The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The CEO and Her Canary

◎Mixing Business with Pleasure◎

Lou Bianxia’s fingers paused, and her thick eyelashes lowered. This was the second time Jian Ke had asked to come see her, and from the husky, low voice, she could tell the younger woman was not in a good mood. Had someone bullied her again?

She lightly bit her lower lip, smudging the vivid color with a ring of white, and the enticing voice echoed in her ears again.

Jian Ke: “Can I come find you?”

Resigned, Lou Bianxia raised a hand and pressed the space between her eyebrows. The full day of intense work had left her exhausted, but when she heard Jian Ke’s voice on the phone, she felt the fatigue drain away and her emotions soften.

“Come,” she heard herself reply without hesitation.

After hanging up, Lou Bianxia couldn’t help but sigh. It was no wonder that in all the celebrity gossip she saw, four out of five CEOs were flirting with their lovers during work breaks. It really was the best way to de-stress.

Lou Bianxia’s gaze returned to the documents in front of her, but the cool, serious look on her face had softened, revealing a touch of warmth.

Chen Chang, who was standing nearby, noticed this and unconsciously tightened her grip on the documents she was holding. She walked over, handed them to Lou Bianxia, and asked casually, “Is someone coming?”

Lou Bianxia took the documents but didn’t answer. “You can go home. There isn’t much work left. I’ll finish it.”

Chen Chang forced a smile. “Two people can finish it faster. I’ve already stayed this long to work overtime with you, so a little more won’t hurt.”

Lou Bianxia: “Go home. You still have to follow up on the Dingtai project tomorrow.”

“Xiaoxiao is keeping an eye on it. As soon as they agree, I’ll inform you immediately.”

Lou Bianxia looked up, her deep, clear eyes seeming to see everything, leaving no room for emotions or thoughts to hide. Chen Chang’s throat tightened, and she uncomfortably turned her head, forcing a smile. “Then I’ll head home, Ms. Lou…”

Lou Bianxia clasped her hands on the desk, her chin slightly raised. “How have you been considering the offer to transfer you to the branch company to be a general manager?”

This businesslike tone was completely different from the gentle and warm way she had spoken on the phone. Chen Chang felt a surge of unhappiness inside. She clenched her teeth and looked at Lou Bianxia. “Are you transferring me because you think I’ve done something wrong, Ms. Lou?”

Lou Bianxia: “No. You’ve done a great job these past years, and I’m very satisfied. That’s why I thought of sending you to Fengyu. With your abilities, being a small assistant to me is a waste of your talent.”

“The general manager position offers several times the salary of an assistant. You don’t need to stay here.”

“But I just want to be by your side.” Chen Chang’s eyes were red, and she trembled as she took a step forward, her obsession and infatuation with Lou Bianxia on full display.

But Lou Bianxia showed no reaction to her words, not even a hint of surprise.

“I’ve been by your side for so many years, hoping that one day when you look back, you would see me first.” She pleaded with the woman sitting in the office chair, as if hoping for even a sliver of affection. But there was none. When she met Lou Bianxia’s eyes, as cold as snow in the twelfth lunar month, she felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.

The woman was a high-and-mighty, cold, and beautiful blue rose blooming in a thicket of thorns. She radiated a cool fragrance, and her delicate petals blossomed with a seductive beauty that incited greed and a desire to pluck her. Stepping over the crisscrossing thorns, the intense pain felt like it was embedded in her bones. But when she looked at that impossibly beautiful creature, the pain seemed to be forgotten, replaced by desire and greed. But roses have thorns. Anyone who dared to covet and touch her would be stabbed and left bloody by those barbs.

Chen Chang heard Lou Bianxia’s final judgment of her: “Go over next month. I’ll notify HR in advance.” The cold attitude was no different from when she was giving orders in a meeting. But when she was talking to that Jian Ke, she was so gentle and caring.

“What’s the reason for the transfer? If I don’t agree, the company can’t just transfer me for no reason, can it?” After all, Chen Chang had been with Lou Bianxia for so many years and was a veteran employee of the company.

Lou Bianxia didn’t even blink. “The company doesn’t need people who mix business with pleasure.”

“Mixing business with pleasure?” Chen Chang wiped away the tears on her cheeks and looked directly at Lou Bianxia. “Who is the one mixing business with pleasure? The person on the phone just now was Jian Ke, wasn’t it? The company is a place for work, but you keep having Ms. Jian come here. Isn’t that mixing business with pleasure?”

When Lou Bianxia heard her suddenly mention Jian Ke, she frowned. “She hasn’t come to the company that often, and she hasn’t disturbed anything. Besides, what’s between her and me is none of your business.”

Chen Chang gritted her teeth in anger. “I know, Jian Ke is a replacement for Ms. Shu. But you’re willing to speak so gently to a replacement, yet you can’t give me even a little bit of affection?!”

Lou Bianxia crossed her arms, her beautiful, rosy lips uttering a cold sentence. “You can’t compare to her.”

A handful of sincerity shattered into a floor full of glass. It turned out that her worth in Lou Bianxia’s heart was less than that of a mere replacement.

“Chen Chang, you are my assistant. I appreciate all your contributions to the company over the years, and the company has never mistreated you. This transfer is all benefit and no harm to you. I hope you can think it through.”

Lou Bianxia had always only seen Chen Chang as a subordinate. Even when she occasionally realized Chen Chang had different feelings for her, she never felt a single ripple in her heart. Chen Chang had always been a loyal employee and hadn’t crossed any boundaries, so Lou Bianxia had pretended not to notice. But ever since Jian Ke appeared, Chen Chang’s series of actions made her realize that some things had to be resolved.

Chen Chang left, and Lou Bianxia was alone in the office. The sound of her keyboard was especially loud in the quiet space. Lou Bianxia stretched, checked the time, and realized Jian Ke should be arriving soon.

…

Jian Ke arrived at the bottom of the Suimou Building with the congee she had cooked. She was about to text Lou Bianxia that she had arrived when she ran into Chen Chang, who was coming out of the elevator.

“Assistant Chen?” Jian Ke called out. “I’m here to bring some congee to Ms. Lou. Could you please swipe the elevator for me?”

As she got closer, Jian Ke keenly noticed that Chen Chang wasn’t looking well. Her eyes were red and wet, and she was carrying a large, heavy-looking cardboard box filled with things.

Was she—fired?

Chen Chang scrutinized Jian Ke’s face, her eyes filled with a murky expression. “You should give up your little schemes. If it weren’t for that face, Ms. Lou wouldn’t even look at you twice.”

If Jian Ke hadn’t detected the sour jealousy in Chen Chang’s words, she would have wasted all these years. She raised an eyebrow and replied, “That’s right. A face is a good thing. If you have a good face, there will always be people who are willing to go along with your schemes. Unlike some people who can have schemes, but no one cares.”

Chen Chang’s face stiffened, then she curled her lips in a sneer. “Do you really think that just because Ms. Lou is a little nice to you, she genuinely likes you? The fact that she can be so patient with a replacement shows how deeply in love she is with the real person.”

“She’s been so obsessed for all these years, and she even found a replacement.” Chen Chang’s tone was sad and bleak. “Jian Ke, we are both losers, because the only winner is Shu Yu.”

Jian Ke seemed completely unfazed by her words. She reached up and took Chen Chang’s employee badge from her chest. “Now, in front of her, there is only Jian Ke, not Shu Yu.”

“Who’s the loser and who’s the winner? There’s no definite conclusion. How do you know that I won’t be the next winner?”

Chen Chang pursed her lips, looking at Jian Ke’s confident smile. It was the first time she realized she had misjudged her. This Jian Ke was more ambitious and braver than she had ever imagined.

“It seems we won’t see each other again. Good luck, Assistant Chen.”

The blue rose bloomed quietly in the thicket of thorns, fragrant and solitary. The silver moonlight spilled onto the delicate, soft petals, like a noble beauty from a painting, dignified and pure, not to be plucked.

Why would anyone want to pluck it? Such sacred beauty, blooming in the thicket of thorns, swaying gracefully, should never wither. And she was meant to become those thickets of thorns, intertwining with it, her roots and thorns embraced within, kissing it, entangling with it, and holding it until the end.

Jian Ke walked into the office. Lou Bianxia was dozing, half-lying on her arm. Her black hair, like soft moonlight, was spread across her back. Her side profile was revealed, her sleeping face serene and beautiful. Her soft, pink lips were full and round, inviting a deep kiss. Their breaths intertwined intimately. Lou Bianxia seemed to sense something, and she half-opened her eyes—

And felt a warmth on her lips.

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