After the Strategy Mission Was Exposed, the Childhood Friend Became a Sinister Male Ghost - Chapter 14

Lin Zhouci looked at the man she supported. His features were clean, and his appearance was average. After drinking, his eyes were vacant, and he exuded a lazy aura.

She had a boyfriend, and they had not broken up yet. That man was not as handsome as he was, and his temperament was even less outstanding.

Bloodshot veins filled the whites of his eyes. Lin Zhouci watched them walk away until they disappeared completely before retracting his gaze. The burning sensation in his stomach was unbearable, and Lin Zhouci clenched his fists. He felt he was still not excellent enough and had not yet reached a high enough position. He believed that once his reputation grew and he moved past his former self-doubt, he would be able to appear before her with dignity.

Lin Zhouci withdrew his gaze and rolled up the car window, isolating himself from all external sounds.

Ling Luo pretended to have her period and stayed at home for two days. However, just as she was truly supposed to go back to work, her period actually arrived. She took some medicine and drank brown sugar ginger tea before her body felt a bit more comfortable.

Ling Luo wanted to chat with the System, only to remember that it had shut down. There was no one to talk to. For a moment, a massive wave of loneliness washed over her, and her heart felt empty. During the years she was busy winning over Di Yu, she had never made a single true friend. Now that she wanted to find someone to talk to, she did not even have a sincere friend to listen.

Ling Luo picked up the red four-leaf clover bracelet on the nightstand and gripped it tightly in her hand. As long as her mother’s terminal illness was cured and she received the reward for a successful mission, she would start a new life and make more friends.

“Ding-dong!” “Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!”

The doorbell rang. Ling Luo furrowed her delicate brows, knowing that apart from Di Yu, no one else knew she lived here. She remained silent and pretended not to be home. Because of her period, she did not want to move; she only wanted to lie down.

Ling Luo looked at the surveillance footage at the door. Di Yu’s slender figure appeared on the screen. He looked up and stared at the camera for a full minute. Ling Luo felt a sense of trepidation as she met his gaze through the screen.

She immediately called Di Yu. “Go home. Stop coming to find me. I do not feel well right now, and I do not want to move around.”

Outside the door, Di Yu held his phone. The woman’s weak voice came through the receiver, sounding somewhere between a complaint and anger. Today was her period.

“I just want to see you. I will not do anything,” Di Yu said with a voice full of worry.

“I am going to sleep. Go home and stop pressing the doorbell. The noise is making me feel miserable.”

“Did you take your medicine?”

“I took it, I took it. I am not an idiot. I know how to take medicine when I feel bad. You are so annoying. Just go back quickly. I am hanging up.”

Ling Luo hung up the phone and turned on “Do Not Disturb” mode. After lying down for two minutes, she fell into a dreamland.

Outside the door, Di Yu put his phone back in his pocket. He had grown accustomed to staying by her side during her period, but it seemed she truly did not need him. She did not need him, and she did not want him. Di Yu lowered his eyelashes, masking the bitterness in his eyes. He composed himself and calmed down. Luo Luo was on her period and had a bad temper; he told himself he should not let his thoughts run wild because of it.

Ling Luo took an extra day off. Upon returning to the company, she immediately held a meeting with Lin Zhouci, recorded the meeting minutes, and arranged his schedule for the day.

Ling Luo entered the elevator with Lin Zhouci while reporting on the day’s work. Suddenly, the man in front of her collapsed.

“President Lin!” Ling Luo’s heart jumped into her throat. She hurriedly supported Lin Zhouci, and his entire weight pressed down on her. “What is wrong, President Lin?”

Leaning against her, Lin Zhouci’s head was very close to her shoulder, and his breathing grew heavier. Ling Luo immediately touched his forehead and felt his burning temperature. He was sick.

Ling Luo took him to the hospital. Lin Zhouci was dazed throughout the entire process, and his consciousness was blurry. He only remembered that fresh apple scent. After receiving an intravenous drip, his consciousness returned. He lifted his eyelids, and a slender white figure came into view. As the blurred image became clear and he saw Ling Luo’s exquisite face, Lin Zhouci’s lips curled up in an embarrassed smile.

“I am sorry for wasting your time.”

“Do not say things like that. I am your subordinate. Taking care of a sick boss counts as being on the clock,” Ling Luo said with a smile. She shook a shopping bag in front of him and then took out two boxes of fruit. They were pre-cut apples and oranges.

Lin Zhouci was very surprised.

“Oranges and apples can boost your immunity. President Lin, which one will you eat first?” Ling Luo’s almond eyes were dark and moist as she looked at him with a beaming smile.

Lin Zhouci’s gaze moved to the cut apples. As if possessed, he said, “Apples.”

Ling Luo opened the transparent packaging and handed him a disposable fork. “President Lin, take this.”

Lin Zhouci’s left hand was hooked to the intravenous line, but his right hand could move. He took the disposable fork from her and poked a piece of apple. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome.” Ling Luo sat in the seat next to him. One bottle of medicine took about thirty minutes to drip, and there were two more bottles to go. Ling Luo said in a gentle tone, “The two o’clock meeting has been pushed to tomorrow morning. I have already communicated with the partner regarding the four o’clock business banquet, and it has been moved to five o’clock tomorrow evening.”

“I am sorry. I have messed up the work schedule.”

“No matter how busy you are, you must rest more, eat more fruit, and eat well.” Ling Luo put down her phone. “As the saying goes, the body is the capital of revolution.”

The woman’s expression was gentle, and her exquisite face always wore a flawless, approachable smile.

Lin Zhouci’s Favorability: 45

“Mhm.” He bit into a piece of apple. The flesh was crisp and juicy, with a refreshing taste that felt sweet to his heart. He really liked this apple fragrance.

After getting sick, this was the first time someone had worried about him so much, cared for his health, and looked after every detail so thoroughly. Children from poor families grow up early; getting sick means spending money, and talk of money leads to arguments at home. In elementary school, he did not dare speak up when he was sick and simply endured it.

During his student days in high school, a very bright girl had actively approached him. Because their family backgrounds were different, he felt extremely insecure. In the winter of his senior year, while others wore thick clothes, he had no money for new ones. He wore a thin, faded school uniform and caught colds or fevers every few days. Faced with that girl’s confusion, he never showed his vulnerability. It seemed that only by doing so would he avoid being looked down upon by her.

Lin Zhouci’s Favorability: 50

Ling Luo’s eyes lit up. This was great! She hoped the male lead would get sick a few more times so his favorability would continue to rise.

However, she worried that once it finished rising, it might get stuck at a certain stage. Using this “providing warmth” method might not work forever. Ling Luo carefully recalled the process of winning over Di Yu. They had been ambiguous, had physical contact, and had confirmed their relationship. Right now, she was not yet ambiguous with the male lead; her position was still just a subordinate. How could she take the next step?

If she dated the male lead, then as for Di Yu. No! There was simply no way to break things off cleanly with Di Yu. Ling Luo’s gaze shifted to the red four-leaf clover bracelet on her wrist, and she stared at it for a long while.