Chapter 137: Chapter 33: Dating Zhu Qing’an

"This was a massive piece of buried gold!"

Halfway through their chat, Minister Yan had to take a call from headquarters. Zhang Yan didn’t mind; it was a good time for a bathroom break anyway.

The restroom environment at Xingcheng Law Firm was quite nice. The toilets even had multi-functional bidets. Since Zhang Yan had eaten quite a bit for lunch, he sat on the toilet and scrolled through his phone for a bit.

Outside, two men who seemed to be firm employees gossiped while using the urinals.

"Goddess Zhu is finally moving up in the world. She’s recently taken charge of two acquisitions in a row. I knew true gold would always shine!"

"Heh, some goddess. She’s practically been ridden into the ground."

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"Only a hopeless simp like you wouldn’t know. Word’s already spread everywhere..."

"How could that be?! I don’t believe it. They must be rumors!"

"I’m only telling you for your own good. Believe what you want."

Accompanied by the sound of the automatic flush, the two men quickly left.

Hearing their conversation, Zhang Yan fell into deep thought. He washed his hands, stepped out, and bid farewell to Minister Yan. Under the guise of thanking her, he leveraged his connections to ask Zhu Qing’an out for dinner.

"Zhu, you can get off work early today. Mr. Zhang would like to treat you to dinner."

Zhu Qing’an looked up from her computer. Although she still had a lot of work to handle, this was her superior’s order, and she happened to want to talk with Zhang Yan more anyway. Thus, she gladly agreed.

The moment Zhu Qing’an left, whispers immediately erupted across the office.

"So they’re not even pretending anymore? They’re just putting their cards on the table!"

"We have to work overtime until late at night and don’t even dare to leave a few minutes early, but look at Zhu Qing’an! She just clocks out whenever she pleases?"

"Minister Yan is notoriously ruthless and never gives anyone face. It seems Zhu Qing’an’s sugar daddy has quite the formidable background."

"But her sugar daddy is so handsome! I thought he’d be some gross old man. If it were me, I’d willingly spread my legs, too."

"Keep dreaming, slut. Even if you were willing, the boss wouldn’t want you. Setting everything else aside, Zhu Qing’an has the boobs and the face, and she’s a PhD graduate who returned from overseas. Can you compare to that?"

"Tch, not necessarily. I’m sluttier than her, hehe."

The sheer scale of the private gossip among the female colleagues in the office was somewhat terrifying, but this was Zhu Qing’an’s true daily reality.

From a blind spot, Minister Yan observed the whispering employees for a while and gave a slight nod.

He was the one who had secretly spread those rumors in the first place. Zhang Yan’s request today aligned perfectly with his intentions, which was why he broke his usual strict persona and readily agreed.

It wasn’t that Zhu Qing’an lacked capability; rather, she was far too capable. She had already faintly threatened the positions of several of his trusted subordinates, so he had continuously frozen her out.

Furthermore, she had an arrogant aloofness about her, refusing to wallow in the mire with the rest of the world. She had contradicted him multiple times over cases and adamantly refused to follow instructions. She truly wasn’t a likable subordinate.

Meanwhile, in the backseat of the Guoya, Zhu Qing’an would frequently space out, then swiftly whip out her phone to jot down case breakthroughs she had just thought of.

"You’re off the clock. Are you still thinking about work?"

Zhu Qing’an suddenly realized she might be acting a bit rude. "Oh, look at me. I’m so sorry. I’ve been following this case for a long time. Even though I’m only assisting, I still want to do my absolute best to clear the plaintiff’s name."

"Sister An, did you study law because you wanted to uphold justice?"

Zhu Qing’an nodded. "It was a childhood dream. Only after growing up and entering the industry did I realize just how incredibly difficult it is."

"But you’re still persisting, aren’t you?"

"Yes. Even if I can only handle the task right in front of me, I want to inch closer to my old dream."

Looking at the radiant light in Zhu Qing’an’s eyes, Zhang Yan felt unconsciously drawn to her.

"I believe you’ll realize your dream someday."

"Is that a consolation or a blessing?"

"It’s a prophecy."

The exact same conversation as before played out once more, drawing a burst of silvery laughter from Zhu Qing’an. "Zhang Yan, you’re really good at talking, especially with girls."

"I do alright. Maybe my looks give me a buff?"

"Hehehe, you’re not humble at all! But, you really are quite handsome."

After several interactions, the distance between Zhu Qing’an and Zhang Yan had practically vanished, and they had genuinely become friends.

Joking around now, they completely lacked the initial unfamiliarity of a boss and a commissioned lawyer.

"More handsome than your boyfriend?"

"Hey~ Trying to trick me into spilling? It doesn’t matter if I tell you, though. Your big sister here doesn’t have a boyfriend yet."

"Oh? Why is it okay to tell me?"

"Because you’re my ideal type. Zhang Yan, I haven’t asked you yet. Do you have a girlfriend?"

Zhu Qing’an had never been in a relationship before.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want one or had low desires. On the contrary, she was full of fantasies and yearning for romance. But for the sake of her dreams, everything else could be tossed aside.

To achieve her dream, she immersed herself in her studies all day, working hard to strengthen herself. Upon returning to her home country, she was full of ambition. Even though several men she had favorable impressions of pursued her, she still chose to reject them.

That was until her experiences over the past three years completely wore down her pride.

While she hadn’t given up on her dream, she knew it wasn’t something she could achieve overnight. That was why she had started trying to open her heart. Yet, for some unknown reason, the men she used to like now avoided her like the plague.

It wasn’t until Zhang Yan appeared that she finally felt her heart flutter again.

In Zhu Qing’an’s eyes, Zhang Yan was young, handsome, mysterious, and powerful. He exuded an aura of omnipotence, making him exactly her ideal type. Coupled with the grace he showed in recognizing her talent on two separate occasions, her first impression of him was exceptionally good.

As they interacted, she could sense that Zhang Yan was actually quite interested in her as well. Although he was a bit younger, it was still within an acceptable range for her. Furthermore, according to her observations, Zhang Yan had no obvious couple’s items on his hands, his person, or inside this luxury car. Taking all this into account, she went on the offensive without any reservations.

But Zhang Yan naturally couldn’t answer her directly.

Situations like this, where he seemed just one step away from the finish line, were actually far more difficult to handle. In this dynamic, Zhu Qing’an appeared as an equal, even acting faintly dominant and proactive.

This meant that if Zhang Yan were to say, "I want you to be one of my wings" right now, she would absolutely turn on her heel and leave without ever looking back. Therefore, before the web of romance he was weaving around Zhu Qing’an tightened, he could only string her along. "What if I do? And what if I don’t?"

"If you don’t, you can consider giving it a try with your big sister here. If you already do, then just pretend I never said anything, and we can still be good friends. So, do you or don’t you?"

After all, Zhu Qing’an had lived abroad for five or six years. Her personality lacked the typical reservation of Huaxia girls and carried more of the uninhibited directness of foreign girls, making Zhang Yan’s space to string her along rather cramped.

Fortunately, the young driver was very reliable and pulled up to the restaurant right on time.

"Oh? We’re here. That was quite a fast drive. Let’s eat first."

"Huh, it’s this restaurant! I’ve been here a few times myself. Aside from being a bit pricey, it has no flaws. Zhang Yan, your taste is really good!"

The place Zhang Yan brought Zhu Qing’an to was still that familiar French restaurant.

And it was still that familiar... waiter.

This very familiar waiter looked as though he had lost all will to live today. He probably ran into some difficulties in life, Zhang Yan thought to himself.

"Four! This is the fourth one! She’s another goddess-level girl! And I still don’t even have a girlfriend! Argh! Will someone just kill this damn rich kid already?! ... Forget it. I’m tired. Just end me," the waiter thought despairingly.

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