15 – vol.3 Assorted Fruits
Wen Ruosui hurried toward the exit.
“Excuse me, please wait a moment,” she called out urgently, breaking into a light jog as she spoke.
The two assistants and Zhou Wensen suddenly heard a woman’s voice and turned to look at her running in her sneakers. The man at the front, however, slowly halted his steps but did not turn around.
There were several brown wooden steps in front of the glass door.
Her flat shoes tapped against them, making a rhythmic clacking sound.
Wen Ruosui rushed to position herself at the front, her slender and petite figure blocking the men’s path to leave.
Once outside the café, the cool air conditioning was gone, replaced by the sweltering heat of summer that swept over her face, instantly adding a layer of restlessness.
She stopped on the second-to-last step, stumbling slightly as she stood before them.
After steadying herself on the steps, she brushed aside the strands of hair that had been slightly tousled by the summer breeze during her run and looked up at Zhou Wensen and his companions.
“Vincent, sorry, are you… leaving already?” she addressed Zhou Wensen.
Her breathing was a little uneven as she spoke. Without overthinking it, she anxiously raised her eyes to look at Pei Zhixiu, who stood just one step above her.
Perhaps noticing someone stopping in front of him, the man finally cast a downward glance at her.
His expression was indifferent, almost casual.
She even saw him frown slightly, likely displeased by her obstruction.
From her upward gaze, the sharp, defined line of his jaw was clearly visible, carrying a faint yet formidable edge.
At least to her, it did not seem gentle.
Zhou Wensen’s expression, meanwhile, was troubled. With too many unexpected developments, he had no energy left for managing his demeanor. His face drooped as he said:
“Yeah, we’re heading over there now. Sorry, Suisui, I didn’t have time to let you know earlier. Oh, and I’ve already scanned and paid the bill.”
Usually, Zhou Wensen would always say goodbye to Wen Ruosui before leaving, but today he hadn’t.
It seemed he hadn’t expected to leave so abruptly either.
She shifted her gaze to Zhou Wensen, who stood beside the man, bit her lip, and asked hesitantly:
“But didn’t you say you’d stay a little longer?”
Hearing her question, Zhou Wensen’s expression froze, and he hesitated over whether to speak.
In front of the client, some things couldn’t be said outright.
But Zhou Wensen still wanted to offer Wen Ruosui some explanation. After a moment’s thought, he descended two steps, leaning close to her ear as he had when adding to the order earlier, and murmured awkwardly: “I… Mr. Pei is in a hurry, and I couldn’t stall him any longer, so I had to take him over now.”
“How could you not stall him? Didn’t we just send over more food?” she asked dryly.
“How should I know?” Zhou Wensen replied.
Frowning, he recounted what had just happened: “After you brought the cake over, Mr. Pei even took a couple of bites. But then, maybe because the place was too noisy or something, he suddenly started asking about the project and said he wanted to leave. I couldn’t exactly drag it out.”
“Alright, I see.”
Wen Ruosui suddenly felt a little downcast. She had hoped they could stay a bit longer.
But the other party had only lingered for a mere twenty minutes before rushing off. Wen Ruosui didn’t know what had suddenly happened in that time—perhaps, as Zhou Wensen suggested, it was because the place felt too crowded and noisy?But that wasn’t the point. The point was that she hadn’t expressed her feelings yet. She hadn’t even had the chance to tell him she wanted to return his suit.
With this thought in mind, her mind grew impulsive, and she decided to abandon her usual etiquette and ask him directly right here.
Wen Ruosui took a deep breath, mustered her courage, lifted her head, and tightened her jaw as she met Pei Zhixiu’s face, speaking straightforwardly:
“Excuse me, Mr. Pei, there’s something I’d like to say to you.”
At this moment, Pei Zhixiu’s meticulously refined face showed his lips pressed into a straight line, serious and without a trace of a smile.
He raised his chin slightly and said in a low voice, “What is it?”
His tone was strictly businesslike, devoid of any warmth.
This made Wen Ruosui a little uneasy.
Without the big banyan tree at the entrance to block it, the sunlight shone directly on her face, and Wen Ruosui couldn’t help but squint.
Shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand, she tried to open them wider and asked:
“I wanted to ask if you remember a few days ago…”
Before she could finish, Pei Zhixiu cut her off.
“You mean Bar W, right?”
His thin, alluring lips coldly and clearly uttered the location of that night, straightforward and without any room for ambiguity.
Wen Ruosui had thought he had forgotten, but she never expected—
He actually remembered.
This realization left Wen Ruosui both startled and stunned. For a moment, she couldn’t recall what she had wanted to say and simply nodded blankly:
“Yes… yes, I wanted…”
But the next second, Pei Zhixiu turned his head aside, avoiding her hopeful gaze.
He didn’t want to meet her eyes.
She saw his lips part slightly, and then, icy words slowly spilled from his thin lips: “I’ve forgotten everything that happened that night.”
Wen Ruosui froze instantly.
Her mouth hung open in utter disbelief.
Forgotten?
But he had just mentioned the name of the bar. He clearly knew what she was referring to, so why would he say he forgot?
She leaned forward slightly, speaking urgently, “Even if you might have forgotten, I still wanted to say thank you again, and also about that suit jacket…”
Pei Zhixiu cut her off once more.
His cold words sliced through the air like a sharp blade, exuding a chilling aura: “No need. Such trivial matters are of no importance to me.”
She was momentarily stunned, her entire body instantly stiffening.
Right.
What was significant and deeply appreciated to her was nothing more than an inconsequential matter to him.
After a long pause, she finally found her voice again:
“What about the cake…” she asked, half hopeful and half anxious.
She wanted to say that the cake was also a small token of her gratitude. If he thought it tasted good, she could… as long as it expressed her thanks.
Pei Zhixiu met her gaze, his light amber pupils reflecting indifference and coldness.
After a moment of silence, he parted his thin lips slightly:
“To be frank, the taste was rather ordinary.”
His words felt like a bucket of icy water poured over her head, instantly drenching her entire being.
So… he didn’t like it after all.
Wen Ruosui’s mouth hung open, her face burning with embarrassment. Her breathing grew heavier, and she felt a sense of defeated disappointment.
Actually, running a café meant facing criticism from customers was normal.
After all, everyone’s tastes were different.Yet, because these words of denial came from this particular person, she inexplicably felt a sudden, piercing sting.
Pei Zhixiu did not glance at her again. He turned his head slightly and said indifferently to the person behind him, “Let’s go.”
Then he walked past her, brushing by her side.
The assistant, sensing his superior’s low mood, quickly caught up and said respectfully, “Mr. Pei, the car is here, just ahead.” After speaking, he walked ahead first, reaching the luxurious sedan and opening the door for his boss.
Zhou Wensen, clearly surprised and curious about the sudden exchange between them, dared not delay any further due to the time and place.
He called out loudly to the person ahead, “Mr. Pei, I’ll drive and lead the way for you.”
As he passed Wen Ruosui, Zhou Wensen patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Suisui, we’re heading off now. Let’s chat after work.”
With that, he hurriedly caught up.
Wen Ruosui replied blankly, “Oh, okay.”
Standing in place for a few seconds, she finally lowered the hand she had placed on her forehead and turned around in confusion.
In the distance, she saw Pei Zhixiu walking briskly ahead. Compared to when he had entered, his back now appeared even more stern.
His tall figure soon settled into the back seat of the car. The door was abruptly shut with force, and the windows rolled up.
The black sedan’s windows were tinted with privacy film, pitch-black and revealing nothing. His figure vanished from her sight.
Wen Ruosui felt that as he left, every line of his body was rigid, devoid of any softness, exuding an intimidating chill.
Gazing at the long-departed black sedan, she thought of that hurriedly retreating figure and suddenly felt a sense of loss.
All she had wanted was to express her gratitude…