PDLP Chapter 61: Cold on the outside, warm on the inside—that's exactly the kind of person she is!
Chapter 61: Cold on the outside, warm on the inside—that's exactly the kind of person she is!
When Chen Mo woke up, sunlight was already streaming in through the gaps in the curtains.
He instinctively reached out and touched the other side of the bed, only to find it empty.
Chen Mo paused for a few seconds before slowly sitting up and noticing a sticky note on the bedside table.
He picked it up and saw that it was written in Lin Wei's delicate handwriting.
I'm leaving now. You get some more sleep. Last night... thank you.
The short line of text evoked a complex mix of emotions in Chen Mo.
Chen Mo then noticed that the system panel had popped up automatically at some point.
[Brave Lifestyle Enthusiast: 100% Completion Rate, Overall Rating: "Excellent"]
[Task Rewards: Appearance +5, Health +5, Memory +5, Intelligence +5, Musical Instrument (Beginner), Courage +3000]
[Current Attribute Update]
Appearance: 85 (Physical attributes have reached their maximum; this will be changed to charm later)
Health: 79 (Good)
Memory: 80 (Current system level cap, please unlock)
Intelligence: 77 (Slightly high)
技艺：驾驶C1、摄影初级（32/100）、厨艺初级（100/100）、唱歌初级（100/100），乐器初级（0/100）
System Level LV1: (8200/10000)
……
Chen Mo stared at the panel for a long time.
Aside from gaining a lot of knowledge about musical instruments, I couldn't feel any other attributes for the time being, but my mind was definitely itching.
It's probably an increase in intelligence; they're really growing a brain.
The problem is that some of the rewarded attributes are wasted because the system hasn't upgraded due to insufficient courage points, causing the attributes to get stuck at 80 after they were increased.
Also, what does it mean when someone's appearance attributes have reached the upper limit of their physical attributes?
It means that one's facial features cannot be changed, so one can enhance one's inner charm and charisma.
However, upon closer reflection, Chen Mo felt that it made some sense.
After all, if one's appearance could be improved infinitely and one's facial features could be drastically changed, what would be the difference between that and getting a face transplant or a head transplant?
Instead, when it becomes a charm attribute, it becomes more subjective; it's a change in perception.
Now just wait to accumulate courage points and help the system upgrade faster over time.
Chen Mo snapped out of his reverie and remembered that he had to go to work.
He picked up his phone and glanced at the time: 9:27.
"Damn it, I'm late."
Chen Mo rubbed his hair, deciding not to rush things anymore. He simply called the company and asked for half a day off to rest.
Then, he tossed his phone aside, finished washing up, and went to the living room.
The house was very clean, and the wine bottles and leftovers from last night were gone.
If it weren't for the lone headband in the corner of the sofa, Chen Mo would have really thought last night was just a ridiculous dream.
He walked over, picked up the light blue headband, and sat down on the sofa.
However, my mind is a mess right now.
How should we define what happened last night?
Was it a drunken act of promiscuity? Mutual attraction? Or just a moment of loneliness and impulse?
Chen Mo didn't know.
All he knew was that once something happened, it happened, and it couldn't be pretended not to have.
No matter what Lin Wei thinks, he can't really pretend that nothing happened.
This isn't a matter of being irresponsible; it's about the basic principles of being a decent human being.
Besides, it was their first time.
Chen Mo picked up his phone, found Lin Wei's WeChat, opened the chat window, and hesitated about what to send.
In the end, nothing was posted.
It's too early and too awkward to say anything now.
Let's talk about it when we meet at the company in the afternoon.
……
At 2 PM, Chen Mo appeared downstairs at the company on time.
He looked up at the towering office building, took a deep breath, and went inside.
When will this cycle of bullying and shunning ever end?
The elevator doors opened, Chen Mo stepped inside, pressed the floor button, and was about to close them when a slender hand reached in.
The door reopened, and Shen Qingyue walked in.
Today she wore a light gray suit skirt, her long hair was pulled back, revealing her fair neck.
He was carrying a small black LV bag, and it looked like he had just come back from outside.
"Hello, Mr. Shen." Chen Mo greeted him naturally.
Shen Qingyue glanced at him and nodded: "Mm."
The elevator slowly ascended.
There were only the two of them in the small space.
"I heard you took sick leave this morning?"
After a few seconds of silence, Shen Qingyue suddenly spoke, her tone casual, as if she were just asking a casual question.
"Um."
Chen Mo remained calm and lied, saying, "I felt a little unwell when I woke up this morning, probably from being in the air conditioner too much."
Are you feeling better now?
Shen Qingyue turned her head, looked him over carefully, and said, "If you can't take it, go back and take your medicine and rest. You won't miss half a day of work."
"It's nothing, just a slight cold, I'm almost better."
Chen Mo smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Shen."
Shen Qingyue nodded and said nothing more.
The elevator quickly arrived at Chen Mo's floor.
"Mr. Shen, I'll be going now."
After Chen Mo finished speaking, he quickly walked out of the elevator.
The elevator doors slowly closed.
Shen Qingyue stood there, watching Chen Mo's departing figure, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
She recalled the times when Chen Mo took care of her when she was sick.
Cooking porridge, buying medicine...
Back in her office, Shen Qingyue sat down and the first thing she did was call her assistant and ask her to buy some cold medicine.
Assistant Liu was taken aback: "Mr. Shen, you have a cold?"
"No, ...we have it on hand."
Shen Qingyue paused for a moment, then added, "The weather has been changing a lot lately, so it's good to keep some medicine in the office, just in case."
"Okay, I'll go right away."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Qingyue leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.
She didn't know why she was doing this.
Chen Mo was clearly just her subordinate.
But the thought of him coming to work despite being sick, working on his project, makes me feel a little...
A feeling that's hard to describe.
……
The project team held its regular meeting at 2:30 p.m.
Chen Mo arrived in the conference room on time, where Wang Qing was already seated and waiting for him.
"Team Leader Chen, are you feeling better?" Wang Qing asked with concern.
"Much better, thank you."
Chen Mo sat down next to her, opened his laptop, and asked, "What happened this morning?"
"It's nothing serious, just a few minor issues reported by the testing team. I've already assigned someone to follow up on them."
As Wang Qing spoke, she pushed a document in front of him.
"This is the progress report from this morning. Take a look."
Chen Mo took the document and began to read it carefully.
Wang Qing is indeed very capable.
In just one morning, I not only familiarized myself with the work left by Lin Wei, but also took the initiative to advance the testing of several key nodes.
"Well done."
Chen Mo praised him sincerely.
"Of course, I'm very serious."
Wang Qing smiled, then suddenly lowered her voice and said, "By the way, do you know about Lin Wei?"
Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat, but he calmly asked, "What is it?"
"She submitted her resignation to HR this morning."
Wang Qing said, "Everyone was quite surprised. Why did you suddenly resign?"
Chen Mo didn't expect Lin Wei to act so quickly.
She just said last night that she planned to resign, and she has already submitted her application today.
"Perhaps there are better opportunities ahead," Chen Mo said casually.
"Too."
Wang Qing said meaningfully, "But now everyone is saying that Lin Wei's resignation is related to you."
"What does this have to do with me?" Chen Mo looked up at Wang Qing.
"They say that you and Lin Wei are actually together."
Wang Qing blinked and continued, "So the company made it so that one of you two had to leave."
"And since you're currently in charge of President Shen's key project and can't leave, then it's Lin Wei's turn to leave."
Chen Mo: "..."
He didn't expect that the rumors would spread this far in just half a day.
"Stop guessing and focus on your work."
Chen Mo closed the document and said, "Lin Wei's resignation was her own decision. It has nothing to do with me, and even less to do with the company."
"Oh, I just wanted to tell you about the current situation."
After probing, Wang Qing pursed her lips and said, "No wonder she withdrew from your project at this time; it turns out she had wanted to resign for a long time."
Chen Mo didn't reply, but just stared at the computer screen, his eyes somewhat unfocused.
The meeting lasted for an hour.
The main tasks were to report on progress, coordinate issues, and arrange the next steps.
Not long after the meeting ended, Chen Mo's internal phone rang.
It was Shen Qingyue calling.
"Chen Mo, come to my office."
"Yes, Mr. Shen."
Chen Mo put down the phone, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Is there a problem with the project that you're contacting him at this time?
He got up and walked towards Shen Qingyue's office.
Knock on the door and go in.
"Mr. Shen, is there something you need?"
"It's nothing serious."
When Shen Qingyue saw him come in, she put down the documents in her hand, took out a plastic bag from the drawer, and pushed it in front of Chen Mo.
"For you."
Chen Mo was stunned for a moment, then took the bag, opened it, and saw that it contained several boxes of cold medicine.
There are fever reducers, cough suppressants, anti-inflammatory drugs, and two boxes of granules.
Chen Mo asked in confusion, "President Shen, what's this...?"
"Didn't you say you had a cold?"
Shen Qingyue said in a calm tone, "I bought this medicine when I had a cold before. It's a waste to leave it here, so I might as well give it to you."
"..." Chen Mo.
Don't overthink it.
Shen Qingyue explained, "I didn't want you to delay the project's progress because of your illness."
"..."
Chen Mo looked at the medicine in his hand, then at Shen Qingyue.
The receipts for all these medicines are still inside!
They were all bought today, and the plastic wrap is still on.
But he didn't expose him, he just nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Shen."
"Okay, let's go back to work."
Shen Qingyue waved her hand, picked up the documents on the table again, and looked at them, as if she didn't want to say anything more.
Chen Mo walked out of the office, looked at the medicine in his hand, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.
This Shen Qingyue...
They clearly care about me, but they insist on acting all businesslike.
She's cold on the outside but warm on the inside—that's a perfect description of her.
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