As the sun dipped below the horizon, a hazy yellow glow enveloped the earth.
The office was slowly emptying as colleagues headed home. Lin Qian packed her things, preparing to leave as well.
But as she reached the exit, she turned stealthy, hiding behind a large potted plant and peeking out toward the hallway.
No one there, right? Probably clear. There was no way she’d run into Su Qingmo at the elevators again today; if she did, it truly would be a haunting coincidence.
Lin Qian observed from the sidelines for a long time, making absolutely sure that no one was near the elevators and that no one was likely to suddenly appear. Only then did she dash toward the elevator bank.
What Lin Qian didn’t know was that every move she made was being watched clearly by two people behind her.
Those two people were Su Qingmo and Li Linlin.
The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Lin Qian scrambled inside, frantically hitting the “Close Door” button as if a split second’s delay would allow some wild beast to charge in and bite her.
Li Linlin glanced at the woman beside her. “President Su, the doors are closed. Aren’t you going to ‘accidentally’ run into her today?”
Su Qingmo gave Li Linlin a lukewarm, sideways glance.
Li Linlin took the hint and immediately shut her mouth.
Inwardly, Su Qingmo sighed. She wanted to follow, but she knew she had to maintain boundaries. She had clearly seen Lin Qian’s discomfort and resistance; if she pushed too hard and too often, it might backfire and cause genuine resentment.
Li Linlin thought of something and suddenly chuckled.
Su Qingmo shot her a cold look. Li Linlin suppressed her laughter and adopted a serious expression, but her mind was already blooming with silent commentary.
That move President Su pulled this morning was a total show-stopper!
At the time, Li Linlin had seen what happened out in the office. While she enjoyed the drama from afar, she thought Liu Jie was truly suicidal for daring to knock over the breakfast Su Qingmo had personally made for Lin Qian.
But before the drama could even settle, she heard Su Qingmo’s hard, cold voice from behind her: “You. Go bump back into her.”
Li Linlin: “???”
Li Linlin’s lip twitched. “President Su, are you serious?”
Su Qingmo met her with a freezing glare.
Li Linlin instantly turned sycophantic. “Right away! I’ll find a chance to bump her back—hard.”
Su Qingmo’s face remained grim. After a long pause, she added, “Forget it. Never mind.”
Li Linlin was stunned. Just like that? Well, it was for the best; she had been struggling with the idea of a high-ranking secretary intentionally running into a subordinate. It was so beneath her. You don’t bite back when a dog bites you, right?
But then, Su Qingmo stood up and walked toward the employee break area herself.
Li Linlin felt a premonition of doom. And then…
Li Linlin covered her face. It turned out “forget it” didn’t mean she was letting it go—it meant that having someone else do it wouldn’t satisfy her. She wanted to do it herself!
When the dog bit her, she actually went and bit the dog back using the exact same method.
Is she three years old? Li Linlin shook her head with a light sigh. This wasn’t how Su Qingmo usually acted; it was far too childish!
The elevator reached the first floor. Throughout the journey, Lin Qian ran into no acquaintances, and naturally, no Su Qingmo.
This allowed Lin Qian to let out a massive sigh of relief.
This is how it should be. There’s no logic in meeting every single day.
Over the next few days, Lin Qian didn’t run into Su Qingmo once. Li Linlin stopped leaving breakfast on her desk. Everything returned to normal, and Lin Qian’s fluttering heart finally settled into a state of peace.
Exiting the office building, Lin Qian walked with a light step into a convenience store.
Her snack stash at home was empty, and she planned to buy some more. While there was a small supermarket under her apartment, she preferred this unmanned, automated convenience store near the office.
Fully automated, no human interaction required—it was perfect for Lin Qian.
Lin Qian pushed a shopping cart, picking and choosing. She bought quite a bit; half the cart was full within minutes.
Seeing a canister of oats on the shelf, she hesitated, frowning. Should I buy it?
It was too heavy, and her hands would hurt carrying it back. But she was out of oats at home and really wanted some. If she bought it at the supermarket near her house, the owner there was far too outgoing; he loved chatting with customers and cornered her every time she went in.
She didn’t like chatting with people, especially people she didn’t know well.
After much deliberation, she decided to buy it. She reached for the oats, but unexpectedly, someone on the other side of the shelf reached for the exact same canister.
Through the gap in the shelves, she saw the person on the other side.
Slightly curled long hair, an exquisite and cool face. The fluorescent light hit her features, leaving half her face in light and the other in shadow. Her gaze was indifferent, creating an invisible sense of unbridgeable distance.
It was Su Qingmo.
“What a coincidence,” Su Qingmo greeted her through the shelf.
Lin Qian bit her lip lightly. “Hello, President Su.”
Su Qingmo let out a soft laugh.
Lin Qian was baffled. What is she laughing at? She didn’t dare ask, but she noticed that Su Qingmo looked quite beautiful when she smiled. The icy indifference briefly vanished, making her seem less distant and unreachable.
When it came time to check out, since it was an automated store, Lin Qian scanned her items one by one herself.
The rhythmic beep-beep-beep echoed through the store.
Su Qingmo, who had still been browsing in the aisles, pushed her cart over.
Lin Qian scanned her items while stealing a glance at her. Su Qingmo’s cart was practically empty, containing only a single, palm-sized box of chocolates.
Lin Qian had been picking things out for nearly half an hour, and Su Qingmo had been browsing for just as long. Lin Qian had a full cart; Su Qingmo had one box of chocolates.
Lin Qian couldn’t help but wonder: What on earth was she looking at for all that time?
Su Qingmo went to the other checkout station, but as she faced the unfamiliar scanner, she frowned in confusion.
Seeing this, Lin Qian bit her lip and thought for a moment. “You just need to point it at the barcode,” she said.
Su Qingmo nodded, then turned the chocolate box over and over, failing to find the barcode for quite some time.
Lin Qian watched her for a few more seconds. How can she be this clumsy?
After some hesitation, she stepped over to her. “Let me help.”
Su Qingmo looked at the woman approaching her, a smile playing on her lips, and handed her the chocolate.
Seeing that smile, Lin Qian had a sudden, suspicious thought: Is she pretending to be incompetent on purpose?
But then she dismissed it as impossible. There was no reason for a CEO to play dumb. Surely it wasn’t just to get her to come over and help?
Beep.
Lin Qian handed the chocolate back. “There. You just need to scan your payment over there.”
Su Qingmo looked at her, her voice soft. “Thank you.”
Lin Qian: “It’s nothing. I’ll go back to scanning my things.”
Su Qingmo nodded.
Halfway through her own scanning, Lin Qian caught sight of Su Qingmo out of the corner of her eye. She had already finished paying.
Su Qingmo looked over and said, “I’ll head out first.”
Lin Qian replied quickly, “Alright, goodbye.”
Once Su Qingmo left, Lin Qian let out a secret sigh of relief.
With Su Qingmo gone, the convenience store was empty. Lin Qian relaxed, leisurely finishing her scanning, bagging her items, and paying.
As she pushed the door open to leave, the machine gave a mechanical “Thank you, please come again.”
The store had been air-conditioned; stepping out felt like walking into a wave of heat.
Lin Qian’s hands were full, the bags cutting into her fingers. She suddenly regretted buying that heavy canister of oats.
“You’re out.” A cool voice sounded right by her ear.
Lin Qian turned her head and saw Su Qingmo standing there—the woman she thought had long since left.
“President Su, you’re still here?” Lin Qian was astonished.
Su Qingmo’s gaze fell on the heavy bags. “I saw you bought so many things. It’s inconvenient to carry. Let me give you a ride.”
Lin Qian froze. She wanted to wave her hands in refusal, but the weight of the bags made that impossible. “No, thank you. I’m actually quite strong; I can carry them. Besides, your car is probably in the underground garage, right? It’s too far and too much trouble. I’ll be home by the time we even get to your car.”
To refuse Su Qingmo’s ride, she had managed to say a long string of words, even if the entire string was a rejection.
“Alright,” Su Qingmo said.
Lin Qian felt relieved, but before she could react, Su Qingmo stepped forward and took the large bag from her right hand.
Lin Qian: “?”
Su Qingmo: “Getting the car really is a hassle. Since you don’t live far, I’ll just walk you home.”
Lin Qian: “…”
Su Qingmo took the lead and started walking. Lin Qian hurried to catch up. “It’s really not necessary. This is too much trouble for you.”
Su Qingmo didn’t stop. She said calmly, “It’s no trouble at all. The distance is short, and besides… it’s not the first time I’ve taken you home.”
Lin Qian was speechless. She wanted to say more, but her mouth opened and closed before she finally settled for an embarrassed “Thank you.”
Along the way, she stared at the heavy bag Su Qingmo was carrying. She hesitated before finally speaking up: “President Su, how about I carry that bag and you carry this one?”
Su Qingmo glanced at her. “What’s the difference?”
Lin Qian fell silent. In her heart, she was screaming: There’s a huge difference! That bag is way heavier! It has the oats in it! It’s so heavy your hand will hurt!
Lin Qian wanted to swap, but Su Qingmo seemed insistent.
On the summer street, the osmanthus trees were in full bloom, their tiny yellow blossoms carpeting the ground beneath them. Bees buzzed around the treetops, and the air was thick with the fragrance of the flowers.
The setting sun bathed the two women as they walked side-by-side. Though there was half a meter of space between them, their shadows overlapped on the pavement.
They looked like strangers who barely knew each other, yet also like a pair of intimate lovers.
Su Qingmo tilted her head to look at the person beside her, her gaze soft, her eyes reflecting the faint starlight.
When Su Qingmo looked away, Lin Qian stole a secret glance at her.
For some reason, even though Su Qingmo walking her home should have made her feel awkward and resistant, it wasn’t actually that uncomfortable.
Previously, she only felt fear toward Su Qingmo and wanted to hide and avoid her at all costs. But perhaps it was because the sunset was so beautiful, or the scent of the osmanthus was so pleasant, but she unexpectedly felt a sense of security coming from Su Qingmo.
It felt as though, with her nearby, nothing bad would happen. Everything could be resolved, and it brought her an extraordinary sense of peace.