friend
1240 Words
Returning home, it was already around 8 p.m. Shen Zhitong exchanged several waves of smiles with the representative from the brand, finally concluding their conversation. Feeling physically and mentally weary, she sighed deeply, leaning back in her chair and pretending to doze off.
Outside, the rain drizzled incessantly, and her phone suddenly lit up on the desk.
It was a WeChat notification, a friend request. Shen Zhitong saw the familiar profile picture and felt a slight flutter in her heart. His profile picture hadn't changed in two years.
The request note only had three words: "Zhou Xingjin."
It felt like the beginning of another storm.
Two years ago, when he had added her on WeChat, Shen Zhitong had been so nervous that she hadn't slept the entire night. Now, seeing the friend request, she felt no excitement in her heart, even subconsciously rejecting it.
After hesitating for a few minutes, she still agreed. There was no immediate response from the other side. After a dozen minutes or so, a message came through.
"Are you free tomorrow?"
Shen Zhitong paused.
"Hello, Mr. Zhou, is there something you need?" she replied.
"I heard from David that you were asking him for information about Banzhan."
David was the brand representative she had been smiling at on WeChat just now.
Shen Zhitong was somewhat surprised. How did this trivial matter spread so quickly to Zhou Xingjin's ears?
She quickly typed a brief explanation.
After a few minutes, the reply came, "I'm off tomorrow. Let me take you to Ansha Shopping Mall for a stroll."
Shen Zhitong hesitated for a moment, unsure of his intentions.
Her fingers hesitated over the keyboard, crafting a response to decline, but before she could send it, another message came through.
"The issue with Banzhan requires a personal visit to the store."
Shen Zhitong's fingers stopped.
She looked out the window, recalling a few days ago when Chen Rui had specifically called her into the office to emphasize the company's reward system, particularly highlighting the amount of the award for successfully securing the Banzhan project.
Chen Rui had smiled, hinting that he knew about her past acquaintance with Mr. Zhou, implying that she should take the initiative and make good use of this relationship.
The reward was ten thousand yuan, not a small sum for her. After hesitating for a moment, she finally succumbed to reality and replied with two words: "All right."
After a moment's thought, she added, "Thank you."
"Let me know the time," came the reply.
Shen Zhitong deliberated for half a minute before suggesting one o'clock in the afternoon.
The response came quickly with a simple "okay," followed by silence.
*
Despite the simple exchange, Shen Zhitong felt like an eternity had passed. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and pretended to doze off. Her thoughts drifted back to two years ago, when she had just graduated.
It wasn't a hysterical tug-of-war or a tearful love story.
Between her and him, it was nothing more than a silent and unnoticed farce.
She had joined Ansha Finance as a management trainee, along with a girl named Xia Ji. They were assigned to the same department for internships and got along relatively well. Xia Ji was a trendy and outgoing girl, proactive by nature.
Shen Zhitong first met Zhou Xingjin because of Xia Ji.
It was one weekend night when Xia Ji had dragged her out to a high-end sake bar for a chat.
The bar looked very upscale, even hiring a well-known domestic pianist to play live music, which was not something Shen Zhitong could afford.
But Xia Ji had been coming here often lately, and she frequently dragged Shen Zhitong along.
Shen Zhitong ordered the cheapest lemonade and sat across from Xia Ji, noticing her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings of the bar.
"Why are we here so late at night?" Shen Zhitong asked.
"Opportunity knocks," Xia Ji said, finishing her last drink and gesturing towards her right.
Following her gaze, Shen Zhitong noticed a high-end booth not far away, where four or five people were seated.
They sat casually, chatting with each other, occasionally laughing and clinking glasses, but it wasn't too noisy.
Shen Zhitong's gaze inadvertently focused on a man among them.
The man happened to be sitting facing her, dressed in a black suit with a tightly knotted tie, looking as if he had just finished work. He sat in the middle of the group, yet seemed isolated from the outside world, his long legs casually crossed, leaning lightly against the back of the sofa.
He looked noble and aloof, quietly sipping his drink, exuding a hint of casual indifference.
They all seemed like high society figures.
Shen Zhitong looked away, quietly sipping her own drink, not saying much.
She neither encouraged nor discouraged Xia Ji's purpose.
They were all adults with their own values and principles, and Shen Zhitong was not one to judge others' actionsShen Zhitong ordered the cheapest lemonade and sat opposite Xia Ji, noticing her restless gaze wandering around the bar.
"Why come here in the middle of the night?" Shen Zhitong asked.
"Opportunity knocks," Xia Ji replied, finishing her last drink and gesturing towards her right.
Following her gaze, Shen Zhitong noticed a high-end booth not far away, where four or five people were seated.
They sat casually, chatting with each other, occasionally laughing and clinking glasses, but it wasn't too noisy.
Shen Zhitong's gaze inadvertently focused on a man among them.
The man happened to be sitting facing her, dressed in a black suit with a tightly knotted tie, looking as if he had just finished work. He sat in the middle of the group, yet seemed isolated from the outside world, his long legs casually crossed, leaning lightly against the back of the sofa.
He looked noble and aloof, quietly sipping his drink, exuding a hint of casual indifference.
They all seemed like high society figures.
Shen Zhitong looked away, quietly sipping her own drink, not saying much.
She neither encouraged nor discouraged Xia Ji's purpose.
They were all adults with their own values and principles, and Shen Zhitong was not one to judge others' actions.
Shen Zhitong ordered the cheapest lemonade and sat opposite Xia Ji, noticing her restless gaze wandering around the bar.
"Why come here in the middle of the night?" Shen Zhitong asked.
"Opportunity knocks," Xia Ji replied, finishing her last drink and gesturing towards her right.
Following her gaze, Shen Zhitong noticed a high-end booth not far away, where four or five people were seated.
They sat casually, chatting with each other, occasionally laughing and clinking glasses, but it wasn't too noisy.
Shen Zhitong's gaze inadvertently focused on a man among them.
The man happened to be sitting facing her, dressed in a black suit with a tightly knotted tie, looking as if he had just finished work. He sat in the middle of the group, yet seemed isolated from the outside world, his long legs casually crossed, leaning lightly against the back of the sofa.
He looked noble and aloof, quietly sipping his drink, exuding a hint of casual indifference.
They all seemed like high society figures.
Shen Zhitong looked away, quietly sipping her own drink, not saying much.
She neither encouraged nor discouraged Xia Ji's purpose.
They were all adults with their own values and principles, and Shen Zhitong was not one to judge others' actions.
- Writer
