Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1103: Taking You Home, No Good Intentions

Chapter 1103: Chapter 1103: Taking You Home, No Good Intentions

It was 11 PM, and Li Shi was still drafting her piece, typing rapidly on the keyboard. As she wrote, she became dissatisfied, deleted her work, and rewrote. She repeated this process back and forth until now.

Working overnight to meet deadlines was common for Li Shi, but this time was different. The piece was urgently needed and had to be published early the next morning.

The stock market had surged today, and Li Shi had to write an article vigorously promoting X Fund’s optimism about the future of the city. Stocks related to the city were thriving, including the companies of Luo Jingrong and Du Changhui.

Finally, she finished her draft. After reading it several times, Li Shi felt it was satisfactory and prepared to submit it.

Just then, the sound of footsteps in the hallway startled her. It was late, and she was the only one working overtime in the company. Whose footsteps could those be?

Being so beautiful, Li Shi had encountered harassment on the streets before, so she instinctively felt fear and alert. She quickly grabbed a craft knife and slipped it into her sleeve.

A foreign face appeared in her field of vision. It was Haywes, a senior executive of X Fund and the person in charge of this financial reporting company. Seeing Li Shi still working, he first expressed surprise and then understanding, saying, "I didn’t expect you to still be here. Are you working on the article I assigned?"

Li Shi nodded and then showed Haywes the freshly written draft.

"Well written, it perfectly conveys what I wanted," Haywes said with a satisfied smile. Then he took a good look at Li Shi and added, "I hope you keep up this momentum. By the end of the year, I’ll promote you."

"Thank you, boss!" Li Shi pretended to be very pleased, then started packing up her things. "Boss, if you think there’s no issue with this article, I’ll publish it tomorrow."

"Go ahead," Haywes replied, noticing Li Shi’s somewhat frazzled appearance, and added with concern, "It’s late. I’ll drive you home."

"This..." Li Shi was somewhat at a loss. She had a car, but a smart person would act as if they didn’t at a time like this.

Haywes then said, "Seeing my subordinate work so hard, as a boss, I should do something too, shouldn’t I?"

"Then thank you, boss," Li Shi agreed, nodding. She and Haywes left the office together and went down to the underground parking garage.

A luxury car stood before Li Shi, making her eyes light up. She had never ridden in such a fancy car before and was instantly tempted.

At Haywes’s invitation, Li Shi sat in the passenger seat, struck immediately by the grandeur. Other ordinary vehicles seemed insubstantial beside this luxury car, and she couldn’t help thinking how great it would be to have one of her own.

As Haywes drove the luxury car onto the street, with few pedestrians and vehicles around, those passing by couldn’t help but glance at the car, their eyes filled with envy.

Sitting in the luxury car, riding with the feeling that the whole world was giving way to her, Li Shi couldn’t help but sigh, feeling that she had been foolish before.

In high school, a rich young man took a fancy to Li Shi and began to pursue her, waiting for her on the route she took home in his luxury car, always trying to look cool.

Every time Li Shi passed by on her bicycle, she ignored the young man, which frustrated him while endearing her to him even more, as he thought high school girls were purer and not materialistic.

Actually, Li Shi was either rushing home to do homework, chasing after Gu Fan because he had taken her notebook, or being chased by Gu Fan for stealing a bowl of stinky tofu from him.

In short, although Li Shi had seen the rich young man and his luxury car, and she thought the car wasn’t bad, her high school self didn’t have such ambitions and just wanted to study hard.

Then one day, when her bicycle broke down, the young man saw an opportunity and drove his luxury car over, thinking his chance had finally come.

But when Gu Fan arrived, Li Shi did not agree to get into the young man’s car; instead, she jumped onto the back seat of Gu Fan’s bike, and they left.

The rich young man was dumbfounded as he watched Gu Fan and Li Shi disappear in the distance, with laughter trailing behind them. He then realized that this was pure love, not for money, not for houses, but two people being together, working hard to manage life well, not easily defeated by material desires.

After that, the rich young man never appeared before Li Shi again. Occasionally recalling those times, she would think she was a little foolish in high school, missing the chance to marry into a rich family, at least without the need to struggle. What annoyed Li Shi most was that it was all Gu Fan’s fault.

Now, sitting in Haywes’s luxury car, looking at the watch on his wrist worth over 200,000 yuan, she wondered just how wealthy this man really was.

Along the way, Haywes kept looking for opportunities to talk with Li Shi, discussing ideals, careers, achievements, and values, showcasing his excellence.

Li Shi already knew that Haywes must have something special to have reached his position, but she hadn’t expected him to be so impressive. Compared to him, she still felt like just a naive girl.

As they talked, Haywes suggested that they have dinner together the following evening, as Li Shi had been the most helpful to him since he took over that company.

Since the boss was offering, Li Shi couldn’t well refuse. She nodded in agreement, though she felt somewhat worried, as this wasn’t her first time dealing with such a situation.

Li Shi was beautiful and ambitious, a truly outstanding girl. From college on, even though many boys were interested in her, few dared to pursue her.

As for those who did, it was invariably a matter of showing off in front of Li Shi or finding an excuse or opportunity to be alone with her and ultimately confess their feelings.

It seemed Haywes was doing nearly the same, but without much of the boasting. He was truly excellent, so much so that Li Shi herself was somewhat moved and wondered if she could withstand his confession.

Suddenly, Li Shi remembered that in high school, no boys hung around her because they all thought she belonged to Gu Fan, so they didn’t bother.

"That darn Gu Fan, ruining so much of my romantic opportunities," Li Shi thought angrily, when suddenly a bicycle burst into the path ahead.

Haywes hit the brakes hard and came to a stop just in time, but the bicycle toppled over, leaving both Haywes and Li Shi in the car somewhat frightened, unsure if there had been a collision.