Cheng Su led Ying Xiaoya to a corner under the tree and sat down, even pouring her a cup of tea, and asked, "Whatâs wrong today? Why do you have red eyes? Is something bothering you?"
Ying Xiaoyaâs face turned red as she said, "Itâs nothing. Go ahead with your work; donât worry about me."
"Nothing? And yet your eyes are red? Donât try to fob me off with the old âgot sand in my eyesâ excuseâI donât buy it," Cheng Su said, raising an eyebrow.
Ying Xiaoya looked down and it took her a long while to reply, "I just feel ashamed. Seeing how seriously you all work, while Iâm here feeling lovelorn and melancholic."
"Oh? So, youâre in love?" Interest sparked in Cheng Suâs eyes as she asked, "Come on, spill the beans, which gentleman has stolen our Miss Yingâs heart?"
"Cut it out," scoffed Ying Xiaoya with a glare, then sighed deeply and said, "Itâs not that Iâm in love. Iâm just annoyed."
"Oh?"
"Remember Zhang Yujun, the guy who came with me last time?"
Remember him? Cheng Su did not like that man at all, since his character was questionable. She had also noticed Zhang Yujunâs interest in Xiao Ya and had been uncomfortable with his brooding gaze.
Even when Ying Xiaoya was just joking around with Ning Ge, the look Zhang Yujun gave them was like he was watching an adulterous coupleâeven though he had no relationship with Xiao Ya at all!
Just from this, it was clear that the man was narrow-minded and lacking in generosity.
"Is he persistently pursuing you?"
Persistently pursuingâyeah, that seemed about right. Ying Xiaoya nodded and said, "Iâve already rejected him, but he still wonât give up. At the factory, he even does things to make everyone misunderstand. Now many people think Iâm his girlfriend; no matter how I try to explain, itâs no use. Itâs so annoying."
Cheng Su frowned in disapproval. This was really low.
"A few days ago, when I was going home after work, he insisted on taking me home. I said there was no need, but he stubbornly followed me all the way to my house. My mom saw it when she got off work, and of course, she asked about it. His eager attentiveness was so cringeworthy that it gave me goosebumps," Ying Xiaoya brushed her hand as if to shake off the feeling.
Cheng Su smiled and said, "If heâs trying to pursue you, naturally he would try to impress your parents."
Ying Xiaoya sneered, "Thatâs not it at all. Heâs clearly after my family background."
Cheng Su looked somewhat surprised.
"The matter of my being assigned to the grassroots levelâI had my dad keep it confidential to avoid unnecessary trouble. But who can help it when his uncle is the factory director? Him wanting to know my background isnât difficult at all," Ying Xiaoya said with a sarcastic tone. "If he didnât know that my dad is the county head and I come from a family of officials, would he pay any attention to someone like me just for my looks?"
"Nonsense, you are very beautiful."
"Am I prettier than our factoryâs beauty?" Ying Xiaoya abruptly said, angrily continuing, "Initially, if he was just after my familyâs wealth, I could have accepted that, but do you know how shameless he is?"
"He had secretly been involved with our factory beauty for several months. That girl is truly gorgeous, with all the right curves, and the only flaw is her rural background. But once he found about my background, he dumped her!"
Cheng Suâs mouth fell open in shockâsuch sordid drama exists in all eras.
"Then the factory beauty came to you?" she asked.
This time it was Ying Xiaoyaâs turn to look surprised as she said, "Youâre too smart. The factory beauty couldnât tolerate it and came to tell me. Itâs only then that I realized what a despicable person he is. I heard that they had already... you know. And what did he do after all that? He used his supervisory position to fire her."
Cheng Su raised an eyebrowâso he was a thoroughly despicable playboy!