Ten minutes after the car entered the main road, Ha Yue, who had just been yelling at Xue Jing in the dormitory, "How could I possibly fall asleep!", was already snoring softly in the passenger seat.
Helpless, Xue Jing turned the heater to the right angle and aimed it at Ha Yue, then focused intently on the steering wheel.
The one-hour drive wasn't too lonely, because whenever Xue Jing signaled to overtake, Ha Yue would grind her teeth like a little squirrel and mutter a few words in her sleep that he couldn't understand. He listened intently, treating it like a radio drama to pass the time.
As the car approached the foot of the mountain, the fuel light on the dashboard illuminated. Xue Jing slowed down and pulled into a roadside gas station, got out, and filled the tank. Looking out the window, he saw that Ha Yue was still fast asleep. Xue Jing hesitated, and when he got back into the car, he deliberately made the sound of closing the door quieter.
Ha Yue was sleeping soundly, her eyes tightly closed, her lips slightly parted, and her face was squeezed to the side by the pillow, almost to the point of drooling. It was too much of a pity to wake her up like that. Seeing that there was still time, Xue Jing first parked the car in the parking space next to the convenience store.
The car was still running, the heater was still blowing, and Xue Jing looked a little tired. He pressed his temples and got out of the car to buy a can of coffee.
He wandered around the shelves a few times, his eyes constantly glancing towards the car. After paying the bill, he absentmindedly thanked the clerk, pushed open the convenience store door, and poured himself a can of coffee and a can of Red Bull in the sub-zero temperatures. While drinking his beverage, he glanced at the shadowy figure in the passenger seat and couldn't help but reach for the ring box in his inner breast pocket.
Yesterday afternoon, Xue Jing was quite satisfied with his choice after being flattered by the salesperson when he bought the ring. However, with the proposal just around the corner, he started to hesitate and doubt his own taste in women's jewelry. Perhaps he was simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of rings he had seen?
If Ha Yue thinks his ring is ugly, wouldn't it be a huge injustice for his proposal to fail?
So, as he threw the can into the trash can, he suddenly realized he needed a third-party opinion to nip any possible reasons why Ha Yue might reject him in the bud. As for who among his acquaintances was best at giving gifts to his girlfriend, it was naturally Zhou Shuang, the sucker.
As far as he knew, Zhou Shuang had given away quite a few pieces of jewelry so far, and buying luxury goods for the girls he liked during holidays was a regular task for him. Zhou Shuang's knowledge of the latest women's products from major luxury brands was no less than that of a professional sales associate, but the girls who received his gifts never ended up choosing him.
However, as a reference, Xue Jing can exclude his opinion.
Without hesitation, Xue Jing took out the ring from his pocket, opened the blue velvet ring box, and took the ring out. He rotated it repeatedly to check its brilliance. Then, as if someone had stepped on his tail, he hurriedly walked to a better-lit place and began to record and photograph the ring from every angle with his phone.
So, at 5:40 a.m., Zhou Shuang, who was sleeping soundly in her own bed in Jicheng, was awakened by a series of messages on her phone.
Recently, half of Zhou Shuang's "lecturers" have tested positive for COVID-19. As soon as you step outside, in the elevator, or on the street, coughing can be heard everywhere. The elderly waiting for cremation at the funeral home can't get a number, and imported Azvudine tablets have been hyped up to a record high in the pharmaceutical industry.
Locals in Jicheng jokingly say that recently, even the atmosphere in Jicheng is teeming with viruses.
But for Zhou Shuang, not making money in the short term is a minor issue; losing long-term engagement is the real problem. The internet is constantly evolving and changing. Even internet celebrities can experience a rapid rise and fall in popularity. For someone like Xue Jing, disappearing from the internet quietly for two months is tantamount to a digital death.
Forget about advertising; whether follow-up courses can even keep up is a big problem.
So he simply moved all the company's operations to his home, doing the work of ten people and covering the jobs of all the employees on leave.
After finishing a video conference yesterday morning, he went to work on plans with the marketing department, who were also working from home, in the afternoon. At 8 p.m., he hastily drank a glass of protein powder and then started dealing with dozens of business breach of contract matters. He was busy until 4 a.m. before he finally managed to finish and crawl into bed.
Zhou Shuang woke up after sleeping for less than two hours, feeling palpitations and shortness of breath. Her eyes were red and she could barely open one eye. She groaned as she got up, opened her phone, and put it under her left eye.
When Zhou Shuang saw the dozen or so videos and photos sent by Xue Jing, her mind went blank. She thought that Xue Jing's WeChat account had been hacked by an unscrupulous merchant doing micro-business. Before she could even make a call to confirm Xue Jing's identity, Xue Jing called her.
He answered the phone, clutching his heart as he leaned back against the headboard. He had barely managed a weak "hello" when Xue Jing's rapid-fire words came through the receiver, the words practically burning his tongue: "Hey! Did you see the ring I sent you? What do you think? Do you think it's presentable as a gift? Would a 26-year-old girl, almost 27, like it? Is it too young? Is the style too flashy? What's the clarity like? The fire is good, but isn't the cut a bit lacking? Aren't the small diamonds on the setting a bit unnecessary?"
"Zhou Shuang? What are you doing? Are you dead? If you're not dead, say something!"
Zhou Shuang opened both eyes wide, thinking to himself, "I want to talk, but you have to give me a moment to catch my breath before you can interrupt me."
For over a month, this bastard didn't even answer the phone. If he hadn't been constantly changing his profile picture on WeChat, Zhou Shuang would have really thought she would have to go to Suicheng to collect his remains. Now, when he was giving the girl a gift, he suddenly came back to life and remembered that he had a friend.
As Zhou Shuang moved her fingers, she let out a long sigh of relief and scrolled up to look at the photo of Xue Jing's ring.
After a moment's hesitation, he frowned and commented, "The item looks passable, but how long have you known her? Don't tell me you're only just starting to pursue her and you're already giving her such a big gift. A six-prong platinum setting is way too formal, and the diamond is so big. Have you been writing too many novels and gotten yourself confused? Why are you giving her a classic wedding ring for a relationship? Not to be rude, but this style is so outdated, like what those old European royalty used to wear. If you ask me, you should give her some colored gemstone rose gold, with a big butterfly or a leopard head. Lately, a lot of girls are starting to like those old Sanrio rings again. Or how about you get a custom-made Hello Kitty one? It'd be so cool to wear. Just like the lessons we're preparing for the second session, keeping up with the times..."
Before Zhou Shuang could successfully steer the conversation back to selling courses, the phone went dead.
Looking at his phone screen again, he saw that Xue Jing had already hung up the phone and sent him a text message on WeChat.
"Thank you, my friend, that's a great suggestion. I've decided to give you this one."
Zhou Shuang from Jicheng grumbled and sneered, then shrank back under the covers, trying to fall asleep again. Inside the car, Ha Yue was sleeping, dreaming of her childhood dream of climbing trees and raiding bird nests.
In her dream, Ha Yue was riding on a towering tree, reaching out her hand towards a bird's nest that was emitting a rainbow of light in the distance. The next second, a hurricane swept in, and she lost her balance from the treetop. As she fell, she waved her hands but couldn't grab any branches. Instead, she woke up in pain because her elbow hit the car window.
With the tree gone, the bird's nest was naturally gone too. Ha Yue, long past the age of climbing trees, was sleeping in Xue Jing's pickup truck.
Ha Yue patted her cheeks. Xue Jing wasn't in the driver's seat. Her blurry vision drifted to the window, and she immediately saw Xue Jing talking on the phone outside the convenience store.
Rubbing her eyes, Ha Yue stretched in the warm and cozy space, took a small sip of hot water from her thermos, and noticed that Xue Jing seemed to have ended the call. She immediately waved her hand, indicating that he could get in the car and continue the journey.
However, Xue Jing had his head down and didn't notice Ha Yue's actions immediately. Ha Yue narrowed her eyes and quickly withdrew her hand, which was about to push open the car door, to her side.
She clenched her fists and stared intently. No matter how she looked at it, the thing Xue Jing was holding in his hands looked like a ring box.
Thinking back to the huge bouquet of flowers Xue Jing had in his hand last night, Ha Yue's lips twitched, and she silently repeated to herself several times, "No way, no way. Don't do this, really don't do this."
When the other person turned around, her pupils dilated, she immediately held her breath, and lay back down on the car seat, pretending to be asleep.
Because she could see clearly that Xue Jing was not just holding a ring box, but also had a huge diamond ring inside that could dazzle her eyes.
As Xue Jing put the ring away and got back into the car, his mood soared again. Just as he pulled the handbrake, Ha Yue, who was sitting next to him, "coincidentally" woke up. He immediately gave her a bright smile, squeezed her hand, and said happily, "You're awake! I was just about to wake you up! Have some water, wake up, and we'll be at the parking lot soon."
At six o'clock sharp, the two set off from the hiking trail. The snow in the mountains had not completely melted yet. Although there was no ice or snow on the mountain path, as long as they stopped and slightly tilted their flashlights around, they were surrounded by a scene of silver-clad trees and jade branches in the darkness.
To conserve their energy and breathe fully, Ha Yue and Xue Jing barely spoke during the hour-long climb, except for reminding each other of the path conditions. When they finally reached the steep summit, they collapsed on the ground under a sky full of stars, pulled down their scarves, and took deep breaths of fresh air. They both opened their thermos cups to replenish their water as they headed down the mountain.
With just over ten minutes to go before sunrise, Ha Yue's phone vibrated; it was a video from her caregiver, Wu Fangtian.
Compared to the mountains, the temperature at the summit was a few degrees lower. Ha Yue, wearing gloves, held her phone and tapped the video with her chin. In the video, Zhao Chunni was having breakfast at home, while Wu Fangtian was telling Ha Yue about their schedule that morning. She said that Zhao Chunni was very alert today, so she specially took a short video of her early in the morning.
After explaining today's schedule, Wu Fangtian suddenly asked Zhao Chunni with a smile, "Nizi, do you know who I'm sending the video to?"
Zhao Chunni didn't look up, but simply said loudly, "How could I not know?"
Wu Fangtian laughed heartily and said into the phone, "Girl, your mom told me yesterday that she misses you. Are you coming home if you have a few days off?"
In the video, Zhao Chunni frowned immediately upon hearing this and said to Wu Fangtian, "I didn't say that. Who misses her? She's just like her father, always running away. Why would I miss her?" Zhao Chunni spoke so forcefully that her cheeks turned red, and she even spat out some rice.
Wu Fangtian let out a "huh" and didn't argue with her too much. She just pretended to put down her phone and said in a friendly manner, "What's there to be embarrassed about when a mother misses her daughter? I won't record anymore, let's just talk between the two of us. You really don't want her to come back when she's resting? She works so hard outside, and you even spend money to hire a caregiver. She's such a good daughter, what's wrong with thinking about it?"
"You really need to change the way you talk. The children are grown up and are now guests; how can you deliberately say the opposite of what you mean? If the children are unhappy, won't that affect their lives? Wouldn't it be better if everyone were happy?"
In the darkness, with the rustling of fabric, Wu Fangtian waited for a moment, then walked over to Zhao Chunni and quietly asked, "Do you miss her? If you really don't, I'll tell her not to come back, so you won't get angry again."
Soon, in the last second of the video, Zhao Chunni said in a barely audible voice, "I'm thinking about it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
