Chapter 29
Josh's life was a series of losses
“Chen Zhiyu’s college entrance exam scores will be released in a few days. Keep an eye on him,” Qiao Xi instructed Liu Weifeng, who was about to leave. “Also, make sure he pays attention to the schools he applies to.”
Liu Weifeng went out before her: "I'm his boss, not his father."
"I don't care. You've exploited my man so much that he doesn't have time to rest. You have to take responsibility for this."
"I've been too lenient with you all these years, which is why you two have become so arrogant."
No matter how many reasons you give, you can't change the fact that you are inherently kind.
Upon hearing this, Liu Weifeng, who was walking ahead, hissed softly, turned around, pointed at her, and then tilted his head, saying, "Hurry up, a kind-hearted person should kindly take you home."
Before we knew it, it was the end of June, the day the college entrance exam scores were released.
At that time, Chen Zhiyu was hiding in a mountainous area.
It's no exaggeration to say that Liu Weifeng exploits recent high school graduates; he likes to take people to remote areas.
"Liu Weifeng is really something, how could he leave you in such a remote place?" Qiao Xi deliberately found a bubble tea shop downstairs in an office building to sneak away. Holding her phone, she sat at the table and asked, "How's the signal on your end?"
The two haven't been in much contact lately, and they don't talk much when they meet, but Josh couldn't help but worry about his grades, so he took the initiative to call him.
Before Chen Zhiyu could reply, Liu Weifeng's dissatisfied voice came through the receiver first, "I'm warning you, I'm listening. What do you mean I left him in a place like this? I'm right here myself."
Josh smiled, turned to look at the blazing sun high in the sky outside the window. With the arrival of midsummer, the temperature soared, and the asphalt road seemed to be baking oil. "I was just telling you."
Actually, Josh was calling Liu Weifeng, hoping he could subtly inquire about Chen Zhiyu's college entrance exam results. However, Liu Weifeng immediately put the phone on speakerphone and handed it to the intended recipient.
The high temperatures were intense, and the mountains weren't much cooler either. Right now, several bosses and managers were huddled together resting. There were no entertainment activities in the mountains, so they were all curiously waiting for Chen Zhiyu's college entrance exam results.
"Network busy, please try again later," Chen Zhiyu said after a while, then asked, "How did you get in?"
“It was timed.” Josh thought for a moment and said, “Actually, it was Tang Ning who checked it for me. Their internet speed, plus her speed in buying concert tickets all year round, is top-of-the-line plus.”
With outsiders listening and the current topic still in the background, Josh was able to maintain the status quo and chat with him normally. "I see a lot of people complaining about the page lagging. Try a few more times."
She opened various apps and browsed through them absentmindedly. At this moment, posts about checking college entrance exam scores were at the top of the list, and many of them were complaints about network problems.
The signal was particularly bad on the mountain, and Chen Zhiyu on the other end of the phone was like a machine, constantly refreshing the page.
The phone call remained connected.
Chen Zhiyu didn't speak, and Qiao Xi didn't intend to either. She ordered a cold drink and sat at the table, waiting anxiously.
Chen Zhiyu's finger unconsciously tapped the refresh button: "Actually, you can help me check. Your network should be better than mine."
Even without Josh's call, he would have proactively contacted Josh to help him investigate.
But now, with Josh by his side, things seem to be even better.
Thinking this, his finger, which was subconsciously tapping to refresh, suddenly stopped. The previously blank interface seemed to freeze, and the screen appeared intermittently.
After waiting quietly for a few seconds, Chen Zhiyu finally saw the full loading screen. "Qiao Xi, we found it."
Josh sat up abruptly on the other end of the phone and asked nervously, "How did it go? What was the score?"
Chen Zhiyu didn't reply, but sent her a screenshot of the page. Qiao Xi quickly opened the screenshot, found the last column, and saw the total score. She was almost moved to tears. "Hengcheng University is a sure thing."
At that moment, Josh felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. All the tension and anxiety she had felt earlier vanished. She could even hear the cheers of the people on the other end of the phone.
No matter what, Chen Zhiyu had been working with those elders for almost a month, and they were all happy for him when they saw his score.
Hearing the celebrations on the other end of the phone, Josh hung up first and prepared to go back to work.
Chen Zhiyu quickly followed up, asking her, "Why did you hang up the phone?"
Josh replied casually, "Knowing your grades puts my mind at ease." After replying, she picked up the drinks she had bought for her colleagues and went into the elevator.
As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I received another message from Chen Zhiyu: 'Is this all you want to know? Don't you want to know anything else?'
Then another message came through, 'I meant, other news about me.'
Josh's heart skipped a beat when she saw the message. She didn't know how to reply, so she locked her screen and pretended not to see it.
Chen Zhiyu's college entrance examination results were good, and he became even busier after filling out his college application.
I don't know what kind of work Liu Weifeng arranged for Chen Zhiyu, but he's been traveling frequently lately, leaving early and returning late.
Before they knew it, it was August. In the past month or so, the two of them had only met a handful of times. Chen Zhiyu left earlier than she, a full-time employee, and came back later every day.
For the past month or so, the two of them would occasionally have breakfast together, and at night, Josh would only leave one light on in the living room. Sometimes, when she woke up in the middle of the night and saw that the living room light was off, Josh would finally feel at ease and go back to sleep.
However, his voice and shadow are everywhere.
Every morning when Josh gets up, the acrylic door panel of the kitchen is constantly being updated with new content.
Chen Zhiyu really treated the kitchen door panel as a message board, making it harder to ignore than text messages.
Josh remembers to eat breakfast.
Josh, I'm working overtime today.
Josh, I'm going on a business trip today.
Josh...
Josh, Josh, Josh, now even seeing his own name gives Josh a headache.
Two days ago, Chen Zhiyu told her that he was going on a business trip to the next city with Liu Weifeng, and this trip might take a little longer. These past two mornings, Qiao Xi has been glancing at the kitchen door every morning when she wakes up.
Seeing the comments no longer being refreshed made me feel somewhat uneasy.
"Josh, Josh?" Her colleague next to her suddenly called out.
"Um?"
"Your phone is ringing."
Josh snapped out of his daze and noticed the vibration alert on his phone.
The call was from Yang Ling.
She quickly stood up and answered the phone, "Hello, sister-in-law."
Yang Ling spoke softly and weakly on the other end of the phone, asking, "Are you at work?"
"Yeah, I'm up there." Josh turned and walked out, reaching the stairwell at the end. "What's up?"
Upon hearing this question, Yang Ling on the other end fell silent.
Actually, when Yang Ling asked the question, Josh felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Yang Ling has a straightforward personality and speaks directly. In their usual way of chatting, she would never have considered so many things as she does now.
Upon hearing this, Josh's heart skipped a beat. She cautiously asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
As if to confirm her thoughts, Qiao Xi heard the other person take a soft breath. After a while, Yang Ling spoke again, "Qiao Xi, why don't you ask for leave?"
Josh blurted out, "What happened to Chen Zhiyu?"
The moment those words left her lips, Josh felt an indescribable, intense pain welling up from the depths of her heart, as if something were gripping her heart tightly.
The sudden pain was so intense that Josh's body involuntarily swayed for a moment.
Yang Ling on the other end was silent for a moment.
Josh felt as if she were standing on the guillotine awaiting her sentence; those few seconds felt like an eternity to her.
"Chen Zhiyu is injured."
The moment Yang Ling began to pronounce the verdict, a buzzing sound suddenly exploded in her ears, interrupting the voice on the other end of the phone. At the same time, Josh felt her strength dissipate, and she suddenly lost all her strength.
Without support, her legs went weak, and she slid helplessly against the wall to the ground, sitting down directly. Josh curled up in the corner, feeling a wave of numbness in the hand holding her phone.
Yang Ling was still saying something on the phone, but her mind went blank, and she couldn't hear what happened next.
The stairwell was stuffy and hot. Josh squatted against the wall, her back covered in cold sweat, and her stomach was twisted with discomfort. She kept squatting, pressing her knees hard against her stomach to keep from vomiting.
"Josh? Josh?"
After a while, Yang Ling's voice reached her ears clearly again, calling out to her.
Considering her feelings, Yang Ling quickly comforted her, "It's said that she was slightly injured, but don't worry, she should be fine now."
Josh took a few deep breaths, trying to regulate her breathing and steady her voice before slowly replying, "I understand."
Yang Ling then said, "The company is in complete chaos right now, and I still have to deal with it. Could you go and check on those two and see what's going on?"
"But I've been worried ever since I heard there was blood. You know Liu Weifeng, I'm afraid he's not telling the truth."
"Okay, I'll go."
The call didn't last long; neither of them had the energy to say anything more.
After hanging up the phone, Josh squatted in the corner. The hand that had been holding the phone was still numb, and her fingertips had turned white from gripping it so tightly. She lay there for a while, and only when her numb hands and feet began to regain feeling did she manage to stand up with difficulty, supporting herself against the wall.
Her mind was in turmoil, one moment her grandmother, the next Qiao Mai, and even the image of Chen Zhibin.
A suffocating sense of sadness overwhelmed her, along with grief and, most notably, regret.
Many things, once missed, can never be recovered.
She wanted to go and check on Chen Zhiyu's situation in person.
It only takes a few minutes to walk from the stairwell to the company entrance, but it took Josh more than ten minutes to move himself.
The bullet train to the neighboring city wouldn't depart until the afternoon, so Josh couldn't wait and bought a bus ticket instead. The bus ride to the neighboring city took two hours, and as she sat down, she actually fell asleep.
She dreamed of that lake.
That blood-red lake that devours people.
This time, in her dream, she turned her head and accurately found the small Chen Zhiyu, who was squeezed in the crowd.
This time, Josh walked over to him and extended his hand.
Josh spent his whole life missing out and losing things.
From the moment she was born, Josh's life has been a process of subtraction, from her mother whom she never met, to her grandmother who raised them, even the despicable and damned Qiao Dacheng, and her closest friend Qiao Mai.
Chen Zhiyu is one of the few additions that Qiao Xi has made over the years.
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