Chapter 76 Hidden Bug Now I think, his choice has always been you...
The next morning, when Luo Shu got up to go to work, Fang Qingzhuo was still asleep. He was huddled awkwardly on a simple sofa that was barely big enough for him to lie down, holding the SpongeBob SquarePants that she had used to hit him last night.
Before changing shoes and going out, Luo Shu saw that the broken vase in the entrance hall had been cleaned up. She glanced at the man on the sofa and changed her mind at the last second from slamming the door to gently closing it.
In the design department today, even Zhai Xiaowen, who is usually careless, felt an unprecedented low pressure. She was about to hand over the plan she had arranged yesterday, but when she saw that worried face, she decisively withdrew it.
In the center of low pressure, Luo Shu instinctively reached for the mouse, took half a day off, and piled up a lot of work. However, she sat there for a long time without moving anything, staring blankly at the computer screen and slacking off. Her mind couldn't calm down at all, as if there was a balance, one side pretending to be rational while the other pretending to be impulsive, playing against each other and competing with each other.
Just when the winner was about to be decided, the receptionist came hurriedly to announce that a wealthy client had come to sign a seven-figure order and had specifically requested Luo Shu to come over.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Luo Shu held her forehead and relaxed for a while. Adhering to the principle of not bringing personal emotions into work, she entered the reception room and found that this "arrogant" client was none other than Angela Leong.
"Sister Luo Shu, have you been doing well these years?" Liang Anqi, who was originally sitting, stood up quickly, grabbing the fabric of her skirt with her hands restrainedly.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Luo Shu regained her composure and felt a surge of emotion as she watched the little girl who used to cry and look for her brother grow up into a graceful young lady.
"I've been doing okay these past few years." He asked her to sit down again. "How about you?"
"I'm okay too."
After the brief greetings, the room fell into silent silence.
Luo Shu was not an unreasonable person. Although Liang Anqi was Guan Siqi's sister, she knew nothing about what happened back then, so the collective punishment rule did not apply to her: "I remember you should still be studying."
"Yeah." Liang Anqi held the water cup with both hands and nodded, "Just graduated from university."
"So anxious?" Luo Shu said.
Liang Anqi forced a smile and said, "There's nothing we can do. Both families are pushing us hard."
When the water glass was empty, Luo Shu added lemonade to her glass and asked casually, "Why didn't the groom come today?"
"It's not convenient for him to show up." Liang Anqi's fingertips turned white from touching the wall of the cup too hard. She added hesitantly, "You also know that person, Gu Yang."
Luo Shu paused while pouring water.
"I know what happened back then was all because of Gu Yang." Liang Anqi choked there, as if she didn't know how to speak. "Sister Luo Shu, I'm sorry. I only found out about it a few days ago. I'm sorry."
He pushed the signed contract in front of Luo Shu and lowered his eyes as if he couldn't face her. "Brother Qingzhuo told me that you work at the wedding planning company, but it's entirely up to you to decide whether to accept it or not. I've signed it. If you're really uncomfortable with the design part and don't want to take it, you can pass it on to your colleague. My brother, Gu Yang, and I want to compensate you as much as possible. I'm sorry."
"They should have come and apologized, but I think..." Liang Anqi's voice was trembling, and the uneasiness that had been accumulating for days turned into tears. "I think I shouldn't have disturbed you during work. If I had found out about their affair earlier, I wouldn't have hurt you. I'm sorry for failing to live up to your expectations. You should be very disappointed in me."
A series of heartfelt apologies, followed by four "I'm sorry," made Luo Shu ponder a great deal in that moment. Would a belated apology still be of any use? It turned out Fang Qingzhuo had come to the café for a wedding, not to deceive her. It was just that the two main characters were quite surprised. She asked herself, should she accept the offer? The seven-figure offer was tempting, and any hesitation would be disrespectful to her wallet. But she answered, no, she wasn't strong enough yet. Certain people were destined to stay away.
After a long while, Luo Shu took out a tissue and wiped her tears, just as gently as when she fixed her hair downstairs of the teaching building that year, "Why are you apologizing to me? You were still young then, and you didn't do anything wrong."
"But they are my relatives."
"You are you, and they are them."
"Sister Luo Shu." Liang Anqi cried even harder, her delicate features wrinkled together, and her gaze towards Luo Shu was blurry. She couldn't see clearly, yet she could see clearly. She was still the same as the intimate big sister in her memory. "Can I still call you sister?"
"certainly."
"What about this contract?"
"Well..." Luo Shu looked hesitant. "I don't think so, but my colleague can take it. Don't worry, he's very professional."
"Sister Luo Shu, don't worry. I can understand any decision you make." Liang Anqi stroked the back of her hand to show her support.
In order not to burden her, Luo Shu pretended to be relieved: "Oh, it's because my job will be transferred, and I might leave Shenzhen one day."
When Liang Anqi heard that she might leave, she forgot to cry and became nervous: "You want to leave? Does Qingzhuo know about this?"
"He..." Suddenly, Fang Qingzhuo was mentioned again. Luo Shu was momentarily stunned. "He doesn't need to know."
Liang Anqi seemed to be lost in thought, and tactfully changed the subject. She asked Luo Shu for advice on wedding banquets as a simple customer. Almost at the same time, a call popped up on her phone lying flat on the table.
After a quick glance, Angela Leong quickly composed herself and put the phone to her ear to answer it.
Not far away, Luo Shu heard the calm voice on the other end of the phone asking her where she was. It seemed that there was a family dinner in the evening reminding her to go home early.
After hanging up the phone, Angela Leong apologized and said that she had to meet her elders tonight and needed to go back quickly to prepare. Luo Shu, as a good host, offered to see her out.
Outside the park, the housekeeper and driver were already waiting by the roadside. Before getting in the car, Liang Anqi gave her a hug to thank her for not letting the fire at the city gate affect her. "Sister Luo Shu, thank you for listening to me for so long. Today is a bit rushed, so let's make an appointment another day."
Luo Shu patted her on the back and agreed readily while recalling the content of the phone call.
"Angel, I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it or not."
Liang Anqi smiled and loosened her embrace: "You can ask as many questions as you want. You don't have to treat me as an outsider."
"Do you like him?" Luo Shu regretted asking. She seemed embarrassed to talk about Gu Yang in her current position. She added, "Don't get me wrong. He and I have nothing in common. What I said was a misunderstanding. Marriage is not a joke. Following your heart is the most important thing."
The sound of the endless traffic filled her ears. Liang Anqi was stunned for a moment and nodded solemnly: "I like him. I liked him very much when I was a child."
"Then he..." Luo Shu omitted the following words as it was inconvenient for her to make them clear.
Liang Anqi always had a calm smile on her face. Instead of answering, she asked, "Sister Luo Shu, do you know why my brother's last name is Guan and mine is Liang?"
Luo Shu shook her head. She had been curious about this detail before and asked Fang Qingzhuo about it, but Fang Qingzhuo hesitated and seemed not very happy about her caring about the housekeeper's affairs. He just said that it was a matter between the adults.
"My dad is a good person in every way, except that he's extremely superstitious." Liang Anqi looked at the towering buildings in the distance. "When my mom was pregnant with me, he specially invited a master to come to our house to check our feng shui. As soon as the master walked in, before he could even start planning the feng shui, he pointed at me in the belly and calculated that my fate was unlucky. He said the housekeeper was worried about financial loss or blood disaster."
Luo Shu: "What happened next?"
"Later, I was born during my brother's hunger strike. The day after I was born, my family's business plummeted. Because of this, my parents' relationship became strained. My father insisted on a divorce and had only one request for me: I couldn't have children in the housekeeper's household before I was six and couldn't take his last name. Ever since I can remember, my mother has blamed all my misfortunes on me. Gu Yang was the first warmth I felt after returning to the housekeeper's household. He never alienated me because of those unfounded superstitions, but was the first to stand up for me when my playmates bullied and laughed at me."
"So, the rest is not important."
Her thoughts dragged Angela Leong back to the past. "He's been miserable these past few years, living in a haze of guilt all day long. Not only because of the stupid things he did when he misunderstood and slandered you, but also because of Brother Qingzhuo. At first, I couldn't understand how their relationship of more than 20 years could end so suddenly. It wasn't until a few days ago when I accidentally overheard the whole story that I realized their quarrel was far more serious than just a cold war."
"As for Qingzhuo, he hasn't been doing well these past few years. Although they haven't mentioned it, there's one thing I remember very clearly. One winter break, during their senior year, they suddenly had a fight. My brother took Qingzhuo to the hospital. I was there. The doctor was stitching him up, sighing and saying there might be a scar on his forehead. My brother recounted the scene, and it was pretty miserable. Qingzhuo didn't fight back the whole time. He's never been one to take a loss. He'd always pay double for any injustice he suffered, or for being scolded or beaten. But he was willing to be pinned to the ground, and willingly took Gu Yang's punches to vent his anger. Those punches became a thorn in Gu Yang's heart that he could never erase."
"At the time, I didn't understand the complexities between them, so I asked my brother what grudges and grievances could have caused them to disregard years of friendship and resort to violence. My brother replied, bewildered, that it was an adult game, and I had to pay the price for my own choices."
"Now that I think about it, his choice has always been you. I'm not begging for mercy on his behalf, nor am I trying to gain sympathy for him. I just feel that there are some things you must know."
After saying the last sentence, Angela Leong waved goodbye and got into the car.
The black car body sped past like an arrow, leaving behind only exhaust fumes and unresolved emotions lingering in the sultry air.
Luo Shu felt like there was something stuck in her throat. He had never mentioned a word about these things.
She stood on the side of the road in confusion, as cars of various shapes passed by her sight one after another, some fast, some slow, leaving behind blurry afterimages of varying depths.
People in the world do not have a God's perspective, and cannot see each other's silent efforts and the tears behind them. All they can see are the bloody lessons in front of them, which are like cold programs running deep in their brains.
One day, the program triggered a hidden bug, and a page popped up asking whether to delete the data. However, the person who made the choice lost the courage to start over.
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