Chapter 7
On a late autumn evening, the setting sun cast a warm golden hue over the tall buildings of Financial Street. Zhao Jinglu stood on a street corner not far from Ling Peng's office, clutching the gift bag containing the watch. She felt a mixture of trepidation and impatience.
The stream of people leaving work gradually began to trickle out. She stood on tiptoe, her eyes anxiously searching the crowd. Finally, the familiar tall figure appeared. He was wearing a fitted dark casual business suit that accentuated his shoulders. He was walking while looking down at his phone, a hint of fatigue from work between his brows.
"Ling Peng!" Zhao Jinglu's eyes lit up, and she immediately raised her arm and waved to him happily.
Ling Peng looked up at the sound and froze in the spot the next second.
The golden-red light of the setting sun diffused from behind her, outlining her slender figure. The edges of her hair were stained with a soft halo, which was incredibly clear, but also a little blurry and dreamy due to the backlight. His heart skipped a beat, and his first thought was: Was I hallucinating because of the uneasy thoughts I had in recent days?
He even subconsciously looked back to confirm whether the person he was greeting was him.
Until that figure trotted up to him, with a familiar and lively smile, and clearly called out his name: "Ling Peng! What, you don't recognize me now that you're tanned?" She tilted her head and deliberately asked in a teasing tone, "Or... don't want to know me anymore?"
Her breath was slightly panting from jogging, her cheeks were flushed with a healthy color, and her eyes looked at him brightly, full of life.
Ling Peng looked at her so close, and his heart felt like it was filled with something, aching and swollen. He thought: If only we didn't know each other, then we wouldn't have to endure this torment.
He tried his best to suppress his surging emotions, tried to restore his expression to a natural one, and even forced a faint smile: "How come. Why are you here?" He avoided her sharp question about "do you know each other?" and asked instead: "National Day activities...how was the experience?" He tried to make his voice sound just ordinary concern.
This topic immediately ignited Zhao Jinglu's desire to share. She couldn't wait to begin recounting the "secrets" she'd previously been unable to share due to confidentiality regulations—the fun moments of training, the hardships of late-night sparring, the nervousness of waiting, the excitement of walking through Tiananmen Square... Her eyes lit up as she spoke, her hands dancing with joy.
Ling Peng listened quietly, matching her pace as they walked aimlessly along the street. He looked at her lively and vivid side, feeling the passion and joy in her words, and the gloom that had been accumulating in his heart for the past few days seemed to be dispelled.
As they talked, the topic naturally shifted to the final stage of training. Zhao Jinglu suddenly stopped and turned around, her expression becoming somewhat serious. She looked him up and down, as if re-examining him.
Ling Peng felt a little uncomfortable when she looked at him: "What's wrong?"
Zhao Jinglu frowned slightly, as if she had finally grasped a key clue. Her tone was inquiring and a little uncertain: "I heard from Sun Wei... that you came to see me train before?"
Ling Peng's heart tightened, but he remained calm: "Well, I went to take a look on the way."
"And then..." Zhao Jinglu stared into his eyes and asked cautiously and tentatively, "You're unhappy now? You're ignoring me too?" She paused, then voiced the suspicion that had been lingering in her mind for a long time, with a touch of disbelief and a hint of grievance. "Could it be... that you think I've been too busy with 'serious matters' like training and neglected you as a friend, so you're angry?"
"friend".
Those two words, like two fine needles, pierced Ling Peng's heart with pinpoint precision. A sharp bitterness instantly spread. Should he be happy? Happy that she cared so much about his feelings, even feeling uneasy about potentially "ignoring" him. Or should he be sad? Sad that she attributed all his antics and pain to a mere "friendship" spat.
He subconsciously looked away, not daring to look into her clear eyes that were filled with concern and doubt, for fear that his pitiful and ridiculous thoughts at the moment would be clearly reflected in them.
To Zhao Jinglu, his silence and evasion seemed more like a tacit agreement after someone had spoken about his true feelings.
She suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had solved a great mystery, and her tone lightened. "So that's what I'm talking about! Oh, I'm so sorry! I was so busy back then, it wasn't intentional." As she spoke, she pulled the carefully wrapped box from her bag and handed it to him, a look of apology and expectation on her face. "Can I use this to make amends? Congratulations on your graduation and your job."
Ling Peng stared at the box in a daze, then subconsciously took it and opened it.
The deep blue dial shone with a deep luster in the sunset, the cool metal strap outlined austere lines, and every detail exuded a sense of precision technology and power. This was a gift that clearly took great care, perfectly suiting his aesthetic and temperament.
However, this unexpected, generous gift representing "friendship" was like a boulder crashing into his already swirling heart. It turned out her presence today, her concern, her gift... were all meant to solidify this "friendship." The overwhelming sense of loss and irony nearly overwhelmed him.
Seeing that he was just staring at the watch without saying anything, Zhao Jinglu thought he was still bothered, so she changed her expression to playful, tapped the dial with her finger, and said seriously, "Boss Ling, from now on, when you wear this, remember to go to work on time and leave work on time. In the future, you will have every minute of your time worth, don't you understand?"
Her playful words and demeanor finally broke the gloomy atmosphere surrounding Ling Peng. He looked at the girl before him, who was trying to "coax" him with gifts and jokes, and it felt as if a spark of warmth had finally emerged from the cold embers in his heart. He couldn't keep a straight face towards her after all.
Ling Peng finally smiled, the first genuine smile he'd seen in days, one that was filled with a touch of helplessness and immense fondness. "I understand," he whispered, closing the watch box and carefully holding it in his hands. "Thank you, I love the gift."
"Let's go," he put away his watch, his mood brightening as if the rain had just ended. "Boss Ling is personally treating you to a feast. What would you like to eat?"
Ling Peng took her to a newly opened, elegant Western restaurant nearby. With soft lighting and soothing music, this was their first real meal alone.
Each of them had their own thoughts. Although Zhao Jinglu felt that he seemed to be no longer depressed, the knot in his heart seemed not to be completely untied. She cut the steak on the plate, hesitated for a moment, and decided to ask directly. She raised her head and looked at him sincerely: "So... what's wrong with you recently? Is it really just... because I've 'ignored' you? Or is it because work is not going well? You can speak freely now. I have plenty of time to be a listener this time."
Ling Peng paused, gripping his knife and fork. He raised his eyes, meeting her concerned gaze. The soft light from the restaurant fell on her face, making her look especially gentle. The bitterness and desire to express himself that had been pent up for so many days threatened to burst forth at this moment.
He was silent for a few seconds, as if he had made a great decision. His voice was low and slow, with an indescribable dejection. "It's not work." He paused, his eyes falling on the wine glass at hand. "It's... the person I like. Maybe I already have someone I like."
Zhao Jinglu was completely stunned.
She'd considered countless possibilities, but she'd never expected this answer. Was his previous depression and erratic behavior due to a breakup? Or was it an end he'd foreseen before it even began?
"Ah..." She opened her mouth, unsure how to react. A subtle sourness inexplicably rose in her heart, a feeling of sadness for him. She put down her knife and fork, her tone becoming cautious and clumsy. "Then... what should we do?"
Ling Peng raised his head and looked into her eyes which were filled with helplessness and sincere concern. He smiled bitterly and repeated her words: "Yeah...what should we do then?" There was a deep sense of powerlessness in his tone.
Zhao Jinglu felt as if she had touched upon a very private and painful area, a bit presumptuous. She lowered her head, stirring the dessert with a spoon, her voice lowering a little. "I... I really don't have much experience in this area, so I don't think I can give you any good advice."
Ling Peng looked at her slightly drooping eyelashes and sighed with mixed feelings: "Yes, you are so good. The person you like also likes you."
Zhao Jinglu was just about to put a spoonful of mousse cake into her mouth when she heard him say that. She subconsciously, almost blurting out, "I don't have anyone I like."
“Crack—”
The air seemed quiet for a moment.
Ling Peng raised his head suddenly, as if he didn't hear clearly, or as if he heard something incredible. His pupils dilated slightly, and he looked at her in shock and disbelief.
Zhao Jinglu was a little confused by his violent reaction. She blinked, swallowed the cake in her mouth, and repeated it clearly, her tone as if it was a matter of course: "I said, I don't have anyone I like right now. What's wrong?"
What's wrong?
These words, light and airy, like the strongest east wind, instantly blew away the heavy haze that had been lingering in his heart for many days!
It was like a ray of sunshine that split the thick clouds and pulled him back from the cold and desperate hell to the warm world!
So... there's no one else?
That caring man who drives a Mercedes-Benz...isn't that kind of relationship?
What Sun Wei saw was perhaps just... the concern of his friends?
The immense, regained ecstasy crashed over him like a tsunami, nearly making him lose his grip on the knife and fork. He tried his best to control himself, not to show his excitement too obviously, but the sudden glint in his eyes and the slight trembling of his fingertips betrayed the surging tide within him.
He took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound calmer, but he couldn't suppress the slightly raised corners of his mouth: "...Nothing."
But, the world seemed to have regained its color and sound in an instant.
He just, finally, could breathe again.
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