13
Sitting at my desk, I stared at the small red digital clock on it, tapping the surface lightly with my fingers—once, twice, three times… When it reached forty-two, a crisp ding-dong rang out. Just then, someone across from me shouted, “Time’s up! Brothers, food is life, let’s go eat!” The shout was met with immediate agreement. Xiao Zhao, who sat behind me, came over, patted my shoulder, and said, “Xia, what are you still sitting there for? Come on, let’s go eat.”
I stood up, trying to suppress the urge to run out, and said to the bespectacled man with the calmest expression I could muster, "You go ahead, I have some things to take care of, I'll be back in a bit."
"Alright then, hurry up! If you're too late, these wolves will snatch all of Auntie's cabbage and pork dumplings."
In less than two minutes, I was the only one left in the office. I couldn't help but cheer excitedly, grabbed my coat from the back of my chair, and rushed out.
Destination: China Merchants Bank.
Reason: Checking salary.
From the day after my interview until now, I've worked at Jianjin Digital for a full month and ten days. Today is the 15th, the company's monthly payday. I've been restless since this morning, all because of that little bit of money. Last night before bed, I had already planned that after I got paid today, I would treat Zhang Peng to a nice meal, then go shopping in Xidan to buy him some nice clothes, and finally take him to a movie—a perfect day for us well-off folks.
I ran straight to the China Merchants Bank, inserted my card into the ATM, entered my PIN, and stared wide-eyed. A few seconds later, following the prompts, I pressed the "Check Account Balance" button… Looking at the displayed number, I couldn't stop laughing. My nerves were tingling with excitement. If there weren't so many people around, I might have started doing a striptease. Look at the number on the screen! From a single zero to a four followed by three zeros—what a huge change! Haha, and this is just my probationary salary. After the two-month probationary period, the salary… Hahahaha, I'm laughing so hard my jaw is about to drop! Thinking back to my exhausting and poorly paid job in the editorial department, I wonder how I could have endured it all? Money is like people; you don't know until you compare, and then you're shocked. Back then, I worked myself to the bone for a month and only earned 1300 yuan. What couldn't I buy? If I wanted to eat something nice, I had to think about how many more days I'd have to eat porridge at home. Although Pengpeng is rich (in my opinion), I feel bad about constantly living off him. He's already taken good care of me. Besides, I'm not exactly handsome; being a gigolo wouldn't do me justice. The biggest reason, really, is that I'm afraid Pengpeng will look down on me. Being poor isn't the problem, but feeling inferior because of it wouldn't be worth it. So, 1300 a month, after deducting monthly allowance, cigarettes, alcohol, and meals, it's just enough. Thinking about it, how long has it been since I bought Pengpeng anything? How long has it been since I went to the movies with him? It's been too long; I can't remember. So, I'm really not qualified to be his man. Luckily, he doesn't care how much money I have, and luckily, he has good intentions. Otherwise, how could we have gotten this far?
I'm taking out 1,500 yuan. Although it's a small amount that's insignificant to most people, I'm going to use it to give Pengpeng a wonderful evening tonight.
I arranged to meet Pengpeng at 7 pm at the entrance of Xidan Shopping Mall before leaving work. As soon as it was time, I rushed home. It was a rare date, so I needed to change into something nice. On the way, I also bought a bunch of carnations. Pengpeng said he's always loved flowers, and this city should be full of them. Thinking of his gentle voice, for the past month or so, I've made sure to buy him some flowers on my way home to please him.
As I took the elevator to the ninth floor, I was fumbling for my keys when I suddenly heard Xia Yu's voice coming from the dark ahead. She complained to someone, "My damn brother still isn't back, he's so busy looking for a job he's abandoned his home. Aren't you tired of standing here? We've been waiting for almost an hour."
The man chuckled and replied, "It's alright, let's wait a bit longer. When your brother gets back, I'll treat everyone to dinner outside."
The voice was so familiar, a voice I thought I would never hear again after more than a month.
I strode quickly toward the sound, my foot slamming down with a loud thud, and the overhead light immediately switched on. There it was, indeed, that familiar head of bright red hair.
"Girl, I've been working for a month and ten days now."
As soon as I said that, Xia Yu and Hua Hong both turned to look at me.
"Hey, long time no see," I greeted Hua Hong with a smile.
"Oh, you're finally back. It's really late, we've been waiting for you for ages." Xia Yu leaned against the door, glancing at me. Hua Hong stood in front of her, smiling at me.
"Why are you here?"
I opened the door and invited them in. Xia Yu immediately sprawled out on the living room sofa as soon as she entered, while Hua Hong stood awkwardly by the door, looking around the room and occasionally smiling at me.
"Please sit down, don't be shy."
"kindness."
Taking a drink from the refrigerator, I saw Hua Hong still standing at the door. Looking at his honest face, I smiled and walked over to pull him into the living room. It had been over a month since I'd last seen him, and he seemed a little different. How to put it... he seemed much quieter.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming over? Look, we don't even have anything to offer you." I asked, handing Hua Hong a drink.
Xia Yu picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, saying, "I called here, but no one answered. So, did you find a job?"
"Yeah, I just got off work."
"Haha, what do you do? You're not sweeping the streets, are you?"
"What's wrong with sweeping the streets? It benefits the people, it's such a glorious profession! Even if you wanted to do it, others might not let you. Pshaw!"
"Okay, okay, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Just tell me what you do? You're not the one Zhang Peng introduced you to, are you?"
I nodded and said, "That's the one."
"How much is it per month?" Xia Yu asked excitedly, looking as if she had found a job.
I chuckled and said, "It's a secret."
Xia Yu uttered a long "Tch~~~" and turned her head away, ignoring me.
Hua Hong, sitting next to us, listened quietly to our conversation, his head slightly lowered as he drank his beverage, looking like a well-behaved child visiting someone else's home for the first time.
"How have you been these days?"
"fine."
"Didn't we agree to keep in touch? Why didn't you call? I'm waiting for you to ask me to go clubbing."
“This…” Hua Hong put down the beverage can and looked at Xia Yu.
Xia Yu chimed in, "He lost his phone. Luckily, this guy still recognizes my house, so he came looking for me. Hey, didn't you want to go out with my brother? Tell him already."
Hua Hong's face suddenly turned red, and he quickly lowered his head, turning the beverage can from his left hand to his right hand, and then from his right hand to his left hand, back and forth.
Seeing that he didn't speak, I started by saying, "You really are careless. Luckily, it was just your phone that you lost. If you had lost me when we went out together, it would have been on the news."
"How could that be! There's no way I could lose a living person like you," Hua Hong protested, raising his head.
"Hehe, you're right. Where do you want to go with me?"
“This…” Hua Hong lowered his head again. He looked embarrassed no matter how you looked at it.
What's wrong with this guy?
The cell phone in the bag suddenly rang, startling all three of them.
"You bought a cell phone?" Xia Yu asked.
“It was a gift from Pengpeng. He said that everyone has to have one person working, so it’s convenient to keep in touch.”
"Tch! Pretty boy." Xia Yu insulted me, then turned away, unable to bear it. I reached out and tapped her forehead, then took out my phone and saw it was Zhang Peng's number.
"Hello?"
Where are you? I've arrived.
I let out a silent "Ah!" and suddenly remembered my date with Zhang Peng. Ugh, I completely forgot about it as soon as Xia Yu and the others arrived.
"I...I'm on my way, I'll be there soon, please wait a moment."
As we spoke, Xia Yu and Hua Hong both looked at me. I smiled awkwardly and continued to Zhang Peng, "If you're hungry, eat a couple of skewers of squid first, but remember not to eat too much, okay? Otherwise you won't be able to eat anything later."
"Haha, you're treating me to dinner? That's so nice!"
"Don't ask any more questions, that's all, I'm hanging up."
"Hehe, bye-bye, hurry up!"
"kindness."
After hanging up the phone, I met Hua Hong's puzzled look and said embarrassedly, "I'm so sorry, I made plans to have dinner with Pengpeng today. I almost forgot if he hadn't called." Thinking that it was rare for Hua Hong to come over, I felt bad about leaving them both behind, so I added, "If you don't mind, let's go together. I arranged to meet him at the entrance of Xidan Shopping Mall."
Hua Hong quickly stood up and said, "No need. Since you have something to do, I'll come to see you another day."
Xia Yu glared at me from her seat, then slowly stood up and said, "Hey, give your phone number to Hua Hong, so he doesn't have to make a wasted trip again."
"Yes, yes, that's true." I took out my business card and handed it to Hua Hong. "Here, my number is on it."
Hua Hong looked at the small card carefully, then looked up and smiled at Xia Yu, saying, "Let's go then."
"good."
As I saw them to the door, watching Hua Hong's retreating figure, I felt a pang of loneliness. When will he come again? Will it be another month or more? Or even longer? Or will he stop coming to see me altogether? I should have a good talk with him.
"Hua Hong!" The thought had already escaped his throat.
Hua Hong turned around. "What's wrong?"
“Give me your phone number.”
Hua Hong was taken aback, then quickly walked towards me. "Write down my address first, and I'll tell you the number after I buy a phone."
Okay. How much?
“xxxxxxxx”
Write it down.
"Well, then... I'm leaving." He looked at me, his eyes seeming somewhat reluctant.
"Okay, be careful on the road."
Hua Hong ran to Xia Yu's side, and Xia Yu turned around and looked at me with a puzzled expression. Finally, the two disappeared at the elevator entrance.
I changed my clothes and rushed from Xiaoying to Xidan, arriving after seven o'clock. There were quite a few people at the mall entrance, and I searched for Zhang Peng for a long time but couldn't find him. Had he gotten impatient and gone home? Just as I was about to call him, someone tapped me on the back. I turned around, and there was Zhang Peng.
"You called me here but you're late. Is the company really that busy?"
"No, I went home to change my clothes."
Zhang Peng stepped back a little to look at me. "Yes, he was wearing a white shirt when he left this morning, but he's changed into a purple one now."
"hehe."
"What are you grinning about? Why did you go home to change your clothes?"
Do you know what a big day it is today?
"A big day?...I don't know."
"Think about it carefully."
Zhang Peng's eyes darted around. "It's not an anniversary or anyone's birthday."
"Think about it again."
Zhang Peng thought for a moment, then swung his briefcase and hit me in the stomach. "Can't figure it out! Don't mess with me, just say it."
"Today is payday. Hehe."
"ah!"
"Come on, let me treat you to dinner."
Zhang Peng laughed heartily and reached into my pocket, slipping something inside. I took it out and saw it was a gift box.
"What?"
"Let's open it and take a look."
On the bustling street, under Zhang Peng's eager gaze, I untied the red ribbon on the box, opened it, and found a tie inside.
"Why did you think of giving me something? It's not a big day today." Lele took out a tie, and I held it up to my chest, then quickly put it back in the box, afraid it would get dirty.
"I just wanted to give it away, there's no reason needed."
"Hehe, thank you. I like it very much."
"I'm glad you like it. Come on, treat me to a big meal."
…… ……
When I got home, it was already 11:30 p.m. I put the bag I was carrying on the table, and Pengpeng pulled me close and kissed me tenderly. In the moonlight-lit room, Pengpeng looked very peaceful, and I thought that at that moment, I must have felt very kind too.
We circled around, slowly approaching the large bed. The sheets were white; we lay down, staining them with color. In the quiet night, we embraced each other, our bodies warm, our hearts content.
Pengpeng said he loves me, and I believe him wholeheartedly; I said I love him, and he smiled sweetly, saying that he is content just to have me say those words.
He asked me, "Can we stay together forever?" I replied, "Aren't we already together forever?"
Pengpeng gazed at me, burying his head deeply in my chest. He said he was very happy today because I was so good to him. I bought him the clothes he liked and, unusually, took him to a movie. I said, "From now on, I will make you happy every day. I will always be good to you."
Pengpeng cried, I think it was because she was moved; my heart felt bittersweet, because of our love.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
