Chapter 60: It Was Love at First Sight for Me

As the center of everyone's gossip, he did not show up at our department until noon.

Li Kai, exactly the same as I had seen him in my past life.

Young and promising, handsome and striking, cheerful and enthusiastic, with an effortless charm.

His arrival was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirring up ripples.

Moreover, he was skilled with sweet words, coaxing the female colleagues in the department into beaming smiles.

When Cancan and I came back after lunch, we found the department unusually lively.

Li Kai, the focal point, turned his head and, upon seeing Cancan and me, his eyes lit up.

Then he strode directly toward us.

"What is your name?"

He looked at me with burning intensity.

I frowned slightly and remained silent, but a colleague nearby answered for me.

"Her name is Mu Yan."

I glanced at that person.

In truth, I did not want to tell Li Kai my name, nor did I want any further direct contact with him.

Li Kai nodded and smiled, saying, "Such a lovely name, Mu Yan. I am Li Kai, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

Before I could reply, he dropped another bombshell.

"It was love at first sight for me."

The entire department fell dead silent for a full five seconds.

I looked at him expressionlessly.

If I hadn't witnessed the expression and look in his eyes when he dined with Zhou Zhizi in my past life, I might actually have believed him.

"Director Li, please don't joke around."

Li Kai replied, "I am not joking. It really was love at first sight for me. Fine, I admit it, I have dated many girlfriends in the past, but none of them made my heart race the moment I saw them like you do."

His expression looked entirely sincere.

Yet I didn't believe a single word. "Thank you for the compliment, but I am not interested in a relationship."

I walked back to my desk, but Li Kai relentlessly pursued me.

"Won't you even consider it? Romance is a wonderful thing, and I promise to give you the ultimate romantic experience. I will be the best lover."

He pressed his hands on my desk, leaned in close to my face, and stared steadily at me.

"Give me a chance!"

I remained unmoved, though this time my tone was slightly heavier. "Director Li, stop joking."

It was impossible for him to genuinely like me; there was only one possibility—he was toying with me.

Confessing his feelings to create a storm of gossip, only to walk away scot-free afterward, while I was left behind to endure everyone's cynical remarks.

The mere thought that this was his objective made it impossible for me to muster a smile for him.

"Director Li, if you are here to inspect the work, you are most welcome, but I hope we can refrain from discussing personal matters during working hours."

I offered a polite smile and lowered my head to work.

Li Kai stared at me for a moment before suddenly curving his lips into a smile. "You are truly interesting. I like you more and more."

I acted as if I hadn't heard.

I didn't know when he finally left.

Just as I had anticipated, he walked away completely unburdened, while I was left to endure all sorts of strange and sidelong glances.

"What's going on?"

"Who knows? He said it was love at first sight, isn't that just lust at first sight..."

"Who's to say someone didn't deliberately seduce him."

I had ignored all the previous remarks, but upon hearing this one, I looked up. The person who spoke met my gaze and grinned smugly at me.

"I'm just joking, I didn't mean you."

Cancan slammed her desk. "And I'm just saying you're not a real man!"

The man looked displeased. "Watch your tongue."

"I was just joking, why are you unhappy? Wasn't it funny?"

Tossing the exact same words right back at him, the man sat down with a darkened face and kept quiet.

Cancan turned back to look at me. "Sister Yanyan, some people are just jealous of you, don't pay them any mind."

"Thank you for speaking up for me."

With so many colleagues gossiping and not a single person stepping in to help, Cancan stood out as uniquely precious.

She chuckled softly.

"What are we friends for?"

I thought this matter had finally come to an end, but I had underestimated Li Kai's persistence.

The next morning, I found a bunch of fresh, dewy red roses sitting right on my desk.

There was a card attached to it.

*Flowers for a beauty.*

Signed: Li Kai.

I folded the card, tossed it casually into the trash can nearby, and originally intended to throw the bunch of roses in with it.

However, after taking a look at the trash can, I realized it wasn't large enough.

So I gave up on that idea.

I picked up the roses and walked out of the department. There was a large trash can downstairs in the company building that would be just large enough to accommodate them.

Cancan happened to see me tossing the roses in and didn't even have time to stop me. "What's going on? You're just throwing away such gorgeous roses?"

"Flowers sent by someone I dislike are naturally disliked as well."

I turned around to head back inside the company.

Cancan hurried after me. "Disliked... could those have been sent by that Li Kai from yesterday?"

I said nothing.

Cancan pouted. "That guy is something else. You've already clearly rejected him, why is he still sending flowers? Isn't he deliberately trying to cause misunderstandings!"

Events proved that Cancan was right.

After the love-at-first-sight incident and the flower delivery, the way my department colleagues looked at me had completely changed.

Although I ignored them, it still took a toll on me.

Even Han Qi found out.

Before leaving work, I went to his office to deliver some documents.

He asked me, "Have you been troubled by something lately?"

I was slightly startled. "No."

Han Qi didn't press further. "If you encounter any trouble, remember to tell me. I am your team leader, after all."

"I know."

Leaving the company, I headed toward my small white car, but a black sedan suddenly pulled up right in front of me.

All those scenes I used to watch in television dramas—where a car suddenly stops, two burly men jump out and abduct someone into the vehicle...

Flashed through my mind in an instant.

Without a second thought, I turned around and ran.

Yet someone grabbed me by the wrist from behind.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Hearing that voice, the cry for help that was about to slip past my lips was swallowed back down.

I glared at the person behind me.

"Are you doing this on purpose to scare me?"

Zhou Chenyan's face was dark. "Why would I scare you? It's you—running the moment you see a car. Do you really want to avoid me that badly?"

He reminded me of the situation.

I cautiously looked around.

"Don't pull and tug at me here. What if someone sees us?"

I shook off his grip and turned to leave, but he forcefully dragged me into the car.

Once the door closed, the interior instantly became enclosed.

I pressed myself against the door, refraining from doing anything as foolish as trying to pull it open.

Because he had already locked the car.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" he asked.

"No."

"Nothing to report?" He asked again, maintaining his patience.

I thought about it carefully; there truly was nothing. My recent work hadn't run into any issues at all.

So I shook my head again.

Suddenly, a strong force pulled me toward him. He pinned me down, his sharp gaze locked onto me, forcing a sentence out through clenched teeth.

"Love at first sight, roses—don't you have any explanation for me?"

I frowned. "Did you have someone watching me?"

An employee's personal romantic affairs were private matters. How would a company CEO know unless he intentionally inquired about them?

I reached out to push him away, but he impatiently grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them above my head.

It was a deeply humiliating posture.

My face flushed red with anger.

"Let go!"

The driver was still in the front seat. If Zhou Chenyan didn't care about losing face, I certainly did!