Chapter 26: No Explanation

s genuinely letting go of him and had no possibility of returning to his side when she could speak so openly and honestly to her.I feel a bit relieved, but mostly I feel reluctant to let go."Can I hav...After finishing their noodles, Zhuo Yu'an got up and took the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen.

“I’ll do it, I can wash the dishes,” Shu Tinglan stood beside him, reaching out to take the bowl. This was her home, yet Zhuo Yu'an acted as the host, making her feel out of place. But Zhuo Yu'an had already turned on the faucet, his fingers dancing as he quickly washed the bowl and placed it on the rack to dry.

Shutinglan summed up in her heart, this man was very fond of housework, although it didn't match his temperament. He looked like the kind of person who was revered and had a secretary even fetch him a glass of water. Looking at his hands again, they were long, with distinct bones, untouched by mundane affairs. Yet he did these trivial things in her home with meticulous care.

She was lost in thought when Zhuo Yu'an suddenly turned to her and said:

Let's talk.

"What are we talking about" Shu Tinglan asked, confused.

"What do you think" Zhu Yu'an didn't beat around the bush. He took out his phone, flipped to an album screenshot, and it turned out to be a comment Lin Zhizhe left under Cheng Chen's post on his WeChat Moments:

Shutinglan finally gave away her first time. She said the other person was very skilled and she had a great experience.

Zhu Yu'an slowly read the comment, his voice low and sexy. His expression was unreadable as he finished and then looked up at Shu Tinglan.

"Don't you want to explain"

Although Shu Tinglan was still embarrassed, she had managed to calm down. She thought to herself that he probably wasn't back home early just to confront her about this, was he

Is this her first time It's her own business, it doesn't concern anyone else. She knows what she's doing and is responsible for her actions.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhuo Yuan sighed and his voice softened.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was your first time that night, otherwise..."

Shū Tínglan hastily interrupted his words.

"There's no need to apologize. We're all adults, besides, that night was my doing and it had nothing to do with you." That night, she was simply at a high school reunion and heard Wen Jian's name. She remembered some past events and her whole state was extremely bad, showing signs of self-destruction. That night, it could have been anyone else besides Zhuo Yunan.

"None of my business"

"Well, it wouldn't be you, it would be someone else. So don't take it to heart."

She kindly comforted him, saying there was no need to apologize or feel guilty. She had a good time that night too.

But Zhuo Yu'an's face wasn't good, he kept looking at her, and after a while, he gave a self-deprecating smile and said something inexplicable.

"Shu Tinglan, I'm not that bad, am I"

"What" Shu Tinglan didn't understand his inexplicable words, only feeling a hint of humility in his calm tone But afterwards, Shu Tinglan dismissed this feeling. He was Zhuo Yu'an after all, whether in wealth or appearance, he was ahead of the pack. Where would there be any humility And why would he be humble.

Zuo Yu'an didn't say anything more, he picked up the coat he had placed on the sofa and left, seeming to be in a bad mood. Shu Tinglan didn't think much of it, took a shower, chatted with Lin Zhifei for a few words before bed, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Zhou Ming called her, asking her to go straight to the airport to pick up Director Xiao at 9 o'clock. She took a taxi there, and Zhou Ming arrived earlier than her. Seeing her arrive, he handed her a cup of coffee and a sandwich.

"Didn't you have breakfast"

"Thank you, Teacher Zhou," she said, taking it and eating it in small bites.

while Zhou Ming devoured the sandwich in three bites and threw the empty box into the nearby trash can. Turning back, he saw Shu Tinglan sitting there, carefully going through the documents on the table, having only eaten one-third of her sandwich. He couldn't help but feel:

"Don't you think you're pushing too hard You only have Zhuo Yuan Technology in your hands right now, don't you"

"For the bidding, I've listed everything I need, but how to best present the key points is something I still need to think about."

"Just relax, this is just a practice run for you. Make it as a reference for Director Xiao, the final version will always be done by Director Xiao himself."

"Okay," Shu Tinglan replied, but her heart wasn't at ease. She had to do everything perfectly.

"Finish your breakfast, Director Xiao is coming back, I'm afraid we have a tough battle ahead."

"What's wrong"

According to Zhu YUAN's tone last night, he seems to highly approve of Xiao Director's work abilities. Moreover, Xiao Director just helped him solve the case for the concept product.

"I'm not sure. Director Xiao called me before boarding, originally President Zhuo was on the same flight back as her, but President Zhuo changed his ticket to return earlier and didn't fly with her. Director Xiao was worried something might happen. Besides, I heard that Zhuoyuan Technology will be starting a bidding process in the next couple of days. Their legal department met with three law firms today, and we don't have an advantage."

Shu Tinglan also became nervous upon hearing this. To be honest, she also wanted to win the Zhuyuan Technology project. Firstly, it was led by Director Xiao personally, and secondly, Zhuyuan Technology, as an industry giant acquiring another veteran giant, had a lot to learn from, and it was a milestone for her future independent practice.

Director Xiao boarded the plane on time. After nearly ten hours of travel, he didn't show any signs of fatigue. Shu Tinglan hurried forward to take Director Xiao's suitcase, while Zhou Ming took them to the parking lot and reported the latest progress of Zhuoyuan Technology by the way.

"Alright, now I'm heading to Zhuo Yuan Technology." Director Xiao continued his relentless march into battle.

Originally, I helped Zhuoyuan Technology solve a case of intellectual property theft concerning their concept product. Plus, my cooperation with Zhuo Yu'an abroad went smoothly. I was confident that we had a good chance of winning the acquisition deal. Even Zhuo Yu'an booked the same flight back home as me, which made me even more optimistic. However, Zhuo Yu'an suddenly returned earlier than expected, leaving me completely unprepared.

When they arrived at Zhuo Yuan Technology, several other law firms had already been there. Zhuo Yuan's legal department was holding a meeting with everyone present. Director Xiao led Zhou Ming and Shu Tinglan into the meeting room familiarly, greeted the head of legal affairs, and took their seats. Because they had just helped Zhuo Yuan Technology win a case for a conceptual product, people from other law firms looked at them one after another. They were all colleagues and top performers in the industry. They knew each other well, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious, not as tense as Shu Tinglan had imagined.

This meeting was really just for show. Legal affairs invited a few law firms to get acquainted, it was more of a formality. The real decision-maker is Zhuo YUAN, and the legal department doesn't even know his true intentions.

Director Xiao briefly appeared, then made an excuse to go to the restroom midway through the meeting and left the conference room. Leaving Zhou Ming and Shu Tinglan to continue. When the meeting ended, Director Xiao reappeared, addressing Zhou Ming and Shu Tinglan in front of everyone.

"Come here both of you, and I'll introduce you to Mr. Zhu."

Director Xiao's voice was flat, but everyone present heard the message: she was very familiar with Mr. Zhuo, so familiar that she could introduce her subordinates to him.der the premise that they had no real relationship between them."No joy, just want you to be a good example for little Gulu.""Oh" he murmured meaningfully, then, in front of everyone, reached out and...