Rumor has it that the young master has a hidden illness

However, it's a sales position, which is easy to apply for, but Lin Lulu gets to hear and see more things in this position.

"Let me introduce you all. These are our new employees, Lin Lulu and Qin Duanduan," Supervisor Bai said. "They're new, so please take good care of them and don't bully them!"

Lin Lulu and Qin Duanduan exchanged a glance, and then began to introduce themselves. The tension between them was palpable.

Soon, the two were seated. Lin Lu was rather aloof; she didn't take the initiative, and not many people tried to get close to her.

Qin Duanduan was different; she chatted with everyone she met, as if she were there to make friends.

I'm not worried about Qin Duanduan's social skills.

Thinking back to when they first met, if she hadn't made a point of being there for them, they wouldn't be as close as they are now.

After work, Qin Duanduan wanted to treat her colleagues in the department to dinner, but Lin Lulu did not show up. She looked at the long list of clients that had been assigned to her, her brows furrowed tightly.

On the surface, it seems like nothing is wrong.

However, upon closer inspection, something seems amiss with this list.

While the sales department does assign many potential clients to new employees, most of the clients they receive are of little value.

But the list she has now includes the names of several big company bosses.

To convince her that the workplace here is clean and peaceful?

She didn't believe it.

It seems that it will take time to uncover the truth.

Just then, my phone rang. It was my two children calling.

"Godmother! We can't find Mommy! Does Mommy not want us anymore? She just told us she was busy and hung up!" the two little ones cried. "Godmother, you have to stand up for us! If your personal assistant is such a heartless person, you can't trust her!"

Hearing their words, Lin Lulu's eyes dimmed, and she whispered, "Mommy wouldn't abandon you... How could she... How could there be such a cruel mother in the world..."

As she said this, her voice choked up involuntarily.

She clenched her fists, clutched her chest, and her eyes reddened without warning.

"Really? You really won't abandon her?" the little ones continued to ask. "But why is she contacting us less and less these days?"

"Because I'm busy!" Lin Lulu comforted him. "Jinbao, Yuanbao, be good. If you ever get bored, just call your godmother. Godmother promises she'll bring your mommy back safely, okay?"

"Then, godmother will buy us gifts!"

Lin Lulu responded, listened to the playful sounds on the other end of the phone, hung up, sat in the back seat of the car, hugged her phone to her chest, and cried uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"Mr. Lin, we've arrived," the driver whispered.

Lin Lulu quickly wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and said, "Just park the car and rest. I can go up by myself."

As she spoke, she opened the car door and got out. She saw Jing Sichen standing at the hotel entrance. Upon seeing her, he quickly approached and said urgently, "Where have you been? I called you, why didn't you answer?"

"I think I've made myself perfectly clear to you," Lin Lulu said coldly.

Just as she was about to leave, he grabbed her wrist. "Have you been crying?"

He thought she wouldn't cry.

But now, her voice was off, and her eyes were red, clearly indicating that she had been crying.

"Who bullied you?" Jing Sichen shouted sharply, "Who dares!"

All the hatred in her heart was ignited at this moment. She pulled her hand away from his grasp, looked at him with bloodshot eyes, and almost roared, "What right do you have to ask such a question! I told you, don't bother me anymore, and don't pry into my life anymore! Cutting ties cleanly is the last bit of dignity I can give myself. If you insist on forcing me, then I'll go back to my country now, and in this life, there will basically be no need for us to see each other again!"

"Who said that?" Jing Sichen said in a deep voice, "Even if you hide in the country, I can still see you if I want to! Those who use distance and time as excuses are just unwilling or unable to. Truly liking someone means that no matter how far away or how much time has passed, you will find a way to be by their side!"

Lin Lulu: "You like it?"

Those two words struck her as extremely ironic.

"Yes! I like you!" Jing Sichen said. "You figured it out a long time ago, didn't you? I like you! I know this is abrupt, but Lin Lulu, I like you, from the very first moment I saw you. I've never been the type to drag things out, and I don't care if you feel any guilt after hearing my confession. I only know that if I don't seize the opportunity to pursue you, I'll regret it..."

"Snap—"

Lin Lulu slapped Jing Sichen hard across the face, making it hard for him to breathe.

She glared at him. "What gives you the right to disregard the emotional burden I'll feel? What makes you think you can decide everything?"

Jing Sichen covered half his face, looked at Lin Lulu, and asked softly, "You hate me that much?"

"Yes!" She clenched her fists. "I'd rather just pick anyone and have a whirlwind marriage than be with you! Lan Ye, remember, you're just Lan Ye! Since you're Lan Ye, then do what Lan Ye is supposed to do! Stop bothering me! If you show up in front of me like this again, I'll go back to my country immediately. I want to see if you can still see me so easily then."

He panicked, "Lulu!"

"Release!" she said, biting out the words.

Seeing her resolute expression, he had no choice but to let go.

He knew that tonight's formal confession was too sudden.

However, he was worried.

She was worried that if she didn't hurry, someone else would snatch her away.

He didn't know why his feelings for her were so strong, but once they started, they were unstoppable.

Lin Lulu returned to her room, slammed the door shut, sat down against the wall, hugged her legs, buried her head in her knees, and silently shed tears.

Why?

Why was she the only one who got hurt from beginning to end?

**

A new day begins, and the sun rises as usual.

Lin Lulu put yesterday's events behind her and saw Qin Duanduan video chatting with her two beloved sons early in the morning. The loving mother and filial sons looked so beautiful.

"Alright, sons! The big devil is awake! Mommy needs to get back to work!" Qin Duanduan said. "From now on, you're not allowed to complain to your godmother! Your godmother's time is very precious, not for playing with you!"

Lin Lulu took the initiative to walk to the sofa and sit down, saying softly, "It's okay, they can contact me more often."

Qin Duanduan quickly said "Goodbye," then looked at Lin Lulu and asked, "What's wrong? You don't usually like children, so why do you suddenly want to contact them? Were you provoked by Jing Sichen last night?"

"I don't want to hear that name again," Lin Lulu said. "Even... even if he's still alive, he's just Lan Ye."

"Lulu, why are you doing this to yourself?" Qin Duanduan sighed. "Seeing how heartless and detached you are, I thought you harbored deep hatred for him! But actually, only I know that while you hate him, you love him even more. You always feel like you owe him, so for all these years, you haven't given up to torturing yourself. You don't even want to do anything to make yourself happy, and as a foodie, you've even lost your sense of taste."

Seeing that Lin Lulu didn't get angry, Qin Duanduan continued, "Actually, although he has done a lot for you, you don't owe him anything. Lulu, even if everyone says you're heartless, I know that you made this choice to live his life according to his wishes. Since he doesn't want to be Jing Sichen and wants to be Lan Ye, then you should grant his wish."

"But have you considered this? Perhaps he had other unavoidable difficulties at the time. Perhaps he has already regretted it? Otherwise, why would he be so devoted to you when he clearly had no memory of you? For someone like him to lower himself so many times for you, can't you try not to always think that you are making certain decisions for his own good? Maybe what he really wants is for you to stay by his side?"

Hearing Qin Duanduan's words, Lin Lulu's nose tingled, and she almost burst into tears again.

"Am I really useless?" Lin Lulu asked Qin Duanduan softly. "I clearly thought I could handle things well with him, but I don't really want to reject him! Whenever he mentions being together, I obediently listen to him like a tamed pet. Duanduan, I don't like this version of myself. I'm absolutely terrible!"

"Lulu..." Qin Duanduan's eyes were filled with heartache. "That bastard! How could he use the excuse of liking you to hurt you like this!"

Lin Lulu kept crying, just like five years ago. The only place she could release her vulnerability was with Qin Duanduan.

After calming Lin Lulu down and finding an excuse to go out for work, Qin Duanduan found Jing Sichen, intercepted his car, and glared at him angrily.

"Hey! I said, what do you want in order to let my Lulu go? If you're not on the same side, don't force things, do you understand?" Qin Duanduan said angrily.

Jing Sichen got out of the car at this moment, looked at Qin Duanduan, and asked, "Did she send you to find me?"

"I came here of my own accord," Qin Duanduan said. "She's in a lot of pain. Since you don't think you're Jing Sichen, how do you think she'll react if you keep showing up in front of her with this face that looks almost exactly like his?"

"Do they really look that alike?" Jing Sichen asked.

Qin Duanduan: What do you mean, "similar"? They're practically the same person!

"Same!" Qin Duanduan said, "And their hearts are just as dark! They all use the guise of love, regardless of Lu Lu's life or death! Jing Sichen, you're no better!"

Hearing Qin Duanduan's words, Jing Sichen felt a pain in his heart.

It was as if he had done many, many things to wrong Lin Lulu.

Clearly, he just wanted to protect her!

"Have you been by her side all these years?" Jing Sichen asked. "Thank you. With a good friend like you by her side, she always has an outlet when she's sad. But from now on, you live your life, and I will protect her!"

"You?" Qin Duanduan rolled her eyes. "You're the one who hurt her the most! What kind of protection are you giving me?!"

"It seems you've vented a lot of your resentment towards Jing Sichen on me," Jing Sichen said.

Qin Duanduan: "None of your business!"

Jing Sichen continued, "Since you're like this, Lulu is too. I heard it's been over five years, right? She's still stuck in the past. A big reason she's so persistent is that she hasn't found the right target to vent her anger on. Now that she has me, once she's vented all her resentment on me, she won't be in pain anymore and she'll start a new life."

Qin Duanduan looked at Jing Sichen and felt utterly defeated.

She clearly came to dissuade him, but how come she ended up being persuaded by him, even becoming a fan, and even feeling a little tempted to switch sides?

"What if..." Qin Duanduan hesitated, "What if, finally, she's not in so much pain anymore, but her new love interest isn't you? You know, there are more than just one or two devoted lovers around Lulu. You've met Yan Moshen; you feel pressured, right?"

Hearing Qin Duanduan's guess, Jing Sichen frowned.

"If I truly helped her overcome her pain, then her light is absolutely mine!" He said with almost certainty, "There's only one thing I hope you can help me with."

Qin Duanduan: "What is it?"

"I investigated the Jing family's overseas branches, and something seems off. I heard you two have both started working there without revealing your identities. That means you're both in danger," Jing Sichen said. "I can't be with her all the time, but you can. So, if you sense anything is wrong, be sure to tell me! I'll take immediate action to protect you both!"

"Why should I believe you?" Qin Duanduan rolled her eyes. "Besides, wouldn't that be tantamount to betraying her?"

"This place is different from back home. There are some dark forces here that even I haven't dealt with yet," Jing Sichen said. "If you want to gamble with Lulu's life, then I can only..."

"Linda?" Fu Zixiu's voice suddenly rang out, "Linda, what's wrong...?"

Upon seeing the person getting out of the car, Qin Duanduan's eyes widened, and she almost instinctively ran away.

This time, Fu Zixiu did not pursue.

He just saw Jing Sichen talking to Qin Duanduan, and judging from their appearance, the two knew each other.

"You know her?" Fu Zixiu's voice was louder than ever before. "Where can I find her! Ah Ye, tell me quickly!"

Jing Sichen frowned. "You...with her?"

"She's the girl I'm looking for!" Fu Zixiu roared.

Jing Sichen suddenly realized, "Your taste..."

"What's wrong? Isn't she pretty? Doesn't she have a good figure? Doesn't she have a good personality?"

"Not as good as Lulu." Jing Sichen said, then added, "Her current name is Qin Duanduan, and she is Lulu's assistant."

"Qin Duanduan..." Fu Zixiu clenched his fists. "This time, I've brought you back, and I'll never let you escape again!"