When Lu Cixue and Ji Qiubai returned to Jianghuai City, it was already a weekday afternoon. On the way back from the airport, Lu Cixue glanced several times at the person sitting beside her.
"If you're tired, you should go straight home and rest."
Ji Qiubai had been distracted for the past few days, often staring blankly even while eating. Lu Cixue had never seen her assistant in such a state before.
"No, I'm fine, Director Lu," Ji Qiubai snapped out of her thoughts but noticed that her boss was also frowning, deep in thought.
Two emotionally clueless individuals rode in silence back to the office.
Luo Li found out that Lu Cixue was returning today from Liu Yue. She was certain that her intuition hadn't been wrong—her boss had returned to her usual distant and cold demeanor.
It wasn't exactly that Lu Cixue was ignoring her; she still replied to Luo Li's messages. But those "thank you," "sorry to trouble you," and "much appreciated" messages had started to reappear in their conversations.
It felt like the progress she'd made in closing the gap between them had been undone, as if Lu Cixue had deliberately pushed her away again.
Had she done something to upset Lu Cixue recently? She couldn't think of anything. Luo Li believed she had been very well-behaved these past few days.
It was so hard to figure out what her boss was thinking. But that didn't matter—Lu Cixue was coming back today, and Luo Li wasn't one to give up easily. She could be persistent and stubborn, even if it meant hanging around Lu Cixue's office until she figured out what was wrong.
Determined, she suddenly received a vibration on her phone. The receptionist, a girl she had spoken to a few times, had messaged her saying someone was waiting for her.
The message was followed by another line that conveyed the girl's excitement, almost as if she were a fangirl meeting her idol.
[Luo Li, how do you know Xixi?!]
How did Tao Jinxin manage to find her at the office? Wasn't she supposed to be leaving the country? Why was she here again?
Avoiding her wasn't an option. If she didn't go down and deal with it, she might end up on the news again, or at the very least become the subject of office gossip.
With Lu Cixue not around, the atmosphere in the marketing department was already a bit relaxed—some were playing games, others chatting. As it was nearing the end of the workday, Luo Li slowly gathered her things. The receptionist messaged her again with an update.
[Your boss is back, so don't think about sneaking out early.]
What?
Luo Li jumped up, not even sure why she was so eager to head downstairs, but feeling a sense of unease nonetheless.
At the reception desk on the first floor, Tao Jinxin didn't recognize the woman in the business suit, but she couldn't help but be drawn to the woman's cold, aloof demeanor.
Lu Cixue noticed Tao Jinxin sitting there and hesitated for a moment before continuing toward the elevator as if nothing had happened.
—If she's here, she must be looking for Luo Li.
As they waited for the elevator, Ji Qiubai felt an inexplicable chill, sensing the icy demeanor of her boss, who stood with arms crossed, showing no emotion.
When the elevator doors opened, Luo Li looked up and met Lu Cixue's gaze. She froze, staring blankly.
—She seemed thinner and didn't look very happy.
"Aren't you getting out?" Lu Cixue's voice interrupted Luo Li's thoughts. "Your friend is still waiting for you."
Luo Li nodded dumbly, stepping out of the elevator, wanting to say something to Lu Cixue, but the woman coldly walked into the elevator and pressed the close button.
…
She was definitely mad!
Feeling frustrated, Luo Li walked over to Tao Jinxin, who stood up with a bright smile when she saw her.
"What are you doing here?" Luo Li snapped, too preoccupied with getting back to Lu Cixue to be polite.
"Since I'm leaving tomorrow and you've been avoiding me, I had no choice but to come here and see you," Tao Jinxin replied, unfazed, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Luo Li's ear, only to have her dodge away.
"Talk with words, not hands."
The two receptionists had been watching the scene with great interest, more excited about the drama than Luo Li herself.
Tao Jinxin sighed softly, "Luo Luo, I was too impulsive back then. I was desperate to escape my parents' control and left without thinking."
"I'm sorry for the hurt I caused you."
She even bowed sincerely to apologize.
The receptionists were now even more excited.
The more Luo Li listened, the more something felt off, and she tried to stop her.
Hadn't they already talked about all this during dinner?
The elevator dinged, descending to the first floor again.
A very important document had been left in the car, an amateurish mistake that Lu Cixue would never normally make, but her recent state of mind was not as sharp as usual.
She could have asked Ji Qiubai to retrieve it, but she decided to come down herself.
She admitted to herself that she couldn't help it—she wanted to see what those two were talking about.
When did she become so low as to eavesdrop on someone else's conversation?
"Luo Luo, whether you believe it or not, I came back for you," Tao Jinxin said, gazing at Luo Li. "If you're still willing to love me, I hope you can wait for me to come back so we can start over, okay?"
Luo Li thought that Tao Jinxin hadn't changed at all.
Of course not, when someone has been the center of attention their entire life, they're good at getting what they want from others.
"Director Lu."
Luo Li froze as an employee greeted Lu Cixue, who was just passing by.
She turned around, only to see Lu Cixue's slender figure heading toward the entrance, almost as if she were fleeing the scene.
"Wow, I never would have guessed there was this much history between them. Is this a sweet, innocent high school romance? It's kind of romantic…"
When Lu Cixue returned, the not-so-quiet conversation at the front desk drifted into her ears.
"A beauty of that caliber—if it were me, I'd say yes too."
Lu Cixue rubbed her temples, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion from the trip, leaving her cold to the bone.
This was the third day. Luo Li had gone three days without exchanging more than a few words with Lu Cixue; aside from work, they had no interaction.
She had tried waiting around the office, hoping to catch Lu Cixue at the end of the day.
But Lu Cixue could simply claim to be busy with work and not go home at all.
Even during meetings, Lu Cixue would arrive last and sit as far away from Luo Li as possible.
Even when Luo Li went to her office to deliver something, Lu Cixue would tell her to leave it with Ji Qiubai instead.
Luo Li felt like she was carrying a heavy burden, not knowing how to get the chance to explain things clearly to Lu Cixue.
She suspected Lu Cixue had overheard the conversation and misunderstood her relationship with Tao Jinxin.
Thinking back, Luo Li realized that Lu Cixue's coldness toward her probably started after the incident with the trending topic.
So that conversation they had just added fuel to the fire...
The thought made Luo Li both happy and frustrated.
Happy that Director Lu would get jealous over something like this, but frustrated that Lu Cixue wouldn't talk to her, leaving her no way to explain.
Luo Li lay on her desk, poking at a cactus, but the familiar sound of footsteps behind her made her sit up straight, spinning around.
A rare opportunity!
"Chen—" Lu Cixue was holding a USB drive, likely intending to find Chen Ting.
But, as it happened, Chen Ting and Liu Yue had gone on a business trip this weekend, and they were probably already on the plane. Director Lu seemed to have forgotten, leaving Luo Li as the only one around.
Luo Li, the "eyesore," looked at Lu Cixue with hopeful eyes.
"Is there something you need done? I can help." Luo Li shamelessly stood behind Director Lu, blocking her way out.
Lu Cixue's gaze shifted to the nearly bald cactus, silently tightening her grip on the USB drive. "No, thank you."
But she couldn't leave either, not with Luo Li stubbornly blocking her path.
"We're almost off work. Can we have dinner together?" Luo Li asked cautiously, trying to read her expression. "There's a new Korean restaurant nearby, and their barbecue is really good."
"You shouldn't handle personal matters during work hours."
As soon as she said that, Luo Li's phone, which was on her desk, started ringing: "Today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday, I'll sleep till noon, and that's how I'll spend my day as a waste of space."
It was Luo Li's end-of-work alarm.
"..."
Luo Li smiled, suddenly full of confidence. "We're off work now."
Lu Cixue's gaze turned cold as she crossed her arms. "Sorry, I'm busy."
"What about tomorrow or the day after?"
"Busy then too."
She wasn't lying.
Luo Li let out a frustrated groan, her mind racing. "Then I'll stay and work late with you."
Lu Cixue hesitated, about to move around Luo Li, but stopped and turned to face her.
That day, the cat had heard every word, and she believed she understood the whole story.
Luo Li liked that person, but because of various reasons, they ended up like this.
And now, Tao Jinxin wanted to rekindle their relationship.
They were well-matched, childhood friends, and first loves—surrounded by many beautiful and fitting descriptions.
The cat felt she shouldn't come between them.
Why did Luo Li want to talk to her? To discuss the subtle changes in their relationship? They should keep their distance. The cat shouldn't even turn back into her human form around Luo Li.
The cat even thought that perhaps she was just a temporary distraction for Luo Li.
And she believed it completely.
"Is there something you want to say?"
Luo Li had been trying to come up with an excuse when she heard the question and immediately nodded.
"Then let's talk at home tonight." Lu Cixue's voice was soft, filled with exhaustion.
Something was off.
While Lu Cixue stayed late at work, Luo Li rushed home.
Director Lu had really lost weight. As the end of the year approached, there was always an avalanche of tasks for her to handle.
Luo Li decided it was time to showcase her cooking skills.
But after preparing a table full of food, the message from Lu Cixue was a disappointment.
[Sorry, I won't be able to make it tonight.]
Luo Li's spirits sank.
Even the most enthusiastic person would feel dejected after being rejected so many times.
Why was she always treated this way? Keeping everything bottled up inside, leaving Luo Li to guess, making her feel like a fool.
She put down her phone and stood up, determination in her eyes as she marched toward Lu Cixue's place.
Just this once, for the last time—if Lu Cixue still treated her this way, then she would... ignore her for the rest of the week. No, for three days.
"Lu Cixue, are you there?" Luo Li pressed the doorbell, trying to keep a serious expression, though her words lacked any real backbone. "If you can't come over, then I'll come to you. It'll only take three minutes, just open the door..."
The living room was dark, and Lu Cixue hadn't even changed out of her clothes. Her fingers, clutching Luo Li's jacket, had gone pale.
Her face was flushed, her breath hot, and she was struggling with her conflicting desires and rationality.
—If she opened the door, she wouldn't have to endure this torturous heat alone.
—But that wouldn't be right...
—It wouldn't be right at all...
Why was she always so cowardly, always running away from problems?
The person outside the door hesitated for a moment, knowing Lu Cixue could hear her through the intercom.
"Lu Cixue, I just want to tell you that Tao Jinxin was speaking for herself that day. You didn't even listen to what I had to say before dismissing everything."
"If you really don't want to see me, then I'll go."
"I'm really leaving now."
Still no response, and Luo Li, feeling disheartened, turned to go.
She wouldn't come back, she thought, not to bother Lu Cixue anymore.
The door behind her swung open in that very instant.
The woman, her eyes tinged with red, stood there, her expression betraying her anxiety as she reached out, fearing Luo Li might leave her for good.
"I'm sorry, don't go..."