For the next half month or so, Zhao Ran had almost adapted to this kind of life: accompanying Zheng Yao on her morning runs every day, then slacking off at the company. This idle, laid-back lifestyle didn’t seem so bad after all.
However, Zhao Ran occasionally recalled the scene from his last encounter with his stepmother. A faint urge still stirred within him, making him want to visit the club again sometime.
But the right opportunity never seemed to present itself.
One day after work, only Zhao Ran and Secretary Li remained in the office.
“Let’s go, Sister Li. We’ll go buy groceries and wait for our busy partners to come home for dinner,” Zhao Ran said to Li Na.
“Tell me about it. What can we do, us two idle folks? But I always feel bad about constantly eating at your place,” Li Na replied.
“Don’t worry about it. Once you and Brother Wang get married, we’ll come over every day and eat our way back to even,” Zhao Ran said with a laugh.
Li Na agreed, “That’s definitely no problem. You’ll be welcome to come every day.”
Since they started working together, Zhao Ran had often invited Li Na and her boyfriend over. Due to their personalities, Yin Yue and Li Na had quickly hit it off, becoming as close as sisters almost instantly.
Li Na’s boyfriend, surnamed Wang, was two years older than her. Because of his job, he often went on business trips and never had time to discuss marriage plans. Fortunately, he had recently been promoted to project supervisor, and once things settled down, they could get married next year.
Brother Wang also enjoyed coming to Zhao Ran’s place for meals. After all, the daughter and son-in-law of the mayor might be able to help him out someday. Plus, Zhao Ran and his wife were very hospitable and never acted superior, so he often tagged along with Li Na for free meals.
“Here, take all this stuff. Hurry up and open the door,” Li Na said, carrying a pile of groceries. Zhao Ran quickly opened the door and took the bags from her.
Li Na stepped inside, deftly changed into slippers, took off her coat, and headed into the kitchen. She put on an apron and called out, “Come tie the back for me, will you?”
Zhao Ran responded, “Let me handle it, Sister Li. I feel bad that you always end up doing the cooking every time you come over.”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it. You can just assist me,” Li Na insisted.
Zhao Ran moved behind her to fasten the apron.
It had to be said, Li Na had quite a nice figure. Although she wasn’t very tall, just a bit over 160 centimeters, she was slim where it counted and curvaceous in all the right places.
Zhao Ran teased, “Sister Na’s waist is really so thin. I’m afraid if I pull too hard, I might snap it in half.”
Li Na laughed and said, “Oh really? So whose waist is thinner, mine or Yueyue’s?”
“Hmm… I’ve never measured, so I can’t tell,” Zhao Ran shook his head with a straight face.
As she washed the vegetables, Li Na joked, “Well then, why don’t you measure and find out?”
Li Na was still wearing her work slacks. The black trousers perfectly hugged her slender legs and pert bottom, and her white shirt was tucked neatly into her waistband.
Acting on impulse, Zhao Ran lost control—his hands reached out and fondled her waist. The feeling was smooth and soft beneath his touch, and he gave a gentle squeeze.
Li Na’s body stiffened instantly, and she instinctively moved away. Turning around, she lightly swatted Zhao Ran with the vegetables in her hand.
Although the two of them often joked around with no filter—talking about almost anything and occasionally engaging in some physical contact—this was the first time he had touched such an intimate area.
Zhao Ran felt somewhat awkward, his hands frozen in place and his face filled with embarrassment.
Li Na’s reaction had been instinctive, but seeing Zhao Ran’s expression made her feel like she had overreacted.