Chapter 8: Chapter 8 - 8 Isnt 008 a friend

Chapter 8: Isn’t 008 a friend? Chapter 8: Isn’t 008 a friend? “He-ge…” Xia Ning’s fierce expression immediately softened to a gentle one, her aggrieved look of ‘pear blossoms bathed in rain’ truly tugging at the heartstrings.

He-ge?

Zhu Lian’s complexion turned deathly pale, hurriedly lowering her head.

Who in A City didn’t know about the fabled story between Xia Ning and He Xing, her single address of ‘He-ge’ was enough to send everyone into a state of shock.

But his fiancée? Zhu Lian caught the crux of the matter, her gaze shifting towards Fu Han who was off to the side.

What to do, Fu Han was He Xing’s fiancée; and just now she had asked Fu Han to apologize to Xia Ning, wouldn’t that be extremely annoying? Could Fu Han end up holding a grudge against her because of it?

Zhu Lian was so frightened her hands began to tremble.

He Xing only furrowed his brow, his eyes coldly fixed on Xia Ning, “You asked Fu Han to apologize to you?”

She was taken aback for a moment, her eyes reddening and nearly brimming with tears, “He-ge, I just, just thought she was too impolite, so I wanted to discipline her on your behalf.”

“She’s my fiancée, I don’t need you to point fingers, do I?” He Xing’s indifferent gaze swept over Xia Ning, his words as chilling as his stare.

Xia Ning bit her lower lip tightly, not uttering a sound.

“Stop arguing. If this goes on, I’m going to fall asleep.” Fu Han yawned lazily, pushing He Xing aside and heading straight for the camera, “President He, I’m not your fiancée. If you want to stand up for your wife, go ahead with Xia Ning, but don’t delay my work. I don’t like working overtime. Zhu Lian, let’s get started. It’ll be too late if we don’t finish in time.”

Without a command from Xia Ning, Zhu Lian dared not move.

She wanted to speak out, but then she saw Xia Ning with a dark face, almost brimming with hatred, staring fixedly at Fu Han.

Hearing the name Xia Ning, He Xing furrowed his brow; why was she still dwelling on the past?

“Fu Han, what exactly are you dissatisfied with? I’ve explained the situation in the past, and Xia Ning and I are not what you imagine…”

“Boring.”

This was the second time in two days that He Xing had heard her call something ‘boring’.

Those two simple words set off a fiery anger in him, yet he couldn’t muster any emotive response.

Fu Han snorted with a scoff through her nose, a look of indifference in her eyes as she turned back, “President He, could it be that you see yourself as too charismatic? Isn’t my attitude clear enough? I, I no longer love you. We’re not children anymore, crying and fussing to get back a lost candy. You are He Xing, what kind of woman can’t you find? Please don’t bother me at work anymore.”

The sentence pierced his heart like a sharp spike.

He Xing didn’t understand.

No longer in love? Did she really not love him anymore? Could those once profound feelings be discarded so easily?

“I won’t look for other women.” His voice was low, but his eyes were obsessive.

Fu Han was taken aback, not expecting him to express his feelings so directly in front of Xia Ning, then responded indifferently, “As you wish.”

She placed her hand on the camera and started shooting.

“You go ahead and work.” He Xing did not continue to pester her.

Turning to see Xia Ning standing quietly to the side, he said coldly, “Don’t try to threaten her with the tactic of firing her friend. That kind of maneuver is too despicable.”

Xia Ning stiffened, clenching her back teeth tightly.

In essence, He Xing was solving Fu Han’s potential worries while insulting Xia Ning, calling her actions dirty. Why had everything changed with her return? Surely she was the one that everyone said was perfectly matched with He Xing, so why was He Xing so infatuated with this woman?

Firing Zhu Lian was now out of the question; she didn’t want to provoke He Xing.

Fu Han worked very earnestly, and He Xing and Xia Ning moved chairs to sit on the side. Xia Ning leaned over, and He Xing subtly kept his distance.

“He-ge, I really understand my mistake about Fu Han, please don’t be mad at me, okay?” Her eyes were watery as she locked onto He Xing, her face full of regret that seemed genuine.

He Xing was not buying it, merely saying, “Go apologize to Fu Han.”

Xia Ning could only grind her teeth, “Fine.”

Ask her to apologize to Fu Han? That was never going to happen.

Her failed flattery only pushed the atmosphere between them to a new peak of awkwardness, so much so that even Zhu Lian could see the invisible smoke of gunpowder between them.

He Xing was particularly resolute in his attitude, protecting Fu Han at every turn, while turning a cold shoulder to Xia Ning.

Swallowing hard, Zhu Lian carefully approached Fu Han from behind, whispering, “Fu Han, I’m really sorry about earlier. In a moment of panic, I asked you to apologize. Sorry, I…”

“This matter? I haven’t taken it to heart.” Fu Han instructed the model to strike a different pose while adjusting the camera settings, and then with a gracious smile, she expressed her understanding, “I get it, you’re Xia Ning’s staff, and arguing with her could cost you your job. You’re also doing this for your work, I don’t blame you.”

She was quite generous.

He Xing heard everything clearly, his hawk-like eyes fixed on Fu Han. He wanted to glean more information from this.

Zhu Lian breathed a sigh of relief. Fu Han’s eyes were so sincere, her smile so radiant, she surely didn’t mind. In the future, she would be more careful not to upset Fu Han.

Encouraging herself silently, Zhu Lian’s face beamed like a flower as she supported the camera, “Let me help you.”

Fu Han smiled lightly, “Thank you.”

She really knew how to act.

Xia Ning’s gaze was scorching with disdain as if trying to see right through Fu Han, internally she had already slashed and tortured her a thousand times over.

The shooting continued until six in the afternoon when Fu Han got off work. Glancing over and seeing that He Xing and Xia Ning were still there, she lifted her vermilion lips in a sneer during a moment of collecting her things, “President He and Lady Xia seem to have some free time. Don’t you have official business to take care of?”

Xia Ning’s face shifted slightly, “Overseeing the Newspaper Office is part of my job.”

“Oh, that must be really tough,” Fu Han replied casually, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and walking out, “Both of you, I’ll be leaving first.”

The past image of Fu Han trailing behind He Xing was still vivid in his mind, that girl who used to be content only by He Xing’s side, but she had now become someone who was always eager to sever ties with him.

He Xing’s brow knitted tightly, feeling unaccustomed, and he hurried after her.

Fu Han was fiddling with her phone, pulling up Zhu Lian’s number from the contact list, her pale, slender fingers swiping to add it to the blacklist.

“Isn’t she your friend?”

He Xing inquired.

Fu Han turned with a light laugh, her eyes brimming with teasing, “From now on, she’s not.”

With a locked screen, she tucked the phone into her pocket, and in that moment, the distinction between love and hate solidified for He Xing, affirming that Fu Han was still the same Fu Han, the Fu Han of the past.

“It seems you haven’t changed all that much.” He breathed a sigh of relief at that realization.

Who knew that Fu Han would laugh and say, “Really? Then it seems President He’s eyesight has been growing worse over the years, thinking that I’ve changed.”

A gust of wind came up, scattering her hair, and Fu Han just brushed away the stray strands as if the wind could carry her away, her gaze not on He Xing’s face but towards the horizon.

It wasn’t her who had changed, it had always been He Xing.