When Chu Zhi rushed out of the company office building with her bag, Lu Jiaheng happened to call. He hadn’t been at the company in the morning, probably busy all morning, and now having just heard from his secretary, he immediately asked where she was.
Chu Zhi stood beside Jingheng’s huge glass curtain wall, looking at the people inside. In the bright glass wall’s reflection was a girl wearing an off-shoulder top with flower buttons, a skirt above her knees, and a dark green bag. Her hair was loose with a middle part, revealing a clean forehead, holding up her phone with bright eyes looking at herself. She had changed a lot since university.
Chu Zhi blinked and said calmly: “Just bought some milk tea, heading back to the office.”
On the other end of the phone, Lu Jiaheng was silent for a moment before saying softly: “About this matter, I—”
“No need,” Chu Zhi quickly interrupted him, turning to walk back into the building, “What about you? What are you planning to do? What do you want to do? Don’t get involved in anything, I’ll handle it myself.”
He was slightly surprised: “You know who it is?”
Chu Zhi stood in the lobby, looking up: “I think so…”
“You think—” Lu Jiaheng chuckled, “Chu Zhi, outsiders couldn’t have access to all employees’ corporate emails. This was done by someone from Jingheng, and not an ordinary employee.”
“…”
Chu Zhi became confused again.
She stood at the elevator door: “From Jingheng? Then who is it?”
Lu Jiaheng just laughed on the other end: “Didn’t you say you thought you knew?”
Chu Zhi made an “eh” sound: “I thought I did…”
“From Zhuo Si’s side?”
Chu Zhi blinked and said nothing.
“The time your proposal was plagiarized, that was at Zhuo Si, right?”
“…”
“That classmate who copied your proposal, he’s the guy who came from Zhuo Si the other day, the one who walked with you on graduation day.”
“…”
Lu Jiaheng said lazily: “Hmm? Tell me about it.”
“…”
With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and Lu Jiaheng stood inside holding his phone, his gaze sweeping over what she was holding before raising an eyebrow: “Didn’t you go buy milk tea?”
“…”
Chu Zhi said nothing, lowering her head as she walked into the elevator and pressed the button to keep the doors open.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Everyone waiting for the elevator outside stood at the doors, but no one came in.
“…”
Chu Zhi turned around.
Lu Jiaheng had one hand in his pocket, lazily leaning against the elevator wall, like a hunched door god staring at the people outside.
His expression seemed to say: I dare anyone to come in.
Chu Zhi: “…”
She let go of the button and pressed the floor number, and the elevator doors slowly closed.
Chu Zhi hung up the phone and turned around.
Lu Jiaheng looked completely uninterrupted as he continued from their previous phone conversation: “You keep telling me not to get involved, so what do you want to do?”
Chu Zhi scratched her chin: “But if it’s someone from Jingheng, I don’t know who it could be…”
Lu Jiaheng raised an eyebrow: “Little girl, your thinking is as cute as you are.”
“…”
Aren’t you just saying I’m stupid?
Chu Zhi rolled her eyes and turned around: “You’ve said everything already, what can I say?”
He laughed again: “How about this – you do whatever you think is right, and I’ll handle the company matters. We’ll cooperate, with me as your assistant, how’s that?”
Chu Zhi looked up, being stingy: “I won’t pay you.”
“…”
Lu Jiaheng tilted his head, looking down at her: “My wife is so strict.”
“?”
“Then what about allowance, will I get allowance in the future?” he bent down close to her, leaning by her ear to ask seriously.
“…”
“None after marriage either?”
“…”
“Wife is so heartless.”
Chu Zhi couldn’t take it anymore and slapped his face with a red face, pushing him away: “Shut up!”
In the afternoon, Chu Zhi first sent Xiao Yi a message, then headed straight to Zhuo Si after work.
Zhuo Si was preparing a bid for the Jingheng project, and Chu Zhi knew how intense overtime could be at advertising companies, so she was surprised when Xiao Yi came down on time.
They met at the coffee shop below his company. The man had his sleeves rolled up and looked somewhat tired as he approached her: “I didn’t expect you to actively seek me out.”
Chu Zhi took a light breath and pointed to the seat opposite: “Sit down first.”
Xiao Yi sat down.
Chu Zhi pushed a glass of cranberry juice to him: “I don’t know what you drink, but you must be working overtime a lot lately, probably tired of coffee.”
Xiao Yi looked up at her with a complex expression.
Chu Zhi tilted her head: “You don’t like it?”
“No,” he pressed his lips together, suddenly giving a bitter smile, “I’m just surprised by the kindness.”
Chu Zhi was taken aback.
“Captain, actually I don’t dislike you anymore.”
Xiao Yi said nothing.
“At first, I really couldn’t stand you. You were the one who told me winning and opportunities weren’t so important, that learning was most important. You were the one who said I could ask you questions and discuss things with you. But in the end you took my ideas, modified my proposal. Later I wondered, when you calmly denied it, was there even a moment when you felt sorry towards me? I think there must have been.”
Chu Zhi rested her chin on her hand, stirring her juice with a small spoon: “At first when it happened so suddenly, I was too angry, both angry and hurt, I couldn’t even react. Later, it was because my proposal was really badly written. I only had ideas, and compared to yours it made me feel ashamed,” her voice was soft, “‘She claims it’s her idea but the proposal is so poorly written’ ‘This kind of thing wouldn’t be used even if submitted’ ‘The professional level is just too different’ – although I said I would do better, which sounds nice, actually it was because I was really afraid to hear such things.”
“So I chose to avoid it. I convinced myself that everyone encounters setbacks, but actually I was just afraid. I was afraid no one would believe me, afraid others would question my ability. I really, really didn’t want to put myself back in that embarrassing situation, facing so many people’s judgment alone, struggling without knowing if I could win. I felt I couldn’t handle that feeling again.”
Xiao Yi opened his mouth: “Chu Zhi…”
Chu Zhi ignored him. From start to finish, her voice remained calm, carrying her characteristic softness, as if telling a story: “Now I feel it’s not right. Some things shouldn’t be avoided. What’s mine should be taken back, and I should admit that choosing to avoid it was wrong. Actually today, a group email was sent to Jingheng’s corporate mailbox about my previous ‘plagiarism’ incident, every employee received it.”
At this point, Xiao Yi understood.
He frowned, pressing his lips together: “You thought it was me—”
“I know it wasn’t you,” she calmly interrupted him, “You know about me and Lu Jiaheng, you need this cooperation project with Jingheng. Doing this would bring you no benefit. Captain Xiao, would you do something that brings you no benefit?”
She appeared too rational.
Xiao Yi suddenly felt a bit dazed.
Since high school, his impression of Chu Zhi had never changed.
This girl was kind-hearted, extremely good-tempered, seemingly never getting angry. When anyone got angry at her, she didn’t mind at all, her whole person like soft cotton candy.
The first time he saw her get angry was during military training, when her ex-boyfriend came and apparently upset her roommate.
Before Xiao Yi could understand what was happening, he had joined in the fight with them.
It was then that he realized Chu Zhi was actually a bit different from what he had imagined.
She had her own temper, her own bottom lines. Sometimes she was very confused, and her way of thinking about problems was quite unique, but when it came to certain issues, she would get angry and upset, and when pushed too far, she would fight back decisively.
Xiao Yi kept his eyes down, and after a long while, finally said softly: “What do you want me to do?”
Chu Zhi said calmly: “I want to hear an apology.”
He sat there motionless, as if he hadn’t heard.
“I don’t want anything else, just publicly clarify this matter and apologize to me,” Chu Zhi leaned forward, arms on the table edge, moving closer to look at him, “Captain, was the core of that junior year project really yours?”
Her eyes stared at him unblinkingly, clear and bright like a gentle spring, as if able to wash away all of one’s sins.
Xiao Yi opened his mouth, but faced with such eyes, he couldn’t say a word.
Chu Zhi continued staring at him, her tone gentle and her eyes bright, yet somehow making one want to shrink back.
Things too pure always seem to make those stained by impurity unable to approach.
Xiao Yi’s lips began to pale, moving slightly without making a sound.
Chu Zhi looked at him: “You said it was yours, you said if it wasn’t for our discussions I wouldn’t have thought of these things. These words, did you really believe them?”
“Or when you said these things to me, were you constantly trying to convince yourself too? Until finally, even you believed it?”
She waited for a long time, but Xiao Yi said nothing.
Chu Zhi gave up.
She dropped her shoulders and sighed, puffing out her cheeks before letting out a soft “puff” like a fish’s bubble popping: “Captain, thank you for being willing to be my friend during those two and a half years of university.”
Xiao Yi’s shoulders stiffened, his eyelashes trembled as he looked up.
Xiao Yi still clearly remembered the scene in the meeting room that day.
What was her expression like when she looked at him?
It was hurt and anger, and unbelievable disappointment.
Her eyes could speak.
When happy, they would look at you with light dancing in them; when praising you, they would curve with sincere and lovely smiles.
But that day, the young girl trembled as she faced everyone in the meeting room, stubbornly wiping away tears, looking at him with deep disappointment and disgust.
Xiao Yi felt he would probably never forget how she looked at him then.
He closed his eyes and murmured: “I’m sorry…”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to, I just wanted that opportunity so badly, I must have gone crazy, but I really wanted to win…”
“I’m sorry…”
Xiao Yi opened his eyes to look at her, his eyes reddened, his voice beginning to shake as he repeated similar words.
Like a confessional in church, a devout believer repeatedly confessing their sins to the priest.
As if constraints that had been tight for countless days and months were finally loosened, and something deeply buried in his heart began to slowly revive.
Chu Zhi let out a long breath.
She smiled, her bright doe eyes curving, more beautiful than the night’s crescent moon: “It’s okay, then I forgive you.”
It was how he remembered her, soft and lovely, with a hint of craftiness, like a clever little fox.
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since she had smiled at him like that.
Xiao Yi’s lips moved, wanting to say something more, when he suddenly froze, his gaze moving past her to something behind her.
Chu Zhi turned around too.
Zhao Mei was still in her white business attire, her wine-red long hair permed into alluring curls, her makeup perfectly done.
She glanced at Chu Zhi, then turned her gaze back to Xiao Yi, her red lips tightly pressed together as she let out a short, sharp laugh: “So this is what you meant by ‘something quick’? What is this? Rekindling an old flame with your ex-girlfriend?”
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