Umbrella with complex structure
After finishing their late-night snack, Xie Dang paid the bill, and the two walked out of the porridge shop. The night breeze was cool, dissipating the heat from the food on their bodies, which felt very comfortable.
On his way back to the company, Lin Jingshang leaned back in his chair, feeling sleepy after his meal. He half-closed his eyes, watching the streetlights flash by outside the window; this moment of tranquility was especially precious.
After the car came to a stop in the company's underground parking garage, Lin Jingshang unbuckled his seatbelt and sincerely thanked them, saying, "Thank you, General Manager Xie. The porridge was delicious."
"Okay," Xie Dang responded, unbuckling his seatbelt. "I'm going upstairs to get a document."
The two took the elevator upstairs together. The office building was very quiet and somewhat empty; most employees had already gone home by this time.
As I walked to the floor where Lin Jingshang's workstation was located, the elevator doors opened.
"Then I'll get back to work, Mr. Xie," Lin Jingshang said, turning to leave the elevator.
"Lin Jingshang," Xie Dang called out to him.
Lin Jingshang turned around.
Xie Dang stood in the elevator, the light shining down on him and casting a soft shadow on his face. He looked at Lin Jingshang, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said, "Next time you have to work overtime, just tell me."
After saying that, he pressed the close button without waiting for Lin Jingshang's response.
The elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out Xie Dang's figure.
Lin Jingshang stood there, watching the elevator numbers rise, pondering Xie Dang's words.
Should we just tell him?
Does that mean... there will be late-night snacks available for those who work overtime from now on?
This realization warmed Lin Jingshang's heart once more, like a sugar cube being added to hot water, slowly spreading and sweetening his entire being. He turned and walked towards his brightly lit workstation, and suddenly those remaining terrible reports didn't seem so bad after all.
Since that late-night snack, Lin Jingshang's overtime frequency doesn't seem to have decreased. Manager Zhang's ability to make empty promises has become increasingly sophisticated, and his workload has also increased.
However, Lin Jingshang's mindset changed; at least his stomach was now taken care of.
That afternoon, the sky was terribly overcast, with low-hanging dark clouds and a stuffy, damp atmosphere. Lin Jingshang looked up from the mountain of documents, rubbed his tired eyes, and glanced out the window.
"Looks like it's going to rain heavily," muttered a colleague at the next workstation, as he began packing up his things, preparing to slip away early.
Lin Jingshang didn't care; he still had a data summary to finish, which would probably take until quite late. He picked up his phone, habitually opened his chat with Xie Dang, hovered his finger on the screen for a moment, and then exited.
I can't possibly mooch off Mr. Xie's late-night snacks every time I work overtime, can I? It would make me look like I'm deliberately staking out the place.
He shook his head and refocused on the screen.
However, before it was time to leave work, large raindrops began to pound against the window, instantly forming a curtain of rain, turning the world into a white expanse.
"Holy crap! It's really raining!"
"Oh no, I didn't bring an umbrella!"
A wail erupted from the office area.
Lin Jingshang frowned. The weather was fine when he left home this morning, and he hadn't even thought to bring an umbrella. Now he was in trouble. Just then, his phone screen lit up.
[Debtor (Coffee)]: Did you bring an umbrella?
Lin Jingshang honestly replied: 【No.】
The other party typed for a while and then sent a message: "[The weather forecast was wrong; I have a backup in my office.]"
Lin Jingshang's heart stirred as he looked at the message.
Was Xie Dang asking him this on his own initiative? Also, how did he know the weather forecast was wrong? Had he been watching the weather closely the whole time?
Before he could reply, Xie Dang sent another message: "Come pick it up after work."
Lin Jingshang looked at the torrential rain outside the window, then at his phone, and finally replied with two words: "Thank you."
As soon as it was time to leave work, colleagues rushed into the rain, some carrying bags on their heads, others calling for help. Lin Jingshang and the others had almost all left before he got up and headed towards the president's office.
Inside the glass door, Xie Dang was still working on documents. Hearing the knock, he didn't even look up: "Come in."
Lin Jingshang pushed open the door and went in, somewhat embarrassed: "President Xie, I've come to get the umbrella."
Xie Dang then looked up from the documents, his gaze sweeping over him before settling on a long-handled umbrella stand beside the sofa. Inside stood a solitary black long-handled umbrella, which looked quite expensive.
"That one," Xie Dang pointed with his pen.
"Okay, thank you, Mr. Xie." Lin Jingshang walked over, picked up the umbrella, its ribs were heavy and it felt excellent in his hand.
Just as he was about to take his leave, Xie Dang suddenly put down his pen, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the torrential rain outside.
"The rain is too heavy." He said calmly, his back to Lin Jingshang. "Let's wait a while before we leave."
Lin Jingshang: "...Huh?"
He looked at the umbrella in his hand, then at Xie Dang's back, and was a little confused.
Even with an umbrella... you still can't leave?
“Or,” Xie Dang turned around, his gaze falling on the umbrella in his hand, his tone flat, “the umbrella’s automatic opening and closing mechanism is a bit complicated, you probably won’t be able to use it.”
Lin Jingshang: "..."
He looked down at the umbrella in his hand. There were clear markings next to the buttons, so where were they covered up?
Even a three-year-old could use it!
Looking at Xie Dang's serious face, he suddenly understood.
These are all excuses. This CEO probably, possibly, or perhaps wants him to stay a little longer?
This realization made Lin Jingshang's heart skip a beat. He tightened his grip on the umbrella handle slightly, and readily agreed, nodding, "Oh, it does seem a bit complicated. I'll wait until the rain subsides before I leave."
Xie Dang nodded slightly, sat back down at his desk, picked up a document, seemingly about to continue working, but no one urged him to leave.
Lin Jingshang couldn't just stand there, so he sat down on the sofa in the waiting area. The office was quiet, with the sound of rain pattering outside the window. Not knowing what to do, he secretly glanced at Xie Dang, who was working diligently.
Under the light, the man's profile was cold and hard, but Lin Jingshang felt that his taut jawline seemed a little softer than before, whether it was an illusion or not.
Time flowed slowly amidst the sound of rain.
Lin Jingshang was bored, his gaze sweeping across the office until it landed on a few familiar magazines in the corner of the sofa: "The Art of Love and Deception," "High Emotional Intelligence in Conversation," and so on.
His lips twitched involuntarily, and he quickly looked away.
About twenty minutes later, the rain outside the window noticeably subsided, turning from a downpour into a moderate drizzle.
Xie Dang looked up at him at the right moment: "The rain has lessened."
Lin Jingshang stood up: "Then I'll be going now, Mr. Xie. Thank you for the umbrella."
"Okay," Xie Dang responded, adding, "Bring it back tomorrow."
Lin Jingshang: "...Okay."
Do we have to bring it back? Is it because we're afraid he won't return it, or is it to give us an excuse for the next time it rains?
He held up the "complexly structured" umbrella and stepped into the drizzling rain. The umbrella was large, completely enveloping him and keeping him out of the rain; a trace of coldness seemed to linger on the handle.
On his way home, Lin Jingshang couldn't help but smile as he recalled Xie Dang's words, "The weather forecast was wrong."
It wasn't a mistake by the weather station; clearly, someone had been paying attention to the weather even earlier than the weather station.
Lin Jingshang did indeed bring the long-handled black umbrella back to the company early the next morning. He carefully wiped the water droplets off the umbrella to make sure it was back to its original condition before carrying it to the president's office.
He originally intended to place it on the assistant's workstation by the door, but the assistant's seat was empty, presumably because he was in a meeting.
He hesitated for a moment, but still knocked on Xie Dang's office door.
"Enter."
Lin Jingshang pushed open the door and entered. Xie Dang was standing in front of the coffee machine, holding a white bone china cup in his hand. The morning light shone on him through the blinds.
"Mr. Xie, here's the umbrella back. Thank you." Lin Jingshang gently placed the umbrella in the umbrella stand next to the sofa.
Xie Dang glanced back, his gaze lingering on the umbrella for a moment, then hummed in response before turning his attention to Xie Dang's face: "Have you had breakfast?"
Lin Jingshang honestly replied, "I drank a glass of milk."
I overslept, it's too late.
Xie Dang didn't say anything, turned around and took a brown paper bag from the built-in mini-fridge next to him, and handed it to him.
"I bought an extra sandwich."
Lin Jingshang took the paper bag, which was still cool to the touch: "...Thank you, Mr. Xie."
He held the sandwich, feeling it was a little hot. Was this excessive concern?
"Let's go out to eat, I need to have a video conference." Xie Dang walked back to his desk with his coffee, dismissing him.
"Okay, you're busy." Lin Jingshang quickly logged out.
Back at his workstation, he opened the paper bag. Inside was a hearty tuna sandwich, the bread soft and the vegetables fresh. He took a bite; it tasted great, definitely not some cheap, makeshift sandwich he'd bought as an extra.
As he ate, he unconsciously stroked the glass jar containing the lemon candy.
The jar was almost empty, and the colorful wrappers shimmered in the sunlight. He found himself reluctant to eat them, as if each one meant losing something precious.
After finishing his sandwich, he opened the drawer, intending to throw away the candy wrapper, but instead saw a neatly folded note inside: "The alcohol from that night hurt my stomach."
He didn't throw away the candy wrapper; he carefully smoothed out its wrinkles and placed it together with the note.
In the afternoon, Lin Jingshang was called by Manager Zhang to organize a batch of archives from previous years. The archives room was in a quiet corner of the office building, with sunlight streaming through the windows and dust swirling in the air.
During the sorting process, he found a box marked "three years ago". He was a little curious and took a look. Inside was a black fountain pen that looked quite old. The pen body was a classic Parker style and was well maintained, but there was a slight scratch on the cap.
For some reason, he felt that the pen looked familiar.
He picked up the pen and noticed a tiny cursive letter "X" engraved on the inside of the clip.
X...Thank you?
Lin Jingshang's heart skipped a beat. This is Xie Dang's pen? How did it end up here?
He took the pen and went to the archives manager.
The administrator was a kind-looking middle-aged man nearing retirement, wearing reading glasses. He looked at it carefully and suddenly realized, "Oh, this is it. It seems that President Xie left it here a few years ago. Back then, he wasn't the president yet. He often came down to check information, but he probably forgot about it and never came looking for it again."
Lin Jingshang looked at the heavy old fountain pen in his hand and imagined a few years ago, a younger Xie Dang, perhaps not as cold and hard as he is now, hunched over his desk in this archive room, reviewing documents.
He didn't hand the pen to the administrator; instead, he took it back to his workstation.
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