Chapter 31 Chapter 31
An Jiyue had never considered Lu Ye to be anything more than a paper figure. The first time she saw him, she effortlessly peeled away the layers of mystery and captured his true self with incredible precision.
He walked out of the ink painting, broke free from the sculpture, and stared at her in the morning light, smiling faintly.
Lu Ye said that An Jiyue was clearly a princess who was raised in a nurturing environment, intelligent and gifted, but she wasted her talent.
She was so rebellious that she secretly changed her college entrance examination application just to study media, a major she was really interested in.
I signed up for the double degree in finance because of my parents' coercion and inducement. The family gene of not wanting to rise was too strong. I passed the selection test with a high score even though I answered questions as I pleased. From then on, I couldn't even stay in bed on weekends.
In the next two courses, she unexpectedly achieved impressive results. She had no place to put her heart, and after much thought, she decided to cling to the top of the list and shamelessly team up with Lu Ye.
That's why I was able to see his lively side more often, which he didn't show to others easily.
For example, despite his exceptional talents, he had previously been so low-key that he was often hard to find. Because they worked together on all their group assignments, and through frequent discussions, An Jiyue eventually figured out his frequent study rooms and his designated seats in the library.
Another example is the deadlines during finals week. While most students were scrambling and distracted, Lu Ye always calmly submitted all his work. No one could figure out where he found the energy and time. Meanwhile, An Jiyue, who had been squeezed through several all-nighters by the tyrant, was perfectly aware of the situation. The presenter, gesturing at the data analysis on the screen, looked incredibly impressive, completely oblivious to the fact that he had stayed up even longer the night before. She, with bags under her eyes, watched from the other side of the podium as slides and Excel files switched between presentations.
The first semester of the dual degree program concluded. After the final exam, the students who received the highest scores on their group projects celebrated. The long table was filled with grand ambitions, and the glittering financial dreams left subtle marks on the faces of the budding students.
Some talked about investment banking internships, some looked at quant trading, some whispered about resources, connections and corrupt unspoken rules, and the aroma of roasted cumin was filled with the intoxicating smell of money.
An Jiyue held the cup, turned sideways, escaped into the wind and drank a big mouthful of foamy beer.
She was unwilling to get involved in the family business because she had been exposed to these inexplicable methods since she was a child.
Even though she was able to attract investment at a young age and her parents and relatives and friends praised her, saying "my daughter is capable of inheriting the family business", it was because it was a store she truly loved and she wanted it to survive.
She came to the School of Journalism and Communication, and navigated the sharp opinions and truths like a duck in water, secretly glad that she had rebelled for once.
If I had obediently applied to the School of Economics at that time, and with the support of the family atmosphere, would I have been talking about "resource exchange" and "project operation" and become so shrewd that I would only judge based on "whether it is self-serving"?
The cool, clear yellow liquid churned in her stomach, and her clear, delicate pores suddenly revealed a rich, rouge color. She nudged Lu Ye, who was smiling and silent beside her, with her elbow and asked unwillingly:
"Hey, aren't you from law school? What do you want to do by studying finance?"
The boy at the end of the long table blinked his drooping eyelashes, his dark eyes were like heavy mist, and his aloof jaw was slightly raised, outlining a hint of sharpness.
"If I learn law well, I should be able to do finance more cleanly. I hope that in the future, I can make this industry more standardized."
Someone sneered and said sarcastically, "How is that possible?"
Lu Ye's fingers paused on the cup handle, and he didn't look for who was commenting. A trace of determination flashed across his cold and unworldly eyes, and he continued:
“I do this to make the impossible possible.”
-
An Jiyue hasn't been drunk for a long time.
Every time I get drunk, it's like entering the same parallel world. Lu Ye is standing there, his straight and slender figure like a cedar tree that is green all year round.
He looked at her, but seemed not to be looking at her. There seemed to be a plateau lake in his dark eyes.
There are wind, rain, frost and snow in the dream. He may be covered in silver or scorched by the scorching sun, but he will never advance or retreat, and will always stand firm in the same place.
Just like every time she saw him many years later, under the spotlight in the middle of the night, or amidst the mixed company of good and bad people, every time she looked over, she seemed to be able to peel off all the disguises and touch the cold and indifferent background that he silently maintained.
Now he would no longer proudly declare "making the impossible possible" at the dinner table, but would learn to bend over slightly, lower the rim of the glass, raise his chin, and finally diagonally reveal the empty bottom of the glass.
But perhaps she found some old clues from the firmness of his brow or the sternness of his back, so she easily assumed that he had not changed.
"Jiyue, Jiyue?"
The refreshing scent of the ocean lingered in her nose, and An Jiyue suddenly woke up from her dream, her sweaty forehead shining with a crystal light.
"The weather is really getting hot." Liang Sinan took a tissue from the bedside and wiped the sweat from her temples. "Let's turn on the air conditioner tonight."
"...Brother Nan? What time is it now?"
An Jiyue stared blankly at her nightgown and called out woodenly. She could no longer remember how she got home or how she fell asleep. Her memory was frozen in time as she drank cup after cup of scarlet liquid.
"6:40. You were extremely drunk last night, but your colleague was somewhat sober. Yuehui and I called him, and he gave us the address, so we went to pick you up."
She nodded. Liang Sinan stood up and opened the bedroom curtains. The morning light from the small terrace shone in, sweeping away the hangover.
"You should be tactful when drinking with male colleagues. How could you get so drunk?"
An Jiyue covered her eyes and mumbled, "Editor Tang, it's okay, he's safe... Why don't you go out first? What are you doing in my room so early in the morning?"
Liang Sinan was stunned for a moment, angry and amused: "It's the phone you put in your bag that keeps ringing all morning. Turn off the alarm quickly!"
He threw his cell phone on the bed and left without any regrets.
Just before closing the door, he said, "Come and have some porridge after you finish washing up."
Yue Hui's voice could be heard faintly again: "How is she?"
Sinan Liang muttered something in reply, but she couldn't hear it clearly.
After a heavy drunken stupor and a deep dream, An Jiyue felt particularly vulnerable. Hugging the cotton-white quilt, she smelled the delicate fragrance of the restaurant's porridge, and a soft pang of pain welled up in her heart.
It was as if they were back to those two years when they had been leaning on each other. The three of them relied on each other and were extremely busy yet also felt at peace and tranquility.
But back then, every morning when I opened my eyes, I was busy and there were no surprises in the early morning, unlike now.
An Jiyue stared at the several red dot messages in the chat box. It was both expected and unreasonable.
[Lu Ye: Where are you? Let's have a late-night snack together.]
[Lu Ye: Did you edit today's script?]
Lu Ye: Pairing me with someone else, do you have a KPI?
[Lu Ye: Who is Song Yiyi? Why did you come to see me suddenly?]
Lu Ye: It's so late, why is your WeChat step count updated? Where are you?
[Lu Ye: What are you busy with? Is there anyone accompanying or picking you up? Is Liang Sinan with you?]
【Lu Ye: Answer the phone.】
【Lu Ye: Have you slept yet? 】
【Lu Ye: Call me anytime after you see it. 】
Just a few lines of text spanned nearly 10 hours. An Jiyue held the phone, feeling it was burning.
She read it again. Lu Ye even mentioned two names, each of which was extraordinary.
Liang Sinan, they had only met briefly once, but Lu Ye already remembered her. That made sense.
And Song Yiyi suddenly contacted Lu Ye. Did she finally decide to take the step that she had delayed for her entire youth?
The alarm clock rang again. An Jiyue's shoulders trembled, and she quickly got out of bed and ran to the sink to wash her face and put on makeup.
She set an early bell so that she could arrive earlier today. She would be in charge of the observer recording in the morning.
Considering that she had been hungover for less than 6 hours, Liang Sinan insisted on driving her. An Jiyue happily sat in the passenger seat and pondered the script.
The car didn't drive into the basement, but stopped in front of the main entrance of Huayi Building. She pushed the door open with great excitement, said goodbye and was about to get out of the car, but someone grabbed her wrist.
Liang Sinan took off his sunglasses and glanced at her.
"Yue'er, you forgot to take the lunch box."
He pointed to the lunch box under the windshield. The cat head was smiling adorably at them. The homemade side dishes Yue Hui had packed the night before were divided into three portions, one of which lay quietly inside.
During those years abroad, An Jiyue, who already disliked waste, had frugality ingrained in her. She and Yue Hui shared similar interests, both passionate about calculating the optimal balance of servings, servings, and number of people. They even developed the habit of bringing their own lunch boxes with them when dining out.
This good instinct is doubly stimulated when encountering a Chinese restaurant. It is still regarded as the first priority of their home life.
"Thank you, Brother Nan!" An Jiuyue hugged the lunch box to her chest and smiled at him.
Liang Sinan didn't lift up the frame of his sunglasses for a long time. He looked at her graceful back as she walked away, with a doting arc at the corner of his lips.
I happened to meet a colleague at the gate. I swiped the card for An Jiyue, whose hands were full of things, and asked curiously, "Good morning, Director An. Was that your boyfriend just now?"
An Jiyue opened her almond-shaped eyes and jokingly replied, "No, that's the driver I met in the taxi!"
"I don't believe it. Such a handsome guy is driving a 7 Series as a taxi?"
"That just proves how lucky I am." She rolled her eyes playfully and gave a noncommittal look.
Before she even reached the director's chair, new rumors were circulating: "Director An and male guest number 3 are probably just rumors. Her real boyfriend brought her to work today. He's tall, handsome, and low-key. He drives a BMW 7 Series. He might be a wealthy second-generation kid."
An insider immediately denied the rumors: "Is it the grey 7 Series? That's Director An's own car. I've seen her drive it several times."
"Then Director An is pretty capable too!"
"That's nothing. A Phantom came to pick her up earlier. It's been said for a long time that she has an unusual background..."
An Jiuyue was concentrating on adjusting the monitor effect, and suddenly blinked frequently, without changing her expression, but her heart was already twisted.
The rumors were becoming increasingly outrageous. She cut off the external audio and called the assistant director to start a loud conversation about the venue layout.
She simply didn't want to dwell on her personal affairs; the fact that she and Lu Ye had been accidentally clarified was a pleasant surprise. But even the fact that her past experience of driving a luxury car was being brought up and scrutinized showed just how imaginative people in the media industry are.
That Phantom was the private car of the previous project's co-investor partner, sent to pick her up to discuss the case. In the car were not only two industry giants, but also her colleague Yue Hui.
"People's words are scary..."
Someone was sighing and murmuring at the same time as herself. An Jiyue turned around in surprise and met the eyes of Tang Bian, whose face was swollen.
The two drinking buddies' brains went blank for a few seconds, and scattered fragments of memory finally came to their minds. Tang Bian held An Jiuyue's hand with a sense of sympathy and sat down with her.
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