Chapter 58 "Bewitched."...
What Pei Shuwen thought was a good price was actually just some old merchandise related to him.
Mu Fenglin was full of "exclusive scoops," but what exactly they were, she hadn't verified and didn't know.
To be honest, she only helped Mu Fenglin because of his empty promises.
I did something wrong.
Lin Chaoyue felt very guilty.
Clutching the ticket, he followed behind Pei Shuwen.
As for how her ticket was checked and how she got on the Ferris wheel, she didn't think about it until she felt herself slowly leaving the horizon, at which point Lin Chaoyue suddenly came to her senses.
She stared wide-eyed at Pei Shuwen.
"How...how did you buy a ticket?"
I bought the ticket eight minutes ago.
"Shall we sit together?"
It's been almost two minutes since the two of them came up.
Pei Shuwen glanced at her.
She was still clutching the "May you have a long and happy marriage" light-up sign that the staff had given her.
Pei Shuwen was somewhat surprised that she picked it up so easily, but since she liked it, he didn't remind her.
like?
She loves it so much!
Looking down at herself holding the large red lantern sign, Lin Chaoyue felt as if she were dying.
Can anyone tell her?
Whose taste is this bright red, intricately carved lantern sign?!
It has flowers on it, fine! But why are there words on it too?!
A million thoughts raced through her mind, leaving her dazed. Her hand unconsciously gripped the inner handle of the glass capsule, ready to slip away the moment she landed.
"The door can only be opened from the outside."
Undeterred, Lin Chaoyue continued to hold onto the doorknob, stubbornly insisting, "I'll just hold it for a moment."
"The staff said the journey would take about twenty minutes." Pei Shuwen raised his wrist to check his watch: "It's been exactly four minutes and eighteen seconds since we came up."
It's just a mere 15 minutes and 42 seconds.
fine!
She can wait!
Lin Chaoyue continued to argue stubbornly: "It's safer for us if I hold on like this. Haven't you seen the news? The glass doors of Ferris wheels can easily pop open. If... if I hold on, it won't be so dangerous."
"Then I really have to thank you." Pei Shuwen said with a half-smile.
"No need for thanks..."
"Thank you for risking your life to ensure my safety. If you are unfortunately swept out by the ejected hatch but are lucky enough to land safely, remember to call the staff to rescue me immediately."
Lin Chaoyue quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been electrocuted.
The person, still shaken, moved a little further inside.
Pei Shuwen remained calm and even had time to pick up the light board that she had thrown on the ground.
Do you still want this?
"don't want."
"That……"
"Don't talk." Lin Chaoyue, who was never afraid of heights, was unusually nervous: "Pei Shuwen, don't you feel a little swaying? Was it swaying like this just now?"
"Could it really be malfunctioning?"
Pei Shuwen remained silent for a long time before asking, "I heard from President Lin that your hobby is skiing. How do you ski if you're afraid of heights? On flat ground?"
Lin Chaoyue could tell that Pei Shuwen was genuinely curious.
But she was genuinely unhappy: "I'm a ski, not a spring. How high can I jump? You're making a fuss over nothing!"
After this little incident, she was no longer afraid.
She turned her head to one side, sulking.
"Lin Chaoyue".
"What!" Even though the person opposite her was Pei Shuwen, she didn't want to talk to him.
"Look outside."
"It's just a Ferris wheel, what's so interesting about it?"
"We're almost at the top."
Lin Chaoyue said "Oh," blinked, and looked out in the direction Pei Shuwen was looking.
Before they knew it, they had reached a high enough position to overlook the entire night view of the Yuntai.
She had visited Yuntai many times, but this was the first time she had seen the city from this perspective.
Well, how should I put it?
Some surprises.
"I had always heard that Yuntai is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and it didn't feel like much in the city. But seeing it like this is really quite impressive."
"Come over here and you can see the entire Yunshan River."
"Really? Let me see!"
Her position with Pei Shuwen changed from facing each other to her sitting next to him.
The view from the middle wasn't very good, so she squeezed closer to Pei Shuwen.
Lin Chaoyue didn't think much of it at first, but after sitting for a while and feeling the warmth of the person next to her, she belatedly realized that she and Pei Shuwen were too close.
They were so close that they could hear his breathing.
She was getting a little distracted by him.
Since returning to China, most of her life has been inextricably linked with Pei Shuwen. From initial rejection to acceptance, and now to anticipation, everything has happened quietly yet naturally.
In contrast, he always seemed so composed, making it difficult to discern his true feelings.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the red light sign placed opposite; the lettering flickered occasionally, and rays of light pierced through the darkness.
This touched Lin Chaoyue's heart once again.
"Your phone is ringing, it should be Mu Fenglin."
"What?" It was getting windy outside, and with the creaking of machinery, Lin Chaoyue didn't quite hear clearly.
Pei Shuwen repeated, "Mu Fenglin must have discovered that none of us were at the hotel..."
Lin Chaoyue replied somewhat abruptly, "I don't think you and Mu Fenglin are a good match."
Pei Shuwen didn't look at her immediately.
But the two of them sat right next to each other, their expressions clearly reflected in the glass window against the backdrop of the night.
She braced her right hand tightly against the metal seat, speaking so frankly and boldly for the first time when it came to matters of the heart: "I don't think Mu Fenglin is right for you. Would you consider me?"
"How should we consider this?"
For many years afterward.
When Lin Chaoyue thought of that night by the river, she could probably only recall four words.
Bewitched.
--
Lin Chaoyue's impulsive words made the atmosphere during the latter half of her business trip quite awkward.
Although uncertain.
But she always felt that Pei Shuwen was intentionally or unintentionally keeping her distance.
After leaving Yuntai, during the entire due diligence period in Nancheng, she hardly spent any time alone with him; the hotel rooms were divided into three floors, and meals were ordered and delivered to each room, with the room full of outsiders. Not to mention, after the business trip ended, he booked her a flight back to Ningcheng first, while he stayed behind.
"Hey, was I not straightforward enough?"
Lin Chaoyue returned to Ningcheng, rolled around on her bed for the first time in a long while, and finally stared at the ceiling, thinking about Pei Shuwen.
She came back the day before yesterday afternoon, and today is Sunday, but there's still no movement upstairs. Even if he's avoiding her, he shouldn't be avoiding coming home. The institute has arranged a team building activity tomorrow, which will last for three days. If he doesn't come back soon, will he be able to make it?
Lin Chaoyue turned over again, this time got out of bed, turned to the stairwell and looked up.
Quietly.
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have signed a labor contract. I would have just signed a servitude contract. People can't even empathize with themselves from a month ago."
Disheartened, she lay back down on the sofa in the living room.
People are so bored they're practically smoking.
I swiped my phone a couple of times before I realized that the room allocation list for the law firm's team building trip tomorrow had been released.
Standard rooms are for two people, and suites are for three people.
Everyone was chatting enthusiastically in the group.
Some people even tagged her directly, saying she was lucky to have a room all to herself.
She clicked on it and found that it was true.
Lin Chaoyue was just wondering when Nie Shanshan's call came in.
"Lin Chaoyue, you brat, how come you're so lucky? You have your own suite!"
"I heard that you were originally supposed to stay with the two lawyers from the litigation team, but they are still on a business trip and it's uncertain whether they will be able to come back. I think it's highly unlikely that they will be able to return from the Cangchuan project. What should I do? I'm sharing a room with that bitch Nie Jingjing. I really want to move in with you."
Lin Chaoyue's mind raced: "Didn't we say last time that we'd try to have everyone participate in the team building event, and that those who were on business trips should also come back?"
"What are you thinking? Team building is not as important as work. It's only because Pei Lu let you come back, otherwise you would still be working hard as Pei Lu's assistant in Nancheng."
"How are you feeling? You've looked exhausted and worn out lately."
She wanted to follow Pei Shuwen and work hard without complaint, but unfortunately he didn't give her that chance.
Lin Chaoyue turned over and looked at the ceiling from a different angle. It was Pei Shuwen's bedroom. "Yeah, he looks all worn out. Is there any other good news to cheer me up?"
"There's no good news, but there is bad news. The team building games are all grouped into fours. When we actually play live-action CS, those of you who are on business trips will naturally be one person short, so your bonuses are probably in jeopardy."
Nie Shanshan was initially envious of Lin Chaoyue living alone, but the more she talked about it, the less envious she became.
Lin Chaoyue quickly grasped the key point: "Show me the game group list."
She hung up the phone and saw two names right next to each other on the list, and for once she felt refreshed.
Pei Shuwen.
Lin Chaoyue.
--
For the next three days, Lin Chaoyue repeatedly opened the pinned chat box, and finally couldn't resist sending a message.
Lin Chaoyue: [For team building, I'm paired with you for live-action CS. Are you up to the task? Don't hold me back from getting the grand prize.]
The grand prize is 100,000 yuan.
What a convenient excuse.
Lin Chaoyue waited for a while, but seeing that Pei Shuwen ignored her, she felt a little uncertain, so she decided to ask more directly.
Lin Chaoyue: [You're here for team building, right? Otherwise, our team will only have three people left.]
Pei Shuwen: [Yes, in a meeting.]
A few days ago, if she had seen the words "in a meeting," she would have thought that Pei Shuwen was deliberately avoiding her again.
But seeing that "hmm" in front of her today really put her in a good mood.
I was so happy I wanted to roll around on the floor.
Only when she rolled over did she realize she was lying on a sofa...
She let out a muffled "ah," and this time, without Pei Shuwen as a cushion, she bumped into something hard, her nose instantly turning red.
--
Late July is the hottest time in Ningcheng. It hasn't rained for a week, and the cicadas chirping in the trees sound incredibly irritating.
"Lin Chaoyue, aren't you hot? Why are you wearing a mask in this weather?"
Nie Shanshan rolled up the team-building itinerary, fanned herself, and then reached for Lin Chaoyue's if she felt the wind wasn't strong enough.
Lin Chaoyue raised her hand, not giving it to her: "If you're hot, go across the street and buy two bags of ice. I just got the order from Meng Yuzhi, and I haven't even read what's written in it yet."
"No need to look, I wrote the itinerary. If you want to know anything, I'll recite it to you." This time, taking advantage of Lin Chaoyue's inattention, Nie Shanshan snatched the itinerary directly.
In a few quick movements, she folded it into a fan. This time, the fan produced a strong breeze, and the cool breeze made her feel quite satisfied. She then became curious about Lin Chaoyue's mask and wanted to take it off.
Lin Chaoyue reacted quickly this time, and before she could even touch the corner of her clothes, she dodged to the side.
"Don't touch me, or I'll report you for indecent assault."
Thinking of the face she saw in the mirror that morning, Lin Chaoyue pulled her mask up higher, tightly protecting her face.
"You stingy little thing! You've only been on a business trip with Pei Lu for a few days, and you've already become so aloof. But let me tell you, there's no use trying to hide it; you'll have to take it off whether you like it or not later."
"Then we'll wait until we absolutely have to pick them."
She bumped her nose last night, and it's still red. She doesn't want Pei Shuwen to see it when he comes over.
The team-building activity involving live-action CS is scheduled for two days later. She will wear a mask for two days, and the swelling will subside by then.
While everyone was distracted, Lin Chaoyue sent Pei Shuwen a message: "When are you arriving?", then switched to the game interface and started a round of PUBG.
I played for about ten minutes.
Lin Chaoyue was focused on crouching when she was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat, and her hand trembled as she fired a blank shot.
"Alright, alright, stop playing around and come take a picture together."
"Damn, we're doomed."
Players at this level are all very skilled.
In solo mode, we've shrunk to the last map, and there are only three people left, none of whom are our teammates, and we don't have any strong cover.
Lin Chaoyue was unsurprisingly eliminated after being hit by two consecutive bombs, and sighed to the heavens.
"Just a little bit more! What did you just say? A group photo? What kind of group photo? Aren't we about to leave?"
"A group photo! A souvenir before we set off. The HR said this trip is all outdoor activities, so this is our most polished moment?"
Lin Chaoyue glanced into the distance. The last group of people had arrived; the bus had just stopped, and people were getting off. She stared for a long time but didn't see Pei Shuwen. He hadn't replied to her messages either.
Seeing that Lin Chaoyue was not moving, Nie Shanshan waved her hand in front of her eyes: "What are you looking at? Come on, you have to take off your mask to take pictures, right? What's there to hide? You didn't have a romantic encounter while you were on your business trip, did you?"
The person opposite her lowered their gaze, and Lin Chaoyue saw that their eyes landed directly on her lips.
"Could it be... that it was too intense and your lip got bitten through? Tsk."
"Don't bother using VPNs to look at things that are inappropriate for children."
"I didn't use a VPN."
Lin Chaoyue raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down. Nie Shanshan felt guilty under her gaze and muttered under her breath, "I just read some comics, from the forum."
Lin Chaoyue's eyelids twitched upon hearing this. She glanced at her hesitantly, but when she met Nie Shanshan's gaze, she looked away as if nothing had happened.
When taking photos, Lin Chaoyue didn't take off her mask. After getting into the car, she put on a black baseball cap and then stared blankly at her phone with her arms crossed.
If she heard correctly, HR just said that Pei Shuwen might not be coming.
But that's not what he said last night.
Lin Chaoyue touched her still-red nose and hesitated repeatedly while looking at the chat interface with Pei Shuwen.
Should she ask again?
If I ask again, will it seem like I'm being too eager?
But she really wanted to know if he would come.
Lin Chaoyue was lost in thought, her eyes glued to Pei Shuwen's black profile picture. She subconsciously opened his Moments, staring blankly at the few cutting-edge legal posts she'd already scrolled through countless times.
She was lost in thought.
I didn't even notice when someone took off my mask.
When she realized what was happening and turned her head to look, the girl who was half-squatting beside her was blushing. When she saw her turn around, she apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I lost a game of truth or dare."
Looking back.
Nie Shanshan was holding a deck of cards, looking at herself smugly.
"How about it, want to come and play together?"
Nie Shanshan looked at Lin Chaoyue with regret. From head to toe, from her nose to the phone she was clutching tightly. She had thought she'd get some juicy gossip. But all she got was a red nose. What was there to hide?
When Nie Shanshan's gaze swept over her phone, Lin Chaoyue silently turned off the screen: "Come on, let's play."
"It's simple, I'll teach you. Come sit here."
The spacious bus was crammed into several small groups. A group at the front were playing King of Glory together, the middle group was chatting about celebrity gossip, and Nie Shanshan and her friends were playing Truth or Dare at the back.
Lin Chaoyue overcame numerous obstacles and sat down inside.
"It'll be at 9 PM."
"meeting."
"Watch closely." Nie Shanshan drew two cards from the deck: "Each person is dealt two cards per round, and then we compare their scores. The person with the highest score wins and can let the person with the lowest score tell a truth. If they don't want to tell a truth, they can take a dare. If the number of people with the highest score or the lowest score is greater than one, then those people will draw cards again in another round."
"JQK are all 10 points. 1 and two Kings can be used as 1 point or as 11 points."
"Purely based on luck?" This game requires absolutely no skill.
Nie Shanshan: "Yes, it's all about luck. How about it, do you dare to come and play?"
The only thing this group of people did in their dare game was take off her mask; what was there for her to be afraid of?
"Deal the cards."
Seeing that Nie Shanshan had successfully brought Lin Chaoyue in, everyone was eager to try. Last week, the law firm held a private online vote for the most beautiful new employee, and Lin Chaoyue and Zhang Ting from the litigation side were neck and neck, casting their votes.
Although Lin Chaoyue ultimately lost by a few votes, she still managed to attract the attention of many law firm members.
While dealing the cards, Nie Shanshan gave the boy opposite her a meaningful look.
Lin Chaoyue didn't see the winking and gesturing from everyone. She was flipping over her cards: a 9 of spades and an 8 of diamonds, totaling 17 points—a very safe number.
As she revealed her card, everyone else saw it too. Nie Shanshan clicked her tongue, and everyone else followed suit and revealed their cards as well.
"I'm at 3 PM."
13.
"Blackjack, let's see who's the unluckiest one this round." A lively girl from the next group was already excitedly trying to stand up after the cards were dealt.
It seems this round has nothing to do with me anymore.
Lin Chaoyue, leaning against the corner, began to drift off into thought again.
In several rounds, she got a mediocre score. At first, Nie Shanshan was watching her very closely, but later she simply stopped watching.
After getting '16 points' once again, Lin Chaoyue was completely lost in thought.
It wasn't until another game started and she heard someone call out "Pei Lu" that she snapped out of her daze: "What's wrong with Pei Lu? Is he here?"
"You've developed PTSD from being Pei Lu's assistant lately, haven't you? We were talking about sending documents to Pei Lu before."
Even if he were to come, it certainly wouldn't be now. Besides, isn't Attorney Pei supposed to be interviewed by Ningcheng Lawyer Magazine today?
Nie Shanshan was a little confused.
"Go on."
The boy in the white graffiti short-sleeved shirt carefully held the cards. After seeing the score, he threw down '21' with a sigh of relief: "That's it. My senior sister was just called away to deliver documents to Pei Lu. She did see a girl, but only her back. If any of you are curious, go ask Pei Lu yourself."
After saying that, Liu Le pointed to the cards on the table: "How about I help you out? Let's go for the dare this round."
Everyone shook their heads in unison: "No, no, we want to live a few more days."
Lin Chaoyue's heart skipped a beat, but seeing that Liu Le was just joking, she finally relaxed.
Liu Le shrugged: "Alright, who has the lowest card value this round? Hu Jing's 12 points?"
Hu Jing, who was sitting opposite Nie Shanshan, had already lost three games in a row, but still said good-naturedly, "Go ahead and ask."
Liu Le had already thought it through, and the question came out without hesitation: "Last time you said you've never had a girlfriend, so my question is, do you have a girl you like right now? I'm not talking about just having a crush, it has to be the kind of liking that makes you really want to have a girlfriend!"
“Yes…” Hu Jinggang said softly.
Everyone was about to start a commotion.
Suddenly, Nie Shanshan jumped up from her seat: "Wait, wait, wait! Hu Jing has 12 points, and Lin Chaoyue has a 5 and a 6, so she only has 11 points! You have the lowest score in this round!"
Lin Chaoyue glanced around the room and realized that she really did have the lowest score.
You have to accept the consequences of your bet.
She looked at Liu Le and casually said, "Don't ask him, ask me."
Although Hu Jing was a quiet person with a refined and cultured air, his face was anything but quiet. When he said he had someone he liked, everyone was waiting to hear what he would say next.
"You can ask me about this too," Hu Jing said quietly, glancing at Lin Chaoyue.
When they were talking about Pei Shuwen earlier, he seemed to have glanced at her. Now he was looking at her again. Lin Chaoyue couldn't help but sit up straight. Could this boy know something?
She had never felt so guilty before, but now she couldn't help but overthink.
Nie Shanshan finally seized the opportunity and openly teased, "You can't just do this kind of thing for someone who isn't your boyfriend or girlfriend, right everyone?"
Some people started to jeer.
Everyone naturally followed suit.
Hu Jing's ears turned red instantly. Compared to him, Lin Chaoyue was thick-skinned and casually threw her two cards, which only had 11 points, onto the card table.
"We agreed to accept the consequences of our bets, so we can't break the rules."
"Okay, I'll ask you. Let me think about it." Liu Le lowered his head to ponder, then looked up again and said, "It's still the same question as before: Do you have someone you like?"
"Yes." Having come to understand her own heart, Lin Chaoyue had nothing to hide from admitting it.
Is that person in our car?
There were quite a few people in the car. When Hu Jing was asked the question earlier, everyone had been listening intently. Now that the question had come up, they were all listening intently.
Everyone looked like turtles stretching their necks, and even the air seemed to go silent.
Although Lin Chaoyue has little experience with such things, she has seen a lot over the years and wouldn't be fooled by such a simple trick.
Don't think she didn't see Liu Le and Nie Shanshan exchanging glances.
Lin Chaoyue coughed lightly: "Are you... or not?"
"Stop dawdling and hurry up and tell me," Nie Shanshan urged.
Lin Chaoyue looked at her leisurely: "I can say, but if I remember correctly, you only need to answer with one truthful answer. I've already answered one."
The people gathered around were all laughing somewhat awkwardly.
You can only ask one question at a time.
Seeing that Lin Chaoyue wasn't falling for it, the people around who had been waiting to watch the show prepared to go about their own business.
"Not here." Lin Chaoyue said abruptly, then teased with a smile, "How about it, leveling up in the game with me, the losers each get two questions?"
The game feels less fun if it doesn't keep adding more features.
Lin Chaoyue didn't mind starting with herself.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Nie Shanshan also let out an "Ah," but her mind was clearly elsewhere, constantly glancing at Hu Jing across from her. She silently muttered to herself, "When it comes to feelings, everyone is truly equal."
Lin Chaoyue also glanced at the handsome boy a few times.
During their brief eye contact, she didn't notice the fleeting sadness in his eyes.
She lowered her head again, wondering to herself whether Pei Shuwen would come today.
I played the game the whole way.
The bus stopped at a service area along the way.
After sitting in the car for nearly three hours, Lin Chaoyue's back ached, so she immediately jumped off the bus to stretch her muscles. After stretching, she didn't rush to get back on the bus, but instead stared blankly at the familiar phone number that she could almost recite from memory.
"What's wrong with Lin Chaoyue? Are you in a bad mood?"
Nie Shanshan shrugged while holding an ice pop: "Maybe he's feeling sad because he thinks he's out of luck with the live-action CS grand prize. Has Pei Lu's interview live stream started yet? I saw people talking about it in the group chat."
"It's starting! Pei Lu is really handsome. There were 20,000 comments in three minutes, all saying 'So handsome, I want to marry him.' I never thought that the legal profession also depends on looks."
"You don't understand, this is clearly everyone's desire for legal knowledge..."
The lively discussion went completely unnoticed by Lin Chaoyue.
She only has two sentences on her mind right now.
Call up.
I don't make phone calls.
Looking at the midday sun, even if Pei Shuwen had work in the morning, she should be resting now.
Lin Chaoyue raised her hand and pressed down on the brim of her hat.
After much hesitation, I decided to take the initiative again.
The slender, white fingers that had been rubbing together finally separated, and the dial button was pressed.
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