boyutpedia Chapter 185 Casual Chat
Chapter 185 Casual Chat
Shang Yibo sat in the passenger seat, his gaze involuntarily falling on Zhou Yanruo, who was driving attentively. He didn't want to hide anything anymore; he just wanted to stare at her.
Feeling Shang Yibo's gaze, Zhou Yanruo gradually became a little uncomfortable. Finally, during a brief pause at a red light, she parted her lips slightly, breaking the silence: "Are you staring at me like that because you're not confident in my driving skills? But don't worry, I'm an experienced driver with over ten years of experience. Although the road conditions in China are complicated, with many cars and people, I'll drive slowly. Safety first."
Upon hearing this, Shang Yibo replied without hesitation, "No, it's not what you think. I just wanted to watch it, so I watched it. There's no particular reason."
Zhou Yanruo sensed something was off in his tone. She glanced at him slightly in the dim light and said softly, "What's wrong? Did Jian Zheng say something? Don't worry about him. I'll organize the information about the project and send it to you. Look it up yourself first, and then I'll give you a detailed report." She paused, feeling the need to reassure him, "The group is indeed facing some challenges right now. There are many rumors circulating, often exaggerated and embellished. I'll tell you about them gradually."
"Actually, you don't need to report the group's affairs to me, and I have no interest in interfering."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Shang Yibo realized that his thoughts and words were not on the same wavelength. Annoyed by his poor expression, and not wanting to lose face in front of Zhou Yanruo, he quickly explained, "Jian Zheng and I weren't talking about work just now; we were just chatting about our recent situations. He mentioned some of his past, and... he mentioned you."
He quickly considered his words, wanting to use Jian Zheng's topic to bring up the matter of Zhou Yanruo's parents, but he was worried that his question would be too abrupt, so he hesitated for a moment.
He knew that overthinking would only lead to giving up. Not wanting to give himself the opportunity to habitually make excuses, he simply turned his head, looked out the window, and turned his back to Zhou Yanruo, seemingly casually but directly saying, "Jian Zheng mentioned something from twenty years ago, including something about you."
The car paused slightly as Zhou Yanruo tapped the brake, her tone tinged with displeasure: "This guy's acting strangely. Why is he telling you about things from twenty years ago? Besides, whether he talks about his own affairs or not is his business. Why drag me into it?"
"Drive carefully, we'll talk later." Shang Yibo quickly reminded Zhou Yanruo when he saw her distracted while driving, secretly thinking to himself that Zhou Yanruo was really a terrible driver. This was just like Zhou Yanruo back then, always doing everything carelessly.
The car fell silent again. After a moment, Shang Yibo broke the silence: "By the way, I forgot to go to the shopping mall on the second floor to buy some daily necessities when I went out. If we come across a store on the way, we can stop and I'll go buy something."
Zhou Yanruo looked straight ahead and replied in a calm tone, "I almost forgot to tell you, Mr. Fang just called and asked me for my address. He said that Aunt Yan asked Lao Zhang to send you some clothes and some things you usually use."
"Did you tell her?" Shang Yibo asked.
"Yeah, I sent her the address. It should have arrived by now." Zhou Yanruo only realized after she finished speaking that something was off about Shang Yibo's tone. "You don't want me to tell her, do you?"
Shang Yibo: "You already told her, so be it. Just wait and see how they keep sending Lao Zhang to deliver things."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanruo laughed and said, "That's not bad either. If you send things often, they'll definitely be delicious. I especially love the pastries your family makes. However, Zihang might be a little upset to hear this, as he has a very strong competitive spirit when it comes to cooking."
"I never expected a biology PhD to be interested in being a chef." Shang Yibo paused, then, as if making a decision, asked, "You and Dr. Zhou share the same surname, are you related?"
What he had always wanted to ask but hadn't said was: "What exactly is the relationship between you two?"
Zhou Yanruo: "We're not relatives, but we're practically from the same hometown. He's from Yizhou, which is a county under Xichuan. When I first met him, he would always joke that I was his superior, because Xichuan is the superior city of Yizhou."
Shang Yibo laughed and said, "The professor is quite meticulous."
Zhou Yanruo also smiled indulgently and praised him generously: "Zihang is a very good person. Even though he doesn't know you well yet, he will take the initiative to help you. I believe that once you become friends, you will find that he is extremely sincere and the kind of friend you can open your heart to."
Shang Yibo smiled and replied, "I can see that. With you here, maybe I really can become good friends with him, who knows." Even so, a corner of his heart couldn't help but feel a sour taste rising inside him.
Zhou Yanruo had never tried chatting casually with her boss before. To ease the sudden and awkward atmosphere, she cleverly changed the subject: "President Fang specifically mentioned on the phone that you will be working at the group in the next few days. He asked me to organize the materials and have the heads of each department introduce the group's business to you so that you can get familiar with it as soon as possible."
Shang Yibo thought Fang Xichen's words were too exaggerated. He had just told Fang Xichen that he was taking a few days off and planned to go to the company with Zhou Yanruo. It was just a last-minute excuse not to go back to Zimo Garden. He didn't expect her to say that he was going back to work at the company, making it sound very formal, and then she made all sorts of random arrangements on her own.
The drive from Rushang Building to Shangqing Jiayuan was not long to begin with, and the two chatted along the way, arriving at their destination quickly.
When Shang Yibo saw that he was about to enter the residential area after turning the corner, he put on a mask and pulled his fisherman's hat down further.
Seeing this, Zhou Yanruo laughed and said, "I rented an underground parking space. After getting out of the car, I can take the elevator directly upstairs without having to go through the gate of the community. You don't actually need to be so fully armed."
"I don't mind, I just don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble," Shang Yibo replied.
After parking the car, the two entered the elevator together.
When the elevator reached the first floor, the doors slowly opened, and two girls walked in, chatting and laughing. Shang Yibo unconsciously took a small step back, turned around, and faced the side wall of the elevator car.
"Why is it you guys?" Zhou Yanruo asked in surprise, her tone full of astonishment.
Hong Yun said cheerfully, "Wow, what a coincidence, we arrived at the same time."
Ding Jiajia quickly greeted Zhou Yanruo: "Sister Yanruo."
Shang Yibo turned around upon hearing the voice, only then noticing that the two people who had just entered the elevator were Ding Jiajia and Hong Yun. He asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"