Chapter 33: Seeking Comfort, Seeking an Embrace

Zhang Shaohua, already scared out of his wits, scrambled to his feet and scurried away the moment I let him go.

I turned to Huang Xiaohui, who was standing there in shock, and said, "Go with him to handle the resignation formalities. Make sure he doesn't take anything that doesn't belong to him."

"Oh, right." Huang Xiaohui snapped out of it and hurried out of the office.

"Sigh! Another fly swatted. Feels good!" I let out a satisfied breath and looked toward Ling Xuan.

Ling Xuan had intended to rush over and grab me, but since I had already let go, she just stood to the side and glared at me. Of course, she was completely at her wit's end with me by now. After staring for a long moment, she said, both angry and helpless, "Can you stop hitting people like that in the future? This is a company, not a gang. Don't try to solve every problem with your fists!"

I sat down on the sofa and smiled leisurely. "My dear lady, didn't you see he was about to grab me and start a fight? Do you really expect me not to defend myself?"

Ling Xuan frowned deeply at my smiling face, let out a heavy sigh, and said with annoyance, "You can still smile! That was intimidation. You're talking about brawling and fighting!"

"Alright, calm down." I smiled. "I'm a bodyguard, so naturally, I know how to handle myself. Besides, have you ever seen someone get fired and start throwing punches? This kid is so arrogant; who knows what kind of trouble he’s brewing?"

"I don't care anymore." Ling Xuan turned around in a huff. "I can't control you, this bodyguard of mine! But don't talk to me about brawling and fighting; I really hate hearing it."

Seeing her looking so angry yet helpless, I couldn't help but find it amusing. "My dear lady, is everything I do annoying to you now?"

"You!" Ling Xuan spun around, staring daggers at me.

I was slightly taken aback and quickly waved my hands. "Never mind, I said it wrong."

Ling Xuan gnashed her teeth and glared at me for a long while before stomping her feet hard and shouting, "Do you even have a brain?"

With that, she stormed back to her own desk.

I stood there, stunned by her outburst, unable to make sense of it. My smile faded, and I let out a helpless sigh. "Fine! I'm wrong! I'm going for a walk downstairs."

I stood up and walked out. Ling Xuan glared at me with a mix of resentment and anger, but said nothing.

Leaving the office, I headed straight to the fifth floor. Entering the area, I found a long corridor lined with large staff offices, the walls covered in corporate culture posters.

Customer Service Department, Operations Department, Editorial Department... I looked into each office one by one until I reached the Design Department.

This was where Qin Ruhua worked.

Walking inside, I saw a space of about fifty or sixty square meters, with many individual workstations scattered about in what looked like total disarray.

Well, it looked like a mess to me, but I later learned from Qin Ruhua that their department was responsible for original designs for brilliant women's fashion. The office style was intentionally artistic and innovative, reflecting a desire to break away from conventional thinking, which is why the desks weren't arranged in rigid, uniform rows.

At a glance, almost everyone working in design was female.

As soon as I entered, a female employee sitting by the door looked up, eyeing me with curiosity. "Hello, who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Qin Ruhua," I said with a smile.

The employee, who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, kept staring at me, looking me up and down before pointing. "She's over there."

"Thanks." I followed her gesture and found Qin Ruhua sitting at a desk against the wall, her back to me. She was sitting perfectly straight, her long hair like silk.

Other employees heard the commotion and looked up at me—or rather, scrutinized me—with rather intense gazes. Fortunately, coming from the fighting ring, I was long accustomed to being the center of attention and felt no discomfort at all.

When I reached her, she still hadn't turned around. I peeked curiously and realized she was wearing earbuds.

How leisurely, listening to music while working.

Her computer screen showed design software, and she was busy working on the pattern for a piece of women's clothing, which I didn't really understand.

I tapped her left shoulder lightly and quickly ducked to her right.

Qin Ruhua turned to look, saw nothing, and immediately turned to the right. I quickly ducked to the left.

After turning to empty air twice, Qin Ruhua simply pulled out her earbuds and stood up.

She was wearing a white T-shirt today, the cartoon graphic on her chest stretched out, and denim hot pants that showcased two fair, rounded legs. Combined with her long, straight hair, she looked simple, soft, beautiful, and naturally approachable.

I waved and smiled. "Huahua, you've gotten even prettier."

Qin Ruhua was both surprised and delighted, lowering her voice as she asked, "Brother Fan, why are you here?"

I pulled up a chair and sat next to her, sighing with a smile, "I got bullied, so I came to you for some comfort and a hug."

Qin Ruhua giggled, sat down, and gazed at me with her large, dark, bright eyes. "Who bullied you?"

"The Chairwoman."

"What did you do wrong?"

"It's a long story. Give me a hug first," I said with a grin.

Qin Ruhua paused, glanced around, rolled her eyes at me with a mix of amusement and annoyance, and stood up to pour me water from the dispenser nearby.

"Do you want cold or hot?"

"Hot." I watched her as she crouched by the dispenser, her long, black hair falling forward and resting softly on her snow-white thighs, looking almost like a veil and stirring the imagination.

Seeming to sense my gaze, she turned her head, her hair sweeping away to reveal an immaculate, white face. As a smile spread across her lips, her large dark eyes crinkled with warmth.

I smiled back.

After pouring the water, Qin Ruhua placed it in front of me and sat down, smiling brightly. "There you go, be a good boy and drink some water to cool off."

Looking at her kind, generous smile, my heart warmed. "Huahua, you're still the best to me."

Although I hadn't seen her for two days, we chatted on WeChat often. Ever since she hugged me last time, I had become bolder on the app, often teasing her and asking for hugs and kisses. She hadn't rejected me, and our relationship had grown even closer than before.

Of course, Qin Ruhua's true personality was wonderful—innocent, cheerful, and approachable, like a younger sister next door.

Qin Ruhua rolled her eyes at me and laughed generously. "I'm good to you, and yet you're just thinking about taking advantage of me."

"That's because you're too beautiful," I said cheekily, feeling no embarrassment at all.

Just then, a girl nearby asked with a smile, "Xiao Qin, is that your boyfriend?"

I turned to see most of the office staff curiously watching us.

*Er, what's there to be curious about?*

Qin Ruhua blushed and smiled. "He's my brother."

I was slightly taken aback.

"Oh, he's your brother?" The girl seemed interested and walked over.

As she moved, several other young employees gathered around as well.

*Ugh, why are you interrupting my time with Huahua?*

Five or six young female employees gathered around us, looking me up and down and peppering me with questions as if I were at a matchmaking event.

However, when they asked my name and I told them it was Chu Fan, their interest plummeted. Clearly, since we had different last names, we weren't biological siblings, and it was likely we were "brother and sister" in the romantic sense.

I looked at Qin Ruhua, speechless. She just gave an awkward smile.

The female employees soon dispersed.

I breathed a sigh of relief, leaned in closer to Qin Ruhua, and inhaled the faint fragrance radiating from her. I grinned, "Huahua, you still haven't given me that hug."

Qin Ruhua swatted my arm and scolded, "Stop it! All you think about is taking advantage of me. I'm starting to wonder if my brother misjudged you."

I sighed and smiled. "Even if he did, it's enough that you didn't."

Qin Ruhua rolled her eyes. "I think I misjudged you even more."

"Sigh, how pitiful," I said with a laugh, leaning back in my chair.

Qin Ruhua chuckled, her eyes filled with helpless affection. She paused for a moment and said, "By the way, I want to go clothes shopping tonight. Will you come with me?"

I hesitated, my expression flickering.

Qin Ruhua frowned slightly, clearly displeased. "Don't tell me you don't have time! Why are you always so hesitant whenever I ask you for help? Do you find me troublesome?"

"No, no." I quickly waved my hands, smiling. "It's just that the Chairwoman is in a bad mood, and I don't even dare to bring up taking time off. Besides, my little sister was planning to have me go with her to buy a phone tonight."

"Oh!" Qin Ruhua nodded, her expression softening. She asked curiously, "You have a little sister?"

Thinking of my sister, my heart warmed. "If I can get the time off tonight, how about I take you and my sister shopping for clothes and a phone together?"

Qin Ruhua didn't answer right away, lost in thought. After a moment, she gave a shy smile. "Maybe next time! Since President Ling is in a bad mood, let's not push it."