Cross Lines

Chapter Fourteen: Rainy Night

Maggie knew Jasmine was joking, so she didn't take it too seriously.

"Our boss is in a bad mood. He didn’t win the gold award and feels unjustly treated!”

Jasmine chuckled, furrowing her brows in amusement as she looked up at Maggie.

"So, are you running the design department now?"

This topic would be sensitive and nuanced with other employees, but Jasmine knew Maggie and Zachary had a good relationship, so she didn’t avoid it. Maggie didn’t think much of it either.

"I’ll do what I can."

"Mm."

Jasmine nodded. "Tell your boss that if this year doesn’t work out, there’s always next year. Don’t take it too hard."

"Got it~ I know."

Maggie responded enthusiastically. Jasmine changed the subject abruptly.

"How’s your illness?"

"Illness?" Maggie was momentarily confused, with a question mark over her head.

"Ahem," Jasmine cleared her throat. "You mentioned you were in pain somewhere."

"Oh—it's nothing. It's much better now." Maggie answered lightly but felt a bit embarrassed, eager to end the topic quickly.

"Did Emily treat you?"

"Oh—"

"Mm? What’s wrong?"

Noticing Maggie’s hesitation, Jasmine was a bit curious. Maggie thought for a moment, deciding it was better not to tell Jasmine about what had happened with Emily Luo.

"It's nothing. Dr. Luo taught me some methods, and if I pay attention, it's much better."

"Mm," Jasmine nodded, "I still trust Emily’s medical skills; otherwise, I wouldn’t have sent you to her. You two have similar personalities, so you should become good friends."

Who has a similar personality to hers? Maggie protested internally. That woman's personality is completely the opposite of her appearance!

But if she said it out loud, Jasmine would probably not let it go, so she decided to just laugh it off. Jasmine noticed her discomfort and, sensing Maggie’s reluctance to talk, didn’t press further. She quickly signed the papers.

"The finance department is now managed by Qiqi for reimbursement reviews. Please take it to her."

Maggie froze, taking the papers slowly.

"Oh…"

Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. I understand. Thank you, President Gao."

Maggie quickly shifted her demeanor and agreed. Jasmine smiled and waved her off. Maggie hurriedly left, feeling the pressure of interacting with upper management.

As she came downstairs, Maggie initially thought about having Zachary handle the finance paperwork; she really didn’t want to hear Qiqi’s sarcastic remarks. But then she thought, why should she be afraid of her? She hadn’t done anything wrong. So she headed directly to the finance center.

Although Qiqi held a relatively low position, she still had the privilege of an independent office with a "Deputy Manager" plaque on the door. Maggie knocked on the door, and after a while, a sharp voice called from inside.

"Come in!"

Maggie opened the door and saw Qiqi, who was turned sideways, looking at her computer. Seeing Maggie, Qiqi glanced up, raised her chin, and said nothing.

"Manager Gao, the reimbursement documents for our department have been signed by President Gao. Please review them."

Maggie spoke politely and formally, keeping it businesslike and avoiding any unnecessary words. Qiqi, looking in a bad mood with a dark expression, her long fake eyelashes hanging down like brushes, smirked at the corner of her mouth.

"Maggie came in person?"

"Large expenses require approval from a deputy manager or above, as per company policy," Maggie replied calmly, making eye contact with Qiqi.

"Your design department has quite a large expenditure."

Qiqi asked as she flipped through the documents. Normally, the finance center shouldn’t question other departments’ expenditure details, as long as it’s signed off by the responsible person. But since it’s a family business and Qiqi is the boss’s daughter, asking wasn’t surprising.

"The costs for sample trials are quite high. The production department doesn’t cover this expense, so it’s processed through our department."

Maggie answered honestly. Even though the design department spends money, it’s always through the production factory, so there’s no possibility of any underhanded dealings. Qiqi didn’t say much more, signed the papers, and completed the procedure.

"Thank you, Manager Gao. I’ll leave now."

Maggie intended to leave once the matter was settled, but Qiqi stopped her.

"Maggie."

Maggie paused, turned back, and gave Qiqi a forced smile.

"Is there anything else, Manager Gao?"

"Have you not visited Emily recently?"

"Do you mean Dr. Luo? I only consulted her about health issues; we don’t interact regularly."

Maggie answered directly without hesitation. Qiqi seemed annoyed by this straightforward response.

"But Emily spoke highly of you in front of me. Why do you seem unappreciative?"

"Really? Dr. Luo is very nice. Please thank her for me~"

Maggie deflected and countered gracefully, not showing any displeasure despite Qiqi's unfriendly tone. Qiqi was used to being the center of attention and felt uncomfortable with Maggie, who had equal qualifications but refused to flatter her. Thus, she sought to assert her dominance. Maggie wasn’t a pushover. If Qiqi tried to bully her, she would defend herself. Working for them didn’t mean she was a slave; she still had her pride.

Seeing Qiqi’s face darken and remain silent, Maggie maintained a friendly demeanor and said,

"If Manager Gao has no further business, I’ll leave now. I still have plenty of work to do."

After saying this, she didn’t wait for Qiqi to respond and quickly left the office.

After a day of cold rain and working on designs, Maggie was heading home around 8 p.m. The rain hadn’t stopped, so she packed up and prepared to leave.

As she drove out of the underground parking garage, the windows were already fogged up. The wind had picked up, causing the trees in the green belt to sway, and the lights cast a dim, yellowish glow that was of little help. Still within the company area, she didn’t turn on her headlights, planning to do so once she was on the main road.

From a distance, she saw two figures standing by the gate, seemingly arguing. Despite the late hour and the rain, they had quite a lot of energy. Maggie shook her head and looked through the windshield.

As she got closer, she realized one of them was Qiqi, who looked very angry and was shouting. To her surprise, the other person was Emily Luo.

Emily was drenched in a beige trench coat, with some of her pinned-up hair falling loose and sticking to her face, looking quite disheveled. This was a stark contrast to Dr. Luo’s usually pristine appearance, which made Maggie’s heart tighten.

Emily Luo wasn’t arguing with Qiqi; she stood there, pale and silent. It was late, with almost no traffic and only a few security guards peeking out from their posts. Since they were standing in the path of the exit, Maggie parked her car, staying a bit distant, and watched the scene with concern.

After Qiqi finished her words, she jumped into a nearby SUV without looking back and sped off. Emily Luo remained where she was, unmoving. The strong wind whipped her coat around, and Maggie felt cold just watching.

As Maggie’s car approached, she turned off the engine, grabbed an umbrella, and got out. She walked over to Emily Luo’s side and sheltered her from the wind and rain.

"Dr. Luo?"

Emily didn’t move for a while, so Maggie held the umbrella firmly.

"It’s raining; you’ll catch a cold."

Emily wiped the rain off her face and then looked at Maggie. Seeing it was Maggie, she seemed momentarily stunned, then turned her head away.

"I’m fine."

Maggie smiled. "Where’s your car? Let me give you a ride."

Emily remained silent, looking down. Maggie waited and guessed that the car wasn’t here.

"Then—let me take you somewhere."

"No, thank you. I said I’m fine."

With that, Emily quickly walked towards the entrance, her high heels clicking loudly on the cement. Maggie stood still and raised her voice slightly.

"It’s hard to get a taxi at this time."

Emily stopped and stood still. Maggie walked over slowly, holding the umbrella over her.

"Get in the car."

Her voice was gentle, and her demeanor calm. In the bleak and cold autumn night, Maggie’s presence was reassuring compared to Emily Luo’s disheveled state. After a long silence, Dr. Luo slowly turned around, reluctantly giving in.

Once inside the car, Maggie turned on the heater, adjusted the vents to blow warm air towards Emily, and handed her a box of tissues. Emily, soaked to the skin, had a pale, grayish face, her lips were blue from the cold, her teeth chattering, and she was visibly shivering.

Maggie started the car and didn’t look back. The car slowly drove out of the company gate and onto the main road.

Emily Luo kept her head down, wiping her face with tissues, remaining silent. Maggie waited, noting her lack of intention to speak, and asked,

"Where do you live…?"

"My bag is in Qiqi’s car… All my keys are inside… Could you drop me off at a hotel?"

Emily spoke quickly, choking on her words due to the cold. Maggie looked straight ahead.

"Do you have your ID with you?"

A single question fell Emily into silence again.

“Come to my place. You should take a shower first; otherwise, you’ll definitely catch a cold. It’s not ideal to go to a friend’s place like this, especially since no one else is at my home.”

After patiently explaining, Maggie noticed that Emily Luo still didn’t react.

“If you’re uncomfortable with that…” she said, placing her phone on the dashboard, “you could also call another friend to see if they’re available.”