My Childhood Friend, Who Is An Omega, Has Become My Personal Secretary - Chapter 45

The band of the ring was carved with water ripples, with tiny broken diamonds embedded between the textures.

After leaving Zhang Linen, Ji Zeyuan did not go home immediately. She sat dazed in her car for half an hour before driving to a jewelry store.

It was already very late. When Ji Zeyuan first entered the door, the front desk clerk reminded her: “I’m sorry, Miss, our store is closed.”

Ji Zeyuan looked at the dazzling array of samples in the counter with some regret and smiled politely: “Sorry to disturb you.”

At this moment, the store manager stepped out from a partition. Seeing Ji Zeyuan, the manager first glared at the clerk and then hurried forward to greet her: “President Ji, it is truly an honor. For you to grace our humble shop at such a late hour—I must personally attend to you. What would you like to see?”

Ji Zeyuan paused her steps, her eyes shimmering, and said: “I want to look at rings.”

The manager forgot to manage her expression for a moment, her eyes widening in shock.

“Yes, yes, I will bring them for you to see right away!” The manager turned to the clerk and said: “Bring out those styles from the warehouse.”

The clerk nodded and followed the instruction. The manager hurriedly flattered her: “President Ji, please sit in our VIP room and wait for a moment.”

Inside the VIP room, the manager brought over brewed tea. It was high-quality Maojian, but Ji Zeyuan did not like green tea; she merely took two sips for the sake of appearance and set it down.

“Which finger will President Ji be wearing it on?” the manager asked with a smile. Ji Zeyuan said very naturally: “The ring finger. I want a pair.”

The manager experienced a second wave of shock, nearly dropping her jaw to the floor. She hurriedly adjusted her expression and smiled: “Yes, I will go get them for you immediately.”

The knee-high water-ripple coffee table was covered with various rings, and there were several booklets to the side. The manager introduced: “The stock in the store is limited. If President Ji is willing to wait, there are many custom designs in this book.”

After flipping through the booklet, Ji Zeyuan’s finger stopped on a diamond ring with a water-ripple carved band, tiny diamonds embedded in the textures, and a crown-shaped base. She asked: “If I want this one, how long will I have to wait?”

The manager said: “For this one, an ordinary customer might have to wait about a year to get it. But if President Ji wants it, I can arrange to move it forward for you. You can have it in about three months.”

Ji Zeyuan didn’t think for long before saying: “I’ll take this one.”

The manager couldn’t stop smiling and took the opportunity to introduce several other pieces of jewelry. Ji Zeyuan looked at a few necklaces and bracelets, buying everything she thought would suit Zhang Linen.

Coming out of the store, Ji Zeyuan had just put the purchased jewelry into the car when a clothing store nearby that was still lit up caught her eye.

The clothing shop was very low-key and simple, and the place was small—one could see the end of it at a glance.

The Beta auntie tending the shop saw that Ji Zeyuan was dressed elegantly and noticed the luxury watch on her wrist. She secretly rejoiced in her heart: Oh, a big fish.

Ji Zeyuan stood in front of the window, her gaze fixed on a pleated dress with an unusual style, and said: “Wrap this dress up for me.”

The auntie was even happier, thinking: Truly a wealthy person, she doesn’t even ask the price.

When paying, the auntie said: “One thousand eight hundred.” In reality, the cost of this dress was no more than two hundred.

Ji Zeyuan took out her credit card, but the auntie hurriedly said: “Oh, we don’t swipe cards here, scan the code.”

As she spoke, she pointed to the QR code pasted on the counter. Ji Zeyuan didn’t use these often; it was the auntie who helped her find the scan button.

Ji Zeyuan walked out of the store carrying the clothes and saw a G.C. shop still lit up along the street. She remembered that Zhang Linen loved desserts and instinctively wanted to buy some. After taking two steps, she suddenly remembered that Zhang Linen was currently at her own home; even if she bought them, Linen wouldn’t be able to eat them.

So Ji Zeyuan returned to the car, but a breeze swept by, carrying the scent of baking into the car. She looked toward the lit G.C. store, thought for a moment, and opened the car door to walk over.

“Welcome, what would you like?” The tired clerk greeted her with little enthusiasm, looking down.

Ji Zeyuan scanned the various breads in the glass cabinet, pondered for a moment, and said: “One of every flavor of croissant.”

The clerk looked up and was stunned by Ji Zeyuan’s appearance. After a moment, she said with a slight stutter: “Okay, okay.”

The clerk then used food tongs to pack the croissants one by one into paper bags, and after packing them into a large carrier bag, handed them all to Ji Zeyuan.

Ji Zeyuan took the bag and was about to turn and leave when the clerk suddenly stopped her.

“Excuse me, are you single right now?”

Ji Zeyuan caught the faint pink on the clerk’s cheeks, and a strange sense of joy surged in her heart. She curled her lips into a shallow smile and said: “No, I have a girlfriend.”

The clerk nodded with some disappointment and smiled: “Sorry to bother you. I wish you and your girlfriend eternal happiness.”

Ji Zeyuan froze for two seconds, then smiled and nodded solemnly.

Back in the car, the streetlights shone through the windshield. Ji Zeyuan was blinded by the light and lowered her head. She caught sight of the mountain of shopping bags beside her, and her heart suddenly felt a bit aching.

She didn’t want to go home like this.

At least tonight, she didn’t want to sleep alone in an empty room.

Ji Zeyuan started the car, her gaze somber as she drove toward the destination in her heart.

As she climbed the stairs, the sensor lights in the hallway lit up one by one and turned off one by one as she moved away.

Ji Zeyuan hesitated in front of the door, struggling as she raised her hand and then lowered it. She repeated this two or three times before finally gathering the courage to knock on the door.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Ji Zeyuan was secretly counting the seconds in her heart. Just as she was about to reach the fourth second, the door opened. Zhang Linen, wearing pajamas, came into view. Her pupils trembled.

“Xiao En, I want to be with you.”

The soft sound of the wind whistled gently in their ears. The two stood in silence, looking at each other quietly.

Zhang Linen frowned and opened her mouth, her expression conflicted, as if she wanted to refuse. Ji Zeyuan’s gaze was earnest; she reached out to stroke Zhang Linen’s chin and whispered: “I accidentally bought a lot of things for you just now.”

Another silence followed. Zhang Linen pursed her lips, her brow drooping as she said: “I’ll go to your place.”

Ji Zeyuan’s joy was beyond words. She leaned down and kissed Zhang Linen’s forehead, saying: “Mhm, let’s go.”

Zhang Linen said: “I’ll change my clothes first.”

A moment later, Zhang Linen changed into a casual white tracksuit with double blue stripes.

Ji Zeyuan stayed very close to Zhang Linen, as if she wanted to stick to her. One moment she was touching Zhang Linen’s semi-dry hair, and the next she was stroking her small earlobe.

“By the way, what about the takeout from just now? Did you eat it?” Ji Zeyuan asked suddenly. When the takeout arrived earlier, the two of them hadn’t had the chance to get it, and Ji Zeyuan had forgotten about its existence when she left. When she came back just now, there seemed to be no sign of it at the door.

Zhang Linen said: “I brought it inside, but I didn’t eat it. It’s already cold.”

Ji Zeyuan said: “Then why didn’t you bring it down and throw it away? If you’re not at home, won’t it stink?”

Zhang Linen gave a soft sigh and said: “Then let’s go back and get it.”

So the two of them, having just reached the second floor, went back up, took the cold takeout down, and threw it into the trash can.

“I bought a lot of croissants,” Ji Zeyuan said. A gust of wind blew, making her shiver from the cold. Thinking that Zhang Linen’s body was so thin and she must be even colder, she took Zhang Linen’s hand and held it in her palm.

Zhang Linen had just finished reading the diary she had written in the past and was feeling a bit restless. It wasn’t until they reached the car and she saw the mountain of shopping bags in the passenger seat that she suddenly snapped back to her senses.

“What are all these?” Zhang Linen asked.

Ji Zeyuan kissed Zhang Linen’s right cheek and smiled shallowly: “There are croissants, and the others you can see for yourself.”

After getting into the car, Zhang Linen opened them one by one. Ji Zeyuan watched Zhang Linen’s reaction with quiet excitement from the side, but the expected smile did not appear. Zhang Linen’s eyes darkened, her brow furrowed tightly, and her face carried a hint of anger.

“Don’t give me these things!” Zhang Linen growled, and then threw all the items toward Ji Zeyuan, pushed the door open, and slammed it shut heavily as she got out.

Ji Zeyuan hurriedly followed her out of the car. Although she was confused, she apologized repeatedly: “I’m sorry, Xiao En, I won’t give them to you anymore. Please don’t be angry.”

Zhang Linen paused and looked back. She looked at Ji Zeyuan with a complex gaze, and then hung her head again.

“I just felt they suited you, so I bought them for you,” Ji Zeyuan explained softly and carefully. Zhang Linen’s expression softened slightly. She sighed softly and said slowly, word by word: “Xiao Yuan, you should go back by yourself tonight. I will go to the company tomorrow morning to pack my things first, and then I will go find you.”

After saying that, Zhang Linen walked away without looking back. Ji Zeyuan chased after her for two steps and then stopped, finally returning to her car reluctantly, looking back with every step.

…

The next day, when Zhang Linen finished packing and went downstairs, she was stunned to see that Ji Zeyuan’s car was still downstairs. She immediately quickened her pace. Walking up to the car and looking through the front windshield, she saw Ji Zeyuan lying back in the driver’s seat, sleeping.

Knock, knock, knock. Ji Zeyuan was woken by the sound of someone knocking on the window. She rubbed her eyes and looked to the side; Zhang Linen was standing at the door. The gloom from last night had vanished, replaced by her usual calmness.

Ji Zeyuan hurriedly opened the car door and asked: “Are you still angry?”

Zhang Linen shook her head. She looked inside the car; the floor at Ji Zeyuan’s feet was a mess. Ji Zeyuan had not yet picked up the things Zhang Linen had thrown to the floor last night.

“Yesterday was my fault.” Zhang Linen’s brow was furrowed with regret. Ji Zeyuan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: “No, it was me, it was me. As long as you aren’t angry anymore.”

Zhang Linen forced a smile, but her heart was still heavy.

On the way to the headquarters, neither of them said another word.

When they were one block away from the headquarters, Zhang Linen said: “Stop here for a moment, I’ll get out.”

Ji Zeyuan didn’t ask why; she just silently stopped the car and let Zhang Linen out. After that, when the two met at the headquarters, they didn’t even greet each other, acting as if they were strangers.

Zhang Linen went to her former office to pack her things. Walking through the corridor, she ran into many of her former subordinates. Many were as respectful as before, while a small number of people were sycophants who whispered and seemed to be gossiping about her as they passed.

However, Zhang Linen did not take these matters to heart. She felt relieved seeing that everyone’s attitude toward Ji Zeyuan remained the same. After packing her old belongings, she sorted out a significant portion of things that could be thrown away as trash and put them all into a cardboard box.

Zhang Linen carried the box toward the trash room. Passing through the stairwell, she suddenly heard a familiar voice. She instinctively looked up, and through the crack in the stairwell door, she saw Hua Jianjiu cornering Li Ziruo against the wall, questioning her with a flushed face and bulging veins.

“Zhao Yan… she’s only been at the company for how long, and you’ve already hooked up with her?”