Chi Shuo was also quite surprised. She immediately looked up at Xia Zhou and received a wink from her.
Zeng Guai strongly condemned their cryptic behavior: “Damn it, you two, ‘flirting’ right in front of me?! I’m still here!”
Xia Zhou touched her ponytail, tilted her head back slightly, overjoyed, and couldn’t resist calling Zeng Guai by her nickname again: “Guai Guai.” Her tone couldn’t hide her amusement. “Just wait and see who Shuoshuo’s partner will be.”
This wasn’t a question, because Xia Zhou had keenly noticed something fishy between Chi Shuo and He Lindi—He Lindi had an ex-girlfriend before, and Chi Shuo and He Lindi were once love rivals. That foundation wasn’t necessarily built on liking a boy, right?
Girls were possible too, weren’t they? Didn’t that mean Chi Shuo’s sexual orientation…
Xia Zhou’s mind always worked fast. Although she could be a bit ditzy sometimes, she was quite sharp at crucial moments.
Hearing this, Zeng Guai didn’t mind Xia Zhou using her nickname again. She turned to Chi Shuo with a suspicious look: “Shuoshuo, why don’t you tell us? Tell me now, there’s still time.”
Chi Shuo pressed her lips together and shook her head, looking like she absolutely wouldn’t say a word.
Zeng Guai huffed. Chi Shuo chuckled lightly and quickly tried to make amends: “How about this, Zeng Jie, Shen Qu is having hotpot with me in a few days. Should I get another autograph for you?”
Chi Shuo put on a pitiful look: “It’s just… this person I’m not together with yet, I really can’t say right now.” She sighed. “It would be awkward if it doesn’t work out, right?”
Zeng Guai waved her hand: “Fine, I’ll reluctantly agree.” Her eyes lit up. “I want it personalized.”
“Okay.”
Back at her desk, Chi Shuo breathed a sigh of relief. She thought Xia Zhou was terrifyingly perceptive… truly worthy of being the biggest gossip in both companies. Zeng Guai’s skills paled in comparison.
Was her current relationship with He Lindi that obvious? Surely not? Chi Shuo’s mind filled with question marks, but she didn’t plan to ask Xia Zhou.
While waiting for He Lindi to return to Yun Cheng, every minute felt like torture. Chi Shuo couldn’t sit still in her chair, desperately wanting to see He Lindi the moment she landed. But that was impossible, so she could only choose to remain seated.
But as she sat there staring at the time, she unconsciously started jiggling her leg.
Fang Xiuxiu chuckled beside her: “Shuoshuo, maybe you should switch careers and become a tailor.”
Chi Shuo quickly apologized, “Sorry, sorry.” She stopped her jiggling leg. “I’m just a little nervous.”
Fang Xiuxiu noticed she kept looking at the time and was puzzled: “You keep checking the time. What’s up? Is your favorite singer having a concert and you need to grab tickets?”
Chi Shuo let out a deep breath and shook her head: “No, nothing like that.”
“Then…”
Chi Shuo didn’t wait for her to continue, grabbing a candy from her own desk and placing it on Fang Xiuxiu’s: “Have a candy for some energy. Get back to work.”
Fang Xiuxiu smiled helplessly: “Alright.”
Perhaps another half hour passed before Chi Shuo finally received a message from He Lindi.
He Lindi: 【I’m not coming to the office today.】
Chi Shuo couldn’t quite describe her feelings. After all, it was pretty normal; people usually didn’t go straight to the office the day they returned, they’d come in the next day at the earliest.
Chi Shuo replied: 【Okay.】
He Lindi replied instantly: 【Review your photography knowledge.】
Chi Shuo, like a repeater: 【Okay.】
【I’m going home to rest first, I’m exhausted from the past few days.】
Chi Shuo swore she couldn’t reply “Okay” again this time. She thought for five seconds and sent back: 【Mm-hmm.】
After sending the message, Chi Shuo stared at it, frozen, without even blinking.
Damn it…
Chi Shuo started criticizing herself internally. She really seemed like a player—terse, unhelpful, as if she were just brushing the other person off.
She wanted to send something else to salvage the situation, but just then, someone walked up to her side and called out: “Chi Shuo, the supervisor wants to see you in her office.”
Chi Shuo immediately put away her phone, grabbed her notebook and pen, and went into the supervisor’s office.
Every time she went to the supervisor’s office, it seemed like a new task was assigned. Chi Shuo started guessing what new work content the supervisor would discuss this time.
But after entering, the supervisor didn’t say anything, just studied her face for about ten seconds, making Chi Shuo’s heart pound nervously.
Chi Shuo pursed her lips and took the initiative to ask, “Supervisor, is there something wrong with my face?”
“No.” The supervisor snapped back to attention. “I just suddenly felt like I haven’t really taken a good look at you before.”
Chi Shuo gave a slight smile, but only she knew it represented her awkwardness.
So awkward!
The supervisor flipped through the documents in front of her and asked very casually, “I didn’t call you in for anything else, just wanted to ask about your progress learning photography.”
Chi Shuo thought carefully before answering, “It’s okay.”
“It’s already 2019, and today’s the first day. There’s less than half a month until our company’s first big event like this. You don’t have much time left, so make sure you learn well from the Xiyu photographers.”
“Your mentor is He Lindi, right? Didn’t she just get back from her business trip today?”
“Yes.”
“Then have you sought out anyone else to learn from these past few days?” The supervisor’s tone suddenly turned serious. “It seems like you haven’t been running upstairs lately.”
Chi Shuo replied, “I’ve been asking Teacher He questions on WeChat.”
“Alright, you can get back to your work for now.”
“There’s still a little time left, we need to see results.”
Chi Shuo nodded, her expression like someone heading into battle: “I’ll do my best.”
Leaving the supervisor’s office, Chi Shuo finally let out a breath. Seeing the supervisor frown just now, she thought she’d be criticized for slacking off.
If Boss Lin was the company’s “smiling tiger,” then Chi Shuo’s supervisor was the “tigress”. The description might seem a bit off here, but it was indeed the truth.
Chi Shuo patted her chest and returned to her seat, no longer focusing her attention on He Lindi. After all, He Lindi had safely arrived in Yun Cheng. They were now breathing under the same city sky, which made her feel much better.
Once she focused like this, time seemed to speed up. Chi Shuo barely noticed it passing before Zeng Guai came over and tapped her shoulder: “Shuoshuo, time to clock off.”
Chi Shuo blinked a couple of times, amazed: “So soon?”
Zeng Guai looked at her as if she were a monster: “Damn it, I thought it dragged on forever!”
Chi Shuo started packing her shoulder bag, smiling, “Just a sec.” She glanced around but didn’t see Xia Zhou. “Where’s Xia Zhou?”
“She definitely went to find her Ah Ke.”
“Not like us, two single dogs.”
After saying this, Zeng Guai slapped her forehead. “Ah, what’s wrong with my memory? Soon it’ll just be me, the single dog.”
“Good luck,” Chi Shuo said, not knowing what else to say.
Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Chi Shuo opened her phone and only then saw the message He Lindi had sent her ten minutes ago.
He Lindi: 【I’m in the parking lot.】
Five short words, yet they made Chi Shuo’s heart race.
She swallowed, starting to feel nervous about meeting He Lindi soon. As a result, her body tensed up.
Zeng Guai noticed this strangeness while waiting for the elevator. She asked curiously, “Shuoshuo, why are you so stiff?”
Chi Shuo clutched her chest, glanced sideways at her with a puzzled look: “Am I?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you nervous about something?”
There were other colleagues around waiting for the elevator, so Chi Shuo didn’t want to loudly announce that He Lindi was back. She leaned close to Zeng Guai’s ear and whispered, “He Lindi’s back.”
Before she could pull away, she saw the elevator doors in front of them slowly open. Standing inside, one of the people was none other than the He Lindi she had just mentioned.
Chi Shuo immediately stood straight like a tree, hands behind her back like a child caught doing something wrong.
He Lindi leaned back against the elevator wall. She wore a mask, her chin slightly raised, her eyes holding a trace of amusement as she looked at Chi Shuo. However, she seemed listless overall, a bit different from usual.
Zeng Guai didn’t notice these details. Once inside, she was very enthusiastic: “Didi, long time no see! I even missed you.”
“Long time no see.” He Lindi’s voice was slightly hoarse. Chi Shuo noticed it; no wonder she was wearing a mask, she probably had a cold.
Chi Shuo stood directly in front of them, so stiff she didn’t say a word.
From behind, He Lindi reached out and poked Chi Shuo’s right shoulder through her clothes, her low, hoarse voice laced with laughter: “Why don’t you greet your teacher when you see her?”
Chi Shuo was wearing a long down jacket today, and her hands were currently hidden inside the sleeves. Out of nervousness and uncertainty, she had clenched her hands into fists, but thankfully He Lindi couldn’t see.
Zeng Guai chimed in from the side, “Yeah, Shuoshuo, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Chi Shuo realized Zeng Guai was getting back at her for not revealing who her potential partner was.
He Lindi’s hand still hadn’t retracted. Seeing Chi Shuo remain silent, she poked her gently again: “And here I even bought a gift back for my apprentice, you…”
Chi Shuo was genuinely afraid she’d say more, so she quickly turned her head to look at He Lindi, who was watching her with smiling eyes: “Teacher He, you must be tired.”
“It’s alright.”
They spoke quietly, as the elevator was quite full. If they spoke loudly, everyone would overhear their conversation.
Because many people were going down and stopping at intermediate floors, it took about two minutes for the elevator to reach the ground floor.
Zeng Guai asked, “Didi, are you driving back later?”
He Lindi shook her head, “No, I’m leaving now.”
Chi Shuo glanced at her and saw He Lindi walk forward out of the elevator.
She pressed her lips together and followed closely behind. The three walked together.
He Lindi was still afraid of the cold; her pants were visibly fleece-lined, which added a touch of cuteness to her appearance.
Chi Shuo found her current mood hard to describe. Seeing He Lindi made her happy and excited, but also a little uneasy because she had been whispering with Zeng Guai.
Well, perhaps there was nothing to be uneasy about. She and Zeng Guai were good friends; He Lindi surely wouldn’t be jealous of Zeng Guai.
Chi Shuo didn’t have time to process other feelings. She just felt that being with He Lindi like this was wonderful, even with Zeng Guai between them.
On the way, before they parted, Zeng Guai brought up a topic: “I really want bubble tea.”
Chi Shuo didn’t say anything, but heard He Lindi reply, “Me too.”
Zeng Guai looked at Chi Shuo: “Shuoshuo, you’re not in a hurry to go back, right?”
Before Chi Shuo could answer, she heard He Lindi’s voice: “She’s not in a hurry.”
“Then let’s go get bubble tea.” Zeng Guai wasn’t puzzled by He Lindi naturally answering for Chi Shuo and led the two into their usual bubble tea shop.
Eating ice cream in winter feels great, and drinking hot bubble tea feels great too.
It was rush hour after work, and quite a few people were waiting in the bubble tea shop. Chi Shuo pointed to an empty table: “I’ll go sit there and wait.”
He Lindi glanced at her, her voice muffled and slightly hoarse under the mask. Compared to her usual youthful tone, it had an added sexiness, making Chi Shuo clench her hidden fists a little tighter inside her sleeves. “You’re good at slacking off.”
Chi Shuo scratched her head: “Are you going to leave Zeng Jie waiting alone then?”
Zeng Guai was very considerate, saying from the side, “You two go sit first. I’ll come over once I’m done here, it’ll only take a few minutes.”
Chi Shuo immediately refused again: “I’ll wait with you.”
But He Lindi had already thanked Zeng Guai, then pulled Chi Shuo’s sleeve and walked to the empty seats.
Chi Shuo, “forced” to sit face-to-face with He Lindi: …
She didn’t even seem to react before He Lindi pulled her over here, leaving Zeng Guai alone in line.
Chi Shuo’s hands were now out of her sleeves. She hadn’t had time to put on gloves yet, so she placed them on her thighs, trying to ease her nervousness. Looking into He Lindi’s eyes, she tried her best to ask normally, “When did you catch a cold?”
“Last night.” After answering, He Lindi coughed once.
The New Year’s Eve live broadcast wasn’t indoors, but outdoors. Being exposed to the wind for so long, catching a cold was normal.
Chi Shuo’s worry showed: “Did you take medicine then?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good then.”
After saying this, Chi Shuo felt she was hopeless, having killed the conversation just like that. She sighed inwardly and gripped her thighs a little harder, wanting to remind herself to pull it together.
The atmosphere between them fell silent, and neither started a new topic. After a few minutes, Zeng Guai returned carrying the bag.
He Lindi took one of the drinks and said to Zeng Guai, “It’s my treat today.”
Zeng Guai was a bit stunned: “Does happiness strike so suddenly?”
He Lindi just smiled: “I suddenly remembered I haven’t treated you to bubble tea before.”
Chi Shuo asked from the side, “What about me?”
He Lindi glanced at her: “You treat me.” She said, “Last time you even bought one for Q Ge, I still haven’t…”
Chi Shuo didn’t want her to bring that up again and quickly agreed: “Okay, okay, I’ll treat you.”
After leaving the bubble tea shop and walking a bit further, Zeng Guai was about to say goodbye to them. Before leaving, she was stunned again: “Didi, aren’t you and Shuoshuo going in different directions?”
He Lindi didn’t always drive to work; sometimes someone picked her up, and it was always in the other direction, not like today.
“Mm, we’re not.”
Zeng Guai didn’t think too much about why the two were still together and hadn’t separated. Holding her bubble tea, she said, “Thanks for the treat. I’ll get going then.”
Once Zeng Guai left, Chi Shuo and He Lindi were left standing side by side.
The wind was blowing. Chi Shuo pulled up the hood of her down jacket. Afraid of getting chilblains, she tucked her hands back into her sleeves again, with only the bubble tea bag dangling in the air proving her hands existed.
He Lindi sniffled, “It’s so cold.”
“A little.”
The two stood rooted to the spot. People around them walked quickly or slowly; only the two of them were like statues.
He Lindi smiled watching this scene. She tilted her head slightly, slowly raised her hand, and pulled the brim of the hood covering Chi Shuo’s eyes up a bit.
Chi Shuo met her gaze for a second, then turned her head away: “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming to the office today?”
“But I didn’t say I wouldn’t wait for you.” He Lindi’s tone lifted. “Did I?”
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