An insurmountable chasm
Hongming had just come out of Li Mo's office when she looked at Qi Xu and said, "Sister Mo wants you to take the interns to see her."
Qi Xu brought two interns to Li Mo's office. The two girls disliked each other in private and always fought each other when Qi Xu wasn't looking. But as soon as they entered the office, they immediately quieted down, stood up straight, and pretended to be well-behaved.
Li Mo stopped what she was doing, looked at the interns behind her, then turned to Qi Xu and suggested with a smile, "Why don't you take charge of these two interns? You're about the same age, so you'll have common topics to talk about, and you're also one of the most relaxed people in our company."
Upon hearing this, both interns turned to look at Qi Xu, their eyes filled with anticipation.
But Qi Xu hesitated. She had more important things to do, and she had to be wary of these two, as they might affect her. Hao Nan's originally bright eyes dimmed.
Qi Xu stared intently at Li Mo, remaining silent for a long time.
She does have plenty of free time, but she has more important things to do during this period. Taking on interns will definitely expose her whereabouts, and what if Meng Jia is talkative and curious? It's really worrying.
Seeing that Qi Xu didn't respond, Li Mo smiled and leaned closer: "What are you worried about?"
Qi Xu's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm: "I'm afraid that in some areas, I might not be as good as them."
“You don’t need to worry about that. They’re just doing an internship, so their experience is definitely not as rich as yours, right?” Li Mo continued, “Alright, I’m at ease leaving it to you.”
In the end, Qi Xu accepted the task of mentoring the interns. She led the two to an empty seat, gave them a brief explanation, and then let them start practicing drawing comics. She then returned to her seat to prepare for work, but that's exactly when the annoying person appeared.
Li Mofeng bought a bunch of desserts and placed them on Qi Xu's table, saying sincerely, "I'm sorry, Qi Xu, please forgive me." As she spoke, she pushed the desserts towards her.
Qi Xu ignored him and started working on his own.
Hao Nan had intended to ask Qi Xu for advice, but happened to witness this scene.
He stared at Li Mofeng warily, his temper flaring up instantly. How dare this person come looking for her? He strode over to Qi Xu and said gently, "Qi Xu, I have a few small questions I'd like to ask for your guidance on."
Qi Xu stood up without hesitation and was about to leave with Hao Nan. Hao Nan was both happy and smug, and almost wanted to provoke Li Mofeng, but he held back in the end, though he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.
Seeing his blatant boasting, Li Mofeng's face immediately turned ugly, and he stepped forward to block Qi Xu's path.
Suppressing his anger, Qi Xu, who had been stopped, calmly looked up and asked, "What exactly do you want?" The suppressed emotion in his voice was obvious.
Li Mofeng immediately shoved the dessert in her hand into Qi Xu's hand, stood in front of her, and said with a hint of reluctance in her eyes, "I need to leave for a while."
"Hmm," Qi Xu responded faintly.
"I'm leaving. Take good care of yourself."
Looking at Li Mofeng's affectionate gaze, Hao Nan wished he could kick him out, but he still maintained a gentle expression as he watched the two of them.
Qi was probably too lazy to argue with him anymore; her anger hadn't subsided yet, and he felt a little relieved once he left: "Take care on the road."
"Goodbye, I'll miss you." Li Mofeng left, turning back every few steps.
Qi Xu mentally scoffed, even feeling a bit disgusted. Goodbye! Hopefully, never to see him again. He hadn't been gone long when Qi Xu turned back and handed the dessert to Hao Nan: "Want some?"
"I won't eat it." Hao Nan refused without even thinking. Who would eat something given by their love rival? It was practically inedible.
"How come I never noticed before? You're quite cute, with that little bit of arrogance." Qi Xu couldn't help but laugh.
Feeling embarrassed by the sudden praise, a blush slowly crept up Hao Nan's earlobes, but his gaze remained fixed on Qi Xu, unmoving.
"Hao Nan!" Qi Xu called him several times but got no response. Finally, he leaned close to Hao Nan's ear and raised his voice slightly.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear to Hao Nan's ears.
"Seven Xu! You've almost made me deaf." Hao Nan laughed and teased her, as if he had returned to the happy times when they first met in high school.
Meng Jia also encountered a problem at her workstation. As soon as she went out, she saw the two of them playing around outside the door.
She glared at Hao Nan, then walked over and naturally took Qi Xu's arm: "Master, I have a question I'd like you to help me with."
Qi Xu was thus dragged away by her. Hao Nan was unwilling but helpless, and could only suppress his anger and let it slowly dissipate on its own.
After helping Meng Jia solve her problem, Qi Xu glanced at the desserts on the table, then turned to Meng Jia and asked, "Do you want some dessert?"
"Yes, will you give me a ride, Master?"
"Uh, Meng Jia, don't call me Master anymore, just call me Qi Xu."
Meng Jia shook her head: "No, you are more outstanding than me. I should learn from you and respect you. You can call me Teacher Xu or Sister Xu."
This stumped Qi Xu; Meng Jia's suggestion was really a bit over the top.
She stopped hesitating and handed the dessert that Li Mofeng had given her to Meng Jia: "This is for you."
"Thank you, Sister Xu."
The topic was finally over, and Qi Xu breathed a sigh of relief.
These past few days, Qi Xu has indeed been incredibly bored, spending most of his time taking care of interns and not having any real work to do.
If things continue like this, let alone improving social status, we won't even be able to get Ciyan to willingly go to the capital. In fact, we might end up making ourselves look foolish.
Qi Xu didn't want to continue like this and had to find another way out. Even though her current works were very popular, they weren't enough; she needed to work harder.
But how exactly can social influence be enhanced? She sat in her chair, turning back and forth, lost in thought.
Hao Nan keenly noticed Qi Xu's emotional change: "Is something on your mind? Tell me, and we'll figure something out together."
Qi Xu glanced at him indifferently, ultimately deciding not to believe him: "Nothing's wrong."
It's better to be safe than sorry; we must always be cautious, otherwise all our hard work will be in vain.
Hao Nan felt a little sad when his kindness was rejected. He simply gave a faint "hmm" and turned his attention back to his work.
But his gaze and mind were not on his work at all; his heart was full of Qi Xu, and his emotions were swayed by her. His joys, sorrows, and everything else stemmed from her.
But Qi Xu didn't care at all, didn't notice his emotions, and didn't even think about comforting him.
Perhaps he hid his emotions too well, not wanting her to see his bad side, fearing she would dislike him because of it.
Just like what happened in the library in high school, he remembered it clearly.
At that time, Qi Xu said firmly, "If you do anything again that offends me, I don't mind ending our friendship." These words have been echoing in his mind like a warning bell, reminding him.
He didn't want to stay in the same place; he wanted to face difficulties together with her, grow together, and rise to the challenge.
Finally, he mustered his courage and walked up to Qi Xu again.
"What do you want now?" Qi Xu asked, puzzled.
"Let's talk in the private room."
The two went into the private room. Qi Xu sat on the sofa, and Hao Nan stood in front of her.
His eyelashes trembled slightly, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, and he couldn't speak for a long time.
"What are you going to say? What are you so nervous about? Am I that scary?" Qi Xu was amused by his appearance.
Hao Nan took a deep breath and looked at her sincerely: "I don't want you to treat me like an enemy."
"I don't treat you like an outsider." Qi Xu was shocked by his words and was momentarily confused.
"You don't trust me; you treat me like an enemy. Every time I go to see you, you quickly switch your computer screen, even when you're drawing, you switch to a research page."
"When we eat together, you always distance yourself from me, and you even make a point of observing me before looking at your phone."
“Every time I look up, you block your phone. Qi Xu, we are friends, not enemies. You shouldn’t be so defensive towards me. If you encounter a problem you can’t solve, I can help you, and we can resolve the crisis together.”
"Enough! Are you accusing me of being heartless and ungrateful?" Qi Xu was provoked by his words.
"What happened to you? Why did you become like this?" Hao Nan's eyes were full of heartache.
"But that's what you mean, isn't it? I also think I'm that kind of person, and everyone thinks I'm a heartless monster."
The painful experiences from junior high school suddenly came flooding back, bringing out all the grievances she had been suppressing for so long. She tried her best to stop them from flowing, but in the end, she couldn't control herself and a tear involuntarily rolled down her cheek.
Hao Nan quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe away her tears, then hugged her tightly, gently patting her back like he was comforting a child. Hao Nan's embrace was warm, dispelling all of Qi Xu's stress.
His comforting words instantly overwhelmed her with a sense of grievance, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string.
She cried silently in Hao Nan's warm embrace, feeling inexplicably at ease in his arms.
The fatigue of the past few days vanished instantly, and she fell peacefully asleep in his arms.
Hao Nan tightened his arms around her, resting his head against her neck, unwilling to let go, wishing it could stay like this forever.
Unfortunately, happy and beautiful times are always short-lived, but he should cherish the warmth of this moment even more.
Junior high school was a nightmare for Qi Xu. She lived alone at home and was initially very unaccustomed to it. She didn't know how to do anything and made a mess of the house.
As I gradually got used to living alone, my former self was completely worn away.
Her friends noticed that she had changed and was no longer attentive to her, so they went to hang out with other people and accused her of being heartless before leaving.
She was bullied at school, and her withdrawn personality made her an easy target for older female students to harass her.
For a while, all her pocket money was taken away by upperclassmen, and she was starving.
Later, Ci Yan sent her money, and she was able to eat. But when she went to a restaurant outside, she encountered those older students who stole her food.
Hunger made her crave food, but all the food was destroyed. She couldn't help but start to fight back, but in the end, she was bullied even more badly by the older students.
From that moment on, a thought popped into Qi Xu's mind: since we're going to get hurt sooner or later anyway, we might as well get hurt together.
The next day, covered in wounds, she found a wooden stick and went straight to fight the older students.
"Are you out of your mind?" The older student, who was being entangled by her, felt scared.
"Fate? If you're going to play this game, then play it to the end!" Later, the others quickly pulled Qi Xu away, and she was able to escape.
"A monster without any humanity." The group fled in panic.
From then on, no one dared to bully her anymore, and no one came near her.
Everyone at school who saw her called her a "heartless monster".
This became both her strong armor and her fatal weakness.
Gradually, she got used to being alone and fell in love with reading.
Despite the pain she endured, she never forgot her love of painting.
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