Zhao Damei interrupted him, her eyes clear and earnest.
“Director Zhang, I understand your good intentions, but one thing is one thing. Last time I visited the children, they insisted on giving me several new children's clothes. I appreciate their kindness and am very grateful.”
She pulled her hand back, her attitude leaving no room for negotiation.
“These fertilizer seeds are extra, and they don’t look cheap. I really can’t accept these things if you don’t charge me.”
Looking into her stubborn eyes, Zhang Guoqiang felt both helpless and heartbroken.
He knew Zhao Damei's temperament: independent, strong-willed, and unwilling to owe favors, especially material ones.
He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"Sigh... Fine, fine, I can't argue with you. Then... let's calculate it based on the cost price."
He gave a very low number haphazardly, just wanting to end this awkward back-and-forth as quickly as possible.
Zhao Damei didn't argue anymore. She counted out more than twice that amount of money from her wallet, carefully placed it on the table, and then carefully put the books, seeds, and nutrient solution into the cloth bag she had brought.
Throughout the process, the atmosphere in the office was somewhat tense, with only the radio on the desk continuing its tireless playback.
"Think about it, look at it, the moon represents my heart..."
Zhang Guoqiang watched as she packed her things, picked up her cloth bag, and turned to walk towards the door.
Just as she reached out to open the door, a surge of immense courage, mixed with the inexplicable impulse brought on by the song, rushed over Zhang Guoqiang's head!
He blurted it out almost without thinking, his voice trembling slightly with nervousness, yet exceptionally clear:
"Comrade Da Mei! Wait a minute!"
Zhao Damei's hand stopped on the doorknob. She turned around, looked at him calmly, and her eyes questioned him.
Zhang Guoqiang's heart was pounding wildly in his chest, almost as if it would burst out of his chest.
He took a deep breath, mustered the greatest courage of his life, looked directly into Zhao Damei's eyes, and spoke, word by word, clumsily but with utmost sincerity.
"Comrade Da Mei! I...I admire you! I really admire you! Not because you help me take care of the children, or for anything else! It's just...I admire you as a person! I admire your honesty and your resilience!"
“I know… I know you might think I’m not good enough for you, or… or you might have other concerns.”
Fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and down his temples, but he continued speaking.
"But I'm telling you this now: once I, Zhang Guoqiang, have made up my mind about something or someone, I won't easily give up! I'm sincere! I will... I will wait! Waiting for you to... to give me a chance!"
He spoke quickly and urgently, his face flushed red, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, filled with a resolute determination and undisguised sincerity.
In the background music, Teresa Teng's gentle and lingering voice reached its climax perfectly, as if providing a footnote to this clumsy yet sincere confession:
"You ask me how deep my love is, how much I love you? My feelings are true, my love is true, the moon represents my heart..."
The singing echoed in the small office, vividly portraying the tension, awkwardness, courage, and anticipation of the moment.
Zhao Damei stood there quietly, listening to Zhang Guoqiang's earth-shattering confession and the lyrics that seemed to strike straight to her heart.
Her body visibly stiffened, and the usual calm on her face was finally broken, revealing a complex expression.
There was shock, bewilderment, a hint of panic, and even... perhaps a very faint ripple of emotion after being touched.
But more than anything, there was a deep hesitation and struggle, as if a heavy burden was pressing on her heart.
Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just looked at Zhang Guoqiang deeply.
There was too much in those eyes for Zhang Guoqiang to understand, and he didn't have time to decipher it.
Then, she turned around abruptly, opened the door, and almost fled from the office, leaving behind a resolute and hurried figure.
"Bang."
The door was gently closed with a muffled thud.
In the office, only Zhang Guoqiang's rapid heartbeat and the melody still playing affectionately on the radio remained.
"A gentle kiss has touched my heart... A deep affection has kept me longing for you to this day..."
Zhang Guoqiang stood there dumbfounded, staring at the empty doorway. The soaring courage he had just felt seemed to have been drained away in an instant, all his strength was gone, leaving only a heart full of unease and an indescribable sense of loss.
But deep in his eyes, the flame of "never giving up" burned even brighter because of these words that he had finally spoken.
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