Taking Advantage, Then Trying to Run - Chapter 12

She stood there, and I had no idea how long she’d been watching.

I blinked, thinking she was a hallucination.

Only when she walked toward me did I believe it was truly Hai Yan.

Why was she here?

At this hour, there shouldn’t have been any deliveries left.

While my thoughts ran wild, she stopped before me.

She no longer wore her cap. Her crisp short hair had grown a little, making her look even more attractive.

I loved that face. I truly, deeply loved looking at it.

The sight of her alone soothed the inexplicable irritation and violence that had plagued me for days.

If only I’d met her earlier.

I sighed inwardly.

Her eyes were black and bright, like wet obsidian.

I smiled. “What are you doing here? Are you still delivering this late?”

Her gaze wandered, then quickly focused again.

“I’m not delivering. I came on purpose.”

“To see me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She fell silent.

I waited patiently.

At last, she asked in a low voice, “The project… how is it going?”

I stared.

It took me a while to remember that when I’d left her, my excuse had been a major company project.

“Ah… well enough. Everything is going smoothly.”

“That’s good.”

Then she stopped speaking again.

We stood in silence for a moment.

Slowly, she asked, “That man just now… who was he?”

I raised my brows in surprise.

“Someone I just met.”

“Oh. Why… why was he putting his hands all over you when you’d just met?”

She forced out every word.

I suddenly laughed.

“Some men are like that. But I sent him away, didn’t I? You don’t need to worry about me.”

I deliberately checked my phone and exaggerated my surprise. “Oh, it’s almost eleven. I still have a video meeting, so we’ll have to stop here.”

I stepped past her toward the building.

Once again, someone caught me from behind.

This time, the hand was gentle, and I didn’t fall backward.

I didn’t turn around.

My heart beat faster than it ever had.

What was she doing?

What did this mean?

Possibility after possibility spun through my mind.

I didn’t dare believe a single one.

“Jiejie…” Her voice came from behind me, softly vibrating against my eardrums. “I-I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

After a pause, she added, “Almost two months.”

I forgot to breathe.

I strained to listen, terrified of missing one word.

When I didn’t respond, anxiety finally colored her voice.

“Jiejie, did I do something wrong? Did I make you unhappy?”

A bucket of ice water extinguished all my excitement.

I closed my eyes and sighed without sound.

She was still a child after all.

Turning, I cocked my head and smiled lightly. “What are you talking about? I’ve simply been busy. Besides, wasn’t it always like this? Unless we made plans, we almost never happened to meet.”

I patted her shoulder and smoothly withdrew my hand. “All right, don’t overthink it. I have a meeting, and you should go home early.”

She remained where she was.

“Jiejie, if I’ve done something badly, tell me. I can change…”

She tried to take my hand again. “Please give me a chance.”

I instinctively avoided her.

I was considering how to send this stubborn donkey away when someone suddenly shoved Hai Yan aside.

“What’s wrong with you? She clearly doesn’t want to talk, and you’re still forcing yourself on her.”

I looked closely. It was the college boy from before.

At some point, he’d doubled back.

He failed to realize Hai Yan was a woman and assumed she was another man pestering me. Every thorn on his body rose. Like a lion defending its territory, he bared his teeth at her.

“Get lost!” He pointed at her nose. “If I see you again, I’ll break your legs.”

I rolled my eyes with all my strength.

How childish!

So childish my toes curled in embarrassment.

Once Hai Yan recognized him, rare anger appeared on her face too.

“And who exactly are you? You really think you’re some prize? Nobody asked for you.”

My eyes widened.

Hai Yan knew how to insult people?

How novel.

The young man shoved her hard. Hai Yan stumbled two steps and struck the wall with her back.

Alarmed, I immediately began rummaging through my bag.

He seized Hai Yan by the throat, his face twisting.

“Trying to steal my woman? You must be tired of li—aaaaagh!”

I pressed my stun gun to his neck and shocked him again and again until he collapsed.

Hai Yan stared in silence.

I gave him several extra shocks to make sure he couldn’t get up, then checked on her.

“Hai Yan, are you all right? Did you hit anything? Did you strike the back of your head?”

In a panic, I felt over her skull, shoulders, and back.

She stood still and let me examine her before slowly saying, “I’m fine, Jiejie.”

I released an enormous breath.

“Good. Good.”

I called property security.

Several burly men soon arrived. “Ms. Nan, is this the person who harassed you?”

I nodded. “I thought he’d left, but he came back and frightened me. Deal with him. I don’t want to see him here again.”

“Our management was inadequate. We sincerely apologize.”

They quickly carried the young man away.