CHAPTER 71

All these had happened when his Grandmother first mentioned Li Jing to him.

At first he felt skeptical about the whole thing. She meeting a young lady who helped her and would always come and visit her, it all felt strange to him as most of the girls in the city were after money or weren"t real.

So, he wasn"t trusting about this girl who have been taking care of his grandmother all this time. He thought she knew the matriarch"s ident.i.ty and sought to steal from her or something.

Upon carrying out his investigation, he found out that Li Jing was a meek and kind lady who had lived her life being maltreated by her mother and sister.

It was then that he felt relaxed about her, knowing fully well that she would not do anything bad to his grandmother neither was she a gold digger.

Also, after his call with her the other day, he had someone to check things out. Unfortunately he did not get any useful lead as no one knew about Ye Cheng but he knew the men that probably raided the house were searching for someone.

He had decided to ask her about it when she was comfortable to talk about it but for now, he would keep his promise to his grandmother and ensure her safety and all.

If there was one thing, he knew his grandmother was never wrong and trusted her instincts on the fact that Li Jing was a good girl.

"Okay, your investigation was on the raid or what?"

"I did an investigation on everything."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing."

"Oh," her voice came out low and she lowered her head as she tried her best to avoid his gaze.

"Yes. Anyways, I know you would let me know when the time is right for you. I also found out that you left your job?"

"Yes. I was sacked."

"So what would you be doing now?"

"I would go job hunting starting tomorrow so that I can fix myself back up," Li Jing explained to him.

Tang Zixin seemed to be in thought as his gaze lingered on the flower on their table. After about a minute of thinking, he finally averted his gaze away from the flower and looked up at her.

"Okay, come and work in my company."

His words were like a heavy bomb in her ears and for a second later, Li Jing thought she heard wrong.

"What!"

"I said, come and work in my company. We have vacancy in the marketing department. You would fit right in," Tang Zixin announced for the second time, leaving Li Jing completely stunned.

"Whoa!"

"Surprised?"

"No, yes… I mean, wait."

Tang Zixin"s smile widened as she watched her confused state. He knew his news was shocking to her and was happy in his mind that she would not refuse such an offer, after all she needed the work.

Li Jing sat down there with her lips slightly opened as the news she just heard continued to replay in her mind.

As he was waiting for her to come to terms with the current situation, he called the attention of a waiter two tables from them and when he arrived, Tang Zixin placed their orders.

After about two minutes of thinking and processing, Li Jing finally came back from dream land. "Are you serious?"

Okay, he had to admit, he least expected that question. "Of course I am serious. Why would I joke with something like this?"

"I am sorry, I just… It is all too overwhelming."

"Oh, well what would be your answer? You are accepting it right?" Tang Zixin asked her as he leaned closer to the table.

Once again Li Jing averted her eyes from him and looked elsewhere. She did not know how she was going to tell him this.

In as much as she felt that she hid her feelings well, Li Jing was like an open book and Tang Zixin could see the contemplation in her eyes.

"What is she contemplating for? Is it that she has another option?" Tang Zixin asked himself.

It did not take long for the waiter to arrive with many sumptuous dishes and served them, giving Li Jing more time to ponder on what answer she would give to him.

By the time the waiter was done, she was more than ready to given him her answer. "Enjoy your meal, ma, sir."

With that the waiter left them to their discussion and eating.

"Are you ready? You can drink from the grape wine to help you," Tang Zixin suggested to her as he could tell from the way her shoulders moved and the contorted expression on her face that she was nervous and uneasy.

Uneasy, he can understand but nervousness, he could not really get her. In fact, her current behavior was making him doubt if he had said something wrong rather than right.

"Tang Zixin, I am truly grateful for this offer you have given me and all the help and kindness you and the Tang family have shown me."

"But," he helped her say the next word that felt like a heavy lead in her throat.

"But, I cannot accept."

GBAGHAN!

Her words felt like a bomb in his mind. Tang Zixin thought he had prepared himself enough if she refused and would not take it to heart, surprisingly even after antic.i.p.ating it from her body language, it still felt like a shock to him.

And his heart and smile fell at her words, but as quickly as it happened, he regained his composure and gave her a weak smile.

"May I ask why you are rejecting this offer?"

"I hate to impose on you. You have done so much for me. I wouldn"t want to trouble you too much. Besides, I want to get a work based on my qualifications."

"I have seen your qualifications and you are more than qualified for the job," Tang Zixin said as he tried his best to convince her.

"Thank you but I still cannot accept the offer. Let me try on my own, please."

"It"s okay."