Chapter 18 There Will Be an Echo: The First Step – Obtaining His Contact Information…
Her breath hitched, and Zhu Liushuang's eyes revealed a mixture of surprise and delight.
Three minutes ago, Ye Xingzhi commented on her WeChat Moments: 【Wow... isn't this Ming Ge's confessional radio show? How did you find it?!】
Ye Xingzhi was able to recognize He Ming, the host of the audio program, at a glance, which was exactly what Zhu Liushuang had expected.
But unexpectedly...
Ye Xingzhi actually took the initiative to send her a private voice message, his tone excited.
[Junior, what a coincidence! I just commented on your WeChat Moments, and the radio show you shared was by senior He Ming. Do you remember He Ming? He's the one I used to play basketball with all the time… two years your senior, the former "flower" of our high school!]
Zhu Liushuang bit her lip and listened to one audio message, then couldn't wait to click on the next one.
[But the most coincidental thing isn't even that... Did you know that He Ming shared your radio program on his WeChat Moments late last night, specifically the song "Memories Can Only Be Relived"? This coincidence... is unbelievable!]
After listening to the second audio message, Zhu Liushuang stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Her mind went blank for several seconds before she finally understood the meaning behind Ye Xingzhi's words.
She bit her lips, leaving faint teeth marks, and now the corners of her mouth gradually turned up, the curve growing wider and wider. She could no longer suppress her inner joy, and she rolled around on the bed, hugging the blanket.
Holding her burning cheeks in her hands, she grinned foolishly at the air. Zhu Liushuang wished she could run to the rooftop immediately, shout a few times, and announce her joy to the world.
In her mind, a little figure waving a red handkerchief danced joyfully, celebrating her "partial victory." Then another little figure appeared, hands on hips, sternly reminding her not to get carried away.
Zhu Liushuang quickly regained her composure. Fearing that speaking would give her away, she chose to type.
【Oh my god, what a coincidence! /Starry-eyed. I'm sure I remember He Ming, he's so famous. But we didn't seem to have much contact in high school, I don't even have his contact information. /Poor thing】
In just a few words, she made it all too clear that she was not familiar with He Ming, and also hinted at the rare "fate" between them.
A short while later, Ye Xingzhi also typed a line of text.
This is the first time I've ever seen such a coincidence. You two definitely need to get to know each other. Just wait...
Ye Xingzhi, on the other end of the phone screen, had no idea that his thoughts were exactly what Zhu Liushuang wanted.
Everything that followed seemed to be written according to the script of an idol drama.
Soon, Zhu Liushuang was added to a small WeChat group with only three people by Ye Xingzhi.
The group name was suggested by Ye Xingzhi—"Xiao Shuangshuang and Senior He's Meeting." He kept pondering the sentence, feeling more and more embarrassed the more he looked at it.
Zhu Liushuang buried her face in the blankets shyly, not daring to look at her phone screen.
"Buzz," the phone vibrated twice.
[@HeMing, look, I've invited Shuangshuang, your junior, here. You two seem to have a special connection, so hurry up and say hello to each other.]
Zhu Liushuang held his breath, peering at his phone screen through his fingers, a faint expectation rising in his heart.
Two more "zzzz" sounds.
[Nice to meet you, best wishes, junior.]
Sorry, it's been a while since I updated the radio. I've read all the comments, thank you for your support.
What polite small talk! Zhu Liushuang subconsciously pursed her lips, wishing she could rush into the phone screen to see what expression He Ming had when he typed those words.
But then she thought again that this man was very thoughtful.
He didn't mention sharing the program; instead, he proactively explained to her that he had read all the comments.
Her little scheme paid off; after nearly a month of anxiety and overthinking, she finally received a positive response from the person involved.
She practically bore a hole through the chat interface with her gaze, and a corner of my heart suddenly collapsed.
She seems to... like him more.
"What a coincidence that my senior and I shared each other's radio programs on WeChat Moments at the same time." Zhu Liushuang suppressed her excitement and replied calmly.
A sly smile crept across her lips as she anxiously awaited He Ming's next words: "After all this effort, I've finally gotten you to notice me!"
After a long while, the man didn't reply. She became a little impatient, so she clicked on his WeChat profile picture and boldly sent him a friend request.
【Hello senior, I'm Zhu Liushuang. /Happy】
She thought that since he had agreed to Ye Xingzhi's invitation to join the group and greet her, theoretically he shouldn't be opposed to her.
So... adding someone as a WeChat friend should be a natural thing, right?
Zhu Liushuang thought He Ming would accept her friend request soon, and she began to organize her thoughts, hoping to have further communication with him.
But half an hour passed and the phone remained silent.
Those last half hour felt like an eternity to her, filled with anxious anticipation as she imagined countless possibilities.
Maybe he's busy with work? But he was sending messages in the group just a minute ago.
Could it be that he didn't want to have much interaction with her, so he chose to ignore her? This was the last thing Zhu Liushuang wanted to see.
He might still be considering whether to accept the friend request.
Regardless of the reasoning, it was enough to make Zhu Liushuang feel frustrated. Her anxiety was just like the day her college entrance exam results came out.
She hoped the results would be revealed quickly, yet she was also afraid the answer would be disappointing.
Fortunately, this ordeal did not last into the early hours of the morning.
"I have accepted your friend request. We can start chatting now."
The moment He Ming's WeChat profile picture appeared prominently in her contact list, Zhu Liushuang's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, slowly settled as she stared at the striking "1" on the picture. She kept her eyes glued to the phone screen, holding back for a long while before finally opening the chat.
Although she knew that the message in front of her was sent automatically by the system, she still couldn't help but smile.
Zhu Liushuang wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Perhaps she had too much to say and was afraid of saying something wrong that might offend him.
She abandoned the long, rambling explanation she had just prepared and solemnly typed a line in the input field: "[I never imagined the radio station I've been listening to lately was created by my senior. It's incredibly therapeutic; it cured my insomnia. /Happy]"
Just as she was about to click send, the words "Typing..." appeared at the top of the chat interface.
Zhu Liushuang stopped what she was doing and subconsciously bit her lip.
[Sorry, I was just reviewing a report. This is He Ming.]
He was explaining to her why it took so long to accept her friend request! Zhu Liushuang gazed tenderly at the phone screen, as if she were looking at He Ming himself, not a cold, impersonal phone.
She desperately wanted to immediately post on a certain online forum with the title, "Urgent! How to start a chat with my crush?" Then she'd recruit a group of enthusiastic girlfriends to form a strategist team and help her come up with ideas.
In fact, she had seen many similar posts online and had even taken notes.
For example, right now, what pops into her mind is a summary of "universal chat opening lines for women pursuing men" compiled by netizens: "First, be sincere; sincerity is the first step to winning someone's heart. Second, be interesting; an interesting opening line can leave a lasting impression. Third, be relevant; the topic should be related to the other person's interests or recent activities."
So, Zhu Liushuang deleted her original reply and, after some deliberation, replied: 【We're both working hard here. /Poor/Poor senior, are you done with your work yet?】
He should be able to reply to the question at the end, right?
【Yes, I'm done with work.】 This time the reply came quite quickly.
But with such a cold response... should she try to continue the conversation? He's already working so late; wouldn't it be inconsiderate of her to disturb his rest?
Zhu Liushuang frowned, her heart conflicted. She was somewhat unwilling to let the conversation end so abruptly, given how hard it had been to get his contact information.
[Your radio show is really nice, so soothing. I've been listening to it to fall asleep lately because I have insomnia. I'd like to express my gratitude. /Sending flowers]
Thank you too. /Happy
With all this thanking and thanking, how can we even have a proper conversation? Zhu Liushuang wailed inwardly: This is so difficult, so incredibly difficult!
[It's a pity there aren't many episodes; I've already listened to most of them. Senior, have you considered recording a few more new episodes?]
There was a moment of silence on the other end before new messages came in.
[I haven't recorded anything in many years. I'm quite busy with work right now, so I'm not considering it for the time being.]
With a "crack," Zhu Liushuang felt her fragile heart shatter on the floor. Pouting, she reluctantly typed: "Hmm, it's a pity, but work is more important. Senior, get some rest. I'm going to sleep too, I'm a fellow working person."
A few minutes later, He Ming sent a "moon" emoji.
This awkward conversation has now come to an end.
Sleeping was out of the question, because Zhu Liushuang simply couldn't fall asleep. She jumped out of bed and pulled out her notebook, which was locked in the drawer.
She twirled the ballpoint pen in her hand a few times, and under the light of the desk lamp, she wrote a few words in her notebook: Step one, obtaining his contact information, accomplished.
What should we do in the second step?
With her chin resting on the pen, Zhu Liushuang's eyes closed and opened again, her long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly. She leaned forward and quickly wrote a few lines: "Use work as an excuse to contact him frequently."
This wasn't difficult for her, since they would be meeting at the company in mid-July.
During the time before they meet, she can casually chat with him occasionally to subtly make her presence known.
If he doesn't get bored, then she has a chance.
As the saying goes... there's plenty of time in the future!
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The early summer rainy season quietly departed after a burst of noisy cicada chirping. The hibiscus flowers in the flowerbeds downstairs in the community were in full bloom, and a warm breeze blew in, carrying the unique heat of summer.
On the first working day of July, Zhu Liushuang and Zhuang Xiaoqian rushed to the city to attend the "Comprehensive Ability Enhancement Training Conference for Financial Personnel of High-tech Enterprises". This week-long training was held at a comprehensive university in Gucheng. Zhuang Xiaoqian only needed to attend the first three days of training, but Zhu Liushuang had to participate in the entire cycle.
The large lecture hall was noisy. Looking from the back to the front, there was a sea of heads, roughly more than a hundred people.
"This is quite a large-scale event... They even put name tags on the tables. Are they afraid we'll take advantage of the situation?" Zhuang Xiaoqian complained, leaning against the back wall of the classroom with her arms crossed.
"I heard that the city attaches great importance to this training, and the lecturers they invited are among the best in the province, as well as specialists from well-known local firms in Gucheng." Zhu Liushuang leaned out and began looking for name tags.
Her eyesight was good enough that she quickly found her and Zhuang Xiaoqian's nameplates in the remaining empty spaces.
Pointing her index finger to the back left of the classroom, Zhu Liushuang raised her chin: "Found it, let's sit there. By the aisle, there's an electrical outlet on the wall..."
Zhuang Xiaoqian looked in the direction she was pointing and said, "Oh, sitting so far back... what a feng shui spot! I didn't sleep well this morning... could you shield me from view for me later?"
Zhu Liushuang gave a reassuring smile and nodded. Then she walked towards their seats first.
The organizers made ample preparations for the training, with a thick brown paper bag placed on each table. After Zhu Liushuang sat down, she picked up a paper bag and opened it. Inside was a thick training manual for trainees, two black pens, a stack of free meal vouchers, a leather-bound notebook, and a training guide.
"So many things..." Zhuang Xiaoqian also opened her bag, taking things out as she exclaimed.
Zhu Liushuang didn't reply; instead, she casually picked up the training guide and began browsing. It clearly outlined the daily schedule for the training period, noting the time, the speaker's name and organization, and the course content.
When she turned to the last page, Zhu Liu paused in her hands. She noticed that the speaker on the morning of the fifth day of the training was from Zhonghe Accounting Firm, and the speaker's name was Yu Huan. She remembered her.
During her first year of work, Zhu Liushuang attended an accounting training program where Yu Huan taught a class. She was particularly impressed by her for two reasons: firstly, the surname "Yu" was uncommon in Gucheng; secondly, Yu Huan was tall, beautiful, and her lectures were lively and engaging. This immediately captivated the then-newcomer, Zhu Liushuang.
Independent, self-aware, beautiful, generous, and talented successful career woman—that was Zhu Liushuang's first impression of Yu Huan. She looked forward to seeing her again.
“Zhonghe…” Yu Huan also works at Zhonghe Accounting Firm. Thinking of this, Zhu Liushuang’s thoughts wandered uncontrollably again.
"What are you thinking about? I called you but you didn't respond." Zhuang Xiaoqian waved her hand in front of her, noticing her staring blankly at the training guide. "Is there anything special about the schedule?"
Zhu Liushuang smiled and shook her head: "I just saw a familiar name." As she spoke, she leaned closer to Zhuang Xiaoqian, pointed to Yu Huan's name, and asked, "Have you heard of this lecturer?"
“Yu Huan! I know…” Zhuang Xiaoqian, who was originally drowsy, suddenly perked up when she looked at the meticulously edited personal photo in the guide.
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Author's note: Finally, finally, we've added each other on WeChat! There's plenty of time...
The content of this chapter, "Universal Chat Opening Lines for Women Pursuing Men," is from the internet.
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