Chapter 17: Collaboration

After returning home last night, Xu Wu organized all the company materials she had gathered recently and spent some time playing with Pudding, whom she hadn’t seen in three days.

This morning, because she stayed up late knitting a scarf for Pudding, her alarm didn’t go off, and she nearly overslept. On her way to work, she stopped by to grab breakfast.

It was from the same breakfast shop Zhou Jinye had bought from before—the aroma of custard buns wafted through the air.

Xu Wu had forgotten to pay him back for the previous breakfast. Over time, their exchanges had balanced out, so she found his WeChat contact in her phonebook.

She recalled the prices on the shop’s sign and added up the cost of the items he had bought for her, along with splitting the bill from the other day. In total, it came to eighty-eight yuan.

After sending the money, she explained the amount.

At the office, Xu Wu placed her things at her desk.

Having just eaten two custard buns, her mouth felt dry, so she poured herself a cup of warm water.

“Xu Wu, come to my office for a moment.”

She had barely taken two sips when Chen Haili approached her desk with a smile.

Shu Ke had taken two days off due to her injury, and Xu Wu was still confused about why Chen Haili had called her over.

Setting down her cup, she followed him.

Inside the office, she saw that he had prepared a cup of black tea for her.

The packaging was from a branded product—she recognized it from Wei Bao Guo’s collection of gifts from business trips abroad. It was much more expensive than the green tea he usually drank.

Seeing this sudden change, Xu Wu pursed her lips, wondering if her status in the company had improved.

“Little Xu, try this. This black tea is quite good,” Wei Bao Guo said warmly, quickly getting to the point of why he had summoned her. “Are you familiar with the people at LUNAR and Fan Xiang?”

Her hand paused mid-reach, and his question made her frown slightly. “What’s the matter?”

He handed her a flyer for an upcoming car exhibition. “Here’s the thing—Linjing is hosting a large local car exhibition soon. LUNAR and Fan Xiang are in the same area and need someone to oversee the setup. They specifically requested you. This task will be handed over to you.”

Xu Wu stared at the flyer on his desk—it was LUNAR’s promotional material. The exhibition would take place on Jinghui Street, in Hall W1.

“Little Xu,” Chen Haili’s laugh lines gathered at the corners of his eyes as he crossed his hands on the desk. “LUNAR has been overseas for years and is considered one of the top giants in the domestic industry. How did you manage to build such a connection?”

Since joining Lingmei, Xu Wu had never been as gregarious or smooth-talking as Xu Tianya. She preferred to focus on completing her tasks diligently. While Xu Tianya had connections that allowed her to collaborate with well-known figures in the industry, Xu Wu relied on building relationships one project at a time.

This sudden notification left her feeling conflicted.

Xu Wu had never done business with Fan Xiang before. The only link was Zhou Jinye. She had already researched LUNAR—it was founded by Zhou Jinye. Aside from their past relationship as ex-lovers, they were now neighbors separated by a corridor.

This collaboration with LUNAR was symbolic—a precious ticket into the industry.

________________________________________

At the restaurant, her order hadn’t arrived yet.

Lost in thought, Xu Wu snapped back to reality when her phone buzzed with a WeChat notification.

It was a message from Zhou Jinye.

[That’s because I bought too much. There’s no need to be so precise.]

His casual tone showed he didn’t care about the matter. Xu Wu sent another message.

[But I ate it.]

He didn’t reply, nor did he accept the money she had sent.

After a moment, Xu Wu decided to ask her question.

[Is the car exhibition your…]

Before she could finish typing her thoughts, she deleted the entire message.

Sending it like that would seem presumptuous.

She started over.

[You should just take it.]

The waiter approached, and she quickly turned off her phone screen.

________________________________________

She chose a farmhouse-style restaurant and ordered fried rice. As she began eating, she didn’t notice the man approaching her from behind.

“Xu Wu,” a male voice called out from beside her.

Xu Wu turned her head. She didn’t recognize the man in front of her, but he smiled. “It really is you. I spotted you through the glass window earlier and came in to check.”

“You’re back from your business trip?”

She searched her memory—it seemed like the person who had asked to meet her yesterday. She vaguely remembered his surname was Ji.

“Yes, I returned last night.”

“This is the person you mentioned?” A man sitting next to him with an open collar joked teasingly.

Judging from their interaction, they seemed to be colleagues. However, the man’s smile made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

Ji Nanxun exchanged glances with his friend and nodded with a smile.

One after the other, they sat directly across from Xu Wu, eyeing her bowl of fried rice. “Is this all you’re having for lunch?”

Xu Wu pressed her lips together and continued eating without much enthusiasm. “Yes.”

“How about I treat you to something else?” Ji Nanxun fixed his gaze on her face.

“No need,” Xu Wu finished a bite of rice, stirred the accompanying soup with her spoon, and took a sip. “I think this is pretty tasty.”

“Haha, is that so?” He chuckled, his eyes never leaving her face. “Then let’s give it a try too?”

His friend nudged him with his elbow and whispered, “Are you really going to eat this? Didn’t we agree to have French cuisine?”

Though the voice was low, Xu Wu heard it clearly and observed their subtle gestures. She remained silent and continued eating.

“Occasionally trying something different isn’t bad, right?” Ji Nanxun said to his companion.

“You sure can endure for that pretty face.”

Sitting across the table, Xu Wu heard every word they muttered under their breath.

With her spoon lightly stirring the rice in her bowl, she smiled faintly and spoke slowly. “If you don’t plan to eat here, there’s a French restaurant straight ahead and to the left when you exit.”

Her smile was faint, showing little amusement.

“What do you mean?” The man beside Ji Nanxun frowned impatiently. “Are we bothering you?”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“Alright, she said she didn’t mean it. Let it go,” Ji Nanxun tried to calm him down.

When he first met Xu Wu, he was captivated by her unique blend of aloofness and gentleness—a woman unlike any he’d encountered before. Now, he didn’t want to strain their budding relationship.

“Tch,” the man grumbled. “Look at her acting all high and mighty, relying on her pretty face. You’ve been fishing for information about her, and now look—she’s completely ignoring us.”

Xu Wu pressed her lips together, suddenly finding her fried rice less appetizing.

“You’re judging someone’s appearance while pretending to be noble yourselves,” a shadowy voice interjected.

A man with soft, wavy bangs and fair skin walked over calmly, his tone gentle yet firm.

“Who are you? This doesn’t concern you. Why are you interfering?”

The man maintained his polite smile. “She’s sitting with my friend.”

“Tch, what bad luck eating lunch today,” the man huffed, pulling Ji Nanxun along. “Let’s go.”

Watching them disappear at the entrance, Xu Wu turned to the man standing before her. “When did you return?”

Yuan Yiheng—the person Xu Wu had called during the adventure at Wei Ming’s wedding—was her classmate during her senior year of high school.

They had been desk mates for half a year, and Yuan Yiheng was one of the few friends Xu Wu made during her time at Linjing High School. After graduation, he went to study law in another province.

“Work brought me back,” Yuan Yiheng said with a warm, humble smile—a demeanor cultivated from his scholarly upbringing.

Xu Wu thought of Zhou Jinye’s grandfather, also from a scholarly family, but his roguish charm stood in stark contrast.

“Is anyone sitting opposite you?” he asked politely.

She shook her head. Yuan Yiheng sat down across from her. “Your food must have gone cold. Should I call the waiter to reheat it for you?”

“No, I’m almost done. Have you eaten?” she asked gently.

“I just finished eating with a client. I happened to see what happened outside.” His tone remained calm and soothing.

“Thank you for helping me earlier,” Xu Wu said as they exited the restaurant together, walking side by side.

“It’s nothing,” Yuan Yiheng glanced at her. “You seem to have changed a lot.”

“Really?” She chuckled awkwardly. “It’s been years since high school, and we haven’t seen each other in a long time. People change. Take you, for example—you’ve become much more approachable.”

“Haha,” he gazed at the golden leaves scattered along the street. “Maybe letting go makes things easier.”

“Oh, by the way,” Yuan Yiheng recalled the unpleasant remarks from earlier.

He pulled a small knitted persimmon-shaped object from his pocket, with a peanut-shaped keychain attached. “I just finished a court case, and my client gave me this as a gift. It symbolizes good fortune.”

Xu Wu, who had been working on knitting accessories for Pudding, found it useful for reference.

Smiling, she accepted it. “Thank you.”

________________________________________

Just as Wen Tao and Xu Wu stepped out of the exhibition hall, Jinghui Road was mostly commercial, with few restaurants nearby. Since it was close to Wutong Road, they decided to eat there.

Cars couldn’t enter the narrow streets, so they parked in a nearby lot and walked to the restaurant together.

As Zhou Jinye got out of the car, he glanced at a WeChat message.

The person insisted he accept the money.

He turned off the screen, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar figure across the street. Squinting, his eyes narrowed into slits.

On the opposite side, a man handed a small object to the woman beside him. She smiled and accepted it, and the two chatted happily, drawing curious glances from passersby.

Wen Tao had already noticed Zhou Jinye’s mood shift. When they regrouped, Zhou Jinye checked his phone briefly, and his emotions seemed off, as if he were suppressing something.

Seeing that Zhou Jinye wasn’t keeping up, Wen Tao stopped and turned to look back. Following his gaze, he saw the couple on the other side of the street.

Under the warm sunlight, golden leaves adorned the road, and the handsome man and beautiful woman walked side by side, chatting and laughing. To onlookers, they appeared to be a couple.

Turning back to Zhou Jinye, Wen Tao asked, “Do you know them?”

Zhou Jinye remained silent, withdrew his gaze, and walked forward. “Do you have any cigarettes left?”

Wen Tao was surprised by the request but handed him a cigarette.

From the first time they met, Zhou Jinye rarely smoked. Today, however, he seemed unusually agitated.

Taking a deep drag, he exhaled the tobacco-laden breath.

His voice was hoarse. “Let’s eat.”

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xu Wu was unaware that someone had been watching her from across the street.

Carefully studying the small object’s weaving technique, she accidentally dropped it. Turning back to pick it up, she noticed a familiar silhouette across the endless street.

Perhaps it was just a mistake.