Published at 26th of March 2019 12:09 am

Chapter 35

After collecting and checking the prizes, Little Duan ran back upstairs to ask people to come down to move the things. I stayed behind to keep an eye on the things, to review the record again, to make some notes and so on.

Hence I was the only one left at the doorway of the office building.

After taking notes for a while, I stopped writing. I stood still and kept on thinking, then I laughed out.

Suddenly my back was slapped severely.

The moment I turned around, Yin Jie rushed toward me, “Ah ah ah, I’ve heard everything. Nie Xi Guang, if you deny again that Vice President Lin is courting you, I’ll not friend you!”

Just like Lin Yu Sen said, his wooing me should not be considered my burden and there was nothing about it that needed to be hidden from people. Even if I have not been able to let go yet and was unable to accept him, I also need not be so shy and evasive.

I once so bravely pursue a person. Why can’t I be equally brave to be pursued by a person?

I heaved a sigh of relief, as if suddenly put down the shackles which I did not know when, had appeared in the bottom of my heart.

Yin Jie was still shaking my arm which she grabbed and pressed me for an answer. I smiled at her. With expectant eyes on me, I said two words earnestly ——

“You guess?”

I was hit by Yin Jie until I have to cover my head and flee like a rat.

While waiting for Little Duan to call people to come down to move the things, I completed my task. Then I returned to the office, not surprisingly, to be greeted by Yin Jie’s style penetrating gaze ……

The speed the rumors spread was very fast!

In a few minutes, it was time to get off work. Lin Yu Sen was still in a meeting in his office with several of the executives. I put away my stuff and was about to leave. Suddenly I received a text message.

“Sorry, things happened too sudden just now. I had to do a bit of crisis management, but now that I think about it, that was rather hasty and not thought through carefully.”

I immediately turned my head to look at Lin Yu Sen’s office. He was still conducting the meeting seriously. Appearing to be fully concentrated, I simply could not connect the person who sent the text message and him.

I thought for a while, then quietly switched off my mobile phone. The music to signal the end of a work day was broadcast. I looked straight ahead and walked out of the office, then ran all the way back to the dormitory.

Uh, I did not know why I have to run. Anyway I did it.

I did not even go to the cafeteria to eat, just nibbled a packet of biscuit in the dormitory. I endured until nine o’clock before running to the car park next to the office building to take a look to ensure Lin Yu Sen’s car has gone. After that, I switched on my mobile phone and replied his text message. Then I quickly switched off the phone again.

After doing all these, all of a sudden my mood became extremely good. Bored and with nothing to do, I decided I might as well go to the company’s little supermarket to buy a lot of food. After I returned to the dormitory, I opened this and ate that, was indecisive whether to have another instant noodles. Suddenly I heard knocking sound on the door.

I immediately came to a standstill. That signature unhurried knocking tempo, instantly have three words floating in my mind —— It! Can’t! Be!

I hesitated for a full minute until the knocking on the door stopped. Only then, I got up and slowly opened the door. As expected, a tall and firm man was leaning against the wall. He looked at me smilingly but without saying anything.

I coughed once: “…… You are not finished at work yet?”

Impossible, since his car had clearly gone.

“I received your text message while I was driving but you’ve switched off your phone again when I tried to call you.” He walked at a leisurely pace toward me and showed me the mobile phone in his hand, “What does this mean?”

On the phone screen was exactly the text message I sent him. Two words plus a punctuation mark —— Add Oil!

I looked at him innocently, “Oh, I sent wrongly.”

Yeah right, you had to do ‘crisis management’ and you ‘had not thought through carefully.’ After experiencing so many things and even got deceived into working overtime yesterday, do you think I’d still believe that ‘had not thought through carefully’ everything?

“Oh, sent wrongly. I thought you deliberately want to keep me awake at night.”

“Ha ha ha …… why would I?” How did he know what I was thinking …… was I so obvious?

“That’s really disappointing.”

His voice may seem filled with regret, but he was smiling with his eyes, “Then what if you did not send wrongly? What did you want to tell me?”

He did not wait for me to reply but said, “To tell me, although the revolution is not yet successful and I still need to work hard, the policies are already starting to change and be more open in my favour?”

This high ability to comprehend was really ……

“You insist on comprehending it so highly …… is also right.” I nodded my head hard, “Oh, I mean, if I did not send wrongly.” I quickly added.

“Of course, I understand.” His smile deepened. Suddenly his eyes glowing brighter. In the end, I still hesitated for a moment and said hesitantly, “But ……”

“Don’t but.” He interrupted me and lifted up his wrist to look at the watch, “It is not too late now. When I was coming here just now, I specially went to the petrol station to add oil. Miss Nie, are you interested to go out to eat supper with me?”

“…… Now? It is already nine plus, right?”

“When it comes to ‘adding oil,’ it doesn’t matter to me whether it is day or night.”

“Uh, better not. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, so I intend to go to bed early today.”

He made a long ‘O’ sound, then said, “Nie Xi Guang, when I came up just now, many people saw me.”

“……”

“Or would you rather stand here and chat with me? If they don’t see me go out soon …… well ……”

I stared at him for a full half-minute, then said: ” …… Come on, where should we go?”

Rumors spreading everywhere was an apt description of the current situation.

Mr Lin displayed his usual calm and collected self. Indeed, how can the culprit not be calm and collected. I suspected he wanted this kind of result.

Hence, I was also very calm.

Actually, I have never cared about the rumors in the company. Probably after experiencing the rumor culture in the university, I was already less sensitive over this. I cared about —— why every time I also followed Lin Yu Sen after he said a few words? Having a meal, watching a movie …… every time my heart firmly said no, but after ten sentences ……

I did not want to mention anymore.

I recalled that sentence spoken by Lin Yu Sen —— how dumb must I be not to be able to court you.

Suddenly, I have an ominous premonition that I will be defeated like a landslide.

However, although I did not care about the rumors, if I heard someone said it bluntly and maliciously on the spot, I will still get angry.

I was holding a cup and standing at the doorway of the pantry. The hollow wooden door totally cannot block out sound coming through.

“Before when she shamelessly worked overtime every day, I already can see that she has a hidden agenda. But you did not believe me. Take a look now, I did not say wrongly, right?”

“But you do not need to envy her. Do you think Vice President Lin has really taken a fancy to her? Heehee, don’t be silly. Take a look at the car he has been driving recently. Then you’ll know that his family is certainly very well-off. How can this kind of man take a fancy to this type of ordinary small staff? Since she looks pretty, he is only playing her for a while.”

Another female colleague did not say anything, probably she did not know what to say so she just laughed out loud.

I pushed open the door.

The sound alerted the people who were talking inside. Jiang Ya and that female colleague immediately turned around at the same time. That female colleague stood up at once.

“Ha ha ha, Xi Guang ah, such a coincidence, ha ha. I’ve finished making my tea and still have a lot of work to do, so I’ll go first.”

She left at lightning speed. Thus only Jiang Ya and me, two of us left in the pantry.

I stepped forward to take some water.

Jiang Ya turned away to evade my gaze.

“Jiang Ya, regarding the head of the Marketing Department, Mr Li courting the young receptionist, you spread everywhere that Mr Li was definitely playing her only. Now, you are also spreading everywhere that Vice President Lin wants to play me. I really wonder if there is any normal and healthy relationship in your mind?”

Jiang Ya probably did not expect I would be so direct in questioning her. After a long time, only then she said: “…… You, you don’t conduct yourself in a dignified manner so don’t blame others for talking about it.”

I was angry until I cannot help laughing, “How did I not conduct myself in a dignified manner? Just because Vice President Lin is courting me, it means I’ve not been conducting myself in a dignified manner?”

“Aren’t you relying on your beauty only?” Jiang Ya said with a sneer, “I’ll admit that you are good-looking, but beautiful women are a dime a dozen, so how long can you stay novel? I’ll advise you to be a bit more clear-headed because will someone with status like Vice President Lin take you seriously?”

“Oh, I’m serious.”

……

Jiang Ya and I turned around at the same time.

The focus of our attention, Vice President Lin was holding a cup and standing like a grown jade tree in the wind (a Chinese idiom often used to describe a young man’s talents as well as his physical appearance) at the doorway of the pantry. I felt that he has been listening for a while.

Why did I feel like the mantis is stalking the cicada but unaware the oriole is lurking behind them? (a Chinese idiom meaning to pursue a narrow gain ahead without being aware of danger behind)

Moreover, why did he come to the pantry since there was definitely a water dispenser in his office!

As if knowing the question in my mind, he calmly explained: “The water dispenser in my office is not working.”

He walked in and got a cup of water. Then he walked away in an unhurried manner. Before leaving, with the demeanor of a leader, he said: “Anyhow, I suggest it is best that everyone doesn’t discuss about their personal matters during working hours, just this once but no next time.”

Jiang Ya’s complexion was deadly white. She probably thought that since she had been caught talking about her leader behind his back, she would not survive in this place anymore.

Actually, I also thought I would not survive in this place anymore.

Thus I looked sincerely at Jiang Ya: “Jiang Ya, let’s talk over this? How about we keep this matter from spreading?”

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