Lin Haoran gave a faint smile. "After all, we're old flames. Can you really be so heartless?"
"Before I lose my patience, you'd better take back what you just said."
Fang Shiqing's face darkened as she tried to shake off this persistent pest clinging to her.
"Shiqing, be my girlfriend. I promise I won't make the same mistakes again. All you have to do is use your position as manager of Dingsheng Group to hook me up with a few deals. I think if we join forces, the Lin family will surely make a comeback!"
Lin Haoran didn't care at all about Fang Shiqing's attitude toward him. In his heart, he always believed she still had feelings for him. He still remembered how devoted she had been to him back then.
"Get lost!"
Fang Shiqing tried to sidestep him and leave, but Lin Haoran grabbed her wrist.
"I know you still care about me. Why won't you admit it?"
"Lin Haoran, you jerk!"
The two of them tussled outside the supermarket, drawing the attention of passersby who assumed it was just a couple's quarrel and didn't intervene.
Just as Fang Shiqing felt helpless, Yan Xin's appearance gave her a glimmer of hope.
Yan Xin spotted Fang Shiqing from a distance and rushed over, shoving Lin Haoran away with a stern expression. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Ah."
Fang Shiqing rubbed her wrist, which was already red and swollen, looking pitiful.
"Yan Xin?"
Lin Haoran frowned, his face full of irritation. "No wonder you won't get back together with me—you've already found yourself a new sugar daddy!"
Hearing this, a dark look flashed across Yan Xin's face. "Out of respect for Manager Fang, I'll let this slide today. But I won't say this twice—don't let me see you again!"
Feeling the chill radiating from Yan Xin, Lin Haoran, despite his resentment, had no choice but to slink away.
Seeing the scattered items on the ground, Yan Xin quickly crouched down to help Fang Shiqing pick them up.
"Are you okay?"
Yan Xin asked with a faint smile.
Fang Shiqing shook her head blankly, a strange feeling stirring inside her. Still shaken by what had just happened, she couldn't quite calm down.
"Thank you for earlier."
Fang Shiqing cleared her throat and managed a slow smile.
"In the future, don't be polite with scumbags like that. If you can't fight them off, yell for help. If that doesn't work, shout 'harassment.' There are plenty of people around—someone will step in."
Yan Xin took the bag from her hand, speaking half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Fang Shiqing paused for a moment, then a beautiful curve lifted the corner of her mouth. "You're joking, President Yan. By the way, have you eaten today?"
"With a boss like that, do you think I've had time to eat?"
Yan Xin chuckled.
As luck would have it, he had been in the area to meet a client, but the client canceled at the last minute. So he came to the nearby supermarket to grab some snacks, never expecting to run into Fang Shiqing.
"Perfect, I haven't eaten either. To thank you for coming to my rescue today, lunch is on me!"
Fang Shiqing raised an eyebrow and smiled calmly.
Hearing this, Yan Xin took a sharp breath. "How could I possibly accept that?"
"I know this area well. There's a restaurant with amazing food—let me take you there to try it."
Without giving him a chance to refuse, Fang Shiqing pulled Yan Xin out of the supermarket.
Yan Xin followed closely behind her, and they drove to a nearby restaurant.
Fang Shiqing chose a seat by the window and ordered a few signature dishes. Then she smiled calmly at Yan Xin across the table. "When I used to live with Banxia, this was our favorite place to eat."
"It sounds like you and Secretary Su have a great relationship."
Yan Xin asked casually, feigning nonchalance.
At the mention of this, Fang Shiqing's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You bet. Banxia and I were roommates back in school, and after we started working, we became best friends. We're really close."
"Then your habits must be pretty similar too, right?"
Yan Xin smiled.
"Don't even get me started. If the two of us get together, we're bound to make fools of ourselves."
Fang Shiqing thought back to old times and couldn't help but chuckle.
Both she and Su Banxia were the forgetful type, and the blunders they'd made together were more than a few.
Seeing the joy on her face, Yan Xin seemed to catch it too, the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifting into a handsome smile.
The food came quickly, and since it was the restaurant's specialty, it had its own unique flavor.
"How is it? Tastes good, right?"
Fang Shiqing looked at him earnestly and asked with a light laugh.
"Not bad, very flavorful. I didn't know Manager Fang was such a foodie."
Yan Xin said half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Fang Shiqing raised an eyebrow. "For people like us who aren't great cooks, we have to learn to hunt for food outside. Otherwise, how could we do justice to our taste buds?"
"You're too modest, Manager Fang."
Yan Xin clearly remembered all the things Fang Shiqing had done for Lin Haoran in the past—breakfast in the morning, soup at noon, and lavish dinners at night. She had covered everything.
Too bad some people never learn to appreciate it.
"What brought you here today, President Yan?"
Halfway through the meal, Fang Shiqing suddenly remembered to ask, smiling lightly.
Yan Xin sighed inwardly, feeling a headache coming on. "I was supposed to meet a client, but they stood me up. I was just planning to grab some simple snacks when who would have thought I'd get an invitation from Manager Fang? As the saying goes, a blessing in disguise."
Fang Shiqing paused, then slowly smiled. "President Yan, are you teasing me again?"
They enjoyed the meal thoroughly, and Yan Xin saw Fang Shiqing all the way home, making sure she was safe before turning to leave.
Zhang Shanshan had originally come to chat with Fang Shiqing, but she unexpectedly ran into Yan Xin downstairs. A mix of emotions churned inside her, and a surge of unexplained anger rose in her chest.
Not long after Yan Xin left, Zhang Shanshan steadied herself and slowly went upstairs.
Hearing the knock, Fang Shiqing opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see who was standing there. "Shanshan, what brings you here?"
"I just saw President Yan downstairs. You two...?"
Zhang Shanshan asked with a pointed tone.
"Oh, I ran into some trouble on my way home today, and President Yan helped me out. So I treated him to a meal as thanks."
Fang Shiqing poured her a cup of tea and handed it over, completely oblivious to Zhang Shanshan's unusual mood.
Zhang Shanshan gripped the cup in her hand, her fingers tightening slightly, a hint of something deeper flickering in her eyes.