Chapter 11
He took out a bunch of documents from his bag, which I received and flipped through. They were bid documents from Xu Dong's own company for a bridge construction project in Mali, Africa. "My old man is watching my performance," he said, "I am determined to win this project."
I said, "It'll take at least a week."
"Fine. That's great. I was afraid you might be too busy to take it on," he said as he took out a bank card and put it in front of me, "Put your heart into it for your brother."
"Cut it out," I pushed the card back, "Why are you still doing this with me?"
"Alright," Xu Dong took back the card, "You don't need the money, and I won't do this with you either. If the bid is successful, I'll thank you properly."
Bid documents, though not very voluminous, demand extremely precise wording due to their unique commercial nature. I spent the entire week on Xu Dong's bid documents. By the time I was finished, I had also ended my student life, officially starting work at the Translation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a dual master's degree.
On graduation day, after the ceremony, I hoped to see Mingfang. I went to the English department's teaching building to find her and saw her proctoring an exam in a classroom at the end of the corridor.
Not having seen her for two months, maybe because she had been busy preparing for her wedding, Mingfang had lost weight. Still, in her moon-white dress, she remained heartbreakingly beautiful, reminding me of my younger days, eating shaved ice with fruit voraciously in her family's yard while watching her read on the swing, occasionally smiling at me and saying, "Jiayang, you've got strawberry on your nose."
I sighed and left that place.
Such persistent and rolling emotions were frustrating. I needed to forget her.
Just starting my job, a heavy responsibility was already on my shoulders. I was assigned to translate. The visiting dignitary was an octogenarian, his mind was still sharp, but his speech was not as clear, and he had a strong Mediterranean accent. I barely managed the first few sentences he spoke, but gradually I grew into the role and finally completed my task successfully.
After the meeting, the deputy looked at me, "Xiaocheng?"
"Yes," I smiled in response.
"How's Old Cheng?"
"He's well, recently went to North America for investment promotion."
"Are you following in your father's footsteps?"
"Yes. I work at the Translation Bureau."
"You translate well, keep up the good work."
A pat on the shoulder signified the weight of the journey ahead.
Unexpectedly, I ran into another person on a narrow path. A general, who was in charge of accompanying the foreign guest throughout the visit, greeted me by my full name, "Cheng Jiayang."
I nodded and sized him up: in his thirties, average height, with a square face.
"I am Zhou Nan."
No recollection.
"Fu Mingfang is my fiancée."
No matter what, our families were acquainted. Should I call him "brother-in-law"? It seemed appropriate.
I shook his hand firmly, a gesture of warmth, and said, "Brother-in-law, Mingfang should have introduced us sooner."
Qiao Fei
I had enough savings for next semester's tuition, and with summer vacation approaching, I hoped to find a job. I was planning to leave "Allure."
I was unsure whether the person I saw at "Allure" that day was Cheng Jiayang. Later, I saw him again at an awards ceremony where he gracefully and politely handed me my certificate and award. It was hard to connect someone like him with the junkies at the bar, but who could be certain, and who could see the soul hiding beneath someone else's face? This thought secretly alarmed me; I had spent quite some time at "Allure" and could not run into someone I knew, especially not him.
(End of Chapter)
This book is first published by Xiaoxiang Academy, please do not reproduce!