Shi Song’s ears felt inexplicably warm.
He hurriedly took the piece of paper from Wei Huaiyan’s hand.
“What even is this?”
Muttering to himself, Shi Song unfolded the paper.
The moment he saw the handwriting on it, Shi Song’s eyes widened, and his entire body froze in place.
It’s him?
“Hi, little painter, did I scare you? Your painting is beautiful.”
“I’m really sorry. Something suddenly happened at home back then, so I left without telling you. I’ve only just returned now.”
“I originally planned to go straight to the studio to find you, but they said you weren’t around, so I left you a letter.”
“Oh, right, my current phone number is… If you aren’t mad at me anymore, give me a call. Let me know how you’re doing these days.”
“And if you are mad, you can call me just to curse me out.”
Sign-off: “Jiang Feng.”
Shi Song’s hand tightened slightly, nearly crumpling the edges of the letter into fine creases.
To say he wasn’t angry would definitely be a lie. After all, they had been friends for so many years. Jiang Feng had promised to take the exam for Beijing University with him, but then, one day, Shi Song woke up only to find that the guy had vanished without a trace.
For the past few years, Shi Song hadn’t been able to find a single trace of him, to the point where he almost questioned his own reality.
But many years had passed now. Even the most intense emotions of youth had been diluted by time, leaving Shi Song feeling nothing but deeply nostalgic.
He really hadn’t expected him to actually come back.
And to use such an ostentatious, dramatic method it was exactly the same as his style from back then.
A love letter?
Leave it to him to come up with that.
Shi Song couldn’t help himself; a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Wei Huaiyan’s gaze locked onto the dimple by his lips for a brief moment. He asked in a flat tone, “What’s wrong?”
“Jiang Feng is back.”
Shi Song’s voice lifted, carrying a hint of joy.
“Is that his love letter?” Wei Huaiyan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Shi Song burst out laughing. “No, no, he’s just joking with me.”
“I see.”
The emotions in Wei Huaiyan’s eyes remained steady and calm, and his tone of voice became even more composed than it had been just a moment ago.
“Then that is a good thing.”
A splash of joy flashed through Shi Song’s heart.
Being able to reunite with an old friend of many years was indeed a very happy occasion.
As for leaving without saying goodbye, Shi Song believed he must have had some hidden circumstances.
“Since Jiang Feng is back,” Wei Huaiyan paused for a moment, then tilted his chin up slightly, “are you still going to show me your painting?”
He stood in place with his hands in his pockets.
By this time, evening was approaching, and the daylight was growing dim. The last ray of sunlight filtered into the room, but most of Wei Huaiyan’s figure stood hidden in the shadows.
His entire presence inexplicably exuded a detached, world-weary aura, making people feel as though he was completely unapproachable.
Shi Song didn’t quite understand the cause-and-effect relationship between those two sentences.
Nevertheless, he said briskly, “Of course I am.”
As he spoke, Shi Song stuffed the letter into his pocket and completely shook open the white cloth covering the canvas.
Whoosh—
A few extraordinarily beautiful colors were unleashed, crashing into Wei Huaiyan’s heart with a light, romantic intensity.
The composition utilized light, shadow, and color choices with extreme boldness. Right in the very center was the silhouette of a person’s back.
“I haven’t figured out exactly how to paint it yet, so I’ve only sketched the basic shape.”
Shi Song’s smooth, elegant fingertips brushed over his own artwork, his eyes filled to the brim with pride and passion. “But it will be finished very soon.”
The shining youth was incredibly captivating.
It was as if an elegant, precious cat was waving its tail, showing off its private garden to someone.
“It’s beautiful.”
Wei Huaiyan curved his eyes, repeating warmly, “It really is beautiful.”
It’s just a pity that it was seen by another person first.
Wei Huaiyan’s finger twitched slightly as this thought flashed rapidly across his mind.
Shi Song added Jiang Feng back on his contacts.
Regarding his sudden departure back then, Jiang Feng didn’t say much. He only mentioned that a family emergency had occurred that wasn’t convenient to disclose, causing him to abruptly lose contact with everyone back home.
He had studied computer science abroad and had just returned. Since he hadn’t found a job yet, he was currently among the unemployed.
Despite not seeing each other for years, the two of them quickly became familiar again, even making plans to grab dinner together the following week.
Because of Jiang Feng’s return, Shi Song’s mood over the past two days was visibly much brighter.
Things at the company were going smoothly as well.
Mu Chen was currently mentoring Shi Song hand-in-hand, arranging almost every detail for him with meticulous care.
Occasionally, when Mu Chen ran out of inspiration for his own drawings, he would even approach Shi Song to exchange ideas and insights.
Their advisor, Li Run, also found out about Shi Song’s internship under Mu Chen. He patted Shi Song on the shoulder, telling him to work hard, and praised him for having a limitless future.
However, Shi Song could also tell that a colleague in their group named Gu Yuan didn’t seem to look upon him very favorably.
One day, as Shi Song was passing by the pantry, he overheard people whispering inside.
“Hey, have you guys heard? That Shi Song has someone backing him from the top, which is why he was dropped in out of nowhere.”
“Ah? No wonder a big shot like Mu Chen is personally clearing the path for him. Tsk tsk, who is that person backing him? That’s insane.”
Holding his cup, Shi Song paused in his tracks outside.
Immediately following that, he sneered in his heart and walked straight inside.
“If I really had someone backing me from the top, then certain people who love talking behind others’ backs would already be fired by now.”
Although his voice was gentle, the words that came out of his mouth weren’t polite at all.
The people inside fell instantly silent.
When he saw the panicked yet resentful look of the instigator, his colleague Gu Yuan, Shi Song narrowed his eyes slightly.
“What do you think?”
The young man stood against the light at the entrance of the dimly lit pantry. His facial features were delicate and soft, but his action of slightly raising his chin carried a hint of natural nobility.
“Haha, haha… What kind of joke are you making?”
Gu Yuan offered a few casual, empty pleasantries before fleeing the scene in a panic.
After returning to his workstation, Gu Yuan took a deep breath.
It’s over.
How on earth did he hear that?
Gu Yuan genuinely disliked Shi Song.
The person he admired most was his senior, Mu Chen. However, Mu Chen had a bad temper, and his occasional guidance was always laced with sharp, mocking criticisms, which severely damaged Gu Yuan’s self-esteem.
He originally thought Mu Chen just had that kind of personality.
Who would have thought that after Shi Song arrived, Mu Chen would actually discuss artistic inspiration with him every single day, his words absolutely full of praise.
Unwilling to admit that his own abilities were lacking, and feeling that Shi Song’s arrival was incredibly suspicious, Gu Yuan convinced himself that Shi Song must have someone powerful backing him.
Of course, Gu Yuan didn’t dare say it to his face. He only wanted to complain to his colleagues behind his back. He never expected that despite being so careful, he would still be caught red-handed by the person himself.
Being stabbed with a few sharp words was a small matter, but the thought that he might be targeted by whoever was backing Shi Song in the future made Gu Yuan extremely irritable the entire day.
As a result, later that evening, his phone suddenly received a message.
“Is there someone named Shi Song in your department?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person. I just want to ask you a few things.”
Looking at that message, Gu Yuan gripped his phone tightly.
He asked very cautiously, “Who are you?”
That night, Shi Song had a dream.
In the dream, he didn’t go to the Wei Corporation, but chose the Lin Corporation instead.
While working at the Lin Corporation, a series of bizarre and incomprehensible things happened to him.
Despite clearly setting up a password, the draft he had spent days drawing on his computer suddenly vanished into thin air. His seat was covered in spilled tea for no reason, tasks that didn’t belong to him were all dumped onto his shoulders, and he even had to take on menial chores like picking up takeout deliveries.
At first, Shi Song didn’t think much of it, assuming it was all coincidences and that this was just how interns were treated.
Gradually, he began to realize that he was being deliberately targeted.
During that period of time, his sky was always grey and gloomy. The mere thought of going to work filled his heart with an overwhelming urge to escape.
He was utterly helpless, and not a single person stepped up to give him even a shred of assistance. This feeling of being isolated by the entire world almost made Shi Song doubt whether he truly was that annoying of a person.
The most devastating part was that one day, for some unknown reason, rumors suddenly spread that he was an illegitimate child.
The moment he walked into the company, he could feel everyone’s gazes locking onto him.
“Hey, have you heard? It’s him.”
“My god, he looks so innocent, I really couldn’t tell…”
“Well, what do you expect from a mistress’s child?”
The gazes of the crowd felt like physical needles piercing into Shi Song, their words dripping with contempt and mockery.
In the end, unable to endure it any longer, Shi Song fled in panic. He curled up into a small ball with his arms wrapped around his knees, crying hysterically inside the pantry.
He had no choice but to resign.
When Lin Yiming asked him why, Shi Song bit his lip, ultimately choosing to be considerate and saying it was nothing, and that he simply couldn’t adapt to the working environment there.
But in reality, his heart was entirely filled with bitter sorrow.
Just explaining those few sentences to Lin Yiming had already consumed every ounce of his strength.
Shi Song woke up furious at his dream self.
Upon waking up, he huffed and angrily rubbed his hair, which had become messy from sleep.
What on earth was wrong with me? How could I endure all of that without offering a single word of explanation?
“Are you some kind of saint?!”
Shi Song sat up, his eyes still carrying a layer of morning mist from just waking up. He gnashed his teeth. “No way. This kind of mistreatment absolutely cannot be tolerated.”
After arriving at work the next day, Shi Song kept his guard up. He sought out Mu Chen first.
“Brother Mu,” when the young man smiled, it easily reminded people of some kind of sweet, fresh fruit. His eyes curved into crescent moons, a look that even a heart of stone couldn’t resist. “I’ve finished the task you gave me yesterday. Can you come over and help me take a look?”
“Sure thing.”
Mu Chen immediately stood up.
Shi Song turned on his computer.
After booting up, the computer automatically connected to the network. Everything seemed perfectly fine at first, but the moment Mu Chen touched the mouse, the screen instantly flashed into a blue screen of death.
Startled, Mu Chen jerked his hand away as if he had been electrocuted. “What happened?”
Shi Song frowned slightly, staring at the screen. “Maybe the system is updating. Let’s wait for it to finish loading and see.”
However, after restarting, his desktop had turned completely blank.
“Where is my draft?”
Shi Song’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stepped forward to check repeatedly.
But at this moment, there was absolutely nothing left inside the computer’s hard drive.
Mu Chen was also completely stunned. “How did this happen? Did the computer catch a virus? I didn’t touch anything just now…”
Gu Yuan happened to walk in right as those words were uttered.
His eyes flickered, and a faint, imperceptible smile crept onto the corners of his lips.