Yang Hui and Guan Shiyun's gazes simultaneously swept over their faces. Guan Shiyun spoke first, "Yang Hui, I also want a pretty girl to show me around."

Yang Hui took a bottle of Perrier from the fridge, unscrewed the cap, took a couple of sips, and then said, "Didn't I just show you around, this pretty big girl?"

Hu Lai and Shen Zhengying chuckled.

Hu Lai didn't have much contact with Yang Hui. Their positions were worlds apart, and apart from video conferences, they only occasionally met in the company.

Usually, when employees see the big boss in the company, unless necessary, few would directly approach the boss. Yang Hui's image in the employees' minds was similar to the logo outside the door. Hearing her joke like this, Hu Lai felt it was strange, especially since the joke had a teasing tone.

Guan Shiyun's lips twitched slightly.

She always knew Yang Hui could be outspoken, but she didn't expect her to be so outspoken. Being so unrestrained in front of company employees, well, after all, the employees are paid by her.

But big girl, how old are you this year, big girl?

"Am I not pretty?" Yang Hui asked, flipping her short hair.

She is fifty-three this year, and even with meticulous care, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and lips cannot be hidden, making her incomparable to the youthful beauty of Hu Lai. However, years of exercise have kept her figure well-proportioned and firm. When she isn't smiling, she exudes an aura of natural authority, but when she does smile, she carries the unique charm and allure of a mature woman. Describing her as "pretty" would feel too shallow a word.

Guan Shiyun has a pair of sharp eyes that give off a strong, commanding presence, further amplified by her profession as a psychiatrist, making her seem as though she can see through everything. She is younger than Shen Zhengying but feels more seasoned, yet in front of Yang Hui, she clearly appears as a girl with slightly diminished confidence.

In comparison, Shen Zhengying seems both adorable and normal, like a small mountain nestled among larger ones.

Sensing an unusual and ambiguous tension between the big boss and the psychiatrist, Hu Lai, fearing that listening further might lead to an adverse reaction, timely interjected, "Professor Shen, shall I take you on a tour of the company first?"

Shen Zhengying, also sensing the subtle tension between the two, was about to agree when Yang Hui called out to Hu Lai, "Leach, you speak."

Guan Shiyun immediately let out a scoff, "She's your subordinate, and you have the nerve to ask her."

"Our employees don't lie through their teeth." Yang Hui replied without any hint of embarrassment. With so many employees at Kunlun Tech, it's impossible to remember everyone, and for her, it's no longer necessary. However, she does have an impression of Hu Lai. The "True Illusion" project has been a key focus in recent years, so it's natural to pay more attention to those involved. Plus, Hu Lai's face is quite distinctive. In this day and age, being young and beautiful isn't rare, what's rare is someone who leaves a fresh and lasting impression.

Hu Lai probably has no idea what left an impression on Yang Hui.

Yang Hui doesn't carry the typical boss persona. Her style is similar to those high-level executives in Silicon Valley, and she usually comes and goes in the company without being surrounded by eight assistants.

One time, in a relatively secluded corner of the company, she overheard a man and a woman talking, and the content of their conversation was a confession of love.

The man rambled on about how well-matched they were, from their educational backgrounds to the houses they owned, and finally expressed his hope that the woman would become his girlfriend.

A confession should be about expressing how much you like the other person, right? How did it turn into negotiating terms? It's not a bidding war. Yang Hui was almost baffled by the younger generation. If it weren't for her curiosity about the woman's response, she would have left immediately.

The woman, however, was straightforward. She skipped the standard "thank you" and "you're a good person" and directly said, "You and I aren't compatible."

She emphasized "you and I."

The man was clearly taken aback and said, "How do you know we're not compatible without trying?" He then tried to list his qualifications again.

This time, the woman finally interrupted him, "Some clothes don't need to be tried on, you can tell they don't fit just by looking at them. Is there anything else work-related? If not, I'm leaving."

The man, humiliated and angry, retorted, "Hu Lai, don't think you can look down on people just because you're good-looking. With such a bad personality, you'll end up alone and unwanted in the future."

It was so absurd that Yang Hui almost let out a cold laugh.

The woman responded coldly, "Oh really? Am I good-looking? Are you interested in me because I'm good-looking or because of my bad personality? When your mother gave birth to you, did your feet come out first?" After saying this, she knew it wasn't a good idea to stay any longer and quickly walked away.

Yang Hui found it amusing and thus remembered Hu Lai's name. As for the man, since he didn't do anything extreme, she didn't pay much attention to him.

The young girl was clearly not one to be trifled with.

When the big boss gave her the chance to flatter, Hu Lai naturally seized the opportunity.

"We often say privately that if the company were to vote for the goddess in our hearts, President Yang would definitely take first place every year. Don't think we're just flattering, President Yang doesn't fall for that."

"Wow, I thought the goddess would be someone like you."

Hu Lai smiled, "It would take me at least a few thousand years to become a goddess. Dr. Guan, on the other hand, could definitely compete if she joined our company."

Even Shen Zhengying felt that Hu Lai was the epitome of flattery, her words vivid and heartfelt.

The next moment, Hu Lai's eyes turned to her, and Shen Zhengying quickly said, "Count me out. Hu, uh... why don't you show me around first?"

The two walked out of the office, and Guan Shiyun said confidently, "Those two know each other."

Hu Lai was training at H University, and Shen Zhengying was a teacher there, so it wasn't surprising they knew each other. Yang Hui didn't think much of it. "My earlier proposal still stands. Have you thought about it?"

A sheep enters a fox's den, and the fox takes the sheep for a walk first.

Hu Lai pretended not to notice Shen Zhengying's slip of the word "Hu" and treated her as a visiting consultant, showing her around the game room, exhibition hall, and cafeteria. She earnestly explained the company's game projects, the general layout of each floor, and how the cafeteria offered good value for money with great drinks, suggesting she try them sometime.

It almost made Shen Zhengying think that this girl named Leach had a twin sister named Hu Lailai.

Hu Lai was also surprised. She had thought that Shen Zhengying was an old-fashioned person, after all, she was someone else's mom and also a teacher. People like that usually have a critical attitude towards video games. But to her surprise, Shen Zhengying knew quite a few games and had played many of them. Whether she was skilled or not was another matter, but her open and accepting attitude was a pleasant surprise.

After touring a few places, Hu Lai suggested, "How about we go to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee first? After we finish our coffee and grab a bite to eat, we can go experience the virtual reality." She had both personal and professional reasons, "Once you start the game, it's hard to stop."

Usually, Shen Zhengying would take a nap in the afternoon, but today at Kunlun Tech, she hadn't had the chance and was a bit tired and didn't bother to be polite with her.

At this point, she had already resigned herself to it. She had made it clear and hinted several times that Hu Lai didn't need to accompany her. The young girl looked at her with an expression that said, "This is my job, don't make it difficult for me." Unless she asked Yang Hui to assign someone else to interface with her, there would be many more opportunities for them to interact in the future.

Could she really ask Yang Hui that? If Yang asked for a reason, how was she supposed to answer?

Because the young girl had come to her class and slept twice, and they had eaten hot pot together, every time she saw the young girl, she always had an indescribable feeling of unease?

She could imagine Yang Hui would press further, even analyze it for her, and perhaps investigate privately.

No, no, the girl was bold and cunning, and making a fuss would make it seem like she had something to hide.

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed she didn't really want to bring this up with Yang either.

Shen Zhengying still ordered a pavlova, while Hu Lai opted for a black coffee with milk and a few small cream puffs. The two sat in a corner of the cafeteria, quietly sipping their coffee. It had to be said, Kunlun Tech's cafeteria was far superior to the one at the university. The variety of coffee alone was almost on par with a dedicated coffee shop, and they even had cakes and cream puffs.

Professor Shen, who had been eating at the university cafeteria year-round, was deeply envious. If the timing was right, she planned to have dinner here before heading back, just in case the university cafeteria ran out of food by then. When it came to meals, Professor Shen wasn't one to hold back.

"The cafeteria is open until 10:30 PM. Professor Shen, you should try our company's dinner." the young woman suggested.

Was this girl a mind reader? Having her thoughts so easily guessed, Shen Zhengying felt a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your full name, Professor Shen." Hu Lai said, pulling out her phone. "President Yang told us to communicate more, so let's add each other on WeChat. Do you use WeChat? And let's exchange phone numbers too, to make it easier to stay in touch."

Shen Zhengying found this utterly baffling.

It hadn't even been a week. Just a few days ago, this girl had been calling her "Professor Shen" every other sentence, and now she didn't even know her name?

Who was this person? Who kept asking for her WeChat, adding her, and then pretending not to know her?

—You're really putting on an act, aren't you?

No wonder Yin Susu told her son that the more beautiful a woman is, the more deceptive she can be. Shen Zhengying was seeing it firsthand.

As a teacher, Shen Zhengying felt it was her duty to expose the truth and not tolerate this feigned amnesia.

"I know a little girl who sleeps through my classes all day long, her name is Hu Lailai. You wouldn't happen to be her twin sister named Hu Ququ, would you?"

Hu Lai nearly burst out laughing but managed to keep a straight face, adding a touch of grievance to her tone. "Oh, so Professor Shen does know me. I thought you didn't want to acknowledge me. Back in President Yang's office, you didn't even glance my way."

Could she admit that she really didn't want to acknowledge her?

Absolutely not.

But this was a tricky conversation to navigate, so Professor Shen didn't respond. "You're really putting on an act."

"I'm not acting. Don't accuse me of that."

"You don't remember my name? You don't have my WeChat?"

"First, you never actually told me your name. I only know you as Professor Shen. Of course, if you say your surname is Shen and your name is Professor, I have nothing to say. Second, most people have at least two WeChat accounts—one for work and one for personal use—so of course I need to clarify. Third, I really don't have your phone number."

The girl counted off her points on her fingers, one by one, making a logical case. Shen Zhengying suddenly felt a headache coming on.

"Alright, Professor Shen, let me introduce myself properly. My surname is Hu, and my given name is Lai, as in 'the sound of nature.' My English name is Leach, which is what my colleagues and superiors call me. My nickname is Lailai, which is what you've been calling me."

Shen Zhengying's cheeks flushed slightly without her realizing it.

Lailai was her nickname, and she had called her that several times—Hu Lailai, Hu Lailai. Before, it hadn't seemed strange, but now that she knew it was a nickname, it suddenly felt embarrassingly inti.mate.

She was annoyed that the girl hadn't told her her real name, but she also blamed herself for not paying closer attention. She had scrolled through the girl's WeChat moments but hadn't realized it was a nickname.

Who would name their daughter "Hu Lai" and give her the nickname "Hu Lailai"?

Before she could react, a small cream puff was held out in front of her.

"Here, Professor Shen, try a cream puff. It's got an ice cream-like texture. Come on, open up."

Unable to resist desserts, Professor Shen instinctively opened her mouth. It wasn't until she tasted it that she realized something was off.

The large frames could obscure her vision but not the blush spreading across her entire face. Shen Zhengying's cheeks burned.

For a moment, she wasn't sure whether to blame the girl's voice for being so alluring or the cream puff for looking so delicious.

The girl across from her chuckled softly, "See? I didn't lie to you."

After swallowing the cream puff and taking several sips of coffee, Shen Zhengying said, "Shen Zhengying. 'Zheng' as in proof, 'Ying' as in shadow."

If Kunlun Technology were to vote for their ideal femme fatale, this girl would undoubtedly take first place.

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