Tian Lijun was not in the office. Su Yao placed the painting properly and took a trip to the restroom. On the way, she bumped into Huang Wan coming out of the elevator. She nodded in greeting, brushed past her, and didn’t notice anything wrong with Huang Wan’s face.
Back in the office, she saw several women from her department gathered together, gossiping about something. Su Yao, unsurprised, asked while turning on her computer, “What are you all talking about?”
There was a moment of silence.
Huang Wan acted as the spokesperson. She ran over in high heels, propped up her chin, and playfully blinked her eyes, “Sister Su, who was the person that just dropped you off?”
Su Yao didn’t even lift her head, “Nobody.”
“How is that possible?” Huang Wan raised her voice, “I just went downstairs to get something, and I saw it!”
Only then did Su Yao look directly at Huang Wan.
Huang Wan was Tian Lijun’s cousin, holding a nominal position in the company, with nothing much to do all day. She especially liked to invite people from the department to have afternoon tea under the pretext of her second-generation boyfriend’s status. With her petite and sweet appearance, she was well-liked by everyone.
But Su Yao just couldn’t bring herself to like her.
While others called Su Yao “Manager Su,” Huang Wan addressed her as an older sister, which Su Yao outwardly tolerated but inwardly wished to punch her a hundred times. Of course, that wasn’t the main reason. Ultimately, Su Yao’s intuition told her that Huang Wan didn’t like her, and she wasn’t one to try to mend a strained relationship.
“So what?” Su Yao asked.
“I’m with my Kun Qian every day, and I know a bit about cars. The car that dropped you off, Sister Su, costs at least seven figures, right?”
Kun Qian was the second-generation boyfriend Huang Wan frequently mentioned.
Su Yao shook her head, “I’m not sure about that.”
“Sister Su, you must seize the opportunity,” Huang Wan smiled innocently, appearing harmless, “Sister Su, you’re at the perfect age now, and I think this person you’re seeing is quite good.” Yet, in her mind, she thought, for someone to resort to blind dates with such conditions, they must either be over fifty or unattractive, and in this case, both.
Recently, news about Su Yao going on blind dates somehow leaked out. Huang Wan had hinted at it several times these days, but Su Yao just brushed it off, thinking she was young and didn’t want to dwell on it: “Just friends, don’t overthink it.”
That shut her up.
Struggling to write two lines, Su Yao deleted them again and again, massaging her temples, remembering the numerous reminders from her family and Huang Wan’s insinuations…
She felt troubled. Should she really start dating?
…
Returning home on time, Su Yao took off her shirt and tight skirt, leaving only her underwear as she entered the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet, she froze momentarily, couldn’t help but click her tongue irritably.
She had been feeling impatient all day, not to mention the backache and the fire in her chest. Checking the calendar, her period was still two days early this month.
After showering, with a foggy and heavy mind, Su Yao lazily lay on the bed. After a while, feeling uncomfortable pressing on the swollen and painful spot, she reluctantly propped herself up and grabbed a book.
After reading two pages, her phone suddenly vibrated. She picked it up and immediately sat up.
Liang Chuyuan asked if she was free this Friday.
This… was an invitation, right?
Afraid of replying too quickly and appearing too eager, Su Yao suppressed the urge to type and closed her phone. Ignoring her discomfort, she first got out of bed to drink water, then got back into bed to read, her hurried and tense demeanor making it seem like half an hour had passed.
But when she glanced at her phone again, it had only been two minutes.
Su Yao: “…”
She quickly replied: I’m free.
Liang Chuyuan’s messages were straightforward, with concise details and a location-time inquiry.
Friday night at eight o’clock, at a newly opened music restaurant behind Biya Bay, near Wenjiang, within walking distance.
“Sounds good,” Su Yao replied.
*
Delayed by some errands on Friday, Su Yao returned home close to seven o’clock.
Without time to shower, she changed into the outfit she had planned earlier, only realizing as she was about to leave that she looked a bit overdone.
A single sweater wasn’t suitable for the chilly autumn weather in Wencheng.
So she quietly went back in and added a coat, feeling much warmer now.
While checking the contents of her bag, Su Yao walked out of the elevator. Without looking at the path when exiting the building, she nearly stumbled and fell. Su Yao steadied herself, looking somewhat disheveled as she raised her head, only to find a man standing about five meters away from her.
The streetlights downstairs had been fixed a few days ago.
They were really bright, casting a flattering light on Liang Chuyuan’s features from two degrees away, making him look even more handsome.
…And she was really unlucky to trip for once and have someone witness it.
Calming her erratic breathing, Su Yao calmly adjusted her hair and walked over, saying, “Why are you here? I was about to come straight over.”
Liang Chuyuan wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen, but he couldn’t fool himself.
But Su Yao was even more composed, choosing to ignore his teasing remarks and only listening to him say, “I’m quite free around this time. I thought it would be nice to come pick you up and go together.”