Early morning, as soon as the six o’clock alarm went off, a fair, delicate hand slowly reached out from under the covers, accurately switching off the alarm by the bedside.
Su Ningyue sat up and lingered for a moment before getting out of bed and putting on her slippers. She squinted as she went to the bathroom to wash up. After washing, she felt much more awake. Seeing that time was running short, she hurriedly went to change her clothes.
Just then, her phone rang. Su Ningyue picked it up and saw it was her mother calling.
Su Ningyue’s voice was soft and gentle. “Mom, why are you calling so early in the morning?”
Her mother knew that her mornings were precious, so she rarely called at this time.
On the other end of the line, Mother Su, afraid her daughter wouldn’t hear, shouted at the top of her lungs, “Ningning, I’ll make it quick. I was talking with your dad the other day about you and Mingrui.”
“What about us?” Su Ningyue grabbed her bag and walked to the entrance.
“Mom went to have your fortunes read yesterday, and they said you two are suited to get married this year.”
Su Ningyue bent down to put on her shoes. Hearing her mother’s words, she was caught between laughter and tears. “Mom, I’m only 24 and just started working not long ago. Getting married now is way too early.”
“Is that your opinion or Mingrui’s?”
“It’s both of ours.” Su Ningyue picked up her bag, raised her hand to check the time on her watch, and said hurriedly, “Mom, I need to rush to work. Let’s talk when I get home tonight.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t keep you then.”
Mother Su hung up quickly too—she didn’t want her daughter to lose her stable government job.
Su Ningyue put her phone into her bag and ran to the bus stop. Luckily, she just managed to catch the bus.
Half a year ago, Su Ningyue had passed the civil service exam in Linjiang City. She was mainly responsible for clerical work, so she didn’t have to run around outside. The job was fairly relaxed, and she occasionally had time to go home on weekends. She was quite satisfied with it.
Rent in Linjiang City was extremely expensive. Having just started working, she could only afford to rent a place in a remote urban village, but even that cost at least eight hundred yuan a month. Adding utilities and such, it came to at least twelve hundred.
If she wanted to save money, she’d have to endure a longer commute—she had to take an hour-long bus ride to get to work.
She finally arrived at her unit at 7:50. As usual, Su Ningyue clocked in and grabbed some breakfast.
Back at her desk, her good partner Hong Lingling swiveled her chair over to Su Ningyue’s spot and said mysteriously, “Ningyue, I heard that the new director of the Finance Bureau is coming to inspect in a few days. Our Director Shen is taking it very seriously. I wonder if he’s handsome?”
With that, Hong Lingling began to swoon. She was a slightly plump young woman who loved chasing celebrities.
Director of the Finance Bureau?
For some reason, an image of a bald man in his fifties popped into Su Ningyue’s mind. After all, anyone who could become a director couldn’t be young.
“Who did you hear that from?”
Su Ningyue turned to look around. Everyone was busy working in an orderly manner, so she had to lower her voice.
Hong Lingling put on a look of knowing it all. “Everyone in the unit knows. And our director seems especially serious about it. Just wait—he’ll be assigning tasks to all of us any minute now.”
Speak of the devil.
Director Liu, fifty years old, wearing a pair of reading glasses and sporting a round, bulging belly, walked out of his office with a stern expression. He clapped his hands to get everyone to stop what they were doing, and all eyes turned to him.
“Everyone, I’m sure you’ve heard by now—in a few days, Director Gu from the Finance Bureau will be coming to inspect our unit. In a moment, my assistant will distribute a work breakdown to each of you. Please make sure to complete it diligently, and above all, don’t bring shame to the unit.”
“Director, I’ll definitely complete it with full effort.”
One of the male staff members stepped forward and said loudly. Su Ningyue knew that this person often flattered Director Liu and was also one of Director Liu’s relatives.
Soon, everyone else chimed in with agreement. Su Ningyue and Hong Lingling didn’t want to stand out, so they exchanged a glance and also voiced their support for the leadership’s work.
However, when everyone saw the work breakdown, a chorus of groans echoed through the office. When she saw that overtime would be required in the evening, Su Ningyue couldn’t help but furrow her brows.
At nine o’clock in the evening, Su Ningyue parted ways with Hong Lingling at the bus stop. After boarding the bus, she rubbed her sore neck—she had been sorting through documents nonstop all day and only now realized how uncomfortable her neck had become.
When she got off near the urban village, Su Ningyue planned to walk the rest of the way, as her place was a bit out of the way.
Just then, her phone rang. Glancing down at the name on the screen, she smiled softly and swiped to answer.
“Ningyue…”
The person on the other end was Su Ningyue’s boyfriend, Duan Mingrui, who worked as an assistant at a small company. Both of them were usually busy with work and only had time to meet on weekends. As Xiyan put it, it was no different from a long-distance relationship.
Su Ningyue had always been independent, so she didn’t feel any sense of disparity. She said softly, “Mingrui, I just got off work. I’ll be home soon.”
Duan Mingrui said in surprise, “Doesn’t your unit not require overtime?”
Su Ningyue sat down on a bench and shared what had happened that day with him, unconsciously slipping into a coquettish tone.
Xiyan had told her that she was usually too stiff and should learn to act a little spoiled with Duan Mingrui from time to time.
The two chatted casually, looking to outsiders like a sweet couple—at least that’s how it seemed to Gu Jingchuan.
After hanging up, Su Ningyue turned around and was startled to find a tall, handsome man standing silently behind her.
The man wore a well-tailored suit, his posture straight as a pine. His deep eyes sparkled like stars, his lips pressed slightly beneath a high-bridged nose. His face was expressionless, yet he exuded an air of danger.
Su Ningyue froze for a moment—when had he been standing there?
A second later, it dawned on her that he must have heard all her coquettish words just now. A flush crept up her cheeks, and she hurriedly ran off in embarrassment.
Watching the young woman’s retreating figure, Gu Jingchuan couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth, his gaze growing deeper.
Gu Jingchuan had just arrived in Linjiang City. The high-ranking officials had organized a banquet that day to welcome him. He had initially wanted to decline, but he figured it was a good opportunity to gauge their true intentions, so he came. The entire table was filled with sycophantic flattery directed at him. Though he was long accustomed to such scenes, it still bred disgust, so he found an excuse to step out for some fresh air—and unexpectedly encountered such a charming girl.
In fact, Gu Jingchuan had been standing there the very moment Su Ningyue answered her phone. He was immediately drawn in by her voice—sweet and soft—and for a fleeting instant, an inappropriate desire stirred within him.
It was a pity she was being coquettish with her boyfriend. For the first time, Gu Jingchuan felt jealous of the man on the other end of the line, wishing he could tear him limb from limb.
After she turned around, he finally got a clear look at her face—one that was enough to make anyone’s heart flutter. Her skin was fair and translucent with a rosy glow, her features so soft they were flawless. Her eyes, clear and sparkling like a lake, seemed capable of holding the entire starry sky, and her lips, the color of cherry blossoms, were soft and full, with a delicate cupid’s bow that looked perfect for kissing.
Gu Jingchuan admitted that he was drawn to her. Back in the capital, there had been women with more alluring figures and more stunning faces who tried to seduce him, yet he had remained unmoved, even feeling a hint of disgust.
Even though she had scurried away like a little rabbit, Gu Jingchuan was certain that in the small city of Linjiang, they would surely cross paths again.
Little white rabbit, you can’t escape!