Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: “She is Going to Leave Sooner or Later.”

 

After being out for four or five hours for work, Jiang Zhi returned to the office and noticed that the atmosphere was very tense.

 

Jiang Zhi walked up to a colleague she knew well and lowered her voice: “Why is the atmosphere strange? Did something happen?”

 

The colleague also lowered their voice, replying: “What else could happen? Your little troublemaker is causing a scene again.”

 

“Your little troublemaker” was a common jest among colleagues recently. Firstly, because Jiang Zhi was responsible for “managing” Lin Anran, and secondly, because Lin Anran certainly lived up to the name sometimes.

 

She was truly capable of making trouble, the kind that never stopped.

 

Jiang Zhi: “Who provoked her this time?”

 

The colleague chuckled: “Does yours need to be provoked to throw a fit?”

 

Jiang Zhi: “…”

 

The colleague’s remark… seemed to make sense, actually.

 

Jiang Zhi scanned the office area for Lin Anran but didn’t see her.

 

“Stop looking. She’s throwing a tantrum in the editor-in-chief’s office,” the colleague motioned for her to sit down and lowered their voice even further:

 

“Let me tell you, Lin Anran isn’t throwing a tantrum for no reason this time; something genuinely upset her. I advise you to walk around outside for a while, pretend you don’t know about this, and only come back when she’s cooled down a bit. That way, she won’t vent all her anger on you.”

 

Jiang Zhi frowned upon hearing this, and only after her colleague finished explaining the whole situation did she understand what had just happened.

 

It turned out that the editor-in-chief had given Lin Anran a draft to write, but simultaneously, the editor-in-chief had given the exact same assignment to another girl.

 

It was essentially two people writing one article, with the better one to be chosen upon completion.

 

Lin Anran inadvertently found out about this and started a massive fit, claiming that the editor-in-chief didn’t trust her, wasn’t sincerely giving her the job, and had decided she would fail before she even started writing by having a backup ready.

 

Our Miss Lin couldn’t tolerate this and immediately caused a huge ruckus.

 

The colleague whispered in her ear: “That young lady causes trouble even when she has no reason. Now that she’s found a real excuse, who knows how bad it will get,”

 

“Even though you get paid for this, don’t be silly and go in when the air is thickest with gunpowder. Hide for a bit, then go comfort her when she’s mostly calm. That way, it’s not neglecting your duty…”

 

Before the colleague could finish, Jiang Zhi was already heading toward the editor-in-chief’s office.

 

“Hey, you’re going now? Are you crazy? I just wasted my breath talking to you.”

 

Jiang Zhi smiled at her colleague: “It’s fine, I’m just going to take a look.”

 

The colleague was utterly baffled by this move. Going to “take a look” now? This was clearly putting her head on the chopping block.

 

“Come back! Come back! Are you really being stupid?” The colleague didn’t dare to yell and could only urgently wave her hand, speaking in a very low voice.

 

“Don’t worry about things that aren’t your business,” a male colleague who didn’t get along with Jiang Zhi said gleefully: “If she wants to go, let her go. Just wait and watch the show.”

 

The colleague glared at him: “Shut your mouth.”

 

The male colleague scoffed, rolled his eyes, and looked towards the editor-in-chief’s office, anticipating the drama.

 

Everyone assumed Lin Anran would definitely take all her anger out on Jiang Zhi, absolutely tearing her apart. Her ending was bound to be miserable.

 

After all, Lin Anran was notoriously difficult to handle, especially when her temper was at its peak.

 

One minute later, Jiang Zhi half-pulled, half-dragged Lin Anran out of the office.

 

“What are you doing? Can’t you see I’m reasoning with her? She asks me to write a draft but doesn’t trust me? What does she mean by finding a substitute? Stop pulling! Why are you pulling me? Let go of me! I’m not leaving!!”

 

Lin Anran was like a furious cat with teeth and claws extended, ready to scratch anyone who came near.

 

Yet, this enraged cat was currently being held by the collar of her jacket—gripped by the scruff of her neck by fate itself—and dragged away by Jiang Zhi.

 

The onlookers looked at each other.

 

“Did she just drag her away?”

 

“Looks like it.”

 

“Lin Anran let herself be dragged away so obediently?”

 

“She wasn’t exactly obedient; she was swearing constantly, her mouth never stopped.”

 

“But she didn’t physically resist, did she?”

 

At least her scratching claws didn’t land on Jiang Zhi.

 

Everyone fell into an awkward silence.

 

The person no one could subdue suddenly seemed to have a natural enemy…

 

“Jiang Yi, whose side are you on? I’m arguing with someone, why didn’t you help me? Not only did you not help, you dragged me away! What do you mean by that…”

 

In the pantry, Lin Anran chirped and cursed continuously. Several minutes passed without a break; her mouth must have been dry.

 

Jiang Zhi remained silent throughout, until she finished brewing the coffee and placed it in front of Lin Anran.

 

Lin Anran’s cursing immediately ceased.

 

She looked at the coffee, intending to pretend she didn’t care, but the gulp of saliva she just swallowed betrayed her.

 

“Stop trying to act tough. Drink it and cool down.” Jiang Zhi pushed the cup into her hand.

 

Lin Anran huffed awkwardly: “Don’t think one cup of coffee will make me calm down. I’m going back to reason with her later.”

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t argue with her, just motioned for her to drink the coffee quickly.

 

Lin Anran blew on the coffee, took a small sip, and her eyes slightly narrowed. Yes, this is the flavor she liked.

 

Then she realized Jiang Zhi was staring, and immediately glared back.

 

Jiang Zhi tactfully withdrew her gaze.

 

Lin Anran turned her back, preventing Jiang Zhi from seeing her, and continued to drink with a “glug-glug” sound.

 

So delicious.

 

She loved it.

 

It was so delicious that she had forgotten all about being angry a moment ago.

 

Jiang Zhi leaned against the pantry counter. Seeing that the time was right, she started talking: “I know you’re angry. You researched so much material for that draft, and you genuinely wanted to write it well.”

 

The little cat, drinking coffee with her back turned, immediately spun around: “Right? You also think Zhou Qingye is terrible, don’t you? How hard I work, and she didn’t have faith in me from the beginning? Finding a substitute—what does Zhou Qingye mean by finding a substitute?”

 

She got angrier the more she spoke, ready to smash the cup, but she seemed reluctant to destroy the delicious coffee and silently stopped the movement.

 

Jiang Zhi was adept at the art of coaxing a cat. First, she aligned herself with Lin Anran, empathizing with her and joining her in cursing Zhou Qingye. After a while, she changed the subject.

 

“But speaking of which, the editor-in-chief probably isn’t targeting you specifically. For column drafts, regardless of who writes them, two people often work on it simultaneously. It’s healthy competition, and they choose the best one in the end. Doesn’t our Miss Lin have confidence? Do you think you can’t beat the other person?”

 

She summarized the situation, then reasoned with her, and finally, she subtly provoked her at the end.

 

Her cat-coaxing routine was highly refined—frankly, it was no different from comforting a child.

 

As expected, Lin Anran fell for it: “How could I not beat someone else? I’m so brilliant! How could I possibly fail to write a measly draft well? Just wait. I’ll write something definitely better than the others!”

 

Jiang Zhi immediately agreed: “Exactly. I think so too. With how brilliant you are, they’ll definitely choose your draft in the end.”

 

Lin Anran was fired up with fighting spirit. She finished her coffee in one gulp and returned to work, energized.

 

The colleague sneaked into the pantry, watching outside while quietly asking: “Resolved?”

 

Jiang Zhi leisurely took a sip of water: “Resolved.”

 

The colleague was stunned for a moment, then gave her a thumbs-up: “You’re getting better and better.”

 

“Not really,” Jiang Zhi said genuinely: “She only seems to have a bad temper and appear unreasonable. Once you spend time with her, you realize she’s quite easy to coax, just like a child.”

 

“Easy to coax? A child? She caused chaos all half-day while you were gone. No one could calm her down. I’ve realized this job truly has to be done by you. Only you can successfully coax her.”

 

Jiang Zhi shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

 

Lin Anran might seem arrogant, unreasonable, or even tyrannical to others, but in reality, she was very simple and pure, provided you had patience and used the right methods.

 

Perhaps out of practice, Jiang Zhi was becoming more and more skilled at dealing with Lin Anran.

 

After work, Lin Anran skillfully walked over to the electric scooter, skillfully put on the helmet, and skillfully pinched a corner of Jiang Zhi’s clothes.

 

Everything felt natural and routine.

 

Upon arriving at the convenience store where Jiang Zhi worked part-time, she skillfully walked to the window seating area, skillfully sprayed mosquito repellent, and skillfully grabbed instant noodles.

 

“Didn’t you just eat dinner?” Jiang Zhi watched her grabbing the instant noodles.

 

“So what if I ate? Can’t I still be hungry?” She had initially tried to sneak them, but once caught, she became self-righteous.

 

Jiang Zhi seriously refused: “No, you cannot. You can’t eat this junk food every day.”

 

Lin Anran’s lips drooped. She looked at Jiang Zhi with a resentful and pitiful expression, like a kitten at home asking for snacks or dried meat and being denied.

 

Jiang Zhi truly found it hard to refuse.

 

In the end, Jiang Zhi gave in. Not only did she brew instant noodles for her, but she also added another cup of coffee.

 

Lin Anran was satisfied now, happily eating and drinking by the window. Her happiness was visible even from her back.

 

Jiang Zhi shook her head helplessly. She really had fallen in love with these two things and never tired of them.

 

During her shift, Jiang Zhi occasionally looked up at the person by the window. Over time, she felt a vague sense of distraction.

 

She was distracted by the thought that this person sitting by the convenience store window, this person who had only been with her for less than half a month, might accompany her for a long, long time in the future.

 

Just then, Lin Anran turned around. Against the light from outside the window, her exquisite and beautiful face looked like someone from a different dimension who had appeared here.

 

Lin Anran seemed impatient from waiting and shouted something abusive at her.

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t quite catch what she said.

 

Jiang Zhi silently lowered her head and gave a self-deprecating smile. What was she thinking? Lin Anran was a corporate heiress cherished by thousands. How could she possibly stay with her for long? She didn’t belong here.

 

She was just a very, very brief stopover.

She is going to leave sooner or later.