Chapter 9, Question 009: "You choose what you like to eat, and the rest is for..."
The advantage of sleeping in a room by yourself is that no matter how late you go to bed or how early you wake up, you don't have to worry about disturbing others.
Wenxue woke up at five o'clock from a nightmare. She was sweating on her forehead and nose. She hadn't slept well on her first night here. She was slightly troubled by the unfamiliar bed and needed a few days to adjust to the new environment. It was still dark outside. She tried to get up and wash as quietly as possible. Even though she was slow, it was only a little before 5:30 when she was all ready.
The whole world is so quiet.
She sat on the edge of the bed. She'd come in such a rush that she didn't know enough about transportation, so she picked up her phone and started searching online for relevant information. Her reading speed wasn't as fast as before, but thankfully she had enough patience to read and understand each word carefully.
Knock knock knock—
When the knocking came, Wen Xue looked up and realized that it was already fully light.
Looking at my phone again, I realized it was already eight o'clock.
She got up and opened the door, which was both unexpected and expected. The person at the door was He Yan, who handed her a takeout bag in both hands and said succinctly, "Breakfast."
Wen Xue felt completely lost and confused.
She didn't actually need his meticulous care; it would put a lot of pressure on her. But the words stuck in her throat, and she could only accept them silently. He bought a lot, enough for two or three people, and whispered, "It's too much; I can't finish it."
He Yan's gaze fell on the top of her head, not thinking it was a big deal. "You pick what you like to eat, and give me the rest."
He had a bag hooked on each of his fingers.
Wen Xue only took the steamed buns, which she guessed were fresh out of the steamer and still steaming hot. "This is enough for me."
"Okay, you eat first, I'll wait for you downstairs. Come down when you're done," He Yan said. "It's still early, no rush."
"……Um."
He Yan didn't go inside; instead, he carried the other breakfast items downstairs. It was a December morning, and the sun hadn't fully risen yet. The temperature was quite low. He walked to his car, opened the door, and looked down at the tea eggs, pancakes, and savory tofu pudding he had bought. The aroma was enticing. If he ate them in the car, the smell would inevitably linger. After a moment's thought, he slammed the door shut, took a few steps to the side, a few meters away from the car, and ate his breakfast standing up.
Wen Xue didn't want him to wait for her downstairs for too long, so she ate too quickly and almost choked.
The thermos was of good quality; the water she poured in last night was still a little hot to drink. As she sipped the water, she wondered with concern if breakfast was only for today, or if it would be available every day from now on. If it was the former, she could breathe a sigh of relief.
What if it's the latter?
She didn't regret agreeing to come with him, but she didn't want to cause trouble for others, especially He Yantian, either in life or emotionally. So she would carefully tuck the business card he gave her into her notebook, but never thought of calling him.
Why……
Wen Xue drank half a glass of water, calmed herself down, quickly packed her things, put her usual notebook, ballpoint pen, and phone into her bag, grabbed her thermos, and went out. On the way down the stairs, she ran into Nana and her boyfriend, who were in a great hurry.
The young couple was in the sweet stage of their relationship, and a strong man carried Nana on his back, deliberately jostling her.
The young couple chatted and laughed continuously.
"Wenxue!" Nana gasped, hitting her boyfriend. "Stop it, put me down!"
"Good morning," Wen Xue said with a smile.
“She’s Yan Ge’s sister, Wen Xue.” Nana said in a light tone, “Wen Xue is my boyfriend, forever.”
Wen Xue had no recollection of Wan Nian.
Wan Nian still remembered her. As one of the earliest employees to work with He Yan, after such a big incident, he kept it a secret from the other drivers and didn't even tell Nana. He went to Haicheng alone to pay his respects, and he saw Wen Xue at the funeral home.
He told her to accept his condolences.
She was crying so hard her body was trembling and she almost fainted, but Yan Ge next to her reached out his arm to support her.
"Hello," Wen Xue greeted politely.
When Wan Nian came to his senses and saw that she didn't remember him, he smiled and said, "Hello."
The three of them went downstairs one after the other. He Yan's car was parked in front of the building entrance. Wen Xue waved to Nana and quickened her pace to get into the car. Watching the car turn around and drive away from the apartment building, Nana, holding Wan Nian's hand, pouted and said with emotion, "Brother Yan is so good to Wen Xue. By the way, have you met her before?"
"Never seen it before."
Wan Nian thought that Yan Ge's decision to publicly say that Wen Xue was his sister, without mentioning her relationship with He Heng, might also have his concerns.
…
He Yan drove slowly along the way, occasionally offering directions. The distance from the apartment building to the company was short, but he didn't necessarily have time to take her to work every day, so she had to learn the way.
Wen Xue lowered the car window. The morning breeze was cool, ruffling her hair. She pulled her scarf tighter and looked out with clear eyes. The old town was far less clean and spacious than the new town, but it had a strong sense of life and felt just like her hometown.
As He Yan was chatting with her, he suddenly smelled a strange, refreshing scent.
He unconsciously sniffed, his nose following the scent, and his face turned to confirm that the faint smell came from Wen Xue's hair. He gripped the steering wheel uncomfortably.
The vehicle smoothly drove into the park. This area was almost entirely comprised of transportation companies, with large trucks carrying containers everywhere. Some were for short-distance trips, while others were for long-distance trips. Some carried general cargo, while others carried refrigerated goods. After parking the car, Wen Xue followed He Yan into the office. The place wasn't large, and several drivers were chatting and laughing. When they saw him arrive, they all called out in unison, "Brother Yan!"
He Yan stopped and turned to look at Wen Xue, introducing her to everyone.
She didn't know how to address people, so she could only nod slightly.
The drivers stared at her intently until He Yan stood silently in front of her, his tall figure blocking her view. Only then did they realize that they were all young people, the oldest of whom was no more than thirty. Like Wang Yuan, their faces flushed in the dead of winter, and they smiled awkwardly.
"Wenxue, my sister."
He Yan gave her a silent warning with his eyes, "She's here to help, so you should take good care of her."
Next, he took her on a tour of the company, introducing her to everyone. Wen Xue gradually relaxed from her initial restraint because she realized that they didn't seem to know the true nature of her relationship with He Yan.
She also learned that the short-haired woman who had been waiting outside the restroom for her yesterday was named Li Jingru.
"Yan Sir does have some humanity after all." After He Yan left, Li Jingru complained to Wen Xue without any politeness, "Sister Cai is on maternity leave, and he and that guy surnamed Wu are so stingy that they won't even suggest hiring another person, leaving me to do the work of two people!"
Wen Xue listened intently and asked, "Yan...sir?"
Li Jingru flipped through the documents quickly. "He doesn't like us playing cards. He always cracks down on it very strictly. A few times he got so angry that he just overturned the table. Isn't that what a cop would do?"
Wen Xue looked surprised, feeling that He Yan didn't seem like the type to do such a thing.
Li Jingru observed her expression and chuckled, "I didn't make this up. If you don't believe me, ask Sister Zhou, Sister Zhou—"
Sister Zhou, the accountant, was a middle-aged woman in her forties. She brewed a cup of tea, gently blew on the tea leaves, and didn't even lift her eyelids. "You don't know what's good for you. President He is afraid that you will lose all the hard-earned money you have. Otherwise, why would he care about you?"
The office atmosphere was great. Li Jingru patiently taught Wenxue how to do the order. Occasionally, Wenxue would get distracted and Li Jingru would look at her profile and then whistle, just like the boys she used to meet on her way to and from school used to whistle.
Li Jingru smiled and said, "Little sister, you're so beautiful."
Wen Xue's cheeks flushed, and she apologized softly, "I'm sorry, I've been having trouble concentrating lately."
"It's okay, I love whistling. Am I good at it?"
Wen Xue smiled shyly.
The morning passed uneventfully. During lunch break, after eating, Sister Zhou told them to move chairs outside to sunbathe. This was her way of maintaining health: "Don't be afraid of ultraviolet rays. People should get more sunlight."
Wen Xue didn't want to move. She sat quietly at her desk, resting her chin on her hand, staring intently at the cactus on the table.
She can watch for hours if no one disturbs her.
While I was engrossed in observing the cactus, I suddenly sensed something was wrong. To my left was Nana, and to my right was Li Jingru. They were lifting her up, chair and all, and carrying her outside.
Wen Xue was shocked and exclaimed, "Ah?!"
Put me down!
Nana and Li Jingru burst into laughter.
And so, four women of different ages sat downstairs eating sunflower seeds.
Sister Zhou, 45 years old; Li Jingru, 30 years old; Nana, 22 years old; and Wen Xue, 20 years old.
He Yan stood by the office window, a distance away, casually glancing at her bathed in sunlight. She didn't seem to be participating in the conversation, but even so, she would take the sunflower seeds that Sister Zhou handed her, eating them slowly with her head down. While others ate five seeds, she ate one.
"What are you looking at?"
After a long and drawn-out phone call with his business partner, Wu Yuejiang was parched. He gulped down a glass of water, finally calming his throat. Looking up, he saw He Yan standing leisurely by the window. He got up, strolled over, and asked in an annoyed tone.
He Yan looked away and said in a calm tone, "By the way, my dinner with President Zhou has been rescheduled to tomorrow night."
Wu Yuejiang asked, "Do you have plans for tonight?"
"Yes, I'll take Wenxue to the home furnishing store to buy some things for her room."
Wu Yuejiang nodded and said, "Of course," and then added, "How about this, I'll go too, and treat her to a meal. What does she like to eat, Western food, Chinese food, or seafood? I'll make a reservation in advance."
He Yan fell into thought.
She spoke very little to him, let alone to Lao Wu, whom she knew even less.
"Japanese or Korean food?" Wu Yuejiang muttered. "Girls her age should prefer those kinds of food, right?"
"No, thank you."
He Yan quickly interrupted him, "Let's do it another day. Don't go today. I'm afraid she'll feel pressured if there are too many people."
Wu Yuejiang was completely bewildered. He pointed at him, then at himself, and asked in confusion, "Wait? There are a lot of people?"
Where are there more?
There are only three people.
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