TSDT - 14

After two days of rest and recovery, when she went back to work on Monday, the pain from her sprain had mostly subsided.

However, the news of Jiang Ying and Hu Ruochen fighting at the entrance spread like wildfire. It was said that the security guard uncle had seen it from afar and mentioned it to the monitoring room staff, and then the cleaning auntie also found out.

Later...

“What happened, Jiang Ying?”

“Who was that woman? Did you have a grudge against her?”

“I saw the surveillance screenshots, wasn’t that woman your ex-boyfriend’s mistress?”

...Now there were even video screenshots? These guys were watching it like a rerun of a variety show!

“Ah... was it because your ex-boyfriend came to get back together with you, so she came to cause trouble?!”

“So that’s it!”

“Hey, Jiang Ying, who was that man next to you? He’s so tall! Can’t see his face, but his figure is super good.”

Jiang Ying was bombarded with one question after another, like firecrackers. Hearing this, she suddenly jolted, her mind forced into high-speed operation.

She feigned innocence and said, “Which man? Let me see.”

Colleague: “The one who helped you block the damage.”

Jiang Ying went to the group chat and saw the string of screenshots. Everything from start to finish had been captured. She scrolled to the end and breathed a sigh of relief. The surveillance only covered the area near the law firm’s entrance. From where they walked to the intersection to hail a taxi for Hu Ruochen, anything after that was out of frame. So, they couldn’t see that she was directly carried away later.

No big deal.

Jiang Ying said, “Oh, that’s just my client. He’s been to our firm before. He was consulting me that day.”

Some colleagues recalled it, and then followed with a string of comments.

“Was that the super handsome guy you all were talking about who visited the firm before?”

“Yeah! Suit draped over his arm, two buttons on his shirt undone, that kind of lazy nobility, unforgettable. The younger guy who came with him was completely overshadowed... Too bad we didn’t get to secretly photograph him...”

“I didn’t get a shot either! They walked too fast, like the wind...”

Why did these people remember so clearly?

“Jiang Ying, you didn’t take a picture either?”

Jiang Ying: “Secretly photograph a client right to their face? What about my reputation?”

“True... we still need professional ethics.”

Xiao Man walked past her and smiled mischievously: “Is that the one you said you were just having dinner with last Friday?”

Jiang Ying said calmly: “That’s right.”

Xiao Man: “Oh~”

Jiang Ying: “Heh heh.”

When work was light, their office would collectively slack off. This revealed a drawback now, as everyone gathered around to hear her tell the tale of love and hate with her ex.

It was more tiring than work itself.

But thankfully, their attention wasn’t on Meng Jingshu, so she didn’t feel guilty.

Speaking of Meng Jingshu...

He really hadn’t contacted her since.

A bit boring, actually.

At noon, Jiang Ying was eating her takeout when a small idea popped into her head.

She arranged her bento box and drink nicely, took a photo, added a filter, and posted it on WeChat Moments.

Caption: My legs and feet have been inconvenient these past few days, thanks to my colleague for bringing me food [heart emoji].

This post was visible to only one person.

Once a person has something they’re waiting for, time feels exceptionally long. This day was also too leisurely. It was only when her colleagues pulled her into a group game that Jiang Ying managed to control her frequent urge to check WeChat.

Throughout the afternoon, there was no response on Moments. She almost wanted to delete the status.

As closing time approached, Jiang Ying tidied up her workstation, ready to go home. Just then, her phone suddenly received a call.

Jiang Ying glanced at her sparsely scattered colleagues, found a corner, and answered the phone, feeling rather guilty.

“Hello.”

Meng Jingshu didn’t waste words: “I’m treating you to dinner, wait.”

His voice on the phone was unusually deep and husky.

Jiang Ying said softly, “Tonight? It’s only been two days, I’m still... not okay.”

There was a moment of silence on his end. He probably suppressed his temper, then, feeling helpless, said coolly, “Are you eating or not?”

Jiang Ying smiled: “Eating, eating, eating.”

Meng Jingshu: “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

He arrived precisely on time. Jiang Ying went downstairs two minutes early and saw him driving up just as she reached the roadside.

Jiang Ying: “Hi, good afternoon!”

Presumably, he was quite annoyed by her repeated teasing, so he ignored her greeting. Jiang Ying was already somewhat used to his silence and didn’t feel awkward.

Today was gloomy and rainy. Slow, mellow music flowed in the car, making the atmosphere even more tranquil.

At a red light, he suddenly asked, “How’s your foot injury?”

Jiang Ying noticed that his voice was indeed a bit hoarse, with a gravelly texture. She glanced at him; he was focused on looking straight ahead.

Jiang Ying said, “Much better.”

Meng Jingshu: “Hmm.”

In return for his politeness, Jiang Ying decided to show him some concern too: “Your voice sounds a little hoarse?”

“A bit of a cough.”

“Oh.”

Silence again.

Dinner was at a secluded, tranquil private kitchen restaurant. Men often make decisions for simple reasons. For example, when Jiang Ying asked why they came here, Meng Jingshu simply said, “No need to wait for a table.”

A great reason.

The one who led them in was a foreign man with standard blonde hair and blue eyes. He saw Meng Jingshu and enthusiastically embraced him, “Hey, long time no see.”

Meng Jingshu smiled and patted him.

He led them to a window seat. The man asked with a smile, “Leroy, aren’t you going to introduce me to this beautiful lady?”

Meng Jingshu said, “My friend, Jiang Ying.” Then, turning to Jiang Ying, he said, “This is David, my senior from my master’s program.”

Jiang Ying greeted him.

David was very familiar and asked her, “Just friends, really? This is the first time Leroy has brought a girl here. He’s a very charming man, it would be a pity to just be friends. You should give it a try.”

Meng Jingshu interrupted his animated chatter, “I think we came here to eat.”

David waved his hand, “Okay, okay, I understand.”

Meng Jingshu said, “Her ankle is sprained, we need some nourishing food.”

David agreed, then asked, “And for drinks? The usual iced beer?”

Meng Jingshu looked at Jiang Ying and said, “No, hot tea will do.”

David let out an exaggerated “Ooh-hoo!” and said, “Anything for the lady, right?” He then turned to Jiang Ying, “Didn’t I tell you? He’s super charming, isn’t he?”

Jiang Ying was greatly amused and agreed with him, “Thank you for your suggestion, I’ll consider it.”

David exclaimed, “Cool!”

After he left, Jiang Ying turned around and saw Meng Jingshu staring straight at her. The lighting in the restaurant was dim, so she couldn’t clearly see his expression and looked at him a bit longer.

After a moment, he asked, “Consider what?”

Jiang Ying was startled, then smiled: “Just being polite, I said it casually.” She rested her chin on her hand and smiled again, “Otherwise, what would I say? Say, ‘I’ve already tried him’?”

Meng Jingshu went into self-isolation on the spot.

He was somewhat irritated by Jiang Ying’s repeated teasing, not quite angry, but more helpless and sullen. The question resurfaced in his mind: what had this person learned in these past few years? Huh?

Jiang Ying happily sipped her hot tea, completely ignoring his low mood, and asked him, “Are we going to eat David’s cooking? If he’s your senior... is he also studying computer science? He doesn’t seem to have the aura of a chef.”

Meng Jingshu let out a soft sigh and replied, “The head chef is his wife. He worked at Google for two years, found it boring, and happened to meet his wife. Since then, he fell hopelessly in love with Chinese food, followed her to China, and now they run this restaurant together.”

Jiang Ying listened with great interest, holding her hot tea, and praised, “That’s so cool!”

Outside the window lay an old alleyway. Occasionally, raindrops, flicked by the window ledge, splattered against the glass with a gentle patter. Due to the temperature difference between inside and out, a thin mist formed on the windowpane. She casually traced a line with her finger, wiping away the mist, and peered closer at the sliding water droplets or the passing pedestrians outside. The girl held a teacup, blowing gently, the steam from the hot water clouding her face. She chuckled softly, saying something, her voice and laughter equally gentle.

This scene, for no apparent reason, overlapped with a memory.

It seemed to have been remembered for a long time, and perhaps it would be remembered even longer.