TPIL - 24

There were more than just one or two people working overtime. After having a late-night snack, the secretary returned to grab the car keys but saw Qi Xiaochuan, who had just taken a shower, planning to spend the night in the lounge.

The person who usually complains about the company bed being too hard during lunch breaks couldn’t help but ask: “Won’t it be uncomfortable to rest here?”

“People don’t live for comfort,” Qi Xiaochuan started spouting his twisted logic again. “If you want to sleep well, go sleep in a grave.”

“What do people live for if not comfort? Are you working to torment yourself?”

He paid no mind to anyone else’s stance: “Go away. That’s just how I think. You can feel however you want.”

The secretary went downstairs alone but saw Zhu Peijie waiting at the entrance like a rabbit waiting by a tree stump. She didn’t come over; instead, she nodded from afar as a greeting. The secretary guessed whom she was looking for and advised her with a simple “It’s not a good idea to wait here.” But given the time and also hearing previously that she was one of Qi’s first employees, he couldn’t gauge how close their relationship was. Guessing that Qi Xiaochuan wasn’t asleep yet, he decided to call him.

Unexpectedly, Qi Xiaochuan decided to see her through to the end, meeting her in the downstairs reception room dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants. Of course, the secretary’s return home was delayed a little while under these voluntary circumstances.

Zhu Peijie said: “Mr. Qi… I am very grateful that you are willing to forgive me. But in my impression, you are not someone who would casually show kindness to help others. Having received your goodwill, I feel uneasy. That’s why I’ve brought this money… although it’s not much, it really is all of my savings right now.”

She took out an envelope.

Qi Xiaochuan didn’t take it, only lowered his head, absentmindedly picking at a loose thread on the sofa cushion, indifferently replying: “Such a hot day, yet you’re still wearing a high-necked shirt. Ordinary people wouldn’t keep wearing wrist guards everywhere either.”

His words were brief, and his tone was calm, yet they shattered her defenses in an instant. She bit her lips nervously, her right hand gently covering the inside of her left wrist. She had been lost for so long, gasping for breath between confusion and clarity. Every morning when she rushed to work, tears would inexplicably fall. Even if nothing happened, even if she hadn’t been driven to the brink, tears just kept flowing like a broken string. She often felt that it should end; something had reached its limit, but no one around noticed. In the hustle and bustle of life, everyone only focused on themselves. Putting oneself in another’s shoes was such a hassle—why bother doing something so troublesome?

The secretary glanced at her without changing his expression.

“I’m not idle enough to interfere whenever someone wants to die.” If he really went that far, he might as well be nominated for one of the top ten most touching figures nationwide. As Qi Xiaochuan spoke, he looked at her with a relaxed posture, “But once you’re dead, there’s no turning back.”

“Think it over.”

Pushing someone on the edge of a cliff held no pleasure for him. He didn’t like sympathy or being sympathized with, nor did he enjoy harming others—a true anti-social personality.

The secretary watched until near the end, then stood up, inviting Zhu Peijie to leave together with a polite “Let me escort you out.”

They took the elevator down, left the office building, and were about to part ways. Finally, the secretary added a soft remark, fulfilling his duty diligently, mainly because he couldn’t bear to see a woman cry incessantly: “If Mr. Qi said anything to upset you, please understand. He’s stubborn-mouthed but kind-hearted; he’s not a bad person.”

Through her sobs, Zhu Peijie managed a muffled reply: “I know.”

Luo Andi stared out of the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought. The waiter called her several times before she finally turned back with a distracted smile: “Just wait a moment longer.”

Due to traffic congestion, Su Yining was a few minutes late. He couldn’t stop apologizing as he sat down, then turned around to have the sommelier open a new bottle of red wine—the same vintage as Luo Andi’s birth year. With crossed hands, he gazed at her with eyes full of smiles, seemingly never tiring of her.

If it were another woman, being deeply admired by such a handsome and wealthy man would surely bring some blush to her cheeks. But Luo Andi remained nonchalant, utterly unaware or uninterested, only enjoying her dinner with ease.

Previously, at a gathering organized by Gao Feng, Su Yining took the opportunity to introduce Luo Andi to a few friends. To be honest, their evaluations weren’t too favorable. After all, their family backgrounds were vastly different. However, this completely didn’t affect Su Yining’s mood. He merely informed them without any intention of letting anyone else make decisions for him. Plus, Su Yining had lived separately from his family since childhood, so they were always lax in managing his romantic relationships.

Luo Andi had always thought that she met Su Yining at the opening ceremony of Tian Tang Handmade. But in fact, before that, when she hadn’t made an impression, he already knew her.

At that time, he had just gone through a breakup with his high school girlfriend of seven years, who had cheated on him with a classmate while studying abroad in Munich. Back in the country, he had just taken over his father’s business not long ago, facing difficulties with nowhere to vent, having to learn everything reluctantly. The breakup was like adding insult to injury. That day, after attending a social event, he got drunk and sat outside a convenience store, with only his card and no cash, not intending to buy anything. Everyone was in a rush, but only one person stopped to ask: “Are you alright?”

Luo Andi’s impartial attitude captivated him, but what troubled him most was perhaps this very impartiality.

This meal, he invited her four times. The first time, she had to cover for a colleague; the second time, she had to pick up her neighbor’s child from kindergarten; the third time, she had plans with Qi Xiaochuan. It wasn’t until the fourth time that she finally had time. If she was deliberately playing hard to get, it must be said, she succeeded spectacularly.

As they were dining, the valet brought the car to the restaurant entrance, but Su Yining settled the bill first, smiling as he apologized to Luo Andi. She only nodded slightly, not in a hurry to leave. Instead, after he turned around, she headed straight to a nearby table, smiling and greeting: “You must be Su Yining’s aunt, right?”

The aunt, who had been taking care of her nephew on behalf of her sister for twenty or thirty years, was undeniably overprotective. Knowing this herself, she secretly chose a less conspicuous spot. She wasn’t satisfied with Su Yining’s previous girlfriends, finding the girls too independent-minded, not only that, but also enjoying defying authority, making marriage discussions akin to bungee jumping—simply dangerous. By comparison, this one was much better. Pretty looks, elegant dressing, poised manners, and coming from a poor family was a plus—easy to control, sensible, and obedient.

As the aunt was thinking this, suddenly and without warning, Luo Andi approached.

It was hard to say how she figured it out. Luo Andi seemed too young, appearing naive and innocent, not crafty at all. Yet, even before Su Yining realized it, she somehow discovered it. Such sharpness—was it genuine cleverness or just dumb luck?

As the saying goes, “One doesn’t hit a smiling face.” Even though she stumbled upon it, Luo Andi still smiled warmly, friendly and composed, leaving no room for criticism.

The aunt decided to take the initiative, openly admitting without evasion: “Yes, I’m Yining’s aunt. Did we disturb your meal? Sorry about that. I had booked a table and only realized later that we clashed. If I ruined the ambiance, please bear with me.”

Setting up the elder’s authority wasn’t difficult; the challenge lay in using moral obligations to make the other party tactfully retreat. However, Luo Andi’s reaction perfectly matched her expectations—not a hint of displeasure. She smoothly followed along with her explanation, not only that, but most precious of all was her complete lack of pretense, as if genuinely believing this excuse: “Their mandarin fish here is excellent.”

“Is that so? You like it too?” The aunt’s satisfaction reached its peak, probably overwhelmed by happiness, speaking a bit more than usual: “Come over to our house next time. I’ll have our chef prepare it for you. If you’re interested in learning, you can follow and learn. It’ll be useful even after emigrating. A good girl like you, when Yining’s parents meet you, they’ll surely be very pleased—”

Just then, Su Yining, who had waited a long time without seeing her, came back to find her, just in time to witness this scene.

The handsome face flushed red instantly—an extremely rare loss of composure for Su Yining. He tightly shielded Luo Andi, fearing this mix-up would affect her: “Aunt? Didn’t you promise not to bother us anymore?”

Seeing her nephew in person, the aunt immediately lost the air of a refined lady, becoming a typical worried elder: “I was just concerned…”

“Concerned about what? What’s there to be concerned about?” Su Yining sighed, helplessly saying, “You’re not my mother, let alone my housekeeper.”

He took Luo Andi and left. Actually, Su Yining had nothing to hide. Not long after they met, he confided in Luo Andi about his family situation through complaints. She knew everything thoroughly and never showed any signs of disgust, not even pity. This down-to-earth demeanor made him completely enamored. But for now, he still hoped she wouldn’t dislike him because of this.

“Did my aunt say anything to you?” Su Yining didn’t want to unjustly blame his aunt but earnestly expressed concern to Luo Andi: “Sorry. She’s not a bad person, just… too affectionate towards me, always treating me like a child. I told you before, after being hurt by family and loved ones, she could only channel her emotions into taking care of me.”

Luo Andi nodded: “Your aunt has had a tough time.”

She didn’t let him drop her off at her doorstep but got out near a flower shop instead. Luo Andi bought a bouquet of baby’s breath, holding the flowers as she took the subway to someone else’s place.

When they heard Luo Andi was coming, Qi’s parents were overjoyed, almost setting off firecrackers at the door.

She brought flowers and gifts, buying citrus fruits from the fresh supermarket after exiting the subway station. Though not knowing how to choose, the samples tasted sweet, smelled fragrant, and looked golden, willingly falling into a marketing trap. Of course, her main concern was still the recent accident: “How’s Aunt’s body?”

“No problem, no problem, just too excited to see Miss,” Mrs. Qi picked up the kiwi peeling knife. One of her best skills in the past, unused for a long time, but still sharp as ever.

“Andi came all this way, but Xiaochuan, this little rascal, just makes a phone call and calls it done,” Mr. Qi couldn’t help but criticize his son, harsh with words, not biological but closer than blood, “No, I need to give him a call.”

Mrs. Qi also smiled: “Yes, we hardly see him a few times a year. Tell him to come back for dinner.”

The phone rang a few times. When connected, Qi Xiaochuan still had that annoying attitude of “speak if you have something urgent, otherwise hang up,” bluntly asking: “What? Lost all your mahjong money again?”

In front of Luo Andi, his dad’s pride was at its highest level, immediately scolding: “What nonsense! I’m the gambling god Zhou Runfa when I sit down, okay?”

Qi Xiaochuan sneered, wanting to mock his father a bit more, but the other side quickly got to the point: “Come over for dinner today.”

He replied swiftly: “Can’t. Working.”

Mr. Qi persisted for appearances’ sake: “Come back.”

“I’m hanging up.”

Still, Mom chimed in on the receiver, frustrated yet smiling: “Andi’s here.”

Qi Xiaochuan was about to hang up, but his thoughts froze for a moment. He didn’t ask if it was true or false, simply because it was normal for her to do such things. Caring for everyone, considering everyone’s feelings. He still ended the call.

Hearing no response, Mr. Qi put down his phone, cursing quite unpleasantly. His wife, however, smiled confidently: “Make his favorite food tonight. He will come back.”

True enough, Qi Xiaochuan walked in right on time for dinner. Luo Andi smiled at him. He looked around, not asking where his temperamental dad was, but rather concerned about something else: “Is your cat alright?”

Even Luo Andi was momentarily surprised. He remembered she needed to feed the disabled cat named Alexander McQueen, despite only meeting once. “I prepared cat food,” she said, “Your dad is in the vegetable garden.” He nodded, not rushing over, but instead sitting down opposite her.

Perhaps due to malnutrition in childhood, Qi Xiaochuan had a hard time gaining weight. To maintain ample energy for work, he exercised appropriately. He often frowned, his expressions mostly wavering between annoyance and indifference. For such a man, the most fitting adjective was not arrogance, but obstinacy. Believing in simplicity and brutality, he was picky to the point of being annoying, his words biting to the extent of lacking manners. People who knew him occasionally admitted that Qi Xiaochuan was a guy without empathy. Extremely unwilling to understand others, he also didn’t expect to be understood by anyone.

He sat on the couch opposite her, unlike his usual public persona, his whole body relaxed and collapsed like a fallen tower.

She carefully observed him, involuntarily revealing a heartfelt smile. Turning her head quietly, she heard his question.

Qi Xiaochuan said: “What’s wrong?”

He was usually very alert to others’ gazes and quite disrespectful, yet with her, he hesitated. He believed himself to be highly sensitive to malice, but the concept simply didn’t exist in her basic settings. Luo Andi, who always understood others, who never lost her temper, rendered Qi Xiaochuan helpless and evasive.

Luo Andi smiled and answered: “Nothing. I’ll go help Aunt Qi in the kitchen.”

She was like a knitted fabric, her face filled with fine, dense holes, seemingly sincere but increasingly enigmatic. Luo Andi turned around.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Qi Xiaochuan repeated his earlier words, looking back at her retreating figure: “You seem to be in a bad mood.”