Loving you is the most painful secret

Xu Zhixia's thirtieth birthday began with a cup of spilled coffee. "Damn it!" She looked at the brown stains spreading on her white shirt and scrambled to pull out the tissues. The other colleagues in the elevator tacitly took a half step back, and only a man in a dark gray three-piece suit stepped forward and handed over a neatly folded square scarf. "The fabric of the Savile Row tailoring suit in London is 2.3 times more absorbent than ordinary cotton." His voice was like chilled champagne sliding across a crystal glass, "But depending on Deputy Director Xu's methods, I guess its final destination will be a garbage can." " Xu Zhixia looked up and met the eyes hidden behind a pair of gold-wire glasses—the kind of obsidian specimens that can only be seen in museum glass cases, soaked in formalin liquid. "Lu Shen?" Her fingers twitched, and the coffee stains spread to the cuffs of her blazer. The man raised his eyebrows slightly: "Surprisingly, Miss Xu actually remembers the defeat of your subordinates who were humiliated in public." " The elevator "ding" stopped on the 28th floor. Before Lu Shen stepped out of his long legs, he glanced back at her embarrassed sleeves: "It is recommended to buy a new one directly, just like your company should change a reliable marketing director." He shook his badge, "Oh yes, this position is mine now." " The cold air in the conference room blew Xu Zhixia goosebumps. The general manager's applause for announcing her promotion to deputy director did not stop, and then he introduced the "director Lu Shen who was airborne from the London headquarters". "Director Lu won important projects for the group during his time in Cambridge..."Mr. Wang's voice gradually blurred. Xu Zhixia stared at the dust flying in the beam of the projector, remembering the debate tournament at the London School of Economics and Political Science seven years ago, when she, as an exchange student, used an impromptu rebuttal to stun the "Cambridge Eagle" into speech. The first thing he said when he walked over with champagne at the post-match reception was: "Your argument is like your lipstick, bright but full of holes." "... Especially Deputy Director Xu. Lu Shen's voice dragged her back to reality. He stood in front of the projection screen, and the light plated his silhouette with a layer of cold blue, "I heard that Miss Xu's plan can even be recited by the cleaning aunt, why don't we take a look now?" Xu Zhixia pressed the USB flash drive too hard, and his nails left four crescent-shaped red marks on his palms. Her report flowed smoothly until Lu Shen suddenly interrupted: "The third quarter promotion plan ignores a key issue. " The movement of his index finger pushing his glasses made Xu Zhixia's stomach twitch — exactly the same as when he was about to launch a fatal retort seven years ago. "Consumers in second- and third-tier cities..."Lu Shen tapped the tablet with a pen, "It's not a low-profile version of the first-tier citizens, but a completely different species." You're feeding the sparrows with fish feed, Miss Xu. " The conference room was silent. The corners of Xu Zhixia's eyes began to heat - a precursor to her anger. She grabbed the laser pointer, and the red dot landed precisely on the corner of page 17 of the PPT: "Director Lu may not have read the appendix." We have a special plan for 'different species', just like a zoo will prepare different lunches for lions and penguins. " Several colleagues held back laughter and their shoulders trembled. Lu Shen's eyes narrowed behind the lenses, and the corners of his mouth suddenly hooked: "It seems that Miss Xu not only remembers me, but also remembers what I said." He turned to the crowd and said, "The meeting was adjourned." Deputy Director Xu, my office, ten minutes later. " In the KTV box, her best friend Su Man is playing an ancient video on her mobile phone: "Look! This is the Cambridge top student who was known to be incoherent back then! " In the picture, the young Lu Shen suddenly got stuck on the debate platform, and the tips of his ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. While everyone was laughing, Xu Zhixia stared at his action of arranging his tie - the same obsessive-compulsive elegance as in the elevator today. "I heard he's your director now?" Su Man leaned over, "That kind of poisonous tongue elite was actually not so angry with you that he had a myocardial infarction..." The box door was suddenly pushed open. Lu Shen stood in the neon shadow with a bottle of Lafite, his blazer had been changed into a casual one, but the collar pin was still meticulously pinned to the dark pattern tie. "2015 Lafite Rothschild," he said, placing the wine in front of Xu Zhixia, "has a tannin content of 13.5%, which is just enough to neutralize the adrenaline in Miss Xu's blood." He glanced at his phone, which was still playing black history, "By the way, that jam was due to the discovery that the buttons of the opponent's shirt were wrongly buttoned - just like you are now." " Xu Zhixia lowered his head and saw that his second button was indeed misplaced. When he looked up again, Lu Shen had already walked towards the door, his back standing tall like a saber out of the sheath. "Happy birthday, Deputy Director Xu." Without looking back, he said, "Tomorrow at nine o'clock, I want to see the complete 'zoo feeding plan'." On the way home, Xu Zhixia repeatedly checked the chat window of her boyfriend Zhou Yang. The last one is still "On the first day of thirty years old, I want to eat your Eggs Benedict", which shows that she has read it and has not returned. As soon as the key was inserted into the lock hole, the door opened from the inside. Zhou Yang held a cake full of candles, and her favorite seafood pasta was placed on the table behind her. "Surprise!" He smiled and leaned over to kiss him, "I deliberately didn't reply to messages..." Xu Zhixia's eyes were hot, and she was about to apologize for coming back too late, but she saw a rose-red lip print rubbing against Zhou Yang's neckline - which was completely different from the matte bean paste color she usually used. "The company works overtime temporarily." She mechanically took the cake and swept her gaze over the hidden door of the study. Zhou Yang's computer screen is still on, and the latest news in the WeChat dialog box is: "She's back, see you at the old place tomorrow" The wax oil of the thirtieth birthday candle dripped on the back of Xu Zhixia's hand, and the pain was sharp and real.