White Night Narrative
After lunch, with a heavy heart, Zhou Jianxing went straight to the "White Night Narrative", a restaurant located in the city center with a very stylish decoration.
The door lintel is low-key, but there is a different world inside. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the bustling street scene. The interior is spacious, with industrial style mixed with wood elements. The air is filled with the mellow aroma of freshly ground coffee beans, and soothing jazz music flows like a stream in the quiet space.
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Jianxing suppressed his anxiety about the compensation negotiations caused by his own low-level mistake, and pushed the door open and walked in.
She quickly scanned the area, searching for the person in charge, surnamed Chen. However, after turning around a cabinet decorated with green plants and books, her breath suddenly stopped.
Wen Lingyi.
There she was, wearing a simple and casual bohemian-style halter dress, holding a cup of coffee in her hand, chatting with a young man. As she spoke, she stretched out her arm, as white as a lotus root, and pointed her fingertips at the empty wall opposite.
The afternoon sun poured through the café's stained glass windows, dancing and spreading on Wen Lingyi, giving her a mysterious and hazy halo. At this moment, Wen Lingyi looked like a carefully composed still life painting, so beautiful that it seemed unreal.
Zhou Jianxing froze in place for a moment, his mind going blank.
The "temporary schedule conflict" that Wen Lingyi mentioned actually happened here?
How did she end up in this cafe?
Countless questions burst out in her chaotic thoughts like boiling bubbles.
But then, Zhou Jianxing realized that Wen Lingyi hadn't lied to her and that she really had something urgent to do. Wen Lingyi didn't cancel the afternoon appointment because she hated her or didn't want to see her.
The joy of regaining what had been lost suddenly rushed into her heart without warning, dispelling the gloom and loss that had originally shrouded her.
However, this joy only lasted for less than a second before it was overwhelmed by the overwhelming panic and embarrassment.
She was panicking because the moment she saw Wen Lingyi's back, Zhou Jianxing realized how much she missed her and how much she wanted to see her, even if it was just from afar.
The joy of seeing the other person overwhelmed all her previous negative emotions. She could clearly hear her heart beating with joy at seeing the woman in front of her.
The overwhelming heartbeat told her again the moment she saw Wen Lingyi: she wanted to see Wen Lingyi.
Even though it was wrong, dangerous, and painful for her.
However, she wanted to see Wen Lingyi.
What embarrassed her was the purpose of coming here. She came to pay for her mistakes at work. And the reason why she made that stupid mistake was...
It was because of the woman who made her dream about her and yet she tried to avoid her, Wen Lingyi, who was standing not far in front of her and chatting with someone else.
Now, the "culprit" who caused her to make mistakes at work, the person who made her decide to draw a clear line between herself and him in the morning, was standing just a few steps away.
What's even worse is that she is about to expose her stupid, ridiculous and extremely embarrassing work stain in front of Wen Lingyi.
Zhou Jianxing was afraid that Wen Lingyi would find out about this, afraid to see even a hint of doubt, contempt, or even disappointment in the other person's eyes. That would be more unbearable for her than any amount of compensation.
No, it wasn't just because of this fear. Zhou Jianxing keenly sensed the deep-seated fear in her heart: What if... What if Wen Lingyi doubted her ability to do her job, thought she was unreliable, and never asked her to do repairs again?
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Zhou Jianxing cursed himself in his heart.
You have already decided to cut off contact, so why are you still panicking about "potentially losing the opportunity to visit"?
Was all the ideological work she did in the morning just self-deception?
Just seeing Wen Lingyi's back, I felt like I was on a runaway roller coaster, soaring from the bottom of the valley straight into the sky, and then suddenly falling into the abyss.
What should she do now? While Wen Lingyi hadn't noticed her yet, Zhou Jianxing subconsciously wanted to run away, to escape from this situation that made her feel at a loss.
Just when she was confused and at a loss, the man turned his head and saw Zhou Jianxing standing at the door with a pale face.
"Hello, who are you looking for?" the man asked with some doubt.
Zhou Jianxing couldn't escape now, so she could only bite the bullet and slowly walk forward, forcing a very forced smile. "Hello, I'm Zhou Jianxing from Schindler Maintenance. I'm here to discuss compensation with Mr. Chen."
When Wen Lingyi heard Zhou Jianxing's name, she finally turned around slowly, and her peach blossom eyes, as calm as water, swept over Zhou Jianxing lightly.
When their eyes met, Zhou Jianxing's breathing stopped.
Wen Lingyi didn't seem to be wearing any makeup today, and she wasn't as delicate as she had seen before. After removing the heavy eye and lip makeup, her facial features became even more outstanding, and the texture of her skin was so delicate and real. Her beauty was no longer so aggressive, but rather divine.
Wen Lingyi stood there against the light with her back to the gorgeous stained glass windows, like a holy goddess, with golden dust flying around her in the beams of light formed by the Tyndall effect.
It is breathtakingly beautiful, yet heartbreakingly distant.
Zhou Jianxing felt a surge of hot blood rushing to her cheeks and ears. She was so nervous that her fingers curled up.
"Hello...Mrs. Wen." She pronounced the three words "Mrs. Wen" extremely dryly and tensely. She almost looked directly into Wen Lingyi's eyes, reluctant to look away.
Wen Lingyi's expression remained calm, she still looked elegant and decent. She just held the coffee cup and nodded very slightly in the direction of Zhou Jianxing as a response.
There was no emotion in those captivating eyes, neither surprise nor familiarity. They were as calm as a deep pool, not reflecting her figure, as if Zhou Jianxing was just an insignificant stranger they met for the first time.
This extremely cold response completely extinguished the remaining, inappropriate joy in Zhou Jianxing's heart. Loss and embarrassment instantly overwhelmed her. She was like a clumsy clown. All her nervousness, shyness, and cautious expectations seemed so humble and unnecessary in the other party's indifferent glance.
"Oh, you're Master Zhou, right?" Boss Chen was a refined young man in his thirties, with a polite smile on his face. "I have something to do right now. Please find a place to sit down. I'll come back to you when I'm done."
Zhou Jianxing nodded quickly as if he had been pardoned, and walked almost fluently to a corner and sat down.
This position was not something she chose deliberately, but it happened to allow her to see Wen Lingyi clearly and without interference.
She saw Wen Lingyi put down her coffee cup, her fingertips elegantly flipping through a stack of documents handed to her by Boss Chen; she saw Wen Lingyi tilt her head slightly, as if listening carefully to Boss Chen's words, the sunlight dancing on her thick eyelashes.
She saw Wen Lingyi stand up and, accompanied by Boss Chen, began to walk around the cafe, pointing at the walls and corners, as if discussing the spatial layout and lighting atmosphere.
Wen Lingyi's figure shuttled among the soft lights and lush green plants in the store, with a calm gait and elegant posture. Every move she made exuded the unique charm and sense of control of a mature woman.
Zhou Jianxing's gaze followed Wen Lingyi uncontrollably, greedily, and almost desperately, as if he wanted to carve every minute and every second of this unexpected reunion deep into his mind, and imprint Wen Lingyi's profile, back, and every subtle expression in his heart.
His gaze was so blazing that it almost became tangible, piercing through the air.
It was not until Wen Lingyi, under the guidance of Boss Chen, walked towards the corner where she was, and when Wen Lingyi was about three meters away from her, that Zhou Jianxing stood up uncomfortably as if being pulled by an invisible string.
"It's okay, just sit where you are, it won't affect anything." Wen Lingyi finally said something to her, the first and only sentence. Listening to the familiar, lazy, and hoarse voice, Zhou Jianxing felt as if a tiny electric current passed through her body.
So she sat back down obediently and stiffly, lowering her head and staring at her toes.
Although she didn't want to listen to the conversation between Wen Lingyi and Boss Chen, at such a close distance, she could still hear every word of their conversation clearly.
It seems that Boss Chen asked Wen Lingyi to help him with the art arrangement plan for the cafe.
That’s right, Wen Lingyi is the art curator of Shuiyue Gallery, and she had carefully read Wen Lingyi’s long and boring resume.
Listening to Wen Lingyi's professional and precise analysis of the integration of space, color, artwork and environment, Zhou Jianxing felt mixed emotions. She seemed to be ignored by the other party.
Just when Wen Lingyi turned her back to her, Zhou Jianxing couldn't help but raise her head again, staring at Wen Lingyi's tall and slender back, with her long black curly hair draped over her shoulders. She rarely saw Wen Lingyi standing so straight.
Zhou Jianxing vaguely recalled that every time she saw Wen Lingyi in Lanyue Bay, she was standing leaning against the side, with a pair of charming peach blossom eyes filled with smiles looking at her.
Perhaps Wen Lingyi was aware of her gaze, which was following her everywhere and was so hot that it almost burned her. She saw Mrs. Wen slightly turn her body to avoid her gaze, and her speech speed when talking to Boss Chen became noticeably faster. She gave several key suggestions in a concise manner and promised to provide a detailed plan later.
"Okay! Thank you so much, Mr. Wen! You really helped us a lot!" Boss Chen's face was full of gratitude and he thanked repeatedly.
Wen Lingyi nodded slightly and picked up the handbag on the sofa. "Mr. Chen, you're welcome. I'll take my leave now. We'll discuss the plan in detail after it's finalized."
"Okay, okay, take care!"
Wen Lingyi didn't even glance in Zhou Jianxing's direction and walked straight towards the door.
Zhou Jianxing was still looking at Wen Lingyi. Her eyes followed Wen Lingyi's straight and slightly hurried back as she pushed open the heavy glass door and her figure quickly disappeared in the afternoon sun outside the door.
Her whole world seemed to dim in an instant as the glass door closed.
When Mrs. Wen left, she didn't even want to look at her...
"Master Zhou?" Boss Chen's voice brought her back to reality from the cold, weightless feeling. The man sat down on the sofa across from her, glanced at his watch, and his expression returned to a businesslike seriousness. "Let's discuss the compensation plan."
Boss Chen produced the invoice for the new coffee machine, the repair quote, and even a third-party damage assessment report. He clearly outlined the losses and proposed a specific compensation plan. His voice buzzed in Zhou Jianxing's ears, and she could only hear his specific words intermittently.
In fact, no matter what compensation plan Boss Chen proposed, as long as it was within a reasonable range, Zhou Jianxing would agree, after all, it was her fault in the first place.
Her mind was still entangled with Wen Lingyi's departing figure.
"What?! One hundred and twenty thousand RMB?!" It was not until Boss Chen reported that outrageous number that Zhou Jianxing finally came to his senses.
"You've seen the purchase invoice. This is a high-end semi-automatic espresso machine. The motor is completely burned out. The cost of repairing it is the same as replacing it." Boss Chen replied calmly, "Because of your boss's reasons, I haven't asked you for any additional compensation."
Zhou Jianxing felt so painful that he gasped in his heart. He basically worked for a whole year in vain.
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