Chapter 10. My ex, not exactly a friend. ...
Shang Shu clicked into Gu Sui's homepage. Although it was a new account, her profile picture was still the same as three years ago. It was a street scene in Edmonton after the "Oriental Beast" incident. The gray-brown roofs of the stone Victorian buildings were covered with a thick layer of white snow. Cart tracks and footprints intertwined in the snow-covered streets, forming messy patterns. In the distance, star-shaped lights shone with a warm light in the gray and white hazy world.
Looking at the familiar scene, Shang Shu was filled with emotion, as if she had returned to that familiar street. Before, she always thought that there was still a long time ahead and that they would have countless memories together, so she never looked at these photos carefully. Later, after her heartbreak, she deleted them all and never had the chance to look at them again.
Thinking of this, Shang Shu clicked to enlarge the picture, only to find a familiar figure in the middle of the street not far away. She zoomed in again and couldn't believe that it was her. In the photo, she was walking on the snow with her head down, and the tassels at the end of her scarf were being blown by the wind. Although she couldn't see her expression, she could tell from her actions that she was very happy.
This is... her through Gu Sui's lens.
Shang Shu felt a mix of emotions. It was as if she had an expired candy in her mouth, knowing she shouldn't continue, yet still unable to resist the cloying sweetness that filled every corner of her mouth.
Why is she still using this photo?
Perhaps she didn't like the heavy snow.
It turns out she liked that heavy snow.
With tears welling up in her eyes, Shang Shu exited the profile picture and then clicked into her Moments. There were no updates, no signatures, as pristine as the snow.
Seeing these things, Shang Shu felt somewhat fortunate, because she didn't know how many more bittersweet memories she could bear.
The knocking brought her back to reality, and the housekeeper came in carrying a fresh bowl of hot porridge.
"Has she left?" Shang Shu asked calmly, taking the bowl of porridge and gently stirring it with a spoon.
"Yes, Miss Gu has been picked up by the driver," the butler replied respectfully.
Shang Shu gave a soft "hmm" and stared blankly at the porridge in her hand. The plump white rice in the bowl was cooked until smooth and delicate, with golden sweet potato chunks scattered among them. It was so soft and sticky that it melted into the porridge with a gentle stir. This was the porridge that she liked Gu Sui to make the most when she was in Aicheng.
She didn't really have much of an appetite, but the faint sweet smell made her eat in small bites, and soon she finished the food.
Shang Shu put down her porridge bowl, but couldn't help picking up her phone again.
I wonder if she got home yet?
She clicked into the chat box again, slowly typed a line of text, and then quickly deleted it with some annoyance.
Why am I so concerned about her...?
But just a few seconds later, Shang Shu contradicted herself by picking up her phone and typing again.
After all, they brought me back and waited for me for so long, so it's not too much to ask how I am, right?
Just as she was about to press send, a message popped up on the other end of the line, which startled her so much that she almost dropped her phone.
[Gu: I'm home.]
Shang Shu calmed herself down, deleted the line she had typed, and replaced it with a "okay". However, she didn't want to reply immediately and seem too concerned, so she resolutely left the chat window.
She seemed to have forgotten about the "typing..." message.
On the other side, Gu Sui looked at the string of text at the top of the chat box, which kept appearing and disappearing, and couldn't help but chuckle helplessly.
In the following days, Shang Shu did not receive any more messages from Gu Sui, which inevitably made her a little disappointed. However, she had said that she was the one who did not need to be cared about, so she had no choice but to accept it.
Not only that, Song Lan and the family doctor also worked together to prevent her from going to work, so she could only lie at home until she was bored. When she was bored, she realized that she had been ignoring Lin Lang for almost a century, so she sent him an invitation with a guilty conscience.
[Lin Lang: Ha, so someone actually still remembers that I exist?]
Shang Shu: I was wrong [apology]
[Lin Lang: I'm coming over now. You must kowtow to me a few times in person.]
Shang Shu: [Thank you]
Shang Shu tidied herself up and walked around the room a couple of times to stretch her muscles, waiting for Lin Lang's arrival.
"Wait, wait, wait, this is a lot of information. Let's go through it one by one." Lin Lang was a little dizzy after hearing everything: "You mean, you hugged her the night of the birthday party?!"
"Um."
"And then the next day she became a consultant for your company?"
"Um."
"After you were beaten by your dad, Gu Sui saved you, then you cursed at her, and then you fainted a couple of days ago and Gu Sui saved you again?"
"Uh...that's a very insightful summary."
Lin Lang was speechless: "Are you guys putting on an idol drama for me...?"
Shang Shu smiled sheepishly, unable to refute.
"Seriously, what are your thoughts on Gu Sui right now?" Lin Lang had grasped the key point of the topic.
"What...what idea..." Shang Shu nervously twirled the end of her hair with her fingers.
"Miss Shang, don't play dumb." Lin Lang crossed his legs, put his arms across his chest, and looked at her sideways.
"Just...just a colleague, an ex, not exactly a friend." Shang Shu cleared her throat, tucked her hair behind her ear, and answered righteously.
Lin Lang looked at Shang Shu, whose face still had a slight bruise, and rolled her eyes with a mixture of heartache and disgust. She didn't continue the topic: "But your dad really hit hard. Are you really alright?"
Shang Shu sighed and remained noncommittal about the first part of the sentence: "It's just occasional dizziness and tinnitus, it should be nothing serious."
Lin Lang sighed, then her eyes brightened: "I almost forgot, it seems your dad has been arranging blind dates for those two sisters lately."
Shang Shu was somewhat surprised. The Shang sisters were three years younger than her and had only just graduated from university. She really couldn't understand what Shang Wei was planning this time. She smiled sarcastically: "What, is the Shang family going to collapse? Why are you in such a hurry to sell your daughters?"
Lin Lang also scoffed: "Who knows? I heard he's been getting quite close to the Chen and Su families lately. I wonder which of their sons he's taken a fancy to."
Shang Shu had heard of the Su family, which started in shipping, but she didn't seem to recognize the other one. She asked Lin Lang, "The Chen family? Which Chen family?"
"It's the Chen family from Jia Hua Media. I heard their ancestors were in the jewelry business, but they fell on hard times and only recently made a fortune again through media," Lin Lang said, recounting the story with great familiarity.
“Jiahua Media…” Shang Shu murmured. Only when Jiahua Media was mentioned did she have a vague recollection of it. She seemed to have rejected their cooperation offers in recent years.
"Yes, what's wrong?" Lin Lang asked, noticing her thoughtful expression.
"It's nothing, it just sounds familiar." Shang Shu quickly put the matter out of her mind.
After chatting for a while, she got a little bored: "Lin Lang, I really can't stay at home anymore, shall we go out?"
Lin Lang looked at her suspiciously: "Don't you dare get me into trouble."
"No, no, look, I'm really fine." Shang Shu jumped off the bed and spun around three times to the left and three times to the right.
"Stop, stop, stop." Lin Lang quickly stopped Shang Shu, who was about to spin around and fly away: "Go shopping in the city center? I heard that a new Michelin restaurant opened there, we can go and try it."
"Okay!" Shang Shu readily agreed and finished tidying up in no time.
The city center of Australia is home to the largest shopping district, and shopping here is Lin Lang's favorite activity. So Shang Shu followed her and swept through a bunch of luxury brand counters.
"Does this outfit look good?" Lin Lang pulled back the curtain of the fitting room and asked Shang Shu, who was sitting on the sofa.
Shang Shu was a little distracted, her mind constantly wandering to Gu Sui. She looked up at Lin Lang and smiled as she commented, "Hmm, beautiful."
Lin Lang pursed her lips: "You said the same thing about every single one of the seven outfits just now." After saying that, she admired herself in front of the mirror again and said to her sales associate, "I want all of those, and this one too."
The salesperson immediately beamed with joy. Since the two were VIC customers of various stores, everyone from the store manager to the staff knew them very well. Therefore, with their attentive service, they eventually left carrying large bags and small packages.
Lin Lang stood in front of the car, took the bag from Shang Shu's hand, and casually tossed it to the back of the car: "Let's go, let's eat!"
"Okay." Shang Shu replied, glancing at the Scarlet Bar not far away. It wasn't late yet, and the lights outside the bar weren't on, making it look rather low-key.
Shang Shu's thoughts drifted towards the crimson area. Ever since she learned it was Gu Sui's bar, she had never been there again.
Perhaps... Gu Sui will be there?
"What are you looking at? Come on, I'm so hungry." Lin Lang turned around, pulled Shang Shu, who was lost in thought, and headed straight for the restaurant.
"Tonight's appetizer is Gillardeau N°2 oysters, from the French Atlantic coast. They are known for their balanced saltiness and subtle fruity aftertaste, and are hailed as 'white wine of the sea.' We've paired them with champagne vinegar pearls and grapefruit foam to highlight the oysters' natural sweetness..." The restaurant's chef personally introduced the oysters to the two of them.
Shang Shu's phone suddenly rang. She saw that the caller ID was Song Lanye and felt a little uneasy. Song Lanye usually only spoke to her in person and sent short and concise messages. She rarely called her directly. Shang Shu apologized to Lin Lang, then turned her body slightly to the side and answered the phone.
"Lan Ye, what's wrong?"
"President Shang, I'm afraid we'll need you to come to the company in person." Song Lan, who was usually calm, now had a hint of panic in her voice.
"What happened?" Shang Shu's heart sank, and her expression immediately became serious.
Song Lan paused for a few seconds, seemingly considering how to organize her thoughts to report the matter concisely: "Our spring/summer design drafts were leaked to Denali, and they've already released a preview of the finished product." After a few more seconds of silence, she continued, "Also, Li Yun has resigned."
Upon hearing this, Shang Shu felt as if she had been struck by lightning. A sharp buzzing sound began to ring in her ears, and she felt dizzy.
"President Shang..." Song Lan said anxiously and worriedly on the other end of the phone.
"I'll be right there." Shang Shu hung up the phone after saying that, then turned to Lin Lang: "Something happened at the company, I have to go there immediately."
"Are you alright? I'll go with you." Lin Lang immediately put down his cutlery when he saw that her face looked frighteningly pale.
"No need, I'm just sorry for today. I'll definitely treat you another day." Shang Shu quickly swept her curly hair to one side, stood up, and put on her coat as she spoke.
Lin Lang was a little worried, but knew that he couldn't help much with the company's affairs even if he went there, so he repeatedly told her, "Then be careful. If you need any help, feel free to contact me. Be sure to tell me."
"Okay." Shang Shu forced a smile at her, then grabbed her bag and hurriedly left.
A note from the author:
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