C19 He's Been Looking for You!

"You always seem to have it at for President Huo ever since you met him." Wu Wenjing rolled her eyes, obviously not agreeing with her point of view. Cupping her hands around her chest, her eyes glazed at the mention of her crush. "I mean, have you seen him? He could be a jerk, but at least he's a hot jerk."

"You're blinded." Jian Yun shot her a middle finger. "If you love him so much, why don't you just get up and marry him?"

"You think I don't want to?" Her eyes lit up from the sudden suggestion. She clasped her hands together and jumped up from her seat. "That man is probably on the top of everyone's wish list! I bet even the cleaning lady wants to get a hold of him, and she's already in her late fifties! I'd do anything to make him mine."

She blinked, surprised. "Didn't you say you were afraid of him back then?"

"I am! But if you give me a chance to spend a night with him, I'd take it even if it means I'll freeze to death!" Wu Wenjing waved her fists up in the air to emphasize her longing for the man. They were lucky that Xia Bingbing was nowhere to be seen or else she might kick them both out of their offices.

"Ugh, whatever! Just leave me alone." Not bearing to hear her friend prase Huo Liancheng any longer, she pushed her away and focused on her work. It was still a very long day ahead, and she'd prefer it if she'd never see or even hear of that man again.

Last night, Auntie Qin had informed her that Lin Rong had come looking for her mother again. Luckily, Mrs. Jian was at the hospital, so they didn't have the chance to meet again. However, she doubted that this would be the last time that woman would come knocking on their doorsteps.

Then came this morning where she had not only encountered an elevator accident but was also forcefully kissed by the company's CEO. Even the thought made her head hurt.

Throughout the entire day, Jian Yun found herself absent-mindedly typing into her computer. Her forehead was aching that she didn't even notice the obvious errors that were peppered across the document. After her morning's work was finished, she didn't even force herself to continue any longer. Instead, she grabbed her coat and prepared to return home and rest there instead.

Since Xia Bingbing wasn't here, Jian Yun didn't need to ask for a leave of absence. Instead, she directly informed Wu Wenjing that if their manager had returned, to say that her absence was approved by Cheng Muze himself. Without another word, she wore her coat and walked right out of the office.

The November weather was definitely harsh, especially today, with no sun or bright skies to combat the overbearing winds.

As Jian Yun stood near the bus stop, she couldn't help but glance around. Although she was surrounded by hundreds of people, she still felt completely alone in facing the world. Ever since she found out the truth six years ago, it was as if she had immediately grown up. All those years, she had worked and studied hard, just to keep herself from feeling the emptiness in her heart.

Although she was only twenty-six, her heart had already felt enough pain to last her a century.

The bus didn't arrive for a long time, and she could feel her nose turn red from the biting winds. She glanced at her wristwatch. At this rate, she might have better luck in catching the subway instead.

Just then, she noticed that someone was standing in front of her, gazing curiously at her pale face. She raised her head, only to see the man blink in surprise. "You're Jian Yun, aren't you?"

"Uhm," she hesitated. "And you are?"

"Don't you remember me?" The man's eyes shone excitedly. "I'm also from Qing University. I shared the same dorm with Xu Haiyang, remember? You always come to our dorm to hang out with us."

Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of her ex's name, but Jian Yun quickly concealed the hurt in her eyes. Gazing at the man in front of her, a memory flashed back in her mind. "Wait! You're Chen–"

"Right, Chen Da! I didn't expect you to even remember me." His face brightened up at the thought of being recognized. Even then, there was still a trace of shyness in his features. "I've become quite a man now, haven't I? I mean, it's normal for you to not recognize me. I did lose a lot of weight from the time I've been studying back at Uni."

She chuckled. Chen Da was a chubby student with a hilarious personality. They'd usually chat and tease each other back when she and Xu Haiyang were still together. They had always gotten along quite well, but after graduation, they've lost touch.

"So, why are you here?"

"I work at Ming's," she replied.

"What a coincidence! I just came back from overseas and submitted my application for Ming's a week ago." Chen Da grinned, running a hand through his hair. There was a hint of amazement in his eyes before he looked away. "Perhaps we'll be colleagues. It's been a long time since we last saw each other. You've grown more beautiful, Yun."

When the bus had finally arrived, Jian Yun shot him a smile. "The bus has arrived. I guess I should get going."

"Wait, hey! Do you mind leaving me your number?"

"Next time!"

Chen Da clicked his fingers as if the thought had just occurred to him. "Xu Haiyang also came back. Says that he's looking for you. Did you know that?"

Jian Yun had already stepped on the bus when he had said those words. Immediately, her mind had gone blank, and her heart stopped. It was as if her entire world had frozen all around her, but she continued on like he hadn't said a thing.

There weren't many people on the bus, so she quickly found a seat in the back row. As the bus drove farther and farther away from the stop, his words continued to echo at the back of her mind. Sweat beaded down her palms.

Xu Hiayang was looking for her? Bullshit!

It had been six years when he had left, and his words coursed through her veins like poison. It was so long, yet the pain was still fresh.

A cold smile slid into her lips.

Just then, her phone vibrated. When she took it out, her eyes widened and she froze.

Huo Liancheng had just added her on WeChat.

Jian Yun stared blankly at the three words that had popped on her screen. Should she add him? Should she not? Xu Haiyang had faded to the back of her mind as she stared at Liancheng's profile picture. Her thumb hovered over the screen.

Was he serious? Was this real?

Could this be a scam?

Conflicted, Jian Yun decided to ignore him and shoved the phone back into her bag. Maybe he committed a mistake. Or maybe it wasn't him. Either way, it was inappropriate to accept a friend request from her boss, right?

However, Huo Liancheng was obviously not the kind of man to wait passively. Five minutes later, she noticed her phone started to ring. Glancing at the Caller ID, she suppressed a groan.

Now, Jian Yun was faced with another problem–to answer or leave it be?

Her phone kept on ringing that she started to attract more attention from the other passengers. Burying herself into the seat to avoid their judgmental looks, she finally picked it up.

"President Huo." Jian Yun whispered.

There was silence on the other end of the line. Just as she was about to hang up, he responded, "You've already gone home?"

"Ah, yeah, I wasn't feeling very well."

"Have you seen my message on WeChat?" he asked again. There were sounds of scrawling from the other end of the line. He must be signing a document.

Surprised, Jian Yun leaned against her seat, not daring to say that she had ignored it. "I–I'm on the bus, so I haven't checked my phone yet," she later replied after a few seconds of hesitation.

"Check it now!" Before she could say anything else, he hung up the phone.