When Lin Yu returned to the private room, Zhou Youyu was already sitting at the table, chatting and laughing with the others.
Seeing him come back, Zhou Youyu greeted him warmly, “Director Lin, come in quickly. This chicken soup smells so fresh. They say it’s made with the best Qingyuan chicken. We haven’t touched our chopsticks yet.”
A faint blush lingered on Lin Yu’s face. “You all go ahead, no need to wait for me.”
Zhou Youyu pretended not to notice anything unusual, beaming as he pulled out a chair for him. “No way! You haven’t tried the dishes yet. Who would dare take the first bite before you?”
Lin Yu smiled lightly and invited everyone to sit.
While eating, he occasionally felt a probing gaze from his left.
He remained calm, eating and drinking as if nothing were amiss.
After the meal, he received a call from headquarters. An urgent international meeting required him to return to the office immediately to check some documents.
He instructed Xiao Cai, “I need to head back to the office. Make sure the bus gets everyone home safely.”
Xiao Cai quickly responded, “Rest assured.”
Lin Yu took a few steps, then paused.
He had just had a bit of alcohol—not much, but still, he had been drinking.
Lu Ziqing, seeing this, put on a windbreaker. “Since you’ve had a drink, it’s not safe for you to drive. Let me take you back.”
Several people subtly observed them.
Though the two usually tried hard to avoid suspicion, past rumors had spread widely.
Lu Ziqing, who typically acted so aloof, was now so eager to please Director Lin…
Lin Yu glanced at him, hesitating.
Zhou Youyu immediately said, “Xiao Lu, then you go. You’re a good driver. Remember to drive slowly—safety first.”
With the department director giving the green light, Lin Yu accepted the offer. “Thank you, then.”
Once Lin Yu and Lu Ziqing got into the car, Xiao Cai guided everyone onto the bus.
Zhou Youyu, however, didn’t get on. Instead, he watched the sedan drive away.
Xiao Cai ran over, out of breath. “Mr. Zhou, aren’t you getting on the bus?”
Without looking at her, Zhou Youyu pulled out his phone. “I’ll go back on my own. Don’t worry about me.”
“Huh?” Xiao Cai was taken aback. “But the bus is fast, and if you take a cab, you’ll have to pay for it yourself…”
“I don’t like squeezing in with others,” Zhou Youyu said impatiently. “Just get on the bus. My business is none of your concern.”
…
The lights in the director’s office flickered on at 7:30 p.m.
The meeting lasted a full three hours, dragging on until 10:30 p.m. Lin Yu finally shut down his computer, exhaling deeply as he rubbed his temples.
Hearing the movement, Lu Ziqing entered with a bowl of yogurt.
“Have a little bite. I doubt you ate much during dinner.”
He set the bowl gently on the desk. Inside were fresh watermelon and cantaloupe cubes mixed with creamy yogurt.
Lin Yu leaned back in his chair, showing an unusual trace of fatigue. “Zhou Youyu kept talking while eating. His spit flew all over my bowl.”
Lu Ziqing laughed. “Why didn’t you kick him out?”
Lin Yu: “I spent the entire evening nibbling on pickled cucumbers and sipping soup, all while trying to eat quickly before Zhou Youyu’s saliva could reach my food.”
He rubbed his stomach and slowly ate the fruit and yogurt.
Drowsiness weighed on him, his head nodding as if he might fall into the bowl at any moment.
Lu Ziqing said, “If you’re tired, let’s go home. I’ll go start the car.”
Lin Yu sighed. “Just a bit longer. I need to finish a report.”
The room’s lighting was too harsh, making it hard for Lin Yu to keep his eyes open.
Lu Ziqing had him stay put while he went to adjust the lights.
The control panel was on the wall by the window, next to a row of lush green potted plants.
Lin Yu continued writing his report. A few minutes later, he received a message from Lu Ziqing on WeChat.
Confused, Lin Yu looked up at him.
They were in the same office—why send a message instead of speaking?
Standing in the shadows, Lu Ziqing said nothing, only motioning towards the phone on Lin Yu’s desk.
Lin Yu opened his phone and saw the message:
[The second potted plant from the left contains a hidden camera.]
Lin Yu’s pen paused slightly before continuing as if nothing had happened.
Lu Ziqing messaged again: [What should we do?]
Lin Yu finished writing a line, set down his pen, and replied: [Check the cleaning schedule and find out who took care of the plants on Friday.]
Since Lin Yu was too busy to care for the plants, daily tasks like watering and loosening the soil were handled by the cleaning staff on a rotating schedule.
Lu Ziqing contacted the facilities manager and soon reported back:
[It was Aunt Sun on Friday. She accidentally broke a spider plant pot that day. Since it was just a cheap wholesale item, the facilities team didn’t ask her to pay for it. They replaced it with a Brazilian wood plant.]
He added: [The camera is hidden in the Brazilian wood. If not for the late hour and the subtle light reflection, we might never have noticed it.]
Lin Yu’s pen tip tapped the paper.
He hadn’t expected Zhou Youyu to be bold enough to go this far.
Or rather, the person behind Zhou Youyu was finally getting anxious.
This was a good thing. Haste makes waste—only those who are anxious will reveal their true intentions.
Lin Yu finished writing the report, folded the paper, and pressed it under the document folder.
Lu Ziqing walked over, “Done? Then shall we go downst—”
Lin Yu reached out, grabbed the collar of his T-shirt, and yanked him down.
Lu Ziqing was completely unprepared. His body swayed, and he had to brace himself on the armrests of the chair to avoid falling onto him.
Lin Yu’s arm gently wrapped around his neck. His voice was soft and coy, but his gaze was full of determination.
“Baby, it’s been so long since we did it in the office.”
Lu Ziqing: “…?”
Not Lin Yu taking his acting job seriously 😂