章 6: A Hickey

A jerk? Everyone was stunned by Xiao Lingyu's choice of words.

Everyone knew Xiao Lingyu and Manager Chen Ran were a couple. Chen Ran treated Xiao Lingyu very well, even though the latter was quite unattractive. It made the women in the company envious and jealous. Chen Ran was meticulous in the ways he cared about Xiao Lingyu.

At work, Chen Ran couldn't keep Xiao Lingyu by his side, so he asked his friends to take good care of Xiao Lingyu. He would patiently teach her if she had something she didn't understand.

Off work, Chen Ran also lavished Xiao Lingyu with attention. Xiao Lingyu was a workaholic, so much so that she would sometimes forget to eat. So, Chen Ran would call a takeout for Xiao Lingyu every day at mealtimes. He would also call her to remind her to eat.

Therefore, all the women in the company were jealous of Xiao Lingyu. They all wished Chen Ran was their boyfriend. So Chen Ran became the dream guy of many female workers.

Many girls had confessed to Chen Ran, but they were all rejected. They turned their bitterness towards Xiao Lingyu and tried to trip her whenever they had the chance.

Xiao Lingyu and Chen Ran were the paragons of love. No one could shake their relationshio. This meant that Xiao Lingyu was the target of many women at the company.

Therefore, when they found out Xiao Lingyu had slept with another man and betrayed a good man like Chen Ran, these women secretly rejoiced. They immediately rallied around Chen Ran and rebuked Xiao LIngyu.

However, the perfect man they adored was deemed a jerk by Xiao Lingyu! This puzzled many people.

Just the day before, Xiao Lingyu was heads over heels with Chen Ran, so what changed?

Chen Ran exited the elevator and heard Xiao Lingyu call him a jerk. His face turned lived. Zhao Wenman beside him sneered slightly. She turned her body sideways and whispered into Chen Ran's ear. "Looks like you're not that important to her after all. All those years you've treated her so well, and it has all been for nothing!" Her words were dripping with mockery.

Chen Ran's face was white from anger. He wanted to rush over to shake Xiao Lingyu, but he forced himself to calm down for the sake of his plan and future.

He strode towards Xiao Lingyu. He asked with concern. "Yu 'Er, what's wrong? Who bullied you!" His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings and said, "I'll protect you! But you shouldn't say things in anger."

He emphasized the second phrase of his statement. He was telling everyone that Xiao Lingyu was calling him a jerk because she was not thinking straight.

Chen Ran was the perfect boyfriend. He cared deeply about Xiao Lingyu. He did everything for her and fended her from the world.

However, Xiao Lingyu realized that this was his way of controlling her. He had painted out the path for Xiao Lingyu's life, and she only needed to follow his orders. Xiao Lingyu was his puppet. Whenever the puppet wanted to go her own way, Chen Ran would patiently ease her back under his control.

Chen Ran assumed Xiao Lingyu would follow his words and admit her mistakes like she usually did. Xiao Lingyu would fix his image.

However, this time, Xiao Lingyu only looked at him coldly. She flashed him a frigid smile and asked, "Didn't you see the photo?"

She then glanced at Zhao Wenman, who arrived with Chen Ran. The hatred was deep in her eyes.

Chen Ran's expression froze. Then, he asked stiffly, "Photo? What Photo?" He was slightly surprised. 'Has she discovered something?'

Things didn't happen the way he expected. He felt some changes in Xiao Lingyu, but he couldn't pinpoint them. But what he needed to do was continue his role as the victim.

Xiao Lingyu didn't want to play this game with Chen Ran. She was not interested.

Xiao Lingyu chuckled, "Chen Ran, you didn't see the picture of me at the hotel with a man on your phone or computer? Your girlfriends didn't tell you?"

Xiao Lingyu glanced at Lin Xiangyu and then Zhao Wenman when she said the word, girlfriends.

Zhao Wenman frowned, and her eyes glinted, but she didn't say anything.

Chen Ran was shocked. He was puzzled. He did not know how to respond to Xiao Lingyu's question.

Before he came down from his office, he had already pictured the image in his mind. Xiao Lingyu would face criticism from the whole company. Everyone would look down on her, and she'd be on the verge of breaking down.

Then, he would come to question her about her betrayal. He would be painted as the victim, and everyone would sympathize with him.

Then, the news of his engagement with Zhao Wenman would not be questioned. They would receive everyone's blessings.

But when he arrived, Chen Ran realized everything was different from what he expected.

Chen Ran and Zhao Wenwan didn't receive any news when they were upstairs, so they decided to come down in person. But as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Xiao Lingyu called him a jerk and was about to give him away to someone else!

He was so pissed!

But he believed it could still be rectified. Xiao Lingyu was soft-hearted and easily bullied. Whenever he pushed slightly, she would always admit she was wrong. So why didn't that happen this time?

Chen Ran had many questions, but he had something else to do.

Chen Ran shook his head. "Yu 'Er, my only girlfriend is you." Then he turned his face up with shock as if something had just hit him. "But what did you say earlier? You went to a hotel with another man?" Chen Ran was in disbelief.

Internally he sighed. 'Things are going back on track.'

Since Xiao Lingyu had admitted everything, Chen Ran would still be the victim.

Lin Xiangyu saw the anxiety on Chen Ran's face, and she added, "That's right, Manager Chen. Xiao Lingyu sold her body to another man at the hotel yesterday night. Look, I have the evidence here!" She showed the photo to Chen Ran. "Manager Chen, I saw Xiao Lingyu book a room with a middle-aged man with a big belly with my own eyes. That man is ugly. I have no idea why she would go with him. Unless... she knows the man is rich." Lin Xiangyu's eyes colored with disdain.

Chen Ran was dumbfounded. It was like he couldn't accept he had been betrayed by his lover.

He suddenly grabbed Xiao Lingyu's thin shoulders tightly. The buttons on her shirt loosened, and her collar opened. There was a hickey on her neck.

The hickey was from a man's kiss.

Chen Ran saw this and his pupils trembled. It was as if he couldn't believe his eyes. He raised his hand and swung his palm at Xiao Lingyu's face.