Previously, encounters with He Lindi weren’t frequent, maybe only two or three times a month, and quite possibly just brief run-ins in the elevator.
But this month, the frequency had increased considerably. Only a few days had passed, and here they were, close again. Chi Shuo pondered her reply while also finding the feeling a bit strange.
The distance didn’t seem to be maintained; instead, there was a subtle trend of them getting closer.
He Lindi’s question directly addressed Chi Shuo by name, not asking anyone else. Chi Shuo couldn’t ignore it, especially since such rudeness wasn’t her style. So, after two seconds, she met He Lindi’s glistening eyes.
Chi Shuo summoned her confidence. “Happy.” She retorted, “The sun is shining now, why wouldn’t I be happy?”
After all, He Lindi had said she’d drive her home if it was still raining.
But right now, the sunlight outside the window was brilliant.
Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai exchanged another glance, each rubbing their noses, feeling a bit intimidated by the palpable tension in the air.
He Lindi narrowed her eyes upon hearing this, then a smile spread across her face. Years ago, Chi Shuo had already thought her smile was incredibly infectious, capable of healing others’ sadness. Looking at it now, that impression remained.
Her voice lowered slightly, her tone unchanged, as she said, “Chi Shuo, oh Chi Shuo.”
Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow, shuffled the playing cards in her hand, and invited, “Want to play cards?”
“Sure.” He Lindi didn’t refuse, pulling her chair closer.
Chi Shuo turned to her two useless friends and asked, “Which one of you is playing?”
Zeng Guai immediately pushed Xia Zhou forward. “She’ll play. I’m going to rest.”
Xia Zhou: ???
Steeling herself, she also pulled her chair closer. “Let’s play.”
Chi Shuo had known the basic rules of Landlord since middle school, but she hadn’t played much in recent years. She had been obsessed with it for a while, then quit because it affected her studies. Later, she moved on to mahjong instead of cards.
However, that didn’t mean Chi Shuo wasn’t good. When she was obsessed with Landlord, she had seriously studied various tactics. This was also part of the reason she could quit easily—she hardly lost anymore.
The cards seemed to obey her, allowing for all sorts of fancy shuffles. Her technique was dazzling, looking very professional, excellent for showing off. It attracted spectators; some other colleagues from the break room gathered around to watch the fun.
Five or six people quickly surrounded their table. After Chi Shuo dealt the cards, she heard a colleague remark, “Chi Shuo, I didn’t realize you were such a pro at cards.”
Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow, looking at her hand while replying, “Loved it years ago. Still got the muscle memory.”
He Lindi glanced up at her, then returned her gaze to her own cards.
Chi Shuo was the Landlord this round. The game didn’t take long, finishing in just a few minutes. Unsurprisingly to Chi Shuo, she won. The next few rounds went just as smoothly; she won very easily.
After five consecutive games, Xia Zhou resignedly put down the thick stack of cards remaining in her hand. She grabbed her ponytail, looking at Chi Shuo’s face in disbelief. “Shuo Shuo, are you the reincarnation of a gambling god?”
Chi Shuo’s aura fully emerged while playing cards. She lifted her chin slightly, her face full of pride. “The reason I quit Landlord back then was because I had no worthy opponents.”
She looked at He Lindi as she said this, because He Lindi had lost miserably, completely unable to fight back.
The onlookers issued invitations: “Let’s play together sometime.”
“Sure,” Chi Shuo agreed, smiling. “But don’t call me if they’re at He Lindi’s level.”
Her meaning was blunt: He Lindi was terrible. After saying it, Chi Shuo suddenly felt refreshed. The sleepiness she’d felt creeping in around noon was completely gone, replaced by high spirits.
Xia Zhou sighed in relief. “Good thing she didn’t say my level was low.”
Chi Shuo: “…” She immediately added, “You’re terrible too.”
They stopped playing, and the onlookers dispersed. Chi Shuo got up to get herself a cup of coffee.
When she returned, she saw He Lindi shuffling the cards. The red-backed deck folded and flipped in her hands, creating a strong contrast with her fair skin. Chi Shuo imperceptibly watched for a few extra seconds.
She sat down in her chair again. He Lindi stopped shuffling and started dealing, but only to herself, laying out several columns.
Xia Zhou asked curiously, “Didi, what are you doing?”
He Lindi didn’t look up from the cards. “Feeling traumatized,” she said. “Playing a bit of Fishing.”
Chi Shuo was drinking coffee and choked slightly upon hearing He Lindi’s reply, because although He Lindi’s voice was soft and quiet, it carried a distinct note of grievance.
Xia Zhou was also stunned, then burst out laughing. While laughing, she turned to scold Chi Shuo, “Shuo Shuo, couldn’t you have gone easy on us! Look what you did! How badly did you bully Didi?”
Chi Shuo wiped her mouth and snorted lightly. “Nope.” She said, “Good thing we weren’t betting money, or I’d have my payment QR code ready.”
The lunch break passed quickly. Soon, He Lindi returned to her company, and Chi Shuo sat down at her own desk.
Before leaving, He Lindi had taken the deck of cards with her, most likely not wanting to leave evidence of her poor skills behind.
Chi Shuo couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Thanks to her landslide victory at noon, she was in an excellent mood all afternoon, sweeping away the Monday blues.
5:30 PM, quitting time sharp.
Chi Shuo hummed a tune, slung her bag over her shoulder, and went downstairs with Xia Zhou and the others.
The entrance of the office building was no longer congested like it had been during the rainy days a few days prior. People hurried past. Chi Shuo said goodbye to her friends and went to wait for the bus herself.
But she hadn’t walked more than a few steps when a voice called out from behind. Chi Shuo recognized it; it was He Xiuqi.
He still seemed to possess a boyish lack of worldliness, his voice somewhat bright. “Xiao Chi Jie!”
Chi Shuo’s ears were sharp; hearing the voice, she stopped. She turned around and saw He Xiuqi jogging towards her, his handsome face radiating a joy anyone could see.
Chi Shuo smiled and asked, “What’s up?”
A few seconds later, He Xiuqi stood beside her, walking outwards together.
He shook his head, smiling as he replied, “Nothing, just thought we were going the same way, so we could walk together.” He paused. “I’ve seen you many times before.”
Chi Shuo usually didn’t pay attention to others while commuting. She tried hard to recall He Xiuqi’s claim but couldn’t remember seeing him at the bus stop, possibly because He Xiuqi had only recently joined the company.
Chi Shuo pushed aside her internal thoughts and replied, “Then let’s walk together.”
“Mm.” He Xiuqi flashed another brilliant smile.
It was peak rush hour, and the bus stop was crowded as usual. These places were always favorites for pickpockets. Chi Shuo gripped her bag and phone tightly, giving them no opportunity.
He Xiuqi stood beside her, standing very straight, wearing earphones, listening to something unknown, a smile constantly on his face.
Chi Shuo didn’t ask, nor was she interested. When the bus arrived, she squeezed aboard with the crowd.
Getting a seat at this time meant you were insanely lucky. Chi Shuo never was. She held onto the handrail firmly, looking down at her phone screen.
Although she seemed to get along with everyone at the company, besides Zeng Guai and Xia Zhou, most were just colleagues. Apart from large events, Chi Shuo preferred to maintain a relationship where they remained colleagues who didn’t interact much after work.
He Xiuqi’s actions undoubtedly made Chi Shuo’s brow twitch; she didn’t want any unnecessary involvement with him.
Fortunately, her bus ride wasn’t long. She quickly reached her stop, said goodbye to He Xiuqi, and got off.
Just before she got off, however, He Xiuqi looked hesitant, finally sending her a WeChat message. The message was a question, but it left Chi Shuo somewhat unsettled.
【Xiao Chi Jie, I like Teacher He.】
【If I pursue her, do you think I have a chance?】
Why ask me? Chi Shuo couldn’t figure it out.
She reached her apartment complex entrance but didn’t go further. She hesitated for a moment, turned around, walked into a convenience store, and bought a deck of playing cards.
She had just gotten home and hadn’t even changed her shoes when another message from He Xiuqi arrived: 【Will she mind that I’m younger than her?】
Chi Shuo frowned, typing back impatiently: 【Don’t know.】
After replying, she tossed her phone aside and started playing the game of Fishing that He Lindi had played at noon.
If playing Fishing could cure feeling traumatized, she didn’t mind playing alone at home.
After a while, Chi Shuo thought the game’s name was truly fitting for He Lindi.
People who liked He Lindi were like fish in a lake, countless, scrambling to bite the hook of the angler, He Lindi.
The bait was just too delicious.
Although there was only one hook, it could be cast multiple times. And in the years she had secretly crushed on He Lindi, she had never even touched the hook.
Never even touched it.
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