Chapter 6 Old friends meet
1538 Words
Lu Xiaoqian came to the lobby to pick her up. Naturally, she saw Xie Mingyu who came up with Jiang Xuerong and greeted him warmly.
“Alright, my escort mission is complete. I'm off now. Let's make another appointment when we have the chance,” Xie Mingyu replied to Lu Xiaoqian. After saying this, he turned and left.
As soon as he left, Lu Xiaoqian grabbed Jiang Xuerong's arm forcefully. “Sister, he's really handsome. He has that proper ‘veteran cadre’ charm.”
Jiang Xuerong was already used to her friend's trait of being a looks-obsessed person whose values were often influenced by appearance. She replied casually, “My mom said good-looking things are usually poisonous, like mushrooms.”
Lu Xiaoqian laughed. “It's worth dying for love. Besides, if you're really poisoned, it's because you didn't cook the mushrooms properly. It's not the mushrooms' fault.”
Jiang Xuerong shouted behind her, “Brother Dong.”
Lu Xiaoqian immediately became obedient, putting away her flirtatious expression and turning around. But she found there was no one behind her. The lobby was empty except for the two of them. Realizing she was tricked, she pretended to hit Jiang Xuerong. Jiang Xuerong dodged and said, “Stop messing around. Give me the key. I'll go in, say hello to Brother Dong, and then go home to wash up and sleep.”
“Stay and play for a while.”
“Nope. I need to go home for my beauty sleep.”
“Have you been drinking?” Only when she got closer did Lu Xiaoqian notice that Jiang Xuerong's face was flushed. Her fair and delicate skin looked like she was wearing the trendy peach blossom makeup, and there was a faint scent of alcohol on her.
“Just a little bit.”
“Not bad. You had a drink on the first meeting. Quite romantic,” Lu Xiaoqian said.
“It was you who stood me up.”
“Fortunately, I didn't go. Otherwise, you two couldn't have spent so long over dinner. Seriously, I think Xie Mingyu is very satisfied with you. I bet on tomorrow's breakfast that he definitely likes you.”
“Please, stop. I'll treat you to breakfast tomorrow.”
“Okay, I want spicy chicken noodles.”
“Sure, and I'll add a marinated egg for you.”
As they talked, they arrived at the private room where Lu Xiaoqian was. There were about ten people inside. Jiang Xuerong didn't know any of them. She guessed they were probably Brother Dong's business friends.
Jiang Xuerong politely declined Brother Dong's invitation to stay and play. After saying hello, she took the key and went home. On the way, she received a message from Xie Mingyu asking if she had arrived home safely.
Perhaps because they had chatted face to face for a while, her impression of him was no longer just based on imagination. After getting a more concrete understanding of him, she wasn't as repulsed as before when seeing his messages.
But she hadn't carefully figured out why she wasn't ** anymore. Maybe it was a sense of empathy between those who had experienced setbacks in love.
They were both the ones who had been abandoned. To some extent, it was easier for them to empathize with each other.
After that day, for four or five consecutive days, Xie Mingyu didn't send any more messages.
Jiang Xuerong herself didn't feel much about it, but Lu Xiaoqian would gossip about whether there was any progress between them every day.
Well, gossiping was the most economical and affordable pastime in the workplace of the system.
On Friday afternoon, as it was almost time to get off work, Jiang Xuerong was busily pressing the calculator. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure approaching.
“Are you here to review documents or pick up office supplies?” she asked without looking up, her attention still on the calculator.
The person let out a soft laugh and said in a teasing tone, “Section Chief Jiang is really dedicated. You're still so busy almost time to leave work.” Jiang Xuerong looked up suspiciously and her pupils constricted. It was Sun Lu, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
“Why are you here? For business?” she asked, putting down her work and smiling.
Sun Lu grinned, showing a row of white teeth. “Yeah. I've made an appointment with Section Chief Jiang to have dinner after work. What do you say? Will you honor me with your presence?”
Although they were old friends meeting again, his words seemed more worldly than they were two years ago. Jiang Xuerong felt a bit strange for a moment.
The office wasn't a place to catch up, so she nodded. “Then wait for me for a while. Is 5:30 okay?”
Sun Lu was beaming. “Of course. I wouldn't mind waiting for a beauty for as long as it takes.”
“Alright, stop flirting. Have a seat. I'll pour you a glass of water.”
“Don't bother. You go ahead and get busy. I'll wait for you in the car,” Sun Lu made a goodbye gesture and then turned to leave.
Jiang Xuerong sat on the stool and took a moment to regain her composure. It was quite a shock to have an old friend show up suddenly without any prior notice.
She threw herself back into reconciling the accounts of one department. When the time was almost 5:30,
She simply tidied up, picked up her bag, and went out.
Sun Lu's car was parked right in front of the unit. It was a black Volvo. Jiang Xuerong quickly got into the passenger seat, and the car smoothly drove away from the office building.
He had chosen a local restaurant known for its special dishes. It was obvious that he had done some research in advance.
After they were seated, Sun Lu asked her to order, saying that since she had been in City A for a long time, she knew better which dishes were delicious. Jiang Xuerong wasn't coy. She ordered three dishes that had received many good reviews in the restaurant and added a soup.
Throughout the process, Sun Lu didn't hide his gaze at all. He stared at her intently, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.
“Keep staring and I'll poke your eyes out,” she said, pretending to be angry as she handed the menu to the waiter and picked up her chopsticks to make a threatening gesture.
Sun Lu laughed heartily. “It's human nature to like beautiful things. I just can't help myself when you're so good-looking.”
Even though he said so, he did restrain himself a bit.
“After staying in the project department for so long, you probably think even plain girls are beauties,” Jiang Xuerong said as she handed him a cup of tea.
“Xuerong, you're still so funny,” he said, taking a sip of tea and pretending to be profound.
“Being funny won't fill my stomach. So, tell me, Mr. Sun. Have you achieved great success in your career and come back to comfort the folks?”
“Comfort the folks? Xuerong, you know my feelings for you. They've never changed,” he said earnestly, his voice sonorous and forceful.
Jiang Xuerong's heart skipped a beat. She quickly changed the topic. “Sure I know. Achieve success, marry a rich beauty, and reach the peak of life.”
“That's why I say you understand me so well. You always guess my thoughts right,” he said.
“Ten out of ten men think like that,” Jiang Xuerong interrupted bluntly.
Sun Lu wasn't annoyed. He smiled and started eating, asking casually, “How have you been lately?”
“Trapped in this system like a frog in warm water, day after day. I'm probably half-cooked by now.”
“Girls don't need to work so hard. There are always men willing to shield you from the wind and rain.”
Jiang Xuerong didn't respond. This was exactly why she thought Sun Lu could only be a friend. Their values didn't match.
It wasn't that women couldn't rely on men, but they should also have the ability to protect themselves from difficulties. A good relationship should be about progressing side by side, encouraging each other, rather than relying and climbing like a dodder flower.
Sun Lu probably noticed that she wasn't interested in this topic, so he changed to other things. He talked about their life in the project department, the pickiness and shrewdness of the clients, and the boss's profit-seeking and utilitarian nature.
Jiang Xuerong listened more and spoke less. As the saying goes, different professions are like different mountains. Since she graduated, she had been working in the system and didn't know much about the corporate world. There was an invisible barrier between them.
At the same time, she couldn't quite put her finger on her feelings. The once positive and motivated boy had now been worn down by life and was filled with the resentment of a complaining person.
- Writer
