Mint Leaf Cufflinks
Lin Jingshang was stunned.
"Thank you." A deep voice sounded from above.
Lin Jingshang looked up and found Xie Dang had returned sometime earlier, standing in front of him, his gaze fixed on the box in Lin Jingshang's hand. He quickly returned the box to Xie Dang, his cheeks burning slightly.
"You...you dropped something."
Xie Dang took the box, closed it, and put it back in his pocket.
"Hmm." He responded, then looked at Lin Jingshang with a calm expression. "Having coffee with friends?"
"Ah...yes, a college classmate." Lin Jingshang pointed to his seat.
Xie Dang glanced in the direction he was pointing, then nodded: "Then I won't bother you any longer, I'll be going now."
"Okay... Be careful on the road."
Xie Dang nodded again, turned and left the coffee shop.
Lin Jingshang stood there, watching his figure disappear through the doorway.
Who are those cufflinks for? Xie Dang is here alone today, is he waiting for someone? Waiting for someone who needs a pair of cufflinks as a gift?
Various speculations emerged uncontrollably, and his mood, which had just improved, sank again.
Lin Jingshang returned to his seat, looking somewhat lost and dejected.
A classmate asked curiously, "What happened? Was that General Manager Xie? What did you say to him?"
Lin Jingshang shook his head and forced a smile: "It's nothing, he dropped something, I picked it up and returned it to him."
He picked up his slightly cooled coffee and took a sip, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.
That night, Lin Jingshang lay in bed, tossing and turning, his mind filled with the mint leaf cufflinks and Xie Dang's calm face. Various possibilities flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Reason told him he should trust Xie Dang, but that suffocating feeling wouldn't go away.
He picked up his phone, opened the chat window with Xie Dang, typed and deleted several times, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to ask.
Should we directly ask, "Who are those cufflinks for?" That sounds like checking up on someone, which is way too much.
Lin Jingshang tossed his phone aside, feeling somewhat irritated, and pulled the blanket over his head.
---
On Monday, Lin Jingshang had faint dark circles under his eyes. He deliberately avoided the time when he might run into Xie Dang in the morning, dawdling until the last minute before entering the company.
He was somewhat absent-minded all day, and his work efficiency was extremely low.
When he went to the tea room to get some water, he saw Xie Dang coming out of the office from afar, and he immediately shrank back.
During his lunch break, he unusually didn't go to the small terrace, but instead lay down at his workstation and closed his eyes to rest.
His phone vibrated, and he picked it up to take a look.
[Xie Dang]: Feeling unwell?
Lin Jingshang stared at those three words, his mind in turmoil. He replied with "No" and put his phone on silent.
In the afternoon, Lin Jingshang was forced to deliver a document requiring an urgent signature to the president's office. He took a deep breath, mentally prepared himself, and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Lin Jingshang pushed open the door and entered, trying to keep his eyes focused solely on the document: "President Xie, this document needs your signature."
Xie Dang took the document, quickly glanced at it, and signed his name. As he handed the document back, his gaze fell on Lin Jingshang's face, and he frowned slightly: "You don't look well."
"Maybe... I didn't sleep well," Lin Jingshang mumbled, taking the documents and trying to slip away.
"Wait a minute," Xie Dang called out to him.
Lin Jingshang paused, then slowly turned around.
Xie Dang took the familiar box out of his desk drawer and pushed it in front of him.
Lin Jingshang stared at the box, his mind blank.
"Here you go," Xie Dang said calmly.
"...For me?" Lin Jingshang repeated incredulously.
“Hmm.” Xie Dang looked at him.
"I noticed your shirt cuffs were a bit worn before, but the material and design are still fine."
Lin Jingshang picked up the box and opened it. The pair of silver cufflinks, shaped like mint leaves, lay quietly on the black velvet, their details even more perfect under the bright office lights.
So the cufflinks that he was struggling with, feeling depressed and guessing for two days, even losing sleep because of it, were a gift to him?
Lin Jingshang's cheeks began to burn uncontrollably, and even his ears turned bright red: "I... my shirt is old..."
He was rambling incoherently, feeling like a fool who was just daydreaming.
"Okay," Xie Dang replied. "If you don't like it, you can change it."
"I don't dislike it!" Lin Jingshang immediately denied, clutching the small box tightly.
"It looks great, thank you."
Lin Jingshang looked into Xie Dang's deep eyes, where his own flustered yet delighted expression was reflected.
"I...I'll go back to work now."
He felt like his face was going to catch fire if he stayed any longer.
"Okay." Xie Dang nodded.
Lin Jingshang strode out of the office and back to his workstation. He looked at the box in his hand, couldn't help but open it, and gently touched the silver leaves with his fingertips.
So Xie Dang going to the coffee shop alone on Saturday might just be a way to buy this for him during a break from work?
This realization made Lin Jingshang feel as if a honey pot had been overturned, so sweet it was almost cloying.
When Lin Jingshang was leaving get off work, he sent a message to Xie Dang.
[Lin Jingshang]: I really like the cufflinks.
After a while, Xie Dang replied.
[Xie Dang]: Hmm, I'll wear a different shirt next time.
Lin Jingshang stared at the message, clutching his phone, and chuckled to himself for a long time. He put away the mint leaf cufflinks, intending to wear them next time he wore a suitable shirt.
---
The system seemed to have sensed the qualitative change, and its interference methods were upgraded once again.
That day, Lin Jingshang discovered that his usual e-reader had a new bookshelf called "Soul Resonance," which contained a dozen books neatly arranged, ranging from obscure philosophical works to obscure science fiction novels. The genres were diverse, but they all had one thing in common: these books had appeared on Xie Dang's bookshelves in his office or apartment, and were books he had recently read or annotated.
Clearly, the system forcibly synchronized Xie Dang's reading list with him.
Lin Jingshang was speechless and sent a message to Xie Dang.
[Lin Jingshang]: It's now syncing our reading list; it's still called "Soul Resonance." (Attached: Screenshot of bookshelf)
[Xie Dang]: This behavior is suspected of infringing on personal data privacy. We have strengthened the protection of our devices.
Lin Jingshang looked at the bookshelf and pursed his lips.
Is it possible to achieve a soul connection by forcibly stuffing a list of books into someone's mind?
He randomly opened a popular science book about quantum physics, and after reading a few pages, he felt overwhelmed. Just as he was about to close it, he suddenly noticed some electronic notes left by Xie Dang in the book, such as "doubtful," "needs verification," and "is the metaphor here appropriate?"
Looking at the notes, Lin Jingshang suddenly felt that through these annotations, he seemed to have glimpsed Xie Dang's thought process when reading, which was much more interesting than simply syncing a book list.
He would occasionally pick one or two books that might interest him and read them following Xie Dang's notes.
When he encountered parts he didn't understand, he would take screenshots and send them to Xie Dang for clarification.
[Lin Jingshang]: What does this sentence mean? (Attached images: excerpt from the book and Xie Dang's notes)
[Xie Dang]: This theoretical model has limitations, and the author's argument is not rigorous enough. Please refer to page X of the XX paper.
A few days later, Lin Jingshang was taking a nap on the terrace when he took out a physical book—a rare science fiction novel from his reading list—and read it with great interest.
When Xie Dang came over, his gaze fell on the book in his hand, and he paused for a moment: "Are you reading this?"
“Hmm,” Lin Jingshang looked up, “You mentioned in your notes that the plot twist at the end was very interesting, so I looked it up to take a look.”
Xie Dang sat down next to him: "Where are you looking?"
"We just discovered that the protagonist's identity might be problematic."
"Yes." Xie Dang didn't give away any spoilers. "The narrative perspective will switch later on."
The two chatted for a while about the plot and setting of the book. Most of the time, Lin Jingshang asked questions, and Xie Dang answered or commented concisely.
The sun shines on my body, feeling warm and cozy.
A few days later, Lin Jingshang saw a book on Xie Dang's desk that he had casually mentioned wanting to read before, about landscape design.
He was somewhat surprised and picked it up: "This book, how did you..."
Xie Dang looked up from the documents and glanced at the book: "It was recommended by an algorithm, and it looked alright, so I bought it."
Lin Jingshang looked at Xie Dang's expressionless face. He stroked the book cover, lowered his head, and unconsciously curved the corners of his mouth into a smile.
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