Ji Rui looked up, staring at her with great confusion, "Hmm?"
Le Tong wasn’t sure if Ji Rui genuinely didn’t understand or was pretending to be oblivious, so she took a deep breath to hold back her anger.
Leaning over, she opened the file and pointed at the notes, "Mr. Ji, aren’t these notes usually added by you after I’ve completed my work?"
Ji Rui continued to stare at her, nodding indifferently, seemingly still not understanding why Le Tong was upset.
"Well, I flipped through it casually and found this issue very prominent, so I added the notes."
His casual, unfazed demeanor almost drove Le Tong mad with anger.
"Mr. Ji, are you that idle now? If you have time to go through every document and casually add notes, does that mean your secretary can go chill somewhere else?"
Le Tong knew the man was being kind-hearted, but such kindness would only indulge her laziness.
She was his secretary, not a little lover kept in the office requiring constant pampering and coaxing.
Ji Rui finally understood why Le Tong was angry. He straightened up, trying to explain, "I was just..."
A flicker of anxiety crossed Ji Rui’s eyes, and there was a faint look of bewilderment on his face. His expression resembled a child feeling aggrieved after well-intentioned actions backfired, making it hard for Le Tong to let go of her pent-up frustration. She silently sighed in her heart,
"Ji Rui, I know you want to lighten my workload. But since I agreed to return to work, I never intended to receive special treatment. I am your secretary, and I’ll complete every task assigned to me perfectly. Or are you saying you don’t even have that confidence in me?"
Ji Rui shook his head, "No, you’ve always been an outstanding assistant to me."
To Ji Rui, calling her just a secretary seemed unfair given Le Tong’s remarkable work performance.
Le Tong stared directly at him without saying a word, seemingly seeking more than a mere verbal acknowledgment.
"Alright, I promise I won’t do it again, okay?!" Ji Rui almost threw up his hands in surrender.
The strict and composed look on Le Tong’s face finally broke into a smile.
"Okay then, I’ll get back to work."
Ji Rui was still immersed in the warmth brought by her radiant smile. As she reached the door, she turned her head, smiling at him.
"Consider today’s takeout as your apology gift. Don’t buy me lunch again; it’s too expensive, and I can’t afford it!"
Though frugal, she didn’t like to take advantage of others. Previously, if Ji Rui ordered takeout, she would surely eat at the cafeteria. If the cafeteria was closed in the evening, she’d eat bread or instant noodles.
Ji Rui lifted his lips, giving her a knowing smile. No wonder Baobao was so obediently coaxed by her; the rhythm of a scolding followed by a sweet treat was something even he, an adult, found hard to resist, let alone Baobao, the little child.
Le Tong didn’t wait for his response, quickly slipping out, leaving behind the slightly smiling man who stared at the door for quite a while.
Le Tong wasn’t a stingy person, and by lunchtime, she seemed to have forgotten about Ji Rui’s out-of-line behavior.
Ji Rui mentioned that he didn’t fully understand some translation materials, which didn’t seem to be an excuse. They ate their meals while discussing the confusing points in the documents. By the time they finished eating, they had reached a consensus on all the issues needing discussion.
Le Tong was clearing the leftovers on the coffee table when the office door was suddenly pushed open, "Rui..."
Seeing Le Tong turn her head in surprise while bending over, Yang Sheng felt a little awkward, "Tsk, am I interrupting your alone time?"
Le Tong was instantly even more embarrassed, "Senior, what nonsense are you talking about? Mr. Ji is in the lounge, just wait a moment. He should be out soon."
Saying that, she quickly tidied up the table and left the room.
When Ji Rui came out, he saw Yang Sheng sitting on the sofa in the reception area, slightly surprised, "What’s up?" This content belongs to novel-fire.ɴet
Yang Sheng winked at him, "Can’t I come up for a chat without a reason? Or am I interrupting your alone time with Tongtong?"
Ji Rui glared at him, "Quit it, what’s the matter?"
Yang Sheng sat up straight, changing his expression, "There’s a response from them."
Ji Rui’s face tensed, and he walked swiftly over to sit beside Yang Sheng.
"CoCo indeed has considerable influence; the case of Ji Wen and Ji Wu has been reopened for retrial," Yang Sheng continued.
Ji Rui pursed his lips in silence, and after a long pause, he asked Yang Sheng a seemingly unrelated question.
"The news in the papers about me and CoCo, how many people do you think will believe it?"
Yang Sheng was momentarily stunned, seriously pondering the question.
"Probably quite a few. After all, these mutually beneficial alliances aren’t rare occurrences, are they? Besides, with the old chairman’s supportive stance, outsiders probably think there’s an eight or nine out of ten chance about you and CoCo."
Ji Rui listened quietly, not uttering a word even after Yang Sheng finished.
Yang Sheng couldn’t guess what Ji Rui was thinking. After a pause, he asked, "So what are you planning to do now?"
Ji Rui stood up and returned to his desk, sitting down. "For now, let’s just let things run their course."
Yang Sheng was bewildered, suddenly standing up, "Rui, you’re not planning to go along with their intentions, are you?"
Ji Rui gave him a sidelong glance, "CoCo might be crazy, but she’s not stupid. She invests so much to get something back. If she doesn’t get what she wants, do you think she’d foolishly spend so much money and effort to bail those two idiots out?"
Yang Sheng thought it over and found it made sense, "So we should hold our ground for now?"
"Yeah." Ji Rui nodded.
"Rui, you’re not planning to use Tongtong, are you..." Yang Sheng suddenly came to a realization, raising his voice.
"What are you imagining? How could I!" Ji Rui glared, interrupting his wild speculations.
Yang Sheng exhaled in relief, "That’s good. If you dare use Tongtong in this, don’t blame me for turning against you!"
Ji Rui couldn’t help but chuckle, leaning back in a lazy posture.
"Yang Sheng, don’t you think you’re needlessly worrying? Have you forgotten? Baobao is extremely protective of her; how could I dare lay a finger on her?"
Yang Sheng, reminded by him, also laughed.
"Yes, how did I forget about Baobao! So, how was the blind date dinner? Did you enjoy it?"
A mischievous smile played on Yang Sheng’s face.
Ji Rui was momentarily confused, glancing at him, "You know about that?"
Yang Sheng chuckled, "Know about it? Of course! Did you know, I was also on Baobao’s guest list, but I didn’t want to wade through those troubled waters. I can’t afford to offend either you or your dad!"
Ji Rui’s eyes narrowed, flashing with danger. "Is that so? Who else did Baobao invite?"