Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Beautiful and Bright
Chapter 12
In June, the coastal town is neither too cold nor too dry, with occasional showers sweeping away the sultry atmosphere that has enveloped the island.
It was lunch time. She slowly opened her eyelids after taking a nap on the rattan chair. What woke her up was not the alarm clock, but the aroma from the noodle shop next door that came through the gap in the glass door.
I'm hungry.
Xiaoman stretched, sat up and checked her phone. It was almost twelve o'clock, no wonder she was hungry.
She picked up a hairband from the table next to her, tied up her long hair casually, and walked towards the door in her slippers.
It had just rained heavily, and the dazzling sunlight had not had time to dry the wet road surface. Puddles of sparkling water stains, refracted by the light, looked like broken diamonds.
She turned over the "Closed" sign hanging on the glass door and walked towards the noodle shop next door.
It is a small shop, simple and shabby, but very clean everywhere. The whole set of wooden tables and chairs is similar in color to the floor. There are many Polaroid photos hanging on the light-colored walls. The whole store looks neat and warm.
It was just dinner time and people started coming in to eat. Xiaoman found an empty table and walked over to sit down.
The proprietress came out of the kitchen with a rag in her hand. Seeing her, she smiled and said, "Sister Xiaoman, come and have dinner."
She nodded and smiled softly in return.
"What would you like to eat today?" asked the proprietress.
She glanced at the menu casually and said, "Let's have seafood noodles."
Seafood noodles are one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, and the ingredients are based on the day’s fresh catch.
She has difficulty making choices, so this is the one she orders most often.
While waiting, Xiaoman was boredly browsing her phone, with one hand lazily supporting her cheek, and yawning from time to time.
Another customer came in, and in the peripheral vision, a pair of washed-out sneakers appeared, and above them was a pair of straight long legs wearing black sweatpants.
The long legs moved slowly towards the table next to her.
The proprietress's warm greeting rang in my ears.
"Xiao Chi, school is over. You've been coming here quite often lately, so what would you like to eat today?"
Most of the people who come to eat here are acquaintances who live nearby, and the proprietress will exchange a few words with anyone who comes.
"Well, hot soup noodles." The speaker was a young man with a clear and crisp voice, and a bit of lazy casualness.
"Okay." The proprietress shouted to the kitchen to take down the menu.
"It's Jiang Chi——"
"Really? He's so handsome."
"Don't take such obvious photos of him, you'll get caught..."
Sitting in front of Xiaoman were two little girls in school uniforms. They turned their heads from time to time to look behind them, their expressions excited. Even though they deliberately lowered their voices, they couldn't suppress their high emotions.
Xiaoman was still casually scrolling through her phone without even looking up.
After a while, the hot seafood noodles arrived.
The curling hot air filled her eyes.
The bright red prawns, lush green vegetables, clams with their mouths wide open, and plump oysters are all so appetizing just by looking at them.
The shrimps in this season are large and firm, and the clams and oysters are sweet and fresh.
After eating some noodles and drinking some soup, I feel refreshed.
The bowl of noodles was quickly finished.
Xiaoman wiped her mouth with a tissue, walked to the cashier, opened her phone and scanned the code to pay.
"Sister Chen, I've scanned the money."
Sister Chen, who was greeting guests, looked up and smiled at her: "Okay, take care, sister."
After coming out of the noodle shop, the sunlight became stronger. Xiaoman couldn't help but squint her eyes, turned around and went to the cold drink shop in the other direction.
"A cup of mint tea, 70% sugar, and regular ice."
The weather has been hot lately, and she's been ordering cold drinks more and more frequently.
In the past, this would have been basically impossible. In order to maintain her figure, she had to strictly control her sugar intake every day, not to mention this kind of drink full of sweeteners.
But now she suddenly couldn't understand the significance of this matter, and she couldn't even understand her previous life which seemed casual but was actually full of rules and dogmas.
"Mint milk tea, 50% sugar."
Her thoughts were interrupted by a low voice, and the pair of washed-out sneakers appeared in her sight again.
The boy stood about half a meter away from her, his long shadow covering her.
He is really tall.
As she thought this, she subconsciously took a small step to the side.
The milk green tea was ready. Xiaoman took it from the clerk and took a big sip while standing in the sun.
The cool mint slides across the throat and reaches every pore of the body.
Ah, that feels so good.
She drank and walked in the opposite direction.
Feeling a little sleepy, she planned to go to the flower shop to pack up her things and then go back to sleep for a while.
She lived in an old three-story building at the intersection opposite the flower shop.
When the weather is good, open the window and the refreshing sea breeze brings with it large swathes of bright sunshine to fill every corner of the room.
She lay lazily on the sofa, letting the gentle breeze blow through her hair, cheeks, and body, like a gentle and safe hug.
At that moment, all the grievances and troubles in the mundane world were like a wisp of smoke rising slowly, blown away by the wind, as if from another world.
On the first day she came, Xiaoman stood quietly by the window with her eyes squinted for ten minutes. The wind messed up her long hair, but her heart was more peaceful than ever before.
She decided to rent here that day and lived there for more than half a year.
…
The sun was getting brighter and brighter, Xiaoman looked at her phone, walking faster and slower.
When she reached the door of the flower shop, she stopped.
The unexpected turn made the young man behind him pause and stop.
She met his slightly flustered expression, and his pair of dark eyes just stared at her.
After a while, he turned his eyes away awkwardly again.
Xiaoman folded her arms lightly across her chest, raised her eyebrows, squinted her eyes at the nervous person in front of her, and said in a playful tone, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Jiang Chi glanced at her, opened his lips slightly and wanted to say something, but was a little hesitant.
Xiaoman didn't urge him, but just looked at him quietly.
His hair was soaked with sweat, his wheat-colored skin was wrapped in a black T-shirt, and the strong lines of his arms were faintly visible.
Under the bright sunshine, the young man with handsome features is like a vibrant yew tree, full of vitality.
Alas, this enviable youthfulness.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Chi gently shook the schoolbag on his shoulder and took a few steps towards her.
"I'll give it back to you." He spread out the thing he had been holding in his hand for a long time towards her, looking away.
It is a dark brown shark clip.
Xiaoman took a look and it seemed to be hers.
After all, she has so many different kinds of hairpins that she just grabs one and uses it every time. This is just the most inconspicuous one among her many items, and she wouldn't care even if it was lost.
She thought about it for a moment and wondered if it was dropped accidentally that night?
Seeing that the boy was still uneasy, she picked up the shark clamp from his hand.
There is also a faint residual warmth pinched between the fingers.
"Thank you." Xiaoman raised her long eyebrows and said slowly.
Jiang Chi felt a little embarrassed and scratched the back of his head with his free hand: "...It's okay."
Xiaoman nodded and was about to pull the handle of the glass door next to her when she suddenly remembered something and turned to the person who was still standing behind her: "Hey, wait for me."
After saying that, she walked into the flower shop. A batch of lisianthus that had just arrived that morning was piled up at the door. The pale pink and light green petals were stacked layer upon layer, crowded together, like a pool of fresh spring.
She pulled out a few branches.
When I came out, Jiang Chi was indeed waiting there obediently.
She handed him the lisianthus in her hand and said, "Here, this is for you."
Jiang Chi didn't react for a moment. He looked down and saw the pink and white flower balls clustered together, with crystal water droplets rolling between the soft petals.
Seeing that he didn't move, Xiaoman urged gently: "Hold it."
"Oh." He obediently reached out to take it.
Why does he look so dumb? Xiaoman couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips again.
This was the second time Jiang Chi saw her smile today.
The clear sunlight made her skin look exceptionally fair. She wore a long tie-dyed printed dress with thin straps. Her hair was tied back loosely, and a few strands of hair fell down, entangled with her cherry earrings.
She dresses casually and lazily, yet looks incredibly charming and elegant.
Jiang Chi turned his gaze away and continued to look down at the flowers.
She had already walked into the flower shop, but he was still not leaving.
The lisianthus in my hand bloomed beautifully, just like her.
***
On the first day of work, Ruan Yan went out early.
In order to prove that she was serious and not just playing around, she refused the driver Wen Ying had asked to pick her up and decided to take the subway by herself.
There is a subway station not far from the south gate of Bijiawan. It takes only twenty minutes to get to the company building directly.
After exiting the subway, follow the mobile phone navigation and walk a few dozen meters to easily find Zhuo Lu's location.
She stood still and looked up at the tall and imposing building in front of her. The golden words "World Continent Building" on the glass exterior wall shone brightly in the sunlight.
After entering the building and asking a few simple questions at the front desk, Ruan Yan learned that the floor she was going to was the 15th floor.
At first she thought the entire building belonged to Zhuo Lu. It turned out that in addition to floors 15 to 17 being Zhuo Lu's office area, there were other companies also located there.
Later she learned that the Shizhou Building was a product of the Wanlai Group, and the design of the entire building was done by Zhuo Lu.
Because she didn't have the company's access card, Ruan Yan couldn't get in for the time being. She called the HR department and waited at the door for a while. Then a beautiful and elegant woman in a shirt and pencil skirt came out.
"Hello, I'm Ruan Yan, please take care of me." Ruan Yan took the initiative to greet.
"Hello, Ruan Yan," the other person smiled at her, "I'm Lin Lin, nice to meet you."
"Thank you, me too." Ruan Yan followed her in.
Lin Lin looks a few years older than her, with short hair, tall stature, light makeup, and meticulous appearance, and a capable temperament.
I don’t know when I will be able to cultivate this kind of stable and powerful aura.
Lin Lin took her to the front desk to get a work access card, and then along the way she briefly introduced her to the company's precautions and her daily work content.
Ruan Yan took the opportunity to quickly scan the internal environment of the company. The large open space on the upper and lower floors gave a sense of infinite extension, which made her vision suddenly open up.
There are no fancy decorations. The overall environment is dominated by white and gray, which is clean and simple. However, those seemingly ordinary objects such as tables, chairs, vases, and hanging lamps are infused with many carefully designed little ideas.
It’s not necessarily luxurious or high-end, but it’s very stylish.
"Your workstation is here," Lin Lin led her to a desk and pointed around. "This area is all run by Mr. Lu's team. From now on, you'll be working with them."
Ruan Yan nodded.
Then Lin Lin clapped her hands gently and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Ruan Yan, President Lu's secretary and our new colleague."
Ruan Yan raised her signature smile and greeted her colleagues.
But somewhat unexpectedly, everyone's reaction to her was not very enthusiastic. They just glanced at her perfunctorily and soon buried their heads in their computers again.
Ruan Yan was a little embarrassed, but Lin Lin remained calm: "Don't mind it, they're just too busy. They're actually very nice people. Well... you'll know later anyway."
Knowing that she was trying to comfort herself, Ruan Yan nodded understandingly: "Okay."
Then, he remembered something: "Oh, Mr. Lu..."
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you which room Mr. Lu's office is," Lin Lin pointed diagonally in front of her. "He probably won't be in the company today. You can look through some sample documents first. When he arrives, he'll give you specific work arrangements. If you have any questions, you can come to me or other colleagues."
"Okay, thank you Sister Linlin." Ruan Yan knew that no matter what the occasion, it would never go wrong to be sweet-talking.
"You're welcome," Lin Lin patted her shoulder gently, "Welcome to Zhuo Lu's big family. Let's work hard together in the future."
After Lin Lin left, Ruan Yan tidied up the desk a little and then began to look through the information on the computer.
There was no one chatting around; everyone was concentrating on their own work. Ruan Yan didn't feel comfortable talking to them, so she just stayed quietly at her workstation, trying not to make any noise to disturb them.
Lunch time soon arrived. Lin Lin said that Zhuo Lu and two other companies in the building had jointly set up an employee restaurant on the third floor, and she could have lunch there.
Ruan Yan looked up at her other colleagues. They were still busy with their work and no one showed any intention of getting up to eat.
This is too much dedication, family members...
At first, Ruan Yan was embarrassed to sneak away alone, but her stomach was already beating like a drum, and she even formed a performance group to play the Fifth Symphony in C minor.
I can tolerate anything except eating. If I tolerate it for a while, I will feel anxious, trembling hands and hypoglycemia. If I take a step back, I will suffer from duodenal ulcer.
So, she resolutely stood up from her seat and went to the third floor to eat.
After dinner, Ruan Yan returned to the company from the restaurant and found that there were only two or three empty seats around her. Most of her colleagues were still sitting at their seats, busy working, but they had coffee, bread and sandwiches on hand.
Is this how they fill their stomachs at noon?
Ruan Yan sat down at her workstation carefully, full of admiration for their professionalism.
The afternoon was still a boring and long time. Unfortunately, Lu Peishi didn't come to the company all day. Ruan Yan, who had no work tasks, had nothing to do and was in a daze with pay.
The other colleagues were still sitting in front of their computers with expressionless faces, occasionally exchanging a few professional terms that Ruan Yan could not quite understand. Most of the time, the atmosphere was quiet and depressing.
After finally getting off work, Ruan Yan finally felt relieved after walking out of the company.
Although she didn't do anything all day, it was much more tiring than doing hard labor.
It is so sad that it makes anyone who hears it cry.
The next few days were filled with uneasy paid time of idleness. Lu Peishi never came, and no one assigned Ruan Yan any work tasks. She spent every day boredly looking at the computer and browsing her phone, and the day passed in such a boring way.
At noon that day, just as it was twelve o'clock, Ruan Yan was hesitating whether to sit for a few more minutes just to pretend, when the phone rang.
It was Wen Ying who called. She came to pick up Ruan Yan to have dinner together. The car was downstairs of the company.
"Sister——" Ruan Yan saw the Mercedes-Benz S450 parked on the side of the road and the familiar figure in the car from a distance.
The gloomy mood that had lasted for several days suddenly cleared up.
Wen Ying looked out the car window at the girl who was waving and running towards her with a smile on her face, and she couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.
It was as if I saw the little girl again when I was a child, who would run up to me and ask for a hug every time I came home from school.
"You're finally back from your business trip," Ruan Yan opened the passenger door and the first thing she did after getting in was to hug Wen Ying's arm. "No wonder the air smells so good today. It turns out my most beautiful sister is back."
Wen Ying smiled: "Your mouth is smeared with honey, so sweet."
"Of course, I'm your favorite sweetheart." Ruan Yan rubbed her arm and blinked hard to act cute.
"Okay, then please, Miss Sweetie, can we go eat now?"
"Of course," Ruan Yan, whose stomach had long been protesting, sat up straight and quickly fastened her seat belt. "Let's go—"
Wen Ying took her to a Chinese restaurant called "Xuanlinyuan".
Looking at the large plaque at the door with large gilded characters, Ruan Yan was a little surprised: "I thought we were just having a quick bite near the company."
Wen Ying said mysteriously, "Besides you, I also hired someone else."
"Who is it?" Ruan Yan was curious.
Wen Ying unbuckled her seatbelt and deliberately kept the secret: "You'll know in a moment, let's go."
The waiter took them to the door of a private room called "Shuiyun Pavilion".
The door slowly opened, and Ruan Yan saw the face of a clean-skinned man wearing glasses, and next to the man... another man.
"Sorry for the long wait. There was a traffic jam on the road." Wen Ying walked in.
"No, no, we just arrived." Seeing Wen Ying appear, Zhuo Ming immediately stood up from his chair.
Wen Ying walked to the seat next to him, and he naturally took the bag from her hand and put it on the chair behind him.
"Let me formally introduce you to my sister, Ruan Yan." Wen Ying said to Zhuo Ming.
Zhuo Ming showed his big white teeth and smiled a little shyly: "Ruan Yan, hello."
He was wearing a very ordinary T-shirt and casual pants, his hair was cut very short, his eyes were as pure as boiled water, and he was as young and immature as a college graduate.
If no one else tells you, it's really hard to tell that he is a company boss.
Ruan Yan had met him briefly twice before, but the time was tight and his attention was always on Wen Ying, so Ruan Yan didn't have a chance to speak to him.
"Hello, brother-in-law." Ruan Yan catered to his wishes and took the opportunity to build a good relationship with him and get closer to him.
"Xiaoyan, stop shouting." Wen Ying gently pulled the corner of her clothes, but there was an irrepressible smile on her face.
When Zhuo Ming heard this name, his eyes lit up obviously, he chuckled twice, and touched the back of his head embarrassedly.
Who would have thought that Wen Ying, the usually cool and strong woman, would have a boyfriend who is such a gentle and shy type.
Although the contrast was huge, Ruan Yan looked at the picture of the two of them standing together and felt that they were indescribably well-matched and complementary.
Then, Wen Ying turned her gaze to the man next to Zhuo Ming and said jokingly, "There's no need for you two to introduce each other. We're old acquaintances."
Ruan Yan: “…”
The man in the black shirt met Ruan Yan's gaze with his deep eyes without any emotion.
What bad luck, she happened to be wearing a black shirt today.
What a bad fate.
Two seconds later, Ruan Yan raised the corners of her mouth with a forced smile, her expression and persona changing rapidly: "Hello, Mr. Lu."
The author has something to say:
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Lu Peishi: Are you happy? Are you surprised?
Have fun reading, everyone!
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