Chapter 697: Chapter 697: A Coincidental Meeting is Better Than a Planned Invitation
(Chapter 11)
âIf you disappear from her world, itâll be better for her growth; if you continue to affect her in reality, who knows, one day she might get distracted during a mission and lose her life.â After saying so much in one breath, Phoenix didnât say anything more, pulled out a small booklet from her bosom, threw it to Luo Ziling, and then issued an eviction order, âIâve still got things to do, you should leave, we can chat more if thereâs a chance in the future.â
Luo Ziling didnât quite understand what Phoenix meant by her words.
However, he did catch the small booklet she tossed over.
When he opened it, it turned out to be an identity document for Dragon Rise. Inside were his photo, name, and other details, plus a serial number, and the words Dragon Rise Team which made him unable to contain his excitement.
But Luo Ziling didnât see any special remark such as âoutside the establishment,â and having not seen the identity documents of other Dragon Rise members, he couldnât tell if there was any difference. However, he was no longer in the mood to pay attention to these details. Possessing Dragon Riseâs document, he couldnât help feeling overjoyed, wishing he could rush forward and hug Phoenix to thank her properly.
...
Phoenix didnât expect Luo Ziling to be so cheerful after listening to her few words and couldnât help feeling a bit angry.
âYou should go!â she said with a snort, turning to leave first.
âIâm just happy about getting this document, nothing else,â Luo Ziling immediately felt that something was amiss, Phoenix must have misunderstood him about something, he quickly explained, and then followed her out, âWhere is she now, can I contact her?â
âYou canât!â These two words were uttered as Phoenix had already moved ten meters away.
Luo Ziling was suddenly a bit disappointed, as the joy of getting the Dragon Rise document had lessened.
But since she already didnât welcome him, he could only leave the sanatorium feeling gloomy.
As he walked out of the sanatorium, Yang Xiaodong and Wang Zhenjun, who were waiting outside, immediately came up to him, asking with concern what had just happened and if he had quarreled with Phoenix. Luo Ziling snorted discontentedly and didnât answer them, merely signaling for them to return.
During the ride back, Luo Ziling didnât share what had just happened with Yang Xiaodong and Wang Zhenjun. Instead, he instructed them to take care of the task he had assigned and to clear up all the matters that needed to be investigated. If they had time, they should play some minor tricks on those he disapproved of to irk them.
Luo Ziling himself was too busy and didnât have time to bother with these underhanded games, but he was unwilling to keep being calculated against and disgusted by others, so he handed the tasks to Yang Xiaodong and Wang Zhenjun.
Hearing Luo Zilingâs instructions, Yang Xiaodong and Wang Zhenjun accepted the task without any objection.
Luo Ziling told Yang Xiaodong that tonight, he was going to meet with someone who researched traditional medicine along with teachers from the school. If Yang Xiaodong was busy, there was no need to go with him.
âAlright, Iâll try my best to get there,â Yang Xiaodong understood what Luo Ziling meant and didnât ask any further questions.
When they dropped Luo Ziling off at the school gate, the two of them drove away.
Seeing that it was still early, just 10:30 in the morning, Luo Ziling was conflicted about whether or not to attend classes. He had called Counselor He Yongping the night before, saying that he had important matters today, as he had to treat some leadersâ health issues and wanted to take the day off. He Yongping readily granted him a day off.
Still, Luo Ziling was an honest person. Coming back so early, he felt it would be a waste of time not to attend classes.
But the sudden appearance of someone solved this dilemma for him. Just as he was entering the school gate, planning to go back to his dorm to leave his bag, a car drove out from the school, nearly grazing him.
The car quickly stopped, the window of the driverâs seat came down, and to his surprise, the beautiful face of Chen Xiaoyi appeared.
âWhy is it you?â
Both of them almost exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
âI came to interview a teacher at your school,â Chen Xiaoyi smiled and answered Luo Ziling first, âI just finished the interview and wanted to return to my office.â
âIs it just you?â Luo Ziling stuck his head over to look inside Chen Xiaoyiâs car, saw no one else, and couldnât help but feel a bit curious, âDidnât you guys always come in a group for interviews in the past?â
âThe others took the companyâs car and left first. I didnât go to the office today and directly came from home, so I drove myself,â after explaining a few more sentences, Chen Xiaoyi asked Luo Ziling, âIsnât today Friday? How come youâre not attending class?â
âI just came back because of something and took the day off,â Luo Ziling said, stepping back, âIf youâre busy, you should go ahead; Iâm heading back to my dorm.â
But Chen Xiaoyi did not drive away. Instead, she cocked her head to the side and asked Luo Ziling, âYou once promised to treat me to a meal, but Iâve never seen you take the initiative to invite me. Isnât it a bit unfair to run into me right outside your school and still not invite me to eat?â
Luo Ziling didnât recall ever promising to treat Chen Xiaoyi to a meal, but since she put it that way, he still felt he must have promised her at some point and therefore did not question it. Instead, he scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, âIâve been caught up with a lot of things lately, one trouble after another. Alright then, since you mention it, Iâll treat you. An unexpected meeting is better than an invitation, right?â
âThen get in the car. Iâll take you to a restaurant that has pretty good food,â Chen Xiaoyi said and proactively opened the passenger-side door for him to enter.
Luo Ziling had already seen quite a few people looking in their direction and quickly got in the car.
He hadnât even fastened his seat belt when Chen Xiaoyi started driving off.
âIf I had not greeted you just now, were you planning to pretend you didnât recognize me?â After they left the school, Chen Xiaoyi asked Luo Ziling with a trace of discontent, âDo you not want to hang out with me?â
Chen Xiaoyi had not been in contact with Luo Ziling for a while. One reason was that she had been away on an assignment for several days, but a more important reason was that she wanted to see how much Luo Ziling cared about her. She wondered if Luo Ziling would reach out to her if she didnât take the initiative.
She was disappointed that she couldnât get a message or a call from Luo Ziling, and it made her feel slightly resentful.
She also knew that Luo Ziling didnât have special feelings for her, or else he wouldnât have acted this way.
But Chen Xiaoyi was also aware that Fang Qianqian often took the initiative to look for Luo Ziling, and her own cousin Chen Xiaoxiao also sought him out from time to time.
Luo Ziling didnât reject their invitations either, mostly accepting their proposals to meet, which aggravated her even more.
It wasnât that she had developed feelings for Luo Ziling; it was just a matter of feeling out of balance.
She always considered herself superior to Chen Xiaoxiao and Fang Qianqian, and also prided herself on being more demure. Because of this psychological advantage, she felt somewhat unwilling to accept that those two women had a closer relationship with Luo Ziling than she did.
She had planned to ask Luo Ziling out for a meal or to hang out over the weekend, to provoke a reaction from those two women. Thatâs why she didnât tell Luo Ziling about her visit to the school for the interview today. She just didnât expect to run into Luo Ziling by chance at the school gate.
The unexpected encounter, however, caused her to feel a bit of a pleasant surprise, so she took the initiative to ask Luo Ziling to treat her to a meal.
Even, she planned to take the afternoon off and have Luo Ziling accompany her to go out and have some fun.