One wave subsides only for another to rise.
Busy times always fly by, and Xu Luoluo was working herself to the bone to finish the mobile game's design proposal by the end of the month. Although the basic framework was based on the PC version, they still made a lot of cuts and innovations to adapt to the operation of mobile game players. Over the past few weeks, the entire storyline design proposal has been reviewed, and Xu Luoluo has also communicated and coordinated with other departments on the several dungeons she was responsible for, and finalized the preliminary execution plan.
I'm leaving in a few days, and the work on Xu Luoluo's mobile game is almost finished. The first draft of the story outline for the new project has also been submitted. Everything seems to be going smoothly, if we ignore one annoying thing.
Liu Ping, a member of the mobile game development team. With a square face and wearing square-rimmed black glasses, he rarely speaks. Most of the time, he's glued to his computer screen, typing away at the keyboard. He's also very quiet during project planning meetings, a person with almost no presence. So when he added Xu Luoluo on WeChat, Xu Luoluo had virtually no impression of him. Yet, this same person is surprisingly... reserved and secretly passionate.
It was already past six o'clock, but Xu Luoluo was still sitting in her chair, frowning as she stared at the White Lover chocolate cookies she had pushed to the corner of the table. She sighed deeply, thinking, "What a mess."
Lately, every time she got off work and walked a few steps from the company, she would inevitably run into Liu Ping. No one would believe it was a coincidence. Although he didn't say anything, Xu Luoluo had already guessed who was sending the anonymous little gifts that appeared every two days. But since he didn't say anything, she couldn't even refuse—it was such a hassle.
Xu Luoluo sighed deeply again. Even getting home from work had become torture. She glanced at her phone again, deciding to dawdle for another 20 minutes until 6:30 before leaving. He'd surely leave eventually, wouldn't he?
As her colleagues gradually left, Xu Luoluo finally couldn't help but groan in pain, turning her chair around to face away from the box of cookies. She really had a headache.
But unexpectedly, it caught Su Ze's eye.
He seemed to have just gotten off work, hurrying through the corridor with his laptop bag in hand. He only glanced casually at the office area, but his eyes met Xu Luoluo's conflicted and annoyed gaze.
Xu Luoluo was also startled. She had assumed everyone was gone, which was why she had revealed her true, irritable self. Her annoyed expression froze on her face, and she forced an awkward smile. But then, as if remembering something, her smile suddenly took on a cautious, ingratiating quality. Su Ze witnessed the woman's face change several times in an instant, feeling a chill run down his spine. He hesitated, wondering whether to pretend he hadn't seen anything and leave, when he heard her pitifully call out, "Su Ze~"
The sound of "Su Ze" was soft and drawn out, carrying a hint of resentment. It was as if he were her only savior in this life, and if he were to leave now, he would immediately become a sinner for all eternity.
"What's wrong?" He sighed helplessly to himself, abandoning his plan to leave.
"Do you... still stand by what you said last time?" Xu Luoluo continued pitifully, "I have a small favor I need your help with." After saying that, she wrinkled her nose, pouted, and even made a gesture to show that it was really "small".
Su Ze was taken aback. When was the last time? He couldn't remember. But seeing her serious yet aggrieved expression, he couldn't bring himself to question her. He awkwardly avoided her misty, seemingly watery eyes and asked, "What kind of help?"
He has to admit, he was damn soft-hearted again.
Xu Luoluo knew how to take advantage of the situation. Before he even agreed, she picked up her bag and obediently stood behind him, saying, "Let's talk as we walk."
The two entered the elevator, and Su Ze pressed the "1" button on the floor. The elevator doors slowly closed.
"You didn't drive today?" Xu Luoluo asked in surprise, she had been planning to say it in the car.
"Yeah, we don't drive it when we're not on fieldwork," Su Ze explained casually, then, seeing her pained expression, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where do you want to go?"
"No, not really." She looked down and tugged at her bag strap, vaguely feeling that her actions today had been too flamboyant and might bring a lot of trouble.
But thinking of the hot box of cookies on the table, she couldn't care less. She raised her hand and smiled faintly at Su Ze: "Let's eat them together then."
Su Ze nodded, knowing from her preoccupied expression that she was hiding something. But adults all have their secrets, and since she wouldn't say, he didn't press her. Trusting someone is a good principle, but Xu Luoluo, while asking for his help, was being vague and dishonest, clearly not understanding it. He felt uneasy, and after thinking it over, he concluded it was because he was disappointed in her.
He didn't even consider that he wasn't Xu Luoluo's father, so why was he so disappointed in her?
Xu Luoluo, however, did not notice Su Ze's complex emotional changes, because she spotted Liu Ping just a few steps outside the company.
The other person seemed to see that she had finally come out and walked towards her excitedly. Xu Luoluo did not expect him to be so persistent. She had waited until now and suddenly felt a little scared. She unconsciously took a step back and bumped into Su Ze's chest, who had come out a step behind her.
Su Ze was bumped by her and looked down to see Xu Luoluo's smooth, long hair, which, like that day, exuded a faint rose scent. However, while she had been limp and clinging to him that day, she was tense and her expression somewhat unnatural. Su Ze frowned, stopped, and gently patted her shoulder reassuringly, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Liu Ping, who was not far away, had obviously seen this scene as well. His eyes shone with disbelief, and his expression changed rapidly, from excitement to anger to disappointment and then to contempt. He slowly stopped in his tracks, but did not turn around and leave. He just stood there expressionless, lost in thought.
Following Xu Luoluo's gaze, Su Ze also saw Liu Ping. He felt that the man looked somewhat familiar, as if he were a colleague from the company. But judging from his eyes and Xu Luoluo's reaction, Su Ze guessed the general idea of what had happened.
Xu Luoluo bit her lip, avoiding Liu Ping's gaze, and clenched her fists, intending to grit her teeth and move forward. But a warm hand grasped her fist. She turned to look at Su Ze in surprise. He didn't speak, but simply pulled her to the inside, a little further away from Liu Ping, took her other hand, and then smiled gently at her, asking, "Shall we go?"
Xu Luoluo was taken aback, not expecting him to be so cooperative in helping her, but she quickly realized what was going on and decided to go all the way, smiling as she put her other arm around his: "Okay, let's go home! I want braised prawns for dinner!"
Whether Su Ze was already used to her taking advantage of him or just trying to make the performance more realistic, he actually ruffled her hair and said indulgently, "Okay, whatever you say."
A bolt of lightning struck Xu Luoluo's heart, almost causing her to lose her composure. She struggled to suppress the urge to look up; she desperately wanted to confirm if this was indeed the aloof Su Ze she knew. His acting skills were so convincing, he deserved an Oscar.
The two walked away chatting and laughing, completely ignoring Liu Ping. He spat angrily, thinking she was different from other gold-diggers, but it turned out her innocence was all an act. Women are all the same; they fawn over someone rich and then turn their backs on them. "Hmph," he thought, "one day I'll make them respect me, and then I'll humiliate them properly."
After walking a short distance, Su Ze released his hand and said calmly, "Alright, he shouldn't be able to see you anymore." Unexpectedly, Xu Luoluo didn't immediately distance herself. Instead, she nervously gripped his hand and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "We're almost home, I'm worried something might happen. Please, can you please see this through?"
With a pleading "Please," Su Ze paused, his gaze shifting from her pitiful face to their clasped hands. He had initially held her hand lightly, but Xu Luoluo, fearing he would let go, had grabbed it in her haste. For some reason, he instinctively returned the grip, grasping her soft, white hand, their fingers now intertwined in an intimate gesture.
"Thank you." Xu Luoluo thanked him in a low voice, as if she were a thief. Because she was too nervous, she was completely unaware of the ambiguous atmosphere at the moment. She even thought that Su Ze was a really good person and was considering that she would never tease him again and would treat him to a meal to thank him properly.
Su Ze absentmindedly responded with a "hmm," somewhat surprised by his own actions. At first, he could convince himself that he was just helping a colleague/neighbor out of a predicament, but later it seemed that he really couldn't bear to let her go.
He considered himself not a meddlesome person, but whenever this woman was involved, he seemed to unconsciously pay attention. Whenever she acted coquettishly, whether genuinely or not, he would easily soften. Seeing her afraid, he couldn't help but want to protect her. All sorts of feelings he had long intentionally or unintentionally ignored suddenly surged into his heart. Although Su Ze didn't really understand where this feeling came from, he could no longer deceive himself; he seemed to have truly developed different feelings for the woman beside him.
Thinking of this, he looked down at the person who was leaning close to him, clearly relying on him, and couldn't help but slightly curl the corners of his mouth, pulling her a little closer.
Unfortunately, Xu Luoluo was unusually oblivious today and didn't notice Su Ze's fluctuating expression at all. After entering the elevator, she breathed a huge sigh of relief and wished she could shout "Long live the Emperor!"
As soon as the elevator doors closed, she was about to let go, ready to shake her arms and rub her shoulders; the whole acting session had made her muscles ache from the tension. But she didn't let go this time. She saw that Su Ze was still holding her hand. He was so dedicated! Xu Luoluo patted his arm, deeply moved, and said, "That's enough, you don't need to act anymore."
Seeing that the other person indeed released her hands, Xu Luoluo patted her shoulders with satisfaction, only to unexpectedly bump into another hand. Before she could react, Su Ze's hand was already on her shoulder, gently kneading it. Her hands froze in mid-air as those well-defined knuckles massaged her with even, precise pressure. Both remained strangely silent. The man's hands moved with the rhythm of the massage, each stroke exuding an indescribable, alluring aura… something seemed amiss.
Her throat suddenly felt dry, and she finally pursed her lips, about to speak, but the other person interrupted her.
Su Ze's deep voice came from behind: "Very sour?"
"That's much better." Xu Luoluo chuckled and turned around. "No need to be so polite."
Su Ze raised an eyebrow: "You think I'm being polite?"
"Hehe..." Xu Luoluo hesitated as she met Su Ze's increasingly cold gaze. Suddenly, she realized that if she said "yes," she would probably become the headline of the social news tomorrow, with the headline "Young woman dies tragically in elevator: is it moral decay or the distortion of human nature?"
"You're not going to deny it after you've used it, are you?" Seeing her rolling her eyes, as if she was thinking of some mischievous idea, Su Ze took a step closer, forcing her to look him in the eye.
Xu Luoluo was startled by his action and took a step back. Just then, the elevator doors opened, and she stepped out of the elevator with an embarrassed smile. This time, however, she answered quickly: "How could that be? Just like we said, I'll treat you to braised prawns this weekend!"
"Hmph." Su Ze remained noncommittal and followed him out of the elevator. "Compared to this, you don't think this solves the problem, do you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
