Chapter 7. She also longed to reveal her secret to the person she liked. ...

"Good morning, shall we go to the shop?" Zhu Liushuang replied, her gaze meeting Lü Feng's intense stare, which she subtly looked away from.

Yesterday morning, she politely declined Lü Feng's offer via WeChat, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

However, the person in question didn't seem to care and casually caught up with her, asking, "Are you in a hurry to get to work? Do you want a ride?"

Zhu Liushuang shook the car keys in her hand, turned her head and said, "Your shop is in the east of the city, and my company is in the south of the city. We're not going that way."

The moment she turned her head, her short, black hair, reaching her shoulders, fluttered in the wind, and her wet eyes stared straight at Lü Feng.

The refusal was far too obvious.

Lu Feng was taken aback when Liu Shuang suddenly turned around. They were so close that he could smell the delicate fragrance of the girl's hair. He was stunned, his actions preceding his thoughts.

"Brother Lü Feng?" Zhu Liushuang's gaze fell on her backpack, where a pair of strong hands were gripping it firmly. "I'm going to be late for work," she reminded her casually.

After so many years, Zhu Liushuang called him "brother" again, which brought Lü Feng back to his senses. He awkwardly let go of her hand and tried to explain his earlier lapse in composure: "I just... I just noticed that your backpack zipper seemed to be open."

Zhu Liushuang glanced at the tightly packed bag, then looked up as if asking a question.

"I...I must have misread it." Lu Feng scratched his head, a hint of naivety appearing on his originally handsome face.

Zhu Liushuang didn't want to waste time standing in the bike shed with him, so she put on her helmet, got on her bike, and was about to leave.

The turn signal came on, and the electric scooter drove straight ahead, bypassing the tall man standing by the roadside.

As they passed each other, Lü Feng, still unwilling to give up, pressed on, asking, "I have errands to run today, we're going the same way."

Unfortunately, she only left him with her departing figure: "The traffic is terrible during rush hour, your car can't even go as fast as my two wheels..."

It didn't rain that morning, so although she got up a little late, she wasn't late.

The elevator stopped on the first floor with a "ding". After the doors opened fully, Zhu Liushuang stepped in, wearing low-heeled leather shoes.

The inside was a bit crowded. As she walked forward, she was pushed by someone who came in behind her, and she stumbled and fell to the side. Just as she regained her footing, her heel stepped on the shoe of the person next to her.

"Why are you pushing? Can't you..." The innocent victim muttered, suppressing his anger. Before he could finish, he changed his words when he saw Zhu Liushuang's apologetic face. "It's okay, it's okay. There are a lot of people in the morning. Do you want to go further in?"

Zhu Liushuang whispered her apology, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and flashed her signature smile to express her gratitude.

Today she wore a mint green fitted dress that made her skin look exceptionally fair. She had a light dusting of foundation, peach blush, and a dusty rose lip gloss, making her look both fresh and radiant.

She stared blankly at the half-length mirror in the elevator, thinking that if she had stepped on someone yesterday, covered in dirt and mud, she would have inevitably received a few glares.

Her gaze shifted from the mirror, unexpectedly meeting a pair of narrow eyes. Zhu Liushuang stared blankly into those eyes for two seconds before lowering her gaze.

The owner of those eyes was Wang Yizheng. He stood in the far corner of the elevator, his gaze drifting towards her almost imperceptibly through the scattered faces of the people around him.

Ever since their argument that day, she had felt that Wang Yi's gaze towards her was ambiguous. At this moment, Zhu Liushuang suddenly felt uneasy and just wanted the elevator to arrive at its destination as soon as possible.

Fortunately, they arrived at the twelfth floor quickly, and several people rushed out of the elevator at the same time as the doors opened. Zhu Liushuang turned his head and pretended to tidy his backpack. After seeing that Wang Yizheng was no longer staring at him and was walking straight towards the technical department, he breathed a sigh of relief.

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The finance office is located at the other end of the reception hall. It is spacious and only has two staff members: the finance officer and the cashier.

Compared to Zhu Liushuang's job as an accountant, the cashier's work was much easier. The two shared an office for a whole morning, with Zhu Liushuang constantly working on the computer screen, filing taxes, and occasionally replying to General Manager Guo's questions on DingTalk.

In contrast, Zhuang Xiaoqian, sitting across from him at the desk, did nothing after registering the bank account details. She would make tea, eat snacks, and eventually start watching variety shows.

However, it was clear that she wasn't in a good mood today. Her lips drooped for a long time, and she barely spoke.

After finishing her morning's work, Zhu Liushuang finally had a moment to relax. Normally, Zhuang Xiaoqian was incredibly lively in the office, so this quiet, quail-like atmosphere felt strange to her.

"Sister Zhuang, what variety show are you watching? It sounds really lively," Zhu Liushuang said first.

Zhuang Xiaoqian lowered her voice, her mood low: "Stand-up comedy is pretty boring, just something to watch to pass the time."

Zhu Liushuang asked with concern, "You look so down today, are you in a bad mood?"

Zhuang Xiaoqian, who had been keeping this to herself for a long time, felt she had finally found an outlet when someone asked her about it: "Yes, I've been keeping this to myself all night, and I couldn't find anyone to talk to. I didn't want to bother you since you were so engrossed in organizing the data."

Zhu Liushuang nodded and encouraged her with her eyes, "Want to pour out your troubles to me? I'm tight-lipped..." As she spoke, she smiled and made a "shut up" gesture.

"Actually, it's nothing serious. It's just that I'm feeling down..." Zhuang Xiaoqian closed the webpage and lowered her head, saying, "I had a first love in high school, we dated for six or seven years. We broke up because of his mother..."

As Zhu Liushuang listened, she sorted out her thoughts. What Zhuang Xiaoqian cared about was that her first love had gotten married before her, and to a woman who was inferior to her in every way. She felt that she had wasted so many years of her youth.

She figured that Zhuang Xiaoqian probably wanted her to help her scorn her ex-boyfriend, so she said, "It's better to get rid of a mama's boy. He's unlucky to have missed out on such an outstanding woman as our Sister Zhuang..."

Zhuang Xiaoqian burst into laughter through her tears, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Have you been eating honey? Come to think of it, I'm about to get married myself, so why do I still get so emotionally affected when I hear news about him..."

"Perhaps... because it was her first love?" Zhu Liushuang blurted out.

"Maybe so. Back then, we secretly dated under the noses of our parents and teachers. Even holding hands would make us blush and our hearts race. Later, we failed the college entrance exam, and we persevered through a long-distance relationship across the country, but in the end, it still succumbed to reality." Recalling the past, Zhuang Xiaoqian couldn't help but sigh.

Zhu Liushuang could still detect a hint of resentment in her words, so she interjected, "It's alright, people should look forward. You have a brother-in-law now..."

“That’s different. Your brother-in-law and I met through a blind date. We just wanted to settle down and live a good life together.” Zhuang Xiaoqian handed a cookie to Zhu Liushuang. “That feeling of excitement is gone now, you understand?”

Zhu Liushuang took the biscuit and nodded subconsciously.

"Shuangshuang, you're so pretty, you must have had a lot of suitors when you were in school, right? Have you ever been in a relationship?" Zhuang Xiaoqian's emotions came and went quickly. She had just finished venting when she started gossiping again as if nothing had happened.

"Maybe..." Zhu Liushuang took a bite of the biscuit, and crumbs fell onto the table. "When I was in school, I wasn't particularly outstanding in class, and I never thought about dating."

"You're not outstanding?" Zhuang Xiaoqian asked incredulously, "You must have someone who likes you, right?"

Zhu Liushuang swallowed the biscuit too quickly, and it became sticky and stuck in her throat, making her cough involuntarily, her whole face turning red.

Zhuang Xiaoqian quickly picked up a water glass and handed it to her: "You're so excited, then you must have something to say."

Curiosity ignited in her eyes, and her tone became excited: "It's said that every girl has a crush during her school days. Tell me, what's yours like?"

Suddenly, He Ming's handsome face appeared in Zhu Liushuang's mind, and a thin blush crept up her ear tips, matching the color of her blush today.

Completely unaware that her expression had already betrayed her true feelings, Zhu Liushuang still desperately tried to explain, "No...no. At most, it's just admiration. There are always those handsome and academically gifted boys in school...Sister Zhuang, you had them when you were in school, right?"

She abruptly changed the subject, and knowing she was sensitive about saving face, Zhuang Xiaoqian didn't press the matter further, instead replying, "That's true, back in the day, our school had three very popular figures..."

The two chatted for a long time, and even at lunchtime, Zhuang Xiaoqian was still reminiscing about her student days with Zhu Liushuang. She had completely forgotten the gloom that had hung over her that morning.

In June, Gucheng was in the midst of the plum rain season. This year's rainfall was more abundant than in previous years, and it started raining again in no time.

Zhu Liushuang was very prescient. She opened the umbrella she was carrying and pulled Zhuang Xiaoqian back to the office building.

A few young men wearing Ruixin employee badges walked towards them on the street, and Zhuang Xiaoqian greeted them with a smile. Zhu Liushuang wasn't very familiar with them, so she just nodded politely.

As soon as those people left, Zhuang Xiaoqian seemed to suddenly remember something and leaned close to Zhu Liushuang's ear to tell her, "Look at my memory, there's something I forgot to tell you. Shuangshuang, be careful of Wang Yizheng, and avoid him if you can."

Zhu Liushuang turned to look at her, her bright, clear eyes asking, "What's wrong, Sister Zhuang?"

Zhuang Xiaoqian covered her mouth and whispered in her ear, "This morning when I came into the company, I heard a few young people in the technical department chatting in the break room, saying that they had made a bet... that men can be really petty sometimes."

Zhu Liushuang was shocked; there was actually such a bet. No wonder Wang Yizheng had been so attentive to her before, only to change his attitude after not getting a response. And that uncomfortable look in his eyes this morning…

"Thank you for reminding me, Sister Zhuang. I'll be more careful next time." If she didn't really need the job at Ruixin, she might have resigned to avoid getting into trouble.

But right now, my mother needs money for medical treatment, and it's hard to find work in a small city, so I can only pretend I don't know and try to reduce my contact with that person.

During her lunch break, Zhu Liushuang stared blankly at the increasingly heavy rain outside the window. Wang Yizheng's influence on her was only temporary and couldn't disturb her peace of mind. The person who could truly unsettle her was He Ming.

Zhuang Xiaoqian lowered the sofa chair and half-reclined to sleep. The office was quiet, but the sound of the air conditioner running outside, along with the sound of rain, could be clearly heard.

Despite being sleep-deprived, Zhu Liushuang still couldn't take a nap. She opened Yueyin FM and entered He Ming's personal radio station, but couldn't press the play button.

As she silently browsed through the program covers, she felt as if she had glimpsed a small part of He Ming's life. There were no people in those landscape photos, but she could imagine him going to those places and pressing the shutter.

Her feelings for He Ming in those years were like a breeze blowing across a lake; no one knew about them except the lake and herself.

But when the spring waters filled her heart, she also longed to reveal her secret to the world.

"Why aren't you taking a nap today?" Zhuang Xiaoqian asked abruptly with her eyes closed, startling Zhu Liushuang so much that she almost threw her phone away.

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and nimbly picked it up with both hands.

"Sister Zhuang...I have a question for you." She hesitated before speaking.

"Relationship problems?" Zhuang Xiaoqian skipped her afternoon nap and patted her chest, saying, "I'm known as a relationship guru. Tell me about it and I'll help you sort it out."

Zhu Liushuang covered her face, embarrassed, and said, "It wasn't me... it's a friend of mine..."

Zhuang Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself: Oh, making friends out of thin air, I get it! But since she was older, she didn't directly expose the young girl in front of her.

"Hmm, tell me about it."

Zhu Liushuang shook her head: "Never mind..." She suddenly couldn't muster the courage to ask for other people's opinions.

"No way... I'm not even taking a nap anymore." Zhuang Xiaoqian shrugged.

"Well... I have a friend. He's had a crush on a girl for many years. But there's a big gap between them, and they haven't seen each other for a long time. Now, the guy has the girl's contact information again. Do you think he should try to pursue her?" Zhu Liushuang half-jokingly expressed her inner confusion.

"Is that girl single?" Zhuang Xiaoqian asked.

"have no idea……"

"How big is the gap between them?" Zhuang Xiaoqian asked again.

"To give you an example...like the moon in the sky and the grass by the roadside," Zhu Liushuang sighed.

"What a terrible analogy! Isn't this just overestimating one's abilities?" Zhuang Xiaoqian thought to herself.

But when she turned and saw Zhu Liushuang's furrowed brows and pitiful face, she changed her mind: "As someone who's been through this, I think if he's had a crush on her for so many years, he should try to contact her. If he doesn't even dare to try, he'll probably regret it for the rest of his life."

“Hmm… I think so too.” Zhu Liushuang nodded, her brows relaxing. “Thank you, Sister Zhuang. I’ll try to persuade him.”

"Tell your friend I wish him success!" Zhuang Xiaoqian winked at Zhu Liushuang, who suddenly stood up in front of her.

Zhu Liushuang remembered the first step of her "flower-picking plan" from last night, so she picked up her phone and left the office.

Of course, she didn't notice the intriguing look in Zhuang Xiaoqian's eyes behind her.

A note from the author:

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Are any babies watching? If you happen to pass by, please bookmark this page!

I've had enough of the pain of unrequited love, I have to give it a shot! Otherwise, how will I know if I still have a chance?

Actually, they did take a small step back then, but unfortunately...

My daughter is finally taking her first step bravely again! Congratulations!