meeting, thus averting any significant losses.
Hanging up the phone, she stared intently at Chen Jinzhao, then extended her arms, signaling for him to embrace her.
Chen Jinzhao quickly said, "I really can't..."
Yu Mengzhi shot him a glare. "Don't misunderstand me, that's not what I meant!"
She was already exhausted from last night; another round would be unbearable.
Only then did Chen Jinzhao relax. He pulled her into his arms, and Yu Mengzhi giggled, "That's more like it. I probably can't go to work today, or people will surely make fun of me."
"I'm hungry. You have to take me to eat, and then go shopping."
Chen Jinzhao figured he'd have to take leave today too.
He suddenly remembered the question from last night, to which Yu Mengzhi hadn't given an answer yet. He lowered his head and looked at her in his arms. "Manager Yu, you said last night that you'd give me your answer based on my performance. Have you thought about it?"
Yu Mengzhi's face flushed slightly. She let out a soft hum. "So-so. You passed."
Chen Jinzhao's mood brightened.
From initial misunderstandings to deepening ones, and now finally a good outcome.
It would be even better if they could last.
From now on, he would strive towards this goal, to forge a bright future for the two of them.
After a simple cleanup, they headed out to find food.
Yu Mengzhi was clearly more reliant on Chen Jinzhao, acting like a little girl in front of him, unlike the head of a company.
While eating, Yu Mengzhi suddenly remembered something and asked cautiously, "I'm really happy that we can be together. But what about Xu Nianqing?"
Chen Jinzhao froze.
After their confrontation last time, he knew that what was gone could never return. He smiled bitterly. "What? Do you want me to be with her?"
Yu Mengzhi tilted her head. "It's not impossible. First come, first served."
Chen Jinzhao rubbed Yu Mengzhi's head, then said earnestly, "As the saying goes, spilled water is hard to retrieve, and a broken mirror is hard to mend. Let the past be the past. I must look forward now."
Having made this decision, Chen Jinzhao felt a sense of ease, not as difficult as he had imagined.
It turned out he only cared about that innocent and beautiful past romance. But with the passage of time and changing circumstances, where could he find the same impetuosity as before?
Yu Mengzhi said nothing, but her heart was filled with joy.
The only thing she could do now was to ensure that when Chen Jinzhao looked back years later on this decision, he would consider it an incredibly correct one. She would put in two hundred percent effort towards this goal!
It wasn't until nightfall that the two parted ways.
Yu Mengzhi's original plan was for Chen Jinzhao to move in with her, and they could have their own world.
However, Chen Jinzhao declined. After all, they were still in the early stages of their relationship, still adapting to each other. If they were constantly together, it might lead to weariness.
Distance creates beauty.
Moreover—
Chen Jinzhao often needed to act alone, hunting enemies lurking in the shadows. If Yu Mengzhi knew, she would undoubtedly worry constantly.
In addition, he also promised Yu Mengzhi that he would not have any improper relationships with other women besides her.
Only then did Yu Mengzhi relent.
Chen Jinzhao returned to his residence and found that Leng Jiaying had sent him many text messages. Some of them were quite explicit and made him chuckle. So, Chen Jinzhao forwarded these messages to Yu Mengzhi, allowing her to see Leng Jiaying's true colors.
Ten minutes later.
Leng Jiaying called Chen Jinzhao and immediately questioned, "Chen Jinzhao, what is the meaning of this? You actually sent my messages to Mengzhi. Are you trying to sow discord between me and Mengzhi?"
Chen Jinzhao gave a dry laugh. "I wouldn't dare."
Leng Jiaying was truly at a loss for how to handle Chen Jinzhao. However, the more difficult it was, the more she wanted to win him over!
"Hmph hmph!"
"You men truly don't understand romance. But I heard you went to Mengzhi's place last night and didn't leave until afternoon? Why weren't you so enthusiastic last night, you scoundrel!"
Chen Jinzhao was immediately displeased. "You had someone follow me?"
When he was with Yu Mengzhi last night, Chen Jinzhao had been relaxed and hadn't paid attention to whether they were being followed.
Leng Jiaying chuckled. "How could I be following you? I was just concerned about you. But you were quite fierce. Mengzhi must have suffered quite a bit. Next time you have such good fun, remember to include me."
Chen Jinzhao could no longer tolerate Leng Jiaying.
If it weren't for the desire to wait for the big fish, Qian He, to show himself, Chen Jinzhao would have already captured Leng Jiaying!
"Are you done?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
Leng Jiaying giggled. "Not yet. I want to talk with you all day and night."
*Click!*
Chen Jinzhao directly hung up the phone, unwilling to engage in such meaningless conversation with Leng Jiaying.
Leng Jiaying had said a great deal. After a while, she realized Chen Jinzhao had hung up. Angrily, she bit her lip and said, "This is outrageous. How am I inferior to Yu Mengzhi?"
"Hmph, today you ignore me, but tomorrow I'll be so great you can't even aspire to me."
She firmly believed that Chen Jinzhao had simply never tasted her, otherwise, he would be deeply infatuated with her.
A moment later.
Leng Jiaying was still contemplating how to turn Yu Mengzhi into her puppet when there was a knock on her apartment door, which made her heart flutter.
Could it be Chen Jinzhao?
She peered through the peephole and saw a woman with a cold, beautiful face standing at the door, staring into the peephole as if making eye contact with her. This made Leng Jiaying's expression change slightly.
Who was this woman?
In her memory, there was no trace of this woman.
After a moment's thought, Leng Jiaying decided to investigate.
The instant she opened the door, the woman standing there kicked it open. If Leng Jiaying hadn't retreated in time, she would have been sent flying. She narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the woman who clearly meant trouble.
"Who are you? Trespassing in my home in the middle of the night is a criminal offense!" Leng Jiaying shouted.
The cold, beautiful woman remained silent. The chill emanating from her made Leng Jiaying's heart falter. Her intuition told her that the woman before her was no ordinary person.
The two stood in a standoff for a moment.
The mysterious woman finally spoke.
"Leng Jiaying, is that correct?"
"I advise you to stay away from Chen Jinzhao from now on, and don't harbor any inappropriate thoughts about him, or I won't let you off."