HGG - 22

“I’m so sorry!”

The beautiful young office lady frowned deeply, apologizing sincerely and loudly: “Really, really, I am so sorry!”

With everyone watching, she stood up despite her injured foot and bowed deeply. Zhou Shuhua bit her lip, her eyes red, and said, “I didn’t mean to; I really didn’t think much about it. I’m very sorry.”

Song Yi was sitting on the wooden sofa playing a mobile game, Zhan Heqing was opening a container of lemons, and Chi Zhao was drinking chilled mineral water by the refrigerator.

All three turned their gazes toward her. After silently exchanging looks, Zhan Heqing was the first to speak: “You don’t need to apologize so formally.”

Song Yi also looked up and said, “Yes. It’s just a small mistake. I only asked you to delete it as a precaution. No need to dwell on it.”

Chi Zhao asked, “Is Thai salad okay for dinner tonight?”

“I’ll chop the vegetables,” Song Yi stood up and then threw a glance at Zhou Shuhua, “Miss Zhou, come help out too.”

The four of them had dinner together.

While Chi Zhao and Zhan Heqing were washing the dishes, Song Yi and Zhou Shuhua sat in the living room to cool off.

“Song Yi, I’m really sorry. I truly didn’t pay attention to those…” Zhou Shuhua began with the same topic again. “I really didn’t notice that picture of President Chi. I thought your photo looked nice…”

Song Yi steered the conversation away and asked, “Did you graduate from an art university?”

“Yes,” Zhou Shuhua nodded. “I passed the art exam to get into the academy, and later naturally went on to pursue my master’s degree.”

“I see,” Song Yi’s tone wasn’t heavy, but she rarely showed extra expressions. “That’s good.”

Zhou Shuhua asked, “What about you, Song Yi? Do you like painting too? You’re so smart; if you want to learn, you’ll definitely have no problem.”

Song Yi didn’t respond. Reflecting now, perhaps when she was a child, rather than painting itself, she was simply seeking personal value.

Their conversation ended there. Zhan Heqing came out of the kitchen.

He wiped his hands while using his cheek and shoulder to hold the phone, greeted the ladies in the living room, and then left. About ten minutes later, Zhan Heqing returned with his phone and said, “Sorry, everyone. I might have to spoil the fun.”

Chi Zhao also came out and leaned against the doorway to listen to him.

“There’s been a bit of a situation on my end, and I have to go back temporarily.” Zhan Heqing smiled bitterly and said, “Sorry.”

Song Yi and Zhou Shuhua could only say, “It’s alright,” while Chi Zhao raised an eyebrow and pulled him into the kitchen. They discussed for a few minutes, and the car to pick up Zhan Heqing arrived.

He left the convertible car keys with Chi Zhao and hurriedly said goodbye to everyone.

Zhan Heqing didn’t say what the matter was, but strangely, Song Yi felt it wouldn’t be anything good.

As for Zhou Shuhua’s thoughts on him, she felt there was no rush to express them at the moment.

There was no television on the mountain. Due to Zhou Shuhua’s injury, Song Yi and Chi Zhao couldn’t arrange any evening outings. After freshening up, they could only play card games indoors.

Despite the arrival of spring, it still got dark very early. Just as they were about to rest, the lights suddenly went out.

The fairy-tale cottage had its own charm, but the downside was its old age and poor maintenance; even with installed circuits, it was prone to tripping breakers. Zhou Shuhua was startled, and Chi Zhao and Song Yi went to the backyard to find the circuit breaker.

Outside was pitch black, and the night wind was quite chilly. Song Yi hugged her arms and followed behind Chi Zhao.

Chi Zhao suddenly stopped, causing her to collide with his back.

“Found it,” Chi Zhao said, handing his phone, which was acting as a flashlight, to Song Yi. She held it for him while he fiddled with the password isolation box outside the circuit breaker.

Under the bright white light, Song Yi stared at his profile and asked, “What’s the issue with Vice President Zhan?”

“Hmm…” He dragged out the syllable, inputting the password as he spoke, “Uncle Zhan isn’t in good health.”

“What?”

“He fainted today,” he said, opening the box, “and was rushed to the hospital.”

After resetting the circuit breaker, power was restored to the house. Song Yi turned off the flashlight function and handed the phone back to Chi Zhao: “Is it serious?”

“I don’t know,” Chi Zhao said. “Let’s visit him at the hospital when we get back.”

Song Yi nodded: “I’ll arrange the schedule properly.”

“Then I’ll trouble you,” he said, walking ahead with his head down.

The two returned indoors, and the appliances restarted. Zhou Shuhua was pitifully waiting for them to return. She was playing a Japanese RPG mobile game on her phone and had a manga open on her tablet. When they entered, she immediately laughed and said, “You’ve worked hard!”

But the living room light was still off.

“It’s probably burned out,” Song Yi searched the closet for a replacement bulb, while Chi Zhao took a ladder from behind the door. Zhou Shuhua also stood up to help steady the chair.

Chi Zhao climbed up to change the bulb, and Song Yi went to the switch to turn off the light first.

His fingers were long and jointed, carefully screwing in the bulb. At the same time, he said to Song Yi, “Turn it on.”

“Okay,” Song Yi said, feeling cheerful as she opened the switch and blurted out, “‘God said’…”

“‘Let there be light,’” almost simultaneously, Chi Zhao unconsciously spoke.

In the instant the light came on, the darkness dispersed. Chi Zhao and Song Yi looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh.

“You have this habit too,” Chi Zhao said.

Song Yi retracted her smile and nodded: “When I lived in an apartment complex as a child, every time I turned on the sound-activated lights in the hallway, I would say this.”

“Ah! Me too,” Chi Zhao walked over and sat down on the made bed. “When I go home and turn on the light, I always say—”

God said let there be light, and there was light.

Zhou Shuhua also laughed: “What you both said is so interesting. Are you and President Chi religious?”

“…” Chi Zhao and Song Yi fell silent simultaneously for a moment, then answered in unison, “Not at all.”

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment, but Song Yi timely broke the silence: “Shall we turn off the lights and sleep?”

“If you two want to play a bit longer, I can wait,” Zhou Shuhua smiled and said.

Song Yi helped her to the bedroom. After Zhou Shuhua lay down, she looked at her with sparkling eyes and said, “Song Yi, you’re really excellent and very pretty. I admire you a bit.”

Song Yi paused for a few seconds at the door, preparing to turn off the light, and then said, “You flatter me.”

After closing the door for her, Song Yi walked a few steps forward and suddenly realized something.

She and Chi Zhao would be sleeping together.

Although it wasn’t the first time they’d spent a night together. Last time, Chi Zhao hadn’t slept at all, staying up the entire night, but this time they had properly prepared beds.

The two beds were laid side by side, not very far apart. Song Yi didn’t feel worried since the person was Chi Zhao. She just reflected that, unknowingly, she had been working here for such a long time.

Because of Zhan Heqing, she skipped the probation period, making her somewhat less sensitive to the passage of time.

Song Yi lay down first. When Chi Zhao came out after washing his face, he turned off the light. Then he opened the fridge, intending to find something to eat when a rustling sound came through the darkness.

Song Yi propped herself up and asked, “What are you going to do?”

The light from the fridge accompanied by the mist of cold air illuminated him, and he said, “I’m hungry. I’ll brush my teeth again after eating.”

So Song Yi lay back down.

She closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to come, when she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Opening her eyes again, Song Yi found that Chi Zhao hadn’t eaten anything. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, one hand supporting his chin, staring at her.

“Sorry,” he apologized first.

Song Yi asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No, I was thinking that Song Yi is just an ordinary girl,” he said. “Capable of everything, fast and efficient at work, but in reality, just someone who needs rest.”

Though it was an ordinary statement, Song Yi suddenly felt her cheeks burning. If the lights were on, her flushed face would surely be exposed.

Rarely, she stuttered, wanting to say something when the door suddenly opened.

Zhou Shuhua, holding a blanket, said, “Being alone is still a bit scary.” But before she could put it down, Chi Zhao’s phone rang.

He stood up and walked to the door to answer the call. His tone was calm, and the caller seemed to be Zhan Heqing: “What’s up? As long as he’s fine… Yes, tomorrow morning? That’s so urgent. Are you sure he’s fine… Oh, I see.”

Then Chi Zhao hung up and leaned against the door, flashing a brilliant smile at the two of them: “Ding ding ding! One piece of good news and one piece of bad news.”

Song Yi was sitting sideways on the bed, while Zhou Shuhua stood there blankly. Both were waiting for him to continue.

“The good news is,” Chi Zhao glanced at the time, “if we leave now, we can get back before two o’clock, and my favorite Japanese restaurant will still be open.”

They already knew what he was going to say.

“The bad news is,” Chi Zhao said, “we have to go back.”

Song Yi remained calm, silently starting to pack things up. Zhou Shuhua asked, “We’re leaving suddenly?”

“Sorry,” Chi Zhao sat down to tie his shoelaces and said, “There’s work early in the morning. Go back and let Xiao Zhan compensate you.”

They really drove back. When entering the city, Chi Zhao said, “I’ll go back to the company with Secretary Song. Where’s your place?”

Since getting in the car, Zhou Shuhua had been silent. Now she turned her head and softly said, “I share a place with someone else. My roommate is probably asleep, so let’s go to the company together.”

Chi Zhao was taken aback but didn’t object. The three of them returned to the company together. Zhou Shuhua was still limping, and when they reached her floor, Song Yi and Chi Zhao watched her leave from the elevator.

Song Yi wanted to help her, but she politely declined with “It’s alright, I can manage myself.”

As she passed by Chi Zhao, Zhou Shuhua accidentally stumbled. He instinctively reached out and grabbed her arm, preventing her from falling to the ground.

She steadied herself by the elevator door and stood up, saying apologetically, “I’ve delayed your time, I’m really sorry.”

Chi Zhao and Song Yi exchanged glances for half a second. They were both getting off at this floor. Song Yi supported Zhou Shuhua, while Chi Zhao played with his phone, and the three of them entered the design department office together.

They often came to the downstairs office. Chi Zhao stood by the door, waiting for Song Yi to escort Zhou Shuhua inside. As soon as she sat down, Zhou Shuhua weakly said, “Song Yi, I think I’m having an allergic reaction.”

“Allergic reaction?” Song Yi asked, “How did you get an allergic reaction?”

“I don’t know,” Zhou Shuhua’s voice started to carry a sob. “I’m sorry, I’m actually allergic to many foods. When we had the Thai salad today, I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to bother you…”

Song Yi asked, “Is it serious? Do you need to go to the emergency room?”

Zhou Shuhua said, “Do you have any anti-allergy itch cream?”

Song Yi took out her phone to check nearby 24-hour pharmacies. She explained the situation to Chi Zhao: “I’ll go buy medicine. Please stay, Mr. Chi. She’s not convenient to move around, and it’ll be easier with a man present in case of any issues.”

Before Chi Zhao could respond, Song Yi had already left.

She took a deep breath. The pharmacy wasn’t far, but she encountered a negligent clerk. She called the emergency line and waited for nearly ten minutes before she could finally check out and leave.

By the time she returned upstairs, nearly half an hour had passed.

Chi Zhao was sitting by the entrance, unusually uneasy. He put away his phone and looked up at Zhou Shuhua.

“Are you still that uncomfortable?” he asked.

Zhou Shuhua opened her teary eyes, her lips red and her breath faint as she spoke: “I think I’m a little better.”

Chi Zhao nodded. He stood up and said, “Can I go out and meet Secretary Song?”

Though he phrased it as a question, it seemed he didn’t intend to seek her approval. Without waiting for a response, Chi Zhao turned and walked towards the door.

It was at this moment that Song Yi stepped out of the elevator. She turned the corner into the corridor, walking forward while opening her phone. Chi Zhao had sent several messages. In her hurry earlier, she hadn’t had time to reply.

Actually, the area where the Chongyou Building was located had a very high safety rating, so there was no need to worry.

Holding her phone, she heard voices coming from the office ahead at that moment.

Chi Zhao was walking out when Zhou Shuhua suddenly spoke from behind him. She was almost in tears: “Um… um… Can you not leave me alone?”

Chi Zhao’s figure paused.

He turned around, his gaze as clear as moonlight falling on her.