Chapter 22 How can one not be moved...

Thinking back to Year 1, the ignorant Zhao Manzhi followed her parents to Lan Kwai Fong to celebrate Halloween. At that time, the male models in that bar were famous for their hot bodies, and a group of girls ran to see them excitedly, blushing with shame.

Zhao Manzhi was among them, squeezing in the crowd and only taking a general look. But even so, the strong male hormones still had a great impact on the young her, so that today, because of the rich information flow on the Internet, Zhao Manzhi has gradually desensitized to muscular men, but she can still remember the fear at that time.

And at this moment, she suddenly had a similar feeling, and even felt that the figure of the man in front of her was even better.

When did he train? Being lazy can have such a good effect...

"Hey, Zhao Manzhi, how long do you want to watch?"

Zhao Manzhi's brain crashed and restarted because of his cold words. He immediately realized the seriousness of the problem, covered his eyes and turned away: "I, I didn't see anything!"

"..." His saliva was about to fall, what do you mean by not seeing?

Zhuang Youkai put on his clothes, took off his mechanical watch slowly, opened the locker, and put it on the watch winder. When he turned around, he saw Zhao Manzhi still pretending to be a quail, and said, "Okay, what did you just say?"
"I said..." Zhao Manzhi turned around slowly, secretly cursing herself for being stupid, why did she want to take a shower here for the convenience? The hotel has a spa, if it doesn't work, go to a spa center outside, it's better than bumping into the boss here. She slowed down, took a breath and said, "I didn't say anything. Boss, you are busy, I'm leaving first." 

"Didn't you have to take a shower because the water was cut off? Now you don't need to?" Zhuang Youkai looked her up and down, "I don't want the smell of someone's sweat to fill the door of the office tomorrow." 

Zhao Manzhi was speechless and whispered, "Didn't you hear it clearly?" 

"Zhao Manzhi, you are begging me now." 

"Then I won't beg you now. It's the same if I take a shower in another place." She grabbed the straps of her bag and ran out. 

"Stop," Zhuang Youkai called her, "You didn't take your clothes." 

Zhao Manzhi looked over and saw that she had forgotten a coat in the closet because she was in a hurry to pack things. It would be fine if it was anything else, but it was that Lululemon. It was so expensive that she couldn't just throw it away. 

But she was still a little embarrassed, and after a while she said, "Can you throw it over? I won't go over." 

"Take it yourself." 

"...Oh." 

Zhao Manzhi walked over with her head down, not daring to look at it any more. She grabbed the clothes and rubbed them in her hands and walked away, but she found that Zhuang Youkai had opened the door before her. 

"The shower room is for you. I'm in the lounge next door. Just call me when you're ready." He half turned his head, not looking at her, and walked out directly, leaving Zhao Manzhi alone there for a long time. 

* 

"Knock knock." "Come in." 

Zhuang Youkai looked up from the financial statements and met Zhao Manzhi's eyes. She had just finished showering, and her whole body was filled with water vapor, and even her porcelain-white face had an unusual blush. It seemed that she left in a hurry, and her thick and long hair could not be completely dried. There were water droplets hanging on the ends, soaking her coat, like a deliberately designed ink spot. 

It is no exaggeration to say that she looked like a ripe peach just out of the bath, and even the familiar scent of the shower gel had a hint of hot and sweetness. 

Zhuang Youkai felt hot, so he picked up the water cup on the table, took a sip, and raised his eyebrows to signal her to continue. 

"I'm done, thank you, boss." Zhao Manzhi was very nervous, afraid of ruining his good mood. After washing for ten minutes, she blew her hair casually, and spent another five minutes cleaning the shower room before daring to call Zhuang Youkai. 

The latter just nodded slightly, with no intention of putting down the work in his hands. Their eyes met for a moment. Zhao Manzhi was afraid that he would feel offended, so she lowered her eyelashes and stepped back carefully, "Then, I won't bother you." 

The moment the door was about to close, she heard a voice "Zhao Manzhi" from inside, so she had to push it open again and asked respectfully, "Do you have anything else?" 

"Yeah." Zhuang Youkai closed the computer, changed to a more comfortable sitting position, leaning on the soft leather sofa, and said to her, "I read the HR report, and they have a very high opinion of you and even made a formal offer. You refused, which is expected, but you are not willing to accept even a part-time position. Do you have any concerns?" 

He paused for a moment and continued, "I know you want to continue your studies. Many prestigious schools are sponsored by the Zhuang family. If you get a reference letter from me, your admission is almost certain." 

So it was this. In fact, when Lin Zhuowen asked her, Zhao Manzhi felt that such a decision might not be made by Lin Zhuowen alone. After all, the driving force behind it was mainly Zhuang Youkai's favor. 

If Lin Zhuowen's conversation with her was just a test, then Zhuang Youkai's words were already a bright olive branch. Everyone knew that Zhuang Shao was arrogant. He was willing to explain the benefits to her so clearly, which was already a clear statement of retention. 

How could it not make people excited? 

Zhao Manzhi had considered it. In fact, these two things were not mutually exclusive. At this stage, Zhuang Youkai valued her. Even if she bargained and made the condition that she would start working part-time after the end of Ocamp, there was a chance that she would be accepted. But the more Zhao Manzhi thought about it in the past two days, the calmer she felt. Zhuang Youkai's cold tone that day was undoubtedly a basin of ice water poured over her head, making her suddenly realize the distance between them. 

When she was in a good mood, she could talk and laugh happily. On the streets of Suzhou, she would condescend to let her do whatever she wanted and eat a cheap bubble wonton. When she was in a bad mood, she didn't even bother to ask a question. 

It was her own fault for not putting herself in the right position. She had thrown Cynthia's instructions and the boasts she made in front of Jiang Yu out of her mind. It 

was true that they were separated by a door, but it was as difficult as climbing to the sky to cross from one end to the other. 

Apart from the relationship between superiors and subordinates, they could not even be considered friends. Those moments when she thought they were getting closer to each other were, to put it bluntly, just her wishful thinking. 

It was not easy to sort things out, but now Zhuang Youkai reached out to her again, letting her step into the illusion. 

Absolutely not. 

Zhao Manzhi pondered for a long time, and finally thought of a response. She smiled politely, "Thank you for your kindness, but it's really unfortunate. I have an appointment with my friends at Ocamp, and there are many things to do before and after. I can't guarantee that I can take care of both ends." 

She took a deep breath and continued, "As for further studies, thank you for your concern. I think with my personal conditions and the beautiful experience of internship at Huanye, I can get the offer I want through the normal process. If I need your reference letter, I will contact you without hesitation." 

Zhuang Youkai stared at her, and suddenly remembered the last time in this lounge. At that time, Zhao Manzhi thought he was cold-hearted and didn't care about the lives of his subordinates. She angrily went to him to argue, and her words were fierce and sharp; but now she just stood there, calmly and gently said these words, but he felt even more annoyed. 

It was as decent as rejecting a suitor, as if he was pestering her. 

Zhuang Youkai's eyes darkened an inch, and he crossed his hands in front of his lower abdomen, rubbing his thumbs together, "This is the last chance, are you sure?" 

"Yes, I'm sure." 

"Okay, go back."
After that day, Zhao Manzhi never saw Zhuang Youkai again until she left. He was busy on a business trip, but he didn't give her the previous administrative assistant job. It was as if her internship was about to end, and she became a first-class protected animal, idle until the last day.
When she officially left Huanye, she packed up her work badge, information, and company items and returned them to the HR department. She also checked her personal belongings and electronic devices to see if they carried any relevant confidential information. After confirming that they were correct, she packed the scattered things in a cardboard box and took them away. 

Jennie took her downstairs and took the sightseeing elevator. The height dropped rapidly, and the feeling of weightlessness spread throughout her body from bottom to top. When she reacted again, she had reached the first floor. 

It turned out that it didn't even take a minute to say goodbye to all the memories of her internship at Huanye. 

"You performed so well, why didn't you stay?" Jennie felt sorry, "Our hotel lost a great beauty, and I lost a good dinner partner. I said I would hold a farewell party for you, but you refused it. You left alone like this. It's so sad." 

"It's not a farewell! If there is a chance, we will see each other again." Zhao Manzhi stopped a taxi, got in, and waved goodbye to her, "You should go back soon, bye." 

"Bye, be careful on the road." 

The wind from the Huangpu River poured in through half of the car window, blowing her long hair into a mess. Zhao Manzhi had no intention of tidying up, just watching the Bund Huanye getting smaller and farther away, leaving a lonely period in her heart. 

Parting never needs to be grand, because the real separation is often silent. 

Just as she didn't expect that the encounter at the gym was the last time she saw Zhuang Youkai. 

Maybe she will see him in the news, gossip, and online headlines in the future, but at that time he is still a dazzling star, and she is just one of the millions of traffic, the majority of unknown names. 

Zhao Manzhi didn't stay at home for a few days before she hurriedly prepared to return to Hong Kong. Ms. Ding Qingzi took time out of her busy schedule to see her off at the airport and scolded her, saying that she had the least time to see her parents throughout the year. 

Zhao Zhiwu smiled beside her, "Your daughter is an ambitious person, just let her fly. When she is tired of flying, just remember that she still has a home." 

Zhao Manzhi's nose was sour, and she hugged her parents for a while before reluctantly going through security check-in. When she finally sat down at the boarding gate, she opened the short video app and a news about a wealthy marriage jumped into her sight. 

"The rich are inhumane, the engagement banquet is so luxurious! I can see the background of the newlyweds. The woman is rich, and the man is even richer than a country!" 

The video music with strong drum beats was accompanied by photos of extravagance and inflammatory texts. The comment area was full of "Poverty limits my imagination", and the same videos praising the rich. Originally, Zhao Manzhi had casually swiped past them all. 

But this one, she stopped for a long time. 

"The woman is the eldest daughter of the Zhuang family in Hong Kong Island, and she is also one of the richest women in Asia. The man is even more amazing, a Chinese who is said to be rich enough to rival a country..." 

In the group photo, Zhuang Peiying is in the center of the group in a dragon and phoenix gown, smiling gracefully. The man beside her is old, but 

he is still elegant and imposing. And at the edge of the group photo, the man who is lazily holding a wine glass and casually curling his lips at the camera in such a happy family scene, who else could it be but Zhuang Youkai? 

It turns out that he disappeared for a few days because he went to attend his sister's engagement party. 

Without that identity, she can only piece together his recent situation from the fragmentary information across the screen. She 

never realized before that even if she was prepared for the worst class gap, it was not as concrete as the experience of holding the phone at this moment. 

They were originally very different. If they said they would never see each other again, they might never see each other again in their lifetime. 

Suddenly, as if a hole was hollowed out in her heart, Zhao Manzhi's tears fell and hit the screen, accidentally touching the like button. Such bitter tears watered a beautiful red heart.