Lu Jiaying's car drove ahead, with Xu Lei following behind. On the road, she called some of her close colleagues at the company to arrange a meal together.
They entered the Japanese restaurant one after another. Xu Lei, seeing the two of them enter a private room together, took many photos of their retreating figures.
However, she couldn't gather any more information because the Japanese restaurant had excellent privacy.
During the meal, everyone discussed Lu Jiaying's affairs. Xu Lei shared her speculations with the others, and they all agreed.
"Yes, it's been rumored throughout the company recently that Lu Jiaying seems to have an unusual relationship with General Manager Hu. This isn't the first time he's protected her like this."
"It's all our fault for being too naive. Why didn't we notice anything unusual before? At her age, to become a deputy department head and earn such a high annual salary, she must have connections. How else could she have achieved it?"
The gossip grew more outrageous, with some even claiming to have seen her entering and exiting a hotel with General Manager Hu.
"If that's the case, can General Manager Hu tolerate her openly carrying on with her assistant now?"
"Who knows. General Manager Hu is so busy and has his own family. She's probably using work as a cover and doing things secretly, so he might not notice. If he found out, he definitely wouldn't be able to stand it. Men are naturally possessive, and General Manager Hu is so young, handsome, and successful. How could he be willing to be cuckolded?"
As they spoke, the group exchanged glances, seemingly understanding the purpose of their dinner today.
Lu Jiaying and Jiang Jingyu simply had a meal. Less than an hour later, they were full and satisfied, discussing work matters as they left.
Someone from Xu Lei's group saw them and quickly went to pay the bill.
Lu Jiaying's car was quite comfortable to drive. Jiang Jingyu, feeling the urge to drive again, asked if he could.
Lu Jiaying, feeling lazy, said, "Go ahead."
They hit the road, with Xu Lei and the others following behind, taking more photos of them getting into the car.
"Where do you think they're going next?"
"Do you even need to ask? They're definitely going to Lu Jiaying's place. She earns so much and has already bought a car and a house in Nancheng. That pretty boy is probably after her for that."
"If the pretty boy stays at her place tonight, and General Manager Hu finds out, will the marketing department undergo a major reshuffle?"
The group, following behind with malicious intent, gossiped in the car. As they were talking animatedly, the car suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?"
They all looked ahead and realized that Lu Jiaying's car had also stopped in the middle of the road.
Xu Lei, being the one who saw most clearly, explained to them on the spot.
"It looks like the pretty boy hit someone with the car."
Indeed, someone had been hit, but it wasn't Jiang Jingyu's fault.
A burly middle-aged man on an electric scooter suddenly darted out from the opposite side of the road. If Jiang Jingyu hadn't braked in time, he would have been sent flying at his speed.
The electric scooter tilted to the ground. Jiang Jingyu was about to get out to check, but Lu Jiaying stopped him.
"Don't move. It's probably a deliberate attempt at extortion. I'll go down and take a look."
She opened the car door, turned on the video recording function on her phone, and got out.
The man lay on the ground, with cars passing by, onlookers gathering to watch, and the constant honking of horns filling the street.
"Sir, are you alright? Have you been drinking? Why are you riding an electric scooter on the motorized vehicle lane in broad daylight?"
Instead of helping him up, Lu Jiaying spoke while recording with her phone. The man instantly became furious.
"Is it great to have a car? You hit me with your car, and instead of offering comfort or helping me up, you're just holding up a phone to record. What's so great about that? Put it down!"
Lu Jiaying refused, "Sir, please don't speak like that. I can't bear it. You violated the road rules and crossed the street. We didn't hit you. Our car was still a few centimeters away from your electric scooter. You can't just say anything you want."
"You didn't hit me? So, you're saying I deliberately came here to extort you? Is it great to drive a broken car? Do you think I care about your paltry money? What a joke!"
The man said this, got up from the ground, and rushed towards Lu Jiaying, gritting his teeth.
"I dislike women like you the most, showing off. Can't you speak properly? If not, I'll teach you!"
He was only a few centimeters away from Lu Jiaying, tall and burly, looking as if he was about to devour her.
Jiang Jingyu put the car in park and immediately opened the door and rushed out.
Before the man could say anything more aggressive, he grabbed Lu Jiaying's arm and pulled her back a couple of steps, shielding her behind him, and stood in front of her.
"Stop the nonsense. Think you're in the right? Fine, I'll call the police to handle it. The dashcam recorded everything clearly. You won't be able to drive a car or ride a motorcycle for the rest of your life. Just wait and see."
After speaking, he took out his phone and was about to dial.
Seeing that Jiang Jingyu was a head taller than him, and his attire, appearance, and demeanor were all extraordinary, the man's arrogance immediately deflated.
"I wasn't trying to extort you. Besides, we didn't even touch, and your car isn't damaged. Why call the police? Look at the traffic jam behind us. I don't have time for your nonsense. Alright, alright, I'm leaving."
Saying this, he sheepishly turned to push his electric scooter.
Jiang Jingyu turned back and looked down at Lu Jiaying, "Are you alright?"
Lu Jiaying turned off her phone. "I'm fine."
"Do you want to call the police?"
"No. There was no substantial damage, and the police would just do the same, plus it would be a waste of time. I don't want to argue with someone like him. Let him go."
Jiang Jingyu, fearing the man might change his mind and rush back, put his arm around her shoulder and escorted her back to the car like a bodyguard.
To outsiders, the two were arm in arm, a perfect match, showing affection on the street.
Xu Lei and the others eagerly took more photos with their phones.
The group followed them all the way to the entrance of the residential complex, planning to stake out for several hours to see if the assistant would stay overnight at her place.
However, less than ten minutes later, Jiang Jingyu walked out alone.
Although they didn't capture any concrete evidence, the photos were enough to make Lu Jiaying infamous.
Back home, everyone uploaded the photos they had taken to the administrative group chat.
The news of Lu Jiaying and her assistant's ambiguous relationship spread throughout the entire company. The discussion continued until the next morning when people went to work.
"I ran into Lu Jiaying this morning. She came up from the underground parking lot, but I didn't see her assistant. Do you think they deliberately parted ways?"
"Tsk, what does it matter if they deliberately separated? It's just the two of them in the entire company. The manager and assistant share an office. What's the point of separating?"
"Tsk, how convenient. Do you think they might... while working during office hours?"
"Very likely. To facilitate the managers' lunch breaks, the director's office has a small lounge with beds and bedding, all fully equipped. It couldn't be more convenient."