The vast sky seemed on the verge of tears, with layered rain clouds like cotton candy stubbornly holding on, refusing to shed their tears despite the howling cold wind.
Through the hollow iron fence in front of me, the airport runway stretched to the end of my vision, occasionally roaring with the deafening sound of airplane engines before rapidly fading into the distance.
Each time, I would hope that the clouds, sliced open by the departing planes, would finally pour down their tears.
“How long are you going to stand there? It’s about to rain!”
Su Xixia’s voice came from behind me.
“Just a little longer…”
I still hadn’t made it in time.
Unable to even enter the airport, I never got to see An Zhi’s figure one last time.
I could only stare at the runway from afar, watching each plane that might have carried her soar into the sky, leaving a trail of pure white in the clouds.
How many years would this separation last this time?
The next time I saw her, all my fingertips might touch would be the hard surface of a monitor screen.
“Hey! We didn’t bring an umbrella. Getting soaked in this cold will freeze us to death!”
“It hasn’t started yet.”
If only a downpour would start, obscuring the outlines of the planes, then I’d have a reason to turn and leave.
A fleck of white drifted before my eyes.
Snow?
Why snow?
If it snowed, I wouldn’t have to go back right away.
Then, the falling snow grew denser, dyeing the ground before me a pure white, falling ceaselessly as if to purify all the pain and sorrow.
“Mingshan!”
An arm was wrapped around mine, enveloped in softness.
“She’s gone! To live the life she’s supposed to live! What about you? Have you lived a normal life since the day you met her? How long has it been since you went to work? Enough, you idiot!”
“Yeah, I’m leaving now.”
My upward gaze towards the sky was gradually obscured by the heavy snow, the trails of the planes no longer visible.
I opened my palm. Flakes of snow landed on it, melting and disappearing instantly.
“If you’re hurting, you can come find me. I’ll be staying in Sucheng from now on. Let’s go back!”
“Okay.”
The snow accumulating on my clothes kept melting, the icy meltwater soaking through to my skin, sending a bone-chilling cold.
I turned around.
“Sorry for making you stand here in the cold with me. I’m fine now.”
I shook the arm that was tightly held in her ample embrace.
“You might be fine, but I’m cold! On the way back, you’re my personal heater!”
Su Xixia’s face, resting against my shoulder, was far from as white as the snowflakes.
In this pure white world, it instead looked more mature and beautiful.
I smiled, walking along the unfamiliar streets of the capital, and stopped resisting her.
…
…
—
On this Wednesday morning after New Year’s Day, under a clear sky, I stepped into the long-unvisited old urban district of Sucheng, weaving through the crowds on the retro commercial street near Dongguan Station.
Turning into the alley on the right, the familiar company’s main entrance came into view.
Huh?
Something seems different…
There’s more text on the company’s logo wall.
“Shenyou Media”
— an independent company name.
“Li-ge! I almost thought you’d quit!”
If not for the familiar voice of a colleague behind me, I would have thought the company had moved.
“Long time no see. I’m ready to come back to work.”
I smiled at him.
“Welcome back! I didn’t know who to ask for help without you! Was it a family matter before?”
“Uh…”
I looked uncomfortable.
“A-Xiao, less gossiping, more working! Li-ge, it’s good to have you back. You should probably go to the HR office first. Little Yu will be thrilled to see you.”
Another familiar-looking male colleague stepped in front of A-Xiao, nodding a greeting to me.
“Okay, thanks.”
Soon after, I was sitting at a desk in the HR office, filling out a contract amendment confirmation form.
It seemed that about a week ago, the company had spun off and established a subsidiary, “Shenyou Planning Media Co., Ltd.”
Mo You was both the legal representative and the general manager.
I didn’t know what this change meant.
“You need to sign here too.”
Yu Qian pointed at the confirmation form.
“That should do it! Let me think, there’s also the matter of defining your previous leave.”
I hadn’t seen her in a while.
Her curly hair was longer than before, and the smile on her face when she saw me was even brighter.
Maybe it was my imagination.
“You have 5 days of annual leave left. These will be counted as personal leave… That way, less salary will be deducted.”
“Thank you for taking care of me like this.”
“Li Mingshan, I told you you could come talk to me if anything was wrong, but you never did. I was hurt. Being on leave for so long… did something big happen? Like breaking up with ‘the one at home’…”
Yu Qian propped her head on her hand, staring at me curiously, big question marks practically floating in her large eyes.
“I know the answer to that!”
A clear, crisp female voice suddenly rang out at the door.
I had no recollection of this voice. She must be bluffing.
What nonsense…
Whoever she was, she’d already made a bad first impression.
“Oh? It’s Ningning. Here to submit your documents?”
Yu Qian moved her chair back a bit.
“You’ve never even met Li Mingshan. What could you possibly know? Haha.”
“That~ doesn’t have to be true!”
She dragged a chair over and sat at the same table as me, placing a stack of documents down.
That red document holder, and the mark on it…
Looked familiar…
I glanced at it. It was actually a “Sucheng University” graduation certificate.
Name: “He Moling”.
Major: Chinese Language.
Graduation date: two years after mine.
A junior two years below me!?
Even so, I had no impression of the slightly youthful face in the graduation photo.
She really was bluffing.
“I saw it with my own eyes! A small girl, with very long hair, very high颜值, parting ways with Senior Li. She’s a dance特长 student from our university, a very famous senior schoolmate, An Zhi.”
How did she know!?
I remember there were onlookers when An Zhi was taken away by force…
Was she one of them?
My eyes widened as I looked at her.
She was looking right back at me, her light green eyes rolling cleverly as she gave a “hehe” laugh.
“I’m He Moling. Nice to meet you, Senior!”
Have I…
Met her before?
No impression.
“I’m Li Mingshan… Sorry, have we met before? Also, it’s probably better not to discuss personal matters at the company.”
“Wow! My mistake.”
Those long, dark eyelashes fluttered up and down.
“I’ve only been working a few days. I offended you, I’m sorry! After work, I’ll treat you to dessert to make up for it!”
She bowed her head towards me.
Two low pigtails, black with hints of yellow, hung in the air, their tips poking my pants like brush tips.
In person, she was more lively than in the photo.
Her compact features seemed somewhat childish.
Her fair nape and slightly curved cat-like back formed a gentle arc, exuding an air of youthfulness.
She apologized like that, and she just graduated…
I should let it go.
“No need for dessert. Just don’t bring it up again. Nice to meet you, He Moling.”
“Me too! Senior Li Mingshan, you’re my idol. It’s such good luck to run into you again! Just call me Ningning from now on.”
She grinned, revealing two rows of neat, white teeth, her enthusiasm making me a bit embarrassed.
I’m really bad at dealing with this type, like the popular, social butterflies from my school days…
“Alright, this isn’t a class reunion. Give me your documents, and then you can go report to Supervisor Mo.”
Thankfully, Yu Qian came to the rescue.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to extricate myself from this enthusiasm.
“Okay! Li Mingshan, see you later!”
“See you.”
Just like her name, that lemony, slightly sour scent gradually transformed into a faint, refreshing fragrance as she moved away, pleasing to the senses.
This feeling—finding her noisy up close, yet feeling a slight reluctance when she was far away—was a first for me.
“A very lively young girl, right? When I first started, I was so nervous I could barely speak.”
“People like her are actually the minority, I think.”
I smiled wryly.
“Be careful.”
She leaned close to my ear and whispered, “There are a lot of people here on business. That news just now might spread. Who knows what will happen.”
“Thanks for the warning…”
Both Yu Qian and He Moling, why do they always think in terms of relationships?
Do I look that connected to “romance”?
No matter the time, I’ve always been an isolated guy that everyone kept at a distance.
…
Just as I sat down at my workstation and turned on the computer, I saw Mo You’s notification in the group chat for everyone to go to the meeting room.
The once quiet meeting room was now filled with colleagues, sitting so close you could clearly hear their whispers.
“More new hires? If we recruit more, the office won’t have space.”
“It’s that one, right? The one said to be very pretty.”
“The one standing next to CEO Mo? She really is cute!”
“Ahem!”
Mo You, dressed in a black suit, coughed a few times behind the podium, and the room immediately fell silent.
“Before we get to the main business, I’d like to introduce a new colleague. Like most of you here, she’s new to the workforce. Please, introduce yourself.”
She motioned for He Moling, who was standing behind her, to come forward.
A wave of exclamations rippled through the room instantly.
Facing her colleagues’ gazes, He Moling waved her small hand non-stop, wearing a brilliant smile.
“My name is He Moling. I just graduated from Sucheng University. My hobbies are… Please take good care of me!”
A fairly ordinary self-introduction.
“Especially a certain senior from my same university, please take good care of me from now on!”
What the hell?
This idiot…
Specifically singling someone out from the group in a public setting, does she know what that means!?
In an instant, questioning whispers passed among the colleagues.
A few people were staring intently at me, radiating inexplicable hostility.
“Alright, everyone, let’s welcome her!”
Mo You’s tone, mixed with annoyance, promptly halted the shift in atmosphere.
Those gazes shifted forward again amidst the applause, focusing on Mo You.
What were they expecting?
“Regarding the mentorship program for this time.”
“I’ve decided to assign it to Li Mingshan, who was previously responsible for the Wings Star World project. The senior staff are well aware of his capabilities.”
“Li Mingshan, are you confident in guiding this new colleague well and preparing to take on new projects!?”
Being called by name, I hurriedly stood up.
At that moment, everyone’s eyes turned towards me.
Trust, doubt, hostility—countless emotions were directed my way.
“I, I am prepared. I will definitely live up to expectations!”
This level of pressure was nothing to me.
I would no longer choose to run away.
Instead, I would stride straight ahead.
“Good, please sit! Go ahead, He Moling.”
Mo You gave a faint smile and nodded at me.
He Moling jogged towards me under everyone’s gaze.
“Senior Li!”
She理所当然 sat down next to me.
“After work today—”
Facing the hostility投射 from all directions, I put on a stern senior face.
“Don’t talk. Listen properly.”
She immediately covered her small mouth, her eyes sparkling, unable to hide her excitement.
“Next, regarding the personnel arrangements for each project from New Year’s to before Spring Festival…”
The meeting continued.
On the project assignment sheet, my name was conspicuously absent for a long time.
…
The bloody red glow of the warm winter sun poured down, making the small river bordering the retro commercial street look as if it were filled with blood.
Under the uneven eaves of the shops, I followed the crowd towards the subway station.
Just as the wind chimes of a street-side cafe tinkled, a figure blocked my path.
“Senior Li, it should be convenient to talk here now! Hehe.”
“He Moling, what do you want to say? If it’s about my private matters, I don’t want others involved. And there’s nothing I need to explain to you.”
He Moling hid her small hands behind her back.
Her bright smile seemed to carry a hint of loneliness.
“You’re overthinking it. I promised to treat you to dessert, and I keep my promises! Also, it seems we live in the same apartment building! After eating, we have to go back together!”
“You… Are all these really just coincidences?”
How could this be?
She’s not just my junior; she knows An Zhi; she joined the same company as me; she was assigned to be my mentee; she even lives in the same apartment building!
Do coincidences like this happen in the world?
How is it possible?
I could never believe it!
A deep sense of panic welled up inside me.
“Usually~ something like this could be called a miracle! A miraculous reunion!”
She raised an index finger towards the sky.
Her face, full of smiles, was tinged with a血色.
A sense of dread flowed into my eyes along with her gaze.
This person…
I should really stop getting involved with her.
“I have things to do! I appreciate your kindness.”
I hurriedly walked around her, quickening my pace towards the subway station.
Only when I realized she wasn’t following did I let out a sigh of relief.
I clearly haven’t seen her before.
I have absolutely no memory of her!
I don’t know her at all!
Just ignore her; just do the work I’m supposed to do, guide her to complete work tasks.
That should be fine—
—
—
[Volume 1 END]