C19 Rumor

Tang Yan wasn't bold enough to let a man she barely knew wait for her outside the office for three hours every day. But Xi Pei just shook his head lightly, seemingly unbothered.

"I don't have much going on anyway, so I might as well pick you up."

His words didn't dampen Tang Yan's good mood. She was used to being on her own, with her mom and colleagues being her only social circle. Having a man pick her up after work was a novel experience, even bringing a strange sense of happiness.

When they returned to the house, they saw Mrs. Zhang still tidying up in the living room. She looked surprised to see them come in together but quickly masked it.

"Why are you both home so late?" she asked.

Tang Yan thought to herself that Mrs. Zhang, sent by Xi Yan, was like a human surveillance camera, quick to change her expression as if she had been specially trained.

Xi Pei remained calm, though his gaze towards Mrs. Zhang held a hint of depth. "She worked late today, so we stayed out a bit longer. Why aren't you resting yet?"

Mrs. Zhang smiled at them. "I noticed the missus didn't come home for dinner, so I was worried she might be hungry. Just wait a moment, and I'll warm up some food for you."

She headed to the kitchen. If Xi Pei hadn't already told Tang Yan about Mrs. Zhang's true role, she might have believed she was just a kind and caring housekeeper.

At this point, both of them knew perfectly well that Mrs. Zhang was staying up late just to keep an eye on their movements. Tang Yan suddenly realized that maybe the reason Xi Pei waited so long for her after work was to put on a show for Mrs. Zhang. She glanced at Xi Pei, who was indeed still watching Mrs. Zhang in the kitchen. Tang Yan lowered her head, feeling a sudden pang of disappointment.

Since it was so late, Mrs. Zhang didn't come over to eavesdrop. But just to be safe, the two of them pretended to be affectionate in the room before going to sleep separately.

Probably because they stayed up too late the night before, Tang Yan woke up half an hour later than usual the next day. In a rush, she skipped breakfast and hurried to the office, barely making it on time.

As she sat down and wiped the sweat from her face, she sensed something was off. Glancing behind her, she noticed a few colleagues whispering together and occasionally looking her way, as if they were talking about her.

Feeling puzzled but not inclined to ask, she was surprised when a colleague approached her desk. "Tang Yan, are you seeing someone?"

Tang Yan was taken aback and instinctively wanted to deny it, but the colleague immediately grinned as if they had caught her red-handed. "Don't even try to deny it. Someone saw a guy waiting for you downstairs last night, and you left in his car. Come on, is he your new boyfriend?"

The tone wasn't malicious, probably just gossip.

Tang Yan was a bit surprised. Did someone see her getting into Xi Pei's car last night? But it was already eleven, and everyone from the office had left. The only person who could have known was the security guard at the entrance, but he wouldn't be bored enough to spread rumors inside the company.

So who could have mentioned it?

Seeing Tang Li remain silent for so long, the coworker suddenly understood.

"Oh~ I get it, it must be one of your admirers, right?"