Chapter 94 Familiarity [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Her heart was out of control.
"Really? I thought Professor Fu didn't use WeChat much."
"After all, Professor Fu hasn't accepted my friend request for over a week."
Fu Xianyin felt her back stiffen.
She squatted there, clutching her laptop, the words echoing in her mind, lingering for a long time.
The meeting room fell silent for a moment, then the man named Cheng Yu stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Is Professor Fu still adjusting to life after just returning to China?"
This statement was clearly meant to give Fu Xianyin a way out.
Even if she adapts, she has to say she doesn't.
Fu Xianyin smiled apologetically and said, "Yes, I've been jet-lagged this week and haven't been looking at my phone much."
Fearing that Gu Linzhao might say something inappropriate, she quickly returned to her seat.
Hu Chengcheng seemed to be startled for a moment by this unexpected turn of events, but she reacted quickly and swiftly brought the meeting back on track.
In the second half of the meeting, Fu Xianyin forced herself to concentrate on the meeting.
But the gaze coming from behind her was so strong that she couldn't ignore it.
The hour-long meeting made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. The moment the meeting was announced to be over, Fu Xianyin felt a thin layer of sweat on her palms.
Everyone packed up and left. Fu Xuanyin took out her phone, opened WeChat, and quickly accepted the friend request.
She really forgot.
I was shocked by the words "the other party added me by searching my account" that day. After that, I deliberately avoided it and adjusted my time difference. I had long forgotten about adding Gu Linzhao as a friend.
On the completely black background page, only two messages lay empty.
One friend request, and one "accept" message.
Fu Xianyin breathed a soft sigh of relief.
She doesn't actually like to give people special nicknames. Even during the sweetest time of her life, she always saved Gu Linzhao's nickname as his full three-character name.
Looking at the three words above the chat box, Fu Xianyin suddenly felt relieved. Relieved that WeChat doesn't delete chat history after deleting and adding back a friend.
Otherwise, if we add them back as friends now, we'll have to face everything that happened before.
That would be much better than just killing her.
Fu Xianyin stared blankly at WeChat for two seconds, then closed her laptop and prepared to return to her office.
As Fu Xianyin was leaving the conference room, she bumped into Cheng Yu.
He was holding a water cup, seemingly heading to the tea room to get some water. When he bumped into Fu Xianyin, he greeted her, "Teacher Fu."
Fu Xianyin nodded politely and was about to leave when Cheng Yu smiled and said, "Teacher Fu, you should have accepted my friend request, right?"
Fu Xianyin raised the corners of her mouth and said, "It's approved."
Cheng Yu smiled and said, "That's fine then. I wasn't looking at my phone just now."
He said, "Then I'll add Professor Fu to our project's group chat later."
Fu Xianyin nodded and said, "Okay, thank you."
The pleasantries ended.
Fu Xianyin didn't want to start a chat while she was holding her laptop, so she nodded to Cheng Yu and turned back to her office.
In addition to welcoming Fu Xianyin, the meeting just now also made some assignments for the upcoming tasks.
Fu Xianyin's current role in the project team is that of a technical consultant. Four people in the team report directly to her. Once she passes her test, she will then report directly to Hu Chengcheng.
Fu Xianyin was new, and her self-introduction was more elaborate, with a dedicated PowerPoint slide and her email address and phone number. The others didn't have this level of formality; most simply stood up, stated their name and responsibilities, and that was it.
Fu Xianyin even made a note of the names and faces of the three people who wanted to report on their projects to her, but she was stunned when Cheng Yu pulled her into the WeChat group.
Perhaps because they all knew each other, the nicknames in the group chat were either their own WeChat names or some memes, such as "Xiao Cheng will succeed".
Fu Xianyin looked around but still couldn't find out who those four people were.
But there's no rush.
It was still early before the project report, so Fu Xianyin put her phone aside and did her own thing first.
Anyway, she doesn't know them, but they definitely know her.
We can just wait for them to come and add it.
This is what Fu Xianyin thought.
However, after a whole morning, the contact list was still empty.
It was lunchtime, so Fu Xianyin closed her laptop and planned to have lunch first.
Xingfan Technology provides free meals three times a day; all you need to do is swipe your employee card.
Lu Heyu gave her her work card this morning. The photos were all taken with Lu Heyu's phone in front of the white wall outside her office.
Fu Xianyin simply swept her hair back to reveal her face and took this photo.
Lu Heyu prepared a complete set of things for her, including a work card, a neck card holder, and even a box of cartoon pins for the card holder.
Fu Xianyin didn't wear a brooch; she just went about her business as usual.
A line formed at the entrance of the cafeteria.
It was peak dining time, and Fu Xianyin silently noted this information. She carried her tray and waited in line. After selecting a few dishes that looked good, she prepared to find a seat.
Among a group of unfamiliar faces, Cheng Yu's slightly familiar face actually looked somewhat endearing in this setting.
Sitting with Cheng Yu were several members of the project team who had just had a meeting that morning. Although Fu Xuanyin couldn't remember their names exactly, she could still vaguely recognize their faces.
Fu Xianyin carried the tray over.
When their project team was having dinner, Fu Xianyin hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would be inappropriate for her to join in.
After all, we're not familiar with each other now; we're just colleagues who don't even have each other's faces or WeChat.
Firstly, she's now part of the project team. As a newcomer, even if she doesn't actively try to build relationships, she should at least express that intention to the rest of the team. Watching them eat without even saying hello and then walking away with her plate doesn't seem appropriate at all.
Secondly, and most importantly.
Fu Xianyin didn't see any empty seats elsewhere for the time being.
So she took the plate and went over.
Cheng Yu was the first to notice her. He put down his chopsticks, stood up, and greeted her: "Teacher Fu."
Fu Xianyin said, "Hello, Teacher Cheng."
After greeting Cheng Yu, she nodded and smiled at the other members at the table: "Hello."
Seeing someone about to stand up like Cheng Yu, Fu Xianyin quickly stopped them: "It's alright, it's alright, no need to stand, don't make such a big show of it."
Cheng Yu smiled and sat down.
The atmosphere was a formulaic, half-hearted harmony.
Fu Xianyin was quite satisfied.
She wasn't originally the type of person who was particularly adept at handling interpersonal relationships, so to have reached this level, especially on the first day, is already quite impressive.
At least she believes that everyone should be able to sense her intention.
Her gaze fell on the inside, and just as she was about to say something, a girl spoke up.
The girl's name was Gao Ning. Fu Xianyin remembered her; she was one of the four people who were supposed to report to Fu Xianyin.
Gao Ning said lightly, "I'm sorry, Teacher Fu, there are no seats available."
Fu Xianyin's gaze clearly swept over the empty seat on the inside.
The template of harmony seemed to have been broken, and everyone else at the table turned their attention back to the food.
Silence enveloped the space; no one spoke, everyone remained silent, their eyes closed and their minds blank.
Gao Ning sat in the chair, glanced at Fu Xianyin with her eyelids raised, and showed no intention of giving up her seat.
Fu Xianyin stood in front of the table, her eyelashes lowered, her gaze fixed on Gao Ning.
To be honest, Gao Ning has a rather delicate and pretty face. Her features aren't big or particularly outstanding, but she has fair skin.
She wore a full, exquisite makeup look today, and at this distance, Fu Xianyin could even see the pattern on her colored contact lenses.
I don't know if I'm wearing daily or monthly disposables.
Fu Xianyin suddenly had this thought pop into her mind for no apparent reason. After realizing how absurd it was, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Gao Ning's expression tightened as she listened to her laughter.
She opened her mouth, about to say something, when her gaze suddenly fell on Fu Xianyin's back, and her tone immediately softened.
"President Gu."
Fu Xianyin's expression tightened at this moment.
She felt a lump in her throat, and without even turning around, she could feel that aura gradually approaching her.
The people at the table greeted Gu Linzhao, but Gu Linzhao didn't say anything, only focusing his gaze on Fu Xianyin.
He spoke, his voice not loud, but Fu Xianyin heard him clearly.
He said, "Is that all you're taking?"
Fu Xianyin: ?
She looked at the bowl of rice and two dishes on her tray, feeling a million questions swirling around her head.
Before she could say anything, Gu Linzhao blurted out again, "Let's go."
Fu Xianyin did not understand.
Walk?
Where to go?
Her brows furrowed slightly, a subtle change in expression that caught Gu Linzhao's eye.
Whether it was Fu Xianyin's imagination or not, she seemed to see Gu Linzhao's eyebrows lift slightly.
He said, "Let's go eat."
Fu Xianyin glanced out of the corner of her eye and noticed that Gao Ning's expression seemed to have fallen.
A surge of exhilaration welled up inside her, and Fu Xianyin couldn't help but scold herself inwardly for being childish.
But there was nothing she could do; she genuinely felt a bit of pleasure.
Gu Linzhao didn't give her time to think. Seeing that she was carrying the tray and showed no intention of leaving, he chuckled and said:
"Aren't you going to eat? Are you just standing here like a doorman?"
Fu Xianyin: ...
She glanced at Gu Linzhao, who seemed to be enjoying something immensely, his smile widening at the corners of his lips.
He gestured with his chin, pointing in a direction for Fu Xianyin.
Fu Xianyin didn't even wait for him and walked over there.
Gu Linzhao was pointing to a small, private room.
The moment Fu Xianyin entered the room, she wanted to say a few sarcastic remarks to Gu Linzhao, saying that he had become arrogant since becoming a boss, and that he no longer ate with the general public.
She swallowed the words back before she could say them.
There's no other reason than that her current relationship with Gu Linzhao is too close for her to make such jokes.
Gu Linzhao closed the door, shutting out the noise from outside.
Fu Xianyin's hands were a little sore from carrying the tray for so long.
She put the food on the table, plopped down, and started eating.
Fu Xianyin didn't know whether Gu Linzhao hadn't seen it or had seen it but didn't want to say.
In any case, neither of them mentioned the little incident that had just happened.
Fu Xianyin didn't say a word, she just kept her head down and ate.
To be honest, I don't know if it was because she was poisoned by American food, or because she's gotten older and not picky about food anymore, or maybe the food at Xingfan Technology's cafeteria was really good, but Fu Xianyin ate with great relish.
She took a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and a bowl of rice.
Once they actually started eating, Fu Xianyin finally understood what Gu Linzhao meant by "just this little bit".
It really wasn't enough.
This meal, consisting of one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of rice, was simply not enough for her.
In the end, Fu Xianyin even picked out and ate all the peppercorns from the stir-fried cauliflower.
A soft laugh seemed to come from beside her, but it was fleeting, so faint that Fu Xianyin wondered if she was hallucinating.
Her hand, which was picking Sichuan peppercorns, paused.
But then his movements returned to normal.
Forget about hallucinations, these Sichuan peppercorns are so crispy and numbing, they're really delicious.
Fu Xianyin only put down her chopsticks when she had picked out all the peppercorns and there was really nothing left to eat.
She wiped her mouth with a tissue and was about to get up and leave when she heard Gu Linzhao say:
“This is the room where I eat, but I don’t come here often. If it’s crowded during mealtimes and you can’t find a seat, you can eat here.”
He pointed to the refrigerator in the room and said, "There will be fruit and drinks inside. Take whatever you want to eat."
Fu Xianyin paused in her grip on the tray and politely said, "Thank you, President Gu."
Thank you for your kind offer, Ms. Gu, but she will not be coming.
She wouldn't come to Gu Linzhao's place to eat even if she didn't want to.
Gu Linzhao seemed to have caught her unspoken message.
He sighed softly, and whether it was Fu Xianyin's own perception or not, she could detect a hint of helplessness in his tone.
He said, "Again, you're not going to eat?"
again.
Fu Xianyin felt that she was really about to break down.
When Gu Linzhao uttered those words, which carried a sense of reminiscing about the past, she truly couldn't help but think about those memories.
Her heart was out of control.
It was beyond her control.
A few casual words from Gu Linzhao can easily transport you back to the past.
It was as if those six years had never existed between them.
It was as if there were no unseemly things between them.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window, shimmering and dancing into Fu Xianyin's eyes.
In the dim light, she seemed to see a boy in a school uniform beckoning to her and placing a still-steaming meal on her desk.
Fu Xianyin looked up suddenly and met his clear, spring-like eyes.
The boy raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice lazy and helpless.
He said:
"Fu Xianyin, why aren't you eating again?"
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