PSMD – Chapter 102

Ke Yezi’s turned head didn’t know how to turn back at that moment. There was nothing more awkward than traveling so far during a holiday only to run into your superior and something embarrassing.

Moreover, she looked completely different from how she usually did at the company. Director Shen must have heard all those complaints just now.

She wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang, but their eyes had already met awkwardly in the air. Pretending not to see them would be too fake.

Ke Yezi’s mind raced for two seconds before she cleared her throat and gave Shen Ningruo an awkward smile. “Director.”

She looked at Qiu Yang. “Department Head Qiu.”

She tried to sound natural. “Are you two also here for a trip to Xicheng?”

Ke Yezi had a companion, also a girl. They were dressed similarly and looked very cool and comfortable.

Her companion’s body stiffened slightly when she heard Ke Yezi’s words. She had heard quite a bit about this director from her friend. How could they run into them here?

The companion shot Ke Yezi a look that said, “Good luck.”

Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang hadn’t intended to greet Ke Yezi. It wasn’t working hours, and it would have been fine to pretend they were strangers if they met. Since they appeared together after Ke Yezi, there was even less need to greet her.

But Ke Yezi spoke first, so they had to respond.

They walked forward a couple of steps, getting closer to Ke Yezi. Shen Ningruo simply said, “Mm,” and added, “Didn’t get to explore much last time.”

“Manager Ke,” Qiu Yang replied to Ke Yezi. Her gaze swept over Ke Yezi and her companion before she pointed to the museum not far away and asked, “Did you just come out of the museum too?”

The word “too” revealed a lot of information.

Ke Yezi was startled but quickly regained her professional composure. “Yes, my friend and I have wanted to come for a long time, but we only had the chance this May Day holiday.”

After speaking, she looked at Qiu Yang and Shen Ningruo. She was actually a bit surprised because their director had just been in Xicheng for a week. Had she not done any sightseeing during that week? Then she remembered Shen Ningruo’s previous comment and instantly understood.

Perhaps Director Shen was the type who didn’t like going out much when traveling, just wanting a change of scenery and air.

But if that was the case, why did she decide to come out and explore this time?

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Ke Yezi lowered her eyes to look at her current appearance and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was fine to dress however she felt like in private.

“We’re getting ready to head back,” Qiu Yang said with a slight smile. “It’s just that there are so many people right now, getting a taxi is difficult.”

Ke Yezi wholeheartedly agreed with this. “The two taxis that just passed by, I don’t know what was going on. They were clearly full but still showed ’empty,’ which was really misleading.”

Ke Yezi’s companion tugged her wrist. “Yezi, why don’t we find a place nearby to eat? Maybe it’ll be easier to get a taxi after we finish eating.”

“Okay,” Ke Yezi replied, then asked Qiu Yang and Shen Ningruo symbolically, “Department Head Qiu and Director, would you like to join us for a meal? There’s a pretty good restaurant nearby.”

Shen Ningruo refused without hesitation. “We won’t join you.”

She smiled and gave her reason. “You’d be uncomfortable if I were there.”

Putting herself in Ke Yezi’s shoes, she could easily understand Ke Yezi’s thoughts and feelings right now. No one wanted to socialize with their usually strict boss in private; it would be quite uncomfortable.

Ke Yezi’s smile stiffened slightly, having her thoughts exposed on the spot. But this was actually better, as her question was just a polite inquiry.

She was so used to asking like this at the company that her mind hadn’t immediately switched gears when she encountered Shen Ningruo.

“Yes, Manager Ke.”

“Have a good meal and enjoy yourselves.”

After Ke Yezi pulled her companion away and their backs were out of sight, Shen Ningruo’s lips twitched, and she said with a hint of surprise, “I didn’t expect Manager Ke to have an even bigger contrast in private than I do.”

“The workplace is like a battlefield, how brainwashing is that phrase?” Qiu Yang walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Shen Ningruo, her eyelashes fluttering. “Many people wear a mask in the workplace, acting one way on the surface and another behind the scenes. That’s why it’s very difficult to make true friends.”

Hearing Qiu Yang say this, Shen Ningruo knew what she was thinking. She turned her head and saw the shadows of the leaves cast on Qiu Yang’s face, but coincidentally, a patch of light only fell on Qiu Yang’s left cheek.

Half in shadow, half in light, it looked strangely captivating.

Shen Ningruo couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Yang, don’t move yet, let me take a picture of you.”

Qiu Yang squinted slightly and cooperated by staying still until Shen Ningruo finished taking the photo. Then she blinked and said with a smile, “It looks great.”

Qiu Yang leaned in to look at her phone screen. Shen Ningruo brushed her nose against Qiu Yang’s forehead, a very intimate and natural gesture.

Pedestrians walked by one after another, but no one noticed them.

“It’s okay,” Shen Ningruo said, then raised her hand to rub Qiu Yang’s head again. She looked into Qiu Yang’s eyes, which seemed to reflect her own image, and finally responded to what Qiu Yang had said earlier. “I’ve always believed there’s no need to find true friends in the workplace. Good friendships are as rare as good love. There are so many ways to meet new people now, it’s not hard to make new friends, but it takes time to truly know someone.”

“There are still many things that don’t add up about Qu Yan right now. If she truly has nothing to do with it, it won’t be too late to trust her completely later.”

Shen Ningruo knew very well that Qiu Yang was different from her. Qiu Yang had made true friends at the company, like Qu Yan, who was now on the “untrustworthy” list, and Gu Lan, who had accompanied her to the pet hospital before.

The possibility that Qu Yan might be secretly in contact with Tao Sixian was bound to be a shock to Qiu Yang. It made sense; if someone who was seemingly a mentor and friend was secretly plotting against you, anyone would feel disgusted and hurt.

“Mm,” Qiu Yang smiled. Just then, she saw a taxi displaying “empty” approaching. She waved, and thankfully, this one was genuinely empty and didn’t deceive them. She held Shen Ningruo’s hand and got into the car together.

However, they had to admit that this trip to Xicheng was a bit too coincidental. First, they ran into Guo Ming’an, and now Ke Yezi. This made both Qiu Yang and Shen Ningruo wonder if they would encounter any other acquaintances in the remaining three days.

Oh, wait, neither Guo Ming’an nor Ke Yezi were really that familiar to them.

The former was even a bad apple.

Fortunately, the next three days went smoothly, and they didn’t run into anyone else, which they were happy about.

They were scheduled to return to Yuncheng on the afternoon of the fifth. There was a drop-off arrangement at the airport, and the person taking them to Xicheng airport was still the same Auntie who had picked them up on the night they arrived.

The Auntie was a skilled driver and chatted about what she had seen and heard over the past few days. She exuded a friendly aura, making Qiu Yang feel as if she were talking to Zhao Mingfen.

What made Qiu Yang even more wistful was the thought that perhaps her mother would look like this now, but she had never seen her.

Shen Ningruo gently squeezed Qiu Yang’s hand, pulling her back from her wandering thoughts, and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Qiu Yang shook her head. “Just thinking about what my mom might look like now.”

Shen Ningruo patted her hand reassuringly. “I think you’ll definitely see her in the future.”

“As they say, mother and child are connected at heart. If she’s still thinking of you, she’ll naturally sense your longing.”

It was hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for Qiu Yang to develop her current personality in that environment. Shen Ningruo was very grateful that Qiu Yang not only didn’t go astray but also managed to live the way she did now, relying on herself.

However, if asked when she would want to meet Qiu Yang, she would definitely say when they were children, because everything was still good in her family back then, and her family would surely have agreed to take Qiu Yang in.

That way, Qiu Yang would have become her sister, and if anyone dared to bully Qiu Yang in the future, she would beat them up.

Shen Ningruo talked about this idea with Qiu Yang all the way back, easing Qiu Yang’s sadness. The conversation continued even after they returned to Yuncheng.

Qiu Yang listened with her eyes curved in a smile. She was completely relaxed in front of Shen Ningruo. For several seconds, she felt they would continue like this, harmonious, until their hair turned gray.

But right now, she didn’t dare to think that far, even though Shen Ningruo told her they could imagine the future.

Since Shen Ningruo’s car was parked at the airport and they didn’t need anyone to pick them up, they drove directly to Yue Chu’s place.

It had been six days since they last saw Pingzi the cat, so it was definitely a lie to say they didn’t miss him.

However, Yue Chu was at the station for work; she had a late-night radio show today. It was already almost eight o’clock, so the person who opened the door was naturally Yao Yao.

When Yao Yao saw the two of them, the first thing she said was, “How come neither of you got tanned? The sun in Xicheng is so strong.”

“Disappointed?” Shen Ningruo asked back with a smile.

Yao Yao nodded. “A little. Otherwise, Chuchu would be the fairest among this group.”

Qiu Yang: “…”

Shen Ningruo: “…”

What else could they say?

What kind of strange competitive spirit was this?

“Where’s Pangpang, Yao Yao Jie?” Qiu Yang asked.

Pingzi had initially shrunk back a bit when he heard the door open, but as soon as he heard Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang’s voices, he recognized them instantly. He used all his strength and rushed towards the door.

Wuwuwu, he missed his moms.

Pingzi ran while recalling what Qiu Yang and Shen Ningruo looked like. If they didn’t come back for him soon, he might forget.

However, he seemed to have gained a little weight. Due to inertia, he couldn’t stop immediately.

So he rolled headfirst once before reaching Yao Yao’s feet. He stood up steadily, pretending nothing happened, and looked up at Qiu Yang, meowing.

“Pangpang,” Shen Ningruo squatted down and picked Pingzi up. “I shouldn’t have given you this name. How did you actually get fatter?”

Pingzi didn’t want to hear Shen Ningruo talk about this disappointing topic. He kept looking at Qiu Yang, clearly not wanting Shen Ningruo to hold him anymore.

Shen Ningruo: “…”

Shen Ningruo handed the cat over. “Heartless cat.”

Yao Yao then remembered to invite them in. “Why don’t you come in and sit for a bit?”

“Not now.”

“I have something to do.”

Shen Ningruo pulled the box containing Pingzi’s belongings, cheering herself on internally.

Qiu Yang’s Aunt Flo left last night, but Aunt Flo was cunning. Fortunately, there was nothing today. She was eager to go back and be the ‘1’.

Yao Yao didn’t insist on them staying and waved. “Go on, go on. Let’s get together when you have time.”

“Okay.”

“Bye, Yao Yao Jie.”

Pingzi also knew he was going home. The cat carrier was placed in front of him, and he consciously crawled inside, then was carried by Qiu Yang.

Shen Ningruo smiled and said, “We’re like those parents who only care about having fun themselves.”

“Aren’t we?” Qiu Yang retorted, then looked down at Pingzi, who was being carried in front of her. “Pangpang, isn’t that right?”

Pingzi: …

Did he really need to state the obvious?

There was only so much space in the front passenger seat, so the cat carrier was placed horizontally in the back seat.

After Qiu Yang got in the car, Shen Ningruo leaned over to buckle her seatbelt. But even after it was fastened, she didn’t sit up straight. Instead, she turned to look at Qiu Yang. “Driver Shen is back online. Is there no reward?”

“What kind of reward does Driver Shen want?” Qiu Yang asked knowingly.

Shen Ningruo smiled and pecked her on the lips. “Consider that a deposit. Remember to pay the balance tonight.”