Chapter 20
"Jiayang, you look quite healthy today."
"Do I? I slept pretty well last night."
Women over forty have an ineradicable passion and sensitivity towards subtle hints revealed by someone's private life. She looked at me, her mysterious smile spreading across her face. I looked at her, and, inexplicably, I started smiling too. I, who had always been restrained and transparent, felt satisfied because I was harboring a secret.
As soon as I entered the office and put down my materials, I received a phone call.
The caller was Xiaochao, a classmate from high school. After graduating from high school, he didn't continue studying but instead managed to run a small travel agency, quite proficiently. According to him, he'd made quite a bit of money.
We hadn't been in much contact, and this guy calling me so urgently seemed to hint that he wouldn't do this unless it was important.
"Hey, great translator, I was looking for you all afternoon yesterday."
"I finally had a day off, so I turned off my phone."
"Busy?"
"Not too bad. I'm going on a trip abroad in a couple of days. What's up?"
"Ah?" His voice became even more hurried when he heard I was traveling abroad, "What should I do? I really have something urgent. I finally got a big travel group from France, they will stay in the country for half a month. Can you find me a high-quality French translator?"
I naturally thought of Qiao Fei.
"How much are you paying?"
"I pay five hundred a day, and the foreigners even give tips. This trip should make you at least twelve or thirteen thousand, all expenses covered."
"When is your group arriving?"
"In 15 days, brother, you better hurry up."
"I'll get back to you as soon as possible," I replied.
Yesterday, during our break, I had asked her what she wanted to do for the summer. She said she wanted to find a job to earn some money.
Leading a travel group is a decent part-time job. Although it's a bit tiring, it's also a great opportunity for Qiao Fei, who is still a student.
My concern is, when she left yesterday, we had almost agreed to completely erase that day from our memory. After leaving that room, would she be willing to see me again?
I thought about it, even without yesterday's moments, after all, we're alumni, and we've worked together before, so recommending her for a part-time job is nothing but normal.
Thinking this way, I felt more at ease. It turned out that I didn't have her phone number, but luckily it was not yet vacation, and I found the phone number of the French Department girls' dormitory. My heart skipped a beat when the call went through.
Can a man be this anxious?
No one answered.
That morning, before lunch, I tried calling three more times, all with no answer. I thought something was off. Even if she wasn't in her room, at least one of her roommates should be, right? Should I go see her? This thought flashed by quickly; I knew that if we met now, we'd just encounter awkwardness.
Never mind, it's not an urgent matter. I'll wait a little longer, Xiaoping's French group isn't arriving for another 15 days anyway.
My parents returned home that evening. We had dinner together, and my father asked about my work. I answered each question and mentioned I was going to Canada in three days. My father didn't say anything else, but my mother smiled and said, "We asked your director, and he said you're doing well."
This was their old routine. Since I started elementary school, my father's secretary would regularly meet with my teacher to discuss my performance. And it's continued until now. Actually, my father didn't need to ask me about my situation; he probably knew more about it than I did myself.
(End of Chapter)
This book is first published by Xiaoxiang Academy and must not be reproduced!