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Psst! We're moving!
Did he answer her?
Perhaps it was last night.
The living room was quiet, the incandescent light casting a glow over every corner. Xu Wu sat cross-legged on the sofa, replaying Zhou Jinye’s words in her mind.
Following his suggestion, she reviewed yesterday’s events in her memory. If she had seen him, then there were at least two instances when she saw his apparition while drunk.
Thinking about the hangover soup, upon closer reflection, Xu Wu remembered that Jiang Zihan had never entered the kitchen from childhood to adulthood; she couldn’t even boil noodles. Suddenly uncertain, Xu Wu sent her a message to confirm.
[Did you come to my place last night?]
Jiang Zihan quickly replied, [No.]
[I planned to come over last night, but I got drunk and didn’t make it.]
Xu Wu silently stared at Jiang Zihan’s reply of “no.” She pressed her lips together.
Could it be that the apparition she saw earlier was indeed him? It seemed she forgot many things after coming home drunk last night.
But no matter how many times she searched her memory, everything after that was a blank slate. Even if she racked her brain, she couldn’t recall anything.
In the quiet living room, Xu Wu put down her phone and turned to look at the closed door.
Afterward, autumn brought more rain, and it rained for several consecutive days outside.
Regarding the arrangements for the exhibition, Xu Wu communicated with Zhou Jinye via phone about the details. Recently, they rarely met face-to-face.
Everything returned to normal, and amidst their busy schedules, Xu Wu hadn’t thought about the previous incident.
A few days ago, she once again confirmed the layout of the LUNAR and Fan Xiang exhibition and requested staff from Chen Haili.
As the exhibition date approached, they couldn’t delay any longer.
After completing all preparations, they began implementation the day before.
Shu Ke, who had returned from her break after having her stitches removed, followed behind her.
“Xu Wu, sister,” she said, as if she wanted to say something.
Xu Wu looked at her, “What is it?”
“How are you and Jinye doing?”
Xu Wu paused, understanding what she meant. She picked up her work badge, “It’s just a client-contractor relationship.”
“Hiss, is it progressing this slowly?” Xu Wu’s expression told them otherwise. Recalling her attempts to bring them closer, which had been a few days ago, she placed her hand under her chin and muttered, “That shouldn’t be the case.”
Xu Wu handed her work badge to Shu Ke and gently said, “Alright, it’s work time.”
There was a lot of equipment for the exhibition setup, and it had all been delivered in batches by car the previous day.
They used many parts yesterday, but some small parts were missing, so Xu Wu brought a few boxes just in case.
At around ten o’clock, the exhibition setup was nearly halfway done.
Among those arriving at the entrance today were not only LUNAR’s Zhou Jinye and Li Qingyang, but also Fan Xiang’s Wen Tao, who came to check the situation.
After giving instructions to the staff, Xu Wu greeted each of them individually.
This was her first meeting with Wen Tao. Though they appeared to be of similar age, his demeanor was extremely cold.
His chiseled face showed no emotion, his dark eyes calm like a lake. His gaze lingered on her, as if recalling something.
“Mr. Wen, hello. It’s our first meeting. I am Xu Wu, responsible for coordinating the exhibition setup,” she maintained a polite tone.
“Hello,” Wen Tao acknowledged her with a nod and glanced at Zhou Jinye. “I don’t think this is the first time I’ve seen Miss Xu. I believe I saw you once when dining with Mr. Zhou on Jinghui Street. I remember it quite clearly.”
Xu Wu was momentarily stunned. She recalled seeing that familiar figure when picking up a pendant and the time Zhou Jinye inexplicably lost his temper with her in the corridor.
Snapping out of her thoughts, she collected herself and smiled, “That must have been me. I often eat around Jinghui Street.”
Wen Tao nodded slightly, raising an eyebrow, as if understanding now.
Xu Wu didn’t dwell on it further.
While reporting to them, Li Qingyang was distracted, staring at his phone, dressed casually with his zipper pulled up to his neck. Unintentionally, Xu Wu caught a glimpse of faint red marks on his neck.
She didn’t look further; after all, it was his private matter.
The second floor of the exhibition was easier to set up, requiring only the placement of chairs. The contacted media would bring their equipment on the exhibition day, and all positions had been reviewed.
________________________________________
By noon, the arrangement and functionality of all positions had been clearly communicated.
Close to the Wutong Road food street, Xu Wu didn’t order takeout but let everyone rest at the designated time.
The staff removed their badges and went out one by one.
“Are you all going to eat together?”
It was Wen Tao who spoke.
Xu Wu was drinking water, and Shu Ke, who had finished her tasks, joined them after hearing this, “Sure.”
Then, noticing Li Qingyang still glued to his phone, she assumed he was looking for restaurants and leaned over to see, “Brother, did you find anything good to eat?”
Li Qingyang didn’t give her a chance, moving his phone up.
Wen Tao’s gaze shifted between Li Qingyang and Shu Ke, “Are you two siblings?”
Shu Ke looked at Wen Tao for a moment and nodded.
“Li Qingyang, so you were pulling resources for your sister?” Wen Tao remarked without hesitation.
Shu Ke moved aside, and Li Qingyang, finally putting down his phone, shifted his gaze from the screen, unsure what to do with the several red exclamation marks. Without thinking, he said, “I didn’t participate; it was all arranged by Zhou Jinye.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Wu felt as if a feather lightly brushed her heart.
“That’s right,” Shu Ke emphasized the point, “I volunteered myself. Look around, everything is arranged perfectly.”
“Then work hard, and the final car exhibition will also reflect your efforts,” Li Qingyang told Shu Ke.
“Oh.” She walked to Xu Wu’s side and asked, “Aren’t we going to eat? Brother, have you chosen a place yet?”
“Not yet,” Li Qingyang gave the screen one last glance before turning off his phone.
Wen Tao’s thin lips parted slightly, “So what were you looking at for so long? Chatting with your girlfriend?”
“No!”
He quickly denied it, and Wen Tao raised an eyebrow, pointing to his neck with a teasing look, “Then what’s that red mark on your neck? Don’t tell me it’s from a cat scratch.”
Li Qingyang subtly pulled up his collar, “Mosquito bite.”
“Are there mosquitoes in autumn?”
Shu Ke’s unintentional comment made Wen Tao chuckle, and she awkwardly joined in the laughter.
“There are! In my room.”
Li Qingyang continued to argue his case.
Soon, the three of them lagged behind Xu Wu and Zhou Jinye.
The rain had stopped outside, but the roads were still wet.
Walking side by side, the small puddles on the stone path splashed onto their shoes, leaving water stains behind.
Remembering that Pudding had come out after she returned home from work these past few days, she asked, “Have you forgotten to lock the door recently?”
“What?” Zhou Jinye asked, puzzled.
“Pudding has been coming out when the door opens. Did you forget to lock the door?” She clarified.
He looked at her, “No need to.”
“It won’t run away.”
Xu Wu was full of questions, “Then why did you say to lock the door to prevent it from getting lost?”
“It won’t get lost because...” He paused, looking directly into her eyes, “...it has become smarter.”
As they talked, Li Qingyang and the others soon caught up.
“Let’s eat here.”
They booked a table for five. The restaurant specialized in farmhouse dishes.
They ordered everyday dishes suitable for sharing; some were mild, others spicy, catering to individual tastes.
Zhou Jinye was on Xu Wu’s other side. After all the dishes were served,
Li Qingyang took a bite of the braised crucian carp, tender and delicious. He turned to Zhou Jinye and said, “Wow, this taste is quite similar to a few dishes you made?”
Xu Wu paused mid-bite.
Does Zhou Jinye cook?
Before she could voice her doubt, he tasted the dish Li Qingyang had just eaten and said, “This spiciness isn’t as strong as mine.”
Her eyelashes fluttered momentarily.
So he does cook.
Then why did he use so much...
For a moment, she thought of the empty bowl left on the dining table after the hangover soup.
Xu Wu lowered her gaze, eating her food hastily.
Jiang Zihan said she hadn’t come over, so in the corridor, only they lived in that area.
Therefore, the face she saw that drunken night wasn’t a hallucination; it was truly him.
At this moment, Xu Wu’s mind was complex. If there really was a time machine, she wanted to see what she had done.
Her lips were bleeding from biting them.
________________________________________
These complicated emotions persisted until she returned home from work.
Coincidentally, she encountered Zhou Jinye in the elevator. With many tenants inside, their gazes briefly met.
After figuring everything out during lunch, Xu Wu awkwardly averted her eyes.
With so many people in the elevator, she didn’t ask him.
Silently, they both exited the elevator. As Zhou Jinye was unlocking his door, she called out to him, “Zhou Jinye, were you here that night when I was drunk?”
He stopped unlocking the door, turned to look at her, his eyes reflecting subtle emotions, “Do you remember?”
So it was him.
“No,” Xu Wu shook her head, “Did I do or say anything inappropriate?”
“Inappropriate actions?” Under the incandescent light, Zhou Jinye’s trench coat hung loosely over his suit. He lightly tapped the doorknob, repeating her question, “Say what?”
He seemed to be recalling.
Xu Wu bit her lip, her throat bobbing as she waited for his response.
“Yes,” his lazy, magnetic voice echoed in the quiet corridor.
Xu Wu’s lips parted, “What?”
Just as he leisurely replied, “You came over and held me tightly... very, very tightly.”
The last four words were even slower, deliberately entering Xu Wu’s ears.
The atmosphere lighting brightened in the corridor as Xu Wu digested his words. Then he smirked, looking at her, “Do you have any indescribable thoughts about me?”
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