Afternoon.
One o three.
Lai Zhiyun arrived home, where a golden retriever greeted her at the door with a slipper in its mouth.
"Maomao, good boy."
Lai Zhiyun squatted down to pat the golden retriever's head before changing shoes and walking into the house.
The golden retriever followed behind Lai Zhiyun.
Seeing her enter the bedroom, it seemed to know that it wasn't convenient to follow her in at the moment.
It approached the door, then stood upright, placing its forepaws skillfully on the doorknob. It then took small steps backward, and with a light click, gently closed the door.
This series of actions flowed smoothly, showing off its well-trained nature.
Inside the bedroom, Lai Zhiyun heard the door closing, couldn't help but smile knowingly, looked back at the closed door, then took off her outing clothes and put on comfortable pajamas.
By the time she came out of the bedroom, ten minutes had passed.
She washed her face, applying two eye recovery patches.
It must be said, she was open to taking advice from others.
If the dark circles were noticeable, it was indeed essential to pay attention to them.
She was accustomed to staying up late writing songs.
And staying up late was something she couldn't avoid, so she could only resort to eye patches for remedy and then brew a pot of nourishing tea.
"Maomao, come sit."
Lai Zhiyun took a seat on the living room couch, patted the spot next to her, and gestured for Maomao to sit beside her.
At her command, Maomao sprang up agilely and lightly, landing firmly on the sofa, wagging its tail affectionately and snuggling into Lai Zhiyun's arms, its bright eyes filled with expectation as they gazed at her.
"Good boy."
Lai Zhiyun embraced Maomao, patting its head. Without waiting to be coaxed, she bent over to retrieve a bag of dog treats from the drawer below the coffee table, fed Maomao a piece of jerky, then turned on the TV, sipping her nourishing tea while keeping Maomao company as it watched its favorite Animal Planet.
Ding dong—
The WeChat notification sound rang out repeatedly.
Hearing the sound, Lai Zhiyun picked up her phone to check.
There were new messages in the "Loving Family" group chat.
First was her dad, mentioning her uncle and aunt in the group, asking them to bring the family to the old He Family house in the evening.
The aunt, being the group admin, almost instantly replied.
The uncle didn't lag behind, quickly responding to the message.
It seemed that they were probably on their phones at the time, given their speed of replying, which could rival others when grabbing red packets.
This clearly showcased their affection and respect for their big brother.
Especially the uncle, who responded with a series of messages, sending regards and habitually reporting his recent situations, his joy at being named shining through the text.
Lai Zhiyun watched the lively chat for a while without making a peep in the group.
From what she knew about Mr. He, he was probably planning something by getting her uncle and aunt to come to the old He house.
The He family's old home would likely be bustling tonight.
Quietly exiting the chat, Lai Zhiyun's gaze fell on Zhou Liao's WeChat profile picture.
Since he was recently added on WeChat, his chat was just below the "Loving Family" group, occupying the second position on her WeChat list.
To be honest, Lai Zhiyun had a fairly good impression of Zhou Liao.
But to say she was moved, not quite yet.
She didn't believe in love at first sight and felt that dating took too much time and energy, which wasn't conducive to her career. Without much hesitation, she decided to give Zhou Liao the "good friends" speech.
Decisively, she began to type a message on WeChat.
First, it was mentioned that today's meeting was quite pleasant, you're a nice person, but, we may not be a good match.
In the end, the topic of dinner expenses came up, suggesting that going Dutch would be better.
Then the money was promptly transferred.
When Zhou Liao paid the bill earlier, Lai Zhiyun had paid special attention to the amount, and as for agreeing to add WeChat, she had already been cautious, intending to make the transfer after the meal easier.
Although Zhou Liao might not necessarily want the money, she needed to clearly and directly show her attitude.
She waited a minute.
Zhou Liao was quick to reply to the message as well.
[Zhou Liao: Alright, I'll accept the money.]
He was decisive and accepted the transfer.
Right after that, he sent another message: [If we meet again next time, I'll have the chance to treat you to a meal.]
Lai Zhiyun looked at this message and thought to herself that it must be just polite talk among adults.
Besides, she spent more than half of each month staying at home, so it was probably difficult for them to run into each other, wasn't it?
So she also replied politely.
[Zhiyun: Okay.]
[Zhou Liao then replied: Okay.]
And the conversation ended there.
A few brief exchanges of dialogue didn't weigh heavily on Lai Zhiyun's mind, but Zhou Liao's direct and no-nonsense attitude made her feel quite relaxed.
Meanwhile, Zhou Liao had returned to his company and was currently sitting in his office chair, staring at the single word 'okay' Lai Zhiyun sent back, looking at it over and over.
"What are you looking at with such a lovesick smile?"
Guo Junkai knocked and walked into Zhou Liao's office, briskly covering the distance in a few strides, and leaned over close to Zhou Liao, curiously looking at the computer screen in front of him.
Whoa!
What did he see?!
Zhou Liao, who was constantly pursued by numerous beauties, had actually received the good person card!
Immediately, he couldn't help but laugh in an unkind manner, slapping Zhou Liao's shoulder and teasing, "Live and learn, even you have this day!"
With that said, he made a fist with his right hand, pretending to hold a microphone, and asked gossipily, "Ahem, let's interview you now, how does it feel to be given the good person card?"
"It's quite an interesting experience."
"..." Guo Junkai paused, his gaze toward Zhou Liao mixed with a touch of disbelief, "Knowing you for almost twenty years, when did I ever notice you had a masochistic side! Judging by your reaction, you don't seem ready to give up, do you?"
He had been given the good person card.
"There's nothing impossible in this world, just keep trying," Zhou Liao moved his chair, reached for the mouse, clicked gently, and closed the WeChat chat window, saying seriously.
"Tsk... This beauty called Zhiyun has certainly captured my attention."
"Get lost, what's it to you?" Zhou Liao glared, sending Guo Junkai a warning look.
"Hey! I don't have any dirty thoughts, I'm purely curious," Guo Junkai circled the desk, pulled up a chair, and sat down opposite Zhou Liao.
"Did you leave early this morning specifically to meet Zhiyun?"
"Do you have an objection?"
"Dare not," Guo Junkai said with a grin, "You're the big boss of the company, how could I dare to have an objection."
"But honestly, I'm quite surprised, what exactly happened during your meet-up? Did it end as soon as it began?"
"Are you too stingy? The beauty transferred you money and you just took it? At least be polite and insist a bit more, saying that this time you're treating her to the meal, and next time it's her turn to treat you. Reciprocity is the way to get a chance at another meeting in the future."
"Besides, when a beauty says you're not suitable, it's not necessarily a rejection. What if she's just being reserved, or maybe she's waiting to see how serious you are, waiting for you to take the initiative?"
Sigh, definitely a rookie in love.
Not even understanding such a simple trick.