Chapter 5 Who hasn’t clicked yet?
Chen Qingqing started vomiting when she woke up early in the morning. She had not been feeling well these past few days. Although the lamb chops were in the freezer, she still smelled a strong smell of mutton at home. It was as if the floor where the lamb chops had been placed smelled very muttony, and it was as if the corner of the table where the lamb chops had been rubbed smelled very muttony. This faint smell even gave her a headache.
She wanted to throw away the lamb chops several times, but she didn't feel good about it. She just thought that she caught a cold when she and Sun Ziyi ate crayfish that day, which made her feel uncomfortable.
After all, I'm thirty years old, and many aspects of my body are changing.
But no matter how stupid Chen Qingqing was, she would think from another perspective. She sent a message to Sun Ziyi, guessing, "I might be pregnant." She originally wanted Sun Ziyi to accompany her to the hospital for a check-up, but because Sun Ziyi had not replied, she did not want to go out alone.
After a while, the doorbell rang. It was her who asked Meituan to deliver a pregnancy test stick.
Shen Qingqing sat in front of the toilet, took a deep breath, and then held up the pregnancy test stick. Two bars appeared. She screamed in the toilet for ten seconds, then took a selfie with the test stick, sent it to Sun Ziyi, and quickly called her.
Sun Ziyi answered the phone this time, and Shen Qingqing said, "I'm fucking pregnant, Sun Ziyi!"
There was no sound from the other end of the phone, and Shen Qingqing added, “I want to give my husband a surprise.”
Sun Ziyi hung up the phone in a hurry without saying anything.
Although she didn't know why Sun Ziyi hung up the phone, Shen Qingqing was still surprised by the pregnancy and immediately put the two bars away. Wang Shu was coming back from Macau tonight, and she decided to give Wang Shu a surprise. She asked someone to cook at home and also ran errands to buy groceries.
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The boy who came to cook was carrying a bunch of knives, looking like a knight. She covered her mouth with a tissue and instructed the boy to take the lamb chops out of the refrigerator. As a result, there were too many things in the refrigerator, and they needed to be rummaged through the layers. As the boy moved the things, he watched Shen Qingqing retreat. "Sister, can't you smell the mutton?"
The boy finally turned out the lamb chops, and Shen Qingqing changed another piece of paper and took a step back. Her movements were a bit big, and she looked a little disgusted.
She quickly explained, "I'm pregnant so I'm a little squeamish."
The boy suddenly realized, "That's something I really need to pay more attention to. When my wife was pregnant, she couldn't stand the smell of a lawn mower. Whenever someone was mowing the lawn outside, she would close the window tightly."
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Shen Qingqing asked.
"My son lives with my wife in my hometown of Suzhou. He just happened to come to Beijing to see me recently."
Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Did your wife take any precautions when she was pregnant? Tell me about it so I can learn from her."
Shen Qingqing’s enthusiasm made the boy a little embarrassed: “Sister, I’m a man and I don’t understand these things.”
The other party's answer made Shen Qingqing feel bored, but she still turned around and went to the storage room next to the kitchen to take out a box of milk. "Take this back later and give it to the child."
The man took it, looked at the English on the packaging, and then put it on the table. "No need, sister. My child is only two years old and doesn't understand. If he gets spoiled and picky, we can't afford a refill."
Perhaps feeling that a blunt refusal wouldn’t be a good idea, the chef then said, “If you think the service is good, just give me a five-star review.”
Shen Qingqing hurriedly said yes and went back to the bedroom to rest.
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After hanging up the phone, Sun Ziyi stood at the gate in the cold wind waiting for the carpool driver to arrive. She really didn't know how to tell Shen Qingqing that Wang Shu had lied to her. Especially when she heard the news that Shen Qingqing was pregnant, she, who had always used script thinking to solve problems, felt like she was caught in a century-long whirlpool.
Sun Ziyi even thought the criticism from the management was justified, that her lack of experience was the reason she was so timid in her writing. But whether in life or work, she was destined to face this kind of inescapable problem. She saw on Didi Maps that the carpool driver kept going the wrong way, and she didn't dare to rush him. The guy at the security booth told her that it was a blessing to be able to share a car here.
She just lowered her head and watched the car running on the interface of her mobile phone. A horn sounded in front of her. Sun Ziyi raised her head and found that the car parked in front of her was Xu Zecheng's exaggerated McLaren.
"Get in the car, it's cold outside."
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The door of Xu Zecheng's car flew upwards, and Sun Ziyi had to choose an angle before sitting in. After sitting in, she felt that her body was bent into a sharp angle.
Sitting in the luxury car, she waited for Xu Zecheng's questioning. Sure enough, Xiaocheng asked, "Are you here to see me?"
Sun Ziyi thought about the lies she had told today and the retribution she had received in this life, and finally decided to be honest. She shook her head and told the story of her failed attempt at pretense, waiting for Xu Zecheng to laugh at her.
Xu Zecheng didn't disappoint, clapping his hands on the steering wheel and laughing. She just squinted at him and said, "We haven't seen each other for so many years. We should at least have some time to get to know each other again."
After Xu Zecheng finished laughing, he turned his head and looked at Sun Ziyi very obediently, asking her, "Where are you going?"
Sun Ziyi: "Go home."
"Where's your home?" Xu Zecheng unlocked his phone and handed it to him. "Give me navigation."
She typed it in slowly, waiting for the electronic voice to say navigation had begun before she asked, "Are you busy?"
Xu Zecheng said obediently, "I'm not busy. I usually play golf with others."
"Then you also have the opportunity to contact customers?" Sun Ziyi asked.
Xu Zecheng nodded, "Of course."
Sun Ziyi glanced at him and subconsciously asked, "Do you know Wang Shu?"
Xu Zecheng thought for a few seconds. "The Wang Shu who's in charge of game publishing?"
Sun Ziyi nodded quickly, "Tell me everything you know."
"Humph, beg me." He said, and Sun Ziyi felt that the person sitting in front of him was a male version of Shen Qingqing.
She was used to coaxing Shen Qingqing, so she didn't delay for a second. "Please, Mr. Xu."
Seeing that Xu Zecheng did not respond, Sun Ziyi begged three more times.
Xu Zecheng seemed to be very pleased with it. Without further hesitation, he told Sun Ziyi directly, "When we first opened, there weren't many people. He came here often, sometimes with clients, sometimes by himself. Later, as our clientele increased, many wealthy second-generations brought people to check in. He stopped coming here as often. He must be someone who doesn't like crowds."
Sun Ziyi was a little surprised. "I thought you guys were the kind of people who protected your clients' privacy. Is it possible that clients can actually meet each other?"
"Customers can't see each other. Our lawns are all one-on-one. The only person who sees us is Wang Shu."
He paused. "Maybe because we've become more well-known, they don't come here anymore."
"I think he is a very cautious person. There is a word for him: be cautious when alone."
He squinted his eyes and thought for a moment, "So sometimes I find it quite curious that people who make games can have this kind of personality. They are such ruthless people."
Sun Ziyi suddenly asked in a frivolous tone, "Do you think I look like a man of integrity?"
She grew up reading independent female literature and particularly wanted others to have the impression that she was aloof.
Xu Zecheng shook his head. "Shen Du isn't lovable, but you are."
Xu Zecheng suddenly became serious, and she was afraid of falling into the trap of this scumbag, so she quickly changed the subject. "I saw him at the door today too!" Sun Ziyi said.
"We clear our account balance every three years. He should be here to pay off the balance," said Xu Zecheng.
Sun Ziyi said "Oh" and said nothing more.
Sun Ziyi's guess was almost right. Wang Shu was not the kind of person who would do anything fancy. He just had a small world in his heart. It was a pity that Shen Qingqing was not qualified to enter it.
"You're not attracted to him, are you? I heard he has a family. You can't play around with these things. You have to be a good student." Xu Zecheng suddenly asked.
"Who do you think I am?"
At a red light, he turned to look at her. "Why are you asking this? Are you trying to steal our trade secrets?"
Sun Ziyi became interested and teased Xu Zecheng, "I was sent by the enemy to destroy your family."
"Then when my family goes bankrupt, you give me something to eat." Xu Zecheng said calmly.
Seeing how eager he was to argue, Sun Ziyi said, "He's my good friend's husband."
Xu Zecheng breathed a sigh of relief. "If you're going to date someone, choose someone like me. I'm single and I don't have any tricks."
Sun Ziyi pointed to the subway station in front and said, "Why don't you drop me off there? I feel it's safer to take the subway than you. There's a traffic jam right now."
Xu Zecheng said seriously, "What's wrong with being stuck in traffic? We are still young and have plenty of time to spend stuck in traffic."
Sun Ziyi almost laughed out loud in the car.
There was still a traffic jam in the city, and Xu Zecheng's car was low. She had always had a bad cervical spine, but because she was poor, she didn't know that she would become drowsy when sitting in a supercar.
After the two of them finished chatting, her head felt heavy and she nodded like a machine the whole way. Xu Zecheng reached out and patted her. "Don't sleep. The co-pilot is there to keep you company. How can you sleep?"
Sun Ziyi forced his eyes open and looked at the e-cigarette he handed over. "Take a couple of puffs to refresh yourself."
Sun Ziyi shook his head and pushed his hand away. "I don't smoke."
"This one isn't choking, try it." He handed it over again.
She frowned, still not ready to respond, "How can I persuade someone to smoke?"
"When you grow up, you can do something extraordinary." Xu Zecheng stretched out a hand from her waist, reached behind her neck, and helped her adjust the neck pillow.
He reached out and touched her neck, his fingers were cold.
Sun Ziyi shuddered, then actually picked up the e-cigarette and took a puff. It was like taking a breath of cool air, and she suddenly felt refreshed.
“It tastes like ice cream.”
"It's the old popsicle flavor, the old boxed popsicles you loved as a kid, with a little bit of cream in them, remember? The kind you shake the can and it makes a gurgling sound."
Sun Ziyi glanced at her and said, "Remember, call her Snow White..."
Sun Ziyi took another puff and then held the e-cigarette in her hand. Because she was typing all year round, she didn't have manicures, so her nails were clean. Her palms were small and her fingers were short, making her look like a child stealing an elder's cigarette.
Xu Zecheng gently tapped Sun Ziyi's fingers. "Look, our Yiyi's hands are still so cute, like a big fat boy with his hands closed."
Sun Ziyi withdrew his hand and looked out the window.
In fact, the last time they met, Sun Ziyi wanted to say that he actually still remembered the name Yiyi. Apart from her mother and some elders, few people called her Yiyi now. The reason Xu Zecheng knew this name was because they were childhood friends in the true sense, the kind that they were reluctant to admit but were forced to admit.
Sun Ziyi's father worked in a bank, and her mother sold electronics in an underground mall. Twenty years ago, she sat across the counter from Xu Zecheng's mother. The two mothers often made plans to go to Beijing together to stock up on goods, then return on the last bus. They would always arrive in Tianjin around nine or ten in the evening, when the city itself was a bit quiet. The image she often saw as a child was Xu Zecheng, dressed in his sleek, small leather shoes, waving to Sun Ziyi from across the street in the middle of the night. Sun Ziyi would just look at her indifferently and nod slightly.
It’s not Sun Ziyi’s fault. She felt that the cold heroine at that time was very appealing.
Thinking about it this way, Xu Zecheng has actually taken good care of her since she was a child. When he was a child, Xu Zecheng's mother preferred girls, so she always raised Xu Zecheng like a girl and bought him skirts with large crinolines. When the two began to have gender awareness, Xu Zecheng's skirts all fell on Sun Ziyi.
He got used to it and would give any good things to Sun Ziyi.
One winter, when they were sixteen years old, Xu Zecheng's aunt who was studying in England came back and brought him a whole box of Western-style pastries. The cover of the box showed a British country girl wearing a complicated skirt, holding milk and biscuits with a loving look in her eyes, which seemed to flow through the tin box.
Xu Zecheng called Sun Ziyi and asked him to come pick it up, and he stood under the street light with a box of biscuits waiting for Sun Ziyi. On that snowy night, Sun Ziyi took the box of girlish cakes from Xu Zecheng and fell deeply in love with Xu Zecheng.
The turning point came a week later. They went to the underground mall to wait for the adults to get off work. The uncle next door with dyed yellow hair who sold BBK learning machines had a crush on Xu Zecheng's aunt for many years. He asked Xu Zecheng what his aunt had brought back this time. Xu Zecheng said, "My aunt bought me some cookies. The cover of the cookies was feminine. Why would I eat that? I gave it all to Sun Ziyi."
Sun Ziyi was addicted to romance novels at the time, and when she heard this, all she could think of was, "I wasn't your first choice. It turns out you gave it to me because the cookie box was too feminine."
They were in different high schools at the time. Sun Ziyi used all her resources to find someone at Xu Zecheng's school and learned that Xu Zecheng was a playboy, a notorious charming bad boy. After hanging up the phone, her heart pounded, and she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Then she unilaterally announced to herself that her passionate secret love, which had lasted only a week, was over.
Later, Sun Ziyi became "evil" in this relationship. Every time they saw each other, they would quarrel. After a few years, Xu Zecheng's father bought a car, a Beijing Hyundai, with the money he earned from long-distance trucking. Their family drove to purchase goods, and the contact between the two families gradually became less.
Another decade passed, and the story took off like a rocket. A domestic brand, once dependent on manufacturers for delivery and marketers to sell its products, rapidly grew into one of China's top three brands. A woman chose a small, unpopular electronics brand and invested most of her fortune to become its city general agent. Ten years later, this brand became China's largest electronics brand, with annual sales exceeding tens of millions and a presence in every major department store.
That woman was Xu Zecheng's mother.
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