My Evil God Girlfriend (gl) 27

Chapter 27: The Company

When Xiang Er woke up again, the fiery glow of sunset had painted the entire wall, the world melting in the fiery clouds, the sharp edges of the buildings seemingly collapsing, like a bizarre scene from a hallucination or a cartoon.

Xiang Er opened her eyes, lying still in bed, gazing at the fiery orange wall, the painted buildings on it melting and collapsing, the shadows of trees and buildings intertwining, forming shifting dark red patches.

The dark red was tinged with blood red, the normally green branches and buildings now all blood-colored.

Xiang Er, suspecting her eyes were playing tricks on her, rubbed them and looked again. The sunset was fleeting, already fading, the blood red and red hues gone.

Only a vast emptiness remained, on the wall and in her heart.

Xiang Er dressed, grabbed her phone, and left the apartment with a cold expression. The air inside was suffocating, and she didn’t even glance at the sculpture as she left.

After buying some food and getting milk tea, Xiang Er played on her phone until ten o’clock, when the milk tea shop closed, and she was asked to leave.

She hesitated, wondering if she should spend the night at a fast-food restaurant, but decided it wasn’t convenient, and returned home.

Entering the apartment, she ignored the five tentacles that flew towards her, as if welcoming her. No matter how they swirled around her, she pretended not to see them, going about her business.

Tidying up, showering, changing clothes. She was methodical and calm, and as she entered the bathroom, she slammed the door shut, almost severing a tentacle that was trying to sneak in. Fortunately, the tentacle reacted quickly and retreated.

The tentacles crowded outside the bathroom door, jostling and confused.

The sound of running water came from inside, continuing for a long time, almost twice as long as Xiang Er’s usual shower time.

The tentacles waited outside the bathroom door, growing increasingly restless. Several tentacles reached for the doorknob, as if trying to turn it, while the others blocked them, preventing them from opening the door!

Both Xiang Er and the Evil God knew that the doorknob couldn’t actually stop anyone. But they also knew that the doorknob represented something more, a fragile trust that was already teetering on the edge.

The tentacles struggled with the doorknob for a long time. Finally, Xiang Er opened the door and stepped out, wrapped in a towel, not even bothering to cover herself properly, as she went to her room to change into her pajamas.

Before, she always hid from the sculpture when changing clothes. But what was the point? It must have seen her countless times already.

This time, she changed right in front of the desk. It wanted to watch, right? Let it watch!

Her long, wet hair hung over her shoulders and back. Amidst the steam, she dropped the towel to the floor.

A graceful figure, pale, unhealthy skin, soft, boneless limbs, long, raven-black hair… paired with a beautiful, icy face.

She stared at the sculpture, her eyes filled with unconcealed hatred and pain, standing motionless for a moment.

The tentacles that had followed her into the room froze in mid-air, completely still, not even swaying.

Although the scene was alluring, Xiang Er’s expression transformed it into a kind of offering, a sacrifice of hatred, impossible to ignore.

The tentacles finally stirred, each going about its own task.

One tentacle picked up the towel and draped it over Xiang Er’s hair; another tentacle grabbed her pajamas from the bed and tried to dress her; a third tentacle pulled the quilt up, trying to cover her, as if afraid she would catch a cold.

Xiang Er snorted, turned around, snatched her pajamas from the tentacle, and started dressing herself.

After getting dressed, she went to the bathroom to dry her hair, returned to her room without looking at the anxious tentacles or the sculpture, and crawled into bed, turning her back to the sculpture and falling asleep.

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The next day, Xiang Er woke up and went to work as usual.

Although the supervisor continued to find fault with her, Xiang Er had followed proper procedures and hadn’t caused any direct losses, and there was a backlog of work that needed her attention, so aside from a small pay cut, there were no serious consequences.

However, as soon as she arrived at work, Zhu Minmin came over and asked her furtively:

“Where have you been these past few days?”

Xiang Er said:

“I was sick, resting at home. What’s wrong?”

Zhu Minmin looked around conspiratorially and whispered:

“I heard, just heard, that a new CEO has arrived downstairs, a super beautiful woman! Are you interested? Do you want to go downstairs with me during lunch and take a look? They’re saying she’s incredibly beautiful, even more beautiful than celebrities, and she’s a CEO! I don’t believe it, how can anyone in real life be more beautiful than a celebrity, and a CEO too, it’s not like we’re in a novel. I have to see it with my own eyes. Want to come with me?”

Xiang Er shook her head, smiling politely:

“No, thank you. I’m still recovering, so I shouldn’t go out, in case I’m contagious.”

Zhu Minmin said regretfully:

“That’s true. I heard that the beautiful CEO is really amazing. She fired several mid-level managers as soon as she arrived. Maybe we could apply for a job there! But we also have a handsome general manager here. Oh, a handsome man or a beautiful woman, how to choose? It’s so hard! Xiang Er, do you prefer handsome men or beautiful women?”

Xiang Er froze. She had never considered this question before.

Throughout her life, the pressures of survival and her own insecurities had never allowed her to think about romantic relationships. She appreciated handsome men, she thought they were attractive, but she had never felt any real attraction, let alone towards beautiful women. Seeing beautiful women only made her feel self-conscious… except…

The image of a breathtakingly beautiful face surfaced in her mind, and she suddenly felt a pang of anxiety, her voice slightly hoarse:

“Me… me? I like both, haha…”

A low, male voice suddenly spoke beside her, startling Xiang Er:

“There’s no girl who doesn’t like handsome men.”

Zhu Minmin let out a small scream:

“Ah! General Manager Cheng! Good morning, General Manager Cheng…”

General Manager Cheng greeted Zhu Minmin with a smile:

“Morning. Work hard. I need to talk to Xiang Er.”

He winked at Xiang Er.

Xiang Er felt a wave of discomfort and quickly looked away, standing up and following General Manager Cheng into his office.

General Manager Cheng:

“Sit.”

Xiang Er sat down stiffly, still thinking about the previous conversation. Handsome men or beautiful women? Men or women?

“Xiang Er, you’ve taken too many days off recently, causing a lot of inconvenience. Your supervisor has spoken to me about it, but don’t worry, I’ve explained everything for you. Your supervisor won’t give you too much trouble now, as long as you come back to work. I don’t have any special requirements for you.”

General Manager Cheng’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up at him blankly, seeing a knowing smile on his face. She didn’t understand.

“Do you know why I’m being so nice to you? Because I think you’re the most beautiful girl in our company…”

General Manager Cheng reached out across the desk, his hand extended towards hers, his words laden with meaning.

Xiang Er jumped up from her chair, her reflexes honed by days of dodging tentacles. In a matter of seconds, she had retreated to the corner of the room.

Her face pale, she asked:

“What… what are you trying to do?”

General Manager Cheng’s hand froze on the desk, then he picked up the coffee pot and poured himself a cup of coffee. Despite his careful movements, some coffee spilled onto the desk, and he frowned.

He placed the coffee cup in front of Xiang Er, looked up, and said with a chiding smile:

“Why such a big reaction? It’s as if I’ve done something to you. If the other employees see this, my reputation will be ruined. Are you going to compensate me? Come back here! Have some coffee, I made it myself.”

Xiang Er sensed something was off about his words, but she didn’t want to respond, just said slowly:

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to work. I have a lot to catch up on…”

General Manager Cheng stared at her for a moment, his face darkening. Xiang Er looked down at her feet, the atmosphere tense. Dark clouds were gathering outside the window, like a brewing storm, fallen leaves swirling in the wind, an air of desolation settling over the scene.

After a while, General Manager Cheng smiled again:

“You probably don’t know this, but I’m actually the chairman’s nephew. I’m here at the company mainly to gain some experience and make friends with my colleagues. If you have any problems, remember to come to me, I’ll do my best to help you. By the way, I’m single.”

Xiang Er continued to stare at her feet, her face a mask of helplessness and anxiety, giving no reaction.

General Manager Cheng, pleased with her reaction, pressed on:

“Actually… you can think about what I said earlier. If you have any thoughts, don’t be shy, just tell me directly, okay? I’m very patient with you, waiting for the day you finally understand! Now, go back to work.”

Xiang Er didn’t say a word, nor did she look at him. She turned and left.

The workday quickly passed. With the backlog of work, Xiang Er was quite busy, just ordering a simple bowl of porridge for lunch, the same seafood porridge she had shared with Shen Yuhe.

It wasn’t until the end of the workday, after finishing most of her tasks, that she had time to think about General Manager Cheng.

How to put it? Replaying the conversation in her mind, she chuckled self-deprecatingly: Who would have thought that someone as ordinary as her, fresh out of college, would experience so much? But then again, in a world with Evil God, what was so unbelievable about workplace sexual harassment?

Yes, it was sexual harassment. She knew what General Manager Cheng was implying, a woman’s intuition was never wrong about these things. She just hadn’t expected that, out of so many people, he would choose her.

Just like the Evil God. She didn’t know if that was a sign of good taste or bad.

Xiang Er decided to look for a new job, but things took time, and her housing situation hadn’t been resolved yet. She needed to find a new room, otherwise, she would have to pay the entire rent for the two-bedroom apartment, which she couldn’t afford. Finding a new room, finding a new job, everything was piling up… It was exhausting.

Under pressure from her supervisor, Xiang Er worked overtime for two hours. As she left the building, it started pouring rain.

The weather had been strange all year. It was almost winter, yet it was raining so heavily. The rain poured down, like countless falling stars, splashing on the ground, creating shimmering puddles that resembled transparent skirts, adorning the reflections of the sky, the trees, and the birds, nature itself seemingly reveling in the downpour.

Xiang Er stood at the entrance, unable to leave. Why did she always forget her umbrella?

Several strangers beside her were waiting for ride-hailing services. If they spoke to the security guard, the cars would be allowed to enter. But Xiang Er didn’t want to take a taxi. She didn’t know why, but she… remembered the last time.

When Shen Yuhe had appeared in the rain, like a beautiful angel descending from the heavens, shielding her from the downpour.

It was their second encounter, yet so romantic, the memory incredibly beautiful. It had been a rainy day then, and it was a rainy day now…

So, would she appear?

Xiang Er, filled with a strange mixture of joy and anticipation, stood at the front of the entrance, looking up at the falling rain. But then she chided herself for being unreasonable, how could the same thing happen twi…

“CEO Shen! Is that CEO Shen?”

“Ahhh, it’s really CEO Shen, she’s so beautiful and tall!”

“CEO Shen… so eye-catching…”

The whispers of strangers beside her made Xiang Er’s eyes snap open, and she looked towards the direction of their gazes.

In the misty rain, a white umbrella shielded a tall, mysterious figure as she walked slowly towards them, like a lone boat offering salvation in a vast ocean.

The edge of the umbrella tilted upwards as she approached, revealing her beautiful, dignified face, emerging from the mist-like rain.

Her dark eyes were fixed on Xiang Er.

Amidst a crowd of enthusiastic acquaintances, she only saw the stunned, slender figure of Xiang Er.

Only her.

Coming only for her.