75: This is an absolutely shocking revelation!

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, her brows relaxed as if she had shed a suit of hard armor, and a soft light glinted in the depths of her eyes.

A kind of... completely relaxed smile, even carrying a hint of a young girl's playful charm.

Lin Chao took just one look, and a thought sprouted from the bottom of his heart.

A couple—these two were definitely in a relationship!

But immediately after, another even more terrifying thought exploded in his mind.

Wait, that's not right! Wasn't it said that Shen Zhixia was the mistress of the Big Boss of Kangyang Group?

A mistress... dared to openly date and find a lover outside?

Was she tired of living? Or was that man tired of living?

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Lin Chao's back.

This was a massive bombshell!

More importantly, it was a deadly secret!

Knowing something like this would definitely lead to no good end!

Lin Chao's first reaction was to hide.

He almost instantly locked onto a nearby load-bearing pillar, his body already making the preparatory moves to retreat.

Just two steps back, and he could perfectly vanish into the pillar's shadow.

However.

It was too late.

At the very moment he was about to act, Shen Zhixia's gaze inadvertently lifted.

Then, it met his with precision.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Lin Chao could even see the smile on Shen Zhixia's face fade away bit by bit at a visible rate.

Replacing it was an undisguised look of surprise.

Clearly, she also never expected to run into Lin Chao here once again.

The moment their eyes met, the whole world seemed to have been muted.

The soothing background music in the mall and the noise of the distant crowds receded like the tide.

Lin Chao's brain completely stalled, leaving only the sound of his own heart beating like a drum.

To have stumbled upon his direct superior's shocking secret, and in such a face-to-face situation.

He could even clearly see his own face, filled with panic, reflected in Shen Zhixia's pupils.

Shen Zhixia's gaze slowly moved down from Lin Chao's stiff face and landed on the shopping bag he was holding.

The prominent brand logo on the bag was crystal clear under the mall's bright lights.

The surprise in her eyes faded a bit, replaced by a professional indifference: "Supervisor Lin, here to buy clothes?"

Her voice was very calm, showing no emotion, just like the most ordinary greeting when two colleagues bump into each other in the office pantry.

Lin Chao's brain finally started working again.

He twitched the corners of his mouth, squeezing out a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Yes... Director Shen."

He subconsciously hid the shopping bag behind his back, an action that appeared both guilty and clumsy.

The man in the beige shirt standing next to Shen Zhixia only gave him a faint glance.

That gaze was very calm, carrying a hint of scrutiny from someone in a superior position, but it quickly moved away, as if Lin Chao were just an insignificant background character.

Shen Zhixia also just nodded slightly, saying nothing more.

From the looks of it, she seemed to intend to just pass by like this.

Lin Chao breathed a long sigh of relief.

True, they didn't have much of a relationship anyway; acting like strangers when crossing paths was the ultimate rule of adult socializing.

He hurriedly stepped aside, preparing to make way for the two of them.

However, just as Shen Zhixia was about to walk past him, Lin Chao's brain suddenly short-circuited.

A thought popped up as if possessed.

—This was a perfect opportunity to show his loyalty!

Almost without any thought, his body reacted before his brain could.

He leaned in half a step, lowered his voice, and said in a tone he thought was clever and secretive:

"Director Shen, please rest assured."

"I promise I won't say a word about what I saw today."

The moment those words left his mouth, Shen Zhixia's forward steps instantly stopped.

As if her pressure points had been struck, she was pinned to the spot.

Lin Chao could even feel the air around her turn a few degrees colder.

Shen Zhixia slowly turned her head; in those beautiful eyes, there was no longer indifference, but full, undisguised surprise and confusion.

"What did you say?"

Seeing that she didn't 'get' his meaning, Lin Chao felt a bit anxious.

He glanced at the man next to her who had furrowed his brows, then quickly added another sentence, his smile full of 'I understand' hints.

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

"What I mean is, Director Shen, you are my direct superior, and I, Lin Chao, am naturally on your side."

He specifically emphasized the words "on your side."

Now, the atmosphere became completely awkward.

Shen Zhixia looked at him with total confusion, as if looking at an alien creature.

And the man in the beige shirt frowned even deeper, his eyes carrying a hint of inquiry and displeasure.

Lin Chao belatedly realized the atmosphere seemed... not quite right.

His cheeks began to burn, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into: "That... um, Director Shen, you're busy, I... I'll be going now."

He chuckled awkwardly and turned to slip away.

"Supervisor Lin."

Shen Zhixia's icy voice was like a rope, instantly tightening around his steps.

Lin Chao turned back stiffly.

He saw that on Shen Zhixia's face, that moment of confusion had vanished without a trace.

Replacing it was a sudden realization, followed by undisguised coldness and disgust.

Her face was so dark it looked like it could drip water: "Have you... misunderstood something?"

Her voice was not loud, yet it carried a pressing chill.

Without waiting for Lin Chao's answer, she spoke coldly again, her tone full of warning.

"It would be better if Supervisor Lin focused more of his thoughts on work!"

After saying that, she didn't even bother to give Lin Chao another look.

"Hmph."

A very faint but disdainful snort came from her nose.

Immediately, she turned around, grabbed the man's arm beside her, and strode away without looking back.

The sound of high heels clicking on the floor was crisp and resolute.

Lin Chao was left dazed on the spot, looking like a fool.

Damn!

This woman is truly temperamental!

Is she crazy!

Lin Chao stood there, his head buzzing.

He watched helplessly as Shen Zhixia and that man walked off arm in arm, disappearing at the end of the escalator.

The 'click-clack' of the high heels hitting the floor seemed to stomp on his dignity with every step.

It's over.

This time it's completely screwed.

That self-proclaimed clever show of loyalty just now probably looked no different from a clown's antics to Shen Zhixia.

Not only did he gain nothing, but he also thoroughly disgusted her.

Lin Chao raised his hand and gave himself a hard slap across the face.

Serves you right for having such a loose tongue!

Serves you right for being meddlesome!

Great, now he had absolutely and utterly offended his direct superior.