At noon, the retro commercial street was quieter than usual.
It seemed not everyone could endure this biting cold wind; enthusiasm eventually fades.
I walked towards the end of the street, wrapped in an old overcoat.
He Mo Ning followed closely behind me with light steps, her twin tails tucked into her hooded jacket, the little pom-poms at the ends of her fluffy scarf bouncing wildly.
“Senior Li, where are we going to eat? Slow down!”
She called out, keeping pace.
A sense of déjà vu from a university scene flashed in my mind, urging me to quicken my pace toward the Japanese restaurant growing larger in my view.
“You don’t have to follow me. Go eat whatever you want. I have things to do.”
“I want to eat what you’re eating! I’m not picky! I’m new here, so it’s the senior’s job to help the junior get familiar with the food options, right!”
“I’m not going to eat.”
As I spoke, I walked into the Japanese restaurant and ordered a portion of takoyaki to go.
Watching He Mo Ning’s eager expression beside me, I resisted the impulse to buy her a portion and stood there silently.
“Two grilled meat bento sets! To go, please!”
She proactively ordered and paid swiftly.
“Why did you order two?”
I asked.
I didn’t need her to treat me, and she didn’t have to deliberately curry favor, even if that was her intention…
“My treat! As a junior, of course I should respect my senior! Thank you for teaching me how to handle the miscellaneous tasks!”
She grinned playfully, revealing her two canine teeth, her eyes narrowed into slits.
“Senior Li Mingshan, I like you, I really like you!”
Her smile was even brighter than it was back then.
No…
I still can’t accept it!
I can’t forget the malicious words and actions from the club members aimed at me after I rejected her confession.
Even if it wasn’t intentional, she once led me to the brink of being bullied.
I can’t forgive her…
“Here you go! Your takoyaki is ready.”
I took the bag handed by the clerk, held it against my chest, didn’t look at her, and turned to leave the shop.
“Li… Senior Li!? Hey! Mine isn’t ready yet… Senior Li…”
This is fine.
Don’t think about entering my personal space.
Leaving her voice behind, I rushed into the wind-swept street, weaving through gaps in the crowd, trying to shake her off.
Back at the company, I took out the still-warm food from my chest.
Confirming she hadn’t followed and no colleagues had noticed, I headed towards Mo You’s office.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the office door.
“Come in,” a slightly puzzled voice came from inside.
I pushed the door open.
“Mo You, good afternoon.”
I greeted her and placed the takoyaki on her desk.
“What’s this?”
She raised her eyes.
Her light makeup could no longer conceal her fatigue; the corners of her eyes drooped uncontrollably.
“Thank you… thank you for trusting me. This is for you.”
I bowed my head, so nervous I was stumbling over my words.
She sighed and shook her head.
“Thank you, but I can’t accept it for that reason. Think carefully about what you want to say.”
Meeting her questioning and surprised gaze, I thought for a few seconds before forcing a smile.
“I noticed you hadn’t eaten yet. I was afraid you’d go hungry from being too busy with work, so I brought you something.”
After I finished speaking, her expression softened.
She stood up and moved the food in front of her.
“Alright, thank you for your concern, Li Mingshan.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Enjoy your meal. I’ll head back now.”
As expected, just finding a reason unrelated to work was enough.
Otherwise, it would seem like bribery.
I should think more carefully next time…
“Wait.”
Just as I was about to leave, I heard the click of her high heels approaching.
A jade-like hand patted my shoulder and pointed forward.
I noticed the small window on the door ahead, understood, and moved to a corner of the wall invisible from the window.
“Did Jiang Lulan say anything to you? That woman…”
Mo You stood in front of me, maintaining a distance of about three steps, ripples stirring in her eyes.
She lowered her head slightly, her hand resting on the swell of her chest beneath her blouse.
Her long legs, clad in black stockings, trembled faintly, a movement hard to notice if you weren’t staring.
This wasn’t her work persona.
She lacked that powerful aura, instead appearing somewhat fragile.
“I finished the handover with her. She said it was because of her that I was put in charge of this project,” I said.
“Anything else?”
Her deep brown eyes sized me up.
I didn’t know if I should mention her university days.
Hesitating for two or three seconds, I spoke.
“She mentioned… things from your university days, but didn’t go into detail.”
“Ah, I knew it.”
She sighed, gently stroking her chest.
“That woman, how long does she plan to bother me with that old story?”
I didn’t dare press her further.
Her tone suggested she didn’t want to discuss it anymore.
“Li Mingshan, I know interacting with her brings back bad memories for you. I’m sorry. I can’t control her; instead, she has leverage over me… Don’t pay too much attention to what she says. If anything happens, come to me.”
She took a step closer and patted my chest.
“You don’t need to apologize. My personal matters are resolved. I won’t try to find out anything from her either. Don’t worry, I know my boundaries.”
“Mhm, I believe you. Please don’t betray that trust.”
She barely lifted her eyelids; her full, round pupils held a faint light.
“Okay, I’ll be careful.”
I nodded repeatedly.
“Go on, arrange your afternoon work properly and guide the new colleague well.”
Her gaze, instantly turning cool and detached again, seemed to cut a clear line between workplace and personal affairs.
The crisp sound of her high heels tapping the floor brought a wave of oppressive pressure.
“Alright, I’ll do my best.”
I nodded firmly and turned to leave her office.
If I took one more step towards her…
I would cross into forbidden territory.
It was as if she was warning me not to try to step outside the bounds of the workplace and touch her private world.
—
Returning to the work area, I saw He Mo Ning from a distance, sitting at her workstation, her head bowed as if eating.
I walked over and saw her devouring the bento she had packed earlier, her cheeks puffed out like balloons.
An identical bento sat on my desk.
“Senior Li! You’re back? I brought your portion back. It’ll get cold if you don’t eat it soon.”
The lunch break was already half over.
Colleagues were trickling back to their desks, several casting envious glances our way.
This girl, is it really necessary to go this far?
I just rejected her with such cold, hurtful behavior.
Why doesn’t she seem to care at all?
With her saying this, if I don’t eat it…
Wouldn’t I invite more malice from other colleagues again?
Is she doing this on purpose or not?!
“Thank you, but I’m full. You can take this home after work, heat it up, and eat it then.”
For now, I had to tough it out and say this to reject her while minimizing others’ ill will.
“You’re full?”
Her eyes widened.
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded silently.
When I sat down at my workstation, enduring my hunger, she quietly scooted her chair over and whispered:
“If you really don’t want to eat the meal I bought, just throw it in the trash. But you promised me you wouldn’t run away after work. Don’t forget. Senior Li.“
A chill shot straight up my spine to the back of my head, and I couldn’t help but shiver.
She’d already realized I remembered her, deliberately calling me by that old form of address.
Although I planned to ignore her, I also understood that constantly avoiding things would only make them worse.
It was better to first hear what she wanted to say and then decide.
Seeing I didn’t respond, she returned to her workstation and shoveled rice into her mouth.
I made a decision, opened the internal chat, and sent her a message: “Send me your payment details. I’ll transfer the money, otherwise I won’t accept it.”
She received the message, a barely noticeable smile playing on her lips.
“I knew you’d accept it,” came the reply, followed by a payment QR code.
“Thank you, He Mo Ning. I accept.”
I transferred the money to her, took the grilled meat bento, and placed it beside my computer.
Too bad I just stubbornly said I was full.
Eating it now would seem strange…
“Ah, senior, no need to force yourself! If you’re full, you’re full. Why be so polite with me? It’s fine!”
This girl!
She turned her head to look at me, covering her mouth to stifle a “pfft” of laughter.
I shook my head helplessly.
Taking the out she provided, I opened the plastic bag and started eating.
But why were the glances still directed at me filled with so much malice?
As I ate, I realized that perhaps from the moment she was smoothly assigned under me, it was inevitable I would face this malice.
—
Not long after the lunch break ended, I woke from a short nap, picked up my phone, and saw new text messages.
The first one was sent during my nap:
“Mingshan, I’m officially starting my classes now. My dance class ends very late at night. I think it’ll be early morning for you there.”
The second one came about five minutes later:
“I’m heading out. I won’t message you after class tonight. I don’t want to disturb your sleep.”
It was from An Zhi.
She had just left for class not long ago.
Right!
There’s a time difference between here and Vienna.
She must have slept quite early yesterday…
Frowning, I looked at the -7 hour time difference on my phone’s clock.
It should be just before 7 AM there.
Having to go to class this early and not finish until night must be exhausting.
I wanted to send a message to check on her but was afraid it would distract her during class.
After hesitating for a long time, I put my phone down.
The distance between us feels so vast…
“Huh? Oh, it’s her.”
He Mo Ning’s voice was right by my ear, sounding slightly muffled.
“Whoa!”
I looked up, startled, to find her craning her neck from the adjacent workstation, peering over.
“Are you a giraffe? Talk less, work more. If you keep snooping, I’ll make you copy documents!”
I imitated a colleague’s catchphrase, glaring at her.
“But I finished all the morning documents. You’re not teaching me anything new. You always have me doing odd jobs.”
I shook my head helplessly and told her to move her chair over, preparing to teach her some basics.
Fortunately, she had to attend the new employee orientation session run by Yu Qian later.
Then I could have some time alone…