Chapter 24: The "Borrowed" Luxury Car

The harrowing night of the computer crisis, which had felt like a high fever, dissipated rapidly under Zhao Chen’s miraculous, restorative touch.

The ecstasy of relief and the sense of having a solid, reliable anchor acted like a powerful adhesive, temporarily mending the deep fissures in Yu Ling’s heart caused by that icy phone call. The vines of suspicion were pushed back into the shadows, and the warmth of dependency regained the upper hand. Zhao Chen remained the husband who wore a little whale-patterned apron, smiled gently, and appeared like a superhero whenever she was in need.

The summary report for the first phase of the "Star Sea Project" concluded perfectly before Lin Wei. The data was impressive, the logic was clear, and Yu Ling’s performance on the spot was steady and confident, earning her unreserved praise from Lin Wei and sincere applause from her project colleagues.

With the heavy weight finally lifted from her heart, Yu Ling felt much lighter. Even the way she looked at Zhao Chen regained its warmth, with an added, subtle touch of admiration and gratitude.

Life seemed to have returned to that sugar-frosted track. The morning sunlight, the exquisite breakfast, the silhouette of Zhao Chen focusing on frying an egg, the late-night snacks delivered with silent companionship—everything felt almost too beautiful to be real.

The existence of their one-year agreement grew increasingly faint in Yu Ling’s mind, like a faded piece of old paper that could be completely covered over by these warm, steady days at any moment.

The doubts she had harbored about Zhao Chen’s true identity were like stones sunk to the bottom of a lake, temporarily forgotten.

She began to learn how to enjoy this life nourished by both top-tier material comforts and extreme tenderness. She even started to proactively respond to Zhao Chen’s seemingly casual, yet possessive gestures—like the light touch of his fingertips when he handed her cut fruit, the warm breath radiating from his chest against her back as he watched her work, or that heart-racing invitation to a "lap pillow." Though she hadn't yet found the courage to try it again, she no longer felt quite so resistant.

In the blink of an eye, it was Friday evening again.

The setting sun turned molten, gilding the glass curtain wall of the Genesis Building in warm hues. With the project’s phase-one victory secured, Lin Wei was uncharacteristically lenient and did not schedule overtime. Yu Ling walked out of the office building, chatting and laughing with a few close colleagues, the fatigue of recent days replaced by a rare sense of ease.

"Ling, since we’re off early today, how about we go to that new Thai restaurant? I heard the Tom Yum Goong is divine!" Xiao Mei suggested enthusiastically.

"Sure! I’m starving!" another colleague immediately chimed in.

Yu Ling was about to nod in agreement, but her gaze habitually swept toward the spot across the street where Zhao Chen usually parked—it was empty. She felt an inexplicable sense of relief, followed by a vague, indefinable disappointment. It made sense; she hadn't told him she was leaving early.

"Sounds good! Let's—" Yu Ling began with a smile, but before she could finish, the periphery of her vision was captured by a dazzling, flame-like, bright orange glow not far away.

In a temporary parking space near the greenery in front of the building, a "beast" lay in wait.

It was a supercar with a profile so low and lines so exaggerated that it looked like an alien spaceship! The entire body was a wildly flamboyant bright orange (the iconic Arancio Atlas orange of the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ), burning with a heat that was impossible to ignore under the sunset. A massive carbon-fiber rear wing stood arrogantly, like the unfolded wings of a raptor.

The scissor doors were closed, but the powerful silhouette and the carbon-fiber luster glinting in the details were enough to make any man’s blood surge and any woman’s heart race.

"Holy cow!!!" Xiao Mei followed Yu Ling’s gaze and let out a staggering shriek, her eyes wide as saucers. "A Lamborghini! Aventador SVJ?! And in a limited edition color! Oh my god! How is this car parked here?! Which rich kid is being this flashy?!"

The surrounding colleagues were instantly drawn in, erupting into a chorus of gasps and murmurs.

"God! This color! It’s explosive!"

"How much does this cost? Eight figures, at least, right?"

"Quick, take a picture! You don't see this every day!"

"Where’s the owner? Where is the owner? I want to see the tycoon!"

The crowd grew restless, and many pulled out their phones to frantically snap photos of the orange beast, which looked like a work of art. Yu Ling was also stunned; although she wasn't a car enthusiast, the visual impact of the supercar’s design and color was overwhelming. Subconsciously, she pulled out her phone, intending to take a photo to send to Zhao Chen so he could see this rarity.

Just as she raised her phone and aimed the lens at the dazzling orange Lamborghini—

*Click!*

The scissor door, like the fang of a giant beast, rose upward and outward in a slow, ritualistic, and powerful motion, elegant and ostentatious.

The golden glow of the setting sun poured into the open cabin, illuminating the driver’s seat.

A foot clad in a polished black handmade leather shoe stepped firmly onto the mirror-smooth asphalt. Immediately following, a tall, upright figure emerged with poise from the cockpit, which resembled a throne of fire.

He stood straight, closed the door with a casual flick (the motion as effortless as locking a shared bicycle), and then turned his head slightly. His gaze cut precisely through the restless crowd and the myriad of flashing phone lenses, landing on... Yu Ling, who was standing there with her phone raised, looking completely dazed.

His amber eyes held a gentle smile in the sunset, and the corners of his mouth curved naturally into an arc that was clean yet carried a hint of languid charm.

It was Zhao Chen.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Yu Ling stood frozen, her phone still held high. In the frame of her camera, the man who had stepped out of a multi-million dollar limited-edition Lamborghini SVJ, looking like a top male model from a fashion magazine, was flashing her the familiar, gentle, and harmless smile.

The gasps and murmurs of her colleagues seemed to recede like a tide, leaving Yu Ling with nothing but the thunderous drumming of her own heart in her ears. *Thump-thump-thump!* It was so loud it made her eardrums ache! Her blood seemed to surge to her head, only to run cold the next second.

A Lamborghini! Aventador SVJ! Limited edition bright orange! Scissor doors!

Zhao Chen?!

The Zhao Chen who drove different "friends' cars" to pick her up every day, the Zhao Chen who claimed to be an ordinary nine-to-five office worker?!

A sense of massive absurdity and cold reality struck like two heavy hammers against the cognitive barriers Yu Ling had just rebuilt!

All the doubts she had just suppressed—the top-tier daily necessities, the luxurious furniture, the afternoon tea from Yushanfang, the hacker-level computer skills, and that chilling threatening phone call—were ignited by the burning orange beast before her, exploding in a deafening roar!

"Lingling." Zhao Chen’s voice came through clearly, laced with a smile, breaking the frozen air. He strode forward with his long legs, ignoring the countless gazes—some stunned, some probing, some envious—and walked straight toward her.

He stopped in front of the completely petrified Yu Ling, reached out quite naturally, and took the phone that was still stiffly held in her hand. He glanced at the photo on the screen (which had captured his silhouette as he pushed the door open), raised an eyebrow, and said with a touch of teasing, "Good technique. You made me look quite handsome."

Yu Ling: "!!!"

She snapped back to reality, looking at Zhao Chen just inches away, at the familiar, gentle, and harmless smile on his face, and then at the arrogantly glaring orange Lamborghini behind him... A massive wave of anger at being fooled and a cold, creeping fear instantly swept over her!

"You..." Yu Ling’s voice trembled, her face turning from red to pale, her fingertips icy. "Whose 'friend' is this car... this time?!" Her voice rose, filled with undisguised questioning and sarcasm, drawing even more curious stares from her colleagues.

Zhao Chen seemed completely oblivious to her anger and the strange atmosphere. His smile remained unchanged, even carrying a hint of helpless indulgence. He raised his hand and naturally ruffled the top of her hair, the motion so practiced it was as if he had done it a thousand times before.

"Oh, it's a new toy that kid Ah Zhe bought. He insisted I borrow it for a couple of days to help him 'show off' to a flight attendant he’s chasing." His tone was light, as if he were discussing a trivial matter of brotherhood. "You know him—too much money to burn and taste that is... well, quite unique." He shrugged, casting a glance at the bright orange Lamborghini with an expression of perfectly measured helplessness, as if to say, *This color is so gaudy, I’m actually a bit embarrassed by it.*

Ah Zhe? Showing off? Chasing a flight attendant?

Yu Ling looked at his sincere, handsome face, which seemed to scream, "I'm innocent," and "I'm just helping a friend," and then looked at the top-tier supercar worth enough to buy an entire floor of her company. A sense of massive powerlessness and absurdity nearly drowned her! Could this excuse be any more perfunctory?! Who uses a limited-edition Lamborghini SVJ to "show off" and chase a flight attendant?! The car itself is the biggest show-off in existence!

"Ling, um... who is this?" Xiao Mei finally found her voice after the massive shock, leaning in cautiously, her eyes darting between Zhao Chen and the supercar, filled with an incredible fire of gossip.

"Oh, hello. I’m Yu Ling’s husband, Zhao Chen." Zhao Chen took over the conversation naturally, flashing an impeccable social smile at Xiao Mei and the other stunned colleagues, his attitude humble and polite. "I’m here to pick Lingling up from work, and incidentally... help a friend break in his new car." He jingled the keys in his hand, which bore the same ostentatious branding of the Raging Bull.

"N-nice to meet you, Mr. Zhao!" Xiao Mei and the others greeted him hastily, their expressions as complex as a spilled palette. Envy, shock, gossip, and a touch of "so that’s how it is"—no wonder Yu Ling could manage Lin Wei! No wonder the project was brought back from the brink! It turned out her husband was a top-tier billionaire driving a Lamborghini! All that previous low-key behavior was just a disguise!

"Lingling, you must be hungry. What do you want to eat?" Zhao Chen ignored the others, his gaze returning to Yu Ling, his tone gentle. "A friend just opened a private kitchen restaurant; the head chef is a former three-star Michelin one. The food should be quite good. Shall I take you to try it?"

As he spoke, he reached out and naturally draped an arm around her slightly stiff shoulders, guiding her toward the Lamborghini with a force that brooked no refusal.

"N-no need! I already made plans to have Thai food with my colleagues!" Yu Ling jerked away from his hand, recoiling as if burned, her voice filled with obvious resistance and panic. She just wanted to flee! Flee from this car that made her heart race in fear! Flee from Zhao Chen’s seemingly gentle, yet unfathomable smile! Flee from the surrounding stares that felt like needles on her back!

"Thai food?" Zhao Chen’s brows furrowed imperceptibly, but then smoothed out. His smile remained gentle, but his eyes held a hint of subtle persistence. "I know that place. The queue is very long. And..."

He leaned in slightly, whispering into her ear, his voice lowered with a magnetism that was almost seductive, audible only to the two of them. "Your period is coming soon. Eat less raw, cold, or spicy food. Be good, let me take you to have something warm and nourishing, hmm?"

That slightly rising "hmm" at the end, carrying a warm breath against her sensitive earlobe, felt like a feather stroking her heart, bringing a strange, electric thrill. Her period... he even remembered that clearly! And said it in that tone!

Yu Ling’s cheeks flushed a deep, explosive red! Half from embarrassment and annoyance, half from an indescribable flutter in her heart! She looked at Zhao Chen’s handsome face so close to hers, filled with concern and indisputable resolve, then looked at the colleagues around her whose curiosity was practically burning, feeling trapped in a situation she couldn't easily escape.