Chapter 64 Lattice Umbrella Luo Shu, how come you have become so thin?
Fang Qingzhuo always felt that he had met Luo Shu in the last century. It had been exactly five years since graduation. Five years meant sixty months and one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days. He habitually narrowed his eyes, and looked at the person in front of him with an inquiring gaze without any scruples.
It has changed yet it seems like it hasn't changed. With the polishing of time, the hair has grown longer, the contours have become more distinct, and the temperament has been replaced by solemnity instead of purity. Only the pair of pupils in the backlit shadows have not changed, and are still surprisingly bright.
"Luo Shu."
His lips moved, his gaze remained fixed, and a comment without any ups and downs or emotions came out from between his lips.
"How did you become so thin?"
The two short greetings dropped in the wind and rain automatically blocked out the surrounding noise and also awakened Luo Shu's trance consciousness. The clear sound penetrated her ears and attacked her remaining rationality. She very deliberately nailed herself to the present and avoided recalling the past. But when Fang Qingzhuo called her name, her forced calmness began to waver, until the calm words "How did you get so thin?" The superficial achievements of the past five years collapsed in an instant, and all her efforts failed, like a beautiful dream.
You can pretend not to know her, or you can greet her with the old-fashioned "long time no see" in a relaxed manner, but you must not be so relaxed as to make a joke like when you are in love.
From the beginning to the end, Fang Qingzhuo saw all the changes in her expression like cold water boiling. After a few years, Luo Shu still had her thoughts written all over her face.
"Why aren't you talking? Aren't you curious about how I've been doing these past few years?"
As if remembering something, his eyes suddenly changed. With his cold, sharp, and bottomless black eyes, he leaned in and added, "These past few years since I was abandoned by you."
He spoke the following words with great intensity, revealing his displeasure.
The originally broad vision was covered and occupied by the man. Luo Shu looked at him calmly. The cold white light of the bar sign shone on his face, especially the pupils under his eyelashes, which were cold. During the long seconds, Luo Shu gradually calmed down.
Yes, she couldn't get over it, let alone Fang Qingzhuo who was tricked by her.
Fortunately, she was no longer the eager-to-share, secretive Luo Shu of the past. She swallowed the rebuttal that was about to come out of her mouth and adopted the tone that she would never make a mistake when dealing with a client: "Yeah, I'm quite curious."
She raised her chin. "How have you been these past few years?"
"Do you still enjoy deceiving others? Do you still enjoy revenge? Or do you still have no conscience?"
Luo Shu was ready for him to lose his temper, but Fang Qingzhuo just looked at her patiently without saying a word, and the corners of his mouth quickly raised a beautiful arc that she was familiar with.
This was his expression of joy and excitement. She knew it too well. It seemed that he enjoyed being scolded.
Tang Tang finally borrowed an umbrella and trotted along with it: "Luo Shu, I borrowed an umbrella, you can use it as it is..."
Before he even stepped out of the door, he saw the scene happening outside, and the second half of his words were unconsciously cut off in the humid air.
In front of the door that was neither too high nor too low, Fang Qingzhao looked at the weak and vulnerable Luo Shu, who was only as high as the tip of his nose. His tall figure cast an lingering shadow over her. Visually, it was as if he was looking at his caged prey and his meal on the plate. But only she knew how badly she had been deceived and how deeply she had been hurt.
At the same time, Gu Yang and the other two, who had been waiting for Fang Qingzhuo for a long time, swarmed out chatteringly. The insiders gathered at the narrow door of the store, and some of them looked at Gu Qin with shining eyes.
Some people looked melancholy, some sighed that the world is unpredictable, and some secretly sighed that everything depends on human efforts.
Under the eaves, a solitary chandelier hung precariously, yet it illuminated the diverse expressions of everyone present.
-
At seven o'clock, the alarm clock rang as scheduled.
The night was long but the dream was short. Luo Shu didn't sleep well at all. She blinked twice and reached out to grope for the bedside table. Unexpectedly, she didn't find the phone but knocked over the medicine bottle. The white pills were scattered all over the floor, and the remaining sleepiness disappeared in an instant.
From getting out of bed to washing up and then going out to take a taxi, everything went smoothly with green lights all the way.
The Lixiang Wedding where Luo Shu works is located in the Innovation Park, far away from the steel forest. As soon as she enters the company's design department, she sees a bowl of preserved egg and lean meat porridge on the neat office desk.
As soon as I sat down, my assistant Zhai Xiaowen hurriedly used her butt to move the swivel chair closer: "Sister, I brought you KFC, eat it while it's hot."
As the computer started up, Luo Shu first thanked him: "Thanks, Xiaowen, but please don't bring it to me in the future. You live the farthest away."
"But you always skip breakfast. It's bad for your health over the years. Besides, you're the only one in the company who treats interns equally. I'm happy to bring you one." Zhai Xiaowen munched on a panini while also trying to find out more. "Sister Shu, you look terrible. Did you not get enough rest last night? Did Mr. Shen give you a hard time?"
Without waiting for Luo Shu's reply, he said indignantly, "I think Mr. Shen is just trying to make things difficult for me. He's unhappy himself and he's looking for trouble with others. At worst, we can just make it clear to Mr. Fei that we won't do this business with him."
"Xiao Wen." Luo Shu turned her head and called her.
"What's wrong?"
"You really don't like Mr. Shen?"
"Yeah." Zhai Xiaowen had only been working for a short time and had never encountered such a difficult client before. She couldn't help but complain a few words, "I've never met a more picky groom. Do you really want to get married? He doesn't care about it himself and even lets me hand-draw the wedding photos. I spend my few free moments arguing with him. If I get the chance, I'll definitely take my size 37 shoes and hit him in the face. If he dares to change a word, he'll be slapped."
Fu Ze from the same department popped his head out to join in the fun: "Hey, Xiaowen, you're daydreaming again."
"I'm serious." Zhai Xiaowen vowed, "If I don't teach him a lesson, he'll really think I'm backing out. He's a fish in troubled waters, a pillow with embroidered patterns. If I don't scold him like a dog-blooded sister, he's just hanging around in society for nothing, and his name is written backwards."
As soon as the voice fell, a colleague from the planning department came to the door: "Sister Shu, Mr. Shen, who was scheduled to meet you, is in the reception room."
Feeling the gazes gathered around her, Zhai Xiaowen felt completely trapped and simply sank onto Luo Shu's shoulder, pretending to be weak. "Ah, sister, I might need to take a sick leave later. I have a headache and I'm feeling uncomfortable."
Luo Shu tapped the screen of her phone a few times and teased her: "Why don't we just approve a week's leave for you, and then it will be until next month."
"No, I still want the perfect attendance award." Zhai Xiaowen hugged Luo Shu's arm and shook it, acting coquettishly, "Sister Luo Shu, you are the best."
"Alright, hurry up and get up. If I don't go over there, Mr. Shen will really come to kill me." Luo Shu glanced helplessly at the glue stuck to her body and picked up her work tablet. "You, go buy me two American coffees. I'll take care of Mr. Shen."
"Really?" Zhai Xiaowen blinked.
"Do you want to go with me?" Luo Shu replied.
"Two Americanos will get the job done."
Zhai Xiaowen was very grateful and took out her mobile phone to place an order, but found a red envelope for transfer that Luo Shu had sent not long ago.
"Sister, you're so polite. You always transfer more money to me. The coffee shop is only a few steps away."
When I looked up, the person had already left his workstation, leaving behind a hurried back.
"Lixiang Wedding" originated from wedding planning abroad and only returned to the domestic wedding market in the past two years. It is a high-end customized service brand.
The glass door of the independent reception room was open. From a distance, I could see Leo, the head of the planning department, talking nonstop. The person he was talking about was wearing black sunglasses that covered most of his face, giving him a very mysterious look. He sat lazily on the leather chair with his forehead propped up. Sometimes he would tap the table out of boredom, sometimes he would pick his ears impatiently, and yawn slowly, showing his boredom without any concealment.
It seems that this is the legendary famous Mr. Shen, Shen Qianshu.
What’s amazing is that she has the same name as an old friend of hers, but a different surname.
“Is your designer’s rack that big?”
The sudden start of the quarrel interrupted Luo Shu's wandering thoughts.
"Sorry, Mr. Shen, I'm late."
The man half raised his head, which had been lowered, and slowly looked at Luo Shu who had arrived late until he sat down opposite her.
"Hello, Mr. Shen, I'm Luo Shu."
Sunglasses covered his eyes, making it impossible to discern Shen Qianshu's true feelings at the moment. He curved his lips and repeated, "Luo...Shu..."
Being stared at by two black lenses, Luo Shu felt uneasy but nodded politely: "Well, where is Miss Zou?"
Before Shen Qianshu could answer, a series of powerful high heels hitting the ground sounded from behind.
Shen Qianshu shrugged: “Speak of Zhong Kui, Zhong Kui is here.”
As soon as she entered the room, Zou Jing, dressed in a small Xiang style, went straight to Shen Qianshu and hit him lightly with a coquettish look: "Qianshu, who are you talking about Zhong Kui?"
"Whoever asks, tell them."
“How am I like that?”
“Even ghosts are worried.”
The groom was so unromantic that Zou Jing simply knew better and stopped talking. She pulled Luo Shu aside to gossip about whether she was the one who planned a certain celebrity's century wedding in Bali, or a certain socialite's manor wedding.
After some pleasantries, the meeting officially got underway. When it came time for feedback, Zou Jing flipped through the model renderings and said, "I particularly like the reception and dessert areas."
As he said this, he took Shen Qianshu's arm affectionately and asked him what he thought, "Dear, the wedding date is approaching, why don't you just finalize this draft? My dad was still asking about the progress of the wedding a few days ago. You don't want him to wait too long, right?"
Shen Qianshu glanced sideways, meeting Zou Jing's pressured gaze. He unhurriedly pulled his arm away, leaned over and whispered in her ear, then stepped back in a moment, observing her reaction with interest.
The others didn't hear what he said. They only saw Zou Jing force a smile: "Qian Shu, you really know how to joke."
This little episode undoubtedly put the atmosphere into a dilemma, and it was Luo Shu's work phone ringing that broke the deadlock.
After answering the supplier's call, Luo Shu returned. Zou Jing was the only one left in the bright and spacious reception room. Shen Qianshu and the clueless Leo were not there.
Zou Jing had her back to the door, clearly in the right position to answer the phone, and said in a stern tone, "How many times have I told you not to call me during this special period?"
Luo Shu, not intending to eavesdrop, suddenly stopped her hand on the doorknob. She didn't know what the other party said, and Zou Jing's tone softened again: "I know, I only like you, too. The old man said it was just a formality. As long as I marry into the Shen family, I will have the final say in the entire Zou family after marriage."
"My dear, don't worry, I only have you in my heart. Let's leave it like this for now. Shen Qianshu will be back soon."
After hanging up the phone, Zou Jing offered a blacklisting package, not forgetting to sneer contemptuously: "You really think you are a dish."
The amount of information was too much, and Luo Shu was at a loss for a moment. It was impossible to move forward, so she quickly retreated, but her back hit the strong wall of flesh.
"Why don't you go in?"
The deliberately lowered voice was full of indescribable ambiguity and temptation.
Luo Shu was stuck for two seconds, twisting her neck to look back, and Shen Qianshu was standing behind her, so close that her breath was filled with the scent of the man's perfume.
"I……"
"You really don't remember me?"
Luo Shu didn't expect Shen Qianshu to come so close, and the distance between them, which was already close, became even closer, and their noses almost bumped against each other.
"Remember." Seeing her own reflection in the mirror, Luo Shu hurriedly avoided the gaze. Eavesdropping is unethical in itself, and having close contact with the client, the groom-to-be, in public is even more unethical, which really damages her professional image.
"Mr. Shen."
She secretly complained in her heart that this was the most unreasonable client she had ever encountered in her career.
Without giving him a chance to reply, Luo Shu pushed open the half-closed glass door in front of her, and the scenery on both sides was exposed in broad daylight in the blink of an eye.
Having done something wrong, Zou Jing didn't care about why the two of them appeared in the same frame: "Qian Shu, you're back."
Shen Qianshu was still as carefree as ever. He walked into the house and picked up the car keys and mobile phone on the table with his index finger: "I have something to do, so I'll leave first. As for you, feel free to stay here as long as you want."
"Then I'll go with you." Zou Jing's eyes rolled. "Last time when we were discussing the wedding date, Uncle Shen kept asking me to visit him often. This time is perfect, we..."
"It's not on the way." Shen Qianshu interrupted, his footsteps uninterrupted, "If you want to see him, go to the nursing home by yourself. You can go back the same way you came. Understand."
Before leaving, his gaze lingered meaningfully on the only spectator standing by the door frame.
"See you at the wedding, Designer Luo."
After seeing off the two giant Buddhas, Luo Shu finally let go of her worries. She suddenly remembered the intriguing look in Shen Qianshu's eyes before he left, so she wondered whether he had heard it or not.
While I was thinking, Zhai Xiaowen came running over with a bag of coffee in her hand: "Sister, coffee."
Luo Shu came back to her senses: "Thank you."
Zhai Xiaowen looked around: "Where is Mr. Shen?"
"Leave."
Seeing that Luo Shu was still distracted, Zhai Xiaowen didn't even think about it: "Sister, did they give you a hard time?"
"No, the plan was approved."
Zhai Xiaowen didn't understand, so she should be happy: "I saw a lot of people chatting in the company's small group, saying that Mr. Shen and Ms. Zou looked like a couple who had no feelings for each other."
Luo Shu was used to being strict at work: "We can't discuss or talk about clients casually. Have you forgotten?"
"I won't dare to do it again next time." Zhai Xiaowen understood and made a zipper gesture towards her mouth.
"Okay, notify everyone to prepare for the executive meeting."
The executive meeting lasted the entire afternoon, and it was already late at night when we finished the work at hand.
After leaving the company gate, Luo Shu said goodbye to her colleagues one by one and got on an online taxi. If there was no traffic jam, the ride would take 20 minutes.
The renovated old community is not large. Fortunately, there is an elevator. There is no security guard on duty and no underground garage. If you want to park, you can only park on the first floor. After working for a few years, Luo Shu has considered buying a car for commuting to get off work, but seeing the conditions, she finally gave up.
Anyway, she was only staying in Shenzhen temporarily, so her demands were not high.
When Luo Shu entered her apartment building, she was in a daze and didn't notice a black SUV following her downstairs.
The driver slowly lowered the car window, stretched out a half-rolled sleeve, with smooth arms and no extra accessories. Between his fingers with plain rings was a cigarette, and he lazily flicked the ash out the window. As the lights in a room on the upper floor came on, the cigarette was put into the car.
After pressing the key, Fang Qingzhuo picked up the phone on the center console and called Guan Siqi immediately.
"I can come to Yangzi and Anqi's wedding, but I have one condition."
"Change the marriage planning company to the one I sent you on WeChat."
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