Shen Jianian, like a startled rabbit, frantically sprang up from Fu Jichen’s embrace, her feet landing on the ground tingling and nearly causing her to fall.
Fu Jichen supported her by the lower back: "So skittish."
The man’s voice was low and hoarse, carrying a faint hint of laughter.
Shen Jianian didn’t pay attention to what he said, lowering her head to straighten her clothes and hair, her face burning hot as if pressed with a branding iron. This searing heat spread all the way to her earlobes and neck.
Once she cald down a bit, Fu Jichen cleared his throat and said, "Co in."
Zhu Yilan, who had been waiting outside for a long ti, pushed the door open with one hand, holding a folder in her arms. She hesitated for a mont upon seeing Shen Jianian inside, but soon returned to normal.
"I’ll leave now." Shen Jianian felt like she was on fire, speaking quickly, and without waiting for Fu Jichen to respond, she stepped out.
"Wait."
Just as Shen Jianian reached the office door, she was called back. She paused, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and turned to look at him. She had humored him so much already, what more could he want?!
Fu Jichen picked up the bag she had left behind and waved it in his hand: "Forget your bag?"
Shen Jianian was taken aback, realizing she misunderstood him. She bit her lip in slight embarrassnt, walked back to take her bag, and heard his gentle reminder: "Stay safe."
Shen Jianian nodded hastily and left.
As soon as she walked out of the office building, she received a call from Bai Changxia: "Off work yet? Need to pick you up?" She also wanted to see where Shen Jianian worked.
"Just got off, planning to et you," Shen Jianian said, "Let’s et at the hotel."
The lunchti reunion was too short, and many things were left unsaid. After a whole afternoon of struggling, Shen Jianian was ntally prepared to confess everything.
There was a bit of traffic, and it was past six when she arrived at the Mandiri Hotel.
Bai Changxia hadn’t gone anywhere that afternoon, staying in her room and dozing until sunset. Hearing the knock, she got up from the bed, barefooted.
Peeking through the peephole to confirm it was Shen Jianian outside, Bai Changxia opened the door.
Shen Jianian held up packed als from the restaurant in both hands, waving them in front of her: "Let’s have dinner in the room."
"Just as well, I didn’t feel like going out," Bai Changxia helped her with one of the bags.
She had taken a shower in the afternoon, wearing ho clothes brought from ho, a light grey cotton-linen set, her face bare, and her long hair casually tied up with a shark clip, unruly yet lazy.
The two sat opposite each other by the floor-to-ceiling window, with the dishes placed on the round table in the middle.
In winter, it got dark early, and outside the window lay the dazzling lights of the city’s night scene.
Shen Jianian bought two coconuts as drinks, the shells already opened with fist-sized holes, inserting a straw and handing one to Bai Changxia.
"Where do you work? What do you do?" Bai Changxia sipped the sweet coconut water, watching Shen Jianian busily arranging bowls and chopsticks across from her.
Both of them had graduated from the Beicheng Music College, one specialized in cello, the other in violin, and it was hard to find jobs in other fields after leaving campus.
Bai Changxia asked, and Shen Jianian answered: "Currently, I’m working as an assistant to the president at Dongke."
Bai Changxia was sowhat surprised: "Can you handle it?"
Shen Jianian took a bite of the garlic spareribs and smiled: "I’m slowly learning, much better than the initial chaos."
Hearing this, Bai Changxia felt a pang of sadness: "Jianian..."
She didn’t know how to comfort Shen Jianian to make him feel better. Having a previously smooth life suddenly turned upside down, any words seed pale in the face of reality.
They used to be the two belles of the Beicheng Music College, one aloof and indifferent, the other pure and lively, often causing a stir when they walked side by side on campus.
Shen Jianian was the pure and lively one.
She truly was a little princess, with eyes twinkling when she smiled, making people want to present all beautiful things under the sun just to see her smile more. But the Shen Jianian in front of her had a smile that seed restrained and fractured, not truly happy.
Bai Changxia felt a pang in her heart, unwilling to ask more questions that might uncover the scars she had painstakingly healed.
They quietly finished dinner, and Shen Jianian washed off a few oil stains on her clothes before taking a shower.
When she erged wrapped in a bathrobe, Bai Changxia had already cleaned up their leftovers from the table and turned on the ventilator in the room.
Bai Changxia tied the garbage bag handles, took it out to throw away, and upon returning, saw Shen Jianian sitting on the bed with her phone, head slightly lowered, the bathrobe’s cross collar slightly large, revealing a swath of fair skin with so noticeable red marks.
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