Peace every year
After a satisfying meal and a good drink, the afternoon meeting went much more smoothly. Zhang Li stood up and shook hands with the other party. "It's a pleasure to work with you. Let's finalize the plan as soon as possible."
Zhang Li led the way and sent the person downstairs. She followed behind her with her notebook and sent the person to the official car. The two of them stood by the driveway and waved, and turned around only after the car drove away.
Zhang Li's voice was hoarse from talking so much: "Siqi, do you want to have dinner with me later? We can discuss the details."
"I have a meeting with a friend tonight. Let's talk about it at work tomorrow." Wu Siqi didn't want to work overtime today, mainly because he didn't want to have dinner with his colleagues.
Zhang Li didn't mind: "Okay, we'll have a pleasant cooperation." She extended her hand to invite her to shake hands.
Wu Siqi gave a friendly smile that was typical of the workplace: "It's been a pleasure working with you, Team Zhang."
Zhang Li has more experience than her and is in her early thirties. She was poached from another company two years ago with a high salary. They have not worked together on a project yet. She knows that she is a returned overseas master's degree holder with a bad temper. She often quarrels with the client. She often sees her scolding her subordinates to tears, but she can always get along well with her colleagues afterwards.
Someone who is the complete opposite of a calm person like her.
To avoid continuing the awkward conversation in the elevator, Wu Siqi said, "I'm going to the convenience store to buy something."
"I want to buy a can of Coke too. Let's go together." Zhang Li followed her into the convenience store.
After failing to find an excuse, Wu Siqi opened the freezer and picked up a box of yogurt. While waiting in line to check out, she took a box of chocolates from the shelf. Zhang Li followed her with a can of sugar-free cola.
Zhang Li: "Drinking such a high-sugar drink at night? It's good to be thin. There are no taboos."
"I drink it occasionally," Wu Siqi showed the payment code to the clerk, "No need for a bag."
She put the chocolate into her pocket and walked out of the automatically opened glass door, and Zhang Li arrived right after her.
Zhang Li handed Wu Siqi a straw and said, "See you didn't take it."
Wu Siqi: "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Zhang Li pulled the ring off the Coke, inserted the straw through it, and took a sip. The two walked side by side, so quiet that they could hear the bubbling of carbon dioxide in the Coke. "We've never had the chance to work together. You're really as cold as the rumors say."
Wu Siqi: "It's just a rumor. They like to make fun of me."
"Really?" Zhang Li pressed the elevator button. Wu Siqi stood by, turning his phone on and off. Zhang Li asked, "Waiting for a message from your date?"
"No, let me check the time." Wu Siqi put his cell phone in his pocket.
Zhang Li took another sip of her Coke. "Yeah, I heard you're single too, Siqi."
Wu Siqi hummed, "I don't have time to think about this."
"Siqi, you're so young and beautiful, it would be a waste if you didn't have a relationship." Zhang Li stepped into the elevator first. "But, with all the overtime we do, we don't have time for a relationship. If we have free time, we might as well just sleep, right?"
"Don't you have an ideal type?" Zhang Li put one hand in her pocket and tucked the notebook between her elbows.
Wu Siqi shook his head, "I haven't thought about it."
Ideal type? A pair of watery eyes suddenly popped up in her mind.
"Is that so?" Zhang Li changed the subject. "This project is quite large. Xu Tingting from your team has been transferred. Can you handle it?"
Wu Siqi thought for a moment and said, "Based on the content of the meeting, it shouldn't be a big problem. Our team has done similar projects twice, so we all have experience."
Zhang Li: "That's good. I don't want anything to go wrong."
The elevator arrived, and Wu Siqi stepped out first. "I'll do my best to cooperate, and I don't want to make any mistakes."
After returning to his workstation, Wu Siqi turned off the computer, put the chocolate in his pocket into the drawer, and left work with his bag. He would not work overtime today.
Just as he was about to close the elevator door, someone outside shouted "Wait a minute", and Wu Siqi quickly pressed the door-opening button.
Zhang Li ran in breathlessly, "Thank you, huh, I made it."
Wu Siqi nodded, leaned against the elevator wall, and stared at the advertisement on the display screen.
Zhang Li: "I heard that Siqi, you always take the subway to and from get off work. Where have you made plans to have dinner with your friends? I'll take you there." She shook the car keys in her hand.
"No trouble, thank you." Wu Siqi stood up straight and waved his hand.
Zhang Li put her keys back into her bag with a look of astonishment on her face. "Okay."
"First floor." An emotionless electronic female voice sounded, the elevator door opened, and the two walked out of the elevator together. Wu Siqi was a little surprised, she thought her car was parked in the underground garage.
Seeing her looking at her with doubtful eyes, Zhang Li smiled and said, "The parking lot outside is cheaper."
Wu Siqi said "oh" and waved goodbye: "Have a safe journey, bye."
Zhang Li: "Bye, see you tomorrow."
"Xiaowu."
Wu Siqi's heart skipped a beat.
The cut wire was reconnected.
Zhang Li: "Is this the friend you made an appointment with?" She turned to ask Wu Siqi.
Being put on the spot, Wu Siqi didn't know whether to refuse or not. "Okay, see you tomorrow, Team Zhang." She pulled the angry Yi Ning out of the company.
When I walked outside the company building, it was so busy that it was not a place to talk. If I did something with Yi Ning here, I didn't know what strange things would be spread when I returned to the company tomorrow.
Yi Ning didn't say anything, just let her pull him. He looked around and pulled the man into the city garden near the company.
There were fewer people around, all busy going home from work, and no one came here. She gradually slowed down her pace, loosened her hand, and walked along, following Yi Ning's shadow.
Wu Siqi spoke first: "Why did you come to see me?"
"Why did you block me?" Yi Ning grabbed her and stopped her from leaving.
Wu Siqi didn't even turn around: "No reason, so you came to my company to block me just to ask this?"
Yining was anxious: "Isn't this important? You gave me a hairpin and were so gentle to me. I'm not stupid. Xiaowu, you clearly care about me, why did you block me?"
Wu Siqi turned around, his face cold: "I think you misunderstood, I just apologized, I didn't mean anything else."
Yi Ning looked up at her, his expression unyielding: "You are lying."
Wu Siqi sneered: "What do you want?" He hardened his heart and decided to push this person away before any trouble arose.
The person in front of her was standing in the moonlight, cold as an ice cube. Yi Nin frowned, not understanding why she was fine yesterday afternoon, but suddenly took a turn for the worse and became like this. Could it be that Xiao Hei gave her Meng Meng's tea without her knowing?
Yi Ning: "I want to..." Yes, what did she want to do? Her brain suddenly got stuck.
My mind jumped to ask: "Did you drink tea?"
"You think you're funny?" Wu Siqi forced a sarcastic smile. "If you don't have anything else to say, then goodbye."
"Why?" Yi Ning grabbed her hand and stopped her from leaving. Her palm was as cold as she was.
He turned around and put on an impatient expression, "Excuse me, what is our relationship? We just worked together on an event and had two meals together. Why, why, why, why are you asking for what?"
Yi Ning: "Why do you treat me like this when you clearly care about me so much?"
Wu Siqi's expression froze and he sneered, "You think too much, I don't care about you." He wanted to break free from her warm hand, but couldn't.
Yi Ning: "Then why are you so nice to me?"
Wu Siqi: "Thank you, I'm just repaying your help with the event." She looked at their clasped hands, "Can you let go?"
Yi Ning obediently let go of her hand and took a step back, "You are lying." Her voice was too sad. Wu Siqi finally dared to look at her, and his heart was slightly moved. She still had the hairpin on her head.
"I didn't have to lie to you," Wu Siqi said in a softer tone, "Maybe I did something that made you misunderstand. I'm sorry for causing you to misunderstand. We..."
"It was just a chance encounter. You might have overthought it, and I might have overdone it. There's no need to contact you again. Goodbye. Thank you so much for your cooperation in this event."
After saying a long speech, Wu Siqi's heart fell to the ground and disappeared into the soil.
She must have been very hurt after hearing such words. Wu Siqi had already turned and walked away. She didn't dare to look back, for fear of being soft-hearted.
She was not the first sun to be pushed away by her own hands.
Eight years ago, the days when something happened at home were extremely difficult to endure. It was a very dark period, so dark that she could not remember how she got through it. The brain's protection mechanism helped her block out many memories.
A female classmate in her major, who she was not very familiar with at the time, somehow heard about her car accident and ran over from the neighboring city, bringing fruits and flowers to the hospital.
She couldn't even call out the other person's name at the time, but she saw genuine heartache in the other person's eyes, which was different from the hypocritical and artificial concern of her relatives.
Those relatives came and asked a lot of questions, and then left in a hurry as if they were afraid of bringing bad luck to them.
Wu Siqi knew that these relatives were secretly saying that she was unlucky, saying that her grandmother had died when she was born, and that she had killed her parents when she grew up. She had been sickly since she was a child, and was a disaster star and very unlucky.
Her name is Dai Xiaoxing. I can still remember what she wore that day: a high ponytail, a white short-sleeved T-shirt with a Mickey Mouse head printed on it, black denim shorts, and white sneakers. It was very summery and warm.
She came for a month, chatting with her and watching the trees outside the ward and the birds on the trees with her. She was reluctant to leave until the end of summer vacation and the start of school when she had to go back to report.
Wu Siqi had a weak constitution and poor recovery ability, and it was not until October, at the beginning of autumn, that he returned to school on crutches to end his sick leave.
The counselor, knowing her family situation, sympathetically applied for a first-floor dormitory for her to make it easier for her to come and go.
Dai Xiaoxing would come to chat with her every day and accompany her to the cafeteria for meals.
Although they were in the same major, they were in different classes and had different schedules. However, Dai Xiaoxing remained unchanged. She was in a bad mood at that time and had an even worse temper. Some small things would touch her sensitive nerves, and classmates who used to have a good relationship with her kept their distance from her.
Dai Xiaoxing let her lose her temper and accepted all the unreasonable words she said.
At that time, she often felt lost, and only realized she was crying when she came to her senses. Dai Xiaoxing didn't say anything, but took a tissue to help her wipe away her tears, held her cold hand with his warm hand, and said, "Such beautiful eyes should not be used for crying."
Dai Xiaoxing's voice is as warm as she is.
Life is not so hard with someone by your side, and winter will always pass.
The physical wounds healed, but she learned to hide the pain in her heart.
Dai Xiaoxing told her at the first second of 2013: I like you Siqi.
That day, Dai Xiaoxing asked her to go to the riverside to set off fireworks for the New Year's Eve. She was afraid of the cold and didn't want to go. Dai Xiaoxing didn't care, as the New Year's Eve was boring. Wu Siqi went to bed in the dormitory early that day with a hot water bottle in her arms.
During the New Year's Day holiday, all her roommates went home, and she had no home to return to.
Just before she fell asleep, Dai Xiaoxing knocked on her dormitory door, climbed out of bed holding a hot water bottle and opened the door. Wu Siqi was very dissatisfied and got angry, "What are you doing! I was almost asleep."
Dai Xiaoxing said: "I will be with you until 2013."
Wu Siqi: "I'm going to sleep."
Dai Xiaoxing grabbed her wrist, his eyes gleaming, "It's 59 minutes, almost midnight."
She sat on the stool, feeling cold, and frowned: "Is this how we celebrate New Year's Eve?"
The other party took out a bag from his arms and said, "Here, the fairy wand."
"You are so bold to play this in the dormitory. You will be punished if you are found out." Wu Siqi said this, but he also took out a fairy wand from the box.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Wu Siqi opened his palm and asked, "Where's the lighter?"
Dai Xiaoxing took it out of his pocket, "Here."
Lighting up the night for her, the stars exploded, and there was warmth as the gunpowder burned, and she said, "Happy New Year, Siqi."
Wu Siqi rested his hands on his crossed legs, holding a lit fairy wand in one hand, and replied to her in a disgusted tone: "Happy New Year."
When the starlight was about to go out, Dai Xiaoxing said, "I like you, Siqi."
Wu Siqi said "hmm" to indicate that he understood.
Dai Xiaoxing asked, "What about you?"
Wu Siqi glanced up at her, then lowered his brows to look at the extinguished fairy wand. "I'm not a fairy, I can't make wishes, why do you like me?"
"I like you so much. You're beautiful, kind, and warm-hearted. You feed snacks to stray cats and build shelters for them. You dance beautifully. There's so much I can say." Dai Xiaoxing helped her throw the burnt iron rod into the trash can and covered her with the long down jacket hanging in the closet, enveloping her skinny body. "It's so cold."
"You know it's cold too. It's so cold but you still hold me and talk about this and that." Wu Siqi put his hands into the sleeves of his down jacket, pulled his feet in, and curled up on the stool like a ball of fur.
Dai Xiaoxing smiled and said, "I can't hold it back any longer. I really want you to know that there are still people in this world who love you."
Wu Siqi was choked, his cheeks turned red, and after a while his eyes narrowed and he wanted to cry.
After six months of being together, Dai Xiaoxing knew exactly what her reaction was, and apologized repeatedly, "I shouldn't have said that."
This time she held back and didn't cry. In the end, she didn't say yes or no. She just drove the man out of the dormitory and went to sleep.
The days went on as usual, and Dai Xiaoxing still stayed with her. Occasionally, he would cross the line and reach out to hold her hand. She didn't refuse, but she didn't take the initiative to hold it either, and kept her five fingers slightly open.
The relationship between the two became closer and closer. Dai Xiaoxing brought her into his social circle, took her to join clubs, attend KTV class reunions, and take her to be a volunteer for the school anniversary, making her more lively.
She almost agreed to her if she hadn't heard Dai Xiaoxing's roommates chatting that day.
They said, "Don't you think Xiaoxing has become very unlucky in the past year?"
"You think so too, I think so too! I didn't even dare to tell her, but she often hits her head for no reason. During tennis class, the ball always hits her like it's positioned."
"Not only that, I heard the dog she was working on for her graduation project died of illness. The entire project is ruined, and she might even have to postpone her graduation."
"Is she in trouble? She's so unlucky."
"Who knows? Maybe he got infected by that depressed face after spending too much time with him."
"Is that dejected face planning to get another national scholarship this year? How can someone be so smart that he can study so well even if he takes sick leave every day?"
She didn't listen after that, and returned to her dormitory in a daze, putting the notebook she borrowed from Dai Xiaoxing on the desk.
Yes, Dai Xiaoxing has been having bad luck recently. If I hadn't pulled her in time this morning, she would have almost lost her footing and rolled down the stairs.
You are a disaster, Wu Siqi.
She hugged her legs tightly and cried silently.
The next day, she invited Dai Xiaoxing to the college's Lotus Lake, returned the scarf Dai Xiaoxing had given her, and said, "I'm not a lesbian. Please don't bother me anymore."
This was the first thread she cut with her own hands.
I wish peace and prosperity to everyone on the other end of the line.
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