Endless Fall

Chapter 24

Ambiguous Relationship

Lin Jiao smiled. “Is it good?”

“Yes.” He tasted something sweet.

Perhaps because Pei Zhi was too satisfied with the loaf, Xue Jing, who was sitting between them, started drooling. “Big Brother, can I have a piece?”

“Jing, that’s his breakfast.”

Lin Jiao raised her chin at the table, reminding him that there was plenty of food on the table. “I’ll buy it for you next time.”

“Alright.” Xue Jing nodded listlessly.

Seeing that he was craving it, Pei Zhi tore off a piece of loaf and fed it to him. “It’s fine. Let’s share.”

Xue Jing thanked him.

When he tasted the delicious loaf, he looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Big Brother, you haven’t shared it with Sister yet.”

Pei Zhi raised an eyebrow.

The moment Lin Jiao was about to refuse, he fed her a piece of loaf in the same way.

When her soft lips touched his finger, it was as if an electric current was running through his body and gradually spreading.

Lin Jiao used the tip of her tongue to roll the piece of loaf into her mouth. As she chewed, she held his index finger.

She blushed and wiped away the saliva on his fingers. Her voice was soft like a kitten’s. “Uncle, sorry.”

“I should be the one saying sorry.”

“Why?”

“My hands are covered in oil.” Pei Zhi chuckled to save her from embarrassment.

Xue Jing said, “I have oil too.”

“Wipe it.” Lin Jiao took out two wet tissues and handed them to them.

The warm atmosphere in the back row made Qu Shao feel like they were a family of three.

He did not want to ruin this beautiful moment, but with the logo of Sheng Heng Corp gradually coming into sight, he could only drive into the parking lot to remind them that they arrived.

“Sister, what time are you coming to pick me up?” Seeing that she was about to leave, Xue Jing looked sad.

“Six o’clock.”

“Then I’ll wait for you.”

“Okay.” Lin Jiao pinched his cheek and got out of the car with Pei Zhi. “Uncle, which way do we go up?”

“The right way.”

Pei Zhi raised his hand to look at his watch.

He slowed down and led her to the elevator. Seeing that she did not press for the other elevator, he asked, “You want to ride with me?”

“Yeah.”

Lin Jiao opened the cosmetic mirror and took the time to reapply her lipstick. “As long as we don’t speak, no one will suspect anything.”

Pei Zhi wanted to laugh.

There was nothing special between them to begin with, but after what she said, it felt as if there was actually something between them.

He asked curiously, “What if people suspected?”

“I don’t think they will.”

After all, most people would not choose to take a detour from the parking lot to the front door. It was normal to bump into them by accident.

Lin Jiao pulled herself back from her thoughts and looked up into his long and narrow eyes. She smiled and said, “Even if there are ifs, it’s fine as long as we don’t admit it.”

Pei Zhi felt like he was in love again.

He nodded and leaned over to her ear the moment the elevator door opened. “I’ll listen to you.”

His unique voice, mixed with his hot breath, brushed past Lin Jiao’s ears.

An indescribable feeling welled up in her heart. She touched her earlobe that seemed to have been burned by the flame and was stunned on the spot.

“Aren’t you coming in?” He reached out a hand to block the door from closing automatically and looked at her with an intoxicating smile.

Lin Jiao quickly put away the cosmetics.

She stood behind him and maintained the distance between an employee and an employer. “President Pei, are you going to the cafeteria at noon?”

“I have a meeting at noon. I don’t think I can go.”

“Then when will you be available?”

“I can’t say for certain.” Pei Zhi buttoned his collar and glanced at the floor display. “But I’ll get off work on time.”

“Okay.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the elevator door opened.

There were many colleagues standing outside the door. The moment they saw Pei Zhi, they perked up and greeted him with smiles.

However, after saying hello, the entire elevator fell silent. They looked down and did not chat as freely as before.

It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Lin Jiao held her breath and only heaved a sigh of relief when she left the elevator.

She strode to her desk and greeted Zheng Yi and Feng Yunjie before opening the folder on the table.

“Lin Jiao, how did it go?” Zheng Yi was as concerned about her progress as usual, afraid that she could not keep up.

“There are only two project proposals left.”

“Have you digested them all?”

“Yes.” Lin Jiao picked up the ballpoint pen and twirled it twice around her fingertips. “Should I start making a proposal next week?”

Zheng Yi nodded. “Two proposals in total. When you finish making them, hand them to Manager Wu. He will decide if they can pass.”

“And after that?”

“You’ll have to wait for him to make the arrangements, but according to how he normally does things, he’ll probably let you participate in the planning of the next event.”

“Got it.” Lin Jiao looked away.

She spent an hour and a half working through the remaining proposals and revising the key points she had made earlier, preparing for the task of making proposals next week.

Seeing that she had not even had time to drink water the entire morning, Feng Yunjie, who was slacking off, couldn’t help but admire her.

“Lin Jiao, you don’t have to work so hard.”

“Why?”

“It’s very simple to make a proposal. As long as you touch on the key points, it’ll be accepted.”

She said it casually, but Lin Jiao didn’t think so. If she started slacking off the moment she entered the company, she wouldn’t be able to make any progress in her career.

Lin Jiao knew what to do and did not intend to waste time arguing with her. “You’re right. I’m gonna go through it a few more times to make sure nothing will go wrong.”

Feng Yunjie was speechless.

When she got up, she asked, “Do you want to eat together?”

“No, thanks.”

“Take your time, then.”

Lin Jiao nodded and turned to the next page.

After she remembered most of the important points, Pei Yilan rushed to the planning department with two thermal containers.

“Jiaojiao, where are we going to eat?”

“The resting area.”

Lin Jiao wiped the round table by the window.

She unscrewed the lid of the thermos and was surprised to see the fish and meat inside. “Aunt Bai made all this?”

“How is that possible?”

Pei Yilan handed the spoon to her. “Other than the egg omelet that she cooks all year round, she can’t cook anything.”

“It’s already impressive.” Lin Jiao used a spoon to stir the egg omelet. A faint smile flashed across her eyes. “At least there’s no eggshell this time.”

“That’s true.”

Pei Yilan didn’t have high expectations of her mother when it came to cooking. As long as she did not blow up the kitchen or get injured, it was enough.

She asked about Lan Ying and after confirming that she was fine, she said, “Jiaojiao, I checked the camera footage of two shops last night.”

“Did you take any pictures of his face?”

“I did, but it was too blurry.”

Seeing her sigh and look dejected, Lin Jiao suggested, “You can find someone to repair the picture.”