Li Wu stood in place as if under a freezing spell, staring at this page for who knows how long.
Though there was so little content on it, it seemed like it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend.
Until his phone vibrated in his pocket, only then did he close the notebook with one hand and answer the call.
It was Cheng Rui calling, his tone impatient: “How much longer? I’ve been waiting for you downstairs forever, I’m dying from the heat.”
Li Wu replied: “Coming.”
He packed up his things, carefully placed the journal in his backpack’s inner compartment, then left the office, heading for the corridor.
Seeing him, Cheng Rui, who was covered in sweat from the summer heat, broke into a smile: “Were you held up by classmates asking for autographs, taking so long?”
Li Wu glanced at him: “I’m not the top scorer.”
Cheng Rui grinned: “You’re not far off—you’re the top scorer in my heart.”
Li Wu’s lips curved slightly, asking about his college plans: “Have you decided where to go?”
Cheng Rui was frustrated: “I finally escaped my mom, and now you start! Great God Li, Scholar Wu, please spare us strugglers barely making the passing line—”
Li Wu said no more.
The sun was blazing. The two walked down the corridor, went to the tree-shaded roadside, and headed toward the school gate.
On the way, Cheng Rui received a phone call, from the sound of it, his mother.
Cheng Rui grumbled a few words impatiently, then asked Li Wu: “My mom’s at the supermarket, asking if you want sweet and sour ribs tonight.”
Li Wu said: “Anything Auntie cooks is delicious.”
“Hah,” Cheng Rui snorted coldly, continuing arrogantly to the phone: “He says he doesn’t want sweet and sour ribs, he wants braised pork.”
Li Wu turned his head to look at him: “?”
Cheng Rui hung up, pleased with himself: “What? I want braised pork. You’re her real son, I’m just the adopted one getting some benefits. Any problem?”
Li Wu smiled faintly and looked away without a word.
As it happened, after deciding to move out from Cen Jin’s place, Li Wu had planned to find a short-term rental to get through the summer vacation before university started.
After searching and comparing for a long time, he picked several places that looked cleanest, most cost-effective, and well-equipped, planning to inspect them in person.
After identifying the first one and contacting the owner, unexpectedly, the person who came to show him the place was a sweaty Cheng Rui.
The two old classmates met at the corridor entrance, both stunned.
After staring at each other for several seconds, Cheng Rui asked: “What’s your situation?”
Li Wu asked: “I want to rent a place. Is this your house?”
Cheng Rui replied: “My mom’s. She’s playing mahjong and couldn’t come.”
Li Wu digested this coincidence: “Then show me around.”
Cheng Rui asked curiously: “You have nowhere to stay? What about your sister?”
The youth’s eyes suddenly darkened, unable to utter a single word.
That day, Cheng Rui directly took this most pitiful provincial seventh-placer home.
Mother Cheng was surprised at first, but upon hearing that Li Wu was her son’s former roommate and classmate, and among the province’s top ten, she became so excited and enthusiastic that she didn’t know how to welcome him properly, insisting he stay for dinner.
Then learning from her son that Li Wu had nowhere to go, Mother Cheng generously waved her hand, telling him to move in with Cheng Rui, saying he was a scholarly star coming to their door who must be well-fed and taken care of while criticizing her own son as completely useless.
Li Wu was overwhelmed by the kindness, asking Cheng Rui if this was appropriate.
Cheng Rui laughed dryly: “Forgive her. She had terrible grades since childhood, gave birth to a son who’s not much better, and her eyes go straight when she sees good students.”
His mother’s hand came down on his head: “Who asked you to talk!”
Looking at the table full of delicious dishes, Li Wu sincerely reflected: Being good at studying really could put food on the table.
From then on, Li Wu had a place to stay.
The first two days, Cheng Rui stayed home gaming day and night, while Li Wu read through all the extracurricular books in his bedroom.
Cheng Rui tried to drag him in, to soar and conquer together in the virtual world, but Li Wu remained unmoved, instead becoming a capable household helper at their home.
Mother Cheng liked him more and more, growing increasingly fond of him, wanting to exchange sons. She even regretted that Cheng Rui wasn’t born a girl, otherwise she would have tied Li Wu down as her son-in-law.
Cheng Rui was speechless.
After several days, Cheng Rui went crazy buying points in games until he was completely broke.
He started thinking about finding part-time work. Li Wu had the same intention, and the two young men immediately agreed, setting off toward their first bucket of gold in life.
Before bed, in the darkness, the two boys lay side by side, their faces lit by their phones.
One with fierce eyes, one deeply focused, both searching for local part-time job information.
Cheng Rui was most clever when it came to making money. Considering Li Wu’s factors, he eagerly suggested: “Let’s find something around Jiuli Building. That way you might have a chance to run into your goddess. There are lots of people there, high traffic, stores must need people, and the daily pay is higher than other places.”
Li Wu: “…”
Since learning about Li Wu and Cen Jin’s unspeakable secret relationship, what Cheng Rui had thought was “Li Wu’s sister” had changed in his mouth to… “goddess”—a term that gave Li Wu goosebumps every time he heard it.
He probably still preferred calling her “sister.”
“Don’t stay silent!” Cheng Rui shouted and grabbed his phone, but when he got it, he saw Li Wu’s page had already locked onto a target:
Meet Coffee on the first floor of the Jiuli Building.
Cheng Rui sighed quietly, handed the phone back, looking at him with new respect: “Not bad, Li Wu. I was thinking about looking around the area, but you’re going straight into enemy territory.”
Li Wu scanned the screen again: “I’m not.”
He had just happened to see this store and remembered the last day of 2019, when he sat inside with her, watching the night view side by side. The three words he thought he wouldn’t have the courage to say for a long time had come out too early due to an accident, and from then on pushed her further away.
“Don’t say you’re not! If you want to pursue a girl, you have to find ways to constantly make her aware of your existence, until she can’t forget even if she wants to,” Cheng Rui declared confidently: “Look at me these past few days—I’ve been busy gaming and haven’t been sweet-talking Tao Lianwen much, and guess what? She took the initiative to ask about my college plans today!”
Li Wu seized the opportunity to ask: “So where are you applying?”
Cheng Rui collapsed: “Get lost.” He eagerly jabbed at the screen: “Tomorrow let’s go ask at this place.”
―
In early July, Cen Jin spent more and more time at the company. She had four projects on hand, three of which needed her proposals, keeping her extremely busy. The recently promoted ACD of the creative department was supposedly showing initiative as a new official, but in reality, was thoroughly interpreting the phrase “the capable do more work.”
Who said being a leader would be easier?
What an enormous scam.
Especially during graduation season, the company also had more interns. Her projects were assigned two with connections, the type whose only talent was talking. They constantly asked Cen Jin this and that, and she could only be internally annoyed while outwardly kindly guiding them on work priorities and workplace wisdom.
This day, Cen Jin had just arrived at the company and sat down to take a sip of water when she saw the WeChat group at the bottom of her screen constantly flashing.
The group was called [Yuncheng! Go!].
This was the Yuncheng tourism promotion project their team had just won. Because it was a cooperation with the local provincial government, the company paid particular attention to it. They had spent over a month just preparing the pitch PPT, with various departments refining and revising the proposal, finally enabling Aoxing to surpass two other 4A agencies and two media companies to emerge victorious.
Cen Jin thought they were complaining about the proposal again and was about to participate, but discovered they were discussing a handsome guy.
Aoxing-Yuan Zhen: Damn! My aesthetic standards have been updated again.
Aoxing-Lu Qiqi: I told you yesterday, but you didn’t believe me, insisted on no picture no truth. Now there’s a picture, got nothing to say huh?
Aoxing-Ann: Seems he just came a few days ago, I just asked the manager and she said he’s summer help. Yuan Zhen: I must see him in person at lunch today! Right now! Immediately!! Must sleep with him before summer vacation ends!
Lu Qiqi: Take me with you!
Yuan Zhen: How many times have you seen him? Don’t be so thirsty.
Lu Qiqi: Just twice, thank you.
…
They were discussing with great delight; Cen Jin couldn’t help asking: Who are you talking about?
Lu Qiqi said: Meet has a new handsome temporary worker, incredibly good-looking, scroll up, I took a sneaky photo this morning.
Cen Jin’s eyebrows raised slightly as she scrolled the mouse wheel, taking a while to find the photo Lu Qiqi mentioned among hundreds of fangirl comments.
She clicked to enlarge it, then froze.
Her gaze didn’t linger long on the photo. Cen Jin expressionlessly closed the enlarged image, then minimized the WeChat window and opened other documents to look at.
After being busy for a while, Teddy called everyone for a meeting, and people streamed toward the conference room.
Lu Qiqi pulled Cen Jin along, with other female colleagues walking behind, chattering like a flock of magpies.
Yuan Zhen’s voice was most prominent: “I asked the manager on WeChat, and she said she’ll have that boy deliver up here later!”
The women, having achieved their goal, cheered jubilantly.
Cen Jin knew who “that boy” they were talking about was, and wished she had earplugs, being forced to let these words continuously enter her ears, making her feel like she had thorns in her back.
Noticing her distraction, Lu Qiqi asked: “Jinjin, what are you drinking?”
She called back: “Don’t forget our Director Cen!”
Yuan Zhen suddenly remembered: “Oh right, Cen Jin, what do you want to drink? My treat!”
Cen Jin smiled gently: “Americano.”
Everyone settled in the conference room, with floor-to-ceiling windows sending glaring white light across an entire wall. Teddy walked over, lowered half the blinds, and just as he was about to speak, Yuan Zhen raised her hand: “I ordered coffee, don’t mind if we’re suddenly interrupted?”
Teddy raised an eyebrow: “Is there one for me?”
Yuan Zhen smiled: “Of course, and it’s being delivered by a handsome guy.”
Teddy said: “Then I won’t mind at all.”
Teddy started showing the slides, speaking at a measured pace.
Cen Jin also opened her laptop, pressed her lips flat, and began reviewing the creative proposal they were to discuss.
Soon, there was a knock at the door.
Teddy stopped and looked at the door, and all the women in the conference room became restless.
Yuan Zhen shouted: “Come in!”
The door was opened from outside, a tall shadow entering through the gradually widening gap, and the whispering conference room suddenly fell silent.
Everyone simultaneously focused their attention on the person entering, except Cen Jin.
“Where should I put these?”
The young man looked around, his voice like clear flowing water, spilling into this stuffy space.
A female colleague replied in a tone completely different from her usual: “The table is fine!”
The young man made a sound of acknowledgment, walked closer, and placed two large paper bags of coffee steadily at the end of the conference table, then said: “Ten cups total, two Americanos, two caramel macchiatos, three lattes, three espressos. Do you need to check?”
Yuan Zhen said: “No need.”
The young man said: “Then I’ll go.”
The conference room gradually filled with polite and gentle “okay,” “thank you,” “goodbye,” and “hope it’s you delivering next time”… rivaling the world’s ten greatest wonders—it should be known that this group of harsh and irritable working adults usually couldn’t be bothered with such pleasantries.
Cen Jin kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, staring unfocused at the screen as if sitting in a soundless glass dome.
As soon as the door closed, everyone became excited again, sighing and eagerly sharing their impressions.
Suddenly, Yuan Zhen stood up from her chair: “One-minute interruption! I’ve decided to go get little brother’s contact information right now, can’t wait!”
Everyone laughed and shooed her, telling this female wolf to hurry back.
Yuan Zhen charged out, living up to expectations.
Only then did Cen Jin glance sideways at the door that had been closed again.
In a moment, Yuan Zhen returned but looked somewhat dejected.
Lu Qiqi asked loudly: “How was it?”
Yuan Zhen spread her hands, shrugged, and muttered quite regretfully: “Wuu~ He didn’t give it, said he already has someone he likes.”
As soon as the words fell, Cen Jin’s chest moved almost imperceptibly. She sat in place, still motionless.
After a moment, she picked up the document folder beside her and, amid the collective wailing, for no reason at all, inexplicably, fanned herself twice.