Chapter 25

The two returned to the Minghua Group parking lot, and as soon as they got out of the car, they immediately drew the attention of their colleagues who were already at work.

Deputy Minister Lin actually came to work in Assistant Ning's car, which further solidified the rumor that the two were a couple.

However, what caught even more attention was yet to come. A red Ferrari screeched into the lot, and Zheng Longqing, still in his white suit and red bow tie, got out of the car and quickly circled around to open the door on the other side.

Qiao Yun, cold and radiant, got out of the car, but she had already changed into a business suit. Zheng Longqing seemed to be a gentleman escorting her.

The onlookers almost dropped their jaws. They had never heard or seen Qiao Yun have any romantic relationship with any man. Today, she was personally brought to work by a handsome man, what did this mean?

Some people had already recognized this handsome man as Zheng Longqing, the president of Shengqing Group, but they were not very clear about the enmity between the two companies. They couldn't help but exclaim that they were a perfect match.

"I'll pick you up after work!" Zheng Longqing said to Qiao Yun with a faint smile.

As soon as these words were spoken, the hearts of the men present were instantly shattered. They all lamented in their hearts that the first beauty of Donghai was already taken.

Qiao Yun made no response, neither agreeing nor refusing, clearly indicating her acceptance. She was about to turn and leave when she inadvertently caught sight of Ning Lan and Lin Zixian getting out of another car. Her gaze paused for a moment, then she coldly walked towards the executive elevator.

After Qiao Yun's beautiful back disappeared into the elevator, Zheng Longqing glanced around, smiled politely at everyone, and then got back into his car and drove away.

Lin Zixian's lips twitched. He couldn't help but wonder if Qiao Yun had spent the night in the same room with him and Ning Lan, just like he had. If that were true, it would be like a beautiful flower on a pile of cow dung, making him want to vomit.

Ning Lan came to her senses and greeted Lin Zixian. The two then went their separate ways.

Rumors spread quickly, and before long, the news that Qiao Yun was dating the president of Shengqing Group, Zheng Longqing, was all over the place... The first beauty of Donghai was taken!

Deputy Minister Lin was in a bad mood and had no interest in patrolling.

After changing into his security uniform, he sat in the large office of the Security Department, facing the employee board on the wall, comparing his own photo with others. No matter how he looked at it, he thought he was better looking than the others, but why did he get beaten while others got to kiss the beauty?

At this moment, Duan Jiye, who had been patrolling, returned. Seeing Lin Zixian, he immediately whispered mysteriously in his ear, "Did you hear? The general manager has a boyfriend, and it's Zheng Longqing, the president of Shengqing Group."

"Old Duan, you're a big department head, why are you spreading such baseless gossip like a woman?" Deputy Minister Lin was somewhat unhappy. This didn't sound like something a subordinate should say to a superior.

Duan Jiye laughed awkwardly, realizing that as the head of the Security Department, he shouldn't be spreading rumors about the general manager.

Actually, the Security Department had little business, and overall, it was quite relaxed. The two department heads chatted and boasted in the office, and when it was time for lunch, they went to the company cafeteria together for their work meal.

Lin Zixian found this life quite comfortable. He thought, "A small hermit hides in the wild, a great hermit hides in the city. This way of life is pretty good, anyway, I'm not short of money."

When the employees in the cafeteria saw the two enter, they all showed a hint of respect. These two were powerful, having privately punished the head of the General Affairs Department.

A department head happened to come out and, seeing the two, immediately greeted them warmly, "Minister Duan, Deputy Minister Lin."

Duan Jiye immediately smiled in response, feeling very pleased. He realized that after dealing with Dong Jiayun, his prestige in the company had skyrocketed. People who never looked at him straight before now greeted him proactively. It seemed that sometimes, like Deputy Minister Lin, taking strong measures was necessary; otherwise, if a tiger doesn't show its might, everyone will treat you like a sick cat.

As the two approached the sales window in the cafeteria, employees in the queue immediately made way for them.

The two were just picking their dishes when the cafeteria suddenly fell silent. Lin Zixian didn't notice anything wrong and pointed at the window, shouting at the server, "Why are you so stingy? I'm not going to skip out on paying. More beef, more beef, and more chicken cubes..."

Duan Jiye, however, sensed something and turned around to see General Manager Qiao Yun standing behind Lin Zixian with a tray, staring at him as he pointed and shouted without any regard for his image.

This was Qiao Yun's management style. As long as she was at work, she never treated herself specially and always ate the same food as the employees. But the newcomer didn't know this.

Duan Jiye was sweating profusely. How could this guy keep embarrassing himself in front of the general manager? If this continued, the image of the Security Department would be ruined.

"General Manager!" Duan Jiye called out respectfully.

Lin Zixian glanced at him and sneered, "General Manager? What a joke. That woman always has a stern face, as if everyone owes her money. She's a high-level person, she wouldn't come here to eat with us."

Qiao Yun had intended to respond to Duan Jiye with "Minister Duan," but the sudden interruption from the guy in front of her immediately silenced her. Her face grew even colder.

Duan Jiye was speechless. The cafeteria was so quiet that you could hear ants crawling. The servers at the window were all stunned, and the one serving Lin Zixian kept giving him meaningful looks.

But Lin Zixian didn't get the hint, snatched the mountain of food from the server, and turned to leave.

The next moment, he was stunned, standing face to face with Qiao Yun, his expression twitching. "General Manager..."

Qiao Yun looked at him expressionlessly, saying nothing. Lin Zixian weakly moved to the side, like a student who had made a mistake, and walked away with his head down. He found a corner table and buried himself in his food.

He was so frustrated! Was the heavens playing with him? Why did he always run into her at the worst times and embarrass himself in front of her? Was she destined to be his nemesis?

Duan Jiye, holding his tray, wanted to sit with him but, considering the pressure, decided to let Lin Zixian be alone and found another seat.

After Qiao Yun got her food, she looked around and her gaze landed on Lin Zixian. For some reason, she walked to his table and sat down across from him.

Everyone lost their appetite, occasionally sneaking glances at them, waiting to see how Lin Zixian would break down.

Lin Zixian's mouth was full of food. He looked at Qiao Yun, feeling like crying, pulled his cap down lower, and continued to eat.

Qiao Yun ignored him, eating quietly and calmly, but her gaze occasionally fell on the opposite side.

The more she didn't speak, the more pressure Lin Zixian felt. He ate hastily, grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth, and quickly fled.

Qiao Yun said nothing, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, quickly disappearing. If someone had seen it, they would have been shocked—Donghai's first beauty, who was said to have a problem with smiling, actually smiled!

Qiao Yun herself didn't know what she was feeling. After realizing that she could scare this guy into fleeing without a word, she felt a sense of satisfaction... Her father said this guy was strong, but he was nothing special!

By the end of the afternoon, the news that Deputy Minister Lin of the Security Department had cursed the general manager and was caught on the spot had spread throughout the building. Even his subordinates in the Security Department looked at Lin Zixian strangely, wondering if he would be fired by the general manager.

Lin Zixian wasn't bothered by this. As long as he didn't have to face that woman, he was fine. He lingered until it was almost time to leave and then went to the surveillance room.

"Deputy Minister Lin, good!" The four subordinates in the surveillance room stood up.

"Relax, go about your business." Lin Zixian greeted them, his gaze scanning all the monitors. He found the parking lot and pulled a chair to sit and watch, chatting idly with his subordinates.

Soon, a red Ferrari appeared on the screen. As expected, Zheng Longqing arrived on time, got out of the car, made a phone call, and then stood by the car waiting.

Not long after the end of the workday, Qiao Yun appeared in the parking lot. Zheng Longqing immediately opened the car door politely, extended his hand to help her in, and then drove away.

"Hmph!" Lin Zixian watched the video and let out a cold snort, kicked the chair, and left for the day. His subordinates looked at each other, puzzled by Deputy Minister Lin's mood.

The next morning, Lin Zixian arrived at work half an hour early and continued to monitor the parking lot. As expected, Zheng Longqing, who liked to wear white and drive a red car, came again to bring Qiao Yun to work.

At the end of the workday, Zheng Longqing came to pick her up on time, being very attentive.

For three consecutive days, Lin Zixian monitored the parking lot and found that this happened every day. On the fourth day, he couldn't hold back his anger. Why did he get beaten while this guy got to kiss the beauty? This was intolerable!

So, about two hours before the end of the workday, when he estimated that Zheng Longqing would appear on time, he found Duan Jiye.

"Minister Duan! Let's gather the Security Department for a meeting!" Lin Zixian threw a cigarette to Duan Jiye and said.

"A meeting? What kind of meeting?" Duan Jiye was confused.

Lin Zixian scratched his head and said, "It's like this, the chairman has some instructions for me to convey to the Security Department."

Duan Jiye immediately became serious. He couldn't take the chairman's instructions lightly and nodded, "Okay, I'll gather the people."

Soon, all the Security Department employees who could leave their posts gathered in the large office, about thirty people. The Security Department had over a hundred people, but some were on shift and not working today. The rest, except those who needed to stay at their posts, were all present.

Duan Jiye briefly introduced the purpose of the meeting, which was for Deputy Minister Lin to convey the chairman's instructions, and welcomed everyone.