Look at him

On the day Zuo Xiao moved, six people stood in the compact living room.

Besides herself, there were the Zhuang siblings, Chen Liqing, Eric, and the property manager, Zhang Jianming. Six adults, plus a dozen or so woven bags and cardboard boxes, left the 20-square-meter living room with barely any space to move. The movers were startled by the sheer size when they entered.

The battle was over before noon. Zuo Xiao invited everyone to lunch at the restaurant at the entrance of the new community. Except for Zhang Jianming who was still at work and couldn't come, everyone else was there.

After dinner, Eric left first, saying it was a rare trip back to Beijing and he had several appointments lined up. Then, Chen Liqing said he had something else to do in the afternoon and wanted to leave too.

He took out two handbags from the trunk, gave one to Zuo Xiao and the other to Zhuang Jinghao, "Chengdu cold rabbit and braised beef, eat them as soon as possible."

Zhuang Jinghao hadn't expected to receive a share of the prize. She was immediately surprised and delighted, her face flushing red. Zuo Xiao, fearing she'd reveal the secret in front of her brother, put his arm around her shoulders and left.

"My brother and I are free this afternoon, so can you help me pack?" Zhuang Jinghao was still immersed in the joy of being cared for by Chen Liqing. She held the handbag in her arms, and her eyes and eyebrows were full of joy.

Zuo Xiao smiled for a while and said, "Okay, I'll eat the rabbit while I work." He then whispered teasingly in her ear, "Eat my portion and keep yours for the treasure." Zhuang Jing was pleased to hear that and glared at her shyly, her ears red.

Back home, the siblings helped Zuo Xiao sort out her belongings. Her room, only about 14 or 15 square meters, was quickly packed, leaving only two bags of clothes to sort out. Looking around, Zuo Xiao saw it was overflowing with stuff, far more crowded than before, and smiled, "Maybe I should start decluttering."

"Why do I feel like you've already done some decluttering?" Zhuang Jinghao asked, "It seems like you've lost a lot of books, and one guitar too?"

"I don't need it for now, so I found a place to store it." Zuo Xiao was afraid that Zhuang Jinghao would think she was being awkward, so she didn't say that she was putting it at Chen Liqing's house.

At this moment, Zhuang Yu'an suddenly asked, "Is the combination lock on the front door still using the same combination as before?"

Zuo Xiao then remembered this. Safety first, she called her roommate to ask for advice on changing the door lock combination.

My roommate, Jiang Yun, works in executive roles at an events company and frequently travels around the country. She's currently in Shanghai. She said she could change her password easily, but she didn't know how to set it.

After hanging up the phone, Zuo Xiao went to the door to study the combination lock. Zhuang Yu'an came over and said, "You go and do your work. I'll do it."

After about ten minutes, he returned to the door and said, "You can go in and enter the six-digit password."

Zuo Xiao was fiddling with the wardrobe and without even raising his head, he casually reported six numbers.

Zhuang Yu'an was slightly startled and said, "This password is too easy to crack. It's not safe."

"Oh, then change it." He reported another six-digit number. Zhuang Yu'an was stunned for a moment and said, "Think of a new one and go over and lose it yourself. Don't tell me."

Zuo Xiao understood, chuckled, and said, "You are not outsiders. This is it, go ahead."

After a while, the hands that were collecting the clothes stopped.

That's not right... The first password she gave was her birthday, and Zhuang Yu'an said it was too easy to crack. Could it be that he knew the meaning of that string of numbers? How did he know?

Oh, Zhuang Jinghao seems to have asked, and it's likely she told her brother...

And then he took it to heart?

Because of this little episode, when Zuo Xiao looked at Zhuang Yu'an again, a different feeling flashed through his heart.

This guy had a crush on her and cared for her; she had always known it, and it had become second nature to her. His love was like lukewarm water, neither too hot nor too cold, like a shadow, neither too close nor too far, and like air, barely noticeable. Because of this, the occasional hints of his affection didn't resent her; instead, they filled her with a comforting warmth.

On second thought, a trace of guilt welled up in my mind: occupying the toilet without doing anything is too much...

The next day, he hung out with the Zhuang brothers and sisters again.

Early in the morning, the brother and sister picked her up for breakfast and then went to rehearsal. At noon, a large group of people took a private room in the restaurant downstairs and ate old Beijing copper pot hot pot meat.

After dinner, Lao Sun called everyone into the conference room and asked Zuo Xiao to present the band VI he designed. There were two sets of plans, A and B, both of which included graphic logos, word logos and extended designs.

Plan A features a lightning bolt as its core symbol. The logo is a slightly irregular blue square with a hollowed-out lightning bolt in the center, visually evoking the band's name, "Blue Warning." In fact, the design was inspired by the blue lightning warning symbol commonly seen in weather forecasts. The extended design primarily utilizes the square and lightning bolt elements, arranging them in a variety of combinations to create a rich yet unified overall look. Printed on T-shirts, hats, canvas bags, or as badges and refrigerator magnets, the design is both stylish and eye-catching.

Plan B features light gray horizontal clouds with six blue raindrops falling in two rows. Zuo Xiao explained that the logo's shape was inspired by the oracle bone script character for "rain." This extended design incorporates more elements: clouds, raindrops, and wavy wind. The design style is simple and modern, yet subtly elegant. Among the VI application renderings, Zuo Xiao was most pleased with the T-shirt design. It was a light blue T-shirt with a white pattern. The nine letters of "Blue Alert" in various sizes and shapes appeared to spill and fall from the clouds like raindrops.

Comparing the two options, the first one was undoubtedly more powerful and eye-catching, while the second one had a fresher, more artistic quality. Zuo Xiao personally preferred the second one, but she felt that the others were all straight men and would probably prefer the powerful first one.

"Everyone, come and vote!" Jiang Miaomiao shouted.

"Can I have both?" Zhuang Jinghao seemed genuinely troubled. "Both sets are excellent. I'm having trouble making a decision..."

"Of course," Peng Lei continued, "Only children do multiple-choice questions. Adults should do them too!"

"No!" Jiang Miaomiao simply rejected it, "If you two don't want to vote, then just consider it as abstention." Before she finished speaking, two voices said at the same time: "Don't!" She couldn't help laughing.

The discussion was heated, and the two proposals were equally popular, with neither gaining the upper hand. Ultimately, it was Old Sun who made the final decision, deciding on the second proposal.

He explained the reason for his choice: "I hope our music is like water, with endless changes and never stagnant."

After the meeting, Peng Lei caught up with Zuo Xiao and showered him with praise: "It's definitely different when a professional designer comes out. It feels like our makeshift team has suddenly become more prestigious. We'd be doing this design a disservice if we don't win a few awards!"

Jiang Miaomiao laughed behind them, put her hand on Peng Lei's shoulder, and said jokingly, "I've noticed that since Xiaoxiao joined the team, you've all become active participants in rehearsals. The phenomenon of being late or slacking off has almost disappeared."

"Hey, that's why they say beauties are the primary productive force? What's more, she's a super beauty with good looks, talent and a great voice!" Peng Lei's psychological quality is touching. Not only does he flatter me hard enough, he also makes fun of himself heartlessly, "I'm full of energy now, I can rehearse every day! Otherwise, you can talk to Brother Sun and tell him not to rehearse twice a week. In my opinion, at least three times a week is enough!" Although his words were a bit rough, but coupled with his frank attitude, he didn't offend anyone.

Zuo Xiao actually thinks that the frequency of rehearsals could be increased, but Qiangzi has a full-time job, and the old Sun couple also have to run such a large training institution. If the frequency is really increased, they may not be able to afford it.

The rehearsal lasted until the evening. After it ended, Zuo Xiao and the Zhuang brothers and sisters went straight to the restaurant.

When ordering food, Xu Ziwen and Chen Liqing came in together and said that they met at the restaurant door.

Zuo Xiao and the two were high school classmates. After chatting about their current situations, they reminisced about the past, leaving neither Zhuang sibling to get a word in. Zhuang Jinghao glanced at Chen Liqing, then at Xu Ziwen, thinking that since they were both single and old classmates, it wouldn't be surprising if they ended up together. Her expression darkened. She sipped her orange juice, slowly picking up a sour taste in her mouth.

Zuo Xiao noticed this. After a moment's thought, she said to Xu Ziwen, "I heard you interviewed Zhuang Yu'an? Did you edit the video?"

Xu Ziwen was obviously very interested in the new topic she brought up. As she spoke, she picked up her phone and said, "The first edition is available. Take a look."

Zuo Xiao leaned forward and moved closer to look at the screen. Zhuang Jinghao also joined in the fun, standing behind the two of them and craning his neck to watch.

In the video, Zhuang Yu'an stood tall and strong, wearing a fine dark blue suit and a meticulously tied tie. Looking at his strong, masculine face, no one would doubt that he was a runway model. Zuo Xiao was so focused on his face that she didn't even bother to listen to what he said.

"Pretty handsome, right?" Xu Ziwen said with a smile. "The interns in our group all said after seeing it: 'Sister, you're working on an entertainment program, right?' You're no different from a male celebrity."

"Did you use the gold medal styling or the million-dollar post-production?" Zuo Xiao teased, "He's more handsome than usual."

"I just put on some foundation and plucked my eyebrows. As for post-production, this is just a rough cut; even the color adjustment hasn't been done yet." Xu Ziwen looked up at the person involved and smiled, "It's mainly because Boss Zhuang has good hardware."

Zuo Xiao subconsciously followed her gaze and looked at the person across the table. Unfortunately, their eyes met. Their eyes met, and both of them were stunned and looked away.

Zuo Xiao coughed dryly and said, "It's a great shot. Can you give Chen Liqing one too sometime?"

Xu Ziwen and Chen Liqing were not only familiar with each other, but they had also had several verbal fights in the past. Without giving him any face, she said, "Then Boss Xu has to work harder. The boss said the company's valuation must exceed 3 billion. That's the bottom line."

The atmosphere suddenly turned grim. Zuo Xiao glanced at Chen Liqing and saw that he looked unhappy, so he said, "That's your loss. Last time, there was a silver economy conference, and the official media interviewed Chen Liqing. The video clip went viral, garnering thousands of likes and a flood of comments calling him handsome."

"That's right!" Zhuang Jing said excitedly, "Many netizens also praised him for his kindness! Some people also said--"

She suddenly stopped talking because Zuo Xiao reached behind her, tugged at the corner of her clothes, and signaled her with his eyes to stop. Only then did she realize that she had said too much.

The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye. The band had scheduled a rehearsal for Sunday, so Zhuang Jinghao had taken up Zuo Xiao's Saturday schedule.

Early in the morning, the brother and sister picked up Zuo Xiao and left the city.

It was late November, past the peak season for red foliage, but the view from the path halfway up the mountain still offered a pleasant one. Evergreen pines and cypresses, gilded ginkgo trees, and sumac trees still wore their seasonal colors, while the Japanese maples and tung trees were already in full bloom. There were a couple of persimmon trees, their leaves completely shed, leaving only a few wrinkled fruits hanging high in the air.

"Great! We've caught the tail end of autumn!" Zhuang Jinghao sighed as she snapped away with her camera. Sometimes she took pictures of the scenery, sometimes of people, and sometimes she gave the camera to her brother to take a group photo of them.

Zuo Xiao's right foot wasn't yet able to withstand a long hike, so before reaching the top, Zhuang Yu'an suggested stopping and resting for a while before turning back. Reluctant to leave, Zuo Xiao said, "My foot isn't hurting, I can still go a little higher."

Zhuang Yu'an didn't say anything to stop her, but he turned his head to look at her from time to time, and asked every two minutes: "Are you okay?"

Ten minutes later, his right foot, which had not hurt before, began to ache. He didn't know if it was a real injury or just a psychological effect aroused by someone. Zuo Xiao stopped and said, "Let's take a break."

Zhuang Yu'an opened his backpack, took out a small folding stool and put it on the ground, then took out water, oranges and wet wipes.

Zuo Xiao was enjoying the stool alone, and was a little embarrassed at first, but when he thought that he was the only person with mobility problems present, he easily relaxed.

At this moment, Zhuang Jinghao, who had been silent for a while, suddenly said shyly, "Well... I still want to go up and walk around and take some pictures..."

"It's okay, you guys go up, I'll wait here." Zuo Xiao said cheerfully.

"That's so inappropriate!" Zhuang Jinghao scratched her head in embarrassment, then suddenly opened her eyes wide. "I can go up by myself! Brother, you stay here with Zuo Xiao!" As if afraid of being stopped, she turned around and walked away. Before Zuo Xiao could say anything, she had already walked five meters away.

Turning to look at Zhuang Yu'an, he was peeling an orange, as calm and indifferent as ever. Zuo Xiao had no choice but to accept the fact that they would have to wait together for the lone bird to return to the group.

The sweet scent of oranges came to her nose. Zhuang Yu'an squatted down and handed the peeled oranges to her.

"Thank you." She took it, broke it open, and handed over one half.

Zhuang Yu'an was slightly startled and didn't take it. After a moment, he said, "You eat it. I have more in my bag."

Zuo Xiao shook his head, his hand still stretched forward. Zhuang Yu'an's lips curved slightly as he silently opened his palm, placing half an orange into it.

He stood up and turned his face toward the mountains, gazing into the distance while eating an orange. Zuo Xiao looked up at his chiseled profile and suddenly realized that although they had known each other for half a year, they had rarely been alone together.

The last time she was alone with him was in the summer, right after she sprained her ankle. For those two or three days, he constantly carried her around. She even bullied him, ordering him to massage her shoulders and feet, perform tricks, and blow-dry her hair. And the reason she felt so confident was because he'd been bruised protecting her, and she'd seen through his unspoken feelings...

Thinking of this, Zuo Xiao felt his cheeks getting hot, and even his ears became warm.