Chapter 2: Competition, Leng's (1)

  Saturday afternoon came as usual for lunch, after eating and drinking enough, lying on the sofa reading a book.

  Sitting comfortably on the floor, opening a laptop to work.

  "Why didn't you go back to the company today? You were so enthusiastic these past few weeks, finishing lunch and leaving without even taking a nap?" Wen Rou asked gently.

  "At that time, I had just taken over and there were many documents to check, it was not convenient to bring them back. Now that things are on track, basically everything can be handled at home, so I don't bother running around anymore."

  Gently looking at her, "It can't be that Nan Xuan has offended you, right?"

  Warm smile, "What are you thinking? I'm now listening to the difference in handling affairs. Even if the boss asks me to die at 5:03, I wouldn't dare delay until 5:03:01." Where is the saying that a superior provokes his subordinate, he doesn't find fault with her and should be smiling secretly instead.

  "But looking at you, it's just like before. When you're not happy, you sulk in your room, clearly throwing a tantrum but not saying a word, and leaving the person who offended you hanging in the cold until they coax you back with 13,000 apologies."

  "You also said that was in the past, look at how you're deceiving me now?" In a month or half a month, I can hardly see his shadow a few times.

  "How was your trip with Zhu Lin?"

  "It's still the same as before."

  "When are you planning to get married?"

  "When the water flows into the canal."

  Gently couldn't help but glare, "You're not even as good as saying 'dripping water penetrates the stone'."

  She smiled, "Even if the rope saws through the wood, it's okay."

  "Just do what needs to be done, I'm so annoyed with this 'go with the flow' attitude. Honestly, if not, I'd rather dig a ditch in your kitchen sink and fill it with water, then we can say 'water has flowed into the ditch'."

  Warmth lost smile got up.

  "What's wrong?" she called softly.

  "Go get me the tools for digging a ditch."

  The book in her hand shot out like a dark arrow, warmth dodged hastily, went into the kitchen to cut up mangoes and brought them out, then continued to work with her head down.

  She gently rolled her eyes and said, "I've already tripled the money your dad left for you. Why do you still get up early every day to work hard for a meager salary?"

  "Not working and having nothing to do, is it better to stay at home and be a cooking wife for myself?"

  In fact, her salary is not as low as Wen Rou and Zhu Linlu's, because of the high level, daily expenses including clothing costs can be reimbursed by the company, currently this life status makes her very satisfied, with no worries, what more could she ask for?

  "I really don't know what to say to you, except that Zhu Linlu doesn't get along with anyone regardless of gender. If you really like him so much, why not just marry him and be done with it? Otherwise, you'll just be wasting your time, and who knows, he might end up being taken away by someone else."

  "Huh? What did you hear? Or what did you see?"

  "My eyes and ears are not good, I didn't hear or see anything. Instead, I hope you're doing a bit better, don't just focus on being a shallow Yu Gong, and ignore your boyfriend's affairs."

  "Thanks for reminding me, sis. Forget about me, let's talk about you instead."

  Gently picking up a mango, "Me? What's there to talk about, every day it's just thinking of making money or making even more money."

  Her warm eyes drooped slightly as she smiled and said, "Sometimes you should also care about yourself."

  Gently holding the mango in mid-air, "What does it mean?"

  She raised her head, with a calm gaze, "Actually, you don't have to take time out every Saturday to accompany me."

  Gently pulling at the corners of her mouth, "What did I say wrong that made you unhappy? Was it what I said about Zhū Lín Road just now?"

  "You misunderstood, I didn't mean that. I know my life is dull so you're always worried, but now I'm already 25 years old, you can go live your own life... Even in the past, I was never your responsibility, you never owed me anything."

  Gently and quietly, he ate the mango slice by slice, then stood up, "I still have something to do, let's talk another day."

  Warmth did not open his mouth to retain her, but quietly watched her leave.

  If everything in life could be replayed from the start, would today's events turn out any differently?

  Fortunately, in these endless days, there was still one thing that could be used to pass the time, and that was music.

  She lay down on the sofa, picked up the remote control and turned on the music player, letting the melodious piano sound fill the room.

  A habit formed in my youth, the first thing I do every morning after opening my eyes is to turn on the stereo, and then get out of bed, dress, wash up, have breakfast, etc. amidst the music that fills the room, from ethereal New Age to chart-topping pop songs, nothing is left unheard.

  For many years, every night, it was also the scheduled music that accompanied her into sleep in the darkness.

  Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the afternoon sun is full of sky, the April weather is faintly, and the memories brought by the gentle music are a little bit unforgettable, with a hint of sweetness that cannot be waved away, but more is still a heart full of bitterness that has nowhere to hide.

  Really, if everything could be done again.

  At three o'clock in the afternoon, the azure BUGATTI drove into Shallow Yu's underground garage on time and stopped at its designated parking space. Through the windshield, he saw that the opposite parking space was empty, and Qin Nan's thin lips curved slightly upwards.

  Bo Yi sat in the passenger seat and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

  "She didn't come today, you won't be able to see her."

  Boyi's heart sank in disappointment, "What a coincidence. The day I saw her... she seemed to have changed a lot."

  The faint arc of her lips remained, the car arrived, and her gaze swept over the empty parking space. Nan Xuan didn't respond, had she changed a lot? She seemed to have, from the inside out, as if she had become a different person. However, some things deep down remained unchanged, her temper was still so big, and her heart was still so high.

  Bo leaned on his arm and went upstairs, "You know? She was once a banner in my heart that I couldn't reach."

  Zhan Nanxuan smiled at her, "Are you kidding me? A two-time Golden Horse and Golden Rooster winner, in the ten years since your debut, you've not only won awards at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival and Cannes, but also had two films nominated for Oscars. You're already famous and wealthy, and on top of that, you have a boyfriend like me who's one in a million. Looking around all of Asia, there isn't another woman who can match up to you, and yet you're still not satisfied?"

  What's so warm about it? It's just a low-key little secretary, occupying a spot in front of his office door, with a desk, chair, computer and countless documents and cases inside and out, having to watch the boss's face every minute.

  She lightly ran her hand over the warm folder on the desk, saw that the items inside were neatly categorized with labels, and closed it again, letting out a soft sigh.

  "Do you have that feeling? The more successful you are, the more you feel that these things were not what you wanted in the first place, and instead, you miss the years when you were not tainted by utilitarianism. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I wake up with a hollow feeling in my chest, and at first, I don't know what it is. As the years go by, one day I finally understand that deep down, there has always been a knot of regret."

  She turned her head to look at him, "If it weren't for you not allowing it, I would have contacted her two years ago."

  "I'm also doing it for your own good, you coming here will only lead to trouble."

  "It can't be, right? That day she also greeted me. She didn't refuse people from afar. I just find it strange that her personality used to be so sunny, but now she's floating around like a fairy, making it hard for people to imagine."

  "After a moment of silence, Zhan Nan said, 'She has indeed changed a lot. She's become very introverted.'"

  Bo said in surprise, "I didn't see it at all."

  “She worked at Shallow Universe for two years and didn’t make a single friend.”

  Bo Yi's expression turned slightly dim, and he was speechless for a moment before finally forcing a bitter smile.

  "It's all because of me."

  Zhan Nanxuan shook his head, "It has nothing to do with you, back then... maybe something happened that even I didn't know about."

  "Don't you know either?"

  "Ah, but that's not important." Zhan Nanxuan gently wrapped his arms around her waist. "Now I only have one unfulfilled wish, once I've settled this matter, I'll marry you."

  Boyi's voice fell silent, her forehead pressed against his shoulder socket, her eyelashes brushing over the dark shadows of his shirt, somewhat dazed.

  Against the bright light outside the blue glass curtain, his eyes condensed into a mysterious color, as if emotionless and hard as iron stone, yet entwined with thousands of threads soft as water, like a deep pool swallowing every inch of hesitation without stirring, yet like ten thousand horses galloping heart thoughts changing rapidly to the extreme.

  Ultimately complicated beyond anyone's understanding.

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