Sweet food can comfort the heart. This saying was absolutely true.
Wen Ya skipped home in small lively steps, carrying a takeaway box of cake that Lin Xuehe had bought for her.
Although her request for a hug had been rejected, she got a cake instead, ahhhhh!
She placed the cake in the refrigerator and wiped imaginary tears from her eyes. Mr. Lin really was an angel.
“Oh my, you look so happy you’re about to fly. A woman in love is truly something else.”
The sudden voice made Wen Ya reflexively turn around, only to meet the sour looking gaze of someone behind her.
Qin Keke walked over, opened the refrigerator again, and very proactively took out the cake. “You can’t eat it alone. Cake is meant to be shared… wow, Häagen-Dazs! One hundred marriages, one hundred marriages!”
Wen Ya rolled her eyes. “Can you be a little merciful? Do you know how hard it is for ordinary people to eat Häagen-Dazs even once? Also, I already changed the lock once, how do you have a key again?”
“Oh, that. Your mom said she and your dad are going back to her hometown for a few days and was worried I might not be able to get in, so she gave me a key.” Qin Keke opened the box. “Don’t worry about such details. Listen, didn’t I go home? Then my mom immediately arranged a blind date for me. I went to meet him once, he’s actually quite nice, but my mom kept nagging in my ear and it was so annoying, so I came to your place to hide for some peace and quiet, hehe.”
“A blind date?” Wen Ya sat down across from her at the dining table, resting her chin on one hand. “Speaking of that, my mom also arranged a blind date for me last time, and it ended badly.”
Qin Keke became interested. “Tell me the details.”
Wen Ya immediately began pouring out her complaints. “An overseas returnee, wearing a flashy pink outfit. His looks and figure were okay, his family is rich, and he seems capable too. Maybe because his conditions were too good and our families didn’t match in status, he kept implying that I was reaching above my station. It was suffocating.”
Qin Keke was furious. “Damn, with such bad character, he’s the one reaching above his station!” She slapped the table, then comforted Wen Ya after venting her anger. “But it’s fine, it’s all in the past. Duan Ming’an comes from an ordinary family background, he wouldn’t be like that.”
Wen Ya looked at her and blinked.
Qin Keke froze, then after a moment blinked as well.
A bit awkward.
“Oh haha, I said that without thinking. Forgive me, forgive me.” Qin Keke tried to make up for it. “But seriously, when girls get together we easily end up talking about things like this. I’ll pay more attention next time.”
Wen Ya spoke slowly, “That doesn’t really matter. But Keke, people can’t just stand still forever.”
“…I’ve already started going on blind dates.” Qin Keke leaned forward and patted her shoulder, pretending to be carefree. “You just go ahead and fall in love peacefully. I’ll catch up soon.”
No one is asking you to catch up, and I never planned to start such a complicated relationship either.
Wen Ya sighed quietly in her heart. The restlessness that Lin Xuehe had helped disperse crept back into her mind without a sound.
“Keke, my feelings toward President Duan are only at the stage of liking him. It’s not at the point where I can’t live without him, so you don’t need to be so careful.”
Wen Ya raised her eyes, which were clear and calm. “If I can’t be with him, I’ll only feel it’s a pity. I won’t lose my appetite or lose sleep over it. Compared with having no fate with him, what hurts me more is that things between you and me have become like this.”
“People can’t stay in the same place, but whether you move forward or turn back, you’re free.”
“Think about it carefully. For today, go home first, alright?”
Wen Ya calmly laid everything out. She had also been thinking about it these past few days. It had troubled her and made her uncomfortable, but she could accept it.
Duan Ming’an had not yet become that important in her heart.
Qin Keke’s eyes reddened, tears shimmering inside them.
She pushed her chair away, walked around to the other side, and hugged Wen Ya. The forced smiles she had worn these past few days completely shattered as her emotions collapsed.
“Don’t drive me away. I feel so miserable. Every day is miserable. As soon as I close my eyes, I see that bastard Duan Ming’an. I want to forget him but I just can’t…”
Her tears soaked Wen Ya’s shoulder. Wen Ya raised her hand and gently stroked her long hair.
Go ahead and cry. Speaking the truth is better.
“I thought that once I went abroad, enough time would pass and I’d completely forget him. But I can’t forget him. I just can’t…”
“I’m a despicable person. These past few days I’ve even been secretly praying that he doesn’t really like you, that he’s only looking for my shadow in you…”
“Wen Ya, I’m sorry. What should I do? I don’t know. I don’t know what I should do…”
“I still love him. It’s been two years, and I still love him…”
It was as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances and longing she had held for years. By the end, Wen Ya’s eyes had also reddened. She could only keep patting her back and stroking her hair.
Heaven above, please forgive her. The reason she wanted to cry was not because she pitied her best friend, but because she was mourning her own first love that had died before it even began.
Now there was truly no way it could start.
What a pity.
The next morning, the two of them looked at each other’s swollen eyes. After staring blankly at each other for three seconds, they suddenly burst into laughter.
Qin Keke shook her head playfully. “Little girl, you finally suffered a heartbreak too!”
Wen Ya immediately shot back without mercy. “All thanks to you, alright? Trash. Prepare to treat me to Häagen-Dazs for a whole year.”
“A whole year? Aren’t you afraid of getting fat to death?”
Wen Ya got down from the bed and snorted. “I’d rather get fat to death than not squeeze you dry. Go live off your parents, you unemployed bum!”
It was getting late. She did not have time to fight three hundred rounds with Qin Keke. After a quick wash she skipped breakfast and rushed out the door. She still had to report to the company on time in the morning, and there was an early meeting today. She absolutely could not be late.
Rushing frantically, she finally arrived one minute before work started. She grabbed the meeting notes and ran straight to the conference room, beginning a busy day.
Of course, her swollen eyes immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
After the meeting, the big boss kept her behind alone. This at least spared her from being immediately questioned by familiar department heads, but being questioned by him was not much different.
The big boss looked uneasy. Watching his capable little secretary, he carefully asked, “It’s been a while since I asked. Xuehe hasn’t been making things too difficult for you, right?”
Apparently he thought Wen Ya’s swollen eyes were trouble caused by Lin Xuehe.
Wen Ya silently sympathized with the innocent Lin Xuehe for a second and shook her head. “Mr. Lin handles things objectively. It can’t be called making things difficult.” Seeing that he did not believe her, Wen Ya added, “Really. Yesterday he even treated me to Häagen-Dazs.”
“Sigh.” The big boss sighed. “I understand. I’ll talk to him properly. Don’t take it to heart.”
There was no way that kid Lin Xuehe would randomly treat someone to dessert. He must have pushed the poor girl too far and was compensating her afterward.
That brat. Did he think a little dessert could make up for hurting someone? Look at what he did to the poor girl!
This time he was definitely going to lecture him properly.
Wen Ya realized she could not explain it clearly. The more she spoke, the worse it would sound, so she simply stuck out her tongue inwardly and let the big boss imagine whatever he wanted.
After all, he probably would not actually dare to nag nonsense in front of Lin Xuehe.
Merciful Mr. Lin, please bear with it.
When Lin Xuehe received the big boss’s phone call, he was completely confused by the barrage of scolding. After listening for two minutes, he still had no idea where all those lectures were coming from.
“What exactly are you talking about? If you don’t start from the beginning, I’m hanging up.”
His cold indifference only made the big boss angrier. “You actually won’t admit what you did? Do you know Wen Ya’s eyes are swollen today, they look exactly like goldfish eyes!”
“… ”
Sitting quietly at home, yet the blame falls from the sky.
However, Lin Xuehe caught the key information. “Her eyes are swollen?”
“Oh look at you, you don’t even notice something like that. You are simply a classic example of the failure of our nation’s education!”
“…I’m hanging up.”
“Hey hey hey, can’t you at least respe—”
Without hesitation, Lin Xuehe pressed the hang up button, cutting off the endless nagging.
He finished dealing with the documents in his hands and called his assistant in. “I need to go out for a while. Give the black folder to the Supply Department for them to review first. Send the other one to the chairman. If there’s anything urgent, call me.”
“Alright.”
The assistant took the documents and watched his tall figure leave, silently sighing in admiration. So handsome…
Wen Ya had no idea that trouble was on the way. She handed the meeting notes to the idle Qiao Mu to organize, while she herself crouched in front of the filing cabinet, rummaging through drawers to find a proposal mentioned in the meeting, supposedly about the development direction of a new product from more than a year ago.
It should have existed as a digital archive on the computer, but the computer had broken once before Wen Ya joined the company, and everything from before had disappeared. She could only search through the paper archives.
“Sister Wen Ya, how should I format the final printed version?”
Wen Ya was completely absorbed in the old files and did not even turn around. “I have it on my computer. It’s in the Meeting Minutes folder on the F drive. Just go send it yourself.”
Qiao Mu obediently stood up and handled it herself.
Wen Ya organized her files very clearly, so it did not take Qiao Mu much effort to find the template for the meeting minutes. When she opened WeChat to send the file, the flashing notification revealed an avatar and remark name that were impossible to ignore.
Mr. Not to Be Provoked: I’ve arrived at your company
Mr. Not to Be Provoked: Please prepare yourself mentally
Qiao Mu could not resist her curiosity. “Sister Wen Ya, who is this Mr. Not to Be Provoked?”
“What? Did he send a message?”
“Yes. He said he arrived at our company.”
Arrived. At. The. Company!
Holy crap holy crap holy crap!!!
Ten thousand alpacas galloped wildly through Wen Ya’s mind. She jumped up and rushed to the computer. Qiao Mu was still confused and persisted in asking, “Sister Wen Ya, who is this Mr. Not to Be Provoked?”
“He is…” Wen Ya caught sight of a corner of clothing appearing at the office entrance from the corner of her eye and immediately turned pale with fright. Why did he come so quickly!
In a split second of desperation, inspiration struck her. She raised her voice and said loudly, “Ah, that. It’s my dad. Yes, that’s right, it’s my dad!”
Lin Xuehe entered calmly amid her deliberately raised voice and walked toward her.
With quick reflexes, Wen Ya closed the chat window and continued the exaggerated act. “Sigh, I’ve told my dad not to disturb me during working hours. This person really is something. Whenever there’s a little issue he just ignores everything else. I’ve told him so many times already…”
Wen Ya fell silent because Lin Xuehe had already walked up to her.
He bent down and brushed her hand away from the mouse.
Qiao Mu, who was still sitting in Wen Ya’s seat, nearly stopped breathing. Oh my god, who is this handsome man, he’s so close to me, this is making me shy…
Lin Xuehe opened the chat window. His own conversation page appeared clearly, and the special remark name was impossible to hide.
The evidence was undeniable. Wen Ya stood speechless, lowering her hands and eyes with tears welling up.
How should she repent to have even the slightest chance of survival?
Lin Xuehe curled his lips and reached out to pat the top of her head, speaking earnestly. “How do you want to conduct the ceremony of acknowledging kinship? Dad will satisfy all your wishes.”
Wen Ya’s legs went weak and she collapsed onto the desk.
She was finished.