We were originally strangers on the road.
Eating hot pot should be done properly. The two cleared the coffee table, laying out the essential hot pot ingredients: sliced beef, beef tripe, honeycomb tripe, duck blood, fried tofu skin… and staring intently at the steaming pot. Xu Luoluo rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the pot where she had just put in the sliced beef. The rising steam from the red broth blurred her vision, but the fiery aroma still tempted her taste buds. At this moment, there was no time to discuss work; she was simply waiting to take a bite.
Su Ze, on the other hand, was much more composed. He picked up the serving chopsticks, ate a few slices of cabbage, and then slowly unscrewed a bottle of mineral water. Xu Luoluo paused, her outstretched chopsticks still: "You... can handle spicy food, right?"
"Yes." Su Ze finished speaking and calmly ate his food under Xu Luoluo's eager gaze.
Quietly, in complete silence, Xu Luoluo watched as the other man's refined and handsome face gradually flushed red, all the way to his ears, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. For a moment, she didn't know whether she should avert her gaze as a matter of politeness. It wasn't that she didn't know, but she just didn't want to miss this alluring sight. She lowered her head and smiled mischievously. The ancients said that food and sex are human nature, and they were certainly right.
“My suggestion is to stick to the original plan.” Su Ze concluded without hesitation, and also gave her a little nudge, “Do you know how difficult this opportunity is? Especially for a newcomer like you, it’s a stepping stone to the next level. The path has been paved for you. I’m the one guiding you this time. If you miss this opportunity and someone else takes your place, I’m afraid we won’t be able to give you special treatment.”
The words were sincere, but Xu Luoluo found them awkward no matter how she listened. Why should she receive "special treatment" just because someone else was helping her? It made it seem like she was getting ahead through nepotism.
"So you also think I'm not capable enough? But my previous script was a hit." Xu Luoluo slowly curled her fingers and clenched them tightly in her palm. Perhaps she clenched them too tightly, because her fingertips turned an abnormal bluish-white.
“First of all, writing a script and game design are not exactly the same thing. Secondly,” Su Ze paused for a moment, but continued, “you also know that the success of a show often depends on a combination of favorable timing and circumstances, with viewership being of paramount importance. So the success of one show does not truly prove the screenwriter’s ability; only the recognition of one show after another can demonstrate its market value.”
He spoke calmly and serenely, yet every word he uttered was cruel. So this was how he had always seen himself.
"I admit, you might be right about my abilities, whether it's planning or screenwriting." Xu Luoluo took a deep breath, trying to suppress the leaden pain in her chest. "Then what makes you think that just because I missed this opportunity, my abilities won't continue to grow? That I won't need any special treatment next time? I've never wanted any special treatment!"
"Whatever you want," Su Ze said noncommittally. "I'm just giving you advice from the perspective of maximizing efficiency. It's your business if you're willing to spend ten years honing your skills, but things in this world don't always pay off with hard work. Persistence is important when making choices, but for smart people, choosing the right time is even more important."
"Thank you so much for telling me these principles, but we are indeed not the same kind of people. I don't believe that any of my pursuits cannot be achieved through hard work. Perhaps too many people cannot persevere and always think of getting something for nothing, but I feel that the process of persevering and working hard makes me feel at ease and at peace. Only the ability that is truly honed through hard work is real strength. I am not fortunate enough to enjoy the rewards that come from special treatment, such a windfall. Every step without the support of strength will only make me sleepless at night."
"Thank you for helping me make up my mind." Xu Luoluo spoke rapidly, like a machine gun, without taking a breath. She then stood up, opened the door, and let Su Ze, who had also gotten up, leave. As she closed the door, she lowered her head and said, "Also, let's forget about what you said last time."
Regarding the last incident, Su Ze said he wanted to pursue her again, but their paths diverged. The door closed gently behind Su Ze, just like the tightly shut door to Xu Luoluo's heart. Maximizing efficiency, those damned smart people—none of it mattered to her anymore.
Tears finally began to fall, one by one. She kept her head down, not wanting him to see her vulnerability. Now, facing the hot pot that had cooled and congealed with butter, she turned around, put it in the sink, turned on the tap, and washed it, letting her tears mix with the water and flow down the drain, crying silently.
Su Ze's directness shattered her anxiety about the script that had been building up for days. She had faced countless rejections and flops in dramas that barely made a ripple after airing. She had long struggled with finding clients, and even working for a game company was partly a result of not being able to support herself through scriptwriting but still needing to make a living. This time, with the drama suddenly becoming a hit, opportunities for collaboration poured in, making her feel somewhat surreal. She was incredibly uneasy when accepting the offers. Her conversation with Chen Shanshan had also left her conflicted for a long time, caught between the immense temptation and the potential for a life of hardship without success.
Now she suddenly understood. She herself wasn't sure of her own abilities in either area. She'd had a lot of luck along the way, but ultimately, she lacked real strength and confidence. No wonder Su Ze saw her as someone who deserved "special treatment," and it was astonishing that he even wanted to pursue a woman like her. Xu Luolu couldn't help but mentally criticize Su Ze's values. But ultimately, it was someone else's business. After her rejection, given his pride, there would likely be no further contact outside of work.
After washing the dishes, she felt much better. She dried her hands and applied rose-scented hand cream. With a determined look and smooth hands, she sat down at her desk, intending to put her work aside for now. Of course, she would focus on writing the script during her vacation.
Before she could even open the document, her phone chimed. Xu Luoluo glanced at it out of the corner of her eye and saw a text message from an unnamed user who looked like a junk app. Perhaps it was her procrastination, but she couldn't resist picking up her phone and opening the message, thinking that deleting a junk app wouldn't take much time. However, she paused for a moment after opening the app's interface.
All these years have passed and you still haven't improved. You're still so self-centered. The entire development department is working overtime because of your inexplicable "brilliant ideas," while you're leisurely enjoying your weekend. Typical you.
There was no salutation, no closing; the text message was short, yet every word was sarcastic. The person behind that message was, of course, an "unfamiliar" old acquaintance. Xu Luoluo felt as if she'd been struck on the temple with a heavy hammer; her head was buzzing, and she was instantly transported back to those memories of her university days that she didn't want to recall. That was where it all began, wasn't it?
She just hadn't expected that, despite the other party being clearly in the wrong back then, and now that she was determined to let go of everything and stop dwelling on the past, they would turn the tables and launch an attack. Just like back then, they really hadn't changed at all.
They always seem to have timed their attacks perfectly, and each time, they are inextricably linked to Su Ze.
At this moment, Xu Luoluo had no mood to recall the past; her attention was distracted by the content of this message. Why was the development department working overtime because of her? Logically speaking, the development time had been estimated in the project plan, and the planning was based on previous experience. In addition, this project was an adaptation of an existing PC game into a mobile game; shouldn't it have been more time-saving and labor-saving?
Of course, she wasn't a professional programmer, so she could only make simple judgments based on the data. After thinking for a moment, she sent Liu Jia a message: "Has the development department been working overtime on weekends lately?"
Yeah, but the development department often works overtime. Lately, there seems to be some big project, so they're working even more overtime. What's wrong?
Liu Jia replied quickly. Looking at her message, Xu Luoluo gripped her phone tighter and asked again: "Are they all from the 'Mist Spirit' project?"
This took a while; the other party seemed to be trying hard to remember, and then the message finally came: "I'm not quite sure. Every project might have it. I'll check on Monday and let you know." Damn it, it's the weekend, and instead of asking me out for food, you're making me work overtime for free!
The accusation was followed by a dog emoji, and Xu Luoluo could almost see Liu Jia's grinning face. She could only feign helplessness and say, "I just heard they're rushing to meet deadlines lately. If everyone on our project is working overtime, I feel a bit bad staying home on vacation. I wanted to go to the company to check on things." Monday, after work, we went to eat hot pot.
Liu Jia immediately got excited and quickly sent a message: You are truly one of the top ten employees, it's a deal then! Then she happily said goodbye.
It was only a ten-minute walk, and Xu Luoluo soon arrived at the company entrance. She touched the access card in her pocket, but hesitated because she suddenly couldn't be sure if she could face everything behind the glass door.
"Beep!" Before she could even mentally prepare herself, the elevator doors behind her suddenly opened. She immediately swiped her access card guiltily and practically flashed inside, fearing an unexpected encounter with someone she didn't know.
Similarly, once inside, she walked quickly and made turns, trying to take a roundabout route to avoid sharing the same path with colleagues who might catch up with her at any moment. After several twists and turns, she inadvertently ended up in the office next to the development department. The office was dark and empty, but the development department, separated by frosted glass, emitted bright white light that suggested "working." Through the glass, she could hear the intermittent, overlapping sounds of keyboards being typed, along with the casual chatter of her programmer colleagues.
"The takeout is here. Eat first, then get back to work." It seemed to be a colleague who had just been behind her. As soon as the colleague finished speaking, the sound of everyone standing up to distribute plastic bags and open disposable food containers could be heard.
"If they don't come soon, I'll starve to death. It's true what they say: a planner's word is enough to send a program to its crematorium."
"They make it sound so easy, calling it some kind of brilliant idea, without even considering whether the things they come up with on their own are feasible."
"Seriously, what a load of nonsense! If you've never made a game, don't just make random plans."
"There's nothing we can do about it. He's a celebrity now, he has powerful connections."
"Stop talking, it'll be bad if others hear. Let's finish our work and go home as soon as possible." A cautious voice came from behind, and the others fell silent for a while before someone else broke the silence.
"Old Zhang, you're being too cautious. Right now, besides the few of us, who else in this whole building is working overtime like this?"
Everyone laughed and continued to rant: "Exactly, it's even better to hear that. We should really reflect on ourselves."
Xu Luoluo listened quietly, standing there motionless, as if she had become one with the shadows in the office.
And so it went until late at night, when everyone had left the office building and even the lights in the development department next door had gone out. Only then did she slowly walk out of the office with her head down, breathing heavily, gritting her teeth and quickening her pace, and walk out into the silence and darkness.
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