It had been five days since she returned from Jinchuang Fashion. During these five days, Shen Zuofeng had been swamped with work, barely finding time to send a message to Chi Qingwei, let alone meet her.
Finally catching a breather, Shen Zuofeng slumped on the sofa, listlessly scrolling through her phone, unsure of what to look at.
She pursed her lips lightly. Humans were truly insatiable.
Chi Qingwei had agreed to let her pursue her, then asked her to observe her own feelings. Now, Shen Zuofeng found herself wanting more.
She had even started wishing Chi Qingwei would take the initiative.
Over the past few days, if she hadn’t been the one to message Chi Qingwei first, Chi Qingwei wouldn’t have sent her a single message.
Having never liked anyone before, Shen Zuofeng wasn’t sure how to handle these emotions. Logically, since she was the one pursuing Chi Qingwei, she should be the one taking the initiative. Yet, she couldn’t help feeling a little disheartened.
She had clearly sensed that Chi Qingwei treated her differently.
Shen Zuofeng felt a bit down and even a little aggrieved.
Though she knew her feelings were somewhat unreasonable, she couldn’t quite control them.
Checking the time, it was already 11 o’clock. Shen Zuofeng pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and decided to grab her jacket and head out.
Chi Qingwei hadn’t done anything wrong. These emotions were entirely her own after all, Chi Qingwei hadn’t developed feelings for her yet.
After packing some food, Shen Zuofeng sent a message to Chi Qingwei and hurried over to Chiliang Media. She wanted to have lunch with her.
When Chi Qingwei received Shen Zuofeng’s message, she had been listening to the financial director’s report. But upon reading the content, she couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Setting her phone aside, she looked at the financial director and said calmly, “I’m aware of the issues you mentioned. Let’s stop here for now. Go ahead and have your lunch. We’ll need to coordinate with other departments to address these matters. Bring them up for resolution at the meeting next Monday.”
“Understood,” the financial director nodded. As he turned to leave, he couldn’t help but wonder, who had sent that message? Someone who could make the boss so happy?
But the boss’s mood shifted quickly.
The financial director inwardly scoffed. Why was she so ruthless with him? He was one of her loyal employees!
After the financial director left, Chi Qingwei picked up her phone and replied, “I’ll have the receptionist bring you straight up then.”
This was only Shen Zuofeng’s second time visiting the Chiliang Group, so she probably didn’t know where her office was and would need someone to guide her.
Seeing that Shen Zuofeng hadn’t replied, Chi Qingwei guessed she might be driving and not checking her phone.
She was looking forward to Shen Zuofeng’s visit.
Chi Qingwei had a feeling, this might just be the one.
When Shen Zuofeng arrived at the Chiliang Group, the receptionist, who had been waiting at the entrance, immediately approached and escorted her to Chi Qingwei’s office. Though she tried to restrain herself, the receptionist couldn’t help stealing curious glances at Shen Zuofeng along the way.
No one had ever been allowed to bypass an appointment and be taken directly to the young CEO’s office before.
As if oblivious to the receptionist’s gaze, Shen Zuofeng followed alongside her, carrying the takeout containers, her mind already filled with thoughts of seeing Chi Qingwei soon.
Love truly is a tormenting thing, making one wish they could be by their side every single moment.
Arriving at Chi Qingwei’s office, the receptionist knocked on the door to announce Shen Zuofeng before stepping away to let her in.
As Shen Zuofeng entered, she saw Chi Qingwei still busy at her desk. She placed the items she had brought on the nearby coffee table and walked over to Chi Qingwei’s desk, smiling as she watched her work.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Chi Qingwei set down the documents. She had originally intended to use her busyness as an excuse to see what Shen Zuofeng would say, but she hadn’t expected her to remain silent, simply standing there and watching with delight.
“I was waiting for you to speak to me,” Shen Zuofeng said, breaking into a full smile.
This time, she had initiated the conversation.
Chi Qingwei shook her head with a helpless smile, set the documents aside, and stood up. “Let me see what you’ve brought. I hope it’s something I like to eat.”
“I’m not entirely sure if everything is to your liking, but at least I avoided the things you mentioned disliking,” Shen Zuofeng said, taking out the food containers one by one and arranging them neatly. She handed a pair of chopsticks to Chi Qingwei with a smile.
Chi Qingwei accepted the chopsticks and looked at the carefully laid-out dishes, smiling contentedly. “This time, you get a score of ninety.”
Hearing this, Shen Zuofeng humbly asked, “Could you tell me where I lost those ten points?”
Chi Qingwei pointed to one of the dishes and said with a light laugh, “Here, this dish has Sichuan peppercorns. I don’t like the numbing sensation, even if it’s just a little. I’m not fond of it.”
Shen Zuofeng leaned in for a closer look and indeed found a few Sichuan peppercorns. Though there weren’t many, since Chi Qingwei had expressed her dislike, Shen Zuofeng moved the dish in front of herself and said, “Then I’ll eat this one. You can have the others. I’ll be more careful about this in the future.”
“So it seems you can handle the numbing taste,” Chi Qingwei remarked, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at her.
“Yes, I can. I love hot pot, and the spicy broth always has Sichuan peppercorns. After eating it so often, I’ve gotten used to the numbing sensation,” Shen Zuofeng replied with a soft smile.
“Good, I’ll remember that,” Chi Qingwei nodded.
Shen Zuofeng looked at her with a hint of pleasant surprise, feeling the lingering disappointment and frustration in her heart gently fade away.
“Let’s eat first,” Chi Qingwei said.
“Okay,” Shen Zuofeng replied, lowering her head with a smile.
After the meal, Chi Qingwei watched as Shen Zuofeng continued tidying up and asked, “What made you suddenly decide to come have lunch with me today?”
Shen Zuofeng finished packing the trash and glanced at Chi Qingwei, who was preparing tea for her. She replied, slightly embarrassed, “It’s been a while since I last saw you. I wanted to see you.”
“And” At this point, Shen Zuofeng looked at Chi Qingwei with a hint of grievance. “All this time, you’ve never reached out to me first, not even a message. Honestly, I’ve been feeling a little disappointed.”
Shen Zuofeng expressed her disappointment openly. The two of them weren’t yet very familiar with each other, and if she didn’t speak up, how could the other person possibly understand?
She wanted to voice her feelings, to let Chi Qingwei directly perceive her emotions.
Chi Qingwei was taken aback for a moment, then looked up to study her expression, momentarily at a loss for words.
“You don’t need to feel guilty or anything like that. I know very well that these are my own emotions acting up. In reality, you haven’t done anything wrong. After all, we’re still in a relationship of pursuer and pursued.”
Shen Zuofeng whispered, “It’s just that my own heart wants more and more, and all of this is just my own thoughts.”
After all, they hadn’t confirmed their relationship, and Chi Qingwei had no obligation to respond to her or ignore her.
“I’m sorry,” Chi Qingwei said seriously. “I didn’t consider this matter thoroughly enough. I’ll be more mindful in the future.”
Chi Qingwei didn’t think this was just her own emotional issue. Since the pursuit was mutual, if she had no interest in her, she should have rejected her outright. But since she had given her the chance to pursue her, she also needed to be prepared to direct her attention toward her in this mutual dynamic.
After all, in any relationship, one cannot rely solely on the other person’s efforts.
Unreciprocated feelings ultimately don’t last long.
“I brought this up not to pressure you into anything,” Shen Zuofeng said. “It’s just my own inner turmoil. You don’t have to force yourself to do things you don’t like.” She simply wanted to share her feelings with Chi Qingwei, not to demand any promises from her.
“I’m not forcing myself,” Chi Qingwei chuckled softly. “It’s just that I haven’t learned how to take the initiative yet.”
Although she had previously thought about actively creating opportunities for interaction, now that their relationship was out in the open, the kind of work-related contact they had before was no longer necessary. She hadn’t yet figured out how to take the initiative in private interactions with Shen Zuofeng.
“So, are you learning how to take the initiative with me now?” Shen Zuofeng didn’t understand why, but whenever she was in front of Chi Qingwei, all her emotions surfaced so easily.
Just like now, her happiness was clearly written all over her face.
“So, you’d better hold on tight,” Chi Qingwei joked. “Don’t be the one who plants the tree only for someone else to enjoy the shade.”
In many relationships, the person who teaches you how to love is often not the one who stays with you till the end. They use what you taught them to love the next person even better.
That kind of disparity is hard to accept.
If you use what you learned from me to treat someone else, did you ever truly love me?
Shen Zuofeng laughed softly. She understood what Chi Qingwei meant.
“Then we’re in the same boat. I’ll work hard to avoid being the one who plants the tree.”
The two exchanged a knowing smile.
This midday encounter brought Shen Zuofeng an unexpected harvest, sweeping away the gloom that had weighed on her for so many days.
Indeed, some things can only be resolved when spoken aloud.
“Will you be attending the Li family’s party tomorrow evening?” Shen Zuofeng remembered another matter.
This Li family was the same one as Li Xuanyi, whom she and Chi Qingwei had encountered at the restaurant. Li Xuanyi was the eldest son of the Li family and had been working in the group for several years, being groomed as the successor.
“My father asked me to attend on his behalf,” Chi Qingwei said. “If you’re going tomorrow, be careful around Li Xuanyi. He holds grudges, so try not to have too much contact with him.”
After the conflict they had at the restaurant and the significant loss he suffered, he was likely still harboring resentment. Since tomorrow’s party was his family’s event, she was worried that if another conflict arose, Shen Zuofeng would be at a disadvantage.
“Since you’re going, I’ll go take a look too.” Shen Zuofeng would naturally pay attention to what she said, but she wasn’t afraid. After all, some people could be guarded against temporarily, but not forever. It was better to step forward voluntarily and see if they had any tricks up their sleeves.
Chi Qingwei shook her head and laughed.
The way she described it made the banquet sound like a supermarket.
Because she was going, Shen Zuofeng would attend did that mean if she didn’t go, Shen Zuofeng wouldn’t participate either?