After Divorce: Pursued by Cohabiting Boss

Chapter 32

Li Zhen waved at her from the corner, "Over here."

Dong Wanwan lifted her chin and swayed over to sit down gracefully, "Li Zhen, you didn't transfer the compensation money to me last night. Did you ask me out today planning to welsh on it?"

Li Zhen didn't say anything. Lu Yanming spoke up, "Let's talk about the value of the watch first, then discuss compensation."

The man's voice was too attractive, magnetic and low. Dong Wanwan reined in her temper and raised her brows, "Li Zhen, did you specially invite a lawyer? It seems like this mere 32,000 yuan is quite a lot to you. Don't want to pay up?"

Li Zhen pretended not to hear and lowered her head to drink coffee.

Lu Yanming's long fingers tapped the tabletop gently. He smiled gently with a cultivated demeanor, "If it's worth that much, we'll compensate."

Dong Wanwan heard something amiss and frowned, "What do you mean?"

Lu Yanming: "May I trouble you to show me the watch you smashed yesterday?"

Dong Wanwan brought it along, she wasn't afraid of them looking either. She passed the box containing the watch over.

Lu Yanming opened the box and took out a pink diamond, holding it in his hand and feeling it, "Natural diamonds have very strong oil affinity. There is a trace amount of sebum on human skin and touching will reduce the surface brightness of a natural diamond. But unfortunately, your pink diamond is still as bright as new."

Dong Wanwan's expression changed slightly, "What do you mean?"

Lu Yanming didn't answer. His tone was neither rushed nor slow as he continued, "Natural diamonds conduct heat well. When touched by a hand, they will quickly conduct the temperature from the hand, so they will feel icy cold. But clearly, the thermal conductivity of this pink diamond isn't good."

Dong Wanwan was shocked to her core.

Was this man saying the pink diamond on her watch was fake?

How was that possible?

"What nonsense are you spouting! Do you understand diamonds?" Dong Wanwan grabbed the box from the man's hand in disbelief.

Li Zhen ridiculed inwardly, he's the deputy head of a jewelry conglomerate, of course he understands!

Dong Wanwan finally realized these people had malicious intent. "Stop saying all that, just pay up!"

Lu Yanming said, "We can pay up too, but we need an appraisal certificate from an authoritative organization. Although in my opinion, this watch is worth tens of thousands at most."

The man opposite didn't have any extra expression, but he faintly exuded invisible pressure. His words made people subconsciously believe them.

Dong Wanwan started hesitating. What if the pink diamond really was fake...

Her tone weakened a bit, "Humph, I'll go get it tested right now." Li Zhen instantly felt relieved.

As long as Dong Wanwan agreed to test it, she would know it was fake. Naturally she wouldn't ask her to compensate 32,000 yuan.

At most she'd pay 50,000 yuan, which she could accept.

Li Zhen felt gratified inside, Lu Yanming looked very agreeable to her eyes.

Just as Li Zhen was getting ready to finish up and leave, Lu Yanming spoke again, "Alright, while you're gone testing, we might as well go to the police station."

Dong Wanwan halted in her steps.

Lu Yanming's gold rimmed glasses reflected a cold glint at the edges. "To report you for using a fake diamond to extort an exorbitant sum."

Lu Yanming's words had a tremendous influential power. The two women were equally shocked.

Li Zhen: ...As expected of you!

Dong Wanwan: ...This man is vicious!

Dong Wanwan said incredulously, "Even if it's a fake diamond, I'm the victim too..."

Lu Yanming said, "It's your word against mine. You extorting is real, what you did is evidence for conviction."

Dong Wanwan panicked. She had just gained some fame and money from Zhou Chao Wen. She absolutely couldn't get into any trouble, if Li Zhen reported her to the police, reporters would surely sensationalize it.

"Forget it, I can't be bothered to tangle with you two..." She grit her teeth, her gaze full of hatred, "How much did you say?"

Lu Yanming said, "Thirty thousand."

Li Zhen glanced at him. Didn't he say it was worth 50,000?

He helped save her another 20,000.

Dong Wanwan couldn't be bothered to say more. She took out her phone's QR code. "Transfer it to me now."

As soon as she got the money, she was going to find the person who tricked her into buying that watch!

How dare he fool her!

Li Zhen took out her phone. Joy that couldn't be concealed shone from her eyes. She hadn't expected to be able to settle it for just 30,000 in the end.

Just as she took out her phone, Lu Yanming tapped open her QR code for receiving payments.

He looked at Dong Wanwan, "It seems you didn't understand me. You're paying us 30,000 yuan for emotional damages from your extortion."

Li Zhen froze. Her mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg.

"You... you..." Dong Wanwan was clearly dumbstruck. Her hand holding the phone shook from anger. "Li Zhen, after you broke my watch, I have to pay you 30,000 yuan?"

Li Zhen: ...I didn't expect this either!

"Unwilling? Then forget it. I'll go to the police station first..." Lu Yanming's tone was very mild.

Dong Wanwan: "Wait... I'll pay!"

After Dong Wanwan paid, she walked out of the cafe still in a dazed state.

She didn't understand, when she first walked in, it was Li Zhen who owed her 32,000 yuan. Yet when she left, she was the one who gave Li Zhen 30,000 yuan!

After Dong Wanwan left, undisguised adoration filled Li Zhen's gaze. "Boss Lu, you're amazing!"

This gaze of adoration gratified Lu Yanming greatly.

He got up, draping his suit jacket over his arm. His smile was deep. "Let's go, you only took half a day off today."

-

In the past, some colleagues worked overtime when others got off work early, and the early leavers felt a bit embarrassed.

Ever since overtime started getting deducted from performance, everyone uniformly got off work right at 6 pm. If anyone stayed late by even a minute, they'd get mocked by colleagues for dragging them down.

When it was time to get off work, after calling Qiao Yi to join them, Zhang Xiya and the others waited together for the elevator to go downstairs.

"We've been going out to eat too often these days. We just went out to eat together a few days ago, and we're going again today." Qiao Yi touched her lower back, "I'm going to gain weight again today."

Since Qiao Yi gained weight from medication, she was especially concerned about it.

Zhang Xiya laughed and lightly bumped her shoulder, "Our Qiao Yi is as beautiful as a flower, neither fat nor thin can conceal your charm."

Zhang Xiya spoke dramatically, making not just Qiao Yi laugh, but Li Zhen and Meng Yuanjie laughed along too.

The elevator arrived at their floor. Seeing Lu Yanming standing among the crowd inside, the laughing group were taken aback for a moment. They exchanged looks with each other before quickly entering.

"Boss Lu." The few greeted respectfully in unison after entering.

"Mm." Lu Yanming nodded.

The enclosed space made them feel ill at ease with a superior present.

In the spacious elevator, colleagues who were chatting also kept their voices very soft.

Zhang Xiya clung familiarly to Li Zhen's arm. Although excited, she also lowered her voice, "Where should we go eat later?"

Meng Yuanjie suggested, "Li Zhen said this unjust fortune was a huge sum. Naturally we should pick a more expensive place."

Zhang Xiya nodded fervently, "Yes, yes, yes."

Li Zhen's back stiffened abruptly.

It was as if a substantial gaze had landed on her.

She sneakily glanced back and surely met Lu Yanming's eyes.

She was done for. He helped her get money, yet she called it unjust gains. He must be unhappy.

"We've arrived." Everyone exited the elevator on the first floor.

Li Zhen had just put one foot out when a large hand pulled her back... by the waistband of her skater skirt.

She was pulled back a step. Before her eyes, the elevator door closed shut.

Inside the descending elevator to basement level 1, there was only her and Lu Yanming left.

She turned back and smiled somewhat awkwardly, "Boss Lu, something the matter?"

-

After walking two steps from the elevator, Qiao Yi felt something was off. She looked back, "Ah, where's Li Zhen? She didn't come out of the elevator?"

Before she could think further, she saw Yu Sheng walking towards them.

The company's employees were rather intimidated by Yu Sheng. Although they saw Yu Sheng's attitude towards Li Zhen at the hospital that day, at heart they were still afraid of him.

When they brushed past Yu Sheng, Zhang Xiya and the others greeted respectfully like before, "Boss Yu."

Yu Sheng's footsteps paused slightly as his gaze swept over the three people. He said lightly, "Li Zhen hasn't gotten off work yet?"

Not expecting the aloof Yu Sheng to take the initiative to speak to them, Zhang Xiya hurriedly replied, "She probably got off on the wrong floor, she'll be out a bit later."

Yu Sheng nodded and stepped forward to leave.

Mustering his courage, Meng Yuanjie asked, "Boss Yu, Li Zhen is having dinner with us later. Would you like to join us too?"

Yu Sheng turned his head and glanced at him.

Meng Yuanjie smiled awkwardly, "I forgot, President Yu, you are usually quite busy..."

"I still have something to go back to the office to deal with, probably takes half an hour." Yu Sheng raised his hand and looked at his watch. He had just returned from meeting with Zhou Chaowen in the afternoon to finalize the details of the documentary homepage video ad, and still had some urgent matters to handle.

Meng Yuanjie thought he was going to refuse.

But Yu Sheng added: "You guys go ahead and eat first, I'll come over after I'm done."

After saying that, he walked towards the elevator hall.

Qiao Yi was stunned, "President Yu is going to eat with us?"

"That's exactly what he meant." Zhang Xiya kicked Meng Yuanjie, "Why did you nicely ask President Yu to eat with us? President Yu is so intimidating, eating with him, I won't enjoy the food."

Meng Yuanjie felt extremely wronged, "I just asked, who would've thought President Yu would actually agree."

He slowly walked towards the elevator to the -1 floor.

Lu Yanming pulled Li Zhen by the waist closer to him, looking down at her slightly, "Ill-gotten gains? Is that how you define this 30,000?"

Li Zhen quickly denied, urgently shifting the blame, "President Lu, they were the ones who said that, it has nothing to do with me."

"Them? You seem to treat them pretty well. It was tiring for them to negotiate for you, and treat you to meals, yet I didn't get a share." Lu Yanming released her and smoothed out the slightly rumpled cuffs from the pull.

Li Zhen heard a hint of reproach and immediately said: "President Lu, I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow?"

The elevator had arrived at the -1 floor, Lu Yanming glanced at her, his long legs stepped out, "No time like the present."

"You mean today? Today doesn't work, I have plans with colleagues." Li Zhen followed.

Lu Yanming stopped and turned to look at her, his light eyes gazed at her deeply, "You can go out with others every day after work, so why can't you with me?"

His sigh was barely audible, "Am I that unpresentable? Li Zhen."