The meal was fully prepared, waiting only for Yun Li to sit down and eat.
Facing this situation for the first time, with someone she had given up pursuing sitting across from her, Yun Li felt awkward and unsure how to interact.
Fu Shize quietly gazed at her, light and shadow playing across his face.
Yun Li knew that for him, this was just a meal with a colleague, nothing out of the ordinary.
She swallowed, moving at an extremely slow pace. As that cold, emotionless face gradually drew nearer, time seemed to have been fitted with a decelerator, flowing ever more slowly.
She walked to the position diagonally across from Fu Shize, pulling the boxed meal that was originally beside him in front of herself.
“I’ll sit here,” Yun Li said softly, pulling out the chair and sitting down.
Yun Li lowered her head and ate her boxed meal.
The person beside her made little noise, and the two tacitly remained silent.
They interacted as usual.
If she just raised her head, she could see his ink-black eyes.
Yun Li felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. The emotions of the past few days welled up at this moment. She moved her chopsticks, pretending to take out her phone, “A colleague is looking for me. I’ll eat in the office.”
The atmosphere grew somewhat stiff.
Fu Shize was silent for a moment, then stood up as well, not directly exposing her lie: “You all stay here. I’m done eating.”
His boxed meal was barely touched. He closed the lid and left the break room without saying anything more.
He must have noticed her unease.
He was being considerate of her feelings.
Yun Li felt a bit guilty. After all, in this whole situation, she had only given up her pursuit; Fu Shize hadn’t done anything wrong from start to finish.
She couldn’t interact as naturally as Fu Shize, but she also didn’t want to be petty, causing him to constantly yield to her emotions.
As soon as the door closed, she sought answers online.
[We’re all adults now. If your pursuit failed, it failed! Be more open-minded!]
[It’s normal for someone not to like you. No need to take it too seriously. Just interact as colleagues. There are always coworkers you don’t get along with in a company, right?]
[Put yourself in their shoes. Your colleague probably wants to socialize and work normally too.]
Indeed.
Most people think this way. It’s just a very ordinary thing.
Fu Shize was different from her. He had no shortage of pursuers. For him, rejecting a pursuit or someone giving up their pursuit was nothing out of the ordinary.
She just cared too much.
…
As the year-end approached, trivial matters at EAW increased, with many projects reaching their annual assessment points. Yun Li had heard He Jiameng complain about the recent near-crazy overtime situation. As an intern, she also had to borrow materials from other departments to organize.
The technology department needed to submit a report tomorrow, requiring Yun Li to complete the final integration, proofreading, and formatting of the materials. Different colleagues were responsible for the materials, and by the time they sent them to her, it was almost quitting time.
He Jiameng came to Yun Li’s workstation before leaving: “Are you going to integrate this report? Are you working overtime?”
Yun Li, tired from sitting all day, replied: “Yes…”
He Jiameng cheered her on: “Good luck!”
“Oh, right,” she reminded Yun Li before leaving, “I heard there’s a pervert in the surrounding residential area. Don’t you live nearby?”
Yun Li felt nervous hearing this: “What kind of pervert?”
“The kind that only wears a thick coat walks up to you, and then—”
“Okay, okay, don’t say anymore.” Yun Li quickly shook her head.
He Jiameng adjusted her bag, cautioning: “Just remember not to stay too late. If it doesn’t work, call someone to pick you up.”
“Alright.”
Except for Yun Li, the other people in the HR department were packing up to leave. Unable to deal with others’ farewells before leaving, Yun Li slipped away to the break room to make tea.
Pushing open the door, Yun Li saw Fu Shize sitting on a bean bag, seemingly playing a video on his phone. The color of the bullet comments looked similar to those on the E-station.
Before Yun Li could see the content, Fu Shize calmly turned off the screen.
Not wanting to repeat the awkwardness from mealtime, Yun Li took the initiative: “You’re not leaving yet?”
Fu Shize: “What about you?”
Yun Li: “Not so soon.”
Not wanting to continue the conversation, Yun Li left after filling her cup with hot water.
After three hours of work, Yun Li had processed the materials she had received according to requirements. One colleague said they hadn’t finished yet and would send it to her after getting home, but she still hadn’t received it.
Having stared at the screen for so long, Yun Li rested her head on the desk, closing her eyes to rest, thinking she’d wait a bit longer-
Just after 9 PM, Fu Shize came out of the break room.
The HR department’s lights were still on. He knocked on the door, but no one answered.
Opening the door, the office appeared empty, but light breathing could be heard.
Fu Shize approached and found Yun Li currently lying on the desk, her face turned to the other side, the computer keyboard pushed aside.
She looked very small, occupying only a small part of the office chair.
Her other hand was still half-gripping the mouse. The earphone on her left ear had fallen onto the desk between her ear and elbow due to her position, while the other was still in her right ear.
Fu Shize reached out and picked up the earphone between Yun Li’s elbow, putting it in his left ear.
Soft piano music came through the earphones.
Fu Shize lowered his gaze, looking at Yun Li. Her face was small, her tightly closed eyes with lightly trembling eyelashes made her look docile and harmless.
He stood there quietly for a while before taking off the earphone and placing it back on the desk.
Fu Shize spoke softly, “Yun Li.”
Yun Li didn’t move.
Fu Shize pressed his lips together, then spoke again: “Yun Li.”
Yun Li still didn’t move.
With no other choice, Fu Shize had to reach out and remove the earphone from her right ear, calling out: “Yun Li Li.”
Yun Li remained motionless.
In the office, there was no other sound except for his intentionally lowered voice calling her name a few times.
Fu Shize didn’t want to startle her awake. He bent down, getting close to her right ear.
Before he could speak, Yun Li suddenly opened her eyes, looking sleepy. Seeing Fu Shize’s face in front of her, she squinted.
Fu Shize was taken aback for a moment, then straightened up without a word.
Yun Li hadn’t fully reacted: “Were you calling me just now?”
Fu Shize’s momentary lapse quickly passed, and he had already returned to his usual indifference: “You fell asleep.”
Hearing this, Yun Li’s face flushed again: “Oh…”
“Is there something?” Yun Li sat up straight.
Fu Shize answered honestly: “I saw the lights were still on here.”
“Shall we go?” Fu Shize handed the earphones back to her.
Yun Li was somewhat surprised: “Are you leaving with me?”
Fu Shize nodded.
Yun Li felt uncomfortable: “I can go back by myself…”
Fu Shize: “It’s not very safe recently.”
Hearing him say this, Yun Li hesitated again. After all, personal safety was most important. She lowered her head and thought for a moment: “But I still need to wait for my colleague’s file. Why don’t you go first?”
Fu Shize: “I’ll wait for you.”
His tone carried no extra emotion as if he felt this was perfectly natural, just a small gesture.
Yun Li tried not to overthink, but her mind was in chaos.
Fu Shize stood nearby for a while and then left.
When Yun Li finished processing the files and was about to leave, just as she turned off the lights, she saw Fu Shize coming out of Xu Qingsong’s office across the way.
Fu Shize: “Let’s go.”
“Mm…”
As they passed Fu Shize’s office, he said “Wait a moment” and went back to take two baseball caps from the wooden coat rack at the door. The style and shape were similar, just one black and one blue.
He put on the blue baseball cap himself, adjusting it slightly. His hair wasn’t long, and with the cap on, his features became even clearer.
“It’s getting colder,” Fu Shize handed the cap to Yun Li.
The cap was a bit big for Yun Li. After putting it on and adjusting the size, she saw their reflections in the glass. With nearly a head’s height difference between them, they looked like two adolescent boys.
At night, the temperature in Nanwu had dropped to 3-4 degrees Celsius. The high humidity after the rain intensified the winter chill.
Yun Li followed behind Fu Shize. His hands were in his pockets, his steps visibly relaxed. Perhaps influenced by him, her mood also improved significantly.
The cherished moment didn’t last long. When Yun Li came to her senses, they were already downstairs. Fu Shize nodded towards the apartment, indicating for her to go back.
Yun Li said softly: “You get some rest early too.”
Then she walked away as if escaping.
After the busiest period passed, EAW welcomed its year-end trip. This year’s venue was set at the “Stealing Leisure, Drinking Wine” guesthouse. Different departments traveled in staggered periods, with the HR department scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of the week after Christmas.
Not long after learning this news, Deng Chuqi called.
“Xia Xia said you’re going to their family’s guesthouse next Monday and Tuesday, and she wants us to go over on Friday night,” Deng Chuqi said cheerfully. “I just submitted my resignation, and Xia Xia and the others want to help me celebrate escaping from suffering.”
Yun Li stirred the noodles in the pot, “Will Xia Xia’s uncle be going?”
“I asked Xia Xia who would be there. Her uncle might not be free, seems he’s quite busy at the end of the year,” Deng Chuqi joked, “What, if Xia Xia’s uncle isn’t going, you won’t come to celebrate with me?”
“That’s not what I meant…” Yun Li hesitated, turned off the stove, poured herself a glass of warm water, and after everything was ready, she recounted the recent events in detail.
Yun Li wisely moved the phone away from herself. Sure enough, within seconds, Deng Chuqi’s voice amplified several times: “Li Li! Are you joking?! Have you asked him face to face? What if he wanted to ask you out?”
Yun Li: “Because it was a girl he’s known for several years, it wasn’t me.”
Deng Chuqi disagreed: “No, this is just what someone else said, right? You should ask him directly.”
Deng Chuqi had always been straightforward. Yun Li suddenly felt less confident and said frankly: “But I’ve been pursuing him for so long, and he’s always been rejecting me. He’s rejected all my invitations.”
Yun Li’s tone became dejected: “Besides, this happened two weeks ago. He hasn’t actively reached out to me in these two weeks. He probably doesn’t even know I deleted him from WeChat.”
“Damn,” Deng Chuqi blurted out, “You deleted him from WeChat?”
Yun Li: “Mm…”
Deng Chuqi: “You’re still in the same company, and you probably have occasional interactions in daily life, right? Meeting like this now, isn’t it just a grand awkward performance?”
Yun Li: “Actually, I’m kind of regretting it now… Should I secretly add him back?”
Deng Chuqi: “…”
Yun Li muttered to herself: “Maybe he hasn’t noticed yet…”
Deng Chuqi remained silent.
After thinking for a moment, Yun Li said: “What if he’s already noticed? Wouldn’t that be even more awkward? Forget it.”
Deng Chuqi fell into a long silence. After a while, she comforted Yun Li: “It’s good to draw a clear line with him. If you don’t want to come, then don’t. It’s not a big deal.”
Yun Li honestly said: “I have drawn a clear line… but you guys are my only friends in Nanwu. I don’t want this to affect my normal life.”
“It’s okay, Li Li,” Deng Chuqi tried to ease her anxiety, joking, “Let’s have Xia Xia bring a couple of single colleagues along…”
Hearing this, Yun Li’s tone lightened: “No, don’t. If you do, I won’t go.”
The atmosphere between the two eased considerably. Deng Chuqi put the call on speaker and confirmed the arrangements for that day with Xia Congsheng.
Yun Li returned to the kitchen and lit the stove. The noodles had become soft and tangled together. She stirred them with her chopsticks.
She recalled the scene of Fu Shize walking her home a few days ago.
In the end, she couldn’t resist looking back.
Fu Shize was still standing there, his tall figure seeming to merge with the winter night. The moment she turned back, she unexpectedly met his calm, gentle gaze.