Qiu Yang arrived at the airport, first grabbing a bowl of noodles to fill her stomach before waiting for the other three.
Peng Kaimiao was unusually excited about the business trip, his eyes shining when he saw Qiu Yang: “Qiu Jie, have you been to Beijing on a business trip before?”
Here we go again, like a walking encyclopedia of questions.
Qiu Yang replied with an “Mm” and immediately changed the subject: “Let’s check in.”
There were four of them in total. Besides Qiu Yang, there was a girl named Qin Tian, who seemed quiet and well-behaved.
The other guy was about the same age as Peng Kaimiao, named Chen Chen. He wore glasses and seemed much more composed than Peng Kaimiao.
It was Qiu Yang’s first time leading a team, and she was somewhat nervous. Although Qu Yan said it wasn’t a major project and she could handle it, she still felt some psychological pressure.
It was like someone who had never been a class cadre was suddenly pushed forward to be the class monitor; they would inevitably feel some apprehension and unease.
However, Qiu Yang didn’t show it at all, otherwise, how could the other three trust her?
Through security, waiting for the flight.
Before the plane took off, Qiu Yang opened the chat with Shen Ningruo again, but didn’t know what to say.
Shen Ningruo’s question still echoed in her ears. She didn’t know how to answer, or if she should avoid answering.
Based on the situation at the time, she was sleeping, and what Shen Ningruo said was like a secret. So, should she just pretend she didn’t hear? Qiu Yang found a loophole.
But Shen Ningruo’s tone was very gentle, and her voice held a hint of grievance. Qiu Yang could picture Shen Ningruo’s appearance just by thinking back.
She must have looked similar to that night, like a pitiful little puppy.
The cabin was a bit noisy. After the flight attendant reminded everyone to turn off their phones or switch to flight mode, Qiu Yang still typed three words: 【Taking off.】
She didn’t wait for Shen Ningruo’s reply, switched to flight mode, closed her eyes, and put on her eye mask.
The flight from Yuncheng to Beijing takes about two hours. Qiu Yang kept her eye mask on until the plane landed.
Beijing was sunny and pleasant.
Qiu Yang adjusted to the light, and for a moment, she thought she was back in Xicheng.
Then Peng Kaimiao’s voice pulled her back to reality: “Qiu Jie, should we go eat first?”
“Let’s go to the hotel and drop off our luggage first,” Qiu Yang glanced at him and replied calmly.
Peng Kaimiao rubbed his stomach, said “Mm,” and then turned to chat about other things with Qin Tian.
He really was talkative.
People were already getting off the plane, but it was crowded. Qiu Yang wasn’t in a hurry and told the other three to wait.
Footsteps shuffled, some people were on the phone, others were sending voice messages.
The cabin was still noisy.
Qiu Yang’s lips tightened into a straight line. She nervously swallowed before turning off flight mode.
Several people had sent messages on WeChat: the contact person from Youfei Company who was discussing the collaboration with them, Qu Yan sending messages to reiterate a few points, and Yue Chu sending a message asking if she had arrived safely.
Only Shen Ningruo hadn’t messaged.
Qiu Yang felt a wave of awkwardness looking at the three words “Taking off” she had sent. Normally, if Shen Ningruo didn’t reply, she wouldn’t think anything of it.
But because of last night, the atmosphere between Shen Ningruo and her was off, and even their online communication felt a bit stiff.
Qiu Yang frowned. The longer she looked, the more awkward it felt.
She simply long-pressed and deleted the message from the chat history, trying to fool herself.
After doing all that, Qiu Yang seriously replied to the others’ messages. She also had a new friend request; someone wanted to add her as a friend.
This was the friend in Beijing whom Yue Chu had recommended, who knew a lot about food there.
She accepted.
The other person immediately sent a message: 【Hello, I’m Chuchu’s friend, you can just call me Cheng Cheng.】
Qiu Yang chatted with her for a few minutes. The cabin was mostly empty now. She stood up, took down her backpack, and led the team off the plane.
Since they had to wait for their luggage anyway, Qiu Yang felt it didn’t make much difference whether they got off earlier or later. They’d still have to wait in the end, right?
Someone from Youfei Company came to meet them. As Qiu Yang walked towards the exit with her luggage, she saw someone holding a sign with “Wanming” written on it.
Qiu Yang immediately put on a professional smile and walked over: “Hello, we are from Wanming Company.”
They ended up eating first before settling in. The person sent by Youfei Company was too enthusiastic and took them straight to a restaurant.
It was already 5:30 PM by the time they checked into the hotel. They had arrived in Beijing just after 3 PM, and two hours had flown by.
Qiu Yang shared a standard room with Qin Tian. As soon as they entered, Qiu Yang collapsed onto the bed.
Traveling and switching between various modes of transport was truly exhausting for Qiu Yang.
Qin Tian was much quieter. She hadn’t been at the company for long, and this was her first business trip. Sharing a room with the team leader made her feel a bit awkward sitting on the sofa.
After a while, Qin Tian spoke up: “Qiu Jie, do you want some hot water?”
“No, thank you,” Qiu Yang stared at the ceiling, blinking twice. Her mind was currently thinking about Shen Ningruo.
She was reflecting on whether her words last night were truly excessive, causing Shen Ningruo to ignore her all day.
However, it was also very possible that Shen Ningruo was busy and didn’t see the message, Qiu Yang told herself.
Until she habitually checked Moments and found that Shen Ningruo had posted an update half an hour ago: 【Drinking water properly today too.】
Accompanied by a picture of steaming water.
Qiu Yang’s lips tightened.
This meant Shen Ningruo definitely saw her message but just wasn’t replying.
Qiu Yang quietly exhaled. Her heart seemed to clench for a moment, but the feeling quickly dissipated as her attention was diverted by Cheng Cheng.
Cheng Cheng was truly professional. After learning which hotel Qiu Yang was staying at, she quickly sent Qiu Yang a document.
Qiu Yang opened it to find a list of delivery and dine-in places that Cheng Cheng had rated, including baozi and congee shops, noodle places, and even some BBQ and fried chicken.
Cheng Cheng included her own reviews, recommending each place very seriously. Qiu Yang was stunned for a long time after reading it.
How did Yue Chu make a friend like this?
So impressive.
Qiu Yang said “Thank you” several times before coming out of her shock.
Cheng Cheng: 【You’re welcome.】
Cheng Cheng: 【Chuchu’s sister is my sister.】
Qiu Yang knew she was receiving such good treatment thanks to Yue Chu. Qiu Yang was aware of this.
Just then, Yue Chu was about to go to work and sent Qiu Yang a video of Pingzi before leaving.
Qiu Yang watched it, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly, her expression softening considerably.
Qin Tian was reading and catching up on materials nearby, occasionally looking up at Qiu Yang, whose expression changed each time she looked.
Qin Tian: …Is this what they mean by changing faces?
Since they had just arrived in Beijing today and didn’t have much to do, Qiu Yang sat for a while longer before taking a shower.
She had specifically brought button-up pajamas with a relatively high collar this time because of the marks Shen Ningruo had left on her collarbone and chest.
They were still quite visible after not much time had passed.
Qiu Yang raised her hand to touch them while looking in the mirror, her thoughts becoming somewhat complicated for a moment.
Shen Ningruo was indeed busy today, but Qiu Yang was pinned at the top of her list, so she only needed a glance to see if Qiu Yang had messaged.
Normally, if she saw it, she would reply, even though they had only added each other on WeChat a few days ago and didn’t chat frequently.
But today, she saw it and pretended not to.
Just like Qiu Yang clearly heard her words this morning but pretended not to.
And Shen Ningruo even deliberately posted a Moment to make Qiu Yang realize this.
Didn’t that just make it more annoying?
It was like retaliation for Qiu Yang’s “I won’t trouble you” from last night.
However, with Qiu Yang on a business trip, Shen Ningruo had nothing to look forward to after work. Time felt very slow, and she had to immerse herself in work to ease her inner restlessness.
By the time she finished work, it was 8:30 PM, and it was already dark.
Most subordinates had gone home. Shen Ningruo rubbed her temples, put on her coat, grabbed her bag, and left the office.
The sound of her high heels echoed particularly clearly in the quiet night.
Shen Ningruo was expressionless. She drove out of the basement parking lot but almost instinctively drove towards where Qiu Yang lived.
Shen Ningruo: …
It wasn’t her fault, the car had its own ideas.
But at the next corner, Shen Ningruo still turned towards Qiu Yang’s place. She wanted to see how far it really was.
In reality, without traffic, it only took twenty minutes from Qiyao to Qiu Yang’s residential area.
Just twenty minutes, yet Qiu Yang told her “it’s quite far for you to come over.”
Shen Ningruo parked outside the complex, watching people go in and out, but the figure she was expecting didn’t appear.
Undoubtedly, she and Qiu Yang were currently having a silent spat, though she wasn’t sure of the exact reason.
Qiu Yang’s words last night hurt her. She thought Qiu Yang should know, but Qiu Yang showed no sign of it.
Shen Ningruo stroked the steering wheel. Was their relationship not even one where they could help each other look after a cat?
Shen Ningruo lowered the car window slightly. The wind blew in through her collar, and she shivered, pulling her clothes tighter.
Two seconds later, her phone rang.
It was Xiao Yang calling.
Shen Ningruo immediately cleared her throat before sliding to answer, saying in a calm tone: “Hello?”
“I will,” Qiu Yang said only two words before quickly hanging up.
Shen Ningruo looked at the black phone screen, her eyes gradually curving into a smile.
She sighed to herself: “I’m so easy to coax.”
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