My friend returned to China
Lin Tingyue rushed into the studio right on time and was immediately enveloped by the warm air and busy atmosphere.
The assistant came up with a stack of documents, "Sister Yue, you've finally arrived. The orders from the factory are all waiting for your signature."
"Okay, right away." Lin Tingyue instantly got into work mode, took off her coat, and walked quickly toward the office while instructing, "Have everyone gather in the small conference room in ten minutes, and we'll quickly go over this week's schedule."
"yes."
All day long, Lin Tingyue spent her time either in meetings or reading documents. It wasn't until dusk that she rubbed her aching neck, leaned back in her office chair, and breathed a sigh of relief.
The phone screen lit up at just the right moment; it was a message from Chi Zhuo: "Downstairs."
Lin Tingyue immediately smiled and replied, "I'll be right down," and quickly packed her things.
Sitting comfortably in the warm car, Lin Tingyue sighed and leaned back lazily in her seat.
"Are you tired?" Chi Zhuo leaned over and carefully fastened her seatbelt, his fingertips brushing against her cheek.
"It's alright, just a bit tiring." Lin Tingyue closed her eyes, feeling his breath so close to hers, and suddenly remembered what happened this morning, and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
Chi Zhuo sat back in the driver's seat, started the car, and casually mentioned:
"A good friend of mine is returning to China today. Come with me to pick him up."
"Good friend? How come I've never heard you mention it before?" Her tone carried just the right amount of curiosity, without making one feel pressured by interrogation.
Chi Zhuo stared intently at the road ahead, but a slight smile curved his lips: "Cheng Ji is... rather special."
"Hmm?" Lin Tingyue tilted her head, her eyes full of curiosity. "What's so special about it?"
Chi Zhuo smiled calmly, "You'll know when you see him."
The car quickly stopped at the departure level of the international terminal.
Lin Tingyue had just unbuckled her seatbelt when she heard a lazy, laughing voice coming from outside the car:
"Chi Zhuo, the speed at which you picked me up from the airport makes people think you're not welcoming me back."
Lin Tingyue looked up and saw a man in a burgundy velvet suit leaning lazily against a pillar.
He was tall and slender with slightly upturned phoenix eyes. Despite having taken a long flight, he still looked radiant, attracting the attention of passersby.
“Cheng Ji.” Chi Zhuo got out of the car, and the two briefly bumped shoulders.
Cheng Ji's gaze immediately fell on Lin Tingyue, and his fox-like eyes instantly lit up with undisguised interest: "This must be Lin Tingyue?"
"Yes, Lin Tingyue," Chi Zhuo introduced, "my wife."
Cheng Ji reached out his hand, his fingertips pausing subtly just before touching her, then made an elegant gesture of invitation: "So it's Ting Yue. I've been curious for a long time what kind of fairy could tame our Chi Zhuo, and today I've finally met her."
His praise was straightforward yet not frivolous, and Lin Tingyue responded with a smile, "Hello."
Cheng Ji looked at Chi Zhuo, somewhat unconvinced, "Oh, no wonder he wouldn't show me the photos before. It turns out you're so beautiful, Tingyue. Was he afraid I'd steal you away from him?"
Lin Tingyue couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Chi Zhuo shook his head helplessly and took Cheng Ji's luggage, putting it in the trunk.
"You talk too much."
On the way back, Cheng Ji sat in the back seat, leaning forward against the back of the driver's seat: "Tingyue, what do you do? Chi Zhuo is very good at keeping things about you a secret."
"I run my own studio and do clothing design."
“No wonder.” Cheng Ji looked at her simple yet stylish clothes with admiration. “You have an artistic temperament. I’ll have to ask you for advice later. I just got a collaboration with a fashion magazine and I need professional guidance.”
He always looked intently at the person he was talking to, which unconsciously drew them in. While waiting at a red light, Chi Zhuo glanced at him and said, "Don't get any ideas about her."
"So you've already protected her?" Cheng Ji leaned back in his seat, grinning like a triumphant fox.
Dinner was at a Japanese restaurant that Cheng Ji had specifically requested.
He expertly ordered sake and signature dishes, then winked at Lin Tingyue: "Don't worry, it's on me. To celebrate my return to China, and by the way..." He raised his glass, "to celebrate Chi Zhuo finally getting married."
After a few drinks, Cheng Ji became even more talkative.
“Tingyue, you have no idea how many girls tried to get close to Chi Zhuo back in college. And this guy, he wouldn’t even give them a second glance.” Cheng Ji swirled his wine glass. “Once, there was this particularly persistent beauty from our department who waited outside the dorm to confess her feelings. Guess what Chi Zhuo said?”
Lin Tingyue looked at Chi Zhuo curiously, who expressionlessly picked up a piece of sashimi.
Cheng Ji mimicked Chi Zhuo's indifferent tone: "Excuse me, you're blocking my way to pick up the package."
Lin Tingyue almost choked from laughing.
Chi Zhuo gently patted her back and glared at Cheng Ji: "Say less."
"I'm helping you build up your image as a devoted lover," Cheng Ji said matter-of-factly. "You need to let Tingyue know that you've remained chaste all these years just to wait for her."
"No," Chi Zhuo said calmly, "I just haven't met the right person yet."
Cheng Ji rolled his eyes: "You're so boring. I'm trying to be nice to you, and you don't appreciate it, do you?"
"unnecessary."
"cut."
Seeing that Chi Zhuo was not giving him any face, Cheng Ji changed his target and looked at Lin Tingyue with a smile.
"Tingyue, you don't know yet, do you?"
Lin Tingyue's interest was piqued by Cheng Ji's mysterious tone, and she leaned forward slightly: "Don't know what?"
Chi Zhuo frowned slightly and gave Cheng Ji a warning glance. Cheng Ji, however, smiled even more brightly, completely ignoring his friend's warning.
"Last winter, we went skiing in Zurich."
Cheng Ji slowly swirled his sake cup. "Chi Zhuo was skating perfectly fine when he suddenly fell, and I had to stay with him at the hospital all night."
Lin Tingyue looked at Chi Zhuo in surprise: "You've never mentioned this before."
Chi Zhuo said calmly, "It's just a minor injury, no need for you to worry."
“A minor injury?” Cheng Ji raised an eyebrow. “A wrist fracture is a minor injury? The key point is—” He deliberately dragged out his words, “Before he fell, he was furious because he saw a message.”
"What news?"
Lin Tingyue continued to press for answers, but Chi Zhuo spoke first.
"You've had too much to drink."
Lin Tingyue's curiosity was completely piqued, and she asked repeatedly, "What news is it?"
Noticing Chi Zhuo's gaze, Cheng Ji smiled and said, "Oh, it's about company matters. He's a workaholic."
Chi Zhuo picked up the teapot and filled Cheng Ji's cup, saying in a calm tone, "Since you've had too much to drink, drink some more tea."
Cheng Ji, sensing the situation, quickly changed the subject, "Hey, how come you got married so quietly? You didn't even send me a wedding photo."
Upon hearing this topic, a hint of disappointment appeared in Lin Tingyue's eyes, but she held back and remained silent.
It wasn't that Chi Zhuo was reluctant to post wedding photos, but rather that they had nothing between them except for that marriage certificate.
Chi Zhuo said coldly, "You seem to have a lot of free time since you came back to the country? Why don't you come and help me out?"
Upon hearing Chi Zhuo's words, Cheng Ji immediately clutched his chest dramatically, making a hurt expression.
"Chi Zhuo, you're already exploiting labor? I just got off the plane!" he wailed, then turned to Lin Tingyue, seeking an ally, "Tingyue, look at him, doesn't he look like a cold-blooded capitalist?"
Lin Tingyue was amused by his appearance, and the fleeting disappointment in her heart was somewhat dispelled. She joked along the lines of conversation, "He is indeed a bit... [unclear] at work."
Chi Zhuo's expression remained unchanged as he steadily picked up a piece of sushi and placed it on Lin Tingyue's plate. His tone was calm but undeniable: "The capable are often given more work. Besides, you seem to have a lot of energy."
"Tingyue, you have to do something about him. Chi Zhuo is obviously bullying people."
Lin Tingyue smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll talk to him about it later."
Cheng Ji looked aggrieved. "Yeah, treat it as a serious matter."
The meal passed by in a flurry of jokes and banter, and Cheng Ji thoughtfully paid the bill in the end.
After Cheng Ji returned, only Chi Zhuo and Lin Tingyue remained in the car.
After a moment of silence, Lin Tingyue couldn't help but speak softly, her voice exceptionally clear in the small space: "Last winter... you were injured, not because of company matters, right?"
Chi Zhuo's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the steering wheel.
He was silent for a moment, and just when Lin Tingyue thought he wouldn't answer, his deep voice rang out: "It's all in the past."
It's always like this. He always hides all his emotions behind that calm face, unwilling to share the good or the bad with her.
A strange sense of grievance and disappointment welled up in Lin Tingyue's heart. She turned her head to look at the scenery outside the window and did not continue speaking.
In the following days, Lin Tingyue devoted herself entirely to her work, using her busyness to ignore the inexplicable and vague frustration in her heart.
She always felt that her relationship with Chi Zhuo seemed to have become closer, but sometimes she also felt that there were many things she didn't know.
That afternoon, Lin Tingyue was revising her design drafts in her studio when her assistant came in to announce, "Sister Yue, there's a Mr. Cheng outside looking for you."
Cheng Ji? Lin Tingyue was somewhat surprised, but still had someone invite him in.
Cheng Ji was dressed relatively casually today, but his dashing and debonair demeanor was still striking. He placed a delicate paper bag on Lin Tingyue's desk with a smile.
"I was passing by a really nice dessert shop and thought you girls might like it, so I thought I'd stop by and take a look." He sat down on the sofa next to her as if they were old friends, his gaze sweeping over the design sketches spread out on Lin Tingyue's table, a genuine look of admiration in his eyes. "Wow, these designs are fantastic, so inspired."
"Thank you." Lin Tingyue smiled politely and poured him a glass of water. "What brings you here today?"
“I wanted to talk to you about a collaboration. Didn’t we mention it briefly at dinner last time?” Cheng Ji took the water glass, his eyes sincere. “My fashion magazine collaboration really needs a consultant with ideas and aesthetic sense. I think your style is a perfect fit.”
The two chatted about the details of the collaboration for nearly an hour and had a very pleasant conversation.
As the meeting ended, Cheng Ji stood up and casually mentioned, "Oh, by the way, did Chi Zhuo get angry because I talked too much the other day?"
When Chi Zhuo was mentioned, Lin Tingyue's smile faded slightly: "No."
Cheng Ji observed her expression, sighed, and his tone became unusually serious: "Tingyue, don't be fooled by Chi Zhuo's cold demeanor now. He's actually a bit of a taciturn person, he's used to bearing everything on his own, and he's incredibly stubborn."
Lin Tingyue listened and felt that it seemed to be true; Chi Zhuo always gave off an aura that kept strangers at a distance.
It makes people hesitate to approach.
Cheng Ji's eyes held a hint of complexity. "However, once he sets his mind on something or someone, he becomes incredibly stubborn. His methods might be a bit clumsy, or even unappealing, but... he's absolutely serious and will see things through to the end. So, you should be more tolerant of him."
After he finished speaking, he quickly waved his hand and said, "I won't say anymore, lest that guy accuse me of being nosy again. Remember to consider this cooperation; I'm serious about it."
When I got home that evening, to my surprise, Chi Zhuo was already back, sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching the TV screen.
He looked up when he heard her open the door.
"I'm back."
"Hmm." Lin Tingyue changed her shoes, hesitated for a moment, and then sat down on the sofa opposite him. She decided to get straight to the point.
"Cheng Ji came to my studio today."
Chi Zhuo stopped typing, closed his laptop, and looked at her calmly: "Yes, he told me. About collaboration?"
“Yes.” Lin Tingyue looked directly into his eyes, not wanting to miss any change in his emotions. “He also told me some other things.”
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