The Changing Phases - Chapter 16 - Don't Try to Get Close to Me, We Barely Know Each Other

Liu Yuxin turned off the small bedside lamp, and the moonlight immediately slanted in from the window. After quite a while of darkness, the objects in the room slowly became clear.

Liu Yuxin opened her eyes slightly, feeling not sleepy at all. Why did Zhao Junyang say those things to her? And why did Tao complain about the girl he had a crush on for years in front of her? Sometimes she really couldn’t understand what he was thinking. He was so annoying. She pulled the quilt over her head, refusing to think about it anymore.

After a moment, Liu Yuxin threw the quilt off again and shouted at the ceiling, “Dear Matchmaker, please bring me a good man soon!”

At this moment, a shout came from the other room, “Me too! Me too! Bring me a prince on a white horse!”

Liu Yuxin couldn’t help but laugh, “Haha, then let’s get Tang Monk¹!”

She could hear Jin’s roar, “I don’t want a monk!”

Early the next morning, Liu Yuxin was still sleeping when the doorbell rang incessantly. She opened the door with sleepy eyes, only to see Tao standing there with a bunch of roses in one hand and breakfast in the other, grinning foolishly, “Good morning, Liu Yuxin!”

Jin rubbed her sleepy eyes and came out of her room, “Good morning, Tao-Ge.” Suddenly, as if remembering something, she ran back to her room and came out with a notebook, sitting beside Tao, “Tao-Ge, can you do me a favor? Do you know any weird women around your area? Tell me about them.”

Tao nodded repeatedly, “Yes, some are very weird!”

The two of them kept talking back and forth, with Tao critiquing his ex-girlfriend energetically while Jin scribbled notes in her notebook like she had discovered a new world, completely engrossed. Liu Yuxin shrugged indifferently and left the door.

A black BMW was parked downstairs. Liu Yuxin pretended not to see it and walked past it without looking back. Zhao Junyang quickly leaned out of the car and called her name, “Liu Yuxin.” She pretended not to hear him, continuing to walk forward in her high heels with her bag. Zhao Junyang smiled and got out of the car, quietly following her.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the bus station. Both stood in silence, like strangers, waiting for the bus. A few young girls waiting with them kept glancing at Zhao Junyang and whispering, “Does he live around here? He’s so handsome.” Hearing this, Zhao Junyang wore a smug expression. Liu Yuxin rolled her eyes; sure, he was good-looking, but was that something to be so cocky about?

When the bus arrived, Zhao Junyang followed Liu Yuxin onboard. The bus was crowded, and the air was filled with various unpleasant smells. Liu Yuxin was squeezed in the middle of the crowd. As the bus started moving, she lost her balance and lurched forward. Her face turned red with embarrassment, thinking that if she actually fell, it would be thoroughly humiliating.

Just then, a hand firmly hooked around her waist, gently pulling her into an embrace. Liu Yuxin let out a sigh of relief but still glared at Zhao Junyang, “You bus pervert.”

Zhao Junyang grinned and held her tight, whispering in her ear, “I’m only a pervert when it comes to you.”

Liu Yuxin gave him a disdainful look, “Knock it off.”

Zhao Junyang smirked, almost to himself, “Buses are great, you can get so close. I should pick Liu Yuxin up every day.”

“Jerk!” Liu Yuxin struggled out of his embrace, “I don’t need you to pick me up.”

Zhao Junyang pulled her back into his arms, one hand still around her waist, looking at her with a smile as if he had anticipated her reaction, “Liu Yuxin,” he said helplessly, “why do you always have to oppose whatever I say?”

Liu Yuxin pouted, “Because you’re too bad, I have to be on guard against you.”

They bickered all the way, and from that day on, Zhao Junyang started picking up and dropping off Liu Yuxin on the bus every morning and evening. Jin couldn’t help but envy her every day, “Liu Yuxin, your love luck is really strong lately. That BMW has been parked downstairs every day. It’s such a pity; why not ask your wealthy boyfriend to lend me the car for a few days?” Before she could finish her sentence, Liu Yuxin unceremoniously flicked her on the forehead.

Several days passed like this. Liu Yuxin continued to ignore Zhao Junyang, but Zhao Junyang didn’t seem in a rush, still picking her up and dropping her off morning and night. They would bicker daily, and whenever Liu Yuxin was in a bad mood, Zhao Junyang would smile and stay by her side.

This morning, Liu Yuxin arrived at the company constantly yawning. Likely, it was because she stayed up too late last night with Jin, who insisted on immediately arranging a meeting between her and Wenhui, refusing to let Liu Yuxin sleep otherwise. Feeling exhausted, Liu Yuxin got up to make herself a cup of coffee to stay awake and sat half-open-eyed in front of her computer working on documents.

Just then, her phone rang-it was the ringtone she specifically set for Jin, [Burning] Instantly awake, Liu Yuxin hurriedly silenced it.

Mo Zhiqiang cleared his throat and asked, “What was that sound?”

Embarrassed, Liu Yuxin replied, “Sorry, it’s my phone ringtone.”

Mo Zhiqiang paused and then said seriously, “Don’t let it ring suddenly like that again; my heart can’t take it.”

Liu Yuxin immediately answered, “Got it!”

Suddenly, her phone screen lit up with a new message from Zhao Junyang: “Liu Yuxin, have lunch with me today.”

Liu Yuxin replied: “Hmph. Don’t try to get close to me; we barely know each other!”

Within minutes, the door to the marketing department swung open, and Zhao Junyang, with an ashen face, bellowed, “Liu Yuxin, come to my office now!”

Her colleagues looked around, bewildered, but seeing Mr. Zhao so angry, they all assumed Liu Yuxin must have done something seriously wrong. They gave her sympathetic glances while secretly worrying if they themselves had any mistakes that might soon come to light-double-checking their data, files, and even recollecting their recent meeting comments.

Liu Yuxin sprang to her feet and marched to Zhao Junyang’s office. She slammed the door shut behind her and shouted, “What do you want to say?”

Zhao Junyang sat elegantly in his office chair, smiling at her, “I don’t want to say anything. I just wanted to show everyone that we’re not close.”

Liu Yuxin was furious and scanned the room, wishing she could grab something to throw at him. She glared at Zhao Junyang, “You’re abusing your power for personal revenge!”

Zhao Junyang couldn’t help but laugh, “I’d call it using power for personal gain.”

Liu Yuxin’s lips curved up slightly, “Oh? So, Mr. Zhao, is the company just a place for you to flirt?”

Raising an eyebrow, Zhao Junyang replied with a smile, “Lanyu’s potential clients are mostly women. A bit of flirtation might make them feel more attracted.”

Liu Yuxin scoffed, “I thought this was a legitimate company. I don’t want to have lunch with you.”

A hint of mischief flashed in Zhao Junyang’s eyes, “You’re still in the early stages of your career; you need to constantly learn and gain experience.”

Liu Yuxin suddenly thought of something. She walked up to Zhao Junyang, pretending to be serious, “Then you should give me a raise.”

Zhao Junyang was slightly taken aback, “Huh?”

Liu Yuxin looked at him seriously, “Having lunch with you is like learning and gaining experience, which counts as work time. I want a raise!”

Zhao Junyang burst out laughing, “How about I give you a card as your performance bonus?”

Liu Yuxin rolled her eyes, “Ugh, that’s so boring. I don’t want it.” She turned to leave, but Zhao Junyang quickly stood up and grabbed her hand, “Liu Yuxin, I didn’t say I was using you. As for the Xie Ning issue, I have my principles.” He stared deeply into her eyes, “Am I really that bad now?”

Liu Yuxin raised her voice, “But if you were me, wouldn’t you think the same way? I respect your principles, but you can’t just toy with me like this.”

Footnote:

1. Tang Monk(唐僧):ls one of the main characters in the Chinese classic novel “Journey to the West.” Tang Monk is based on the historical figure Xuanzang, a prominent Buddhist monk and scholar from the Tang Dynasty.