Chapter 17 First time meeting Ling Ran

Although she had applied a hot towel to her eyes the night before, the intense crying meant they still looked somewhat red and swollen. So when she dropped her child off at school, Teacher Chen had even asked about it with concern.

Lin Li couldn't bring herself to tell the truth; she simply claimed she hadn't slept well, then made an excuse about needing to rush to work and quickly walked away.

By the time she drove to the office, Zhou Han had already arrived and was discussing the agenda for the 10 AM meeting with Special Assistant Xu.

She set her bag aside and turned on her computer; while it was booting up, she picked up the mug from her desk, intending to get some water from the pantry.

As Lin Li emerged from the pantry with her mug, a woman stepped out of the elevator. She was wearing a khaki trench coat; her long, loose waves hair cascading over her shoulders, and she strode toward them in heels nearly ten centimeters high.

Lin Li stared, momentarily mesmerized. The woman was beautiful, but it wasn't just her facial features that stood out; she possessed an innate, inimitable air of poise and elegance—a beauty so captivating it was hard to look away.

The woman seemed to notice her, too; she cast a brief glance in Lin Li's direction but didn't speak or slow down, continuing straight toward Zhou Han's office in her high heels.

Only then did Lin Li snap out of her daze and call out, "Excuse me, miss—wait a moment."

The woman paid no heed and simply kept walking forward.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Seeing this, Lin Li furrowed her brows slightly, thinking to herself: *Just because she’s a beauty doesn’t mean she can act so arrogantly!* Besides, Zhou Han and Special Assistant Xu were inside discussing company business; if this woman had ill intentions and overheard something she shouldn't, it could spell trouble.

With that thought, Lin Li strode forward, set her mug down on the desk, and stepped in front of the woman. With a stern, professional expression, she said, "Miss, may I ask if you have an appointment? If not, please wait outside for a moment; I need to check with our General Manager to see if he wishes to meet you."

The woman stared at Lin Li for a long moment, a cold sneer slowly curling the corners of her lips. She scoffed, "I’ve never needed an appointment to see Zhou Han."

Lin Li met her gaze directly, her tone neither servile nor haughty. "I apologize, but our General Manager has never mentioned anyone being an exception to the rule."

The woman sneered again. With a practiced, alluring gesture, she tossed her voluminous, wavy hair and said, "What if I told you I’m his wife?"

Lin Li was slightly taken aback; she studied the woman for a moment before asking, "You’re Xiao Bin’s mother?"

"Why? Don't I look the part?" Ling Ran cast a disdainful glance at her, her smile dripping with mockery. Lin Li stared at her for a long moment before muttering under her breath, "No wonder Zhou Han was willing to turn his back on his parents and friends—good grief, it turns out he was simply bewitched by a pretty face..."

Lin Li spoke so softly that Ling Ran couldn't make out exactly what she was saying; frowning slightly in annoyance, Ling Ran demanded, "What are you muttering about? Move aside."

Only then did Lin Li withdraw her appraising gaze. Maintaining a smile, she said, "I'm sorry, but the General Manager is inside discussing business; it probably wouldn't be appropriate for you to go in right now."

Hearing this, Ling Ran spoke with a hint of impatience, "Why wouldn't it be appropriate? Didn't I tell you? I am the General Manager's wife!" As she said this, she attempted to step past Lin Li and head toward the office.

Lin Li stepped forward and blocked her path. "I'm sorry, but I cannot let you in."

"What is wrong with you? I told you I’m Zhou Han’s wife—are you deaf? Can’t you understand plain English?" Ling Ran was losing her temper. She had never been blocked like this before when trying to go somewhere—let alone by a mere secretary. Glaring sharply at Lin Li, she snapped, "Do you want me to have Zhou Han fire you right now? You really have a death wish, don't you?"

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Lin Li looked at her, feeling a twinge of pity. It was a waste of such good looks and poise; her words and actions were completely at odds with her appearance. Regardless of the history between her and Zhou Han, the way she treated her own son, Xiao Bin, proved she was unfit to be a mother. No mother would exploit her child's innocence to frame someone else. 

She remembered the time Xiao Bin had pushed An Ran, causing her to be hospitalized and nearly miscarry; right there in the hospital corridor, Xiao Bin had admitted that his mother was the one who told him to do it. It was inconceivable to her that a mother could instigate her child to harm others—all to achieve her own petty ends.

"What are you staring at? Move aside!" Ling Ran snarled at Lin Li. She had come to see Zhou Han about her father's situation, hoping the Zhou family's influence could help pull some strings. Although she knew Zhou Han must hate her, wasn't it said that the depth of love matched the depth of hate? Back then, he had been willing to turn his back on his brothers, friends, and family just to hold onto her; perhaps if she begged him now to find a solution, there was a chance—just a chance—that he might help.

The smile faded from Lin Li’s lips. She looked at Ling Ran and stated firmly, refusing to budge, "No."

"You—" Ling Ran pointed a finger at her, trembling with rage; her beautiful face twisted into a fierce, ugly scowl. Just as Lin Li and Ling Ran were locked in a standoff outside, Special Assistant Xu opened the door and stepped out from behind Lin Li; Zhou Han, too, rushed out of the office, drawn by the commotion.

Upon seeing Zhou Han, Ling Ran immediately walked up, grabbed his arm, and pointed at Lin Li. "A-Han, fire this woman! She has absolutely no sense of propriety—shouting at me and refusing to let me inside." As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Lin Li.

Lin Li, however, showed no signs of fear or intimidation; when the other woman glared at her, she simply met the gaze with calm composure.

Zhou Han signaled for his special assistant to leave. The assistant nodded immediately and, without a moment's hesitation, strode straight to the elevator and pressed the button—executing the entire sequence of actions with practiced, fluid ease.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Once the assistant had left, Zhou Han glanced down at the arm currently being held by someone else. He frowned slightly in displeasure, then gently disengaged Ling Ran’s hand. Without looking at her, he asked, "What did you come here for?"

Ling Ran finally recalled the reason for her visit. She glanced at Lin Li, who was standing nearby, then turned back to Zhou Han and said, "Let's go inside to talk."

Zhou Han made no reply; he stared straight ahead, his brows furrowed deeply. After a long moment, he finally turned and walked into his office.

Ling Ran followed him inside and closed the door behind her.

Lin Li watched the door click shut. After a moment, she shrugged and returned to her desk. She picked up the cup of hot water she had just poured and took a small sip; the temperature was perfect—neither too hot nor too cold. After setting down her cup, Lin Li began her workday. 

Out of habit, she opened her email first, quickly scanning through the messages and flagging the important ones. Just as she was finishing up, a loud "Bang!" rang out from Zhou Han’s office, followed by the faint sound of Ling Ran shouting furiously: "Zhou Han, do you really have to be this ruthless?"

The office’s soundproofing was excellent; even though the outer area was completely quiet—with only her present—Lin Li couldn't hear Zhou Han’s response. She did, however, catch snatches of Ling Ran’s raised voice. She heard Ling Ran vow to make Zhou Han regret his actions and threaten to take something away, though the specifics of how she intended to exact that regret or exactly what she planned to take remained unclear.

Just as Lin Li was wondering what was going on inside, the office door suddenly flew open. Ling Ran stormed out, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor as she strode past Lin Li. In her haste, she knocked over a stack of freshly printed, unorganized documents sitting on Lin Li’s desk, sending papers scattering everywhere; Ling Ran then stepped straight into the elevator without once looking back.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

After Ling Ran left, Lin Li stood up and picked up the papers that had fallen to the floor. She glanced behind her and saw that the door to Zhou Han’s office was wide open, yet the room was utterly silent.

After organizing and stapling the documents, Lin Li—driven by curiosity—carried them toward Zhou Han’s office. Standing at the doorway, she saw Zhou Han standing rigidly before the floor-to-ceiling window, staring fixedly outside. Documents and files lay scattered across the floor in front of his desk, and even the crystal stand that usually sat on the desk had been knocked down and shattered in two.

Lin Li marveled inwardly at the office's excellent soundproofing; the scene inside had clearly been chaotic, yet she hadn't sensed a thing from the outside.

She knocked politely on the door, but Zhou Han neither turned around nor spoke.

She walked inside, placed the documents on the desk, and then knelt to gather the scattered papers. She picked up the broken crystal stand and tossed it into the trash can.

Zhou Han remained standing by the window in the same posture, neither turning back nor saying a word.

Gazing at his back, Lin Li thought to herself that he was quick to criticize others but blind to his own faults; the truth was, he hadn't let go of the past either—otherwise, how could one explain his current state?

Of course, Lin Li kept these thoughts to herself. Seeing that he showed no intention of turning around, she glanced at the documents she had brought in and spoke up: "The contract from that building materials company has arrived; I’ve put it on your desk."

After saying this, Lin Li waited a moment longer, but when he still didn't turn around, she finally left the office. Lin Li had no idea how long Zhou Han had stood there like that. When she went in at noon to ask if he wanted her to order a boxed lunch for him, she found him back at his desk, sitting upright and intently studying the documents in his hands; he appeared completely normal—as if Ling Ran had never visited that morning—with absolutely no sign that anything unusual had occurred.

Seeing that he had returned to his usual self, Lin Li acted as though nothing had happened, and neither of them said a word about the morning's events.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/