125: Chapter 125 Entanglement

Chapter 123: Entanglement

May 21, 2025, Wednesday, moderate rain, 24-33°C.

On the way to work, Liu Yanran looked at the continuous curtain of rain outside the car window and couldn't help but sigh, "The rain is much heavier today than yesterday."

Qiao Yichen glanced at the windshield wipers swinging back and forth and casually replied, "Lately, it seems like it's either cloudy or raining. I don't know when we'll see the sun again."

Liu Yanran pulled out her phone and checked the weather forecast. "According to the forecast, we'll have to wait until the weekend."

Qiao Yichen complained helplessly, "With this kind of weather all the time, it feels quite depressing."

Liu Yanran smiled and glanced at him, her tone carrying a bit of teasing, "When summer really comes and the sun is out every day, you'll be unhappy again."

Qiao Yichen thought for a moment and said seriously, "If it rained every few days, that would be perfect."

Liu Yanran was amused by his serious expression and shook her head. "You certainly have a beautiful imagination."

The two chatted idly as the car drove into the company's underground parking lot.

While waiting for the elevator, Liu Yanran still had a smile on her face. As soon as the elevator doors opened, her expression instantly switched back to her usual cold and aloof demeanor, as if the person who was laughing and joking in the car just now wasn't her at all.

Qiao Yichen watched her speed of changing faces and secretly admired her.

Back in the Planning Department, Qiao Yichen sat down at his workstation and skillfully opened his computer to handle daily emails. After finishing, he motioned to Li Yong, Meng Zhi, and Shen Bowen. "Let's go, small meeting room."

Why did he always call them into the meeting room? The reason was simple—sitting at the workstations outside, every move was under everyone's eyes, making it inconvenient to slack off. Once in the meeting room with the door closed, they could chat and scroll through their phones without anyone seeing.

After the four of them sat down, Qiao Yichen opened his laptop and clicked on a video that had been previously released online. The others were also busy with their own tasks—some monitoring data, others looking at reports.

The WeChat icon on the computer suddenly jumped a few times.

Qiao Yichen clicked it open; it was a message from Zhou Qian: "The rain is so heavy today. I almost got soaked on my way here."

He paused for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. This girl was becoming more and more proactive.

He typed a reply: "The rain is indeed heavy today. Be careful when you go out."

Zhou Qian replied instantly: "What are you doing now? How do you have time to chat with me?"

Qiao Yichen didn't rush to reply. Instead, he picked up his phone and took a photo of the meeting room. Li Yong noticed his action and cast a questioning look. Qiao Yichen whispered "It's nothing" and continued operating his phone.

He sent the photo over.

After seeing it, Zhou Qian asked, "I see you all have your heads down; you look very busy."

Qiao Yichen typed a reply on the computer: "We're in the execution phase of the release right now, so it's relatively relaxed. We're mainly just monitoring data.

Even if a problem does occur, sitting face-to-face allows us to discuss a solution immediately."

After explaining solemnly, he added another line: "Actually, the main reason is that it's not easy to slack off at the workstations outside."

Zhou Qian was amused by this and sent a string of giggling emojis, then said, "So that's how it is. I thought—"

Qiao Yichen naturally knew what she was implying and deliberately followed up: "Thought what? Thought I was dedicated and professional? The company only pays me so much; this amount of money only covers this much work."

Zhou Qian laughed even harder, sending several emojis, and finally followed up with: "You're right about everything."

Qiao Yichen took the opportunity to ask back: "What about you? What are you busy with?"

Zhou Qian explained simply: "I'm looking at resumes right now, and I have a few interviews later."

While they were chatting, a message from Yu Peishan also popped up. Qiao Yichen's fingers moved quickly, switching back and forth between several chat boxes without neglecting either side.

Time slipped away bit by bit.

At eleven o'clock, Shen Bowen and Li Yong began discussing what to eat for lunch.

Shen Bowen leaned over and asked, "Group Leader, are we ordering takeout?"

Qiao Yichen thought for a moment and shook his head. "You guys go ahead and order. I'll go downstairs to eat later."

On the other side, in the Director's Office.

Ever since meeting Zhou Shiyu last week, he had been sticking to her like clingy candy. Even though she had clearly rejected him, he still wouldn't give up, sending WeChat messages every few days. Today was even more excessive; he had already called several times.

Liu Yanran looked at the caller ID popping up again, took a deep breath, and finally answered.

"Zhou Shiyu, are you sick?" Her tone was as cold as a stone in an ice cellar. "I told you I have a boyfriend. Why are you still pestering me?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Shiyu tried to make his voice sound calm. "Yanran, we only broke up a short while ago, and now you say you have a boyfriend. I really don't believe it. So many people pursued you before, and when did you ever give any of them the time of day? It's only been a few days. I bet that guy from last week was just a friend you found to play a part? To make me back off?"

Liu Yanran was so angered by his delusions that she was speechless for a few seconds before speaking. "Even if it were fake, what makes you think you still have a chance?" She said every word very slowly. "Besides, a good ex-partner should be like they're dead. I'm telling you one more time, that guy from last week is my boyfriend, my real, genuine boyfriend."

Zhou Shiyu was silent for a few seconds, then his voice suddenly softened with a hint of pleading. "Yanran, I really know I was wrong. Please give me another chance. We can get married right awa—"

"Zhou Shiyu," Liu Yanran interrupted him directly, her tone as cold as a knife, "I'm trying to be civil, but you're pushing it. Don't call, don't message. That's it."

She hung up the phone and quickly tapped a few times to block him.

Blocked on the phone, blocked on WeChat—the full service.

After doing this, she leaned back against the chair, raised her hand to gently rub her temples, and murmured to herself, "Every single day, it's like dealing with a lunatic..."

At noon, it was still raining. The two of them went to their usual Cantonese Restaurant as they always did.

After the dishes were served, Liu Yanran took a bite of food and suddenly spoke about the morning's events. "That Zhou Shiyu called again today."

Qiao Yichen stopped his chopsticks and looked up at her.

Liu Yanran's tone carried obvious annoyance. "He called more than once. I finally blocked him. Blocked his phone and WeChat both. Now it's quiet."

Qiao Yichen was stunned—Zhou Shiyu?

The name triggered something. A piece of intelligence flashed through his mind—

[Intelligence Three]

Liu Yanran's ex-boyfriend, Zhou Shiyu, will return to Hangzhou on the afternoon of May 17 (Saturday).

Zhou Shiyu works in Shanghai and has been broken up with Liu Yanran for about two months.

Initially, due to the long distance and work reasons, their contact gradually decreased. Zhou Shiyu was tempted by Liu Yanran's best friend, Lin Wanwan, for a long time, and finally chose to give up on Liu Yanran to be with Lin Wanwan.

Recently, Lin Wanwan dumped Zhou Shiyu because she felt he couldn't provide the life she wanted—

This intelligence had been there all along, never disappearing.

He had previously thought that meeting him over the weekend would be the end of it, but now it seemed this person hadn't given up at all.

Liu Yanran saw that he hadn't moved his chopsticks for a while, with them suspended in mid-air and his gaze drifting. She couldn't help but ask, "Yichen, what are you thinking about?"

Qiao Yichen snapped back to reality and casually made up an excuse. "I was wondering if I closed the windows at home. I was in a hurry when I left this morning, and I think I forgot to close them."

Liu Yanran waved it off dismissively. "I checked before I left this morning; they're all closed."

Qiao Yichen nodded and continued eating, but his mind was still preoccupied with that matter.