Back in her office, Chu Fang walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, put her phone to her ear, and took a deep breath. As if hearing her inhale, the voice on the other end replied with a hint of amusement: "What? Am I a devil? You take a deep breath just because you hear my voice?"
"No," Chu Fang replied. "You've graduated from university?"
"Um."
"Okay." He nodded. "Then let's hang up."
"You're still so heartless." The voice on the other end sounded disappointed, but then quickly brightened up. "It's my birthday tonight, are you coming?"
"Forget it," Chu Fang refused. "Then I'll hang up. You don't need the money, so I won't send you a red envelope. Happy birthday."
After saying that, Chu Fang hung up the phone and immediately blocked the unfamiliar number. He put his hands in his pockets, looked straight ahead at the scenery, and saw layers of white clouds floating lightly in the sky, like a dream.
His brows slowly furrowed, forming the character '川' (chuan).
... ...
On the Bund in Shanghai, in a Starbucks coffee shop, two girls were sitting in a corner.
A stylishly dressed girl wore a pair of simple yet elegant gold earrings, and a delicate watch on her wrist, showcasing her financial status and taste.
The other girl wore a black dress with a perfect fit, and her makeup was delicate and natural, with light eyeshadow and lip gloss making her features more defined. What was most impressive was her short, ear-length hair, which was neat and stylish, giving her a capable, refreshing, and confident aura.
However, at this moment, the confident short-haired girl showed a look of insecurity on her face. Holding her phone, she heard the soft voice of the telecom operator in her ear: "The number you dialed cannot be connected. Please try again later."
The short-haired woman seemed unconvinced and dialed several times, but each time she heard the same message. Finally, she slowly put down her phone, a look of disappointment appearing on her delicate face: "Sigh! You've already blocked me, so what's the point of sending a red envelope?"
Yi Ke looked at her best friend in front of her, resting her chin on her hands: "It's been three years, why are you still so hung up on that man? What's so great about him?"
"I don't know." The short-haired woman shook her head.
“I’m quite curious,” Yi Ke said. “So many boys have gone to great lengths to pursue you, but you’ve ignored them all. Yet, you’re still hung up on that man who’s so heartless to you, who didn’t even come to your birthday party. Are you out of your mind, or is that guy just blind and can’t resist temptation?”
"It must be my problem," the short-haired woman said.
Yi Ke craned her neck: "He blocked you again. What a weirdo."
"Never mind." The short-haired woman gazed at the sky. Despite being rejected countless times, each rejection was ruthless enough to chill her to the bone. She slowly withdrew her gaze, shook her head, and cleared away the jumbled emotions. As long as she was in Shanghai, there was always a chance. Her spirits lifted.
"Didn't you prepare a birthday party for me tonight? Let's go."
The two walked out of the coffee shop together. Yi Ke slapped her forehead, as if she remembered something: "Oh right, Zhang Yan, my phone is out of credit. Can I borrow your phone to top up my credit?"
Zhang Yan, a girl with short hair, handed her phone to Yi Ke and looked ahead, seemingly lost in her own world. Yi Ke pretended to flip through the phone, found the contacts, and wrote down the phone numbers.
"Are you done yet?"
"Alright, alright."
"Let's go."
... ...
Chu Fang was in a state of agitation all day until he got off work.
He walked out of the office, his serious expression relaxing, and left the company with Wei Caixia. When they got downstairs, they saw Rong Shunji standing at the door.
Chu Fang's agitation lessened slightly, and he jokingly said to his friend who approached him, "What? You're working at my company, and you personally come to pick me up after work? Are you afraid I'll sell your wife to Myanmar?"
“Indeed.” Rong Shunji nodded. “You’re always so incompetent at doing anything serious. I’m counting on this opportunity to get a handle on you, take down your criminal den, and restore fairness, justice, and peace to society.”
He paused, then asked his wife, "Have you been bullied at work? Speak up! I'm going to make you pay for all the bullying you've suffered at the hands of their boss."
"No~" Wei Caixia said shyly.
To express his gratitude, Rong Shunji treated Chu Fang to dinner. As the three of them were about to leave together, Chu Fang's cell phone suddenly vibrated again.
Hey, that's weird. I usually don't get a single call, but today I've received several, and they're all from unknown numbers. Has my personal information been leaked? The leakage of personal privacy is really serious these days.
Chu Fang answered the phone, and a soft, rhythmic voice came through his ear: "Hello, nice to meet you."
"You're getting ahead of yourself." With that, he hung up the phone.
Rong Shunji asked, "Who is it?"
"Harassing phone calls".
Just as he was about to leave, the phone rang again from the same number. Chu Fang answered and said somewhat irritably, "You've made two harassing calls. Are you out of your mind? Don't you know you can wait a few days before calling again? With your bartending skills, you must have gotten a lot of electric shocks in northern Myanmar."
The voice on the other end rose eight octaves: "I'm Zhang Yan's sister."
Rong Shunji, standing next to him, raised an eyebrow, clearly having heard the news and somewhat surprised. However, a faint smile appeared on his face, mixed with a look of someone who enjoyed watching the drama unfold.
"What's wrong?" Chu Fang suddenly became irritated again.
Hearing the information in his ear, he frowned and thought for a full half minute before finally making up his mind and slowly asking, "Where is the address for the birthday party?"
After listening, Chu Fang hung up the phone, slowly exhaled, and said as if venting, "Ugh, I'm so annoyed. I'll skip dinner tonight; I'm going on a diet."
The last sentence was addressed to Rong Shunji, and the friend's smile widened: "Losing weight? You can fool your buddies, but don't fool yourself. Zhang Yan is back in China?"
"Um."
"Hahaha..." Upon hearing this, Rong Shunji could no longer contain his laughter and burst out laughing. He waved his hand and said, "Get lost, get lost! I look forward to your follow-up report."
This is what good friends are like... Chu Fang's lips twitched, he rolled his eyes at the other person, and strode away.
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