Chapter 45: Forgiveness

"Yu Yuchu, we're all colleagues here and we'll be seeing each other every day. Can't we just bury the hatchet and make peace?"

"That's right, you're both interns, and Xiao Wan hasn't had it easy either."

Seeing that the mood in the room was just right, Wan Ninghe added fuel to the fire, saying, "Yuchu, since you're not willing to forgive me, I don't want the atmosphere in the entire department to be awkward because of me..."

"Perhaps it really is better for me to leave Huasheng."

With that, Wan Ninghe's tears fell even more torrentially. What started as brilliant acting now carried a shred of genuine emotion regarding her reluctance to leave Huasheng, stirring everyone around them into a state of righteous indignation.

"Yu Yuchu, just forgive Xiao Wan."

"A person of great status can tolerate much; stop making things difficult for her."

"Do you really have to push someone into a corner before you're satisfied?!"

"I never expected Yu Yuchu to be this kind of person."

The entire design department broke into a clamor, everyone talking at once. Their overlapping voices poured directly into Yu Yuchu's ears without missing a single syllable, yet they went in one ear and out the other.

She couldn't really blame her surrounding colleagues; they didn't know the truth of the matter. After all, what was presented to them was Wan Ninghe's seemingly sincere apology facing Yu Yuchu's aggressive and cold-hearted demeanor.

They were simply blinded by Wan Ninghe's one-sided story.

Therefore, unfazed by these remarks, Yu Yuchu slowly spoke up under everyone's expectant gazes:

"I won't forgive her. If she wants to leave Huasheng, she can get lost right now. It has nothing to do with me."

The crowd's gazes toward Yu Yuchu instantly turned complex, shifting from full anticipation to disappointment in her stubbornness.

"It's the two of you again. Do you feel uncomfortable if you don't stir up trouble for a single day?"

A familiar and commanding voice rang out among the crowd.

Yu Yuchu helplessly shook her head.

Here it comes again, right on cue.

She raised her eyes and saw Sister Jing, who was forever at the forefront of gossip, standing out among the silent colleagues like a crane in a flock of chickens.

"I didn't stir up any trouble, Sister Jing. She's the one who kept insisting she stepped on my foot and begged for my forgiveness."

Yu Yuchu pointed to her own pristine, spotless white sneakers, which were practically immaculate—let alone having been stepped on.

Everyone's expressions turned somewhat peculiar, and Wan Ninghe's expression flickered slightly as well.

Cui Jing, however, was nearly amused by Yu Yuchu's talent for taking words out of context. She had to muster all her strength to suppress her smile and maintain her cold, commanding persona. "What is there to discuss here? Hurry up and scatter! Apologizing to someone without even knowing if you stepped on their foot—colleague Xiao Wan is certainly polite enough."

With the work shift coming to an end soon, don't forget tonight's celebration banquet. No absences allowed!

Hearing this, Wan Ninghe realized Cui Jing was coming to smooth things over again.

That simply wouldn't do!

She couldn't let the opportunity she had worked so hard to secure be interrupted just like that!

She parted her lips, about to say something, when she was caught in Cui Jing's hawk-like gaze. A chill ran down her spine, and she obediently closed her mouth.

What kind of shrewd veteran was Cui Jing? Could she possibly fail to see through these little tricks of hers?

Wan Ninghe had no choice but to resentfully clench her hands before turning around in frustration and leaving.

Since Cui Jing had dispersed the crowd and the protagonist had left, the others naturally had no desire to linger and returned to their respective desks one by one.

Near the end of the shift, Mu Chuan walked over to Yu Yuchu's workstation.

A faint, fresh aroma of lemon and red pomelo washed over the air, refreshing Yu Yuchu's mind. When she looked up, Mu Chuan's handsome face magnified right before her eyes. His straight, long eyelashes half-masked his hazel pupils like a slide, and she could even notice the faint dark circles under his eyes and minor flaws on his skin.

Yu Yuchu couldn't help leaning back slightly.

A flash of imperceptible mischief crossed Mu Chuan's eyes as the corners of his lips curved upward, revealing a cute canine tooth.

"I was only sent out on assignment for a short while, and I hear you've stirred up another storm?"

Yu Yuchu unceremoniously packed up her belongings. "This wasn't trouble I asked for."

Mu Chuan nodded.

"Indeed. The cold queen Yu Yuchu's uncompromising attitude has turned quite a few heads among our colleagues..."

Yu Yuchu offered a rather unfriendly fake smile, stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and picked up an umbrella.

"But why didn't you seize the opportunity to expose the video right then and there?"

Mu Chuan instinctively wanted to help Yu Yuchu take the umbrella from her hand, but halfway through the motion, he changed his mind and pulled his hand back.

"Because it wasn't the best timing... Wouldn't it be much more interesting to release it only after everyone thinks she's a pure, innocent little white rabbit?"

Only then did Yu Yuchu reveal a genuine smile, though it was one that sent a chill down anyone's spine.

Mu Chuan narrowed his eyes. Was this a case of birds of a feather flocking together? Her seemingly sweet-on-the-outside, dark-on-the-inside nature was an exact match for his own.

It was just a pity that someone else had likely beaten him to this little poisonous snake...

"You're still as insidious as ever."

"You flatter me, you flatter me."

The two of them walked together toward the elevator doors.

Yu Yuchu took out her phone to search for the location of Deguang Restaurant. It wasn't particularly far, and she hesitated between riding a shared bike or taking the subway.

The option of having Pei Jiayin drive her there had been completely ruled out. In case she ran into colleagues who knew Pei Jiayin, she would end up dragged into corporate top-management pink scandals and nepotism rumors—the cost far outweighed the benefits.

Just as Mu Chuan pressed the elevator button, he happened to catch a glimpse of Yu Yuchu's phone screen. Without even pausing to hesitate, the words bypassed his brain and tumbled right out of his mouth:

"Want to catch a ride in my car?"

Not to mention Yu Yuchu, even Mu Chuan himself hadn't expected to say it.

A strange sensation suddenly struck Mu Chuan's heart, as if something had nipped at it, and a complex web of emotions enveloped him.

"Sure, I'll take you up on that ride then."

Yu Yuchu agreed without a second thought. After all, she and Mu Chuan were recognized good friends throughout the entire design department; nobody would gossip about the two of them.

Mu Chuan nodded stiffly, though he recovered his usual demeanor in an instant.

"Let's go, Iron-Blood Queen."

"Can't you say something nice about me?"

"Very well, Steel Rose."

Yu Yuchu flashed Mu Chuan an international friendly gesture.

There was no pungent scent of car air freshener in Mu Chuan's car. Beneath the faint aroma of leather lay a fruity fragrance similar to his own—not a sweet scent, but rather an intermittent coolness and bitterness, lighter than Pei Jiayin's woody notes, fleeting yet making one yearn to catch it.

It wasn't a lingering aftertaste, but it firmly occupied a small corner of the senses, appearing and disappearing, subtly revealing its presence.

Perhaps Mu Chuan sensitively noticed Yu Yuchu's little habit of sniffing around with a swaying head, and he chuckled softly:

"It's just a little Accord, not some luxury car, so Her Majesty shouldn't be disappointed."

"Save the banter, I'm just grateful to have a ride."

Yu Yuchu neatly fastened her seatbelt.

"Sitting right next to you is a thoroughly broke pauper. Forget about cars; right now, even buying a single tire would make my heart ache."