The New Year’s Eve dinner was attended by almost everyone from the office, filling four tables. The main table seated the leadership and middle management, while the second and third tables accommodated provincial managers and sales personnel. Xun Xun naturally joined the logistics staff at their table. Zhou Ruisheng, while attending to Chi Cheng, noticed empty seats at the main table and repeatedly beckoned Xun Xun to join them.
Xun Xun had no desire to join that crowd and politely declined, but Zhou Ruisheng wouldn’t take no for an answer and came over personally to urge her. The logistics table was already crowded, and Xun Xun, worried that further refusal might affect them, followed Zhou Ruisheng to take the last seat at the main table, directly across from Chi Cheng and Sun Yifan beside him.
During the meal, Chi Cheng took the initiative to toast Sun Yifan in a gesture of reconciliation, which Sun Yifan graciously accepted. The two resumed their outward appearance of easy conversation, much to Xun Xun’s surprise. She found herself enjoying a peaceful meal without any unexpected incidents or complications, embodying the true spirit of a New Year’s feast with its harmonious and festive atmosphere.
After several rounds of drinks, Zhou Ruisheng reminded Chi Cheng that he should make the rounds toasting the employees. Chi Cheng invited Sun Yifan to join him as they made their way to the other three tables. Both men appeared to be in high spirits that evening, not only offering toasts to everyone but also accepting every return toast from their subordinates.
Though Xun Xun had seen Chi Cheng drink before, she couldn’t tell whether his intoxication was genuine or feigned. She only knew that after this round, his steps had become unsteady and his laughter more unrestrained. Sun Yifan had also drunk considerably; the flush had faded from his face, leaving it somewhat pale.
After finishing with the other three tables, they returned to their seats to toast the main table guests. Xun Xun, sitting at the end, naturally became the last person. Chi Cheng had just finished drinking with Chen Zhou, but when it came to Xun Xun’s turn, she respectfully stood and raised her glass, only to have him ignore her completely, turning instead to joke with several female administrative staff who had come to toast him from another table.
“Hey, don’t skip anyone – there’s still one person left,” Chen Zhou spoke up, feeling somewhat indignant on Xun Xun’s behalf.
Chi Cheng just waved his hand dismissively, saying, “No more drinks, it’s no fun when you drink too much.”
An administrative staff member asked, “Manager Chi, are you returning to Shanghai for the Spring Festival?”
He replied, “It doesn’t matter to me, I have many places I could go, anywhere would do.”
As Xun Xun was about to sit down, Sun Yifan made his way to her position.
“Little Zhao, let me toast you.”
Given Sun Yifan’s age and seniority, addressing her as “Little Zhao” wasn’t inappropriate, but Xun Xun felt strange suddenly hearing this form of address.
She hurriedly raised her glass again to toast with Sun Yifan. Zhou Ruisheng came over to join in the fun, stirring things up by saying, “Just drinking without saying anything isn’t very interesting – say something!”
Xun Xun said formally, “Then I wish Manager Sun all the best in the New Year.”
Sun Yifan smiled slightly, “I hope you find your happiness soon.”
He drained his glass after speaking, his already pale face turning even more ashen. Xun Xun was startled, unsure of his meaning. Just hours ago, he had earnestly asked if she would leave with him, but now he was wishing her to find her happiness.
She instinctively glanced in Chi Cheng’s direction, meeting his ambiguous smile, as if he were watching an amusing play.
Just then, Sun Yifan, having just swallowed that last drink seemed to reach his limit. He covered his mouth as if about to vomit. Xun Xun panicked and quickly moved to support him, but just as her hand touched him, he unconsciously shrank away, quietly avoiding her touch.
Quickly, Sun Yifan made an apologetic gesture with his other hand and hurried toward the restroom. Chen Zhou was alarmed and wanted to follow but felt awkward about it. He remained in his seat uncomfortably, and had a few more sips of soup, before finally using the bathroom as an excuse to leave.
“Could it be that Manager Sun is drunk on emotions rather than wine?” Zhou Ruisheng said with a smile.
Chi Cheng responded indifferently, “I know Manager Sun’s alcohol tolerance; he probably just drank too happily tonight.”
By now, the banquet was drawing to a close, and some colleagues had already left, with many forming groups to look for after-party activities. Someone invited Chi Cheng, but he smiled and said he had drunk too much.
Xun Xun was the last to leave. She had brought money and went with the logistics supervisor to settle the bill, checking the receipts before completing her task. When she visited the restroom before leaving the hotel, she happened to see Chen Zhou helping an unsteady Sun Yifan into a taxi.
In truth, Xun Xun wasn’t necessarily deeply in love with Sun Yifan; she even knew clearly that she couldn’t agree to leave with him. But in just half a day, a man who had made her promises suddenly drew a clear line between them, which left her feeling dejected and even angry. This anger wasn’t due to the man’s fickleness, but rather directed at the root cause that prompted his change.
She was just an ordinary woman, originally living an ordinary life, but someone repeatedly disrupted her peaceful routine. From Xie Pingning to Zhang Yucheng, and now to Sun Yifan – even though she was generally accepting of her circumstances, she still couldn’t accept someone arbitrarily manipulating her life at their whim.
In the front parking lot, there was a silver Volkswagen CC left running but empty. Xun Xun walked slowly past it and saw a figure intensely focused on a phone call by the flower bed near the car. This version of Chi Cheng was completely different from his jovial self at the banquet. He paced in circles while talking on the phone, becoming increasingly agitated, apparently in a heated argument with someone. Finally, he hung up and threw the phone into the car, then leaned dejectedly against the vehicle.
It took him a while to recover. As he reached for the car door, he finally noticed Xun Xun standing at the rear of the car. Surprised and somewhat embarrassed, he asked, “What are you doing here?” His voice lacked its usual confidence.
Xun Xun said flatly, “I wanted to tell you that it’s very unwise to leave your car running and unlocked while standing outside making phone calls. If someone had criminal intentions, you could have died many times over by now.”
Chi Cheng found it amusing and turned his head aside, muttering some unintelligible curses, but suddenly felt somewhat better. He walked to Xun Xun’s side and hesitantly reached out to embrace her, burying his face in her shoulder and mumbling, “I don’t want to be angry with you anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because I also don’t want you to be angry with me anymore. Can we just pretend that day never happened?”
Xun Xun said quietly, “I can pretend you never said anything that day, but what about today? And tomorrow? What then?”
“What do you mean?” Chi Cheng seemed confused, perhaps from drinking too much.
Xun Xun’s voice was crystal clear. “I’m asking you, what did you say to Sun Yifan?”
Chi Cheng’s body noticeably stiffened as he straightened up to look at her. “What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“I called him to my office to discuss next year’s commission plan. Is that somehow offensive to you? What makes you think I said anything against you to him?”
“Isn’t this your usual style? You only think about yourself, treating everyone else like toys to be played with at your pleasure and manipulated as you wish!” Xun Xun couldn’t contain herself anymore, her voice becoming emotional.
“Oh, so when a man dumps you, you blame it on me? Am I that easy to bully?” Chi Cheng got angry, pushed her away, and kicked the tire, producing a dull thud.
So now he was playing the victim! Xun Xun found it both amusing and sad. “You have the nerve to do it but not to admit it? Who I’m with or who dumps me is my business, not yours. Being so underhanded only makes people despise you.”
Chi Cheng flew into a rage and grabbed her, dragging her forward. Xun Xun nearly fell as he forcefully pulled her along. He suddenly turned back and tried to push her into the car.
“What are you doing?”
Xun Xun barely managed to prevent being pushed into the car by bracing herself against the door with all her might.
“You said I broke you two up, right? Let’s go find Sun Yifan right now and confront him face-to-face. If I did what you’re accusing me of, I’ll accept any punishment.”
“Let go of me. Even if it was you, he might not admit it to your face.”
“In your eyes, everyone else is good, and everything I do is wrong! Am I really that worthless? Do you think you’re universally beloved, Zhao Xun Xun? Let me tell you the truth – if I hadn’t been blind, you’re nothing but a divorced, worthless old woman!”
Xun Xun trembled with anger and seized the moment when his grip loosened to break free, stepping back. “However old or broken I am, that’s my business. What does it have to do with you?”
After his outburst, Chi Cheng seemed to regret his harsh words and reached for her hand, but Xun Xun pointed at him and spat out a fierce “Get lost!”
He withdrew his hand, nodding. “You all want me gone as far away as possible, right? Well, I’ll make you all happy then.”
In the car’s headlights, Xun Xun almost thought she saw his eyes turn red for a moment. She didn’t understand why she had lost her rationality and engaged in this argument with him; in her previous twenty-eight years of life, she had rarely even raised her voice to anyone.
Just then, a taxi dropped off some passengers nearby. Xun Xun quickly turned and got in, rolling up the window. The face reflected in it looked like a stranger’s.
At her residence, Xun Xun took out her keycard at the first-floor entrance. As she was about to swipe it, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching from behind. She was always wary of strangers following her through security doors, so she paused and looked back.
She hadn’t expected the person to be standing so close, and her heart jumped to her throat, a scream about to escape.
“Xun Xun, you’re finally back. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
Hearing the familiar voice and then seeing the familiar face, Xun Xun clutched her chest, finally letting go of her panic.
“Manager Sun, why are you here?”
“I’ve driven you home before, remember? That time you got off at the school gate, but I didn’t want to leave right away, so I followed you and watched you go upstairs.”
Sun Yifan’s complexion was still poor, but his eyes were clear – the effects of alcohol had mostly worn off.
Xun Xun stepped aside and asked puzzledly, “Didn’t you leave with Sister Zhou?”
“Chen Zhou said she’d take me home, but I was fine by then, so when we got near my place, I told her to go home first.”
“Sister Zhou was worried about you. You should have gone home to rest.”
“But I suddenly really wanted to see you.”
“It’s too late. Whatever it is, we can discuss it at the office tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait until tomorrow. Xun Xun, I… I’m sorry.”
“Why do you say that?” Xun Xun pretended not to understand, avoiding Sun Yifan’s gaze.
Sun Yifan didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said, “There’s an emergency at home, so I’m in a bad mood. It feels like all my plans have been ruined.”
“Is that so?”
“Xun Xun, are you angry with me? I do like you – that much should be obvious. I wanted you to leave Yao Kai with me, to let me take care of you and give you a good life. But now there’s a problem. My father is seriously ill and needs money urgently. I could have managed, but that bastard Chi Cheng told me headquarters hasn’t approved the year-end commission plan, so it can’t be distributed now. The earliest we’ll know the result is two months from now. After the Spring Festival, all market allocations will be adjusted. He used the excuse of training new people to take away all our advantageous resources. Is this what I get after working so hard for the company all these years?”
Xun Xun was genuinely shocked. “That’s what he called you to his office for?”
“Yes, isn’t he just trying to force me into a corner?”
“Did you explain your family situation to him?”
“I won’t beg him, and he wouldn’t show mercy anyway. So, Xun Xun, give me some time. I’ll sort everything out…”
Xun Xun couldn’t understand his words at first. How did all this relate to his deliberate distance from her tonight? Then she thought of Chen Zhou, and suddenly it clicked.
“Is that what you told Chen Zhou too? How much time did you give her?”
Sun Yifan fell silent, and after a long while said, “Chen Zhou can provide me with some help.”
“More help than I could provide, right?” Xun Xun smiled faintly.
“No, Xun Xun, I’m not blaming you. You’re a sensible person, so I don’t want to drag you into this,” Sun Yifan explained anxiously.
“What about Chen Zhou then? Are you so comfortable accepting her ‘help’? She truly likes you!”
“The problem is I don’t like her. Xun Xun, you’re the one I like. Who would like her? She’s so big that when she jumps in a pool, the water level rises dramatically.”
Xun Xun felt a chill in her heart. “How do you describe me when you’re with her?”
“That’s impossible, don’t misunderstand. My feelings for you are genuine, otherwise, I wouldn’t be sharing my troubles with you.”
Nothing could be more ironic than the word “genuine” at this moment – Xun Xun almost laughed out loud.
“Are you saying you plan to marry me?”
“…If we’re in love, it’s just a matter of time,” Sun Yifan declared solemnly.
“When exactly?”
This question seemed to have an immeasurable answer, as he awkwardly wrung his hands. “Xun Xun, you’ve been through a failed marriage before. I think you’d understand this better than most people. Marriage is just a piece of paper – what matters is that we’re happy together.”
This was what he truly wanted to say. Xun Xun finally understood why he had appeared here at this moment. He had pragmatically enjoyed the benefits Chen Zhou brought him, yet on the sobering night found himself unable to let go of the “happiness” another woman might bring him.
Selfish and greedy men – they didn’t even deserve to be called “beasts,” for beasts at least were warm-blooded creatures. When these men abandoned their principles, they were merely plants, devoid of feeling, instinctively spreading their roots to absorb nutrients, then arrogantly displaying what they believed to be alluring flowers.
At this moment, Xun Xun realized that even if Chi Cheng was a cunning fox or an ugly peacock, he still perched higher on the evolutionary ladder.
The winter’s cold wind mixed with cold rain, penetrating every gap in her bones, making her suddenly shiver. Sun Yifan immediately took off his coat, intending to drape it over her shoulders. At this moment, he again appeared so sincere and reliable. But men as solid as bedrock probably only existed in her imagination – more often than not, they were just waves of mudflow.
Xun Xun reached out her hand and gently brushed him aside.