Chapter 40 Even though you're spoiled and don't like to laugh
Nightmare is Liang's first foray into the game industry. It is a 3D blockbuster with multiple servers worldwide and cross-server online play. The initial investment alone reached hundreds of billions. It is another great achievement for Liang's Group after the internal revenue structure reform.
Since the establishment of the project team, it has attracted much attention from all sectors. This launch has also generated a lot of buzz, with major media outlets and newspapers vying to report on it, almost dominating the front page.
Autumn in Jingzhao is very short; it's like winter arriving overnight, and then there's no trace of it left.
After Xie Qingci returned to Jingzhao, she first settled Xiaoju and its three kittens. Aunt Wen went to the pet store to buy all the cat supplies on the same day she learned that the kittens were coming.
From cat beds, litter boxes, and cat trees to various small toys, snacks, cat food, and canned food... everything was neatly stacked on a wall of shelves in the storage room.
The day the cat tree was installed, Xie Qingci took a picture and sent it to Liang Jingzhuo. On the fourth-floor rest platform, Little Orange and the three little ones each occupied their own space, comfortably enjoying the sunlight streaming in from the window.
He replied to her messages very late. She knew he was busy, so she didn't contact him again after sending the photos.
The photo was sent in the morning, and the message was replied to during lunchtime. [Did you fake this yourself?]
The question is about cat trees.
She was in the school cafeteria at the time, about to have lunch, when she saw the message. She put down her chopsticks and replied: "Yes, I didn't have classes this morning, so I went to pack it up."
Aunt Wen studied it for a long time but still couldn't figure out how to assemble it, so she went there herself.
She thought he would compliment her on her dexterity, but instead he sent a message: "Did you hurt your hand?"
She was holding her phone, waiting for praise, when an unexpected message caught her eye, causing ripples even more than the answer she had expected.
She pursed her lips slightly and replied, "No."
This message came a little later: 【What else? I'll install it when I get back.】
She smiled slightly and replied, "Okay, there's one more cat cage."
This is a three-story, super-large luxury villa, designed so that it can be temporarily closed if guests come over and it becomes inconvenient.
Liang Jingzhuo replied: 【Okay.】
That was the last time they spoke.
Xie Qingci didn't even need to search for the latest news about the Liang family; the two chirping larks in her dormitory would automatically recreate and broadcast it to her one-to-one.
That day in Shanghai, she said she felt like she was in love.
The two remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone before finally speaking: "Although it's somewhat unethical, whatever decision you make, we feel 100% support for you. We just have one question: is the guy you're dating as handsome as your husband?"
"..." Xie Qingci was speechless for a moment, decided not to argue with them, said she needed to catch up on her sleep, and hung up the phone.
But the two of them used their intelligence to figure things out.
Aci is in love; the person she's dating is her husband.
-
On the very first day Xie Qingci returned to school after the project launch ceremony, Ke Meng showed her the news from the event.
"My classmates in the computer science department said that after graduation they should join your husband's team. Not to mention the core team, even the peripheral positions in the department can earn seven figures a year. I can't even imagine how rich you would be if you reached the core."
Duan Siyu, with great foresight, remarked, "If your wallet gets rich, your hair will probably get poor. It's an inescapable fate for programmers."
Ke Meng directly dug up a group photo of Liang Jingzhuo and the R&D team from the day of the project launch ceremony, "You know what, not one of them is bald, and not only that, they're all pretty good-looking. Isn't that a bit of a letdown?"
The core team took a group photo, with about a hundred people standing in six or seven rows. The high-definition camera still managed to clearly capture each person's face.
Liang Jingzhuo stood in the first row, with a huge technology screen behind him displaying the project name and details, and golden ribbons scattered on the red carpet from the launch ceremony.
He wore a well-pressed suit, stared straight ahead, and maintained a calm and serious expression.
Xie Qingci recalled the day the Liang family's official media announced their marriage, and the comment she saw about a Liang family employee saying it was the first time she had seen him smile on camera.
That comment had quite a few likes and comments, and Ke Meng saw it too, so he quickly scrolled through a few more pictures.
A profile picture of someone clapping in a shower of golden ribbons, a front-facing photo of someone giving a speech on a stage surrounded by flowers, a candid shot of someone looking back in a sea of people...
They were strategists, calm and composed, but without exception, none of them smiled.
"Aci, does your husband really not like to smile?"
It doesn't seem so.
She had seen it several times before, but she still replied, "Maybe it's necessary for the persona?"
Duan Siyu agreed with this statement, saying, "A boss can't be too kind-looking, or he won't be able to win people's hearts."
Ke Meng nodded his chin. "That makes sense."
In the following days, the two of them would report any news or developments in real time.
At the beginning of the project, all departments were so busy that they were practically working late into the night, and Liang Jingzhuo was no exception.
Despite the sudden decrease in contact frequency, Xie Qingci didn't think much of it. When she didn't have classes, she would go to Fushun Hutong to play with Xiaoju and the three little ones.
In just one week since they arrived, Xiao Ju has visibly gained weight, and the three little ones are becoming increasingly rounder.
Aunt Wen feeds them at fixed times every day, so it's indeed difficult for them not to gain weight.
Liang Jingzhuo didn't come this week either.
On Saturday, Xie Qingci went to Fushun Hutong. Aunt Wen had finished cleaning the yard and was playing with Xiao Ju with a cat toy.
The chubby little ball of fur pounced on its four paws, hopping and skipping to catch the feathers on the cat teaser.
Seeing Xie Qingci walk in, Aunt Wen stopped what she was doing and said with a smile, "Look who's here?"
Little Orange turned its head alertly, then hopped over. Xie Qingci bent down, caught it, and petted it, saying, "You've gotten fatter, Little Orange."
Aunt Wen smiled and glanced at the time, saying it was time to prepare lunch.
Xie Qingci left school at just past eight o'clock, and it only took her an hour and a half to get here. "Why are you here so early?"
Aunt Wen laughed, "Today is the Beginning of Winter! I chopped some filling; we're making dumplings and having hot pot today!"
In the past, these were only eaten on the winter solstice, but this year it got cold early, so Aunt Wen thought she should prepare them as soon as possible.
Xie Qingci didn't even realize that it was already this time of year.
Aunt Wen glanced at her. "Is the gentleman coming again this week?"
Little Orange was stretching out its paws to climb onto my shoulder, but Xie Qingci gently supported its paws before replying to Aunt Wen, "It's not coming."
He called her last night; it was very late, and she was already getting ready for bed.
Normally he rarely calls when she needs to rest, for fear of disturbing her, but yesterday was an exception.
During the video call, she was changing clothes and hadn't turned on the video yet. After a long silence on the other end, she asked, "Don't you want to see me?"
Even his voice sounded tired.
She buttoned up her clothes, turned on the camera, and replied, "I was just changing clothes."
The person on the other end of the screen was still in the office, and could even hear the conversation from the group meeting.
She asked him, "Are you in a meeting?"
As midnight approached, the person in the video was still impeccably dressed. It reminded me of how he used to dislike wearing ties when he was tired and exhausted; his tie was always the first accessory to disappear from his wardrobe.
Whether it was because he was too tired or because he was at the company, despite the obvious weariness in his eyes, his tie was still neatly tied under his collar.
He replied, "No, I'm in the office, they're having a group meeting outside."
She nodded and replied, "Oh."
Then came a moment of silent slumber.
Liang Jingzhuo leaned back in his chair, looking at the camera without saying a word.
Xie Qingci met his gaze silently for a moment, then asked, "And then? What else is there to say?"
He then spoke up: "I probably still won't be able to go to Jingzhao this week."
Just by looking at the constantly updated inquiries every day, Xie Qingci could tell how busy his work schedule was.
She expressed her understanding: "I know, it's okay."
The person on the screen moved their lips as if they wanted to say something, but in the end they said nothing, closed their lips, and just stared at her for a while.
Then someone knocked on the door and came in to report on their work, and they ended the call.
We didn't talk about much, but it was the only time we "met" in the past few days.
Aunt Wen nodded. "It's obvious that the gentleman has been quite busy lately."
After saying that, he sighed and said, "A few days ago, Lao Zhong called me and said that Mr. hasn't been going back lately. He either stays at the company or stays near the company. Sometimes he's so busy that he doesn't even have time to eat."
Xie Qingci hugged Xiao Ju, stroked its fluffy little head, paused for a moment, and then slightly raised her eyelids.
-
As dusk settles over Hong Kong Island, the orange-red glow paints half the sky. The lavish nightlife has yet to begin, and the glow shines through the buildings while traffic flows on, creating a unique sense of warmth.
It was at this moment that Lu Li received an unusual phone call. It was from a mainland China mobile phone area code. He frowned in confusion, and after it rang a few times, he pressed the answer button and held it to his ear: "Hello."
A breeze blew in through the receiver, and then a soft voice said, "Hello, Assistant Lu, this is Xie Qingci."
He was looking down at the documents at the time, and after confirming that he hadn't misheard, he slowly opened his eyes wide.
...
Leung King-chuk has been living near his company most of the time. The property was bought when he returned to Hong Kong after graduation and joined Leung's company. He was just as busy back then as he is now.
It's close by and convenient to travel to and from.
When the last online meeting ended, it was almost late at night. Lu Li knocked on the office door and came in, asking, "The project team has already left work. Are you going home now?"
Lu Li has been accompanying him to work overtime at the company recently, but he rarely urges him to leave work. He only occasionally reminds him to take a break.
Closing his laptop, Liang Jingzhuo leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, rubbed the corners of his eyes, and asked, "What time is it?"
Lu Li glanced at his watch and replied, "Ten o'clock."
It's not too late.
I've been in meetings so many times lately that I can't even remember the last time they ended this early.
Looking at the exact time on her phone, Xie Qingci should already be getting ready for bed.
After hesitating for a moment, I decided not to bother her.
Last week in Shanghai, she told me that it takes her some time to adjust to a new environment before she can sleep well. I wonder if she's experiencing the same thing when she returns to Beijing recently.
He put down his phone, sat back down at the table, loosened his tie, and replied, "You can go home first. Thank you for your hard work. I'll drive home myself after I'm done."
Lu Li opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.
Seeing that the person hadn't left, Liang Jingzhuo looked up and asked with a questioning expression, "What's wrong? Is there anything else?"
Lu Li stood by the door, pursed his lips, and continued, "Your work schedule for today is finished. You should go back and rest early. You've been working quite late lately."
Upon hearing this, Liang Jingzhuo lowered his head and continued flipping through the documents in his hand. "I need to take care of some things for tomorrow."
After speaking, he paused for two seconds, looked up again, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You—help me check the round-trip flights to Jingzhao tomorrow night. The return trip should ideally be between 3 and 4 a.m.
Lu Li paused for a moment upon hearing this, "Are you going to Jingzhao tomorrow?"
He looked away and gave a faint reply: "Mm."
I'll handle more of tomorrow's work today, and have a few hours free. After tomorrow's meeting, I can go there again, return in the early morning, and arrive at the group's morning meeting right on time.
Although I said I wouldn't go this week, I still feel like something is missing.
He still really wanted to see Xie Qingci.
Even just a few hours is fine.
After replying, Lu Li still didn't leave.
The top assistant, who was always quick to get things done, was acting strangely today. Liang Jingzhuo frowned, looked up, and asked, "Is there something else?"
This was the first time he had ever felt that Lu Li was so verbose and inefficient.
The latter looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said, "Perhaps... it's not necessary."
His brow furrowed deeper. "What?"
"Miss Xie, you're here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
