29. Snow in a silver bowl
◎This is my honest opinion. ◎
For a moment, Shang Xinuan felt bewitched by Li Xiran. When she came to her senses, she slapped his hand away and turned to walk towards her office, warning him as he followed behind, "Don't touch me without permission, or you'll be committing workplace sexual harassment!"
She didn't say a word about what kind of ending she wanted for the matter that she was angry about.
-
The next day, the young lady's schedule had been mostly adjusted.
When I arrived at the office at nine o'clock sharp, Li Xiran had not yet arrived.
So she prepared an extra strong, eight-fold concentrated Americano in advance, even more so than yesterday.
But before she could even reach the cup cabinet, the phone on Li Xiran's desk rang.
"Hello, this is the chairman's office."
"Warm and cozy."
She recognized the familiar voice of the person speaking. She even glanced back at the office door before realizing the voice was coming from the telephone receiver.
"Li Xiran?"
"It's me."
"I received the notification in the early morning that I need to go to London on a business trip for a few days." Shang Xinuan guessed it was because of Cheng Guoan's matter yesterday. "The administration department will send over a document in a little while. I've already checked it and it's fine. Can you sign it for me?"
When she was still obsessed with Li Xiran, she thought his signature was particularly beautiful, so she made a rubbing of it and drew it in her spare time.
While not exactly identical, they are realistic enough to pass for the real thing.
"Okay. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."
"Nuan Nuan, add me back on WeChat." As if afraid she wouldn't agree, he added, "It's for work. You can delete me after your internship ends."
“...”
"Is it good or not?" in a humble tone.
"knew."
Hang up the phone.
The huge office suddenly became empty again.
She sat back down in her seat, took out her phone, and found Li Xiran's WeChat from her blacklist.
After bringing him back into the conversation, the young lady still harbored an inexplicable resentment, so she deliberately didn't add a name to his contact, as if she was holding firm to the last line of the cold war.
Then she discovered that Li Xiran had changed his WeChat nickname to "Bright Moon Hiding Egret".
Snow is poured into a silver bowl, and egrets are hidden in the bright moonlight. This phrase comes from the Zen Buddhist text "The Song of the Samadhi of the Precious Mirror".
She had seen it by chance in Shang Zun's study.
The first sentence means that the silver bowl and the snow are both pure white, crystal clear, and spotless.
She hoped that her mental and physical energy could be the same, so she changed her WeChat nickname to "Snow in a Silver Bowl".
The phrase "the bright moon hides the egret" is the second line, which is more like an impressionistic painting.
Everywhere he looks, he seems to be questioning himself: can his heart be so calm and peaceful, and can it be full of vitality?
Like finding a green embankment in the wilderness.
Now Li Xiran has deliberately changed her nickname to "Mingyue Canglu" (明月藏鹭), and the meaning behind her self-questioning is unknown, but it is clearly to fit her personality.
The young lady snorted coldly and then set his messages to Do Not Disturb mode before she felt relieved.
Just then, there was a knock on the door; it was Xiao Su from the front desk.
She skipped in, full of excitement, "We're having another team building activity!"
Shang Xinuan opened the document and finally understood what Xiao Su had meant.
The Li Group holds two team-building events each year, one for interns joining in the spring and one for interns joining in the autumn, to help interns quickly integrate into the group.
"Last year, Chairman Li bought the entire mountain. What's it this year?"
"They booked the entire beach and the cruise ship for a nighttime banquet."
Xiao Su almost cheered, "Doesn't that mean we can choose our swimsuits in advance?"
The young lady raised an eyebrow. She actually really liked swimming; it helped her to shape her body and lose weight.
As for the cruise ship banquets at sea, there are even more fun activities to enjoy. The Li Group's cruise ships have always been referred to as sea castles by their employees.
“Yes!” Shang Xinuan signed Li Xiran’s name with a pen. “Team building on Thursday and Friday, we can start preparing after get off work today.”
Humane companies will give employees a day to prepare, without taking up their weekends.
After signing the documents, the young lady exclaimed that it was no wonder that Mrs. Li had always been the dream lover of working people.
However, she suddenly remembered that Li Xiran had gone to London on a business trip. "Does your Chairman Li still participate in team building activities every year?"
“Occasionally.” Xiao Su held the documents and eagerly sent them to the administration department to issue a notice, “but this time it’s probably going to be tough. I heard things are quite complicated in London.”
Watching Xiao Su's cheerful figure disappear through the door, the young lady rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.
She would probably have had more fun if Li Xiran hadn't shown up at the team building event.
But when the young lady recalled the details in the pre-approved funds section, down to the price list for desserts and cold dishes, the capitalist heiress felt that he should come.
What if we don't have enough money if he doesn't come?!
-
Thursday.
The Li Group's grand team-building trip, with its long convoy of cars, drew envy from white-collar workers throughout the Lupu Financial District.
Shang Xin and Xiao Su sat side by side on the bus belonging to the board of directors.
This was the first time the young lady had gone out to play with so many people, none of whom she knew very well.
She sat by the window, wearing a sports sun hat that covered half of her face, including the faint dark circles under her eyes.
Since last night, she has been browsing the Li family's internal network and news from London.
But aside from digging up old posts gossiping about her relationship with Li Xiran, there was no news from London or even from Cheng Guoan.
At midnight, she suddenly sat up in shock.
She even began to reflect on whether she was concerned about whether Li Xiran would return to China.
The young lady's heart was in turmoil, and after a long while she cursed inwardly, wondering what business it was of hers whether he came back or not.
It's best if he doesn't reply, and it's best if he doesn't reply in the future!
And so, Shang Xinuan's newly adjusted sleep schedule was disrupted again, and she didn't fall asleep until 2 a.m.
"Nuan Nuan, let's take a picture together." Xiao Su held up a beauty camera and pulled her out of her own world.
"Okay." Shang Xinuan smiled slightly and looked at the camera cooperatively.
"Do you mind if I post this on my WeChat Moments?" Xiao Su took the photo, edited their skin tone a bit, added a filter, and showed it to her.
"Of course I don't mind." The photo was beautiful and natural, and the young lady said it was her favorite style. "You're so professional at taking and editing photos."
"I was in the photography club in college. When we get to the beach, we'll change into our swimsuits and take lots of pictures of you."
"Okay, okay, okay!!!"
The girls started talking about the swimsuits and sunscreens they had brought.
The young lady's gloomy mood instantly dissipated; what's more important than taking beautiful swimsuit photos with her girlfriends?
Just before arriving at their destination, Xiao Su suddenly covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Nuan Nuan, Chairman Li commented on my WeChat Moments for the first time and even liked it!"
Shang Xinuan had scrolled through Li Xiran's WeChat Moments more than once, but it remained empty for years, leading her to believe that he simply didn't have the habit of checking it.
"What did he comment on?" the young lady asked curiously.
"A thumbs-up emoji." Xiao Su held the phone up to Nuan Nuan's face.
In less than half an hour, Xiao Su's post on WeChat Moments had received over a hundred likes, and the screen was filled with all sorts of effusive praise.
Chen Sisi from the Board Office: [At first I thought they were elementary school students, but upon closer inspection they looked more like college students. Finally, I realized it was because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with two beautiful women.]
Huang Shan from the Board Office: [OMG! Is this a fairy who escaped from an art exhibition? Give her a kiss!]
Liu Tianjing from the Administration Department: [Two celestial sisters (transform into monkeys) Tai Meila (excitedly howling) (swinging through the vines) I want to kiss you!! (jumps into the arms of the two fairies) Honey~]
...
Chen Ti Baby: [Please be mindful of your words when making jokes. If the girl on the left were your girlfriend or fiancée, how would you feel if you were said that to her? Especially since she really is my fiancée. I hope those who want to kiss her and spend the rest of their lives with her will give me some face!]
Chairman Li Xiran: [Thumbs up JPG]
The young lady thought to herself, "Luckily he commented with an emoji. If it had been just a word, I would have had a hard time finding it among all the 'rainbow compliments'."
But she more keenly caught the phrase "Chen Ti baby," exclaiming, "You and Chen Ti!"
"Hehe." Xiao Su blushed and held out the ring on her middle finger. "The Li family doesn't forbid office romances. We're getting married at the end of the year."
The young lady was so shocked that she couldn't speak, thinking to herself that it was no wonder Chen Ti wished she could live in the company all day.
At the same time, Chen Ti sent a message, and Xiao Su immediately turned around to reply.
The young lady looked out the window at the coastline that was getting closer and closer, her heart filled with indescribable feelings.
I'm so envious.
Aside from envy, the young lady seemed to have no other thoughts.
Feeling a pang of emptiness in her heart, Shang Xinuan started scrolling through her phone, preparing to send a greeting to Qiao Xi.
Then she noticed a small red dot on Li Xiran's chat box, indicating that she had unread messages.
The young lady pouted and clicked on it.
Li Xiran first posted a photo of herself and Xiao Su, but she cropped Xiao Su out, leaving only Shang Xinuan.
Mingyue Canglu: [At first I thought it was a primary school student, but upon closer inspection it looked a bit like a college student. Finally, I realized it represents my wish to spend the rest of my life with Nuannuan.]
Mingyue Canglu: [OMG! Is this a fairy who escaped from an art exhibition?]
Mingyue Canglu: [Fairy Sister (transforms into a monkey) Tai Meila (excitedly howls) (swinging among the vines) (jumps into the fairy's arms)]
Shang Xinuan almost burst out laughing; these words were like they had an automatic playback function.
She simply couldn't imagine Li Xiran raising his hands and shouting those words in a strained voice.
More often than not, Li Xiran read to her expressionlessly, as if reciting a text, word by word.
Snow in a Silver Bowl: [Are you alright? JPG]
She replied with an emoji of a female celebrity frowning and holding a bag of plum candy.
The reply came almost instantly: "That's my honest opinion."
The young lady remembered that she had just seen this on Xiao Su's WeChat Moments, but some of the more explicit words had been deleted by Li Xiran.
Silver Bowl Filled with Snow: [Is copying someone else's post and sending it to me considered a genuine statement?]
Mingyue Canglu: [Then I'll say it again.]
One minute later, Li Xiran sent a voice message.
With the bus crowded, the young lady naturally wouldn't play it out loud. She prepared to use text recognition to see what tricks he was up to this time.
Unexpectedly, the bus braked suddenly, and as Shang Xinuan's finger slipped, her phone fell to the ground and rolled under the seat in front of her.
Then, a gentle and clear voice rang out, "Is this a princess who ran away from Disney?"
"Is she a fairy who descended from heaven to experience life? Her beauty is almost unreal; even Venus would be envious!"
The voice was very distinctive, and it was a voice that the board office was already familiar with.
Almost instantly, everyone knew who was speaking.
On the other hand, the young lady was completely petrified amidst the jeers and cheers.
The young lady in the front row was even more "thoughtful" in picking up her phone and handing it back to her in front of everyone.
"Warm and sweet, I didn't know Chairman Li was so sweet after he started dating!"
Shang Xinuan wished she could disappear into a crack in the car right now.
Fortunately, the car arrived at its destination just in time, and the driver began urging people to get off.
Amidst the onlookers' gazes, the young lady pulled her hat brim down low, desperately trying to cover her blood-red earlobes, before moving with the crowd toward the car door.
But the jeers started again as soon as her feet touched the ground.
Those who were confused looked up and saw Li Xiran wearing a light blue tracksuit, standing next to a car with license plate number Hu A L520S.
Without a suit, he exudes a more refined and youthful charm.
His gentle gaze fell directly on her, oblivious to everyone else.
Then, in the next moment, someone started it.
The entire board office staff exclaimed in unison, "Is this a princess who ran away from Disney? Or a fairy who descended from heaven to experience life? Her beauty is simply unreal; even Venus would be envious!"
The young lady felt utterly ashamed and glared resentfully at Li Xiran.
To everyone's surprise, the man also stood there, stunned.
Even before the cheers subsided, his ears turned a deep crimson, like a blush spreading from his ears all the way down to his neck.
A note from the author:
So, Chairman Li actually blushes when he says cheesy sweet nothings?
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