Chapter 32: Heartbeat Thirty-two, Duplicity
In the courtyard, the sparse light outlines the shape of the person standing there, as well as the direction he is looking.
The floor-to-ceiling windows were brightly lit, and every corner was filled with incandescent bulbs.
Wen Huai was naturally also exposed under the light and in sight.
For some reason, Xu Youjing felt that the depression in his chest that had lasted the entire night suddenly wasn't as overwhelming anymore.
He walked in, paused at the stairs, and turned back to the restaurant. He ignored the water glass that was almost blocked in front of the island counter and walked around to the table to pour himself a glass of water.
Wen Huai, who was sitting opposite, wanted to speak, but swallowed his words because he was drinking water.
In fact, she wanted to ask him if he wanted to eat some fruit since he came in, but because of his series of actions, she didn't understand what he was going to do, so she didn't interrupt him.
Now, Wen Huai looked at the person drinking water in front of him, watching the water flow from the glass into his mouth, watching the protruding Adam's apple roll up and down, watching...
She looked away.
I wondered why he hadn't finished drinking yet.
Xu Youjing put down his water cup and was about to speak when he saw a man sitting upright pushing a fruit plate towards him with both hands.
"Do you want to eat kiwi? It's very sweet."
Hearing this, his eyes fell on the pile of yellow fruits.
Wen Huai looked in the direction he was going, thinking he was annoyed by not having a new fork, so he took the new one that was blocked by his hand.
He handed it to her, having deliberately inserted a piece far away from where she was eating.
"I didn't move here."
The next second, her pupils shrank.
She looked at the cold face, bent down, moved closer, then opened her mouth, and just like that, she took the yellow piece of fruit into her mouth with her hand.
In shock, Wen Huai felt that his raised arm had lost all feeling.
When I came back to my senses, Xu Youjing had already withdrawn his body, as if what he did just now was just a normal action.
He took out a tissue and wiped his mouth, then gave her another one before answering her, "Sweet."
Wen Huai stared at him and forgot to speak.
Xu Youjing turned his face to the other side, pointed his finger at himself, and reminded her, "Wipe it."
Before leaving, he asked, "Auntie Ping asked what we want for breakfast tomorrow morning. I said beef balls. Is that okay?"
Wen Huai didn't want him to worry about her even for such a small matter, so he nodded.
After watching him go upstairs, Wen Huai mechanically wiped his mouth with his fingers, and finally looked at his right hand, his cheeks burning.
-
on Monday.
When Xu Youjing went downstairs, he saw Wen Huai already sitting at the dining table. Unlike last night, she had her back to him and didn't notice him.
He looked down at his clothes and walked over.
He said, "Aunt Ping, good morning."
Aunt Ping raised her head and said, "Good morning, the time is just right."
Aunt Ping went back to the kitchen to get breakfast and looked behind her, but she didn't hear him greet Wen Huai.
Xu Youjing sat down opposite Wen Huai and saw the cup of hand-ground tea.
Wen Huai on the opposite side also saw his clothes.
The royal blue shirt makes him look noble and elegant, and the dial of the watch on his wrist is also circled in dark blue, revealing the eight-digit brand price.
On the other hand, her light blue shirt and jeans looked like a couple's outfit in front of him, but to her, it was more like a magic mirror.
Thinking of what happened last night, Wen Huai tried to divert his attention and said, "Today's is a little milk."
He took it and took a sip. "It tastes good."
The topic came to an abrupt end. She could sense his deliberate distance today. She lowered her eyes and stopped talking. She just wanted to finish the winter melon and beef balls in the bowl quickly and go upstairs.
Aunt Ping placed a box of prepared fruit next to her: "It's for vitamin C supplementation. Remember to eat it all."
"Thank you, Aunt Ping." Wen Huai stood up and said to her, "I'll put it here first and come down to get it later."
"good."
Not long after, when she came down, she had changed into a light yellow shirt with off-shoulder and flying sleeves and retro dark blue jeans.
Deliberately not looking in the direction of the restaurant, Wen Huai picked up the box of fruit and greeted Aunt Ping.
Aunt Ping looked at her clothes and hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had remembered it wrong, before she said, "Be careful on the road."
After seeing them off, she came back and saw Xu Youjing eating his sandwich slowly without any reaction.
He remembered that he hadn't said hello to Wen Huai in the morning, and that Wen Huai hadn't told him he was leaving, and had even changed his clothes. He realized that things were not going well between the two of them, so he asked, "You Jing, are you and Xiao Ai having a fight?"
The chewer stopped and said, "No."
Seeing this, Aunt Ping didn't ask any more questions. She just nodded and went back to the kitchen.
When Xu Youjing was the only one left in the restaurant, he put down what he was holding and suddenly lost his appetite.
From the moment she came down, he knew that she had gone upstairs specifically to change into clothes that were similar in color to his.
She hadn't expected him to avoid suspicion to this extent. She had done the same thing last time. So, Xu Youjing only glanced at her and then looked away, letting her think he hadn't noticed.
He looked at the empty seat in front of him, wondering what they were arguing about.
Get up and go upstairs.
-
The company holds regular meetings and each department reports its work arrangements.
After half an hour, the meeting ended.
Wen Huai returned to the office to prepare materials and report his itinerary to Xu Youjing.
In the elevator, the two girls next to her were whispering. She was close enough to hear their conversation.
"Have you seen Mr. Xu's V-neck black suit? He's so handsome! The black trousers and belt he wears make his shoulders look broad and his waist narrow. He has a great figure."
The girl next to her scolded her: "Can you keep your voice down? Is peeking something glorious?"
"How can it be called peeking? Everyone at the regular meeting saw it, right? And didn't you notice that my outfit today looks like a couple's outfit with Mr. Xu? Both black, and both with V-necks."
"How can this be considered a couple's outfit? Do you know how much Mr. Xu's outfit cost? How much is yours?"
Wen Huai raised his eyelids, rubbed his blocked nose, and pretended not to hear.
She also noticed that Xu Youjing's clothes were different from this morning, but she couldn't tell why he changed. Maybe he had the same idea as her and didn't want others to misunderstand him.
That's all.
After breathing a sigh of relief, Wen Huai felt depressed and looked up at the changing numbers.
When she reached the top floor, she calmly stepped out of the elevator and returned to her workstation with quick and steady steps.
When it was time to report, she and Jiang Han knocked on the office door together.
"Enter."
Wen Huai was stung by the cold door handle, and Jiang Han pushed the door open and let her go first.
"Thanks."
Jiang Han smiled: "It's a small matter."
Hearing the sound, Xu Youjing raised his eyes, glanced over here casually, and quickly looked away.
Wen Huai and Jiang Han stood in front of the table respectively, and arranged their itinerary neatly.
When it came to Friday, Jiang Han paused: "Secretary Wen asked for leave on Friday."
Wen Huai glanced at Xu Youjing. Without looking up, he just said, "Yes, President Xu has agreed."
Jiang Han nodded: "Okay, then who will Mr. Xu arrange to go with us to the pre-conference meeting in Linjiang this weekend?"
This trip was added on at the last minute. We had only confirmed the location and approximate date, but the specific date and time were just announced this morning, and it's this Saturday.
Regarding the pre-meeting materials and attendee list, Wen Huai had participated in the last Dongyang organization meeting. She was the perfect person to accompany Xu Youjing, but Xu Youjing chose Jiang Han over the other two.
Not only Wen Huai was surprised, but even Jiang Han himself did not expect this.
He immediately noticed the subtle atmosphere between the two, and thinking of their official attitude during the regular meeting, he thought they were having a quarrel and took the initiative to respond.
Coming out of the office, Jiang Han greeted Wen Huai, "Mr. Xu doesn't want you to be too tired this weekend."
Wen Huai understood his good intentions and remained calm: "I'll summarize the information for you later."
"OK."
More than half an hour later, Wen Huai handed him the information.
As she was leaving, a dull thud echoed, and her wrist felt light. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw the watch Wen Huai always wore lying on the ground.
Jiang Han quickly picked it up and found that the buckle was loose. He returned it to her and asked in a low voice, "Do you need me to take it to the store to fix it?"
"No need." Wen Huai said gratefully, "I'll go by myself after get off work."
"OK."
The morning passed quickly, and apart from the fact that she raised her wrist and then lowered it several times, not used to the absence of her watch, nothing else seemed different.
It happened so many times that even Dong Chen noticed it.
So at lunch time she asked: "Sister Wen, why aren't you wearing a watch today?"
"The watch strap is broken. I'm going to get a replacement after get off work."
As soon as he finished speaking, a message popped up on the phone beside him.
Afraid that there was work, Wen Huai picked it up without hesitation, only to find that it was Lu Miaomiao.
[Are you busy today? Do you want to go shopping together tonight?]
She curled her lips and typed: [Just when I was about to ask if you had time, you sent it first.]
Lu Miaomiao: [Hey, why don’t you say we’re besties? I’ll wait for you at the milk tea shop we often go to.]
[good. ]
In fact, Wen Huai had wanted to go shopping for a long time. Except for the first time she went to Xu's house and brought something for Li Changying, she rarely gave gifts. Instead, she was always the one receiving gifts.
Xu Youjing, Aunt Ping, Uncle Li, and Jiang Han were all very nice to her, but she had never done anything for them. It was a good opportunity for her to pick out some gifts while shopping tonight to express her gratitude.
He had already planned in his mind what gifts to choose for each person, and before he knew it, Wen Huai was eating fast again.
She wasn't particularly hungry today, so she only had fried rice for lunch. Since no one else was leaving, she couldn't leave first, so she took out the fruit Aunt Ping had prepared and shared it with them.
Wen Huai also ate a few pieces. Just as she put the third piece into her mouth and hadn't swallowed it yet, she felt a familiar cramp in her stomach, turning pale. Fortunately, it subsided after a short while. She simply thought she had eaten too fast and figured she'd take some medicine and everything would be fine.
"Eh? Manager Lu."
Someone shouted, and the next second, a shadow fell on Wen Huai's head.
Lu Zhixue stopped beside her with a plate of food, nodded to the people around him, and then asked her, "Do you have anything to do this Friday?"
Someone asked quickly, "What's going on on Friday, Manager Lu?"
Lu Zhixue lowered his eyes and smiled, his elegance radiating from within. He spoke slowly and calmly, "It's my birthday this Friday. If you don't have time, you can come. It's a way for us to get to know each other."
Dong Chen and He Xuwen did not hesitate and agreed immediately.
Lu Zhixue looked at Wen Huai, who remained silent, and asked, "Are you coming?"
Wen Huai was a little embarrassed. When he lowered his eyes, he noticed that the shirt on his wrist was not buttoned. "I'm sorry, senior brother, it was a senior sister's wedding that day, and I promised her that I would be a bridesmaid."
The smile on Lu Zhixue's face froze for a moment, but He Xuwen soon brought up the topic, "Secretary Wen, aren't you married? Can you still be a bridesmaid after getting married?"
Emily said, "Why can't I be a bridesmaid at a wedding? Can you please have some common sense?"
He Xuwen felt a little aggrieved: "I've never been married, how would I know?"
Lu Zhixue softened his tone: "See you on Friday, everyone. You guys eat first, I'll be leaving first."
"Okay, see you Friday."
"Bye, Manager Lu."
Wen Huai was a little distracted as he looked at Lu Zhixue's figure.
She had originally planned to give Xu Youjing a brooch, after all, his clothes were simple and restrained, and this was the accessory he most often paired with them. But then she saw Lu Zhixue's cuffs and thought that giving him cufflinks would also be a good idea, after all, he had no shortage of brooches.
Just as he was struggling with this, Dong Chen suggested, "We can't go to someone's birthday party on Friday empty-handed, right? Why don't we go pick out gifts?"
Emily: "I'll definitely go with my husband to pick it out, you two can make the appointment."
Dong Chen choked, "Why are there only two of us, and Sister Wen? Let's go pick three of us tonight. What do you think, Sister Wen?"
Wen Huai felt that she was always rejecting others and was not as confident when speaking.
"Sorry, I already have an appointment. You two can go."
Dong Chen's raised lips dropped: "Are you with your husband?"
She shook her head: "With my best friend."
Dong Chen was obviously much more relaxed, and put his arm around He Xuwen: "Then it can only be us two grown men."
He Xuwen rolled his eyes, "I don't really want to be with you."
"Hey!"
Emily had finished eating long ago and was waiting for them. At first, she didn't seem to notice anything unusual, but Dong Chen's question, "Your husband?", was so deliberate that she couldn't help but notice.
Her eyes looked back and forth between Dong Chen and Wen Huai.
She leaned closer to Wen Huai, her voice noticeably lowered, but her eyes were fixed on Dong Chen. She said, "Actually, Manager Lu is a steady, capable, and handsome man. I heard you two knew each other when you were kids. Why aren't you with Manager Lu, Secretary Wen? Is your husband more handsome and outstanding than him?"
Wen Huai looked at her and explained, "It's just some gossip. Secretary Wen, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I was abrupt."
Emily got a definite answer, so it didn't matter whether Wen Huai answered or not.
But she didn't expect Dong Chen to have such thoughts. She had thought that he and He Xuwen...
"It doesn't matter." Wen Huai thought for a moment and said cryptically, "I fell in love with him at first sight. I liked him when I was a child, and I haven't changed since then."
Everyone exclaimed "Wow", and everyone except Dong Chen was very excited.
"So you two were childhood sweethearts!" He Xuwen said, "So what type of brother-in-law is he? A steady gentleman or a crazy, yandere?"
Emily said meaningfully: "Yes, Secretary Wen, what is your ideal type?"
Ideal type?
Wen Huai had never thought about it so specifically. She had only ever liked Xu Youjing. But if she described it the way he did, it would probably be misleading. So, she gave a completely different answer:
"Gentle, approachable, and clingy."
"oh--"
The result was expected. After all, Wen Huai was a very friendly and gentle person, so this kind of hook was suitable for the person he liked.
"Speaking of which, Sister Wen, you like gentle and approachable people..." He Xuwen saw Xu Youjing approaching at some point, his face changed and he stopped talking, subconsciously becoming serious:
"Mr. Xu!"
Including Wen Huai, no one expected him to come to the staff cafeteria and they all stood up.
"Mr. Xu."
Xu Youjing said "hmm" softly, "Don't be nervous, sit down."
He stopped beside Wen Huai with an unclear emotion, and with just one glance, he noticed her empty left wrist.
Emily, who was standing on one side, felt a little oppressive all around. The low and cold atmosphere was obviously emanating from someone, and she couldn't help but move away.
She thought, as expected, the same position would have completely different effects when different people stood there.
The gentle and gentlemanly character still can't beat the scheming bking.
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