Jiang Nan Fang tapped her chopsticks on his plate.
"I said I don't know, don't you understand? And you still ask."
"If you're really curious, ask him. We're all men, it's much easier for us to ask."
"..."
The crowd finally fell silent.
A moment later, Zhan Bei Jue returned with a plate full of food.
He gracefully and elegantly lowered his eyes, peeling the food. Zhang Gong, unable to hold back his curiosity, finally spoke.
"Mr. Zhan."
"Mhm."
"Are you not feeling well recently? I noticed your leg..."
"Mhm," Zhan Bei Jue replied placidly. "I had a small tumor on my leg. I had it removed during the Lunar New Year break, and I'm still recovering."
"Oh... then it's really not suitable for us to eat seafood today, it's not good for your wound."
"It's fine. I said I'm treating you, and I won't be eating. As long as you're happy."
After speaking, he picked up a small plate with several chunks of peeled meat and pushed it towards Jiang Nan Fang.
"Don't you love oysters? Eat more."
All eyes at the table turned towards them.
Jiang Nan Fang felt increasingly uncomfortable with his repeated actions.
She picked up the plate and poured the meat onto Zhang Gong's plate. "If you don't want to eat it, sit and rest. Don't peel it for me."
"I don't like food peeled by others."
To publicly refuse Mr. Zhan's overture so bluntly and then give his gift to someone else made Zhang Gong uncomfortable for a moment.
Fortunately, Zhan Bei Jue didn't take it to heart. He glanced at Zhang Gong and calmly picked up a napkin to wipe his hands.
"Your Director Jiang is hard to pursue."
"Am I too foolish, or does she already have someone she likes? No matter what I do, she's never satisfied. It's so hard to make her look at me more."
"!!"
Everyone simultaneously turned their gazes back.
He admitted it personally?
Mr. Zhan actually admitted in front of them that he was pursuing Director Jiang. This...
Seeing everyone's stunned expressions, whether from shock or disappointment, Zhan Bei Jue was satisfied.
At least he had declared his claim. From now on, he'd see who dared to have designs on Jiang Nan Fang.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Is it surprising that I'm pursuing Director Jiang?"
"Are we too mismatched? Am I not good enough for her, or does she really have someone else?"
"Cough cough..." Zhang Gong coughed violently, startled.
"No, no, no, of course, it's not surprising that you're pursuing Director Jiang. Not at all surprising."
"No one is more suitable for Director Jiang than you. You're a talented man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match."
This person really knew how to speak.
Zhan Bei Jue was pleased with him. "Is that so?"
"Of course. Director Jiang probably doesn't have anyone she likes at the moment either, otherwise, she wouldn't bury herself in the office all day and never come out."
The other colleagues finally dared to chime in. "Exactly. Director Jiang is the most work-loving woman we've ever met."
"Besides work, she doesn't seem to think about anything else. She doesn't look like she's in a relationship at all."
Zhan Bei Jue nodded. "Then it seems my way of pursuing her is wrong."
"I don't know what kind of pursuit method your Director Jiang likes, or how to satisfy her. Can everyone brainstorm and give me some ideas?"
It was as if Jiang Nan Fang wasn't there, as they discussed how to pursue her right in front of her.
Looking at Zhan Bei Jue, who was deliberately playing games, she felt she was too soft-hearted. She thought he had some dignity, but she had given him too much face, leading him to get carried away.
She coldly put down her chopsticks, deciding to make her stance completely clear.
"Stop wasting your effort. I don't like people like you. No matter how you pursue me, I will never agree."
"If you guys want to continue chatting, you can. I'm full, I'll be leaving first. Remember to be at the company on time tomorrow."
With that, she grabbed her bag and stood up to leave.
Zhan Bei Jue followed. "I'll give you a ride."
"No need. Besides, you're still limping. Take care of yourself."
"Isn't the limp for you? Why don't you give me a ride then."
Zhan Bei Jue insisted on getting up.
Why hadn't she realized he was so thick-skinned before?
Shameless, with no self-respect.
Jiang Nan Fang rolled her eyes at him and strode out first, bag in hand.
Zhan Bei Jue said goodbye to everyone. "Eat slowly, eat more. I've already settled the bill."
"I will continue to pursue her from now on. Please keep an eye on her for me. If there's any news or unexpected situations, report to me promptly."
After saying that, he endured the leg pain and strode after her.
Watching their backs disappear through the door one after another, the men in the room exploded.
"Holy crap, what's going on? The CEO of Zhan Corporation is actually pursuing our Director Jiang? And he's so approachable, pursuing her so humbly..."
"Yeah, I used to think Mr. Zhan was very aloof. I wouldn't even dare to say a word to him in the company, but I never expected him to be like this in private..."
"Hey, speaking of which, do you guys remember when we went to the Gobi Desert for fieldwork? Director Jiang got sick that time. In the middle of the night, in the pouring rain, Mr. Zhan personally drove her to the hospital."
"We remember, of course, we remember. The conditions were so poor and the situation so urgent at the time, I was surprised when Mr. Zhan suddenly appeared. Looking back now..."
"Damn, if Mr. Zhan already had feelings for her from that time, then he's been persistent for a long time. It's been almost a year, and Director Jiang still has this attitude?"
"Tsk tsk, who was fantasizing about pursuing Director Jiang back then? Fortunately, they didn't make a move."
"If she can't even see a handsome and wealthy man like Mr. Zhan, what hope do we have!"
"Sigh, it's so hard to be a man in this world. Even a top-tier man like Mr. Zhan is struggling to find a partner. What about us!"
Jiang Nan Fang went straight to the roadside and raised her hand to hail a taxi.
The Lunar New Year had just passed, and the weather was still very cold. When she left, the driver had the car on, and she was wearing little.
Standing in the cold wind now, even the tips of her hair were trembling.
Before she could flag down a taxi, Zhan Bei Jue took off his coat and rushed over.
He draped his coat, still warm with his body heat, over her shoulders, trying to get her to turn around.
"Nan Fang."
However, no matter how cold it was, Jiang Nan Fang refused to accept his clothes.
She shrugged her shoulders and pushed his hand away. "Stay away from me. Is this meaningful, Zhan Bei Jue?"
Zhan Bei Jue ignored her and firmly pressed the coat onto her shoulders.
"Don't be angry anymore. I know I shouldn't have come to find you after such a long time, but you were angry a few days ago, and I was afraid of adding fuel to the fire, so I held back."
"You know what I mean, Nan Fang. Let's not act on impulse. Let's find a place to sit and have a good talk, okay?"
He sounded so affectionate.
Don't be angry, he'd been holding back from finding her?
Let's have a good talk?
Jiang Nan Fang really wanted to bite his hand.
What took him so long?
When your mother was alive, when Ke Teng was not in trouble, when everything could still be salvaged, what were you doing?
If you had even a quarter of the persistence you have now back then, we wouldn't be in this situation!
"Talk about what? Talk about how your mother hated me when she was alive and how much she didn't want us to be together, or talk about Ke Teng's illness?"
Jiang Nan Fang sneered.
"You won't forget so quickly, will you, Zhan Bei Jue? It wasn't that I didn't want to be with you, it was that your mother disagreed."