Chapter 004 I should encourage him.

  *

  The next morning, Su Xian waited in her car at the entrance of the Huaji Hotel. Zhao Nanfeng walked out with a blonde, blue-eyed beauty.

  "Hello." She rolled down her window and greeted them proactively.

  "Hello, Su, meet my girlfriend Roy," Zhao Nanfeng introduced her.

  "Hello, Roy. I'm Zhao's driver Su."

  "Nice to meet you, Su. Zhao told me you're his ex."

  "Oh, I'm sorry for that. But no need to mind, he has tons of exes and I'm the least important one."

  "Yes, he just said exactly like that. Oh, my taxi's coming. See ya."

  "See ya."

  *

  After seeing Roy off, Zhao Nanfeng opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

  "Esteemed passenger, please fasten your seatbelt." Su Xian gave him a big, fake smile.

  "If you want to roll your eyes, just do it. Why torture yourself for work?"

  "Perhaps you can't understand, but I enjoy it."

  "You're amazing, deceiving yourself like this for work. If you had shown this kind of dedication to me back then, we wouldn't have broken up. Su Xian, couldn’t you tell what really matters?"

  "I could tell. When your mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and hospitalized, she wanted to see you married before she passed away. I could understand that, and actually, after I met you, I had already given up my non-marriage stance; I was set on marrying you. But she said that after we married, I should quit my job to take care of her in the hospital and get pregnant as soon as possible to give her a grandchild. You knew how important my work was to me, but what did you say then? You told me to make a sacrifice for a while. I said I couldn't sacrifice that much, so you publicly dumped me in a big fuss. So, how can you blame me for the breakup?"

  "It turned out my mom died three months later. If you had been willing to endure it for me back then, I would surely have taken you to a higher position now."

  Su Xian slowly exhaled and said to herself: No need to argue with him now. "Who could have known if it would be three months or three years? I didn't dare to gamble. But, honestly, Engineer Zhao, when you announced on Instagram that you were selected for Kengo Kumo's office, I cried for days; I super regretted it."

  After the breakup, they hadn't blocked each other on social media, so she could see everything he posted.

  "I knew you would definitely cry."

  " Bet that felt really good, didn’t it?"

  "Needless to say? The thought of you secretly spying on my wonderful life, hiding in a corner and weeping darkly, is incredibly satisfying."

  "Weeping darkly, haha, that's a very apt description."

  "You definitely cried when I got married too."

  "Absolutely, but the next day I found a hunky guy at the gym. He was really handsome."

  "How long did you date?"

  "Not long." Su Xian bit her lip. "Later, he found a boyfriend."

  Zhao Nanfeng burst into laughter.

  Okay, letting him feel smug is fine. Men are actually quite easy to appease.

  *

  The car drove smoothly on the plane tree avenue. He hadn't been back in six years. The city was still so beautiful, and this was his starting point; it felt especially familiar now that he was returning with success.

  While he was feeling proud, Su Xian immediately shifted the topic to work, so they wouldn't have to talk about those boring things anymore.

  Thirty minutes later, the car turned onto the uphill road leading to the company. Su Xian saw Li Chengshi struggling up the slope, drinking milk tea and carrying breakfast. She didn't want to deal with him, but before she could look away, their eyes met. She had no choice but to stop the car and tell him to get in.

  The car stopped downstairs at the company. Su Xian tossed the car keys to him, telling him to finish eating before going upstairs because Zhao Nanfeng didn't like employees eating at their workstations.

  Li Chengshi silently complained under his breath, quietly finished his meal, locked the car, and went upstairs.

  **

  A few days later, at 8 PM, the lights were still on in Anliang's main conference room.

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  "The Japanese client is coming next Monday," Liang Wenya opened the projector and displayed the client information. "Sato Taiki, 56 years old, is the Head of the Development Department at Yasuda Group. His accompanying staff include a department chief and an assistant. They will first go to Zhengyuan Venture Capital, meet with the executives of Dacheng Construction there, and then meet us at the hotel. I contacted General Manager Yang of Zhengyuan, but he flat-out refused to see me. It looks like they are determined to push Dacheng Construction, so we don't need to waste energy on him. Let's focus our efforts on winning over Department Head Sato; the final decision rests with him. Su Xian, have you been training for the off-road obstacle race?"

  "I don't need to train. I'm a natural-born tough warrior."

  "Stop bragging. Last night I drove past Qingshi Road and saw Li Chengshi jogging. I have to say, that kid is usually timid, but he really steps up when it matters."

  "Is that so? Then I should encourage him."

  "How about you all?" Liang Wenya turned to the Structural and M&E departments, they got 7 people for this race.

  "You don't need to worry about us. Design Team 2 is running to win the project; we are purely running for honor."

  Liang Wenya nodded in approval. "Your morale is excellent. Don't work overtime this weekend; train well. Extra rewards for achieving a good ranking!"

  *

  The days were starting to get hot, but the evening breeze was cool and smooth.

  After dropping Zhao Nanfeng back at the hotel, Su Xian rolled down her window, slowed down, and enjoyed the quiet night. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she turned the steering wheel towards Qingshi Road.

  It was a side road with less traffic and wide pedestrian walkways on both sides, perfect for night jogging. She drove slowly along the road and indeed spotted a familiar figure.

  Su Xian silently followed behind him.

  When he reached a red light, Li Chengshi stopped, leaned over with his hands on his knees, and gasped for air. He was no athlete, but this was a critical moment for his team, and a sense of honor arose in him, making him feel that as the only male in the team, he must participate in this fight. He had already run 7 kilometers tonight; that was enough. The light turned green, but he turned around to walk back.

  Su Xian had started her car. Seeing him turn back, she had to drive ahead, find a spot to turn around, catch up with him, and shout, "Li Chengshi!"

  "Team Leader!" Li Chengshi was shocked.

  *

  Su Xian pulled over, gave him a thumbs-up, praised him generously, and finally said, "No matter if you can finish the whole course or not, I will give you a bonus."

  "How much?"

  "200."

  "So stingy. Never mind. Give me 20 first. I'm going to buy a grilled squid, and you can deduct it from that 100,000 compensation fee. I'm hungry from the run."

  "I don't have cash. Should I transfer it to you on WeChat?"

  "I don't want to leave a transfer record."

  "Where are you buying it? Take me there; I'll scan the QR code."

  "See the intersection ahead? Turn left. On the left side of the road, there's a barbecue stall."

  "Get in the car."

  "No, I'm all sweaty. You drive; I'll follow."

  *

  Outdoor barbecue stalls on a summer night are a city sight—not very beautiful, but very delicious.

  "Team Leader, do you want anything to eat?"

  Su Xian swallowed her saliva and shook her head.

  "Boss, one large grilled squid, please."

  "20. Scan the QR code here."

  Su Xian stepped forward to scan the code, couldn't help but grumble, "You're making the 100,000 into countless 20s or 10s. I'll have to record every spending myself; how much effort will that waste?"

  "If you trust me, let me keep the record. I'll report to you once it reaches 1,000."

  "Fine. I'll leave now. Go home early after you finish eating."

  *