Chapter 9: Heartbeat
Near noon, Cheng Sheng and Gu Cunxi got up to go to lunch. When they looked up, they found a man standing at the door of the company. He was holding a lunch box and seemed to be waiting for someone. Cheng Sheng followed Gu Cunxi's gaze and said after a moment of hesitation: "Brother-in-law, I haven't seen you here for a long time!"
"Well...I've been a little busy at work recently. Is Pei Yin in there?" Chen Feng glanced at her and said in a light tone.
Cheng Sheng nodded and said, "I'm here, brother-in-law. Please wait here for a moment. I'll go in and call Sister Pei Yin for you!"
After saying that, Cheng Sheng walked towards the office
The company lobby fell into a brief silence. Gu Cunxi looked at the man in front of him. He wore a white shirt under a beige jacket, and loose trousers and a pair of old-fashioned black leather shoes...
This person is Xiao Peiyin's husband...
Because of his previous job, being observant was one of the professional skills Gu Cunxi had learned at that time. Judging from his clothes, he looked like someone who worked in a government agency. He should be much older than Pei Yin. He had a slightly protruding beer belly and the body of a middle-aged man who was gradually gaining weight. However, he had the temperament of a leader. His brows were full of seriousness, and the look he gave Cheng Sheng just now was also a little scrutinizing.
If he didn't know their relationship beforehand, when these two people stood together, Gu Cunxi would never think they were a couple.
After a while, there was a dull sound of footsteps behind her, and Xiao Peiyin came out. She frowned slightly when she saw Chen Feng. She didn't say anything and walked over quietly. Gu Cunxi didn't know if it was her illusion, she felt that Xiao Peiyin was a little embarrassed.
"I got some food for you from the company cafeteria. Today's food is good, and it's rare that there are no meetings at noon, so I brought it to you to avoid making your stomach uncomfortable after eating outside!" Chen Feng walked over and handed over the lunch box in his hand.
Taking the lunch box, Xiao Peiyin's hands tightened unconsciously, and her thumb rubbed her index finger gently, over and over again, looking uneasy.
Gu Cunxi noticed this detail and frowned.
"You don't have to make a special trip. If there's no meeting at noon, you can take a good rest. I can eat downstairs." Xiao Peiyin said in a low voice. There was no emotion in her words, and she was not as gentle as usual.
For a moment, an awkward atmosphere surrounded the four of them.
Faced with such silence, Gu Cunxi thought that perhaps it was because of the presence of himself and Cheng Sheng that the two of them were not able to say anything. After thinking about it, Gu Cunxi turned his head and looked at Cheng Sheng and winked, wanting to ask her to leave first. However, Cheng Sheng didn't understand and looked at Xiao Peiyin with a smirk on his face.
“…”
Chen Feng sensed a sense of alienation in the words just now. He was secretly unhappy, feeling that she didn't appreciate his kindness in front of outsiders. Her coldness made him lose face, but he couldn't get angry because outsiders were present. So he changed his serious attitude, smiled and said, "It's been a while since I sent you something. It's a rare opportunity today. Eat it while it's hot! It won't taste good if it gets cold."
"I have a meeting this afternoon! I'm leaving first."
After saying that, Chen Feng turned and left. Xiao Peiyin lowered her head and looked at the lunch box in her hand, her emotions invisible. Gu Cunxi, standing beside her, noticed her depression and for some reason, began to feel depressed.
It seems that the arrival of this man made her unhappy! Gu Cunxi thought
Cheng Sheng, who had been standing aside in a daze, broke the silence: "Sister Pei Yin, your brother-in-law is so good to you. He always comes to bring you lunch whenever he has time! You are so happy~"
“…”
When hearing this, Xiao Peiyin's pretty eyebrows wrinkled slightly without a trace, and then returned to her usual gentle calmness, smiled lightly, and did not respond.
She looked up inadvertently and found Gu Cunxi standing beside her, looking at her with deep eyes. There was an indescribable complex emotion in his eyes that she could not interpret for a moment. The steel lunch box in her hand squeaked when she rubbed it. She didn't know why she didn't want Gu Cunxi to see Chen Feng! She couldn't tell the reason.
The two looked at each other in silence for a long time...
"Aren't we going to have lunch? Let's go!" Gu Cunxi retracted his gaze, glanced at Cheng Sheng beside him, said something lightly, and turned around and left quickly.
"You were fine just now... What happened?" Cheng Sheng looked at Xiao Peiyin in confusion and asked, then ran out: "Hey! Sister Cunxi, wait for me!"
For a moment, Xiao Peiyin was the only one left at the front desk. She stood there, replaying Gu Cunxi's departing figure and the look in her eyes. The more she thought about it, the more depressed she felt. There were unspeakable emotions stuck in her heart.
She had always disliked Chen Feng coming to her workplace, but Chen Feng never respected her ideas and insisted on having his own way. In fact, she knew that Chen Feng didn't come here to deliver lunch, nor had he done so before. He just didn't want her to be out of his control...
Ridiculous control...
Later, she no longer refused and allowed Chen Feng to come here under the pretext of delivering lunch. But today... for some reason, she hated Chen Feng's appearance more than ever before!
Because Gu Cunxi was beside her, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable and even wanted to avoid him. Also... the way Gu Cunxi looked at her was sharp, as if he had discovered something...
"Sister Cunxi, why are you walking so fast?" Cheng Sheng caught up with her from behind, breathing rapidly and saying
"Is there?" Gu Cunxi asked nonchalantly.
"Of course not! I had to run away..." Cheng Sheng curled his lips
"..." Gu Cunxi didn't respond. She didn't know why she left so quickly...
"Sister Pei Yin, I'm so happy!" Cheng Sheng suddenly exclaimed as he walked by.
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Cunxi's steps paused unconsciously, then he quickly returned to normal and asked calmly, "How do you know I'm so happy? Is it just because I sent you lunch?"
Cheng Sheng shook his head: "Of course not!"
"What is that?"
"When Sister Pei Yin first came, Chen Feng would come to deliver lunch every day and then rush back to the company to take over the shift in the evening. Sometimes he would even send Sister Pei Yin to the company in the morning before going to work, rain or shine!"
"I heard that this job was found by my brother-in-law for Sister Pei Yin. One of our company's partners is his friend. It was just a matter of a word!" Cheng Sheng smiled, with a hint of envy in his tone.
"Besides, Chen Feng has very good conditions. He works in the government and is the director of a department. He is considerate and family-oriented, and he also has power and status. Such a person would be a great husband."
“…”
According to Cheng Sheng, it does seem to be a good choice on the surface, but... Gu Cunxi always has a hunch that Xiao Peiyin's marriage is far from being as happy as Cheng Sheng thought.
Forget it! What does it have to do with me whether she is happy or not? Gu Cunxi shook his head, clearing his mind and not wanting to think about it anymore.
Anyway, happy marriages are only a minority, and most people's marriages are sustained by the trivialities and chaos of life!
When hearing what Cheng Sheng said just now, for some reason, Gu Cunxi suddenly thought of a sentence
"Whatever you are protected by, you will be bound by it!"
If she has been living a protected and arranged life for seven years in her marriage, will she really feel happy?
When the two of them walked to the restaurant, they smelled the aroma of food. Gu Cunxi had lost her appetite and felt a lingering feeling in her heart. She casually ordered a vegetable salad and found a window seat with Cheng Sheng, her brows unconsciously furrowed.
"Sister Cunxi... are you worried?" Cheng Sheng asked while drinking the apple juice in front of him.
"No, why do you ask?"
"Just now when we came out of the company, I felt like you looked a little down. You didn't seem to have much of an appetite. You only ate vegetables at noon. Won't you be hungry in the afternoon?"
"...No, I'm just not very hungry." Gu Cunxi said as he ate the vegetable salad in front of him, as if chewing wax.
"If you have any worries, you can tell me. Although I can't empathize with you, if you have too many worries in your heart and have no way to express them, you will get sick after a while. It's a heart disease!" Cheng Sheng said seriously with his eyes wide open.
The tone of an elder speaking with deep sincerity made Gu Cunxi chuckle...
Is her depression so obvious that even Cheng Sheng can see it...
She looked at Cheng Sheng and saw a beautiful curve on the corner of her mouth. Such a simple, innocent and contented girl should be much happier!
"Cheng Sheng!" Gu Cunxi opened her mouth, wanting to say something but stopping herself. She had a question that had been bothering her for a long time. From Xin Hai to meeting Xiao Peiyin, she had that strange feeling in her heart that tortured her and made her unable to sleep or eat well! It was so uncomfortable.
"What's wrong? Sister Cunxi?" Cheng Sheng waited for a long time without waiting for Gu Cunxi to speak, and couldn't help asking
"Do you... know what it feels like to like someone?" Gu Cunxi asked in a low voice, with a hint of embarrassment in his tone.
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Cheng Sheng froze in place. After a while, she looked at Gu Cunxi with a smirk on her face and said, "Sister Cunxi, have you fallen in love with someone else?"
“…”
Cheng Sheng smiled and didn't ask any more questions. He answered Gu Cunxi's question: "When you like someone, your heart is beating!"
"Heartbeat?" Cheng Sheng's answer reminded Gu Cunxi of someone, almost subconsciously...
But what made her uneasy was... the person who appeared in front of her was not Xin Hai, but... Xiao Peiyin who she suddenly remembered!
“!!”
Could the feeling when I first saw her be the heart-throb that Cheng Sheng described?
Cheng Sheng looked at Gu Cunxi, who seemed lost in thought. The vegetable salad in front of him was almost turned into vegetable paste by the fork...
"Ahem..." She cleared her throat and continued, "What I understand as love is..."
"What is it?" Gu Cunxi suddenly raised his head and looked at Cheng Sheng, his eyes full of tension.
"That's right, when you first see this person, your heartbeat speeds up, you get nervous, and your eyes follow them... You subconsciously pay attention to them. When they're around, you feel at ease, but if they're not around, you feel incredibly down. This is probably the first sign of liking someone!"
"Sister Cunxi, am I right?" Cheng Sheng looked at Gu Cunxi in front of him with a smile on his face, and his tone was a little teasing.
"...Is that so?" Gu Cunxi couldn't help but recall what Cheng Sheng said, and subconsciously put all these words on Xiao Peiyin.
"Sister Cunxi... who are you thinking about?" Cheng Sheng couldn't hide the smile on his face and came over.
"Hmm? No one, just asking casually, a little curious."
"It's just a casual question, why are you blushing?" Cheng Sheng kept asking, grinning from ear to ear, "Sister Cunxi, are you in love with someone?"
Because of Cheng Sheng's words, Gu Cunxi felt inexplicably guilty, and her hands under the table gradually tightened. She raised her hand and touched her cheek, which was a little hot!
"Sister Cunxi, you... don't like your boyfriend, right?"
Surprised by Cheng Sheng's question, Gu Cunxi was momentarily at a loss. She hadn't expected Cheng Sheng to suddenly turn the topic to Xin Hai. She asked in confusion, "Why do you ask that?"
"If you really like your boyfriend, how can you not tell what it feels like to like someone?" Cheng Sheng said seriously.
Thinking of the dull and indifferent relationship between Xin Hai and me, all those avoidances and resistances seemed to have answers!
"The feeling of liking someone is very obvious. You can easily tell how different the feelings she brings to you are from others. You will be happy for her and sad for her, and you will care about her very much. Even though you are not related by blood, you can be easily influenced by her and your thoughts will be involved. You will be happy for her and sad for her!"
"For example, Sister Cunxi! I've said so much, who are you thinking about right now?" Cheng Sheng asked bluntly.
“!!”
Facing Cheng Sheng's question, Gu Cunxi didn't dare to answer...
Her right hand holding the fork trembled slightly unconsciously, and a thunderbolt suddenly struck her mind. There was a fact that she didn't want to admit, which gradually became clear in her mind and made her unable to ignore it.
She was thinking of... a woman! Xiao Peiyin!
There was no clear light after the fog was cleared. On the contrary, such an answer cast a dark cloth over Gu Cunxi's heart, blocking out the light.
Does this alone mean that I like Xiao Peiyin?
This... is too ridiculous!!
She is a woman, a married woman...
"Sister Cunxi?" Cheng Sheng's voice sounded beside her, startling Gu Cunxi back to her senses.
"Hmm? I'm listening!"
"So... who were you thinking about just now?" Cheng Sheng couldn't help but ask, she really wanted to know who could be liked by Gu Cunxi!
"I... didn't think of anyone!" Gu Cunxi firmly denied
"You're lying! You look so absent-minded, and yet you say you didn't think about anyone. Sister Cunxi... you're not being honest!" Cheng Sheng said, suffocatingly, curling his lips.
"I... really wasn't thinking about anyone! I was just thinking about what you said!"
Cheng Sheng believed in his intuition. Gu Cunxi's denial was clearly just a way of fooling a three-year-old...
"Cheng Sheng, the feeling you just described isn't just about love, right? Friendship can have that feeling, right? You'll be happy for your friends, but you'll also be sad and depressed for them. It's not limited to love, right?" Gu Cunxi looked at Cheng Sheng more and more nervously. At this moment, he actually hoped that she could confirm her point of view.
"Hmm..." Cheng Sheng thought for a moment and said, "That's right. Human emotions are inherently complex and changeable. It's true that we can feel happy and sad for our friends. This can happen in love, friendship, or anything else, but..."
"But what?" Gu Cunxi felt his heart was about to jump out of his throat.
"But the feeling of blushing and heartbeating is only limited to love!"
“…”
She didn't know whether she should be happy or sad at this moment. The strange feeling in her heart was gradually resolved because of Cheng Sheng's words, but she was even more confused... What if she really fell in love with Xiao Peiyin! !
No! It's too easy to define love or not based on that momentary feeling!
They had only known each other for two days! They had barely even spoken. How could she have fallen so easily for someone she didn't even know? She wouldn't be so irrational... Xiao Peiyin was married, she shouldn't have had any such thoughts!
"I'm going to the bathroom, you eat slowly."
After saying that, Gu Cunxi stood up and left. She walked to the emergency passage outside as if escaping. She leaned on the handrail and took out a cigarette and lit it. In the past year, she gradually became addicted to smoking. After that incident, she learned to smoke. During those days when she could not see the light of day, she was accompanied by countless sleepless nights and cigarettes and beer.
A faint mint scent permeated the safety passage. Gu Cunxi did not turn on the voice-activated light. She liked this kind of darkness. She could not see her surroundings or herself. After finishing a cigarette, she opened the door and walked out. She saw Cheng Sheng sitting quietly in his seat, staring at his phone and smiling happily.
"What are you looking at that makes you look so happy?"
"I'm chatting with someone."
"Boy friend?"
"No... He's my friend. We've been playing together since we were little and have a very good relationship!"
Gu Cunxi looked at Cheng Sheng and thought that it must be a wonderful thing to have a friend who grew up with you! It was a pity that she had never experienced it...
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