Chapter 74
He certainly has the right to be arrogant.
“Yes,” Jiang Li sneered, “it’s to make me have some self-awareness, to weigh my own worth and whether I’m worthy.”
Guan Nan's lips moved slightly: "That's not what I meant."
A moment of silence.
Guan Nan belatedly realized that what he had said seemed a bit redundant, and judging from the tone of his words, it was as if his words had humiliated him.
This made him angry and embarrassed.
Thinking of this, Guan Nan looked somewhat embarrassed and stammered, "I didn't mean to humiliate you."
The more you talk about it, the greater the misinterpretation and misunderstanding will become.
He sometimes speaks without thinking.
Trying to put herself in his shoes, Guan Nan listened carefully to what she had said. It seemed she could indeed easily grasp the underlying meaning; someone else's emotions were no less intense than Jiang Li's, and might even have been more extreme.
And judging from his reaction, he was indeed quite annoyed.
Guan Nan no longer hesitated, adopting a very proper attitude, and sincerely said, "I'm sorry."
Jiang Li, who seemed to want to say something, suddenly fell silent.
He looked at her expressionlessly, as if unaware of what new tricks she had up her sleeve.
“I really didn’t mean that,” Guan Nan tossed her hair aside to hide her embarrassment. “It’s just that, actually, I think you’re pretty good-looking.”
Jiang Li almost couldn't reply, and snorted coldly: "Someone like me is hard to find even with a lantern."
“Yes,” Guan Nan nodded obediently in agreement, “I think you’re right.”
It was clearly a good attitude, but for some reason, Jiang Li felt somewhat uncomfortable listening to it and seeing it.
Sure enough, the next second I heard her say:
"May you be surrounded by beauties every month and every day, and may you indulge in a life of pleasure and revelry."
"······"
Before leaving, Guan Nan, out of consideration for their friendship, feigned concern and advised him, "You're still so young, you should take better care of your health."
Jiang Li's brow twitched.
He lifted his eyelids and approached her step by step, his eyes lowered as if he were sizing her up, scrutinizing Guan Nan from head to toe.
His posture was casual yet imposing.
Their gazes met, unbiased and unbiased, from top to bottom.
Guan Nan looked away, overwhelmed.
I subconsciously took half a step back.
It was like a psychological battle; the opponent kept attacking and pressing her, while she could only retreat again and again.
However, a pomegranate tree blocked her way, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.
But at this moment, Jiang Li stopped talking.
The two stood under the pomegranate tree, a hand's width apart. He stood right in front of her, and Guan Nan could even clearly smell the faint scent of sea salt on him, a scent that made her feel very at ease.
This reminded Guan Nan of that denim jacket.
Just as she was lost in thought.
Jiang Li leaned down slightly, getting even closer, their cheeks almost touching.
Let the night wind blow, let your heart beat faster, and revel in unrestrained joy.
Breathing mingled and intertwined in the air.
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow and gently smoothed the hair on the side of her neck. He had the nonchalant and flirtatious air of a playboy, a condescending demeanor that unintentionally attracted people.
It makes one want to explore what kind of color is hidden beneath this nonchalant and unconventional demeanor.
His slow, deliberate words were even more flamboyant: "Want to try?"
What to try?
Not knowing why he suddenly asked that question, Guan Nan was still lost in thought, her face blank as she stared at the coat she had been wearing.
Just as Guan Nan was wondering what was going on, he withdrew his hand and said slowly, "Just kidding."
“Oh.” Guan Nan swayed uncomfortably for a moment.
Just as she was trying to create some distance, her body crashed into the pomegranate tree. The leaves and buds rustled and swayed, and the branches trembled wildly, just like her panicked and listless heart at that moment. The prayer plaques collided and interlocked.
In the awkward silence, a light, casual remark reached my ears: "After all, I have a girlfriend."
These words were meant to clarify his joke and warn her that the absurdity had come to an end.
Guan Nan's body stiffened at this moment.
Understanding the implication, Guan Nan looked up at him, who was covered in fallen leaves, and forced a smile: "Yes, I remember."
Back home, Guan Nan turned on her computer and sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table.
She used to work in her bedroom, but ever since Jiang Li sat here last time, she has gradually gotten used to working cross-legged on the floor.
But it is true that working here is more comfortable than in a chair.
Guan Nan stopped overthinking, put down the cold Sprite, picked up the mouse to wake the sleeping screen, and started working remotely.
Zhang Hong completely handed over this video to her; there wasn't even a rough cut.
After Guan Nan finished the rough cut of the video, she checked it from beginning to end again, extracted the key points from the script, and found that there were a few places that could be improved.
A video that is two or three hours long, after deducting the repeatedly recorded shots, still requires selecting the usable shots frame by frame.
Finally, the video, which can last for an hour or half an hour, is condensed into 2 to 3 minutes.
This is a seemingly simple but actually very demanding and mentally taxing project.
After finishing the video editing, Guan Nan highlighted several details in the document in red and sent it to Zhang Hong.
Looking at the time again, it was already two in the morning.
She picked up the T-shirt and shorts she was wearing as pajamas, went into the bathroom, took a shower, and when she came out, not only did the sleepiness not come, but it also washed away most of it.
Standing in front of the bedroom wardrobe, I slowly opened the glass window and gently tapped the ornament on the wall.
The Sprite swayed like a swing hanging from the hook.
Guan Nan stared at the pendant, her mind sluggishly recalling the moment the two of them parted ways downstairs.
He said, "Give me back my things."
I didn't understand what he was saying at the time.
Jiang Li seemed to see right through her, and lazily reminded her, "You picked up something and didn't know how to return it?"
"······"
“If you still want your things,” he said, “then trade them for something else.”
The two seemed to be engaged in some kind of clandestine underground transaction, demanding payment upon delivery.
Guan Nan pursed her lips, thinking that he probably didn't know that this thing was with her.
What did he mean by those words?
Guan Nan couldn't figure it out, and she was too lazy to think about it anymore. She climbed into bed, wrapped herself in a thin blanket, and fell asleep.
The next day, Guan Nan was unusually late.
The atmosphere in the studio was visibly tense. Xie Qiao, who was at the next table, saw her come in, glanced around the office furtively, and asked Guan Nan in a low voice, "Did you clock in for your field work?"
Guan Nan put down her bag, pulled out a chair, and shook her head.
"It's a good thing you didn't call," Xie Qiao said quietly, pointing to the boss's office. "The boss was acting crazy today. He started checking the field work cards as soon as he came in, and then he checked the field work materials for the day by time."
Xiao Shuwei walked over with his computer, pretending to be serious. "I heard that someone not only falsified attendance and expense reports, but also falsified attendance and performance records."
"Shouldn't this be the finance department's fault? Why is HR getting scolded?" Zhang Min leaned closer, then turned and whispered, "Guan Nan, I saw Li Lu and the others go in. You've never had this kind of problem with her before, have you?"
Guan Nan pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, we don't usually use field work cards."
"Aren't you going to fight?" Xie Qiao asked in surprise.
“I live not too far from here, and I will come to the company to clock in before going out on field work.”
"What about when you get off work? You don't just come to the company to clock in, do you?"
Guan Nan nodded: "Coming."
Before they finished talking, Assistant Dong came out of the office and silently waved his hand, signaling them to go back to their workstations and not to gather together to discuss these things.
The group moved around and returned to normal, with only the clicking of the mouse and keyboard remaining in silence.
Guan Nan was called by name and summoned to the chairman's office.
I checked everything: the company app, OA approvals, petty cash applications, monthly attendance records, performance calculations, and special approvals.
Fortunately, everything was normal, and the boss's dark expression had somewhat recovered.
"When you were with her, did you know about these things?" The boss threw the printed A4 paper in front of her, put one hand on his hip, and scanned the people in the office with a scrutinizing gaze.
Guan Nan glanced at the printed materials and noticed that someone had actually mentored Li Lu before her.
But for some reason, less than three months later, the other party resigned after being transferred to another position.
This shows Li Lu's irregular attendance records and irregular expense reimbursements.
The reimbursement amount was as high as over 200,000 yuan.
"Li Lu, Li Lu," the boss said angrily, "you were doing something borderline before this, and I helped you clean up your act and get out of trouble, and this is how you treat me? You teamed up with others to swindle my money?"
At this point, the boss grabbed a folder and threw it at her, yelling, "Do you fucking want to die? Huh!"
Li Lu was dressed in thin clothing, revealing her waist and legs. A sharp folder could easily cause injury if it hit her.
Guan Nan, who was standing to the side, tilted her body slightly to shield her.
The office wasn't soundproof to begin with, and the furious boss couldn't control his volume at this moment, the loud noises of him smashing things carrying outside.
Zhang Min couldn't help but sigh, "Isn't she from Fuling University? How could she be so self-degrading?"
“That’s bullshit,” Xiao Shuwei, an insider, said. “Her educational background is all fake. She graduated from junior high school and worked in marketing at a bar, and later she worked as a dancer.”
Xie Qiao asked suspiciously, "Really? I saw on her degree certificate that she's from Fuling University?"
“There is such a thing as self-study exams in this world. Even if you don’t graduate from elementary school, you can still get one if you’re willing to spend the money,” Xiao Shuwei said earnestly, as if he had been through countless battles. “Little friend, you’re still too naive and don’t understand the complexities of society.”
At this point, Xiao Shuwei seemed to realize that what he said was a bit off, and hurriedly explained, "It's not that I look down on students who take self-study exams, it's just that in the internet world where there are hidden talents, isn't it a bit like showing off your skills in front of Guan Yu? You don't even have a five-point foundation, you're not well-read, yet you come out here showing off your academic qualifications to make a living, going into the knowledge sharing and popular science track, aren't you just asking for trouble?"
Guan Nan came out shortly after.
She had no problems, and the boss couldn't get angry at her, so he simply let her leave first and told her not to say anything out of line.
But as soon as she came out, she heard several heads moving forward, peering through the gaps in the screen.
"You don't know, she talked to the boss before, otherwise would the boss have let her do this? Several planners have mentored her, but she was too arrogant and couldn't be helped. In the end, she even got involved with the previous photographer, and the boss turned a blind eye to it."
“Then we have to turn a blind eye,” Zhang Min said with a funny gesture and a sarcastic tone, “The boss has an empress at home too.”
After finishing their casual conversation, the group inquired about Guan Nan's situation with concern, and only quieted down after confirming that she hadn't been scolded.
At this moment, Assistant Dong came out again and wandered around, calling out to each office one by one.
I spent the whole day on tenterhooks.
When it was time to get off work, Xiao Shuwei suggested going for barbecue. There was a barbecue place that was particularly delicious, but not many people knew about it, and there was no need to queue.
Upon hearing that there was no need to queue, Xie Qiao immediately perked up: "What's the name? Let me search it up."
"Inside the banyan tree," Xiao Shuwei said.
After searching around, Xie Qiao pointed the screen at him, her face downcast, and said, "Closed for business."
"We're operating normally," Xiao Shuwei said with a smile. "They don't do online sales."
So, the four of them, along with Dong Zhu, decided to go and test the saltiness of the food. Just before they set off, Zhang Hong, who had come to hand in his homework, was also pulled along to make up the numbers.
The company is some distance from Rongshuli.
Xie Qiao and Zhang Hong had cars, and the two cars were just enough to take everyone over.
“Wow, what a big spender,” Xiao Shuwei said with a smile after looking around the interior of Xie Qiao’s car. “I didn’t realize you were so stingy. You drive so aggressively.”
Xie Qiao: "That's all I have."
"Tsk tsk, do you even have enough money for gas with those few thousand dollars you make each month?"
Xie Qiao: "That's why I don't drive. I can't bear to spend the parking fee, so I park at the company."
Listening to their banter, Guan Nan and Zhang Min sat in the back seat, occasionally laughing along.
When they arrived inside the banyan tree, everyone was dumbfounded.
The shop, which was supposed to be a small place with hardly any customers queuing, was now packed with people sitting on makeshift camping chairs, holding paper number tags.
The number plates were also written on temporarily with a ballpoint pen and torn off.
"Is this what you meant by not having to queue?" Xie Qiao held the number plate, looking utterly dejected.
Upon closer inspection, the number was 230.
The makeshift queuing table was currently roaring: "158, 158, if no one comes, the automatic number jumps! Next, 159, 159..."
Xiao Shuwei scratched his head: "Actually, it seems like we don't need to wait too long."
"······"
"······"
"Do you still want to eat?" Xie Qiao turned to Zhang Min and Guan Nan, asking for their opinion.
Zhang Min and Xiao Shuwei exchanged a glance, coughed lightly as if to emphasize their presence, and said in unison, "There's an old Chinese saying—"
"Since we're already here..."
Several people chimed in.
The words that came out were the same, but the tones of voices were different.
Summer in Fuling is too hot. The hot wind and heat feel like fire clinging to their bodies. When the fan blowing in front of them not far away blows, it becomes hot air.
Zhang Min and Assistant Dong were chatting, while Xiao Shuwei teamed up with a boy next to him to play games.
Xie Qiao immediately pulled Guan Nan into the gap of the fan, enjoying the cool breeze blowing on their faces.
Guan Nan stood to the side, glancing around. She noticed that the line was getting longer and longer. Just as she was about to remind Xie Qiao that her hair was messed up, she saw Hei Zi leading a group of people.
"Boss Jiang," Hei Zi called out in their direction with great enthusiasm.
Boss Jiang?
Guan Nan paused for a moment and followed the direction Hei Zi had shouted.
A beach of rocks of varying sizes is set up with several foldable dining tables, where people wait for a table to eat or play cards without disturbing each other.
The man was dressed in a surprisingly simple style, a white T-shirt and jeans, which made him look clean and refreshing, and his youthful charm was palpable.
He sat lazily in a camping chair, his upper body slightly hunched, his elbows resting on his knees.
One hand hangs naturally between her legs, while the other is swiping on her phone screen.
When someone called his name, he looked up.
He seemed to have greeted someone before noticing Guan Nan looking at him from a distance. He slowly raised an eyebrow, as if expressing surprise at her arrival.
"······"
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