In the moment when Xu Lingyue was at a loss for words, Zhou Wang suddenly stood up and leaned close to her.
"Don’t tell me it’s your first time doing something like this... Seeing you dressed so provocatively, I thought you had already marked your price."
Zhou Wang grinned mischievously, his finger suddenly lifted, brushing across her smooth scented shoulder, step by step reaching the strap at her shoulder and neck.
When Zhou Wang hooked that strap, helplessness, shame, anger, and panic overwhelmed Xu Lingyue. She wanted to resist, but somehow, she couldn’t muster any strength.
At this moment, Zhou Wang suddenly stopped, propping his head on his hands as he leaned back on the sofa, his gaze deep.
"Take it off yourself."
Facing Zhou Wang’s humiliating command, Xu Lingyue’s body trembled.
Her mind was in chaos, her hand instinctively lifted, grabbing the hem of her camisole, her waist’s fair skin flashing momentarily.
"See, you understand. Why pretend to be so pure with me?"
Zhou Wang’s sneer finally shattered Xu Lingyue’s mental defenses.
"Zhou Wang, you bastard!"
She began to sob, cursing loudly, and then grabbed her windbreaker and bag, running out without looking back.
...
Wrapped in her windbreaker again, Xu Lingyue ran out of the elevator, coincidentally encountering Huang Duming who was pacing in the lobby.
Huang Duming was hesitating whether to go upstairs to check, but upon seeing Xu Lingyue run out, just as he was about to inquire what happened, Xu Lingyue pushed him aside and ran out without looking back.
Under Huang Duming’s bewildered gaze, Xu Lingyue ran through the garden and out of the community, only stopping at an empty bus stop.
After squatting by the pillar and crying for a while, Xu Lingyue calmed down a bit, and then her phone beeped.
Xu Lingyue picked it up and was stunned.
After a moment of astonishment, she quickly opened the email.
Immediately, Xu Lingyue’s expression became even more confused.
The email was from Douyin Group’s HR department, and it contained a personnel transfer order regarding her regularization.
She’s only been at Douyin for a month, and according to company policy, she wouldn’t be eligible for regularization for at least two months, but now, the process was moved forward by two whole months.
Not only that, she was no longer working at the front desk, but was transferred to the Brand Marketing Department.
This department ranks in the top ten within Douyin Group; she had heard Wu Lili mention more than once that quite a few mid- and high-level leaders came from the marketing department.
The most direct change was that even if she only became a grassroots employee in the marketing department, her rank was instantly raised by two levels, and her basic salary increased from "five thousand six" at the front desk to "nine thousand eight".
This meant that as long as she worked a bit harder, combined with performance bonuses, her monthly income could easily exceed twenty thousand.
Amidst the bewildered joy, Xu Lingyue even wanted to ask someone if there was a mistake, but then "ding", her WeChat also rang.
Xu Lingyue clicked on it, seeing a message from Liu Zixi, her middle school class president whom she hadn’t contacted in a long time.
Liu Zixi: [Hello, are you Xu Lingyue... It’s a bit abrupt, but I don’t know what crazy stuff Brother Dog is on about. Anyway, he asked me to tell you, keep going, old classmate, your future holds more possibilities.]
Xu Lingyue understood something. She stood there in a daze, with the previous shame, anger, and resentment instantly dissipating, replaced by a sense of relief and embarrassment.
So he recognized her from the start?
A moment later, Xu Lingyue couldn’t help but laugh, softly muttering, "Zhou Wang..."
...
Bang!
Inside the duplex flat of 707, once the door closed, the living room finally returned to quietness.
Zhou Wang also put away his smile from earlier, his expression turning a bit complex.
He picked up his phone beside him, the screen still on his chat interface with Liu Zixi—
"You mean Xu Lingyue, last time at the gathering I heard another classmate mention she seems to stay in Beidou for work. It’s said she joined Douyin, she should be doing quite well... Hey, Brother Dog, why suddenly ask about her, not thinking of rekindling the old flame, huh, hahaha..."
"Nonsense, when was there an old flame between her and me?"
"Tsk, Brother Dog, saying such things is not right, someone might not remember, but I know you wrote her a love letter, I even helped you check the typos..."
Seeing Liu Zixi’s teasing, Zhou Wang couldn’t help but smile.
"That’s quite a clear memory."
What happened in middle school was long past, but some details still flickered in his memory.
Honestly speaking, when he saw Xu Lingyue at Douyin Group today, Zhou Wang indeed didn’t recognize her, just felt she looked familiar.
Seeing Xu Lingyue again while checking out the house that evening, because the distance was close enough and a string in his mind was plucked, Zhou Wang somewhat recognized her, just wasn’t too sure.
It wasn’t until just now, face to face, with the name "Xiao Yue" added, after flipping through the previous graduation photos, he finally confirmed... it really was that Xu Lingyue.
Zhou Wang wasn’t a fool; with a slight probe, he already knew what Xu Lingyue wanted.
Such a curious development, it revived many distant memories, reminding Zhou Wang of more things.
Actually, during middle school, although he did have a "crush" on Xu Lingyue, it was just a fleeting teenage infatuation. After all, in the small middle school campus, Xu Lingyue, who knew how to dress and wear little skirts, was so dazzling.
He was just one of many boys who had feelings for Xu Lingyue, and never had any poignant stories with her.
He did write a love letter under Liu Zixi’s influence, but never got any response from Xu Lingyue, and once in high school, these memories faded. In Zhou Wang’s own understanding, Xu Lingyue probably didn’t remember him...
This meeting, once so proud, a girl who didn’t give any boy a second glance, came to know him in such a "crafty" way, inevitably made Zhou Wang a bit rueful.
He asked Liu Zixi about her current situation just to know if Xu Lingyue had become like this long ago or was on the verge of doing so...
Considering some of the reactions during that moment, the now-experienced Zhou Wang finally decided to help her in his own way.
He didn’t know if Xu Lingyue would wake up after today’s events, nor was he sure if she’d appreciate it afterward, but it didn’t seem that important anymore.
After all, she was someone who had shone for a brief moment in his memory; he at least hoped he wouldn’t be the one leading her down to depravity...
If he truly wished, there were ten thousand ways he could strip Xu Lingyue of her clothes without bearing any responsibility.
Though he wasn’t a good person, he decided to let his conscience prevail for once.
Zhou Wang thought for a moment, made a call to Zhang Xuan, briefly mentioned his request, and Zhang Xuan immediately said it was a small matter. It so happened that he was still working overtime at the company and helped Zhou Wang handle it directly.
After hanging up, Zhou Wang also told Liu Zixi, asking him to pass a message to Xu Lingyue after confirming that he had her WeChat.
Having done all this, the time was around eight; Qiu Zeyu’s message had arrived.
Zhou Wang stood up, preparing to head downstairs. At this time, accompanied by a "ding," the system notification suddenly sounded.
Ding!
[What you gained and lost, it’s best to be at peace with it]
[Detected that due to the host’s momentary kindness, another person’s life was completely changed, dropping "Golden Magic Ball"x1]
[An unopened flower has ten thousand ways to bloom]