Chapter 44 Don't overwork yourself.
When Ji Songning was about to arrive, Shang Shu came downstairs to wait. She thought that no matter how she felt, since she had agreed, she had to do a good job of entertaining her guest.
"Senior." Ji Songning got out of the car and walked to Shang Shu's side, looking her up and down with some curiosity.
She was lying at home when she sent the invitation to her senior. After receiving a positive reply, she was both surprised and delighted. She wanted to dress up nicely, but she was also afraid that her senior would keep her waiting. In the end, however, her image took precedence. She quickly put on makeup and even curled her hair.
"I hope this sudden question didn't interfere with your work?" After looking around for a while, she lowered her head slightly, tucked her curly hair behind her ear, and asked politely.
"No." Shang Shu smiled faintly and prepared to lead the people inside.
Ji Songning raised her head, looked at the beautiful logo at the top of the company building, and asked on a whim, "S&S, is it because of your senior's name?"
Shang Shu turned around at the sound and saw the person with their head raised, so she couldn't help but follow their gaze.
Shang Shu guessed that many people naturally shared the same idea as Ji Songning about the origin of the name, and even she herself said the same thing when Lin Lang asked.
At the time, she thought that she might as well let her pathetic romantic mind remain a secret buried deep in her heart forever.
"Part of it," she answered Ji Songning's question ambiguously, then raised her arm and said, "Let's go in."
After leading Ji Songning to the jewelry showroom on the first floor and exchanging a few words, Shang Shu stood quietly to the side, watching people admire the jewelry.
Ji Songning wandered among the neatly arranged jewelry display cases, occasionally letting out some exclamations. Some were recognitions of the exhibition room design from museum scholars, while others were praises from junior students for their senior students' design works.
On the display screen next to her, images of the new spring/summer collection were being shown. Ji Songning leaned closer to take a look and was immediately drawn to the shimmering lily set designed by Shang Shu. She thought the design was very special and exuded a gentle love.
"Why is this lily designed with multiple overlapping petals?" she pointed, somewhat curious about the story behind this special design.
"Because this variety is a double-flowered lily." Shang Shu pursed her lips and described its special features to the person.
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but recall the little girl's ambiguous flower language.
"Heart to heart".
But are they truly in love?
If that's the case, how could Gu Sui not understand her heart?
More than a thousand days and nights of separation—how could she possibly never mention it for the rest of her life…
"It's so unique, so beautiful!" Ji Songning praised enthusiastically from the side.
Shang Shu knew that Ji Songning had said a lot, but she hadn't been able to hear a single word because her mind was completely occupied by another person.
It wasn't until the two arrived at the restaurant and had to sit facing each other that Shang Shu came to her senses and remembered to look the other person in the eye.
"Senior...is something on your mind?" Ji Songning asked cautiously when she saw that the girl seemed a little listless.
She could tell that Shang Shu was distracted. From the moment she left until now, her senior had said no more than ten words to her, and her smile was forced.
"I'm sorry." Shang Shu felt a little apologetic for having her thoughts exposed, but she really couldn't stop thinking about her relationship with Gu Sui; her mind was just too chaotic.
Ji Songning straightened up: "Senior, if you consider me a friend and are willing to talk to me, I'd be happy to be your confidante."
Shang Shu couldn't help but smile as she watched the person speaking so seriously.
Seeing that she had made someone laugh, Ji Songning was happy but also a little confused. She leaned forward and said, "I'm serious, senior. I think I'm pretty good at comforting people. At least that's what my friends say."
"With your personality, you must have a lot of friends, right?" Shang Shu asked in return, following the other person's words.
She knew the other person meant well, but she wasn't one to confide in others, especially about matters of the heart. So, apart from Lin Lang, whom she had grown up with, she didn't plan to discuss such private matters with anyone else.
Ji Songning touched his ear somewhat embarrassedly: "Ah, there are quite a lot."
Then, she felt a little annoyed. Weren't we talking about her senior? How did we end up talking about her again after just a few sentences?
Thinking that the other person might not want to bring it up, she opened her mouth and started a new topic: "Actually... I was quite surprised to hear that you're single."
"Really?" Shang Shu looked up at Ji Songning, seemingly surprised that he would say this. She blinked, waiting for him to continue.
“Hmm.” Ji Songning nodded. “Senior is such a nice person, surely no one would dislike her, right?” After saying that, she met Shang Shu’s eyes intently.
This was indeed her true thought, but it wasn't what puzzled her. What truly baffled her was the woman that the senior student mentioned liking.
Clearly, whether through her intuition or that person's behavior, it was obvious that she also liked the senior. So if they liked each other, why weren't they together?
She even wondered if her senior's unhappiness today might also be related to that person.
Upon hearing this, Shang Shu raised an eyebrow and said half-jokingly, "You could call this blind worship."
"Yes." Ji Songning admitted without hesitation. To exaggerate, she wanted to maintain a lifelong positive view of Shang Shu because of what happened back then.
Having lived abroad for so many years, coupled with her naturally outgoing personality, she had long been accustomed to expressing her affection openly. Now, facing Shang Shu, she had restrained herself to the extreme.
“These past few days, the thought that I’ll have less contact with my senior after the exhibition ends has made me very sad,” Ji Songning said with her eyes downcast. “I even wish this exhibition could continue indefinitely.”
As she spoke, Ji Songning raised her eyes and met Shang Shu's gaze directly: "I haven't found a suitable opportunity to speak up before, but I really want to say that I really like you, senior."
Shang Shu's lips twitched slightly as she waited for the person to finish speaking.
"I know you already have someone you like, but I still want you to know how I feel." Ji Songning forced a smile, which sounded a bit like disappointment and a bit like helplessness.
"I can't really explain how complicated this feeling is. It did start with gratitude back then, and it seems to have continued because of being attracted to my senior's work. Now, I've personally returned to Macau to work with her, and I can feel that this affection hasn't diminished... Whether my senior considers it admiration or something else, I just want to say that to me, my senior will always be the best person, someone who deserves all the good things in life."
Hearing the other party speak so sincerely, Shang Shu couldn't help but be moved.
Perhaps she will never be as brave or open-minded as the girl in front of her in her entire life.
“Sonia,” she called softly.
"Thank you for telling me all this, and thank you for your affection. Actually, I might not be as good as you think, or rather, we're all like that." Shang Shu paused, then continued, "In my eyes, you are an excellent and brave girl. I believe you must also be the most perfect person in someone's eyes. You will definitely meet someone better than me, because you deserve it too."
There was no perfunctory attitude, no awkwardness, only mutual appreciation between the two girls.
Ji Songning's eyes reddened slightly, but she still couldn't help but smile and say, "Then I'll accept this 'good person card' for now. I still want to be friends with you, senior. Please don't avoid me."
Hearing what the other person said, Shang Shu couldn't help but smile and shake her head.
*
Watching Shang Shu's retreating figure as she entered the company, Gu Sui sighed in his car.
How could she not see that the girl was in a bad mood? She also vaguely guessed that the girl's conversation with Liang Wanzhi must have gone wrong, otherwise she wouldn't have suddenly asked her those questions earlier.
Thinking about her answer, she fell silent for a moment, as if the sweat that had appeared on her palms the moment she heard the question had returned to her hands.
She went to a nearby flower shop and picked out a beautiful bouquet. She knew the little girl liked flowers. The bouquet of double lilies she had given her in Shanghai last time was almost wilted when they left, and the little girl was a little sad about it.
But when she got back into the car, she happened to run into Shang Shu and Ji Songning leaving the company and getting into a restaurant not far away.
Follow them.
She couldn't control the thought; her brain was screaming wildly, leaving her no time to think before she gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the gas.
This was the first time in her life she had ever done something like stalking someone. She even felt that the person sitting in the driver's seat wasn't her at all, but another soul named Gu Sui.
Even through the two panes of glass, she could see everything clearly. She saw the little girl talking to the person on the other side for a long time, and she also saw the person laugh, laugh several times.
It turns out she wasn't unhappy; she just couldn't share that happiness with herself.
Gu Sui took out her phone and, almost without thinking, called Shang Shu. She stared intently at the gleaming glass window of the restaurant, watching as the young girl picked up her phone, glanced at it, and then put it down again. After hesitating for a long time, she got up again, walked to the side, and answered the call.
"What's wrong?" Shang Shu didn't expect Gu Sui to call her suddenly. She leaned against the wall of the restaurant corridor, holding the phone to her ear with one hand and letting the other hand hang down at her side.
My fingertips brushed against the wall; it felt a little cool.
"Are you done with your work?" Gu Sui's voice was very calm, so calm that even she herself was a little surprised.
"No."
"Is that so?" The question was tinged with a barely perceptible chuckle.
"Mmm," Shang Shu replied in a muffled and short voice, concealing her guilt and panic.
Gu Sui's eyes darkened slightly; her little girl really wasn't good at lying.
"I'll pick you up when I'm done." She tightened her grip on her phone.
"No need." Quickly and decisively, without adding any extra reasons.
Silence fell on both ends of the phone call.
"Ah Shu..." Gu Sui's voice trembled slightly at the end.
"Mmm," Shang Shu replied on the other end of the phone.
Don't overwork yourself.
Four words with profound meaning.
Work is too tiring, lying is too tiring, guessing what the other person is thinking through a screen... it's all too tiring.
After hanging up the phone, she watched the little girl sit back down in front of someone else, as if the call had been just an insignificant little incident.
The flowers on the passenger seat were still lying there quietly. Today she had chosen a bouquet of Ice Beauty flowers, with porcelain white petals edged with a faint pink. They were beautiful, just like her little girl.
Unfortunately... its owner doesn't seem to want to see it.
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A word from the author: I'm still so grateful to all the lucky ones who have noticed me!
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