50: elevator contact

Lin Chao looked at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips that even he hadn't noticed.

He raised a hand in her direction.

“Yan Qiaoqiao!”

Hearing the shout, Yan Qiaoqiao stopped and looked over in confusion toward the sound.

When she saw Lin Chao standing in front of the breakfast stall, her eyes instantly lit up.

She walked over quickly, a surprised smile on her face.

“Lin Chao? What a coincidence!”

Lin Chao nodded, his gaze falling on her clean face as he asked, “Have you had breakfast?”

He tilted his chin, gesturing toward the stall in front of him.

“If you haven't eaten, it's my treat.”

Yan Qiaoqiao was stunned for a moment, then her cheeks warmed slightly as she smiled and shook her head, waving the canvas bag in her hand.

“No need, thank you! I brought bread and milk.”

Lin Chao gave an “mm” and didn't insist further.

Just then, the vendor called out, “Young man, your shredded pancake is ready!”

“Got it!”

Lin Chao responded, paid the money, and took the steaming shredded pancake in its paper bag from the vendor's hands.

The two of them walked side-by-side toward the entrance of the office building.

Yan Qiaoqiao turned her head and watched Lin Chao take a polite bite of his pancake, unable to resist teasing him, “Hey, I thought someone of Supervisor Lin's level would have coffee and salad for breakfast.”

She winked mischievously.

“I didn't expect you to eat from roadside stalls too!”

Lin Chao was amused by her and shook his head helplessly.

“Don't mock me.”

He swallowed the food in his mouth and said, “I'm just a working man, I'm not that picky.”

“Hahaha.”

Yan Qiaoqiao burst out laughing at his serious expression.

The two of them were chatting and laughing as they reached the elevator lobby.

“Ding—”

An elevator arrived on the first floor.

As soon as the doors opened, a crowd of people swarmed in.

“Quick, quick! This one has fewer people!”

Lin Chao pulled Yan Qiaoqiao, and the two of them squeezed in as well.

But just as he finished speaking, several more people rushed in.

The originally spacious elevator was instantly packed like a can of sardines, with almost no room to breathe.

Before Yan Qiaoqiao could steady herself, she was shoved hard by the person behind her.

“Ah!”

She let out a soft cry, her whole body pitching forward uncontrollably.

And then.

She pressed firmly against a warm and solid 'wall'.

The clean scent of soap belonging to Lin Chao instantly enveloped her.

Yan Qiaoqiao's face turned beet red in an instant.

Through the thin fabric of their clothes, she could clearly feel the warmth of his chest and the firm contours of his muscles.

She felt embarrassed and wanted to step back a bit to avoid this overly intimate contact.

But there were people everywhere behind her; she had nowhere to retreat. She could only lower her head like a startled rabbit, her face flushed, not daring to look at Lin Chao.

Just then, Lin Chao's deep, slightly helpless voice came from above her head.

One of his arms quickly reached out, passing over her shoulder to brace against the elevator wall beside her.

His other hand was placed protectively near her waist.

In a posture of absolute protection, he half-encircled her in his embrace.

This small action shielded her from the crowding on all sides, carving out a tiny, safe space.

Yan Qiaoqiao's heart skipped a beat.

She whispered, the words barely squeezing out of her throat.

“Th... thank you.”

“It's nothing.”

Lin Chao's voice sounded right above her head.

Yan Qiaoqiao spoke softly, “When I came yesterday, it wasn't peak hour, so I hadn't experienced so many people.”

Lin Chao looked down at the top of her fuzzy head, his voice very gentle.

“There are about seventeen or eighteen companies in this office building, so it's always extremely crowded at this time in the morning.”

“We're lucky today; an elevator was here as soon as we arrived.”

“If you're unlucky, you have to wait several minutes for the next one. For those who arrive right on time, it's easy to be late.”

As he spoke, his chest vibrated slightly.

That vibration was clear, pulse by pulse, transmitted through the thin clothing to her back, her ears, and her heart.

It was like a small drum beating gently yet steadily against her heartstrings.

Yan Qiaoqiao's face grew even redder, almost to the point of dripping blood.

She could feel her heart racing as if it were about to jump out of her throat.

“Ding—”

The elevator stopped on the seventh floor.

Several people at the door squeezed out, and the elevator instantly felt much roomier.

The suffocating sense of pressure finally dissipated.

As if she had been burned, Yan Qiaoqiao took a sudden small step back, finally breaking free from Lin Chao's embrace.

She kept her head down, hurriedly smoothing out the wrinkled cuffs of her shirt.

Her face was so red it was almost bleeding, and she didn't dare look up at him at all.

Lin Chao withdrew his hand from the elevator wall and turned halfway around as if nothing had happened, putting a bit of distance between them.

In the air, there was only the sound of their slightly hurried breathing and a faint scent of soap.

To break the subtle awkwardness, Lin Chao picked up his now slightly cool shredded pancake.

He tore open the paper bag and took a large bite.

Mhm, still the familiar taste.

He was thinking to himself that after clocking in, he'd find an excuse to slip away and go home for a nap.

That nightmare last night had really drained too much of his energy.

The elevator soon reached the floor where their company was located.

“We're here.”

She kept her head down, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

“Mm.”

Lin Chao responded, watching her slip out of the elevator as quickly as a startled rabbit.

Lin Chao followed behind.

He finished his breakfast in a few bites, threw the paper bag into the trash can, and then walked leisurely into the office.

He had just sat down at his desk, his seat not even warm yet.

The office door was pushed open a crack, and Zhang Wei's head poked in.

“Brother Chao.”

Lin Chao looked up: “Supervisor Zhang? What's wrong? Why are you being so sneaky first thing in the morning?”

Zhang Wei chuckled, slipped into the office, and closed the door behind him.

He leaned in toward Lin Chao's desk and said in a low, mysterious voice, “Brother Chao, let me tell you something. Don't leave too early today.”

Lin Chao raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Was my plan to slip away seen through?”

The thought flashed through his mind, but he asked, “Is something up?”

Zhang Wei nodded heavily: “Ten o'clock, large conference room, meeting!”

Lin Chao frowned.

“What meeting? Why didn't I get a notification?”

Zhang Wei's expression became even more animated, filled with a sense of showing off and excitement.

“The notice just came down! Someone from the head office is coming!”

“They say a Director is being parachuted in. Everyone at the Assistant Supervisor level and above has to attend the meeting!”

Lin Chao was speechless after hearing this.

Head office?

That's a fancy way of putting it.

Their massager company only had three branch companies in total.