Chi Shuo realized He Lindi’s words couldn’t quite be trusted.
Did I manage to sleep with her? Of course not. He Lindi had said that deliberately.
The reason was simple: He Lindi was on her period. Chi Shuo wanted to explore her mysteries but had to hold back. That was why Chi Shuo had seemed so listless at work this morning—what’s it like lying next to the soft, fragrant girlfriend you yearn for, yet having to restrain even kissing?
Still, this period served as a buffer. Even though they had known each other for years… they had only been together for less than a week! If they really did something, wouldn’t that be too fast? Thinking this, Chi Shuo felt that stopping at just kissing He Lindi was the right choice.
Relationships shouldn’t be rushed, but Chi Shuo was getting anxious because her department’s performance for the annual party hadn’t been decided yet.
It was hard to please everyone. Some suggested sticking with radio calisthenics, others objected and proposed a Yellow River Cantata chorus, while still others suggested a simple sketch. Anyway, Saturday was almost over, and Chi Shuo’s department still hadn’t settled on an act.
This meant that if they didn’t decide soon, tomorrow’s planning would be directionless, and she wouldn’t be able to submit the proposal at Monday’s morning meeting. She’d be finished.
Chi Shuo frowned, looking at the inactive messages in the group chat, wondering which performance to choose.
Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai’s departments had decided on their acts yesterday—one was sending two people for a crosstalk performance, the other sending a few for a song medley. They were common, ordinary choices. Chi Shuo didn’t want to clash with them. She spent half the day browsing Bilibili before finally adopting the leader’s decisive tone and typing a line into the group chat: 【Decision made. Our department will perform “I’m Really Quite Good.”】
The group members reached a rare consensus: 【Rejected.】
Chi Shuo chuckled on her end of the phone: 【Rejection invalid. Let’s all prevent depression together.】
Thinking of their reactions was amusing. She sent the Bilibili link: 【There’s a tutorial video after it. I watched it; it’s very simple and easy to learn. We’ll perform for two minutes. I’ll edit the song tonight.】
The supervisor, who hadn’t said much, chimed in: 【Okay.】
And so, the department’s annual party performance was decided. Plus, after watching the video, she realized they could cut everything after the first chorus, making it even shorter—about a minute and a half.
Chi Shuo was very satisfied. Her mood finally lifted. She even went back to her bedroom, immediately opened her laptop, and started downloading the tutorial video for “I’m Really Quite Good.”
He Lindi had already gone home that afternoon because Xiyu’s annual party was tonight, two weeks earlier than Chi Shuo’s company. Xinyue had been busy with the “New Life” event before and only had time now.
Large companies’ annual parties usually lasted quite long. Chi Shuo didn’t know when He Lindi would be back.
After downloading the video and editing the song, Chi Shuo didn’t stay home either. She had plans that evening to meet a college roommate she hadn’t seen in over a year.
After graduation, Chi Shuo returned to Yuncheng for work, while her three roommates, all from Lucheng, stayed there. Chi Shuo hadn’t gone back, and they hadn’t visited. They didn’t contact each other much, and their relationship gradually faded.
During college, Chi Shuo’s closest relationship was probably with Shen Qu. After all… Shen Qu was her girlfriend, though only the two of them knew.
Back then, Chi Shuo was busy with part-time jobs. She took substitute teaching gigs, helped with homework, and even picked up deliveries—she worked several jobs a day. The reason for this hardship was that after she graduated high school, her mother basically stopped giving her money. She had to cover her own tuition and living expenses. And her father, since the divorce, had long stopped contacting her.
Chi Shuo didn’t dwell on it much. Her father seemed decent on the surface—didn’t smoke, drink, gamble, or commit domestic violence—but he was rotten inside. After the divorce, Chi Shuo heard from her drunk mother that before marrying, her father had always been a playboy. He only married because Chi Shuo’s mother got pregnant.
After getting married, he tried hard to appear faithful, but secretly, he continued dating other women behind her back—the common… affair. Later, he didn’t even bother hiding it, openly mentioning his mistresses in front of Chi Shuo’s mother.
Chi Shuo hadn’t known about these things before, just occasionally felt her parents argued frequently. The only good thing was perhaps that they sometimes avoided discussing these matters in front of her. Chi Shuo only realized her parents had argued again when she sensed the tense atmosphere at home.
They argued for so many years, eventually got tired, and divorced.
Chi Shuo’s father was no longer young; he was an uncle now. But it seemed not only his age had grown, but also his charm. Coupled with his well-maintained handsome face, after the divorce, he got together with a wealthy woman in her twenties.
Chi Shuo knew this. Afterward, she never heard from her father again because he moved away with her grandparents and forcibly deleted all contact methods between them. Since then, Chi Shuo only had her mother.
Sometimes she wondered why the divorce happened so late. Shouldn’t her mom have filed for divorce the first time she discovered her father’s affair? But she didn’t. Her mom endured it for so many years. If there had to be a reason, it might be that her mom’s love was too humble, too subservient.
That period of working part-time was tough, but Chi Shuo got used to it later. Besides, she had no choice; no one at home was supporting her financially.
Back then, her three roommates helped Chi Shuo quite a lot. Sometimes, when she was out working part-time and the teacher called roll, her roommates would raise their hands and answer for her in a different voice. Among them, the one closest to Chi Shuo was Zhuang Changchang, the person she was meeting today.
Zhuang Changchang had come to Yuncheng on a business trip yesterday. Since Chi Shuo was also in Yuncheng, she messaged Chi Shuo to arrange a time to meet.
They agreed to meet at a coffee shop. It was currently dinnertime, but they planned to avoid the peak hours and find a place to catch up first.
When Chi Shuo arrived, Zhuang Changchang was already sitting on the sofa. Seeing Chi Shuo enter, she waved happily, her face beaming with a brilliant smile.
Chi Shuo smiled too. She walked over slowly, putting down her bag as she said, “Why are you always earlier than the agreed time?”
“Being early is definitely better than being late.” Zhuang Changchang had ear-length hair, looking sharp and neat. She wore glasses, and her demeanor was somewhat different from before graduation, carrying an added layer of confidence.
Chi Shuo looked at the menu: “You put a lot of pressure on people like this.”
Zhuang Changchang chuckled with a “Pfft”: “That ‘people’ definitely doesn’t include you.” She said, “When have you ever been late? You just arrive a little later compared to me.”
Chi Shuo looked at her, the corners of her lips lifting: “I almost thought you were saying I wasn’t human.”
They called the waitress, ordered coffee, and Chi Shuo asked, “Are you heading back tomorrow afternoon?”
“Yeah.”
“Had to squeeze in time to see you amidst my busy schedule.”
“Touched?”
Chi Shuo placed her hands on the table, her fingers tapping lightly. She said, “Who isn’t busy?”
This coffee shop was located downtown. The storefront was large, and customer traffic was high. The busy waitstaff and leisurely customers formed a contrasting scene here.
“Speaking of which, your company’s benefits are really good. If Yuncheng weren’t so far from Lucheng, I would have come to Yuncheng to rely on you.” Zhuang Changchang sighed. “My company is just a vampire, and extremely stingy…”
After graduating and starting work, conversations inevitably revolved around jobs. Chi Shuo listened as Zhuang Changchang vented about who knows how long worth of grievances, then comforted her: “If it’s really unbearable, just go to another company. You perform so well, you can definitely find a better job.”
“I think so too. I’ll have to change jobs sooner or later.” She remembered something. “So, when are you planning a trip back to Lucheng?”
Chi Shuo replied, “Maybe after a while. I have plans to this year.” She stirred the coffee in front of her. “Someone told me that once I’ve mastered photography, they’ll go back to Lucheng with me to take a look.”
That “someone” couldn’t be anyone else but He Lindi. Chi Shuo hadn’t forgotten what they had messaged before, just that they hadn’t discussed the specific return time. Thinking of this, Chi Shuo glanced at her phone.
He Lindi was currently at her annual party. Twenty minutes ago, she had said she was about to go on stage, and she hadn’t replied yet.
“Alright then, message me before you come. We can also call the other two.”
“The other two” referred to Chi Shuo’s other two roommates. They had lived together day and night for four years. There were no scheming scenes like those described on Weibo, nor had they reached the level of best friends who shared everything. Everything could be described as “alright.”
“Okay.” Chi Shuo glanced at the time on her phone. “Let’s eat.”
“OK.”
The two left the coffee shop. Chi Shuo received a new WeChat message. She opened it while walking—it was a new message in the small group chat with Zeng Guai and the others.
From Xia Zhou: 【Fuck! At Didi’s annual party, someone confessed to her with a microphone!】
Zeng Guai also cursed: 【Damn, who was it?】
Xia Zhou: 【It’s the deputy head of one of their departments, named Wan Xueyi. Do you remember him? Potbellied, greasy smile.】
Chi Shuo stared at the message, her brow furrowed tightly. She typed: 【And then?】
Xia Zhou’s information network was widespread; there seemed to be nothing she didn’t know. After Chi Shuo asked, she sent another message: 【Then Didi… splashed a drink on him.】
【……】
【……】
Chi Shuo had stopped walking out of worry. Zhuang Changchang looked at her puzzledly: “Something urgent?”
Chi Shuo pressed her lips together and nodded: “Wait a moment, I need to make a call.”
After speaking, she called He Lindi. After just two “beeps,” He Lindi answered.
Chi Shuo didn’t hide her concern: “How are you now? I’ll come pick you up.”
“It’s fine. Anyway, it was almost over, so I left.” He Lindi laughed. “It’s been a long time since something like this happened.”
Chi Shuo was still worried: “The company… won’t there be any problems?”
“Don’t worry.”
“Wan Xueyi, I’ve disliked him for a long time. Bullying female university students who just joined the company, telling them they have to sleep with him to keep their jobs, things like that—I’ve always had evidence.”
Chi Shuo breathed a sigh of relief: “As long as he can’t do anything to you.”
“Where are you now?”
“Outside, about to eat with a friend.”
“Then I’ll head back for a shower first. I’ll tell you the specifics when you get back.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, the worry hadn’t left Chi Shuo’s eyes. He Lindi wouldn’t splash someone just because they confessed; there definitely had to be other reasons.
Zhuang Changchang saw Chi Shuo walk back up to her and asked, “If it’s really urgent, should we meet next time in Lucheng instead?”
Chi Shuo shook her head: “No need.”
Just as she finished speaking, Xia Zhou sent another message in the small group chat: 【Damn, Didi got framed! Someone posted on Weibo claiming the well-known photographer He Lindi splashed a colleague with a drink just because he confessed, and they even attached a video.】
