Chapter 20

He held Josh tightly, unwilling to let go.

There are less than two days left until New Year's Day.

As the year draws to a close, every department is trying its best to secure a big deal in the final days and give the year a perfect ending.

Josh's department was no exception.

It was already past the end of the workday, the lively time at the dinner table.

Unlike the public dining area, the load-bearing solid walls isolate external noise, creating a sufficiently private atmosphere. The antique murals and crystal chandeliers decorate the exquisite private rooms, making them exceptionally elegant and understated.

In the VIP seats sat Josh's department head and project cooperation manager.

The manager was flushed and had a glazed look in his eyes. When he was in high spirits, he would talk about his heroic past. He could put on a show all by himself. When he talked about his difficult entrepreneurial period, he had to pause appropriately.

His eyes, reeking of alcohol, darted around the table, and once everyone had finished toasting, he would continue recounting his long and tedious self-development history.

"I don't think this young lady has drunk much?" The slightly dazed eyes were fixed on Josh, who was sitting in the corner, and the question was asked with great precision.

Josh observed all the proper etiquette, but there were still people who would nitpick.

She put away her phone under the table, quickly stood up, and facing the smoky atmosphere of the room, picked up the wine bottle next to her, filled her glass, raised it, and said, "Thank you for your company's hospitality, I'd like to toast you."

The project manager smiled with satisfaction and lit a cigarette between his fingers. "Good drinking capacity. I like straightforward people."

That's what he said. With a thud, he placed the bottle of wine in front of him on the table, and as the glass turntable spun, it slowly moved to Josh's side.

He gestured with his eyes to Josh, who was standing opposite him, "Try this. This is a good wine; most people can't get their hands on it."

Josh's boss's expression stiffened for a moment, then he tried to stop him with a smile, "What do they know about wine tasting? Giving it to this group would be a waste. Let me try it instead."

“Hey,” the manager said deftly, bypassing the leader’s hand, “what’s the point of drinking with you guys all the time?”

He circled the edge of the glass turntable, and the wine bottle was placed squarely in front of Josh.

Feng Zhao, who was standing next to her, wanted to get up, but was stopped by Qiao Xi, who was standing. She picked up the bottle of wine, raised her own wine glass with one hand, and smiled.

The moment the cap was opened, a pungent smell of alcohol rushed into the nasal cavity.

The colorless liquid swirled into the glass, reflecting the distorted figure of the person opposite. Once the glass was full, Josh raised it with both hands, politely gesturing to the person opposite him.

The spiciness slowly flowed into his throat, like being burned. The burning sensation went from the tip of his tongue to his throat and then to his stomach. The moment he drank it, a dizzying sensation rushed to his cerebral cortex, stimulating Josh to break out in layers of hot sweat on his back.

The air conditioning was on inside, and Josh, enduring the sticky feeling of his close-fitting sweater against his back, turned his wine glass upside down as a gesture of respect.

He drank it all in one gulp.

The project manager stared intently at her with his sharp eyes, paused for a moment, and finally nodded.

"Josh," the department head suddenly spoke, winking at her as he spoke, "Go and get Manager Liu a few more dishes."

The leader's figure swayed before her eyes. Josh suppressed her discomfort, said a few polite words, and then left the private room.

Josh left the private room, went to the front desk to order a few dishes, and then didn't go back. Instead, he asked for two pieces of candy and stayed outside.

The night wind was biting cold. Josh had rushed out without a coat. She sat on the sofa in the hotel lobby, eating candy, waiting for the sweetness to melt in her mouth before the bitter and spicy taste subsided.

Each glass of liquor was stronger than the last, the burning sensation irritating my stomach. Fortunately, I had eaten some food beforehand, otherwise it would have been unbearable.

Josh leaned back on the sofa in the living room, dozing off. The noise couldn't stop her from falling asleep until a warm touch came into contact with the back of her hand.

Josh opened her eyes. Feng Zhao was sitting next to her with a cup of hot water. "I got this from the front desk. Drink some; it will make your stomach feel better."

Josh didn't stand on ceremony and took the hot water, sipping it slowly.

"Are you alright?" Feng Zhao asked worriedly, looking at the thin red mark on the back of Qiao Xi's neck.

Josh: "What could be wrong? The boss sent me out of the way."

Feng Zhao didn't say anything, but took out a cigarette case from his pocket and took out a cigarette.

"Let me remind you, this is a public place."

“I don’t actually smoke.” Feng Zhao held the thin cigarette to his nose, sniffed it, and held it between two fingers. Then, unable to hold back any longer, he cursed, “It’s really hard to make money and life is really tough.”

Josh didn't respond, only asking, "You just came out like that? Leaving the boss hanging there?"

"What about Yao Ming and Xia Xia?"

"We've suddenly sent two of us out, are you sure it's okay?"

"We've pretty much finished discussing work." Feng Zhao sighed, tilting his head back, then picked up a cigarette and sniffed it, as if using it as a tranquilizer. "Are you busy later?"

Josh was surprised, "So obvious?"

Feng Zhao scoffed, "It's too obvious. I've been sitting here for less than five minutes, and you've looked at your phone at least ten times."

Josh smiled, put away his phone; it was almost nine o'clock.

"A date?" Feng Zhao guessed.

Josh denied it, saying, "My brother's school is having a New Year's Eve party today, and he is supposed to give a speech as a representative of outstanding senior students."

"So promising." Having gotten to know each other better, Feng Zhao naturally understood Qiao Xi's family situation. Suppressing the bitterness in his mouth, he said, "It's probably about time."

"Hey, do you have any candy left? Give me one."

*

The school auditorium was bustling with activity, filled with first- and second-year high school students. High school studies are demanding, and these students had been eagerly anticipating a relaxing activity that wouldn't interfere with their holiday.

The students gathered together, enjoying the wonderful performance on stage.

The performance currently taking place on stage is a group dance choreographed by students. Accompanied by the dynamic rhythm of pop music, the performers on stage are giving their all, bringing the atmosphere of the entire auditorium to a climax.

The students' applause and cheers were deafening and could be clearly heard backstage.

At this time, senior high school students are still in the classroom for evening self-study. Chen Zhiyu arrived earlier than expected, and was there during the first period of evening self-study.

He stood at the backstage exit, lifted the backstage curtain, and looked down at the audience.

The seating in the auditorium was carefully arranged, with the first two rows reserved for school leaders and parents of outstanding students.

There was only one empty seat in the first two rows.

Josh didn't come.

On the other side of the backstage, a group of people had gathered, preparing to go on stage. In contrast, Chen Zhiyu's solitary figure looked much more lonely. At that time, he borrowed a phone from a student backstage who was taking pictures. He couldn't get through to Josh's phone. He kept his mind at ease, leaning against the corner, as if the cheers and noise around him were shut out.

After the program ended, it was time for the outstanding student to speak. He was accompanied by a female student from the senior year of humanities.

Josh hadn't arrived yet, and he couldn't concentrate on his manuscript.

"Cheng Chen, Chen Zhiyu, it's almost your turn."

Hearing the prompter's reminder, Chen Zhiyu suddenly came to his senses and staggered onto the stage, following the steps of the person in front of him.

The spotlight shone on Chen Zhiyu, who glanced at the empty seat on the stage before looking away, taking a deep breath, and focusing his attention. "Respected school leaders..."

The entire speech was very quick, lasting only a few minutes.

After the speech ended, the surrounding lights dimmed, and Chen Zhiyu, disregarding the order of exiting, ran off the stage first in the darkness.

Chen Zhiyu walked off the stage with heavy steps, as if each step made him breathless. His speech was crumpled and deformed in his hands.

It seemed like a wind had picked up outside. As he walked to the exit, the curtain was lifted, and a gust of wind blew in. Because he was going on stage, Chen Zhiyu was wearing a thin shirt provided by the school. The cold wind blew directly onto his body, but he seemed oblivious to it, blindly rushing forward.

He needs to step down and ask his homeroom teacher for leave.

He needed to check on Josh's condition.

His mind raced with all sorts of possibilities: Why didn't she come? Did something happen to her on her way here?

He was tormented by a deep sense of regret.

A sharp "click" of a camera shutter pierced the somber darkness like a beam of light.

Chen Zhiyu instinctively looked up when he felt the flash of the camera.

Then Josh, holding his phone, suddenly stood in front of him.

"That's well said."

A familiar voice rang in his ears. As if in a dream, Chen Zhiyu looked in front of him in a daze. When he saw Qiao Xi standing in front of him, his legs, which had been moving so swiftly, suddenly froze and stopped moving.

On the stage, the host was already speaking, saying things he couldn't quite understand, but he roughly guessed that the principal was about to come up.

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Chen Zhiyu didn't move, nor did Qiao Xi.

Behind him, Cheng Chen followed closely off the stage. The curtain was lifted, and another gust of wind rose, the cold air instantly sobering him up. His eyes inexplicably reddened, and his heart ached. He carefully moved forward and hugged her tightly.

Touching Josh's cool coat calmed him down slightly. Chen Zhiyu thought he probably understood why Josh liked that perfume.

He held Josh tightly, unwilling to let go.

“It’s a bit late, but I didn’t miss it.” Josh hugged him and explained, “My phone battery was draining too fast. It was in my pocket and I didn’t notice it was off. I borrowed a power bank from the taxi driver on the way here.”

"Your screen that never goes out drains the battery quickly." Chen Zhiyu smelled a faint scent of alcohol on her. "Were you busy with work earlier?"

"With New Year's Day approaching, there's a project that we haven't been able to finalize, so the department head arranged a gathering." Because he was going on stage, Chen Zhiyu was wearing a thin shirt. Qiao Xi patted his back, touched his protruding shoulder blade, and sincerely apologized to him, "I'm sorry I'm late."

Chen Zhiyu pressed against Qiao Xi's neck, inhaling deeply. He smelled the fragrance mixed with alcohol, and his heart felt like it had been repeatedly rubbed together, aching and uncomfortable.

Josh was happy that he could come, but this happiness was mixed with a deeper sense of guilt.

Guilt suddenly welled up, but it quickly turned into hatred. He hated himself for everything.

Chen Zhiyu was eager to prove his growth to her and didn't want to cause any more trouble for Qiao Xi, but things never went as planned.

"Actually, you don't have to come if you're too busy. I didn't know you had a job. I'm sorry."

"I promised you."

"The job deal is settled?"

"It's alright, I don't think there will be any major problems."

"How did you get into the backstage area?"

“I asked a student who was helping out backstage for help. As soon as she heard that I was Chen Zhiyu’s parent, she led me in without saying a word.”

Chen Zhiyu didn't want her to say anything more about Chen Zhiyu's parents, so he prepared to lead her out the back door. The principal on the stage was still giving a passionate speech. "Don't you need to listen to the rest?" Josh asked.

"No need." Because he was going to give a speech on stage, Chen Zhiyu was dressed lightly. He only put on his cotton-padded coat when he went out. "It's the same few sentences every year."

Once Josh finds Chen Zhiyu's homeroom teacher to ask for leave, he can take the person away.

While Chen Zhiyu was packing his luggage in the dormitory, Qiao Xi was on the phone when he came out.

"We've arrived. I'm fine."

Chen Zhiyu ran forward, and a few words were forced into his ears. It was just a friendly, back-and-forth exchange, but because of what had just happened, his heart was still filled with bitterness.

He turned his gaze to Josh beside him. Josh rarely showed him that gentle smile, nor did she use that tone of voice.

Josh hung up the phone without explaining who had called, then turned to ask him, "Was the school party good?"

Just like parents never take the initiative to explain to their children.

Chen Zhiyu replied casually, "So-so."