Any woman would have been deeply moved by Sang Li’s words.
But Lin Zhiyi did not want to be so casual with him.
She smiled and shook her head, "Mr. Sang, there’s no need for this; with your credentials, you’ll find someone more suitable."
"Shouldn’t I be the one to decide what’s suitable?" Sang Li said earnestly.
Looking into his eyes, Lin Zhiyi suddenly didn’t know what to say.
"All right, I won’t pressure you. You worked hard today; rest well," Sang Li said, pointing at one of the documents, "This school is not bad."
Lin Zhiyi looked down and couldn’t help but laugh, "Mr. Sang, I know the Sang Family has branches in this country."
"You see... you do understand me so well."
Sang Li always openly admitted his ulterior motives like this.
This candidness was something Lin Zhiyi had never experienced before.
As a child, since she was fatherless, many speculated she was illegitimate, and she could not refute it, so whenever someone asked about her father, she always dodged and hid.
She feared upsetting Liu He, and she feared the strange looks from others.
Later, after marrying Gong Chen, there was no wedding, no wedding ring, nothing—all tucked away in a villa along with her daughter.
Her life seemed only fit to sneak around in the shadows.
Even now, she instinctively hid.
Lin Zhiyi looked at Sang Li and genuinely smiled, "Thank you."
Sang Li said nothing, nodding his head before leaving.
Lin Zhiyi sat back on the sofa, looking at the document in her hand, her emotions complex.
A moment later, the sound of a door lock turning came from the entrance, and she was startled.
She thought Sang Li had forgotten something and come back.
But as she prepared to open the door, she stopped.
If it were Sang Li, he would have knocked; why would he be turning the lock?
Unless...
Lin Zhiyi peeked through the peephole and sure enough, it was him.
Gong Chen.
He held a key that she didn’t know how he’d acquired.
But ever since she was discharged from the hospital, she had changed the lock.
She watched the still-turning doorknob, took a deep breath, and firmly said, "That’s enough. Go away."
The person outside hesitated for a few seconds.
"How’s your hand?"
The man’s voice was low and deep.
Lin Zhiyi paused, looking down at the back of her hand, burned from a scald.
It had improved significantly after cooling it with water, so the injury wasn’t easy to spot.
But Gong Chen still noticed.
Lin Zhiyi bitterly smiled, her arm falling limply, "Don’t trouble yourself."
"Do you always have to speak to me this way?" Gong Chen said coldly.
"Otherwise? Third Young Master, on what grounds do I have the privilege to speak nicely to you?"
"Can’t speak nicely to me, but you can chat for so long with Sang Li?"
His hoarse voice, even through the door, betrayed his turbulent breath.
But why should he care whom she talks to?
Lin Zhiyi was both angry and inexplicably irritated.
Her mind replayed Sang Ran’s reminders multiple times.
It was just like a legitimate partner rebuking a mistress.
The person who had pushed her into this position was Gong Chen.
Lin Zhiyi clenched her fists tightly and said, word by word, "Third Young Master, I’ve already forgotten the past; we have no relationship now, and I don’t need your permission to talk to anyone."
"And... it’s not me who needs your concern, it’s Xiao Ran."
Suddenly, silence fell outside the door.
Lin Zhiyi thought Gong Chen had left and cautiously peeked through the peephole again.
She saw the man standing silently outside, seemingly sensing something, his eyes slowly rising to meet hers through the peephole.
Their eyes locked.
His gaze dimmed, emotions unclear, his Adam’s apple moved faintly, his lips parted as if to say something.
But Lin Zhiyi heard nothing.
By the time she came back to her senses, the figure outside had turned away, with only the hem of his coat brushing past.
Lin Zhiyi shook her head, changing the subject, "It’s nothing. You’re dressed up so beautifully today, are you meeting someone?"
That comment set Sister Zhou off.
"My boyfriend, we just started dating."
"Ah? You’re in a relationship?" Lin Zhiyi expressed in surprise.
Wasn’t Sister Zhou just wary of the opposite sex yesterday?
And now she has a boyfriend?
Sister Zhou glanced at Lin Zhiyi, a bit embarrassed, "Should I have stayed single because of that jerk’s betrayal?"
"After a bad man, shouldn’t I find a good one to comfort me? I’m not being reckless."
"And how would I know if I don’t meet someone new whether he’s a good one or not?"
Lin Zhiyi caught Sister Zhou’s look, and with a slight lift of her gaze, she met Sister Zhou’s smile.
She suddenly realized that those words were also meant for her.
Sister Zhou said with a light chuckle, "Zhiyi, you know I love gossip. Nothing escapes these eyes of mine. I know you’re struggling, hesitating, but without taking that first step, you’ll always be trapped in this vortex."
Hearing this, Lin Zhiyi smiled faintly along with her.
"I get it."
After Sister Zhou finished speaking, she prepared to leave, but as she turned around, she accidentally knocked into a stack of school documents.
The one that fell near Lin Zhiyi’s feet was the school Sang Li had helped her choose.
Actually, this school was her second choice, and perhaps by fate, Sang Li had also selected it.
After Sister Zhou left, Lin Zhiyi picked up the information for that school and looked over it once again.
Finally, as if making a firm decision, she took a picture of it and sent it out.
"Okay."
"I’ll come pick you up after work tomorrow," Sang Li replied instantly.
"Mm, I will work hard," Lin Zhiyi replied, her tone notably serious and earnest.
"Is this you applying to join the party at my place?"
"..."
Lin Zhiyi looked at the conversation and smiled. In truth, it wasn’t that painful in her heart.
She believed she could do well.
She didn’t want to continue this game with Gong Chen, and she didn’t want to hurt Sang Ran.
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