The weather turned colder in October. Qiao Xin’s small jacket was half-torn and hanging off her, her skirt dirty, and her socks ripped.

Song Zhi suddenly recalled Xiang Ge’s parting words to Gong Mo before she left: “Keep an eye on her for me.” He glanced at the expanse of pale thigh exposed on the girl and turned to leave.

Qiao Xin thought Mr. Song had let her off the hook and secretly sighed in relief.

Before she could fully relax, Song Zhi turned back, frowning at her: “What are you spacing out for? Come on.”

Qiao Xin dazedly responded and obediently followed him.

Song Zhi led her back to the office. There weren’t many people on the floor at this time. Song Zhi pushed open the door, walked to the window, and pulled a coat from the coat rack, tossing it to her. He asked nonchalantly, “How are you getting home?”

Qiao Xin scrambled to catch it but missed, the large coat plopping onto her head, carrying a faint trace of masculine cologne.

She pulled the coat down, hugging it to her chest: “I’ll take the bus back.”

Song Zhi plopped down onto his chair, resting his arm on the armrest, spinning around to look at her. He sneered: “You’re just going to go home like this?”

Qiao Xin tilted her head: “Huh?”

“...”

Why am I talking to an idiot?

—This was the only thought that popped into Song Zhi’s mind.

Song Zhi liked smart people, whether men or women, because at least conversations with them weren’t exhausting.

He didn’t feel like saying anything more to her. Leaning forward, he opened the bottom drawer, rummaged through it, and pulled out a box of band-aids, tossing it onto the desk.

Song Zhi jerked his chin toward the restroom in the corner of the office, speaking slowly and deliberately: “Take it, go inside, and clean up your face. A model with a scratched face? You might as well quit now,” he raised his eyes to glance at her, paused, then swept his gaze away, “Put the coat on.”

Qiao Xin whimpered softly, standing there and slowly putting on the coat he had just tossed to her. She picked up the box of band-aids from the desk and went into the restroom.

Song Zhi’s coat was originally long, and on Qiao Xin, it appeared even longer. Her socks were torn, but when she buttoned up the coat, it covered everything perfectly.

After buttoning up the coat, she washed her face with water, cleaning the scratches left by fingernails. Though they were just grazes, women’s nails were long and sharp, and two of the scratches had bled slightly.

Though Mr. Song had a bad mouth and a rotten temper, he wasn’t a bad person.

As she peeled open the band-aids and applied them, her thoughts drifted aimlessly.

By the time she finished and came out, Song Zhi was on the phone.

He propped his hand against his temple, looking quite troubled, and spoke with unprecedented patience: “Yes, hmm, I forgot. It wasn’t intentional, and I didn’t mean to fool around with you guys.”

Qiao Xin listened, blinking, and thought that Mr. Song’s tone could almost be described as gentle—it was actually a bit unsettling.

Just then, Song Zhi, who was still on the phone, raised his eyes to look at her. He silently held the phone to his ear, listening to the other person speak for a while before suddenly saying: “Grandpa, I have a girlfriend. Please apologize to them on my behalf.”

Qiao Xin lowered her head, silently gasping in her heart, feeling like she had accidentally overheard some explosive gossip.

Song Zhi continued speaking: “No, it’s not a lie to avoid blind dates. I really do have one. Yes, we’ve been together for a long time, deeply in love. You don’t believe me? I’m with her right now, and we’re about to go out for dinner in a bit.”

Qiao Xin froze, raising her head.

At the exact moment she looked up, Song Zhi moved the phone away from his ear, aimed it at her, and snapped a picture. He tapped the screen a few times, then put the phone back to his ear: “Here it is.”

“??? “

Qiao Xin stared blankly for a few seconds, then slowly revealed an expression of realization.

This Mr. Song must be trying to escape the blind dates arranged by his family.

In TV dramas, rich families always seem to have these kinds of situations. The male lead has a deep love for the female lead, but the family disapproves, forcing him to endure painful blind dates while his true love remains distant, entangled for more than ten episodes.

But the key issue here is that Xiang Ge already has a male lead in her story. At best, Mr. Song could only qualify as the tragic second male lead trope.

Thinking about it this way, Qiao Xin suddenly felt a bit sorry for Song Zhi.

The man was still talking on the phone, saying things like, “Why do I have to bring her back?” “You don’t need to meet her.” “She’s just an ordinary girl.” “I don’t need some rich family’s daughter—I’m already wealthy enough.” After about ten more minutes of back-and-forth, he finally hung up.

As soon as he ended the call, Qiao Xin looked at him sympathetically: “Mr. Song, if you’d told me earlier, I could’ve posed at a slightly better angle for your staged photo.”

Song Zhi seemed too lazy to respond, tossing his phone onto the desk and leaning back into his boss chair: “What do you want to eat?”

The young girl blinked: “Huh?”

Song Zhi tapped the table impatiently: “I told my family I’m going out to dinner with my girlfriend, which means I won’t be back until late. Do you expect me to starve?”

Don’t you have any friends who can join you for dinner?

Qiao Xin wanted to吐槽, but she held back.

After seriously considering it—and glancing at her pitifully empty wallet this month—she cautiously suggested: “How about takeout?”

Song Zhi: “...”

Half an hour later, the two of them sat in front of the office sofa. On the coffee table lay a 9-inch pizza, two boxes of cheesy baked rice, and some snacks.

Qiao Xin wasn’t like Xiang Ge, who seemed unable to gain weight no matter how much she ate. For Qiao Xin, indulging even a little meant all the extra meat went straight to her cheeks.

At that moment, faced with the pizza and cheesy baked rice, she wore a pained and conflicted expression as she took her first bite.

Then, with a look of pure happiness, she began devouring everything like a whirlwind.

With delicious food in front of her and Song Zhi sitting just across from her, separated by a pizza, Qiao Xin felt her mood relax. She casually munched while blinking innocently: “Mr. Song, why don’t you want to go on blind dates?”

Song Zhi reclined on the sofa, watching her happily eat: “If I don’t want to, I don’t want to. Why does there have to be a reason?”

Qiao Xin nodded thoughtfully, then added: “I think you should go on blind dates.”

Song Zhi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He simply watched as the young girl hesitated, struggling internally, before finally gathering the courage to speak softly: “I know... I know you like Sister Xiang Ge...”

Song Zhi froze mid-action.

Qiao Xin lowered her eyes, murmuring quietly: “But Sister Xiang Ge has a boyfriend. You should go on blind dates and forget about her. Mr. Song, you’re a good person. You shouldn’t end up alone for the rest of your life.”

“...”

Song Zhi gritted his teeth: “Who told you I’m destined to be alone for the rest of my life?”

“In TV dramas, the second male lead always ends up unmarried after falling in love with the female lead.”

Song Zhi resisted the urge to dump the pizza on her head: “And where exactly do I look like the second male lead to you?”

Qiao Xin thought carefully.

In fact, he seemed to fit the role in every way.

Shaking her head, she replied: “You don’t look like one at all.”

Song Zhi let out a cold laugh, his expression darkening.

Qiao Xin quickly added: “Actually, if you really pursued Sister Xiang Ge, I think you’d still stand a chance against the male lead.”

“...”

Song Zhi felt like this brat had grown a lion’s heart and a leopard’s gallbladder today.

The brave soul sighed regretfully: “Why don’t you chase her? When you like someone, you’re supposed to pursue them!”

To Song Zhi’s surprise, he didn’t feel angry anymore. Instead, he laughed. Crossing his legs, he leaned back with an amused smirk, curious to see just how far her boldness would go: “And what makes you so sure I like her?”

Qiao Xin stared at him with wide eyes: “Every time you scold Sister Xiang Ge with that frustrated expression, it’s practically screaming, ‘I like you so much.’ You’re too timid. You need to be braver when facing the girl you like, Mr. Song. If you keep acting like this, you’ll never get a girlfriend.”

Song Zhi shot her a cold glance, interlaced his fingers, leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and slowly moved closer, tilting his body to look at her.

The girl, sensing danger like a wild animal, immediately shut up. Her big eyes darted nervously, filled with regret and panic, as if she’d just realized what she’d said.

Song Zhi raised an eyebrow, his voice calm but foreboding: “So you think you’re quite perceptive?”

Qiao Xin shook her head vigorously.

“And you pity me?”

Qiao Xin trembled, shaking her head even harder, her pale face apologizing profusely: “Mr. Song, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have mentioned your personal matters. Who you like has nothing to do with me.”

Song Zhi remained expressionless, gesturing toward the door: “Shut up and get out.”

Qiao Xin was more than happy to comply. She stood up briskly, ready to leave, but just as she reached the door, he called her back: “Wait. Stop right there.”

Her eyes widened in despair, red-rimmed again. Her small nose twitched repeatedly.

Song Zhi was utterly baffled. Why did she find him so terrifying? Just a few words were enough to scare her like this.

Hadn’t she been boldly analyzing his feelings just moments ago?

Boss Song massaged his temples in exasperation: “Where do you live?”

Qiao Xin blinked: “Huh?”

Song Zhi frowned impatiently, slowing his speech as he repeated: “I’m asking where you live. I’ll send you home. Do you understand?”