The Substitute Bride - Yizhan

Chapter Twenty-Three 💐

Zhan was delayed in reaching his office because he kept running into employees who wanted to greet him, from the security guard to the staff in engineering on the upper floor.

He had already put on a smile for them and murmured his thanks. He breathed a sigh of relief once he reached his cubicle.

"Hi," MianMian greeted. She was sitting in his chair but immediately stood up when she saw him and extended her hand.

"Congratulations," she greeted. "What should I call you now? Mr. Lan or Little Boss?"

Zhan flashed her a grin. "That's nuts..." He was about to continue, but then he caught sight of the three guys lounging on the long bench outside his cubicle.

"Who are the men outside Yibo's office?"

"Investigators," she replied. "The Hainan case, you know. If you don't need me here, I'll head back to my desk." Then she hesitated, a worried look on her face.

Zhan frowned at his friend. "Is there... a problem?"

"I hope not," MianMian quickly said and glanced at Yibo's office. Yibo. "I envy you, my friend. But right now, I don't want to be in your place."

He didn't catch the last thing MianMian said, but with all the guests around, they couldn't really chat. MianMian left before he had a chance to thank her. He set his bag down and walked out of the cubicle to greet the guests.

His eyes were focused on one who was younger and whose face seemed familiar to him.

"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Lan?"

"Looks like what we heard was right!" the guy exclaimed, giving Zhan a lingering look. "Why, the little secretary has changed!"

Zhan furrowed his brows, trying to recall who the person was. Before he could figure it out, the man quickly introduced himself.

"I'm Haoxuan, remember? Zhou Fei's cousin."

An "Oh" formed his lips. Zhan glanced again at his husband's office. The door was closed, which was unusual for Yibo unless he was having a closed-door meeting with the staff.

"Is Mr. Shen inside?" Zhan asked, sensing he already knew who was in there talking to Yibo. He figured that Haoxuan was more like Zhou Fei's right-hand man.

"Si Zhou Fei," Haoxuan confirmed his suspicion with a calm and slightly mischievous smile. "We arrived yesterday afternoon. Despite the jet lag, she would have gone straight to Yibo if Uncle Guangshan hadn't mentioned that Yibo was in Hainan yesterday. Well, she was already here before Yibo even arrived this morning."

"I see," Zhan said casually.

He kept his gaze locked on the closed door of Yibo's office. Was that why Yibo wasn't rushing him to get to the office—because Zhou Fei was there with him?

"Do you really?" Haoxuan sarcastic reply snapped Zhan's attention back to him. A mischievous grin was plastered on Haoxuan lips.

Zhan's heart raced with waves of anxiety. He returned to his desk and sat down, trying to calm himself. His legs felt like rubber. He chided himself for feeling guilty. Even though he shouldn't, he was confused by what he was feeling.

Haoxuan followed and sat down in the visitor's chair in front of his desk.

"I almost didn't recognize you, Zhan," Haoxuan said, giving him a once-over in a malicious manner. "You've changed a lot. When did you start shedding the old fashion look? Was it right when Zhou Fei flew off to Paris? Did you jump on that opportunity?"