Chapter 35
Like falling from the sky
Because this was a long business trip, the company rented a house locally for convenience.
Compared to hotels, this kind of accommodation is more suitable for them.
However, the business trip was a last-minute decision, and the company was in a hurry to rent a place. The room was not big, but fortunately, it was small but complete, and everything was prepared.
At the dinner party, Director Zhou was outmaneuvered by several people. His eloquent talk and constant boasting annoyed everyone. The department members were no match for him and it took them a long time to deal with him before they finally escaped from his clutches.
When they were about to return to their rented place, Josh and the others declined Director Zhou's offer. Having learned their lesson, this time they arranged a taxi in advance, thwarting his hopes.
After a long and tiring journey, everyone was dragged into an unbearable social event as soon as they got off the plane. After it ended, everyone was exhausted. Upon arriving at their accommodation, they said goodbye, took their room keys, and went back to their rooms to rest as soon as possible.
The place I stayed was just a slightly old three-story building. It was late, the hallway was dimly lit, and due to the climate, there was a damp, musty smell in the air.
To avoid unnecessary trouble caused by different work schedules, the company has chosen single rooms with simple furnishings and an open-plan layout.
Josh didn't have much luggage; it consisted of only one small suitcase.
To the left of the entrance is an old-fashioned leather sofa in a classic brown color scheme, and directly opposite it is an ordinary wooden coffee table.
Directly in front of the entrance, near the window, is a simple single bed.
As night falls, circles of lights illuminate the area outside the window.
The room was filled with the glow of neon lights.
Having just returned from outside, covered in sweat, Josh put down his luggage, grabbed a change of clothes, and took a shower. When he came out, he heard his phone ringing on the coffee table.
Josh bent down to pick up her phone, and the name flashing on the screen made her tense nerves relax for a moment.
It was a video call from Chen Zhiyu.
Josh checked the time; Chen Zhiyu had already finished his evening self-study session.
The video call connected. "Just settled in?" Chen Zhiyu's voice came through the phone eagerly, carrying its familiar clarity. "How's your accommodation?"
"I haven't had time to look at it closely yet."
In the video, Chen Zhiyu is wearing comfortable loungewear and lying on his bed in the dormitory. He glances at the environment behind Qiao Xi and thinks, "I thought you would have been ready by now."
"That's how it was originally planned, but we ran into some issues." Qiao Xi briefly explained to Chen Zhiyu, and concluded, "The factory manager here is very enthusiastic."
"Does that mean you can come back sooner?" Chen Zhiyu asked.
“Even if this one doesn’t meet the standards, we still need to visit and evaluate other factories.” Before Josh could even examine every corner of the room carefully, she flipped the camera over and showed Chen Zhiyu the situation inside. “See? I haven’t even unpacked my luggage yet.”
In the scene, an open suitcase lies haphazardly in the center of the living room. The room is dimly lit. Chen Zhiyu adjusts his position, lying on his side, and says, "Let me take another good look at you."
Josh walked to the window, opened the curtains a crack, and turned on all the lights in the room.
She placed her phone on the coffee table and quickly packed her luggage while video chatting with Chen Zhiyu.
Josh put the clothes into the makeshift wardrobe one by one, and casually asked, "Did you go to the company today?"
"I went. I didn't have class this afternoon, so Boss Liu called me over." Chen Zhiyu's voice sounded a little tired, then his tone rose as he asked Qiao Xi, "The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday just ended... the next one is New Year's Day, do you have time off?"
Chen Zhiyu doesn't have classes on Saturdays and Sundays because he has to go to Liu Weifeng's company for an internship. Now the two are in different places, and they can only meet on holidays.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has just passed during the National Day holiday, and the next holiday will be New Year's Day.
"New Year's Day?" Upon hearing Chen Zhiyu mention the New Year's Day holiday, Qiao Xi stopped what she was doing and subconsciously glanced at her phone calendar. It was only October, and this child was already planning for New Year's Day.
The factory area shrouded in shadow was like a tangled mess. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I remember there was only one day off for New Year's Day this year. I've only just started preparing for work here. There's a ton of stuff to sort out... I guess it's unlikely."
She paused, trying to find some room for maneuver, "But who knows? If things go well, I can go back sooner."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a barely audible sigh. Then Chen Zhiyu said, "I'll try my best to make time for it."
Seeing Chen Zhiyu's high spirits, Qiao Xi's gaze fell on the boundless night outside the window, and she didn't continue the conversation.
She suddenly had a premonition that the work might not go too smoothly this time, but considering Chen Zhiyu's feelings, she didn't say anything too definitive.
*
The next day, Josh and his team finally began their official work.
Over the next few days, the department members split up and carried out their plans with difficulty, all under the constant "care" of Director Zhou.
He was like a stubborn plaster, always wearing an overly enthusiastic smile on his face when facing Josh and the others, guaranteeing with his mouth and patting his chest that the quality of the factory's products far exceeded their requirements.
But his eyes were fixed intently on Josh and Feng Zhao.
When you go to the workshop, he will personally lead the way, planning the route precisely and cleverly, only showing the brand-new, gleaming imported equipment and the large slogans on the propaganda wall.
This meant that Josh and his team had to complete a lot of research work every day, and they also had to avoid his enthusiastic invitations after get off work.
Sensing this, Josh and Feng Zhao became increasingly pessimistic about the factory's products.
Who knows what kind of substandard product is hidden beneath this seemingly perfect sugar-coated bullet?
Through their interactions, Josh learned that the girl who was following him that day was actually named Gu Lian.
In the days that followed, he was like a silent shadow, driving that van around inside and outside the factory.
He remained silent and taciturn, his gaze lowered. Several times, Josh even felt that someone was watching them from the shadows, but whenever she looked up to scan the area, nothing happened.
It seemed like my own imagination.
This silent doubt is more unsettling than Director Zhou's noisy boasting.
In the days that followed, Josh moved between Director Zhou's factory and residence.
The work proceeded in an orderly manner.
However, to her surprise, the survey results were unexpected; the quality of the products in the factory was completely different from the behavior and style of Director Zhou.
This puzzled Josh and the others even more. If there was no problem with the quality of the factory's products, why was Director Zhou adopting such a humble attitude?
I originally thought I wouldn't be staying here for long, but I ended up staying for almost two months.
Time passed slowly as the factory was tested. With slow progress, the cold winter arrived, and before we knew it, it was the end of December. The air became damp and biting.
As the project neared its end, Josh's workload became increasingly heavy, and Chen Zhiyu was also in exam week. The two contacted each other less and less, for shorter and shorter periods, and their conversations became increasingly brief.
The pressure of final exams was overwhelming. A week before the New Year's Day holiday, Chen Zhiyu finally had time to call Qiao Xi. "We have two exams, both scheduled after New Year's Day."
Chen Zhiyu's voice was heavy with fatigue, with a slight nasal tone, accompanied by the clattering of keyboards in the background. "We can't have a holiday right after the exams; we still have a short semester."
He paused, took a deep breath, and said, "New Year's Day... it might really be in jeopardy." He added helplessly, "I have an exam on the first morning after the holiday, and it's a professional exam."
This year's New Year's Day holiday is only one day long.
The implication was crystal clear: the chances of them meeting were slim.
Josh stood by the cold window, looking at the gray sky outside. The winter here was particularly cold and damp, the dampness seeping into her bones. Accustomed to underfloor heating, she couldn't bear it for a while, and even getting out of bed required courage.
Actually, this was all within Josh's expectations, but when the expectation came true, the disappointment was still heavy. She curled up in her oversized down jacket, trying to hide her emotions, and said in a muffled voice, "Just focus on preparing for the exam, we'll talk about it after the exam."
"But I want to see you," Chen Zhiyu murmured unwillingly.
The factory investigation is nearing completion, and "I'll be able to go back soon." She tried to comfort him, "Focus on your exams and don't think about anything else. I'll come back to see you as soon as I'm done with this."
I originally planned to finish the work before New Year's Day, but the longer it was postponed, the longer it took.
Although it's a business trip, if it happens to be a national holiday, I can still get a day off. I won't be able to go home, but at least I can rest for a day.
They worked as usual the day before the holiday.
The weather was colder than usual that day. After mentally preparing himself for a long time, Josh got out of bed and quickly put on his thickest coat.
Pushing open the door, the damp, cold air instantly enveloped Josh, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
The sky was a depressing, leaden gray.
Feng Zhao happened to appear at the door. Neither of them wanted to speak in the cold wind. Their eyes met for a moment, and then they walked together toward the factory.
The last day of work this year was not easy either, with the group busy working on data.
Until dusk fell.
As the cold wind whipped up dust from the ground, Josh and Feng Zhao ran into Gu Lian, who had just returned from outside, outside the factory gate as they were about to leave.
He got out of the car and walked straight inside, making a phone call. Perhaps because Josh and the others were wrapped up so tightly, they didn't notice them.
Just as Josh was about to pass him by, a short, low-pitched sentence with a heavy local accent entered her ears like a wisp of smoke.
Josh paused for a moment.
In that instant, something flashed through her mind. She turned around thoughtfully, her expression unchanged, gazing in the direction Gu Lian had just left.
Afterwards, urged on by Feng Zhao who was unaware of what was happening, he started walking again.
Even after leaving the factory, the work wasn't finished. The department held a video conference with headquarters to discuss and make decisions based on the latest measured data.
Busy from morning till late at night.
Josh returned to his residence in the middle of the night. He had just parted ways with Feng Zhao at the door and entered his own room when he heard several muffled thuds outside the door.
Josh assumed that Feng Zhao had something else to tell him, and for safety reasons, he peeked through the peephole first.
In that instant, Josh's eyes caught a figure through the cat's eye that shouldn't have been there.
Josh stood frozen in place, her heart pounding wildly, as if it would burst from her chest.
She saw a familiar figure standing outside.
This figure should have been thousands of miles away, preparing for the final exams.
However, he stood outside her door, as if he had descended from the sky.
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