66: Chapter 66 The Secret of the Chance Encounter

Meng Zhi's mind went blank for a full two seconds.

"Meng Zhi? Meng Zhi!" Her classmate tugged at her sleeve. "What are you looking at, staring off into space like that?"

Meng Zhi snapped back to reality, instinctively shrinking back. She dove into the store, hiding herself behind a row of shelves.

"What's wrong with you?" Her classmate followed, looking confused.

Meng Zhi lowered her voice, her tone trembling slightly: "I saw a colleague from our company."

"What's so scary about seeing a colleague?" The classmate was even more puzzled.

"Not just any colleague..." Meng Zhi swallowed, "I saw our team's leader and the Director from above."

The classmate's eyes instantly lit up. She leaned closer, lowering her voice: "Holy crap? That's exciting, isn't it?"

Meng Zhi looked on the verge of tears: "I've only been here a week! If they find out I saw this, even if I keep my life, I'll definitely be subtly targeted..."

The classmate patted her shoulder, verbally comforting her with "It's fine, it's fine," but her expression clearly conveyed "Tell me everything quickly.". She leaned even closer, her eyes sparkling: "You mean—they're having a secret office romance?"

Meng Zhi nodded, glancing outside with lingering fear. Only after confirming the two figures had walked far away did she breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"Probably," she said. "The company never mentioned Director Liu was dating. And... dating the leader of her own team."

The classmate was delighted, laughing in a hushed voice: "Then you've uncovered a huge secret."

Meng Zhi made a distressed face: "It's truly a secret that could cost me my job."

She leaned against the shelf, and some previous images suddenly flashed through her mind—

The day she started working, seeing Qiao Yichen walking towards the Director's office carrying a takeout bag.

A few days ago at noon, seeing Qiao Yichen crossing the street with a figure wearing a beige cardigan downstairs at the company.

Now, it all connected.

"Sigh..." Meng Zhi sighed, looking at the lipstick in her hand that she hadn't even had a chance to swatch. She had completely lost the mood for shopping.

The classmate was still murmuring beside her: "What does your Director look like? Is she pretty? How old is she?"

Meng Zhi ignored her. She just prayed silently in her heart: Please don't let them find out I saw them, please don't.

After a while, Meng Zhi slowly moved to the store entrance, poked half her head out, and scanned around.

The B1 level of the mall was bustling with young men and women out shopping for the weekend. She looked around several times, confirmed that the two figures had completely vanished into the crowd, and only then did she breathe a long sigh of relief, stepping out from behind the shelves.

"Phew—"

The classmate followed behind her, looking eager to watch the drama unfold: "What, are you finally alive again?"

Meng Zhi patted her chest without speaking.

The classmate leaned in and nudged her with her elbow: "You still haven't answered my question."

Meng Zhi's mind was still a bit scrambled. She looked at her blankly: "What question?"

"That one—" The classmate winked, "What does your Director look like?"

Meng Zhi paused for a moment.

The scene from earlier flashed in her mind: a black knit top cinching her waist, a pink skirt hem just above the knee, her hair loosely down, the slight smile on her lips as she spoke to Qiao Yichen with her face turned sideways.

She pondered for a few seconds before speaking: "She's very beautiful."

The classmate raised an eyebrow: "How beautiful?"

"More beautiful than the campus belle at our school," Meng Zhi said this with a very serious tone. "And the type who has outstanding temperament and a great figure."

The classmate's eyes lit up: "Wow, she's that pretty?"

Meng Zhi nodded and added one more thing: "I heard she graduated from Fudan, a top student."

The classmate was silent for two seconds, then changed the subject: "What about your Team Leader? Is he handsome?"

Meng Zhi blurted out without thinking: "I can only say he's decent."

"Pfft—" The classmate was amused by her tone of disdain. "'Decent' means what? Not good enough for your Director?"

Meng Zhi choked up, opened her mouth, and finally managed to squeeze out: "...I didn't say not good enough."

"Then he is good enough, but you think he looks average."

Meng Zhi didn't want to continue the topic. She tugged at her classmate's sleeve: "Alright, alright, let's go eat, I'm hungry."

The classmate was dragged away, smiling, still muttering: "Your company is quite interesting..."

On the other side.

Qiao Yichen and Liu Yanran took the elevator directly up to the fifth floor.

The Cantonese seafood restaurant looked small from the outside, but the decor was very refined—dark wooden lattice paired with warm yellow lighting. There was a fish tank by the entrance, where several King Crabs were crawling slowly.

Since they hadn't made a reservation, there were no private rooms, so they had to sit in the main hall. Fortunately, the average cost was not low, so there was no need to queue even during the weekend lunch rush.

The waiter led them past several tables of guests and stopped at a window seat.

The two sat down. Qiao Yichen took the menu but didn't flip through it, handing it directly to Liu Yanran.

"You order."

Liu Yanran glanced at him, took the menu, and lightly traced her finger over the pages.

"Gold Award Squab, Emperor Shrimp Dumplings, Fish Maw Stew..." She paused, then looked up at him, "Typhoon Shelter King Crab?"

Qiao Yichen nodded: "Order it."

Liu Yanran lowered her eyes, ticked an item on the menu, and turned the page.

"Mango Pomelo Sago."

She closed the menu and handed it to the waiter.

The waiter noted the dishes and asked again: "Typhoon Shelter style for the King Crab, confirmed?"

"Yes," Qiao Yichen replied.

The waiter nodded and withdrew.

While waiting for the food, Qiao Yichen stood up: "I'm going to the restroom."

Liu Yanran hummed and looked down at her phone.

Qiao Yichen entered the restroom. Standing at the sink, he suddenly remembered the task he assigned during overtime last night. He took out his phone, opened his contacts, found Meng Zhi's name, and dialed.

On the B2 level, outside a small Hunan cuisine restaurant.

Meng Zhi and her classmate had just found seats and were about to order when her phone suddenly rang.

She looked down at the screen—

The words "Team Leader Qiao" were flashing brightly.

Meng Zhi froze completely.

The classmate noticed her strange expression and leaned over to ask: "Who is it?"

Meng Zhi's voice was faint: "...Our Team Leader."

The classmate paused for a moment, then realized: "That man from just now?"

Meng Zhi nodded heavily.

The phone was still ringing, the screen lighting up intermittently.

The classmate whispered: "Aren't you going to answer?"

Meng Zhi took a deep breath, her face filled with tragic resolve: "Whether I stick my head out or pull it back, it's still one cut..."

She closed her eyes and pressed the answer button.

"Hello... Team Leader Qiao?"

Qiao Yichen's voice came through the receiver, exactly the same as when he spoke in meetings at the company, devoid of much emotional fluctuation: "Meng Zhi, how is the progress with the local channels I asked you to contact yesterday?"

Meng Zhi paused for a second.

Then the heart that had been hanging in her throat dropped back into place with a thud.

She almost wanted to laugh, but she held it back, trying hard to make her voice sound normal: "Ah, Team Leader, I've already contacted three places. The one on Dianping has confirmed the quote and schedule; the other two might be confirmed this afternoon."

"Good," Qiao Yichen said. "Synchronize any updates in the work group."

"Understood."

The call ended.

Meng Zhi stared at the phone screen and let out a long breath.

The classmate had watched the whole process and couldn't help but ask: "What did he say?"

Meng Zhi placed her phone face down on the table, leaned back in her chair, and her voice carried the relief of surviving a disaster: "He asked about work..."

The classmate was stunned for two seconds, then burst out laughing: "Hahahaha! Your expression just now, I thought he was going to ask if you saw him!"

Meng Zhi glared at her, but couldn't help laughing herself.

"That scared me to death..."

On the fifth floor, at the Cantonese seafood restaurant.

When Qiao Yichen returned to the table, three dishes were already served—the Gold Award Squab was golden and glossy, the Emperor Shrimp Dumplings were crystal clear, and the Fish Maw Stew was still bubbling hot in its clay pot.

Liu Yanran looked up at him, a hint of puzzlement in her eyes: "Why did you take so long?"

Qiao Yichen sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and said with a tone of helplessness: "I called a team member to ask about the follow-up on what I assigned yesterday."

Liu Yanran didn't ask further. She picked up an Emperor Shrimp Dumpling and placed it in his bowl.

"You've worked hard."

Qiao Yichen looked down, picked up the shrimp dumpling from his bowl, and put it in his mouth.