Chapter 36: Chapter 36 - 36 Morbid Paranoia

Lin Xu arrived at the company just in time, outside the President’s Office, to rescue a group of employees who didn’t dare to go in and ask Ji Tingyang for signatures.

“Miss Lin, could you please take this document to President Ji for his signature?” the secretary first inquired tentatively.

“Ah, sure,” Lin Xu took it.

“Miss Lin, I also have a document here, could you please have President Ji sign this one too?” Then other employees followed suit.

They didn’t dare to just barge in, for fear of jeopardizing their meager bonuses.

Lin Xu: “Okay.”

“I have two documents here…”

“And I have this one here…”

After accepting all the documents, Lin Xu’s hands were full with a big stack, so full that she couldn’t even free a hand to open the door.

The door was ultimately pushed open by the secretary, who quickly shut it the next second, as if afraid that the anger from within would spill out.

Within the short ten-step walk, Lin Xu’s arms were already aching, so she hurriedly went to the desk and put the documents down, gasping for breath, “President Ji, please sign these documents.”

“Don’t you know how to knock before entering? Who allowed you in? Go tell the finance department to dock your bonus for the month!”

Ji Tingyang was fuming with anger, slamming his pen down on the desk, creating a terrifyng “bang.”

As if that wasn’t enough to vent his anger, he was preparing to scold her again, but when he looked up and saw Lin Xu’s innocent face blinking back at him, his voice caught in his throat.

“Why are you here…” His anger mistakenly directed at the wrong person, Ji Tingyang felt somewhat helpless, his momentum somewhat deflated, “You shouldn’t be off work yet.”

“I calculated on my fingers that you’d be in a bad mood today, so I came to see if I was right,” Lin Xu rested her chin on her hands and nodded at him, “It seems I was pretty accurate.”

Ji Tingyang, resigned: “I didn’t know you were into fortune-telling.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Lin Xu said mysteriously.

Actually, she had come in early today, and while killing time downstairs, she overheard the employees discussing Ji Tingyang’s outburst of anger. Fearing he would go crazy like he did at home, she thought of coming up to check on him.

Lin Xu pulled a chair over to sit across from Ji Tingyang and massaged her sore arms.

Ji Tingyang took her hand and started rubbing and pressing the flesh on her arms, his brows furrowed in concern: “I pay them to work, and yet they expect you to deliver documents for them. It seems they don’t want their jobs anymore.”

Normally tired of carrying shopping bags, today she actually had to help them deliver documents.

Ji Tingyang made a mental note to enforce a new rule in the future, prohibiting the transfer of documents through others.

“Then you might as well fire everyone in the company,” Lin Xu laughed.

Ji Tingyang was frustrated.

“Alright,” Lin Xu withdrew her hand, then asked about the day’s events, “What happened to make you so angry?”

“Do you remember the document you asked about last time?” Ji Tingyang told her about the project that was snatched away.

The head of the partnering company told him that Xie’s proposal was very similar to his but had been refined on his basis with a few more concessions.

People always gravitate towards money, so the partnering company refused Ji’s and even insinuated to Ji Tingyang that there must be a mole within the company.

Upon hearing the term “mole,” Lin Xu immediately thought of Wen Li.

She had seen Wen Li sneaking around the study last time, an action that aligned with the plot Lin Xu had seen.

“You also bring documents home to work on sometimes. Could someone from home have leaked the information?” Lin Xu ventured.

“That’s unlikely. No one dares to go upstairs on normal days, and the butler has worked at the villa for eight or nine years. He wouldn’t do such a thing,” Ji Tingyang dismissed the possibility.

“Wen Li…”

“She wouldn’t do it!” Ji Tingyang’s volume surged suddenly, his emotions becoming intense.

Lin Xu jumped with fright. She looked at Ji Tingyang and saw that he was struggling to maintain composure, his clenched fists trembling slightly, his brows furrowed in pain, his forehead breaking out in large beads of cold sweat.

Something seemed off about his emotions.

Lin Xu suddenly realized that Ji Tingyang’s sickly obsession with Wen Li rendered him unable to doubt her, or perhaps he was afraid of getting hurt and therefore controlled himself from suspecting her.

“It’s okay, it’s not her.” Lin Xu hurried over to comfort him, trying to calm him down.

“Mom, it couldn’t be her…” Ji Tingyang rested his head on her shoulder, his voice heavy.

“Yes, if you say it’s not her, then it’s not her.” Lin Xu patted his head. It seemed better not to mention it until she had substantial evidence.

“Don’t worry, anyone who dares to bully my son, I won’t let her get away with it!”

A faint laugh escaped Ji Tingyang’s throat, realizing that it felt so good to be protected.

—

Due to the project being stolen, the other shareholders of Ji’s were all making a fuss, and Ji Tingyang was so busy appeasing them that he hardly touched the ground.

He didn’t even have time to wait for Lin Xu to get up in the morning to send him to the company and just drove off.

Not to mention controlling Wen Li’s freedom.

Even though she had been coming and going early and late these few days, Ji Tingyang was unaware and had no time to pay attention to her.

Wen Li felt completely free, body and mind. Perhaps, in time, she could even leave the Ji Family for good.

With that thought in mind, her mood lifted, and her appetite improved, allowing her to eat a little more for breakfast.

Lin Xu, sitting opposite her, put down her cutlery and said to the butler, “Have the driver wait for me at the door.”

“Miss Lin, Young Master Ji has already gone to the company.” The butler thought she didn’t know, and kindly reminded her that there was no need to chauffeur Ji Tingyang today.

“I know, I’m going to the Xie Group,” Lin Xu said.

“The Xie Group?” The butler was taken aback.

“One of Ji’s projects was stolen, and Ji Tingyang suspects there might have been a leak. Just so happens I know a senior executive at Xie’s who might do me a favor and tell me something,” Lin Xu explained.

“That would be great. Once we catch that scoundrel, we must punish them severely!” the butler said, excited.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Clatter.

The chopsticks in Wen Li’s hand fell to the ground.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Xu looked at her.

“It’s… it’s nothing, I just didn’t grip them properly,” Wen Li’s palms sweated as her heart raced with nervous palpitations.

“Oh, have the butler bring you a new pair, and make sure to hold them properly this time,” Lin Xu said with a slight smile.

Wen Li couldn’t help feeling uneasy about the meaningful smile on Lin Xu’s face as she watched her leave.

The Xie Group’s building shot up from the ground, even the grand and imposing architectural style and quality at the lobby on the ground floor showcased the company’s mature and steady style.

Truly befitting that of a grand family.

As Lin Xu walked in, she sighed for a moment, remembering her mission. She came to her senses, took out her phone, and took a few pictures.

Just then, a discreetly luxurious sedan stopped at the entrance of the company.

A handsome and poised figure stepped out of the car. The man was dressed in a tailored suit, his facial features sharp and deep, a carefree smile hanging from his lips as he walked inside.

A beautiful figure suddenly burst into his peripheral vision.

The man turned his head to look, his pupils slightly dilated, his eyes as if veiled in mist, seeming to experience a sense of daze.