Everyone at Hetao had heard of Liang Yufeng. He had visited Hetao several times, always with an unapproachable demeanor. Even when company leaders spoke to him, he wouldn't necessarily give them the time of day. Yet, this man had casually slung an arm around Lan Lan's shoulders, inviting her to dinner…
Those people immediately understood the reason. The two of them had a close relationship. If they had been discussing Lan Lan like that just now, wouldn't they face retaliation?
Just as they were about to apologize to Lan Lan, they saw her turn and leave. Lan Lan went to the restroom to freshen up and calm herself. Forget her colleagues; she herself had been startled by Liang Yufeng's sudden gesture.
Although Lan Lan often heard such gossip, this was the first time she had truly taken it to heart. This was because, for this collaboration, she had indeed benefited greatly from Liang Yufeng. Her promotion was also due to this project. While people had said she relied on men in the past, she knew in her heart that she had never relied on anyone.
Lan Lan had never intended to publicize her relationship with Liang Yufeng. They weren't a proper couple, and it would be too troublesome. She thought Liang Yufeng felt the same way, but who knew he would drop such a bombshell!
Given the gossipy nature of those colleagues, it would spread throughout the company in just a few hours.
Just as Lan Lan had anticipated, discussions about her and Liang Yufeng soon appeared on the company's internal network. Some people even looked up Liang Yufeng's information and discovered that Lan Lan and Liang Yufeng had attended the same university.
Lan Lan was the center of gossip all afternoon. A few close colleagues in the department had personally come to ask her, "Manager Lan, are you really dating Mr. Liang from Hetao? I heard he personally invited you to dinner!"
"Dating what? We're university classmates, just having dinner together," Lan Lan replied with a smile, not admitting anything. "You guys are really gossipy."
"University classmates? What was Mr. Liang like in college?" a colleague pressed for details.
Lan Lan stopped typing, "Are you not busy enough with work today? Fine, analyze this report for me."
Colleague: "..."
Lan Lan used practical actions to silence her gossipy colleagues, and the world instantly became much quieter.
As work was about to end, Lan Lan was still engrossed in her work. Suddenly, she heard a commotion from the outer office area, followed by a knock on the door.
"Come in," Lan Lan said without looking up.
The door opened, and she heard footsteps. In her peripheral vision, she saw a figure stop in front of her desk, but the person remained silent. "What is it..." Halfway through her sentence, she saw the person's face clearly and immediately stopped.
Hadn't Liang Yufeng caused her enough trouble already? He was actually coming to her office to find her!
He must have caused the commotion outside just now, right?
Lan Lan saved her data. "Who let you come to my office!"
Liang Yufeng said nothing, as if it were a trivial matter. Seeing his nonchalance, Lan Lan felt it necessary to talk to him. "Regarding our relationship, I still don't want too many people to know, to avoid future trouble when it ends."
She said this very seriously, as if she were certain they would eventually part ways, or perhaps, she was entering this relationship with the intention of "parting." This realization angered Liang Yufeng. "It's too late. Everyone knows now."
Lan Lan cursed the scoundrel in her heart. He knew it was too late and everyone knew!
Lan Lan looked out through the gaps in the blinds, vaguely seeing people gathered in small groups. She assumed everyone outside was gossiping about her and Liang Yufeng.
Since it couldn't be changed, Lan Lan calmly led Liang Yufeng out. Under everyone's gaze, she walked out of the office area with Liang Yufeng. As they exited, they encountered a senior leader. Lan Lan had very few interactions with the senior leader, but because of Liang Yufeng, she was now remembered by him.
Liang Yufeng chose the dinner venue, a French restaurant with exquisite dishes and an elegant ambiance. Lan Lan should have enjoyed it, but Liang Yufeng had ruined her mood. "Mr. Liang, can I discuss something with you?"
Liang Yufeng rubbed the rim of his wine glass. "What is it?"
"In the company, can you pretend not to know me?" Lan Lan said to him. "You heard it too, there's already a lot of gossip about me in our company. Now that you've done this, won't there be even more people talking behind my back? How will I manage in the future?"
"You still care about this?" Liang Yufeng didn't believe she cared about external opinions. In college, there had always been discussions surrounding her, but she had never paid attention.
"Of course. We're all working here, and reputation is quite important," Lan Lan said. "For the sake of our past, can you pretend not to know me at the company in the future?"
"For the sake of the past," Liang Yufeng repeated her words, then suddenly chuckled sinisterly. "For the sake of you dumping me back then?"
Lan Lan choked. The scoundrel truly held a grudge; he had come to get revenge on her this time!
The next moment, she heard him say, "You have no right to order me around."
Lan Lan had no choice but to say, "I'm not ordering, I'm discussing it with you."
"Oh," Liang Yufeng said. "Then I disagree."
Lan Lan even felt like throwing her fork at his sanctimonious face. She laughed sarcastically, "You're so old, why are you so petty? So many years have passed, and you still remember so clearly."
"You forgot?" he questioned, staring into her eyes.
For some reason, Lan Lan sensed a dangerous aura in his eyes, but she still said, "Of course, I forgot."
She had dated so many boyfriends; if she remembered every single one, her life would be too difficult.
"It's okay, I'll make you remember," Liang Yufeng said. "I won't let you off so easily."
"So, you approached me just for revenge?" Lan Lan finally understood.
Liang Yufeng refused to answer her question, but she didn't care. She suddenly realized why the scoundrel acted like a madman every time they were intimate. It was indeed the resentment from back then that he hadn't swallowed. His current actions were not surprising.
His objective was no longer a question. It was simply to make her fall in love with him again, and then dump her when she was most vulnerable, making her experience the feeling of being abandoned, just as he had back then. If this would help her get rid of him completely, she was willing to cooperate.
Thinking of this, Lan Lan suddenly laughed. "I didn't expect that after so many years, Mr. Liang still likes me."
"Don't flatter yourself," Liang Yufeng said stiffly, unwilling to admit it.
Lan Lan walked around the table and sat on his lap, leaning close to his ear. "I was lying just now."
Liang Yufeng felt a surge of heat, his blood rushing upwards, and for a moment, he couldn't recall which of her words she was referring to.
But she stuck out her tongue and licked his earlobe, lingering. "Actually, I've thought of you often over the years."
After saying this, she felt his body stiffen.
Lan Lan laughed, her soft hands playing on him. "Let's call a truce, okay?"