After perhaps five minutes, the general manager, project leader, and several other staff members from Qiyu Company arrived at Xinyue.
Chi Shuo and He Xiuqi stood ramrod straight outside Xinyue’s entrance, both wearing suits, adding a touch of workplace rigor and seriousness. But upon seeing the people from Qiyu, smiles appeared on both their faces.
Xinyue’s relevant business leader was also present, similarly dressed in a suit and leather shoes. He led Chi Shuo and the others forward to shake hands and converse.
He Lindi had already found her angle, holding her DSLR camera off to the side, capturing the moment of their meeting and handshake with the click of her shutter. Then, she followed their steps, taking photos along the way.
Xinyue Company had been thoroughly tidied up for this occasion, looking very clean and orderly.
Time ticked by, second by second. Finally, after half an hour, the meeting concluded.
Not much substantive content was discussed this time; it was mostly… staged photos. Chi Shuo had smiled for so long that later, her face felt somewhat stiff, the corners of her mouth aching slightly.
After seeing off the Qiyu representatives, Chi Shuo finally breathed a sigh of relief. She rubbed her face, relaxing the muscles.
He Xiuqi beside her adjusted his tie, tilted his head, and asked, “Xiao Chi Jie, does this mean our part in this collaboration is completely done?”
Chi Shuo nodded. “Yes. From now on, it’s all handled by the managers. We’ll just do the work handover with them these few days.”
He Xiuqi smiled. “Got it.”
The two of them were walking towards their workstations, but He Xiuqi showed no sign of turning. Chi Shuo frowned slightly, letting him follow her all the way to her desk.
He Lindi was sitting there, acting completely at home, leaning back in Chi Shuo’s chair, holding the DSLR and looking at her newly taken photos.
Chi Shuo pretended to be puzzled at this moment and asked He Xiuqi, “Is there anything else?”
He Xiuqi paused. “I…” He clearly became nervous in He Lindi’s presence. Mustering his courage, he glanced at He Lindi, who was still flipping through photos. “Teacher He, can I look at the photos you just took?”
He Lindi heard him and didn’t refuse. “Sure.”
He Xiuqi’s eyes instantly lit up. He bent slightly, his tie drooping with the movement, landing on He Lindi’s back shoulder—the two were very close.
“Your expression management isn’t quite there yet. You can pay attention to it next time,” He Lindi said while flipping through the photos for him, drawing comparisons from her frequent experience photographing celebrities.
Chi Shuo found this voice, these words, inexplicably grating. Without a word, she picked up her cup, preparing to go to the break room for a glass of water.
As she turned, He Lindi called out to her, “Chi Shuo, pour me a glass of water too, please. Just a little, I’m a bit thirsty.”
Chi Shuo didn’t reply immediately, but He Xiuqi reacted extremely quickly. “Teacher He, you must be tired. I’ll go get it for you.”
Chi Shuo turned her head to look at He Lindi, curved her lips into a smile, and said to He Xiuqi, “Let me do it. You continue looking at the photos.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks, Xiao Chi Jie.”
Thinking carefully, He Xiuqi didn’t really need to thank her, did he? But perhaps he should, since she was creating a chance for them to be alone together, slightly.
Chi Shuo felt a bit speechless with herself.
But before she finished getting the water, He Lindi had already come over from the office, alone.
Chi Shuo paused. “Teacher He, why did you come over?”
He Lindi naturally took the disposable cup from her hand. “The office is a bit stuffy. I came out for some air.”
Chi Shuo pressed her lips together and replied with an “Oh.” “I see.” Seeing He Lindi sit down in a nearby chair, she asked again, “I’ll wash the suit when I get home tonight and bring it back to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.” He Lindi took a sip of water, looked at her, and said, “That’s not important. What’s important is, you absolutely must wait for me after work tonight.”
“…” Chi Shuo didn’t know how to reply for a moment. She felt He Lindi truly needed a chauffeur; otherwise, why insist on her driving her home?
But she had received He Lindi’s help. Just driving her home wasn’t unacceptable. Chi Shuo nodded. “Okay, I will.”
He Lindi went back. Chi Shuo finally let out a real sigh of relief, sitting down in her chair to rest.
Because the recent work focus was mostly on the collaboration with Qiyu, her original workload had been slightly reduced, but only slightly. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been working overtime every day recently.
She had already changed out of He Lindi’s suit. The bag lay quietly in the locker cabinet. Chi Shuo rested her hands on her lap, making no extra movements, but the strange feeling in her heart wouldn’t dissipate.
Just ten minutes ago, she had been wearing He Lindi’s close-fitting trousers. This…
This wasn’t something worth savoring, yet it left Chi Shuo feeling somewhat uneasy. The jacket she wore even retained the faint, slightly sweet scent of He Lindi’s perfume.
Chi Shuo sniffed, took another sip of water, stopped paying attention to other things, and started working seriously.
At noon, Chi Shuo didn’t eat in the cafeteria but went to a restaurant outside, though not alone—her mother was with her.
After her unanswered calls last night, Chi Shuo’s mother had called again today. She said on the phone she wanted to meet Chi Shuo. Last time ended before they could even say goodbye properly. If there was time this time, they should have a meal together.
Chi Shuo hesitated for only a few seconds before appearing at this Chinese restaurant. But just in case it was another forced blind date setup, Chi Shuo had borrowed another, more expensive bag from Xia Zhou. Otherwise, using the same excuse as last time would lack the prop.
Chi Shuo’s mother was already sitting at the table. Two dishes were already served, both Chi Shuo’s favorites.
It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was crowded, the chatter somewhat noisy. Only Chi Shuo’s table was remarkably quiet.
Chi Shuo sat down. She already had PTSD from the last blind date. Even though she felt the urge to use the restroom, she suppressed it. What if she came out and found another slovenly man sitting across from her?
“Mom.” Chi Shuo picked up the nearby teapot and poured herself a glass of water. “Any other dishes?”
Chi Shuo’s mother’s expression was grave, her eyes fixed intently on Chi Shuo’s every move. She replied, “There’s still a braised fish and a chicken soup.”
Chi Shuo smiled slightly. “Have I lost weight? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Chi Shuo’s mother slightly softened her gaze. She asked, “When did you buy this bag?”
Chi Shuo lied, “Two months ago.”
“How much.” It was less a question, more like a judgment.
Chi Shuo continued lying calmly, without batting an eyelid, “Five thousand.”
She had learned her lesson. When she bought the LV bag, she told the real price. Now she knew better. Even though this bag wasn’t hers, Chi Shuo wouldn’t honestly state the original price.
If she told her mother the original price was actually thirteen thousand, her mother would probably curse her out again, perhaps even starting a tirade against Chi Shuo right there in the restaurant, regardless of her own image.
Fortunately, this tactic seemed somewhat effective. Chi Shuo’s mother’s expression didn’t change much. She just lifted her eyes slightly. “Really?”
Chi Shuo mirrored her action exactly. “Otherwise?”
Chi Shuo always knew she resembled her mother by sixty or seventy percent. When younger and less sensible, she had even suspected she wasn’t biological. But as she grew older, her features developed, looking more and more like her mother’s face.
Anyone could see they were mother and daughter, but only Chi Shuo knew it was merely superficial. In reality, her relationship with her mother had long since festered. The last blind date had worsened the wound. The only reason she could still come today was because she still cherished this familial bond.
Chi Shuo couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries anymore and got straight to the point. “Mom, if you have something to say, please say it directly. I still have work this afternoon.”
Chi Shuo’s mother crossed her arms, elbows resting on the table, looking at Chi Shuo. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes were obvious, deepening when she squinted. She frowned and asked, “Did Xiao Tong message you asking you to attend his graduation dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you go?”
“I was busy.”
Chi Shuo’s mother’s frown deepened. “Chi Shuo, Xiao Tong just graduated high school this year. It’s such a memorable graduation dinner, he invited you, yet you didn’t go. What’s wrong with your brain? Didn’t I tell you to interact more with the Tong family, to chat more with Xiao Tong? Are you trying to anger me to death, Chi Shuo?”
She called Chi Shuo’s name twice, each time landing heavily on Chi Shuo’s heart, making her feel somewhat pained.
Her mother hadn’t called her “Shuo Shuo” for a long time. Every time, it was the extremely distant and indifferent “Chi Shuo.”
“Can’t I just not want to interact much?” Chi Shuo clenched her fists under the table. She looked directly at her mother, her tone pleading slightly. “Mom, I beg you, can you stop demanding so much from me?”
Chi Shuo’s mother glared. “Are you saying I meddle too much?” Her mouth didn’t stop. “Why did I raise you for all these years? Look at yourself now. If I didn’t call you each time, would you call me? Without me, Chi Shuo, would you be where you are today? Don’t forget who dug the well when you drink the water. I gave birth to you all these years ago, when have you ever made me worry less?”
“The first blind date had such good conditions, you weren’t willing. I took it that you thought he was average. The second one, Li Jianguo, his family owns a big company and is so rich, why were you still unwilling?” Chi Shuo’s mother clearly still held a grudge about the previous blind date outcomes. “And Xiao Tong, I didn’t ask you to do anything with him. His family got rich later, what’s wrong with getting closer? People strive for higher places. If you interact more with them, maybe you can ask Xiao Tong for help if something comes up later…”
Chi Shuo had already lowered her head. She desperately wished she could create a soundproof barrier, targeting only her mother’s hurtful words. But she couldn’t; she let every word register clearly in her ears.
“Mom.” Chi Shuo interrupted her “brilliant” speech, lifting her head. “If you only came to tell me these things, I don’t think we need to continue this meal.”
It didn’t matter that two dishes hadn’t arrived yet. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t eaten a single bite. Chi Shuo had lost her appetite.
Chi Shuo’s mother looked at her. “You must finish this meal before leaving today.”
Chi Shuo curved her lips slightly, calmly retorting, “And if I don’t?”
“Give me money.”
“Okay.” Chi Shuo had already guessed this outcome. It was always like this.
Leaving the restaurant, the sunlight outside was scorching. Chi Shuo opened her umbrella and walked towards the roadside.
Every recent meeting with her mother ended unhappily. As for anger, she was used to it. As for not being angry, that wasn’t entirely true either. But beyond anger, there was mostly… grievance.
So much grievance that this time, Chi Shuo couldn’t hold back. Tears streamed down her face in the taxi. The taxi driver glanced at her several times in the rearview mirror, finally asking with concern, “Young lady, lost your job or broke up? Don’t cry, you won’t look pretty if you keep crying.”
Chi Shuo choked slightly. “Uncle, it’s okay. I’ll be fine after crying.”
She hadn’t felt this bad even after being dragged to the blind date last time. What was wrong this time? Chi Shuo thought while crying and found the answer.
Because it had accumulated for too long.
The awkward, stiff relationship with her mother led to every meeting feeling like a confrontation, and her mother always fired the first shot, circling back and forth around the topic of “money.”
Money, money, money. It was all because of money that her mother gradually became the person she was today after the divorce, blinded by money.
After about ten minutes, Chi Shuo got out of the taxi. She had managed to stop crying in the car, but the traces of tears wouldn’t fade so quickly. So, she thought for a moment and decided to sit in the milk tea shop downstairs from the company for a while to recover.
Anyway, it was still relatively early. Colleagues were either resting or playing games. No one would come downstairs to buy milk tea in this heat; usually, it was delivery anyway.
Chi Shuo entered the milk tea shop. Her eyes, the corners of her eyes, and the tip of her nose were all red. Her eyelashes were still slightly damp. When she ordered, the staff recognized her, startled, and asked with concern.
Chi Shuo waved her hand. “It’s nothing. Saw a Weibo short video, too touching.”
The staff paused. “What video?”
Chi Shuo started rambling, “It was about someone with a serious illness who decided on euthanasia. The video was her final message before dying. She thanked her family profusely. Her family was crying buckets beside her, so I cried along too.”
The staff replied with an “Oh.” “That really sounds touching.”
Chi Shuo nodded too, forcing a smile. “Yeah.” She pointed to a chair. “I’ll sit here first.”
“Okay.”
Not many people were buying milk tea now, so many chairs were empty. Chi Shuo chose a spot inside, facing away from the main door. That way, unless someone knew her very well, they wouldn’t realize she was here.
Soon, the staff called out that the milk tea was ready. Chi Shuo sniffled and went to get it.
Only a few minutes had passed; she hadn’t recovered her composure that quickly. But it was better than a few minutes ago; at least the tears on her eyelashes were gone.
She hadn’t eaten anything for lunch again. Chi Shuo had been busy at work this morning. In the office, thinking she might eat at noon, she hadn’t rushed to eat snacks. The result was this miserable state now. Her mood was somewhat complicated.
She drank her milk tea, played on her phone, trying to cheer herself up by reading jokes, but it didn’t seem to work at all. She still felt very unhappy.
After a few more minutes, the time reached 12:50 PM. Chi Shuo received a message from He Lindi.
She had already changed He Lindi’s nickname to just “DJ.” Firstly, because it was equivalent to “Sister Di,” and secondly, so she would try to ignore He Lindi more, even though it wasn’t that easy.
DJ: 【Have an urgent matter this afternoon, no need to drive me.】
Chi Shuo replied without hesitation: 【Okay.】
DJ: 【Happy?】
【No.】
He Lindi didn’t reply again. Chi Shuo pouted, lowered her eyelids, and lost the mood to look at jokes. She opened her phone camera, looked at her current state in the front-facing camera, and decided to go back to the company after all.
As long as she went back early, napped early, then no one would notice she had cried.
Chi Shuo made the decision, but unexpectedly, before she even sat down after returning to the company, the sharp-eyed Zeng Guai, listening to music nearby, noticed her.
Zeng Guai walked over and asked softly, “Shuo Shuo, what’s wrong? Why did you cry?”
Chi Shuo paused, quickly reacting, “It’s nothing. The sun outside was too strong, it made me cry.”
Zeng Guai glanced at the sun umbrella she had just placed by her desk. “But you brought an umbrella.” She reached out and patted Chi Shuo’s head, not pressing further. “It’s okay, Shuo Shuo. If something’s wrong, crying it out is good too.”
Chi Shuo pressed her lips together, smiled slightly, and nodded. “Mm.”
Zeng Guai felt truly sorry seeing her like this. Since Fang Xiuxiu hadn’t returned yet, she sat down in Fang Xiuxiu’s seat again and said, “By the way, He Lindi came looking for you just now.”
Chi Shuo asked softly, puzzled, “Was there something?”
“Don’t know. She saw you weren’t here, greeted me, and left.”
Chi Shuo replied with an “Oh,” nonchalantly. “Maybe she wanted to tell me I didn’t need to wait for her after work today.”
Zeng Guai was surprised by this. “You were waiting for her after work again?”
The word “again” was key.
“Yes…” Chi Shuo scratched her head. “Forgot to tell you guys. Didn’t I borrow clothes from her this morning out of urgency? As repayment, she asked me to drive her home today.”
“…Have you noticed you two have been interacting a lot lately?” Zeng Guai leaned closer to Chi Shuo, asking mysteriously.
Chi Shuo neither shook her head nor nodded. She placed the umbrella in the box by her feet and said, “Zeng Guai, I’m going to nap for a bit. Good afternoon.”
She didn’t answer directly, gave no reaction at all. Zeng Guai didn’t ask further either. “Okay.”
Whether she had been interacting a lot with He Lindi lately, Chi Shuo probably knew best. Of course, she knew she was seeing He Lindi more frequently, and their interactions were increasing.
What made it impossible to resist was that these were all coincidences.
The business trip was a coincidence. Her having period pain and He Lindi having medicine was a coincidence. Wearing He Lindi’s suit to work today was also a coincidence.
These were all coincidences she was clearly arranged into, unable to avoid contact.
Thinking about these things made Chi Shuo’s mind chaotic again. She clearly wanted to maintain an appropriate distance from He Lindi, but now the two of them seemed implicitly trending towards friendship—they hadn’t really been friends before.
She and He Lindi hadn’t just met because their companies were upstairs and downstairs. Even in university, although they were at different schools, Chi Shuo had already had some faint interaction with He Lindi since freshman year.
Because they joined the same Yun Cheng group chat. The group members were all university students studying in Lu Cheng. When she first joined, there were upperclassmen; later, new underclassmen joined. Chi Shuo initially didn’t appear much in the group, until someone @mentioned an ID and said the name “He Lindi.” Only then did Chi Shuo know He Lindi was also in this group.
The first interaction was during winter break. The two of them, along with others from the group, bought plane tickets back to Lu Cheng together. There were about ten people in the group. Chi Shuo spotted the radiant He Lindi at a glance, but they didn’t interact at that moment either.
Until they boarded the plane. Chi Shuo’s seat was by the window, and He Lindi was beside her.
The scene was exactly the same as the business trip a while ago. He Lindi said to her, “Classmate, can I hold onto you for a bit? I’m a little scared.”
Didn’t even know her name, never had any interaction. This was the first time Chi Shuo had been this close to He Lindi.
This close.
There was no way to sleep now. Chi Shuo could only try hard to close her eyes, waiting for time to pass, waiting for 2 PM to arrive.
With too many worries, Chi Shuo still preferred working. She continued using the method of numbing herself to de-stress. Once the exhaustion from work passed, looking back, it didn’t seem like much torture anymore.
Just that after the WeChat exchange that day, for the following period, Chi Shuo didn’t see He Lindi again, nor did she hear anything about He Lindi.
During this time, the weather forecast was unusually accurate. On Wednesday, Yun Cheng had light rain. But the matter of Chi Shuo owing He Lindi a ride home on a rainy day was already settled. Now, even if it rained, it wouldn’t help.
Furthermore, He Lindi had disappeared. Chi Shuo had even gone to Xiyu for work handover during office hours but didn’t see He Lindi. Her workstation hadn’t been touched for several days. Chi Shuo didn’t ask anyone what He Lindi was doing.
Whether she took leave or went on a business trip, Chi Shuo had no way of knowing.
Time flowed by amidst the busyness of work. In the blink of an eye, it was August.
The cicadas on the trees still hadn’t stopped chirping. The rhythm of life was no different from usual: work, go home, eat, shower, end of day. It was fulfilling yet boring. The only comfort was probably getting paid again at the beginning of the month.
August 1st, Wednesday. Chi Shuo’s phone received a text message: salary had arrived.
It was almost quitting time. Xia Zhou walked over cheerfully. “Let’s go eat somewhere nice tonight? My treat.” Xia Zhou said somewhat embarrassedly, “I haven’t treated you guys since I started dating.”
Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow. “Are you inviting your boyfriend too?”
“Yes,” Xia Zhou said. “But I won’t let him pay. Although he has more money than me, he’s still a student, and I’m a working adult.”
Chi Shuo smiled slightly. Xia Zhou shook her phone. “Then I’ll go contact him.”
“Okay.”
Xia Zhou went aside to make the call. After two minutes, she came back, looking somewhat regretful at Chi Shuo. “Shuo Shuo, might have to postpone to the weekend. Can’t make it today.”
“He can’t come?”
“Yes…”
“He said Didi is coming back from abroad tonight. Their family is having dinner together, can’t get away.”
Chi Shuo blinked. “Abroad?”
“Yeah, didn’t you know?” Xia Zhou suddenly seemed to realize. “Forgot that if we don’t tell you, you lose your source of news. Didi went abroad for a wedding.”
Chi Shuo murmured softly, as if to herself, “Gone for so long…”
“According to A Ke, it seems to be a high school friend’s wedding. She was invited to be the photographer and also a bridesmaid, so it got delayed for a long time.” Speaking of this, Xia Zhou’s expression suddenly became mysterious. She leaned closer to Chi Shuo. “Speaking of which, Shuo Shuo, let me tell you something. A Ke said Didi actually attended her ex-girlfriend’s wedding. I was thinking, Didi doesn’t seem like a…? I thought she was straight.”
