Chapter 21
After confirming this, Vanessa was overjoyed.
Holding the teacup, she slowly looked from Shawn's face to the cup.
The yellow tea reflected her smiling eyes.
Vanessa smiled. In order not to make a sound, she had to take a sip.
She didn't taste the subtlety of good tea, but with Shawn's words, Vanessa felt comfortable drinking it.
"Yes, it tastes good." Vanessa lowered her head and said with a smile, "It has a taste of snow. I like it very much."
At this time, Shawn's expression was calm. After drinking a cup of tea, he stood up and said, "You guys talk. I'll go to the balcony."
"OK."
Vanessa nodded, "Got it."
Glancing at Vanessa's head indifferently, Shawn didn't say anything and walked quickly to the balcony.
He found a deck chair and sat down slowly. He relaxedly stretched his legs and looked out of the window at the fallen leaves.
Vanessa's voice was soft and energetic, removing the gloom in this empty old house.
The sun was shining brightly in the morning. Through the colorful glass of the old house, the dust became lovely, jumping in the colorful light.
...
Theo had said he would have a casual talk. His topic was not limited to a certain range. Sometimes he accurately pointed out the current market change, and sometimes he talked about the mistake caused by his ignorance of the situation when he was young.
As Theo and Vanessa talked about whatever they wanted, time passed quietly. Sometimes, they laughed. They didn't know that the sun had shone on the roof at noon.
Shawn's shirt was basked in the sunlight. When he turned around, he saw Vanessa's hair had been casually tucked behind her head. Her whole face could be seen. She was looking at Theo in good fettle.
The nanny came over softly. Seeing that Theo and Vanessa were talking happily, she could only look at Shawn.
Shawn nodded to the nanny, put down his phone, stood up, and walked to the living room.
"Well. My first pot of gold is 70 dollars. Unexpectedly, I've founded the Sanchez Group."
Vanessa clapped her hands hard and exclaimed. She was in high spirits.
Shawn, who passed by Vanessa, was suddenly startled.
Shawn stopped. He rubbed his eyebrows and said in a low voice, "Vanessa, don't overdo it."
Vanessa instantly stopped her expression. Unexpectedly, as soon as she raised her head, she saw that Shawn looked a little disdainful.
"Dinner is ready," Shawn said beside Vanessa and looked at Theo.
"Sorry. I forgot the time." Theo sat up slowly with his knees propped up. "By the way, I'm really a bit hungry."
"OK." Vanessa turned off the recorder pen, packed up her things, and stood up. "I have a good conversation with you today. I will write the draft as soon as possible and give you to check it."
She picked up her bag and said, "Then I'll leave first."
"Well, dinner is ready. Go after dinner." Theo pointed to Shawn. "He's not in a hurry."
Vanessa looked at Shawn and found that he was already in the dining room, standing in front of the table with his head down and slowly wiping his hands with a towel.
Shawn didn't look this way or say anything.
There were always Theo and his nanny at his house. A small table was added to the dining room. It could only hold four or five people.
There were four or five dishes on the table, all of which tasted light. Theo didn't have the habit of keeping silent while eating. He wiped his hands, peeled the boiled shrimp, and said, "Vanessa, how old are you this year?"
"Twenty-five." Vanessa said, "What's wrong?"
"Well, it's almost the same as I thought." Theo nodded and said, "Shawn and you are a good fit."
Vanessa blinked her eyes and looked at Shawn subconsciously.
Shawn lowered his head, ate, and kept silent as if he hadn't heard anything.
"You know what?" Vanessa replied in a low voice, "I think so."
From the occasional conversation at the table, Vanessa finally understood that Theo still thought that Shawn and she were lovers.
However, Theo was not a person who was keen on making fun of the relationship between the younger generation. Occasionally, he would say something, but not directly pointed it out.
And Shawn could not tell the truth to refute Theo.
It was like the situation at the racecourse that day. If Shawn told the truth at this moment, it would embarrass Theo.
Vanessa wanted to laugh every time she saw that Shawn could reply nothing.
Since she started this play, she would like to continue.
"I have met a lot of reporters." Theo said, "The old friends I used to know worked as reporters for many years, and finally changed careers one after another."
"Especially in this era, the print media is declining. Reporters are no longer as important as they used to be. As a girl, it is not easy for you to persist."
Vanessa continued, "In fact, most of the reporters in our magazine office are girls."
She took a look at Shawn and said meaningfully, "And they are all quite beautiful."
"Yes, you are right," Shawn said nothing. Theo didn't know the purpose of Vanessa's words, so he said, "Good looks can be regarded as an unspoken rule for reporters. Everyone likes to be interviewed by beautiful girls."
Vanessa poked her chopsticks at a pork chop and said, "By the way, Mr. Yeats, you really like beautiful female reporters, don't you?"
At last, Shawn was no longer silent. He turned around and glanced at Vanessa.
The warning was self-evident.
"Isn't it?" Raising her head to look at Shawn, Vanessa asked, "Didn't you stare at the intern who attended the press conference with me for a long time?"
"Oh?" Theo slowly said, "Is it true?"
Shawn stared at Vanessa. When the two looked at each other, Vanessa felt a little guilty and her aura gradually weakened. She lowered her head and ate the pork chop.
It was not until then that Shawn withdrew his gaze and said lightly, "No."
"Yes." Vanessa lowered her head and continued, "You asked me where she was. I said she was not feeling well and went home. You asked why she didn't feel well."
Theo looked between Vanessa and Shawn, curious and confused.
Vanessa didn't raise her head, but she could feel that Shawn was staring at her.
Vanessa kept not raising her head.
As long as she didn't look at Shawn, her aura would not be weak.
A moment later, the tip of Shawn's tongue touched the back of the teeth, and he said word by word, "I'm kidding you."
"Really?"
At this moment, Vanessa really didn't know whether Shawn was trying to save his image in front of Theo or he was telling the truth.
Then she looked at him with burning eyes.
Shawn looked at Vanessa's eyes for a moment. Then he put down his chopsticks in his hand and raised his eyelids. "Then how can you believe me?"
No one would believe it according to his attitude.
Vanessa turned her head away and said nothing.
It was thought that the topic would be changed.
Suddenly, Vanessa pointed at the boiled shrimps on the table and said, "Then I want to eat this."
When Shawn just picked up the chopsticks, he stopped and turned his head to look at her again.
Vanessa blinked her eyes innocently and repeated, "I want to eat shrimps."
At this moment, Vanessa and Shawn looked at each other, as if there was a silent game in front of Theo.
Vanessa had the upper hand.
Shawn was staring at her. As she blinked, he gave in step by step.
A bright red shrimp appeared in her bowl.
Vanessa was insatiable and said, "Why don't you shelled it for me?"
Vanessa was suddenly silent after seeing Shawn look at her.
She lowered her head, wiped her hands clean with a towel again, and carefully peeled the shrimp shell.
But she didn't put it into her mouth. Instead, she put it into Shawn's bowl.
"Here you are."
...
After dinner, Vanessa really couldn't stay any longer.
She packed up her things and left with Shawn.
The driver had already driven the car to the door.
Shawn went very fast. He quickly opened the door and turned back impatiently.
"Get in the car."
Vanessa wanted to get in the car and leave, but when she heard his tone, she stopped.
She looked at Shawn, with her hands behind her back, and didn't realize that her voice was a little pretentious.
"It's a nice day today. The sun is so bright and I feel comfortable."
"I don't want to take a car. I want to take a walk."
She took a step forward Shawn slowly and said, "Take a walk with me, please."
A gust of wind blew, and several withered leaves fell again.
Shawn leaned against the car door. He turned his head and looked at Vanessa for a long time. Then he said slowly, "Vanessa, you're going too far, don't you?"
Vanessa was speechless.
Perhaps it was the complete victory at the table that gave her full courage. She stared at Shawn and said, "I'm not only going too far but also making poems."
Shawn was silent and looked at her frivolously.
Vanessa said word by word, "Vanessa doesn't know how far Lantrie is, and Shawn is jealous of the snow."
 "..."
The leaves of the tree seemed not daring to fall, hanging at the top of the tree.
Vanessa suddenly felt afraid after saying.
After a long silence, Shawn narrowed his eyes, slowly lowered his hand, and walked towards her step by step.
Shawn looked fierce. Vanessa became coward and took a step back silently.
But she had no way back and her wrist was easily grabbed by him.
Then he dragged her to the car.
"Get in the car."
Vanessa's heart was beating fast. She didn't dare to struggle and sat on the seat obediently.
Then the door was slammed shut.
Shawn was standing outside, looking at her coldly.
Through the window, his eyes looked terrible. Vanessa unconsciously shrank her neck.
After a long time, he finally stopped staring at Vanessa and raised his hand to knock on the front window.
The car slowly drove away under his frightened gaze.
Leaning against the car window, Vanessa looked at the disappearing figure of Shawn.
Vanessa still felt afraid.
If Vanessa was given another chance, she swore that she would never waste her courage like this.
...
In the afternoon, Vanessa wrote the draft at home.
The conversation between her and Theo was played in the recorder pen. Although the content was scattered, there was a lot of information. She was quickly absorbed in it.
The hour hand went round and round. It was getting dark.
The clouds covered the sun, only giving out a few faint lights.
The room was quiet enough to hear the tick of the second hand.
Suddenly, a voice that didn't belong to Vanessa and Theo was played in the recorder pen.
"Vanessa, don't overdo it."
All of a sudden, Vanessa came to her senses. She raised her head, rubbed her eyes, sighed deeply, and then bent over the table. She should have listened to his advice and not overdone things.
What a pity.
Vanessa had gone too far.
The second morning, Vanessa went to the magazine office with her first draft.
She worked late last night and was not in a good mood in the morning. She yawned to her seat and gulped down a cup of coffee as soon as she sat down.
"Monday Syndrome." Tracy yawned as well. She looked sleepy. "I stayed up late last night to watch a drama and didn't go to bed until three o'clock. I almost couldn't get up in the morning and didn't wash my hair. What's wrong with you? Why do you look so sleepless?"
Vanessa stared at the computer blankly for a while and said, "Write the draft."
"Did the interview go well?" Tracy whispered, "Is there anything wrong this time?"
 "..."
Lowering her eyes, Vanessa snorted, "Everything goes well. I sent the draft to the editor-in-chief last night."
It was only Monday, but the people at the office were already busy, surrounded by the sound of typing.
Feeling sleepy, Vanessa turned her neck and looked at the other side.
At the other end of the office area, Lily had come early. She held a cup of coffee and was chatting with her intern.
Different from Vanessa, Lily looked very energetic today. She wore a light yellow chiffon shirt and her tassels were raised by the wind of the air conditioner.
Lily looked extremely proud of her success.
Coincidentally, Lily also took a look over this way and happened to meet Vanessa's eyes.
Lily's eyes were big. She had done eyelash implantation. Her eyelids were raised and closed, and her expression looked unfriendly, which made Vanessa very uncomfortable.
Vanessa didn't know what Lily was proud of. She turned her head away, picked up the cup, and walked towards the tea room.
She had no appetite in the morning and didn't want to eat something, so she planned to make herself a cup of oatmeal.
The hot water poured out, and at the same time, there was a sound of high-heeled shoes behind her.
Vanessa knew whom it was without looking back.
"I heard that you had an interview yesterday," Lily asked casually.
Without turning her head, Vanessa replied, "Yes."
"It's the end of the year. Why are you still working so hard?"
Lily didn't leave after getting the water. She leaned against the cabinet and said, "There are no good resources now. We can't get the key page even after an interview. Why don't you have a good rest?"
Vanessa stirred the oatmeal and was about to speak when Lily suddenly stood straight and hurried out.
Vanessa looked back and found that it was Zoie.
Without taking the cup, Lily called "Miss Lepoz" from a distance and followed her into the office.
...
There was a regular meeting at half-past nine on Monday morning. Before that, one couldn't do anything in such a short time. Everyone was a little relaxed and gathered together in two or three.
Sophia was a few minutes late again. When she entered the company, Vanessa, Tracy and some other group members were chatting on the balcony.
Sophia put down her bag and walked toward them to share a box of chocolate.
While everyone was taking the chocolate, there was a sudden noise from Zoie's office. Then, a loud slam of the door startled everyone.
Seeing that it was Lily, Tracy coughed and muttered, "Why did she slam the door again? If she breaks the door of Zoie's office, will she pay for it?"
Some people wanted to answer Tracy's words, but they all shut up when they saw that Lily was walking toward them exasperatedly.
Lily stared at Vanessa. She walked loudly in her high heels, approaching Vanessa step by step.
Everyone saw her unsteady footsteps, but they didn't know that Lily had trembled with anger in Zoie's office just now.
At the end of the year, all the industries were trying to improve their KPI.
The column reporters were no exception. Lily didn't have a key page this year. Fortunately, after crying to the chief editor, she got the last key page at the end of the year, which was the most important.
Lily had done a lot for this mission. She had asked many people for help. She even spent a lot of money buying a designer handbag for the middleman. Eventually, she got in touch with the three founders of the commercial bank and did a central interview.
The interview was valuable. She was confident that with this dramatic turn, so she could finally beat Vanessa after two years.
To her surprise, she confidently took the draft to look for Zoie, but was told that the key page at the end of the year was Vanessa's.
She was unwilling and angry. She asked Zoie why to break her promise.
Instead, Zoie was a little impatient and asked her to go to the chief editor directly.
"Vanessa handed in Theo's interview draft this morning. What would your arrangement be if you were the chief editor?"
All of a sudden, Lily was awfully stunned.
Zoie's words ended Lily's intention to struggle, but also aroused more hostility.
Lily rushed straight to Vanessa and pushed the balcony door open hard. Her chest heaved violently, and the door behind her shook and creaked.
Everyone looked at Lily.
With a piece of chocolate in her hand, Vanessa knew that Lily was coming for her, but she didn't say anything and just looked at Lily.
"Well done, Vanessa." Lily turned her head and sneered, "You even got the connection with Theo."
Vanessa took a bite of the chocolate and nodded. "I've been lucky lately."
"Lucky?" Lily sneered, "Theo hasn't shown up in front of the media for many years. Tell me, is it luck?"
Raising her head, Vanessa looked at her and asked indifferently, "What do you think?"
Lily held her arms and looked at Vanessa up and down. "Everyone knows that you are a beautiful reporter. I'm afraid you have given full play to your advantage. No wonder you have been well-dressed recently, and you can't be seen after work."
These words were not obscure, and even a little vicious. Hearing it, Tracy instantly looked gloomy. Even the people in other groups frowned.
They were all colleagues, so it was too unpleasant to talk in this way.
However, Vanessa chewed the chocolate in her mouth, swallowed it slowly, and wiped her hands with the tissue.
Then she said slowly, "If I work relying on my beauty, do you think you can still stand in front of me and talk?"