Chapter 148 Basically Done!

After getting rid of Zhang Fan, Wang Zheng took Lin Xiaolei to another restaurant for dinner. To avoid exposing their target, Wang Zheng even parked his car a hundred meters away from the restaurant, which made things much safer.

The dining process turned out to be very simple. Sitting opposite each other, they did not share any overly intimate gestures, and the kiss that Lin Xiaolei had been longing for never happened. This left her feeling somewhat calmer, losing the initial excitement, but it also brought a trace of disappointment. Sometimes, human hearts are always contradictory; one might not want to kiss, yet cannot help yearning for it.

For the first time, the two of them went on a date like a couple deeply in love. Although this boyfriend-girlfriend relationship was a pretense, both adapted quite well to their respective roles. However, if they didn't do something, it seemed a bit unfair to the warm atmosphere they had created today.

"What are you thinking about?" On the way driving toward Lin Xiaolei's home, she asked, looking at Wang Zheng's pensive expression. After leaving the restaurant, the two hadn't spoken another word, and the sudden silence actually made Lin Xiaolei feel a bit unaccustomed.

"I was wondering if a couple's date doesn't end with a kiss, wouldn't that be a bit unreasonable?" Wang Zheng said with a face full of confusion, primarily intending to express his current thought through this expression: I am not trying to take advantage of you; I am simply acting from a practical standpoint!

Wang Zheng's remark stirred ripples once more in Lin Xiaolei's heart, which had just returned to peace, like waves upon waves in the Honghu Lake, each higher than the previous!

Lin Xiaolei was a conservative woman, a shy woman, at least in front of Wang Zheng, but that didn't mean she was made of wood. Humans are emotional creatures, especially when a woman develops feelings for a man—no matter how conservative or reserved she might be, her defenses will eventually crumble. Even if they couldn't reach that ultimate stage, hugging and kissing should be fine, right? It wasn't as if she were ice cream, afraid of melting away!

Moreover, once feelings developed, one's mind would inevitably wander toward erotic thoughts. Do not assume that daydreaming is a male monopoly; a woman's imagination is equally rich. Platonic spiritual love does not exist. A union of only the spirit without the union of the flesh is what you truly call a fantasy!

A little daydreaming entertains the soul, but excessive daydreaming harms the body!

The car slowly came to a halt. Sitting in the passenger seat, Lin Xiaolei, seduced by Wang Zheng's words, began letting her imagination run wild again.

"We're here!" Wang Zheng said, looking at Lin Xiaolei, and then slowly leaned toward her.

Having just snapped back to her senses, Lin Xiaolei was startled by Wang Zheng's movement. Her body suddenly lost its instinctive ability to move, and she sat blankly in her seat. For some reason, her heart was pounding violently, and as Wang Zheng kept getting closer, she could even feel his breath. Seemingly realizing something, Lin Xiaolei gripped the hem of her skirt tightly and slowly closed her eyes.

Lin Xiaolei's eyelashes trembled slightly; she could sense Wang Zheng drawing closer and closer to her. She could even feel that he had reached right before her, gazing at her intently and affectionately. Sitting there quietly with her eyes closed, Lin Xiaolei wasn't sure if this was a form of avoidance or a form of waiting.

"Snap!"

A flurry of noises reached Lin Xiaolei's ears, and as a gentle breeze swept past, she couldn't help but open her eyes. She saw Wang Zheng sitting back in his original position, looking at her with a smiling expression, while the car door beside her was already open.

Could it be... could it be that he just wanted to open the car door for me? At this thought, Lin Xiaolei's cheeks suddenly flushed red. It seemed she had been letting her imagination run wild again—she had lost count of how many times this had happened today. If she used all her fingers, she probably wouldn't be able to count them all.

With a blushing face, Lin Xiaolei got out of the car, looked at Wang Zheng inside, muttered a "see you tomorrow" in a voice quieter than a mosquito's buzz, and then turned and ran toward her residential complex.

Watching Lin Xiaolei's retreating figure, Wang Zheng in the car curved the corner of his mouth into a meaningful smile. This woman could no longer escape the palm of his hand; now it all depended on whether she could reach the standards he held in his heart.

Whether Lin Xiaolei could prove herself in front of Wang Zheng.

Come to think of it, all of this should be credited to Zhang Fan. If it hadn't been for his sudden appearance, perhaps Wang Zheng would still be taking his time taking things slow with Lin Xiaolei.

Checking the time, it was close to eight o'clock, meaning the second round of dating was about to begin.

Due to having no hosting assignments these past few days, Su Xue and Chu Jun both got off work early and went home on their own without needing Wang Zheng to pick them up. This was perhaps a wonderful opportunity bestowed upon the heavens, allowing Wang Zheng to do more meaningful things with Liao Tong after arriving at the television station, such as making love in the office.

When Wang Zheng entered the news department, Liao Tong was still recording a news program in the adjacent studio. Dressed in professional attire, she looked beautiful, dignified, noble, and elegant. No wonder so many people in the television station regarded her as a goddess, capable only of admiration and reverence, lacking even the courage to pursue her.

As the man who seduced the goddess into falling, Wang Zheng was the only one who could witness and experience Liao Tong's lesser-known, hidden side. In this regard, even Wang Zheng envied himself, wondering what good deeds he must have done in a past life to let him cross paths with Liao Tong.

Of course, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, nor do beauties fall out of thin air. As the saying goes, to reap rewards, one must put in effort. Since she had given him her body, Wang Zheng naturally had to do something for her in return.

Unsure of how much longer the recording would take, Wang Zheng walked over to a woman standing nearby and tapped her on the shoulder. Because Wang Zheng was already familiar with the staff here, he patted her casually, asked his question just as casually, and paid no heed to formalities or etiquette.

"How much longer until it finishes?"

The woman turned her head to look at Wang Zheng with a tightly knitted brow, clearly extremely displeased with his casual pat. Only when she turned around did Wang Zheng clearly see her face; if he remembered correctly, this woman was Zhang Qianqian, one of the four prominent flowers of the news department, whom he had met once before. Judging by her expression, however, it seemed she had forgotten all about him. Strange to say, Wang Zheng had visited the news department countless times over these past few days and seen everyone else, yet he had never crossed paths with her again—perhaps this coincided with her rotating shifts with Su Xue!

"Who are you?" Zhang Qianqian demanded, glaring at Wang Zheng. "This is the news department. Unauthorized personnel are strictly prohibited."

Damn it, that hurts my self-esteem! Especially coming from the lips of a beauty, it hurt too much!

"I'm Su Xue's older brother, Miss Zhang. We've met before!" Wang Zheng said with a bitter smile as he looked at her.

"Oh? Brother Wang is here!" Perhaps overhearing the exchange between Wang Zheng and Zhang Qianqian, someone sitting before the control console turned around and said to Wang Zheng, "The recording will wrap up in ten minutes."

"Thanks!" Wang Zheng acknowledged upon hearing this.

"Su Xue has already left work!" Zhang Qianqian said to Wang Zheng, clearly unaware of the relationship between him and Liao Tong. The others in the room chuckled quietly upon hearing Zhang Qianqian's words, though none offered any explanation, leaving Wang Zheng to innocently shrug his shoulders and walk away from the control room. Word had it that the broadcasting studio was on the other side; he might as well go wait for Liao Tong there.

Sigh, that kid just now really had no credibility at all—he clearly said ten minutes, yet he ended up making Wang Zheng wait twelve whole minutes! If Liao Tong hadn't come over to Wang Zheng's side the very moment she finished recording and rewarded him with a kiss, Wang Zheng would definitely have taught that kid a hard lesson.

Liao Tong first went to the wardrobe to change out of her host attire, then returned to her office to tidy up some documents before leaving the television station with Wang Zheng. Just as the two of them walked out of the television center, they happened to run into Zhang Qianqian, whose Maserati was parked right next to her Accord.

Intending to drive away, Zhang Qianqian, after exchanging brief greetings with Liao Tong, didn't leave immediately; instead, she sat inside her car, looking perplexedly at Liao Tong and Wang Zheng, seemingly still failing to comprehend the whole picture.

This man was Su Xue's older brother, yet why was he together with Liao Tong? Having rarely taken an interest in gossip, she unexpectedly found herself caring about this matter today. In fact, it was quite normal for Zhang Qianqian to be out of the loop. Due to the scheduling of anchor shifts, Su Xue and Chu Jun's anchoring times happened to coincide with her early departure from work, meaning she never saw Wang Zheng when he came to pick up Su Xue, and naturally remained unaware of his relationship with Liao Tong. Moreover, outside of work, Zhang Qianqian rarely spent time gossiping with colleagues, so these juicy rumors never reached her ears.

Watching Liao Tong and that man get into the adjacent Maserati, Zhang Qianqian's delicate brows furrowed slightly. When did Sister Liao get together with this man? Always regarding Liao Tong as her role model, Zhang Qianqian tried to emulate her competence, composure, elegance, and her attitude of rejecting all temptations. Yet Zhang Qianqian found it hard to believe what she was seeing, because through the car window, she clearly saw that once inside, Liao Tong and that man were engaged in a passionate kiss.

A wealthy tycoon? Could Sister Liao be so worldly after all?