I Revealed My True Identity After Confessing My Love - Chapter 8

Mr. Du had eaten the breakfast he prepared himself what a happy start to the new day!

Ye Nanning returned to her desk, feeling satisfied. She turned on her computer and made a plan for her day listing the tasks she needed to handle, prioritizing them by importance and time, and then started working in an orderly fashion.

Around 11 a.m., Yan Zhenghao suddenly came over to her desk. “Ye Nanning, what do you want for lunch? I’ll order with you.”

Ye Nanning lifted her head from the screen, intending to refuse, but he continued: “I’ve already ordered for the other interns. Let’s eat together, okay?”

If she refused again, it might look unfriendly. She thought for a moment and asked, “What are you guys eating?”

“Braised chicken.”

“Then I’ll have that too,” Ye Nanning said and lowered her head.

After Yan Zhenghao left, Xu Huan watched his back and giggled mischievously. “This guy’s not bad-looking. Did you guys know each other before?”

“Same school,” Ye Nanning replied.

“No wonder.”

Xu Huan didn’t elaborate, just chuckled twice and went back to work.

At lunchtime, both the pantry and the lounge were fairly crowded, with people either eating takeout or bringing their own meals.

A group of interns on this floor sat together eating braised chicken rice. After Ye Nanning got her meal, she overheard a girl say, “I’ve already transferred the money. Yan Zhenghao, remember to accept it.”

“No problem,” he replied.

Others also said they had transferred their money. Ye Nanning, having been busy with work, suddenly remembered and asked, “How much is it?”

Everyone looked at her.

Hu Hanqiao teased, “So you haven’t paid yet? Yan Zhenghao probably wouldn’t have collected from you anyway. Just keep it.”

Someone tugged at Hu Hanqiao, explaining, “Maybe Ye Nanning just forgot.”

“Yeah, forgetting is fine. It’s only a small amount, and Yan Zhenghao doesn’t need it,” Hu Hanqiao added.

Ye Nanning frowned, checked the takeout box, confirmed the price, and transferred the money to Yan Zhenghao, making sure to send the exact amount.

Yan Zhenghao glanced at the notification but didn’t open it.

“I’ve sent it,” Ye Nanning said calmly.

Hu Hanqiao chuckled. “Looks like he really didn’t intend to take it.”

Yan Zhenghao could only click “Accept” and smiled. “Next time, I’ll just set up a group payment.”

Everyone else agreed. Ye Nanning didn’t respond, thinking: There won’t be a next time.

During lunch, the interns chatted about their work progress over the past couple of days some happy, some anxious. Hu Hanqiao said, “I’m paired with Yan Zhenghao. We were high school classmates. Too bad he keeps getting praised now, and I’m lagging behind.”

Though her words sounded like a complaint, her smile revealed her true feelings. Those perceptive enough would know her attitude toward Yan Zhenghao.

Yan Zhenghao, however, seemed oblivious and smiled at Ye Nanning. “That’s because Manager Li is easygoing. But if you want to talk about who’s really capable, Ye Nanning is even better. I heard from Manager Li that VP Du is the toughest, once making an entire team cry in a meeting. But she’s been paying a lot of attention to Ye Nanning lately, even assigning her a deal, while I’m still stuck doing printing tasks.”

The interns exchanged glances, immediately understanding the dynamics among the three. They looked at Hu Hanqiao, who was visibly annoyed, poking at her food.

Yan Zhenghao’s admiration for Ye Nanning was obvious.

Yet Ye Nanning, the focus of the conversation, showed no expression, carefully picking at her food as if she were at home, not in the center of a storm.

A girl from University A broke the tension: “Actually, everyone here is capable. Competition is tough, and we made it here by chance. Don’t belittle yourselves.”

Ye Nanning suddenly stood up and closed her lunch box.

Everyone looked at her in surprise. “You’re done?” the girl asked.

Ye Nanning nodded.

“But you still have a lot left,” she said.

Ye Nanning thought that if she complained about the food being bad, she would get cold stares. She decided to say nothing, took the lunch box, and walked to the trash can.

“She’s so hard to get along with,” a girl from University C finally said. “So impressive, but she neither praises nor criticizes, doesn’t talk much so off-putting. Next time I won’t eat with her.”

Hu Hanqiao replied, “Me too, I’ll sit with you next time.”

Ye Nanning threw away the food, silently adding this takeout place to her blacklist. Expensive and bad-tasting the chicken was dry, the sauce salty. The only decent thing was the rice.

She checked the time she could still go downstairs and find something to eat.

In the elevator, she ran into Du Xiran. Du Xiran asked, “Where are you going?”

Ye Nanning hurried into the elevator, the doors about to close, and tried to answer, but Du Xiran had already left.

She quickly sent a WeChat message: [Going to buy food]

Ye Nanning stared at the three words, smacking her forehead. After thinking so much about what to say, this was the first message she sent so abrupt and confusing. She was sure Du Xiran would find it strange.

Du Xiran frowned at the message why was she only going to eat now?

Back at her office, Du Xiran grabbed her thermos to get water. The water dispenser was outside, in a small corner where people could eat and chat.

Only two girls were left. One sounded familiar. “I really can’t stand her. So green knowing Zhenghao likes her but she neither accepts nor rejects him. And she doesn’t pay for lunch herself. Is she trying to toy with him?”

The gossip was too much. Du Xiran ignored it and was about to leave. But then they mentioned one of her interns.

The other girl said, “I just don’t like Ye Nanning’s personality so pretentious. Does she look down on us from University C?”

“Who wouldn’t, given her looks. Even in cheap clothes, she acts so high and mighty,” Hu Hanqiao said.

“I heard from two girls at University B that Ye Nanning dressed well in school,” the first girl added.

“I saw it on the B University forum. Someone saw her getting out of a man’s luxury car. He even handed her a limited edition bag. Many suspect she’s being ‘kept,’” Hu Hanqiao said discreetly. “Didn’t you see her leave half her meal? So precious, she can’t even eat this takeout.”

At that moment, a voice came from outside. Someone had tapped the water dispenser.

“The machine keeps breaking. Can’t control its mouth?” Du Xiran muttered and left.

Ye Nanning wandered downstairs. Popular restaurants were crowded, so she bought two rice balls at a convenience store and sat by the window to eat.

Her phone rang twice. It was Du Xiran.

She quickly opened it.

Du Xiran: [I ordered takeout from Mingji. Since you’re downstairs, can you pick it up for me?]

Ye Nanning went to the address. Carrying two rice balls was inconvenient, so she threw them in the nearby trash and ran to pick up the food.

In the elevator, she checked her reflection to make sure she looked presentable, took a deep breath, and walked confidently into Du Xiran’s office.

“You’re here,” Du Xiran said, working on her computer. “Did you get everything?”

“Yes,” Ye Nanning said, putting the food down. Just as she was about to open it for her, Du Xiran said, “Wait.”

“?” Ye Nanning replied.

“I’m going to meet a client and won’t eat now. Can you eat it for me?” Du Xiran packed her bag.

“This doesn’t seem right!” Ye Nanning thought.

“You haven’t eaten yet,” she said timidly.

Du Xiran patted her full stomach. “Silly, I’m going to meet a client. How can I just sit without eating?”

Ye Nanning understood. “Oh, right. Thanks, Du.”

As Du Xiran left, she suddenly paused, then turned back. “By the way… have you ever been in a serious relationship?”

Ye Nanning looked confused, then her eyes trembled slightly in panic. Could Du Xiran have discovered her crush?

She lowered her head, quickly trying to organize her words in her mind, hoping she wouldn’t be ‘fired’ in a nightmare scenario.

Seeing this, Du Xiran sighed inwardly. “And now? Are you single or…”

“Single,” Ye Nanning blurted out.

“That’s good. You know your salary, right?”

Ye Nanning nodded.

“Even as interns, your pay is higher than many others. As long as you work hard, you’ll get what you deserve. Understand?”

Ye Nanning nodded. She understood the logic, but what did it have to do with her love life?

“Work hard,” Du Xiran reminded.

Ye Nanning nodded.

After meeting her client, Du Xiran returned around 4 p.m. She noticed the leftover takeout on the desk. Looking closer, she saw half the meal left in a clean box with a sticky note:

If you’re still hungry, heat it up. It’s really tasty.

Du Xiran took the note, feeling slightly hungry. She poured the food into a glass bowl and went to the pantry to heat it. Manager Li came to get water and smiled, “Having lunch during afternoon tea time, huh?”

Du Xiran glanced at Ye Nanning across the office, who was focused on her computer, and said with some pride, “Interns can be so thoughtful. Can’t compare with those chatty interns.”

Manager Li: “No need to diss others.”