Chapter 898: Come, Director Lan, let's drink

With a light smile, Lan Mei raised those dark, shining eyes, a touch of gentle warmth flowing from the corners of her mouth. She looked much more approachable and asked in a gentle tone, "Xiao Zhao, what do you... what do you think of me?"

Zhao Desan had already been mesmerized by the unique aura Lan Mei exuded with every gesture. Without thinking, he praised her endlessly: "Director Lan, you are beautiful, capable at work, and can... and can cook a great meal. You really are someone who can grace the parlor and the kitchen; you are a very... very perfect woman."

"Zhao Desan!" Lan Mei stared at him, looking a bit angry, her voice rising an octave.

"Wha... what's wrong?" Zhao Desan was momentarily confused. How did a round of praise not bring out Director Lan's gentleness, but instead make her look a bit angry?

Seeing him stunned, Lan Mei realized her attitude was a bit off and softened her tone: "I mean, what is my character like? What nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhao Desan's nervous expression gradually eased, and he laughed awkwardly, stammering, "Character? Character... your character is very good."

"Enough, tell me the truth. Don't flatter me here. I want to hear your sincere words. I know that privately you all gave me the nickname 'Lan the Devil.' I'm too strict with you, and you don't like me, right?"

Since Director Lan knew about these things said behind her back, Zhao Desan bit the bullet, nodded, and stammered, "Ye... yes, that's true. But I can understand that Director Lan, you have good intentions. Your personality is just like that. Actually, you... you don't have any bad intentions; you have a sharp tongue but a soft heart."

Hearing him say this, Lan Mei felt much more comfortable. A warm smile appeared at the corners of her mouth, and she said in a flat tone, "You and Xiao Zheng are new to the unit and have known me for the shortest time, but you are indeed the one who understands my character best. My personality is just like this: I don't look at personal feelings in anything, only at your work performance. As long as you don't make any mistakes in your work, I won't deliberately make things difficult for you."

Zhao Desan laughed, picked up his glass, and handed it to her, saying, "Come, Director Lan, let's drink."

Lan Mei immediately picked up her glass and clinked it with his. After a few sips of the half-glass of wine, there wasn't much left, so she finished it in one gulp. After putting down the glass and thinking about the sweet words Zhao Desan had just used to praise her, Lan Mei felt a bit smug. Whether it was because she had drunk half a glass of wine or because she was a bit shy, a faint blush appeared on her fair, beautiful face. She looked a bit bashful, lowered her head slightly, and whispered, "Zhao Desan, were those things you just said from the heart?"

"They... they were sincere words," Zhao Desan replied immediately without hesitation.

A shy smile appeared at the corners of Lan Mei's mouth, and she said softly, "Actually, don't look at me as always being cold. I really don't have any hidden agendas. When you asked to borrow money last time, I didn't have much on hand. I had saved that 100,000 yuan, and thinking I wouldn't need it for a while, I gave it all to you."

Hearing Director Lan say this, Zhao Desan was quite moved. In this society, you can talk about anything, but don't talk about money. Even with the best of friends, when it comes to borrowing money, who doesn't find an excuse to politely refuse? But a big question mark hung in Zhao Desan's mind. At least from what he knew about Director Lan so far, she was naturally beautiful, had a graceful figure, was excellent at work, and could manage a household and cook a great meal. Although her personality was a bit cold and aloof, that was just a small flaw, the tip of the iceberg. In this materialistic society obsessed with money and debauchery, you couldn't find such a good woman even if you searched with a lantern. Why did that Fang Jun divorce her? Was it Fang Jun who proposed it, or Director Lan? If it was Fang Jun, what was the reason? Was his brain fried, or did Director Lan have some unbearable, unknown shortcomings? If it was Director Lan who proposed it, what kind of man did she want to rely on for the rest of her life?

Zhao Desan opened his mouth, preparing to ask these questions, but seeing Director Lan looking at him with eyes like water, he immediately closed his mouth, stopped himself, and laughed awkwardly with a nervous expression.

Lan Mei could see that he was preparing to say something but was too embarrassed to speak. She smiled slightly and asked him, "Zhao Desan, is there something you want to say? If you want to say it, just say it."

Zhao Desan struggled for a while, steeled himself, gathered his courage, feigned calmness, and said very naturally, "Director Lan, actually, a question has been bothering me for a long time. But because I wasn't very familiar with you at the beginning and was a bit afraid of you, I didn't dare to ask you directly. Now that I understand your character, I want to ask you. I don't know if it's convenient to ask."

Lan Mei raised her eyebrows slightly, looked at him with some surprise, smiled faintly, and while adding wine to the glass, asked unhurriedly, "What kind of question? Let's see if I'm willing to answer you."

"It's... it's a personal question," Zhao Desan stammered.

Lan Mei poured half a glass of red wine, put down the bottle, gave him an enchanting look, thought for a moment, parted her red lips, and said, "Ask."

"Then I'll ask. But I have to say in advance, Director Lan, if you don't want to answer, just pretend I didn't say anything. Please don't get angry," Zhao Desan declared in advance, knowing that this question was relatively sensitive for a divorced woman, and even more so given Lan Mei's somewhat aloof personality. He didn't mind if she didn't want to answer, but it wouldn't be good if it made her angry.

Lan Mei glanced at him enchantingly and nodded slightly: "You ask first. I'll see if I'm willing to answer. If I'm not, you can just change the subject."

Zhao Desan nodded, his heart pounding, and said uneasily, "Director Lan, I feel that although you can't be considered a perfect woman, you are at least nine-tenths perfect. But I am very confused: why... why did you... why did you divorce?"

Hearing this question, Lan Mei glared at him, scaring Zhao Desan so much that his heart skipped a beat. He immediately said, "Director Lan, don't be angry. Just pretend I didn't say anything. I didn't say anything." ===== CHAPTER 899 =====