To You Whom I HATE The Most Chapter 2

Second Letter

Assistant Zhang led the Jingming team downstairs. As she took off her ID card at the turnstile, Cen Wei happened to glance at her name: "Yuying."

As she silently read it, an image flashed through his mind. Cen Wei asked Assistant Zhang, "Were you born in spring?"

Zhang Yuying looked back at him. "How did you know?"

Cen Wei smiled and pointed to the ID card in her hand. "I saw your name."

"Oh." Zhang Yuying’s lips curled into a relaxed smile, much more at ease than she had been in the conference room earlier. "Yes, my birthday is next month."

"Your name sounds really pretty."

Zhang Yuying smiled politely in return.

Most of the people coming for lunch were white-collar workers like them, gathering in small groups to share the latest office gossip.

They had been yawning away in the office in the morning, but now they were all quite energetic.

The set meal in front of her was beautifully plated and nutritionally balanced. The teriyaki sauce soaked into the white rice, and the chicken cutlet was grilled to a crispy exterior.

Whether it was because she had eaten a late breakfast or the blow from earlier had been too much, Cen Wei ate slowly, taking small bites of his rice.

Li Yuetian was texting her boyfriend, and Jing Shenyan was also focused on his phone, likely handling some matters. As for Zhang Yuying, she wasn’t familiar with any of them, so she remained quiet.

In the lively, laughter-filled lobby, the four of them seemed like strangers sitting at the same table.

After a brief silence, Zhang Yuying suddenly spoke up. "Actually, you’ve all done quite well. It’s not as bad as the director made it sound."

The other three looked up and exchanged glances, with Li Yuetian still chewing on her chicken cutlet.

Jing Shenyan chuckled. "It’s fine, you don’t need to comfort us."

"It’s not comforting, it’s the truth," Zhang Yuying replied seriously. "Your draft was good. He purposely picked on so many details just to push you to pay more attention. Isn’t that how clients are? They try to squeeze every bit of value out of you."

Zhang Yuying’s words made sense, but Cen Wei’s mood didn’t improve.

She poked at his rice with her chopsticks and, with a wry smile, asked, "Really?"

Zhang Yuying nodded. "Really. That’s just how he talks."

Li Yuetian raised her hand and gestured, "So, is he always wearing that sour face? Is he really that disliked in your company?"

Jing Shenyan coughed and shot her a glare.

"Hmm..." Zhang Yuying pretended to think for a moment before laughing. "Let’s put it this way, in our company, his code name is Ye Lanyi."

Jing Shenyan didn’t quite understand, a question mark practically appearing above his head.

Li Yuetian was still pondering it carefully, while only Cen Wei caught on immediately and let out a soft laugh.

"I’ll go ahead. You guys take your time eating," Zhang Yuying said as she stood up.

"Hey," Cen Wei called out to her, reminding, "Aren’t you supposed to bring something back for your director?"

Zhang Yuying paused, probably surprised that Cen Wei would care about such a thing. "No need. He doesn’t eat the food here."

Cen Wei nodded. "Oh, okay."

Zhang Yuying’s words seemed to have an effect. Li Yuetian immediately became smug. "I told you, their previous packaging design was so tacky. How dare they complain about ours?"

Jing Shenyan clicked his tongue. "See, now you’re showing off. That’s why they have that attitude. Otherwise, your head would be so high in the clouds."

Cen Wei listened to them with a grin on her face, scooping a bite of rice into her mouth.

After finishing their meal, they stepped out of the restaurant. The early spring wind made them feel sleepy, and the sunlight was golden and bright.

Cen Wei yawned, feeling the drowsiness creeping back in.

Li Yuetian was equally tired. As soon as she got into the car, she rested her forehead against the car window and fell asleep.

Cen Wei fastened her seatbelt and noticed Jing Shenyan rummaging through something in the driver’s seat.

She pulled a box of mint candies from her bag and handed it to him.

Looking up, Jing Shenyan met her gaze, took the box, and said, "Thank you."

Cen Wei also unwrapped one for herself, popping it into her mouth to stay alert.

The car started, and as Jing Shenyan gripped the steering wheel, he took the opportunity to glance at her while checking the rearview mirror.

Earlier that morning, after he’d told her to bring an iced Americano, he had paused for a moment before simply saying, "That’s all."

The coolness of the mint spread down his throat, but now he found himself craving a cigarette more than anything.

"Have you found a new place to live?" he asked, starting a conversation.

Not wanting to disturb Li Yuetian, Cen Wei lowered her voice and replied, "Yeah, a friend has an empty place I’m staying in temporarily."

"Temporarily? What about after that?"

"Well..." Cen Wei clasped her hands together, hesitating about whether to bring it up now. "Actually, boss, I’m planning to quit once this project is over."

The traffic light changed, and the car behind them honked sharply, pulling Jing Shenyan back to reality. He quickly shifted his attention, flustered as he restarted the car.

As they drove past the intersection, Jing Shenyan took a deep breath and asked, "Why?"

"Various reasons," Cen Wei replied. "I’m planning to go back to Shancheng."

"Are your parents pressuring you to get married?"

"Yeah, that’s part of it."

Cen Wei noticed the deep, heavy sound of his breathing. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she joked, "If you don’t want me to leave, maybe you could give me a bigger bonus once this project is done."

Jing Shenyan tightened his grip on the steering wheel and, in a moment of impulse, asked, "How much would I have to give you for you to stay?"

"Huh?" Cen Wei was startled.

The entire drive to the company was silent, with neither of them speaking.

When the car engine was turned off, Li Yuetian stirred groggily, rubbing her eyes and asking, "Are we here?"

Jing Shenyan unbuckled his seatbelt, his face stern as he spoke to the backseat. "Yuetian, you go ahead. I need to talk to Cen Wei."

Li Yuetian immediately woke up, her eyes darting between the two of them. Nervously, she said, "Boss, if you’re going to scold someone, don’t just blame Cen Wei. I'm also responsible for the bad plan."

Jing Shenyan closed his eyes for a moment. "Go ahead. I’m not going to scold anyone."

Li Yuetian reached out, patted Cen Wei's shoulder over the seat, and whispered, "Then I’ll go first."

Cen Wei smiled and nodded, reassuring her not to worry.

Once the car was left with just the two of them, Jing Shenyan rolled down the window. The lingering coolness of the mint candy sank into his chest with each breath. He turned to Cen Wei and asked, "Do you mind if I smoke?"

"It’s fine, go ahead."

She was always so easygoing.

Jing Shenyan waved his hand, letting out a small sigh. "Never mind." He looked at her and added, "Do you have any more candy?"

Cen Wei quickly rummaged through her bag.

Leaning back in his seat, Jing Shenyan's gaze fell on the sun visor as he asked, "You’re single now, right? I haven’t seen him appear on your social media for a while."

His question confirmed her suspicions. Cen Wei tightened her fist, her nails digging into the palm of her hand. She answered truthfully, "Yes, we broke up before the new year."

"I thought my chance had finally come. I've been waiting for this for so long, but now you’re telling me you want to quit and go back to Shancheng before I’ve even had a chance to do anything." Jing Shenyan’s voice held a hint of amusement. He tried to make the words sound less serious, trying to appear indifferent, as adults always care about their dignity. "Cen Wei, are you playing with me?"

Cen Wei swallowed, her nails leaving crescent-shaped marks in her palm. The sharp sting was most intense when she released the pressure. She breathed quickly and lightly, her face forced into a somewhat stiff smile. "If you keep talking like that, I’ll definitely leave."

The warm breeze poured in, and the air in the car filled with the scent of mint. After a while, Jing Shenyan spoke in a deep voice, "Think it over again."

Cen Wei quickly agreed.

"Go ahead," Jing Shenyan said as he took out the car key.

On the surface, he seemed unfazed, but deep down, he was probably terrified.

Li Yuetian had been sending her frantic WeChat messages for the last five minutes, checking if she was alive or dead.

Cen Wei long-pressed the voice message button, holding the phone up to her mouth. "I’m alive, it’s fine, he didn’t yell at me."

"So, what did he say to you?"

What did he say?

A colleague messaged her on WeChat, asking where she was. Zhang Yuying replied, "Buying grass for the Wild Consort."

She tapped into her boss’ chat window and sent a message: "Caesar salad is unavailable. Can I switch to Thai lemon shrimp instead?"

The response was as brief as always: "Okay."

"One serving of Thai lemon shrimp, and an orange juice."

The shop assistant enthusiastically pointed to the sign on the counter and recommended, "We have a special offer today. Follow our official account to get a coupon."

Zhang Yuying didn’t hesitate to refuse. "No need, just charge me the regular price."

She wasn’t going to waste her time saving money for her boss.

"Okay." The assistant printed the receipt and handed it to her.

Zhang Yuying took the receipt and stood aside to wait for her order.

Twenty minutes earlier, while having lunch, a WeChat message from her boss popped up on her phone.

Zhou Ran: "How are Jingming’s people doing?"

Zhang Yuying was confused. What did "how are they doing" mean?

She held her phone, lifted her eyelids, and glanced around before replying, "Maybe this restaurant isn’t to their taste. I should have taken them to a Chinese restaurant."

Two minutes later, Zhou Ran sent another message: "Tell them for me, I forgot to mention earlier, but their proposal is quite good."

Just as Zhang Yuying typed "Okay," a new message popped up on the screen: "Don’t tell them I asked you to say that."

......

Zhang Yuyin flipped her phone over and placed it face down on the table. What was he up to?

Back at the office, Zhang Yuying went straight to the conference room and placed the takeout bag next to Zhou Ran.

Seeing the meal box in Zhang Yuying’s hand, he asked, "Zhou Ran, haven’t you eaten yet?"

"Huh?" Zhou Ran looked up from the document he was reading and replied, "Oh, I got up late today. It’s fine, I’m not hungry."

"You still need to eat on time," Ji Qinghuan said, tapping the desk with his pen. "Everyone here is a witness. It's not my fault if he doesn't eat. Don't go behind my back calling me a bloodsucking capitalist."

At his words, everyone at the table laughed, and the atmosphere lightened.

Zhou Ran also relaxed and smiled. "Got it."

It wasn’t until 3 PM that Zhou Ran had time to open the salad.

"Xiao Zhang," Zhou Ran called out to her.

Zhang Yuying looked up. "What's wrong?"

Zhou Ran put down the plastic utensils in his hand, picked up his phone, swiped a couple of times, and raised the screen in front of her. "Do you know this person?"

It was a very unfamiliar face. Zhang Yuying leaned forward, trying to see it more clearly.

Zhang Yuying confirmed she had never seen this person. She shook her head and said, "I don’t know him. Who is he?"

Zhou Ran withdrew his hand. "Never mind. You may go now."

He always did things that were hard to understand, so Zhang Yuying had long since gotten used to it. She didn’t ask any more questions and quietly closed the door as she left the office.

As soon as she left, Zhou Ran slumped back in his chair, relaxing his straight posture. He held his phone up in front of him, his brow furrowed.

It was too baffling.