Chapter 23 Happy to raise your head
In the following week, Gao Xing checked the results of several exams he had taken during this period one after another. As expected, he failed all of them.
After two months of hard work, she only got one offer - a temporary position in a private nursing home.
After paying off this period's student loan, the publishing deposit she received last month has run out. Not to mention the temporary job at the nursing home, she has to take even odd jobs now.
Following the address on the offer, Gao Xing went to the human resources department of the sanatorium. The HR told her that temporary employees only had five insurances but no housing fund, and their working hours were determined by the specific schedule. They received a monthly meal allowance of 300 yuan, and non-local employees could apply for staff dormitories.
"Staff dormitory?" His eyes lit up with joy.
"It's a benefit provided by the company to non-local employees. It's a four-person room, and a management fee of 50 yuan per month is required," said the HR.
Only fifty bucks a month? That's practically free, right?
Although this sanatorium is not far from Mingjing Lake, it still takes more than half an hour to get there by bus every day. Living in the staff dormitory is not only convenient for commuting, but more importantly, she can leave the time and space folding!
But…what should Shen Xingjian do?
Gao Xing was lost in thought after leaving the sanatorium when her phone chimed. She swiped open the screen and saw a red dot in her WeChat contact list. She clicked it and saw the note from the other party read: "Zhou Jinkai."
Zhou Jinkai?
In an instant, a series of questions popped up in Gao Xing's mind.
How did Zhou Jinkai get her WeChat? Why did Zhou Jinkai add her? Why did Zhou Jinkai add her?
Restraining the anxiety in my heart, I happily reached out and clicked "Pass".
Not long after the notification that the friend request was approved popped up, a message came from Zhou Jinkai's chat box: "Are you free to have dinner together?"
There was a "boom" in my head with joy, as if I was suddenly thrown into the sky ten thousand meters high, and then fell rapidly and uncontrollably. I was in a state of weightlessness and couldn't concentrate on thinking.
"I?"
"Why..."
"Did you send it to the wrong person..."
I deleted the words I had typed into the dialog box over and over again, but nothing I said seemed right. Just when I was confused and at a loss, the other party sent another message: "I have something to ask you."
Seeing that it was something serious, Gao Xing's tense shoulders relaxed unconsciously: "What is it?"
"Can we meet and talk?" Zhou Jinkai replied, "When is convenient for you?"
Gao Xing thought for a moment. She had to start work tomorrow and didn't know when she would have a day off. So she replied, "Today?"
Although she didn't know what Zhou Jinkai wanted to talk to her about, but he said he wanted to talk in person, so it must be very important, so it would be better to resolve it as soon as possible.
Zhou Jinkai quickly sent her the location of a restaurant. She checked and found that it was near Xinjiehui, so she turned around and went to the subway station.
The restaurant is located on the top floor of the tallest building in Xinjiehui. Standing in the shiny elevator, Gao Xing inadvertently caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror: a melon-shaped face, but because he was too thin, his cheeks were a little sunken; round almond-shaped eyes, but because he stayed up late for a long time, there were stubborn dark circles under his eyes; semi-long hair, but because it had not been trimmed for a long time, some of it hung messily on his cheeks.
Gao Xing never cared much about her appearance in the past, but today, looking at herself in this image, she wished for the first time that she was beautiful.
With a ding, the elevator stopped at the top floor. Gao Xing clutched the strap of his canvas bag, took a deep breath, and walked out.
She arrived a little earlier than the agreed time. The waiter asked her if she had a reservation. She told him her table number and the waiter took her there.
As the lights come on, the city has put on its new clothes for the evening. The orange-red glow is obscured by the twilight, leaving a faint ball of light in the sky.
Zhou Jinkai sat by the window, his light blue striped shirt perfectly outlining his tall figure. He leaned back in his chair, his legs casually crossed, his eyes penetrating the glass, staring quietly at the gradually blurred city outline in the distance.
Light and shadow intertwined on his face, and for some reason, Gao Xing seemed to see loneliness.
"This way, please."
The voice of the waiter leading the way brought Zhou Jinkai back to his senses. He turned around and saw Gao Xing, and immediately smiled and raised his hand to greet her.
Gao Xing walked over quickly, sat upright in the seat opposite him, and lowered his eyes awkwardly.
"Hello, would you like to order now?" the waiter asked softly.
Zhou Jinkai nodded slightly, and the waiter quickly brought two menus.
As if he could see Gao Xing's confusion, Zhou Jinkai took the initiative to ask about her dietary restrictions: "Can I eat seafood? Are you allergic to it?"
Gaoxing wanted to say that he was not allergic, but when he saw the prices of the seafood on the menu, he didn't know how to start the conversation.
Seeing this, Zhou Jinkai did not make things difficult for her and ordered two servings of Canadian Dungeness crab with caviar and chervil salad, two servings of dry-butter-aged M9 rib eye steak, two servings of strawberry bird's nest mousse and two soups.
He returned the menu to the waiter and looked at the girl opposite him who was lowering her head, curling up slightly, and motionless like a quail. He said seriously, "Happy, raise your head."
Gao Xing didn't know why he suddenly said that. She clenched the corner of her clothes tightly in her hand, restrained herself and slowly raised her head.
Zhou Jinkai looked at her and said, "If you care too much about what others think of you, you will lose yourself. Only when you look up will you realize that this world is nothing special."
There was no deliberate comfort on his face, nor was there any condescending preaching. His calm tone sounded like that of a friend who had known him for a long time.
Whether it was four years ago or now, Zhou Jinkai could always see through her guilt and embarrassment, even if she was trying her best to disguise herself.
Gao Xing stopped thinking about it and asked him, "Teacher Zhou, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Zhou Jinkai didn't beat around the bush and pushed a document in front of her. She flipped it open and saw that it was the cover cooperation agreement for Feng Yue magazine, with Zhou Jinkai's signature already on it.
She looked puzzled.
"I know this may be a bit presumptuous, but you can think of it as a mutual favor." Zhou Jinkai rested his arm on the dining table. "You know Shi Yunran, right?"
That day outside the Expo Center, Gao Xing was talking to Shi Yunran, and he saw it.
"I was hoping you could make me an introduction."
"Teacher Zhou, I think you may have misunderstood! Teacher Shi...Teacher Shi and I have only met a few times and we don't have any friendship." She said sincerely.
Zhou Jinkai thought she was unwilling, so he didn't get angry. Instead, he curled his lips slightly and took back the contract: "It's okay. If you change your mind one day, you can always come to me."
Gao Xing wanted to explain further when the waiter came over to serve the dishes. Zhou Jinkai was about to say, "Take your time," when he suddenly heard a few sarcastic laughs from behind him.
"I was wondering who it was, it turned out to be the great painter Zhou! Why didn't you tell me you were coming to eat? I'll tell the manager and give you a discount!"
A man in a gray suit and purple tie suddenly approached. He had dark skin, a carefully trimmed beard, and a matching silk scarf pinned to his chest, looking very arrogant.
Zhou Jin knew who was coming without even looking up. He was too lazy to pay attention and just picked up his phone to pay the bill and prepared to say goodbye to Gao Xing.
"Oh, is this your girlfriend? Nice to meet you!" The man hypocritically stretched out his hand to shake hands with Gao Xing, but was stopped by Zhou Jinkai.
The man chuckled at this, retracted his hand, and placed it on Zhou Jinkai's shoulder in a familiar manner. "I didn't expect that Master Painter Zhou likes this type of artist now? After all, as an online artist, how can I be picky? Compared to when I was a young master, it's naturally not comparable, right?"
He deliberately dragged out his tone: "What a pity, the heart is as high as the sky, but the life is as fragile as paper!"
Gao Xing could hear the strong malice in his tone the moment he opened his mouth, but Zhou Jinkai, as the person involved, hadn't said anything at the time, so she couldn't refute him. But now, he was going too far, even going so far as to humiliate her.
Gao Xing is no different from others. She is not the type to accept things passively. She is grateful for those who are good to her, and she repays those who are not good to her double. She is such a vengeful person.
With a "splash", the entire cup of water was poured onto the man's face.
The man in the suit was caught off guard and was drenched in cold water. He subconsciously wiped his face, and as a result, the bronze foundation he had carefully applied was immediately smudged, with black and white spots.
"You!" He was so angry that he grabbed another glass of water to take revenge.
Zhou Jinkai was quick to grab his wrist. The man grimaced in pain, his fingers twisted like chicken claws, and the water cup clattered to the table.
"I heard what you just said three times. The first time it was stupid, the second time it was vicious, and the third time it was pure pathetic."
Her voice was not loud, but it made the whole restaurant quiet down.
The man was stunned, obviously not expecting this poor and unsophisticated woman to dare to say such a thing. He sneered and continued to speak nonsense: "None of your business! Do you know who I am? Do you know whose territory you are standing on?"
Gao Xing's eyes were as calm as if he was looking at garbage: "I don't know, and I don't want to know. I am not interested in your noise, meanness, and defenselessness..."
"But since you mentioned me, I have to tell you the truth. No matter how jealous you are of him, you can't even lift a finger against Zhou Jinkai!"
The man's face flushed instantly as if he had been poked at something. "I'm jealous of him? What am I jealous of him? Is it because he was expelled from school, eliminated from the competition, and abandoned by his own father?"
The man laughed exaggeratedly, and the restaurant fell silent.
After he finished venting, Gao Xing finally spoke. His tone was understated, but every word was sharp as a knife: "A truly confident person won't prove himself by belittling others. Only a pitiful person with low self-esteem would show off in front of strangers..."
"Aspirations are high as the sky, but life is thin as paper. This sentence may be more suitable for you."
"You're so pathetic."
The man's face turned from red to blue, and then from blue to white. He seemed to be completely enraged by her. He raised his fist and was about to attack Gao Xing.
At this moment, Zhou Jinkai, who had been silent all the time, suddenly stood up and pressed his face into the plate of steak covered with black pepper sauce on the table.
"Instead of barking at irrelevant people," Zhou Jinkai's voice was as cold as ice, "why don't you worry about yourself..."
"What you should be thinking about most right now is how to explain to your future father-in-law that you stole my work to enter the competition, but it was banned by the entire industry. Will he think you're embarrassing him and ask you to pack up and get out of here?"
He used one hand to pat the other side of the man's face that was not soaked in steak, and then wiped it on his expensive suit in disgust: "After all, I am a person who holds grudges."
After Zhou Jinkai finished speaking, he winked at Gao Xing, and the two of them left the restaurant calmly, leaving the man in the suit helpless and furious over the steak.
After coming out of the restaurant and passing the overpass, the city was shrouded in darkness, and the huge black became the background color of the sky.
Zhou Jinkai stared at her for a few seconds and suddenly chuckled.
"What's wrong?" Gao Xing raised his eyes.
"Nothing." He shook his head, the congestion in his chest gradually dissipated, and his brows slowly relaxed.
"Gao Xing, you have really changed a lot compared to four years ago." He suddenly said.
Gao Xing's heart trembled. "You... you remember?" He turned and looked at the busy traffic under the overpass. "Maybe it's the effect of this new medicine. I've been thinking about a lot of things in the past."
He did not hide the fact that he was sick. Gao Xing had seen him wearing a hospital gown at Ruixi Hospital.
"Happy," he suddenly asked, "Do you think it's better for people to remember everything in their lives, or to forget everything?"
The night wind blew through them, carrying the sound of car horns. Gao Xing looked at his profile reflected in the light, not knowing how to answer.
If it were in the past, she would probably answer without hesitation that of course it is better to remember. Only by remembering the past can she always be vigilant. But as she grew older, she gradually realized that for some memories, letting go requires more courage than remembering them.
After a long time without hearing a reply, Zhou Jinkai turned his gaze to her. Seeing her worried look, he couldn't help but ask, "You seem to be worried too?"
"I..." Gao Xing lowered his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "I have a friend, and there's something I don't know whether I should tell him..."
Hearing her talking about her friends, Zhou Jinkai leaned his hands on the railing of the overpass, tapping it lightly from time to time.
"There are many kinds of friends in this world. There are close friends, with whom you can talk about anything, and there are also casual acquaintances, just nodding acquaintances..." Zhou Jinkai looked at her, "Which kind are you talking about?"
Which one? Gao Xing didn't seem to have considered that her acquaintance with Shen Xingjian was entirely accidental. They seemed close, but in fact they were very unfamiliar, all due to the folding of time and space that would never end.
"Actually," Zhou Jinkai continued, "whether you say it or not, what will change is not the matter itself, but the relationship between you and him."
"relation?"
"What kind of relationship do you want with him? Do you want to break up and never have any contact with him again, or..."
"No!" Gao Xing blurted out.
Zhou Jinkai paused before finishing his words. He stood up and walked over to Gao Xing. “Look, you already have the answer in your heart.”
Zhou Jinkai's words were like a ray of light piercing through the clouds, suddenly piercing into her mind. Those chaotic, tangled, and fragmented thoughts were straightened out as if by an invisible hand, pieced together into clear words.
She didn't want to lose the person who would leave a light on for her late at night, nor did she want to see him walk towards death alone. If possible, she wanted to save him.
The thought was so strong that it shook her mind.
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