Chapter 33 The Rainstorm and Him: He sheltered her from the storm and brought her sunshine.
"In that case, let's wait until next time!" Xie Jingzhi made this suggestion on a whim, wanting to test his grandson's opinion. "Little Zhu, this old man won't insist that you stay."
Seeing that Xie Jingzhi had changed her mind, Zhu Liushuang breathed a sigh of relief: "We've been very kind to you today. Dr. Xie, please go and eat, don't be late... We'll head back now."
"Okay, be careful on the road. It's hot outside, take precautions against heatstroke," Xie Jingzhi said, stroking his beard.
While thanking Dr. Xie, Zhu Liushuang thought to herself: How did Dr. Xie know so quickly that she and He Ming were friends? And this sudden turn of events startled her so much that she broke out in a cold sweat.
...
With Xie Jingzhi and He Ming no longer inside, she finally felt more at ease.
"Mom... let's go." Zhu Liushuang took out a sun hat from her bag and carefully put it on Gu Chunling. "There's a wonton shop on the way back to the city, the one Grandma used to go to. Let's have lunch first before going to the city."
Gu Chunling hummed in agreement, but asked something else: "Xiaoshuang, that young man just now... he's Dr. Xie's grandson, when did you meet him?"
Sure enough, the mother's heart was still with He Ming.
Zhu Liushuang could only offer a simple explanation: "Mom, he also graduated from No. 1 High School, two years ahead of me. Recently, our company and his company happened to have business dealings, so we got in touch..."
Not wanting her mother to continue questioning her, she subtly and half-truthfully recounted their shared history.
Gu Chunling believed it without a doubt: "I was wondering... how come I've never heard you mention this friend before? The young man is very meticulous in his work, and he looks very well-mannered. Most importantly, he's handsome..."
Physical appearance is the most memorable trait. When Gu Chunling first saw He Ming, she thought the young man was handsome, like a male lead in a Hong Kong or Taiwanese film from the 80s or 90s. It's just that his expression was too cold, making him seem unapproachable.
"Dr. Xie is so old, yet he still made an exception to treat me. It's probably only because of his grandson," Gu Chunling pondered before speaking. "I don't think Dr. Xie lacks anything. Since you and He..."
“He Ming,” Zhu Liushuang blurted out.
"Yes, you and He Ming are friends, so thank him a lot. Shall we give him some gifts during holidays?"
Zhu Liushuang readily agreed: "Oh, I know what I'm doing, Mom, you don't need to worry!"
The two chatted as they left the air-conditioned room one after the other, braving the scorching sun as they walked outside.
The electric scooter was parked under a camphor tree outside the Xie family's iron gate. The huge shade of the tree prevented the seat from getting too hot from the sun.
Zhu Liushuang habitually dusted off the dust and pulled her mother to sit in the car together.
Two long beeps sounded, and the turn signal came on. She glanced back through the glass mask at the large iron gate she had closed herself. Before her mother noticed anything amiss, she turned her head away.
A faint scent of camphor trees wafted in the air. Zhu Liu drove along, glancing in his side mirror. Suddenly, he noticed someone hurrying up the steps behind him, standing under a camphor tree and waving.
The distance was too great for her to see his expression or hear if he was calling her, but she instinctively braked.
"Why did you suddenly stop?" Gu Chunling asked in pain as she was thrown forward by the inertia and bumped into her daughter's back.
At the same time, Zhu Liushuang's cell phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
"I need to take this call." She watched as the person in the side mirror raised their right hand, and then she took out her phone and raised her right hand as well.
It was a WeChat voice call request from He Ming.
She nervously swallowed, rubbed her sticky palms on her trouser leg a few times, and then swiped the "answer" button.
He Ming's cold voice came from beside her: "Zhu Liushuang—"
"Yes, I'm here." She was expecting something.
"I forgot to remind you, you need to go to the tax bureau next Tuesday. Remember to be there at 2 p.m. sharp."
How did he make the same "mistake" as her?
It's something that could be done by typing a few words, but they insist on making a phone call.
Or perhaps... he finds making a phone call more convenient than sending a text message?
"Okay, I got it. See you at the tax bureau on Tuesday then," Zhu Liushuang replied, suppressing the chaotic thoughts running through her mind.
The next second, He Ming shattered her illusion: "I thought you wouldn't leave so quickly, so I was thinking of telling you in person, since it's quite important. Calling now is the same... Remember, don't be late!"
He emphasized the words "Don't be late," as if he meant something. Zhu Liushuang hummed in agreement twice and hung up the phone, but her mood became dejected.
She probably wasn't overinterpreting things. Every time she saw him since they reunited, she'd embarrassed herself. She was late delivering a contract, and not only was she late for training, she also dropped her bag…
Regardless of the reason, the label of "unpunctual" is unlikely to be shaken off anytime soon.
————
In order to shed the label of "unpunctual", Zhu Liu rushed to the tax bureau in the south of the city on Tuesday without even having lunch.
Nearly an hour later, she parked her electric scooter in the shed; it was just past 1 p.m.
She was starving, but luckily she was prepared.
She took out two packets of soda crackers that she had casually stuffed into her backpack and leaned against the car without a care in the world to stave off her hunger.
After finishing two packs of biscuits, Zhu Liushuang rubbed his hands together to wipe the crumbs from between his fingertips, then bent down to tidy his sweaty hair in the side mirror.
Today, she didn't dress up excessively; she was dressed very casually for an office worker. She was keenly aware that He Ming probably cared more about her work attitude than her clothes and makeup.
Besides, the person she likes is not someone who judges by appearance.
The tax bureau is located in the Citizen Service Center in the south of the city, in a separate office building. It was lunchtime, and the building was very quiet. Zhu Liushuang casually found a corner seat in the reception hall on the first floor and sat down quietly, waiting for He Ming's arrival.
At 1:45 PM, she received a WeChat message from He Ming.
I'm parking in the underground garage. Where are you?
Zhu Liushuang replied quickly: 【Senior, I've arrived! I'm in the reception hall.】
Afraid that He Ming wouldn't be able to find her, she quickly took another photo and sent it to him.
Soon, a tall figure in white shirt and black pants walked towards her. Zhu Liushuang stood up, smiled, and waved to him: "Senior, aren't you busy today? It's only 1:45."
“The firm is quite close to here.” He Ming sat down opposite her and asked casually, “Have you been waiting long?”
"No, I was only ten minutes earlier than you..." Zhu Liushuang chuckled and shook her head, then added with a hint of timidity, "However, I'm a little nervous. Will they ask some tricky questions later?"
He Ming seemed to have been prepared. He took a piece of white paper from his briefcase and placed it on the table: "It's not difficult. Just explain the cause and effect clearly, and I will help you with the rest."
"What is this?" Zhu Liushuang asked, gazing at the flamboyant handwriting on the white paper.
"I've drafted a report for you. Familiarize yourself with it first, and then just follow along with what you've written." He Ming explained calmly, then took out his laptop, placed it on his lap, and began reading the report.
"How thoughtful! It takes up your time to write the draft for me, even for a simple application..." Zhu Liushuang reached out and picked up the draft, holding it in her hands as if it were a precious treasure.
He Ming tapped his fingers on the keyboard from time to time, his tone casual: "I'm friends with your CEO Guo, so I'll naturally help if I can."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Liushuang, who was silently memorizing her script, quickly lost the vague joy she felt.
It turns out he was only working so hard because of President Guo, not because of her!
I've been deluding myself again! Waaaaah, Zhu Liushuang cried silently in her heart.
But she didn't have time to think about it; dealing with the tax bureau leaders' inquiries was the most important thing right now. Zhu Liushuang forced a smile and said, "I see. It seems I've benefited from President Guo's help. But... I still want to thank you, senior."
After saying that, she ignored He Ming's expression and continued to read her manuscript.
Tax bureau staff start work at 2:30 p.m., and the two entered the responsible leader's office ten minutes early.
In Zhu Liushuang's mind, this might be a significant hurdle in her career. She was even prepared to be scolded.
But things took a turn far beyond her expectations. There was no harsh reprimand, no condescending attitude, and no harassment. Section Chief Qin, who was in charge of the high-tech enterprise application, remained unfazed throughout, instead warmly serving her and He Ming tea.
The entire communication process was friendly and smooth, like having a casual chat.
Of course, all of this was thanks to He Ming's mediation. Zhu Liushuang wasn't stupid; she could tell that Section Chief Qin and He Ming had a close relationship.
Before leaving, Section Chief Qin smiled and put his arm around He Ming's shoulder, saying sincerely, "Please give my regards to Elder Xie."
In a small city with limited space, people with connections can build networks wherever they go. Zhu Liushuang silently observed this and tried her best to play the role of a "follower," laughing when she should and speaking flattering words without hesitation.
After all, she only avoided setbacks here because of He Ming's connections.
Stepping out of the office, Zhu Liushuang let out a long sigh of relief and said to He Ming with a sense of relief, "I didn't expect today to go so smoothly. It's all thanks to you, senior."
"Of course, it's not a big problem. If I didn't come, your General Manager Guo could handle it. After all, Yunzhou Group is the leading enterprise in Gucheng, and Ruixin is its subsidiary. Even if we don't consider the company, we should still give them face..."
That makes perfect sense. Zhu Liushuang probably figured it out: she was just going through the motions today; with Yunzhou backing Ruixin, the application would definitely not go wrong.
Just as He Ming had instructed her, the application was only the first step. To actually receive the government subsidy, all subsequent work had to be done flawlessly and according to the required documents. As the accountant, she had to take all related matters seriously.
"Understood, thank you for teaching me a lesson." The elevator stopped on the first floor. She took a step out, turned around and said goodbye to He Ming. "It's still early, I'll go back to the company first! My electric scooter is in the bike shed outside. See you later, senior."
As the elevator doors were about to close, she heard He Ming thoughtfully remind her, "I just saw thick, gloomy clouds outside; it might be about to have a thunderstorm. You'd better wait until it stops raining before going back..."
"It's okay, I brought a raincoat, and I still have to go back and work overtime." Zhu Liushuang didn't take it seriously. She stood outside the elevator and watched the door close completely before turning around and walking towards the bike shed.
Stepping out of the lobby, a wave of heat hit her; the air outside was unusually muggy. Gazing at the dark, leaden clouds on the horizon, she quickened her pace.
More than ten minutes after the electric vehicle left the Citizen Service Center, the sky darkened a bit more. Suddenly, a hot wind arose, swirling dust and fallen leaves into the air. Soon, the wind picked up and grew stronger, and the trees began to sway violently.
Zhu Liushuang quickly pulled over and took a raincoat from the trunk, hastily putting it on. This area was right on the outskirts of the city, far from any village or shop, with nowhere to take shelter from the rain.
There are only two options: either drive back to the Civic Center or head north to the nearest shopping mall.
Since the distances on both sides were not much different, Zhu Liushuang decided not to backtrack and drove directly to the mall.
Just as she was pondering this, a raindrop the size of a bean landed with a "plop" on the back of her hand.
The next second, a torrential downpour began.
Zhu Liushuang was filled with regret; she shouldn't have underestimated the summer thunderstorms.
The thin raincoat was torn to shreds by the wind, offering no cover whatsoever. In desperation, she had no choice but to press down on the hem of the raincoat with both hands to prevent the strong wind from getting in.
The sound of the rain and the howling wind combined to drown out all other sounds.
Her head was hidden under the safety helmet, making it the only part of her body that wasn't wet from the rain.
Zhu Liushuang has already experienced what it means to be "isolated and helpless".
But what she cared about most at that moment wasn't whether she got wet, but rather—her electric scooter, which was also soaked.
I just replaced the batteries last month, will they be completely unusable now?
She even considered taking off her raincoat and covering it on the electric scooter, even though the idea sounded a bit "stupid."
The rain pounded heavily on the ground, splashing up to knee-high. The sky and earth were a hazy gray, and the visor of her safety helmet was fogged up with moisture. The raindrops pounded on her head with a loud "thud," as if someone were hammering her skull.
Unable to see clearly, Zhu Liushuang could only slowly squat down, holding onto the electric scooter. Instinctively, she curled up, hugging her arms, trying to calm herself down.
"I hope the rain will stop soon!" she prayed silently.
As if God heard her cries, the heavy knocking sound above her head suddenly stopped when she squatted down until her toes went numb.
Has the rain stopped?
But the sound of rain pouring down all around continued.
Zhu Liushuang looked up hesitantly, but all she could see was darkness and she couldn't make out anything.
She pulled out her slightly trembling hand and vigorously wiped her mask.
A black umbrella came into view.
An umbrella was placed directly above her head, sheltering her from the sun.
The person holding the umbrella should have gone back to the office long ago.
"Senior?" she murmured.
The next second, scalding tears slid down her cheeks.
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Author's Note: Waaaaah, my senior is back again! Shuangshuang, don't you love him even more now?
Who says unrequited love is bitter? Loving the right person is sweet!
It's been so many weeks since the last episode aired, is it going to be a no-show until the end? Waaaaah, I'm begging for a reverse V (voiceover) post, my dear babies, please add this to your favorites!
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