MMCD - 8

Before, when everyone said Shen Shuyi wouldn’t like her, Sheng Wenyan didn’t believe them.

Because even though she was rejected back then, Shen Shuyi said he was busy with his studies and didn’t want to be in a relationship. And he really hadn’t been in a relationship during college. So she thought his feelings for her were still up for debate.

So she lingered until graduation, thinking that she would have a chance to touch that handsome face after graduation and that she could win him over.

But she didn’t expect that Shen Shuyi really didn’t like her at all...

On the way back, Sheng Wenyan, lost in her thoughts, was uncharacteristically silent, a silence that was almost frightening.

But while she was quiet, her driving was not.

It was fast then slow, and the brakes were unpredictable.

Another intersection was ahead. Shen Zai saw the red light in the distance and braced himself.

Sure enough, the car didn’t slow down, and it only came to a sudden halt when it was close to the intersection.

Shen Zai was pushed forward by the inertia and pulled back by the seatbelt.

“Sheng Wenyan,” he said in a deep voice after he was seated firmly.

Sheng Wenyan looked at him in the rear-view mirror, sounding weak. “What is it, Mr. Shen?”

Shen Zai’s eyes were dark. “Drive properly.”

Sheng Wenyan: “Ah... I’m sorry. Was I driving too fast just now?”

Shen Zai: “If you’re going to work with this kind of emotional state, you can resign.”

After he said that, the person in front of him let out a muffled “Mm” and apologized again.

The light turned green, and this time the car’s speed was much more stable.

But Shen Zai felt the low pressure in the car was still present.

He glanced at the person in the driver’s seat. From this angle, he could only see her profile. The young girl had a serious expression, probably caught in the vortex of her “rejected confession.”

Shen Zai wasn’t interested in the love lives of these two kids, but seeing how unusually quiet she was today, he figured she was genuinely hurt. After all, she was still young, and his nephew’s words were a bit too direct.

Shen Zai had no experience comforting people and wouldn’t even try, but since she was his friend’s daughter, he said, “If you came to IZ for a relationship, you can quit now. But at your age, you need to know which is more important: work or a relationship.”

“...”

The person driving didn’t respond to him and even sighed, sniffing a couple of times.

Was she crying?

Shen Zai frowned, feeling that this was a bit difficult to handle.

Brakes—

Another red light.

Since it had reached the point of crying, he wouldn’t let her drive anymore.

The car stopped at the crosswalk. Just as Shen Zai was about to tell her to “pull over to the side of the road,” the woman in the driver’s seat suddenly turned her head.

The woman’s face was expressionless, and she wasn’t crying.

“Mr. Shen, do you think I’m ugly?”

All of Shen Zai’s words were stuck in his throat. “...”

However, Sheng Wenyan didn’t feel that anything was wrong at all. She cupped her cheeks and, as if her face had changed, showed a very charming smile. “Then~ do you think I’m pretty?”

“............”

Sheng Wenyan looked at his cold expression and “tsk”ed in frustration. “You also think I’m very good-looking, don’t you? Then tell me, how can Shen Shuyi have such poor taste?”

Shen Zai’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“He even said he doesn’t like my type. I mean, is there anyone in this world who doesn’t like a pretty girl?” Sheng Wenyan scoffed, “And what do you mean by ‘my type’? I’ve been studying hard and improving every day. I’ve been so well-behaved, so why does he have such a deep-seated prejudice against me? It’s not like I’ve been sleeping around or committing arson.”

“Mr. Shen, do you men all like quiet and innocent girls? I can be innocent too. You just need to dress it up a bit, right?”

Shen Zai stared at the person in front of him. Her features were bold and beautiful. No matter how she dressed, the word “innocent” probably wouldn’t apply.

He looked away and didn’t respond to her.

But once Sheng Wenyan started talking, she had no intention of stopping. She continued to ramble on after starting the car again.

“Shen Shuyi even said I was willful and reckless and that my internship was a waste of time. He doesn’t even spend time with me or see what I do every day. What gives him the right to say that about me? He looks down on me, doesn’t he? I’ll show him how serious I can be. He said my intentions weren’t pure... well, I’ll show him they are. I can be a hard worker too!”

Shen Shuyi’s words today had indeed provoked her, and she just so happened to be someone who couldn’t handle being provoked by her crush.

Right now, she wanted to prove to Shen Shuyi that she was okay!

“Seriously, he’s so annoying! If only he were a little uglier, I would, I would...”

Shen Zai: “Sheng Wenyan.”

“I would definitely not be so nice to him! Ugh, my weakness for handsome faces is really a problem. I can’t even badmouth a good-looking person...”

“Sheng Wenyan.”

“But liking good-looking people is normal. I don’t think I’m wrong. I—”

“Sheng Wenyan!”

The person behind her raised his voice, and Sheng Wenyan was startled, finally snapping out of it.

Ah... what was she just saying? Was she complaining to Shen Zai???

Holy crap. What happened to her good-girl persona? Shen Shuyi’s words today had thrown her off so much that she forgot to pretend to be well-behaved.

“Hey... I’m here, Mr. Shen,” Sheng Wenyan said, immediately composing herself.

Shen Zai, seeing that she had finally quieted down, said with a hint of helplessness, “Are you done talking?”

Sheng Wenyan cleared her throat. “...Pretty much.”

“Are you resigning?”

“Huh?”

Shen Zai: “If you want to leave, I’ll talk to your dad.”

“I, why would I want to leave?”

Shen Zai: “Since your goal can’t be achieved, you’re not leaving?”

“What goal? What do you mean it can’t be achieved?” Sheng Wenyan said seriously, “Mr. Shen, I came here to learn from you. I believe I can learn and become an outstanding person like you.”

She was lying with a straight face.

Sheng Wenyan: “Don’t worry, Mr. Shen! I’ll work hard no matter what you tell me to do. I definitely won’t hold you back.”

Shen Zai knew what she was up to, but since she insisted on saying this, there was no point in him continuing to press the matter.

Because in his eyes, Sheng Wenyan was his friend’s daughter, and she was an intern he needed to take special care of.

If she didn’t resign, he had no reason to get rid of her.

Shen Zai glanced at her and decided not to pursue it further. “In that case, come pick me up at seven tomorrow morning.”

Sheng Wenyan’s smile froze. “...”

“The flight is at 9:30. Get ready for it yourself.”

“Huh??”

Sheng Wenyan had no idea there was a business trip the next day. She initially thought she had missed something or had been careless enough to overlook such a big thing. But after she messaged Chen Chao, he said he only found out about this sudden event an hour ago, so she realized it wasn’t her fault.

After dropping off Shen Zai and returning home herself, Sheng Wenyan looked at her Aunt Chen, who was packing her luggage for her, feeling both angry and resentful.

She was angry that she had finally found a face she liked, only to be rejected. She was resentful that just after she decided to prove to Shen Shuyi that she was capable, she had to get up early for a business trip while it was still dark outside.

She wanted to show that she was hardworking, but not so immediately.

________________________________________

Because of Shen Shuyi, Sheng Wenyan went to bed very late. As a result, when she was woken up by her alarm at six the next day, she felt like she wanted to die.

After a long time of procrastinating, she finally got out of bed. Time was short, so she didn’t even put on makeup, dragging her suitcase and rushing to the garage.

She arrived at Shen Zai’s house just in time. But looking at her boss, who was dressed neatly and walking out of the house leisurely, her forehead turned black.

She was just an assistant, wasn’t she? Why did she have to be a chauffeur too?!!

“Aren’t you going to drive?” A cold voice came from behind her.

Sheng Wenyan’s mind returned to the present. She turned her head and gave him a bright smile. “Yes, let’s go~”

Sob, she was suffering for love, but she couldn’t even have a moment to be sad.

The plane took off at 9:30 and landed at 12:30.

Sheng Wenyan dragged two suitcases and followed Shen Zai out of the airport. The person waiting for them outside was a woman, a beautiful and charming one at that.

“Brother Shen Zai, long time no see!” The charming woman enthusiastically rushed forward, looking like she was about to give him a hug.

Shen Zai extended his hand. “Long time no see.”

The charming woman was stopped by his outstretched hand. She glanced at his hand and huffed before shaking it. “Yeah, it’s been a year since we last saw each other.”

Shen Zai nodded. “How is your father?”

“He’s great. He said I had to take good care of you this time.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

Zhu Lingyun’s smile was bright, but when she saw Sheng Wenyan standing next to Shen Zai, her smile froze slightly. “Who is this?”

Shen Zai: “My assistant.”

Zhu Lingyun: “Assistant? Where’s Assistant Lin? Didn’t she used to go on business trips with you?”

Sheng Wenyan couldn’t get a good sleep on the plane and was feeling sleepy, but the woman’s obvious hostility jolted her awake.

Sheng Wenyan looked at Shen Zai, then at the woman who clearly had a thing for him, and extended her hand. “Hello, Miss Zhu. I’m Mr. Shen’s new assistant. My name is Sheng Wenyan. Assistant Lin is on maternity leave, so I’m currently filling in for her.”

Zhu Lingyun scanned her from head to toe, seemingly not seeing her hand at all. She turned to Shen Zai and said, “I see. Well, the car is waiting here, Brother Shen Zai. Let’s get in.”

The driver opened the car door. After Shen Zai got in, Sheng Wenyan naturally wanted to follow, but she was stopped by Zhu Lingyun, who gestured for her to sit in the front.

Sheng Wenyan raised an eyebrow. Fine.

After sitting in the front, she glanced at Zhu Lingyun, who was chatting intimately with Shen Zai in the back seat.

Was this person... Shen Zai’s old flame?

Sheng Wenyan’s guess had some basis.

Because from then on, the car was filled with Zhu Lingyun’s voice, which was so chatty it was giving her a headache. But Shen Zai didn’t seem impatient and even responded to her a few times.

Sheng Wenyan heard him talking and kept turning her head to look at him. The person in the back seat always had a faint smile on his face. Compared to his usual cold demeanor, it was more eye-catching. But... who was the one who didn’t let anyone talk in the car before?!

Seriously, what the hell? He doesn’t tell his old flame to “be quiet”?!

What a hypocrite!