Chi Shuo had never been on a business trip before; her job description didn’t really involve travel.
Tasks like contacting artists’ agencies or studios were handled by other colleagues. Sometimes, to discuss finer details, these colleagues would travel, sending back the latest schedule information to Chi Shuo’s department like updates from afar.
Chi Shuo just needed to stay put at her desk. She had never imagined she’d one day have to go on a business trip.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go. After working in the office for so long, it did get boring, and a change of environment would surely feel different.
She just didn’t want the person she happened to be traveling with to be He Lindi.
She couldn’t be alone with He Lindi; otherwise, she felt extremely uncomfortable.
That was why she had to drag Xia Zhou and the others along when she went to “warn” He Lindi before.
And now, this situation felt a bit surreal.
Chi Shuo frowned, confirming, “Is the source reliable?”
Only after asking did she realize she was still standing frozen in place. She relaxed her body and started walking home.
“Shuo Shuo, questioning my sources is questioning my abilities. When have I ever been unreliable in these matters?”
“True,” Chi Shuo conceded.
Xia Zhou knew everyone; it wasn’t hard for her to get such information since she was familiar with people in both companies.
Chi Shuo thought of another question. “Just…” she coughed lightly, embarrassment prickling her skin like a mosquito bite, itchy and tempting to scratch, “…just the two of us?”
“How could that be possible?” Xia Zhou’s answer brought Chi Shuo a wave of relief.
“Where are we going?”
“That I don’t know. Maybe the official notice will come out tomorrow.”
After hanging up, Chi Shuo realized her palms had unknowingly become slightly sweaty.
Feeling sticky, Chi Shuo took out a tissue, wiped her hands, and tossed it into a trash can in the residential complex.
Waking up the next day, Friday, Chi Shuo got up unusually early because she needed to put on makeup.
When she first started working, filled with energy and wanting to look presentable, Chi Shuo would wake up early every morning to do her makeup. But soon enough, she prioritized sleeping in, just quickly washing her face before heading to the office.
She didn’t expect another morning like this. Knowing she had to go on a business trip with He Lindi had kept her up all night, leaving her looking terrible.
After finishing her makeup, Chi Shuo stared at herself in the mirror for two minutes, then her slightly thin lips parted, letting out a breath.
She didn’t know the exact dates of the trip or who else was going, but just the news of traveling with He Lindi was enough to put her on edge.
Time gave her no chance to ease into it. Approaching 9 AM, Chi Shuo arrived at the company right on time.
She happened to run into Xia Zhou downstairs, who was quite surprised. “Shuo Shuo, you’re acting weird today. Not only did you put on makeup, but you’re also arriving right on the dot.”
Chi Shuo tried to remain calm, glancing sideways at her. “Makeup puts me in a better mood.”
“Tsk.”
As usual, they went to the conference room for the morning meeting when the time came.
And Xia Zhou’s information proved accurate once again. At the end of the meeting, the supervisor informed Chi Shuo about the business trip.
The trip was scheduled for the following Tuesday to Friday, destination Beijing, targeting a popular A-list male actor named Song Qin. Chi Shuo’s task was to coordinate with his staff to get the latest batch of schedule information for the official website.
This wasn’t typically Chi Shuo’s job, but she couldn’t exactly question it directly. She could only nod in agreement.
She was actually somewhat looking forward to the trip, but the thought of going with He Lindi dampened her spirits again.
The morning was busy. During the lunch break, while eating in the cafeteria, Zeng Guai finally revealed her curiosity. “Shuo Shuo, you’re going on a business trip with He Lindi?”
“Yeah.” Chi Shuo looked up at her, her gaze calm. “Don’t ask. Eat.”
Xia Zhou lived nearby and usually went home for takeout at lunch, not joining Chi Shuo and Zeng Guai.
Hearing Chi Shuo’s words, Zeng Guai pondered for a few seconds, her eyes fixed on Chi Shuo’s face, clearly having something more to say.
Chi Shuo swallowed the rice in her mouth and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re here to ask about my love life too?”
Zeng Guai’s eyes widened slightly. “Huh?” She smiled and shook her head. “Of course not! If you wanted to talk about it, you would have.”
Chi Shuo was puzzled. “Then why are you staring at me like that?”
“Well…” Zeng Guai’s smile turned a bit fawning. “If you see Song Qin, and if it’s possible, could you get an autograph for me? I really like him.”
“No,” Chi Shuo shook her head slowly, watching Zeng Guai’s gradually disappointed expression with amusement in her eyes. “But I can sell it to you cheap.”
“Shit.”
“Is there something wrong with you and He Lindi? She said the same thing about Shen Qu’s autograph last time.”
“Really?”
Chi Shuo wasn’t the only one from Xinyue going on this trip; three others were going too, but they were all guys. Including the people from Xiyu, the group totaled nine people.
Three girls, six guys.
The two companies had already booked their flights and hotels. Other travel expenses incurred during the trip could be reimbursed by finance upon return.
Over the weekend, Chi Shuo prepared for her upcoming first business trip. She hadn’t expected to travel for work before, so she didn’t own a small, 18-inch suitcase. This weekend, she had Xia Zhou and the others accompany her to the mall to buy one.
It was only a three-day trip, so she didn’t need to pack much, but it was still more than a backpack could hold.
As Tuesday drew closer, Chi Shuo could clearly feel her nervousness intensifying.
She was nervous about going to Beijing for the first time, nervous about her first business trip, and nervous… about going on a business trip with He Lindi.
She knew she no longer liked He Lindi romantically—after all, they had known each other for some time now—but the traces of her past crush were still etched in a corner of her heart.
Her heart didn’t flutter for He Lindi, but in that corner, a little devil was always stirring things up, reminding her that she once had a crush on He Lindi.
To celebrate Chi Shuo’s first business trip, Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai decided to have dinner at Chi Shuo’s place on Monday night.
Just eating, not cooking. Xia Zhou had already ordered takeout while at the office. Not long after arriving at Chi Shuo’s apartment, the delivery arrived.
Perfect timing. Chi Shuo took three cans of Sprite from the fridge, put straws in them, and placed one in front of each of them.
Zeng Guai took a large gulp, then let out a long, uninhibited burp, her face beaming with joy, her tone slightly giddy. “Shuo Shuo, you didn’t even compete with He Lindi drinking Sprite at the KTV last time.”
“She got scared,” Chi Shuo said lazily.
Xia Zhou scoffed, sitting down across from Chi Shuo and calling her bluff. “If she hadn’t had something urgent come up, I think you would have been the scared one, Shuo Shuo.” She finished and asked Zeng Guai, “Guai Guai, what do you think?”
Zeng Guai’s focus was entirely on how Xia Zhou addressed her. “Shit, Xia Zhou, call me by my name, not Guai Guai.” She rubbed her arm. “It gives me goosebumps.”
Calling her “Guai Guai” was like dropping a bomb on her. Chi Shuo and Xia Zhou had known this since they first met Zeng Guai, but they occasionally used the nickname just to tease her.
Xia Zhou grinned but complied, “Okay, okay.”
During dinner, Chi Shuo mostly listened as Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai gave her pointers.
Both of them had been on business trips before; only Chi Shuo hadn’t.
“You three girls will share a triple room. Take the bed by the window; it’s quieter.”
“If you don’t understand anything, just ask Xiao Cheng and the others. They’re old hands at this.”
“If you run into locals trying to scam you, don’t step forward. Let Xiao Cheng and the tall guys handle it. It’s easy for girls to get bullied.”
…
The advice went in one ear and out the other. In fact, Chi Shuo had rarely even traveled for leisure in her life, or rather, since her parents divorced, she had basically stopped traveling altogether. Going to university in Lu Cheng didn’t count, naturally.
So, understandably, she viewed the business trip as a form of travel, just less free.
Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai mentioned whatever came to mind, even self-defense moves. Chi Shuo couldn’t help asking, “Is going on a business trip really that risky?”
“Better safe than sorry,” Xia Zhou slapped the table. “It’s always good to be careful.”
Chi Shuo nodded. “So, are you done?”
“Wait!” Zeng Guai suddenly frowned, put down her chopsticks, looked at Chi Shuo, and asked, “What if you and He Lindi get into an argument?”
“Then we argue? What else?” Chi Shuo looked completely matter-of-fact.
Zeng Guai shook her head. “No, you can’t argue. It will affect work.”
Her three “no’s” made Chi Shuo frown too. “We argue, but it doesn’t conflict with work. It’s a personal matter.”
“No, think about it. Arguing affects your mood. If your mood is affected, can you work properly? If you can’t work properly, you’ll make mistakes. If you make mistakes, you’ll get docked pay. Even though our salaries aren’t low, every penny counts. Wouldn’t the money you lose be better spent on food or fun?”
Chi Shuo: “…”
She was persuaded. “Fine.”
Tuesday morning at 9:30 AM, Chi Shuo arrived at the designated meeting spot with her suitcase, ready to take the car to the airport together.
Out of the nine people, besides He Lindi, only two from Xiyu were relatively unfamiliar to Chi Shuo. She had WeChat contacts for the others and would greet them when they met.
The meeting time was 9:40 AM. Chi Shuo arrived ten minutes early. Seven people were already there.
Chi Shuo stood with Xiao Cheng; truthfully, he was the one she was most familiar with in the group.
He Lindi had also arrived, her small suitcase placed in front of her. She was wearing her Bluetooth earbuds, head slightly lowered, looking at her phone.
Chi Shuo chatted with Xiao Cheng, but because He Lindi was some distance away, her peripheral vision kept drifting towards her.
When the remaining two people arrived, Chi Shuo finally relaxed.
Over the years, He Lindi hadn’t changed one bit in her ability to shine brightly. Even though Chi Shuo no longer liked her, she still found her dazzling.
Roll call, board the vehicle.
It was over an hour’s drive from this location to the airport. They had booked a business van.
There was exactly one seat per person. Adhering to the “ladies first” principle, the guys let Chi Shuo and the other two girls board first while they handled the luggage.
Chi Shuo looked around and chose a window seat in the second-to-last row. He Lindi and the other girl from Xiyu, Cui Mi, took the two seats directly in front of her.
Soon, everyone was seated, and the driver started the van.
Some people began chatting. Chi Shuo didn’t participate. She put on her eye mask, planning to catch up on sleep, as she hadn’t slept well the previous night.
But this kind of sleep was light, easily disturbed by others’ voices. Chi Shuo woke up several times during the ride.
Unsure how much time had passed, while Chi Shuo was still drifting in a daze, Cui Mi tapped her shoulder. “Chi Shuo, wake up. We’re in the parking lot.”
Chi Shuo removed her eye mask, adjusted to the light for a couple of seconds, and thanked her, “Okay, thanks.”
Cui Mi smiled and shook her head. “You’re welcome.” She then turned to tap He Lindi’s shoulder. “Teacher He, we’re here.”
Belatedly, Chi Shuo looked over and realized He Lindi hadn’t left yet. Her head was resting against the window, also wearing an eye mask. Her lips were pressed together, the visible tip of her nose slightly upturned, and there was a faint curve to her lips, indicating she had slept soundly.
“Mm.” He Lindi also took off her eye mask. She rubbed her eyes and looked over.
Her eyes still seemed slightly misty. Chi Shuo was momentarily stunned by her gaze, then calmly turned to walk past.
Cui Mi had already gotten off. Now it was just the two of them in the van. Chi Shuo felt the hairs on her arms stand on end.
“Chi Shuo.” He Lindi called out just as she was about to get off. Having slept for a while, her usually clear, youthful voice was tinged with a soft huskiness, sounding gentle. “Give me a hand, I have no energy left.”
