The next day at the office, by coincidence, Qiu Mingyue ran into Zhou Su at the elevator.
After greeting him, Zhou Su seemed to want to say something, but Jiang Ran also arrived, and the three of them ascended silently amidst the crowd.
Watching Zhou Su head to his office, Jiang Ran asked Qiu Mingyue, "Was everything okay with the inventory check yesterday? I saw you didn't reply to my message."
"No problem," Qiu Mingyue apologized, "I forgot to reply to you."
Jiang Ran made Qiu Mingyue a chiffon cake to make up for asking her to cover at the warehouse and also shared some dried beef that Jiang Zishi brought back from his business trip.
Jiang Ran occasionally made treats for those around her, and Qiu Mingyue, having skipped breakfast, was delighted to eat it. While eating, she listened to Jiang Ran talk about warehouse matters, like past incidents of internal theft, gossips among the warehouse staff, and how some of them were difficult to communicate with, but Uncle Chen was the best.
Qiu Mingyue agreed, "Uncle Chen was the one who guided me yesterday."
Jiang Ran: "Yeah, he's really a good person, been working there for a long time."
Suddenly remembering the faint scent of flowers, Qiu Mingyue scooped a spoonful of cake, pretending to be casual, "I also ran into someone yesterday..." She put the soft cake in her mouth.
"Who?"
"Meng Yunzhi, the manager from the marketing department."
"Oh—" Jiang Ran elongated her tone, raising a meaningful smile.
"What's up?"
"It could be something," Jiang Ran said, "but it might also be because our Director was going."
Qiu Mingyue probed further, "Why? Are they two..."
Jiang Ran: "Actually, there's nothing much, just that Manager Meng might have some feelings for our Director."
As expected, "They aren't together?"
"No, we used to think they were quite compatible and might get together, but it's been so long, and since they haven't, probably there's no consideration. What, did something happen between them yesterday?"
"No," Qiu Mingyue said.
"Then what about you? You added him, right?"
That topic was inevitable, Qiu Mingyue sighed. She had already scripted how to address this blind date mishap in her mind on her way to work and decided to be honest with Jiang Ran, "I feel it might not work out..."
"Why?" Jiang Ran asked, "I've met Zhang Shaoming before. He's a well-cultured, overseas-educated Ph.D., really refined."
Qiu Mingyue anticipated Jiang Ran's script.
"It's okay if it doesn't work out, but since you don't have plans after work tomorrow, why not just meet him? You might feel different after meeting in person. And didn't you say you wanted to try that restaurant again?"
All within Qiu Mingyue's expectations; after all, it was Jiang Ran's kind gesture. She was definitely going to keep the appointment, not to stand someone up, just setting expectations with Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran understood but was still a bit disappointed.
Coming from a large family, being the eldest among her siblings, she always played the responsible elder, caring for her younger brothers and sisters. It might sound daunting, but they were all obedient, creating fond memories. She wondered if her protective and caring nature was shaped by this.
She often played the caretaker role in her social circle. She had shared her love story with her boyfriend with Qiu Mingyue, how they met at a friend's gathering, but what she didn't mention was how she felt cared for by Jiang Zishi for the first time.
It was during a picnic when she was in charge of grilling. Grilling was hot and greasy, usually a man's job, but Jiang Ran liked cooking and wanted to showcase her skills.
Feeling hungry but having no appetite for her own grilled food, Jiang Zishi suddenly appeared beside her, saying, "Open your mouth."
Startled, she opened her mouth and he fed her a piece of watermelon. The sweet juice burst in her mouth, and she chewed while looking at him, who smiled brightly. They weren't very familiar at the time.
Later, she was taken to rest by her friends and found a box of cherries and strawberry coconut jelly, her favorites, which she thought were already eaten. A girl whispered that Jiang Zishi had saved them for her.
How he saved them, she didn't say.
Jiang Ran looked at Jiang Zishi, who sensed her gaze and looked back, and thus the story was set.
It might sound like she was a girl desperate for love, but she was simply moved by such gestures. After getting together, Jiang Zishi told her she didn't need to
be so nice to everyone, but Jiang Ran believed she was just caring for the people she cared about. She wasn't selflessly altruistic; it was reciprocal.
Qiu Mingyue, a couple of years younger than her, seemed like the kind of person who had always been well-behaved. The more they interacted, the more Jiang Ran grew fond of her. She wasn't trying to play matchmaker, but since Qiu Mingyue was interested in finding a boyfriend, Jiang Ran felt it was her duty to introduce her to some quality guys and to vet them for her.
If Zhang Shaoming wasn't a good match, who else could there be?
As Jiang Ran pondered potential candidates in her mind while chatting with Qiu Mingyue, her eyes caught Zhang Yihao passing by their workstation. He was already ruled out, but she greeted him anyway.
Zhang Yihao approached.
"Cut your hair?" Jiang Ran noticed the change immediately.
Zhang Yihao touched his short hair at the front, somewhat shyly: "Yeah."
"It's about time you did," Jiang Ran handed him a bag of dried beef, "Brought by your brother-in-law."
Jiang Ran occasionally assumed a sisterly role, much to Zhang Yihao's reluctance, but his protests were ineffective.
Zhang Yihao didn't take the beef, instead inquiring about the chiffon cake on the desk: "You made a cake?"
Jiang Ran protectively: "Just a little, none for you."
Zhang Yihao nodded in understanding and was about to leave when Jiang Ran called him back: "Don't you want a mooncake?"
Zhang Yihao turned back, his eyes slightly downcast at Jiang Ran: "You know I don't like salty ones."
Hmm?
Qiu Mingyue, as an observer, felt there was something intriguing about this exchange.
Zhang Yihao's tone was even, his attitude unchanged, but Qiu Mingyue noticed Jiang Ran biting her lip, cheeks puffing up, a sign of concession. She grabbed a disposable cup and shared half of her cake with Zhang Yihao, ruining its shape, "Here, take it." She then quickly retracted the cup, "Say 'thank you, sister.'"
Taking the easy route, Zhang Yihao chuckled lightly, revealing his canines: "Thank you, sister."
Having worked with Zhang Yihao for six months, Qiu Mingyue noticed for the first time that her colleague had canines.
Feeling like she had glimpsed something she shouldn't have, Qiu Mingyue averted her gaze and continued eating her cake.
"Take the beef jerky too, if you don't eat it, share it with others."
After Zhang Yihao left with the cake and beef jerky, Qiu Mingyue watched Jiang Ran eating the remaining half of her cake, wanting to say something but hesitating. She thought better of prying into personal matters but was caught by Jiang Ran, who asked simply, "Hmm?"
Worried Jiang Ran would bring up Zhang Shaoming again, Qiu Mingyue deflected, "When's the wedding again, during the National Day holiday?"
"Yes, you promised to be my bridesmaid."
"Of course, I remember." Qiu Mingyue then inquired, "You haven't gotten your marriage certificate yet, right?"
"No, we're planning to do the wedding first, considering buying a house and all, we'll do the legal stuff later."
After a pause, Qiu Mingyue awkwardly ventured, "Speaking of which, who's the best man? Zhang Yihao, right?"
"Zhang Yihao?" Jiang Ran seemed puzzled why Qiu Mingyue would ask that, "No, the best man is from my boyfriend's side. I think they've only met once or something, not close."
Qiu Mingyue didn't pursue further.
The design department's desks were in front of them, and Qiu Mingyue saw Zhang Yihao giving away the beef jerky to someone else.
Back to work, she pushed aside her curiosity.
That day after work, Jiang Ran accompanied Qiu Mingyue, advising her to be herself tomorrow, but Qiu Mingyue still agonized over whether to wear makeup.
Wearing makeup would show she valued the meeting, but she wasn't keen on developing anything further with the man. However, not wearing makeup felt somewhat unsettling, like Jiang Ran said, maybe her feelings would change after meeting in person.
Hadn't she also started liking Zhou Su initially because of his voice?
Zhou Su.
She silently mouthed his name.
It still seemed impossible. How could it be? Even someone like Meng Yunzhi, who seemed to have mutual admiration with him, didn't make it; she was his subordinate, and taking things further would mean breaking through that barrier—not just a paper barrier, but a
divider reminding them of their professional roles.
She didn't have the courage to pursue him.
Maybe she didn't really like him that much, Qiu Mingyue consoled herself. Perhaps it was like the fondness one has for a voice actor or a pop idol? A liking that remains a liking, because anything more is impossible. Maybe she should just treat it as a crush on a fictional character.
Still, she decided to apply light makeup the next day and try to date normally.
Because of the makeup, she got up earlier than usual and arrived at the office about ten minutes earlier than normal, not expecting to run into Zhou Su again at the building's entrance.
She felt guilty and even considered hiding, but Zhou Su had already seen her, so she reluctantly approached to wait for the elevator with him.
It was just the two of them.
Zhou Su wore a tie Qiu Mingyue hadn't seen before, and his gaze directly fell on her shoes before he adjusted his tie.
Qiu Mingyue's toes curled slightly.
The day before, she had worn casual sports shoes, but today, she chose a softly elegant light pink dress. Sports shoes definitely wouldn't match, so after applying a band-aid, she wore a pair of softer red flats.
Why did she always feel embarrassed in front of him? Was it because she was too sensitive?
She thought she looked pretty good today... not only did she wear makeup, but she also curled her hair and wore earrings.
She remembered wearing makeup for her interview too, but it was a completely different style from today.
Zhou Su's voice broke the silence: "Is your injury better?"
Qiu Mingyue chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, it wasn't serious."
In the scenic elevator, only Qiu Mingyue and Zhou Su were present. He looked out the window.
Qiu Mingyue stood a half-step behind Zhou Su, wanting to look but not daring to see their reflections in the elevator door, her gaze falling on her dress hem and his suit trousers.
Actually...
Was there a subconscious desire to dress up for him to see?
But there probably wouldn't be a chance to hear him say "You look nice," right?