Chapter 10.2 - 枸杞 Lycium
He Suye's message came back quickly, "Little girl, sharp-tongued aren't you? I kindly reminded you to prevent illness, and you tell me you're already sick."
Shen Xifan held her phone and laughed, a feeling of warmth and happiness spreading from her palms. After her trip outside, her face, flushed from the cold, instantly became lively. Sensing some warmth on her face, she quickly composed herself, got up to make tea, and prepared to continue reviewing the accounts. By chance, she glanced out the window at the sky, where the sunlight was just right, warm and comforting. She pursed her lips into a gentle smile, a soft light swirling in her eyes, radiating happiness.
That night, it was her turn to be on duty. While eating in the staff cafeteria, Xu Xiangya was animated, using her chopsticks like clappers, vividly describing what she had seen in the Chinese restaurant that day, "So handsome, not just gentle and refined, but truly extraordinary in demeanor. The worst part is his smile is so adorable, it's driving me crazy, it's just not fair!"
Shen Xifan picked at her food absentmindedly, "Xiangya, can't you eat a bit more calmly?"
"I'm not hungry, I've absorbed so much spiritual nourishment today, enough to digest for a while!" As she spoke, she reached out with her chopsticks to snatch some meat slices from Shen Xifan's plate. Shen Xifan laughed, "Not hungry, huh? Here, take it all, I'm having a midnight snack later anyway."
After dinner, they saw Lin Yishen and He Suye standing together in the lobby, chatting and laughing freely without any restraint. Two strikingly handsome men standing together turned heads at a rate of two hundred percent. Finally, Lin Yishen patted He Suye on the shoulder, who nodded, then walked out of the lobby and into a black car.
Xu Xiangya was a hundred percent nervous and excited, her hands flailing about, "Xifan, that's the handsome guy! Isn't he good-looking?"
Shen Xifan smiled sincerely, "Very handsome, really very handsome! Standing with Lin Yishen, they each hold their own charm."
Lin Yishen saw the two of them fangirling in the corner, blinked, and walked over to ask, "Am I handsome, or was that guy just now handsome?"
Xu Xiangya didn't hesitate, "Of course, he's more handsome!"
Lin Yishen put on a very hurt expression, and Shen Xifan seized the opportunity to tease him, "Seeing you every day has led to aesthetic fatigue, it's normal to want a change of taste. But he really is special, with a unique temperament!"
She was just about to ask Lin Yishen how he knew He Suye when Lin Yishen was called away by his secretary. She sighed, thinking that with so many people in the world, it's easy to brush past each other in the vast sea of humanity without a second thought. But now, it seemed that knowing one person naturally connected everything around to him, truly magical, with a hint of destiny.
The image of He Suye's gentle smile as he left was still imprinted in her mind, making her feel even more like a fangirl.
Ding Wei had been busy with the new product launch of "Zhongyu" recently. It was said that the female director of the marketing department at "Zhongyu" was harsh and unyielding, revising the proposal over and over. When the final draft was completed, he thought it was over, but the director insisted on overseeing everything personally, from the venue to the supervision, so he had to accompany her. After a week of this, he was completely drained.
Shen Xifan secretly rejoiced, very happy not to have to deal with that guy Yan Heng. Being able to comfortably lie in the suite with the heater on, without having to stand outdoors in the cold for hours, was simply a blessing. Facing the thick stack of accounts, she felt for the first time the truth in being content with what one has.
However, Ling Yufan did come to trouble her several times, complaining about issues with the下水道 (sewer) and the cleanliness of the cleaning. Fortunately, Shen Xifan had developed the skill of looking through people, her big eyes fixed on Ling Yufan without focus, which actually made him uncomfortable first, and he became much more stable afterwards.
On New Year's Eve, the four of them went out for hot pot and then to a bar for drinks. Initially, everyone was drinking just fine, but Ding Wei, harboring a lot of resentment, drank fiercely and hastily. Later, Xu Xiangya suggested playing cards, with the loser having to share a story from their past.
If the best gamblers are mathematicians, then the worst gamblers are math idiots like Shen Xifan. She played conservatively, often holding onto good cards without daring to play them, resulting in a disastrous loss after just a few rounds.
The others laughed and urged, "Shen Xifan, tell us about your first love!"
She felt embarrassed and pleaded pitifully, "Forget it, I'll just drink instead!"
Lin Yishen wouldn't let her off, "Junior, did your university teacher teach you this trick of backing out?"
She had no choice but to rest her head on her hand, racking her brains to simplify her love story as much as possible, "In my sophomore year, I fell for a guy. He was outstanding, quite famous at school, majoring in engineering physics, incredibly smart. Then, somehow, we got together, and later, due to some reasons, we broke up."
The bar was dimly lit, with Sade's "Somebody Already Broke My Heart" flowing from the counter—"I’ve been torn apart so many times, I’ve been hurt so many times before. So I’m counting on you now, Somebody already broke my heart, Somebody already broke my heart……"
Xu Xiangya, unsatisfied, pressed on, "When did it end, and why did you break up?"
Shen Xifan felt the atmosphere cool down suddenly. The surrounding laughter lingered but felt distant, the hazy lights giving a surreal sense of life. The alcohol fumes relaxed her brain nerves, and she let go, smiling lightly, "It was at the beginning of my senior year. The reason? He had fallen for another girl, so he broke up with me."
After a pause, she gently swirled her glass, the amber liquid under the flowing lights appearing somewhat elusive, and continued, "Back then, after the breakup, it felt like the sky had fallen. The pain was so intense that even crying felt like a luxury. I lived like a zombie for a whole month, suffering from insomnia, feeling nauseous at the sight of food. Then I went for internships, job hunting, worked on my graduation project, and gradually got too busy to think about that person."
Her voice was somewhat distant, "Now that I think about it, I was really foolish back then. What was there to miss about such a man? I lost all my dignity and self-respect, groveling to beg him, vowing to change all the parts of me he didn't like—but what was wrong with me? Once he stopped liking me, even my strengths became flaws."
She still remembered the first day of her senior year, returning books to the library, she saw Yan Heng just coming out. Looking at that familiar face, she suddenly felt an unfamiliar illusion. Yan Heng just smiled at her and then walked away. In the past, he would have waited for her, even pitifully calling out, "Xiao Fan, hurry up, I've been waiting so long for you!"
They had a fight during the summer vacation, and Shen Xifan originally thought it was just a usual spat. She continued to joke and play around with Yan Heng afterward, but gradually, his texts and calls became fewer and fewer. Sometimes, she would send a message and not get a reply all day, so she would cling to her phone, not daring to put it down.
That summer vacation felt like an eternity to her.
