There were also people holding phones and talking loudly, their faces blurred, spouting amounts in the tens of millions, as if they were in a luxurious office with everyone around them just illusory projections on the wall.
Qian Duoduo rarely takes the subway and doesn't usually have much free time, so he found it quite interesting to watch from the end of the seat.
The subway was well-heated, and she felt a bit tired after sitting for a long time, so she changed her posture, put her bag on her lap, and continued to patiently wait for her destination to arrive.
Someone was carrying neatly folded newspapers of various colors and walking through the train carriages hawking them. Teenagers were also handing out flyers to everyone. Many people waved their hands in refusal, but in the blink of an eye, they were right next to Qian Duoduo.
Hearing the station announcement, Qian Duoduo, sitting in the last carriage, quickly prepared to get up. The boy handing out flyers had already walked up to her. His dark face made a quick eye contact with her. His eyes were clear and bright, but his gaze was shifty, instantly scanning her from head to toe.
Qian Duoduo thought he was going to give her an advertisement, so she bent down and waved her hand. The car door had already opened, and she was in a hurry to leave. In a flash, her bag was suddenly pulled out of her hand and was grabbed by the boy and they ran away.
This was something Qian Duoduo had never experienced before, and she was caught off guard. She was on the women's volleyball team in college, so her reaction was quick. As soon as her hand was empty, she tried her best to grab the boy, but he was obviously a professional. Qian Duoduo's fingertips barely grazed the hem of his clothes before he had already leaped out of the carriage, as fast as the wind.
Without even calling out, Qian Duoduo took off after her. Unfortunately, her suit became her biggest burden at this moment. Before she could even run out of the carriage, she almost tripped and died by the door because of her slender heels.
There was another force in her waist, a powerful pull, and the world before her eyes spun around like a postmodern movie scene. Only when she regained her balance did she see a shadow beside her rushing towards the direction the boy had fled. The subway car doors closed behind her with a soft bang, followed by the sound of the car starting up.
The train stirred up a gust of wind, blowing her deliberately loose hair. Everyone around her stopped and stared ahead. A dark-skinned boy grabbed his bag and ran wildly, leaping over the fence with a daring leap. The man chasing him was agile, running like a primitive feline with its limbs outstretched. Amid shouts, he was already close to the boy and reached out to grab the bag from his hand.
Qian Duoduo tried to gather her disheveled hair with both hands, her breath hanging in her throat, watching helplessly as the boy threw her bag behind him and continued running.
By the time the subway security guard rushed over, it was all over. There were cheers and applause around him. The man stopped, picked up his bag from the ground, turned around, and grinned.
Chapter Five
Qian Duoduo felt as if she had just received the lost handbag amidst the attention of everyone. Her heart was still pounding, and after seeing the hero's face up close, the beating became increasingly uncontrollable.
There's no way around it, everyone loves beautiful things, especially since the person in front of me just proved with their actions that they are a model of being both useful and aesthetically pleasing.
On such a cold day, the primitive feline wore only a thin sweater under its open coat, with the hood turned up loosely, and wide athletic pants hanging down. Below that, of course, was a pair of shoes perfectly suited for running, in a dark blue color.
Although he was dressed casually, it surprisingly suited his sunny, smiling face. Her own elegant, formal handbag looked out of place in his hands, so Qian Duoduo quickly took it and thanked him, "Thank you, thank you so much!"
The smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. "It's okay, be careful next time."
Is there a next time? Qian Duoduo vowed that next time she takes the subway, she will hold onto her bag like Huang Jiguang, never letting go even if it means death.
Time was almost up, so she thanked them again and started walking forward. Unexpectedly, the feline turned its toes and followed her.
Where are you going? Are you in a hurry?
Huh? Qian Duoduo thought to herself, why does this sound like a flirtation? But after glancing at the man beside her, she immediately dismissed the idea of being presumptuous.
Youth is wonderful. She felt a moment of jealousy whenever her gaze swept over them. The two seemed like an unlikely match, but perhaps they were on the same wavelength and were just exchanging a few words.
I've made plans to have dinner with friends.
"Boy friend?"
Huh? Qian Duoduo's eyes widened. This was too private a question. She glanced at the man beside her and saw him smiling with his head down. How should she put it? At this moment, Qian Duoduo, feeling a little unkind, thought of a certain mythological film she had watched before—Spring Bright Pigsy.
Such a lovely smile would make any other girl dizzy with delight. Well, she was a little dizzy too, but it's such a waste for the little brother. Qian Duoduo is a person of principle.
"Can I have your phone number?" the feline continued to laugh, then reached into its pocket. "Or how about I give you mine?" So direct and eager, Qian Duoduo couldn't help but feel awkward about it. "Sir, I'm sorry, I'm really in a hurry."
The two had already boarded the escalator, and he was still smiling, though he gradually became more restrained. "Stop playing around, okay? Don't you think I look familiar?"
Is he going to say next, "Don't you think we've known each other for five hundred years?" Qian Duoduo's vision went black, and her heart began to pound. Could he be a pervert? Was what just happened premeditated? No way, what did she, Qian Duoduo, have to deserve the attention of such a high-class pervert?
Fortunately, the exit was right in front of her. Duoduo darted out of the elevator and said, "I have an appointment, so I'll go first. Thank you so much for today. Goodbye, goodbye."
This time, he didn't chase after her. Qian Duoduo quickened her pace, feeling someone watching her from behind, but she didn't dare to turn around. She walked quite a distance before cautiously glancing back.
Her eyesight wasn't very good, but the man was so striking that she spotted him immediately.
He remained where he was, standing by the elevator with his hands in his pockets, watching her. When she turned around, he vaguely raised his eyebrows and smiled, then shrugged.
The principled Qian Duoduo was startled, her left and right feet clapping haphazardly. Fortunately, the road was flat, and she quickly regained her balance, stopped looking back, and continued walking forward with determination.
Chapter Six
The first thing I saw when I walked into the café was Yiyi. She was sitting on the sofa by the window, flipping through a magazine. Her freshly styled hair was wavy and her nails, which were a subtle, shiny pink, were resting on the edge of the glossy pages. All the men were paying attention to that corner, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
When Qian Duoduo walked over, she took big strides, and the clattering of her high heels shattered the fantasies of the men who wanted to strike up a conversation. She threw her briefcase on the sofa first, and then sank into it.
Yi Yi frowned. "Another suit? Can't you dress a little more femininely?"
"Going to work? Unlike you, who has days off every day, let's go eat."
"No rush, I have a table I booked in half an hour, let's chat for a while before I go over."
"Okay." Well, that was too scary. Qian Duoduo needs to sit down and calm down.
This place is their old haunt, so Mamu doesn't even need to look at the menu; she just orders a large almond mocha.
"How come you have time to have dinner with me? Weren't you on a date?" Yiyi was very interested in Duoduo's recent situation, tossing aside her magazine to start gossiping!
"Don't even mention it." Qian Duoduo gets annoyed just talking about blind dates. "They're so different from what I wanted."
"What kind do you want? How about we try something else? I'll talk to Steve and see if he has any good suggestions."
Steve is Yiyi's real estate tycoon husband. His Chinese name sounds a bit rustic, so Yiyi insists on calling him by his Western name.
"No need. I think all the men I meet on blind dates have problems. I'd rather find someone myself."
“Aren’t you getting married? Only men who go on blind dates are single-mindedly focused on marriage. The others—” Yiyi waved her hand, her perfectly manicured nails flashing a streak of light, “Besides, you’re still working overtime like this. What man can stand that?”
The almond mocha was served, and Qian Duoduo held the steaming cup and sighed deeply, "What can relieve my worries? Only work. At least work won't betray me. As for marriage, it's a mixed bag. It's a matter of opinion."
Yiyi, who had been so enthusiastic, fell silent for a second after hearing this, but only for a second, before continuing her previous topic, "So what's your opinion? Should we get married or not?"
"Marriage," Qian Duoduo put down her coffee cup and said, "I've already promised my mom. Anyway, I've thought it all out. I just want to find a business partner."
"Partners?" This term was new to Yiyi, and she asked with wide eyes, "What does that mean? Do we need to sign a contract?"
"I just want to find a man who is acceptable. We're all aiming for marriage. He just needs to be presentable when necessary and fulfill his obligations when required. As for other things, he can do whatever he wants. If he wants to sign a contract, I don't mind."
"You don't want love anymore?"
"Love?" Qian Duoduo sighed. "The last time I heard this word was probably back in the Cretaceous period."
Yi Yi covered her mouth and laughed, "Have you thought it through? Have you talked about this with those blind dates you went on? Oh, I know, you scared them away."
"What? We haven't even mentioned these things yet!" Sighing, Qian Duoduo lowered her head and said dejectedly, "Before I went on blind dates, I felt like I was great in every way. But once I got into that atmosphere, I was like a leftover cabbage, and I didn't even dare to lift my head."
Yiyi had heard about Qian Duoduo's three blind dates. After thinking for a moment, she asked again, "You're just being picky, okay? The first two definitely didn't work out, but wasn't that IT guy quite suitable? You two have been on several dates already, haven't you?"
Qian Duoduo propped her forehead up, feigning helplessness, "No matter what, my body has to be able to handle it. I can't even handle holding hands. In the future, we'll have to have physical contact."
Yiyi burst out laughing, leaning halfway down on the sofa armrest while wiping away tears as she spoke, "I understand, you have pretty high standards for your business partner's physique. Leave it to me, I know what kind of man you need, I guarantee it'll be reliable this time." "How do you know what kind of man I need? Besides those previous requirements, I still have principles, you know," Qian Duoduo raised an eyebrow.
"I know." Duoduo has always been a principled girl, so how could Yiyi not know? "I won't date a man younger than myself, and I won't date a foreigner. I'll get to know him, and you'll see." Yiyi winked at her, just like she did when they were little.
"Okay, then I'm all yours. Let's go eat, I'm starving." Already numb to blind dates, Qian Duoduo didn't really take it to heart after saying that, putting down her cup and pulling her along.
Chapter Seven
The next day, Qian Duoduo, who was principled, went to work as usual. A two-year new product project under her management was nearing completion. Before launching the product into the market, the final round of investigations had resulted in a thick stack of reports from various regions, and the entire working group was extremely busy.
Working tirelessly from morning till night, Qian Duoduo wished she had three heads and six arms to finish all the work piled up at once. But there was a benefit to it too: when she was busy, she forgot all about men's affairs. Indeed, the only way to relieve worries is through work.
Qian Duoduo hadn't finished her work by the time she was about to leave work, so she called her new assistant into her office.
"Jenny, there's a conference call in Japan later. Inform the whole team to prepare." "Manager, I can't work overtime today," Jenny said firmly.
"Why?" Qian Duoduo looked puzzled. "It's my boyfriend's birthday today. We're going to have dinner together to celebrate."
"Oh, go after you're done. And please say happy birthday to me for me too." Jenny's boyfriend, Duoduo, remembered. Despite having the face of a street performer, he always appeared in a suit and tie, looking dashing, waiting for his girlfriend downstairs. Occasionally, she would see him holding flowers, acting like a lovesick young man, which always left her speechless and covering her face as she walked away.
“No, the restaurant reservations were made a long time ago. If I work overtime, he will definitely be unhappy.”
Let him be unhappy then. She really wanted to just say that to her, but before she could speak, Qian Duoduo saw the resolute expression on the woman's face and decided to hold back. Women in happy marriages and sweet romances naturally possess a certain confidence, an indescribable confidence that emanates from within. Regardless of their personality—whether humble and tolerant or fierce and strong—they always give off the feeling that "I have someone backing me up, I'm not afraid of anything, and even if the whole world doesn't take me seriously, I'm still someone's treasure."
In the past, Qian Duoduo would have scoffed at this feeling, just like her former boss, and then reasoned with her assistant about the life philosophy of what women should prioritize. However, after stumbling along the way, especially after three disastrous blind dates, Duoduo has decided to keep quiet.
Everyone's path is different, just like her and Yiyi. Everyone gets what they ask for, so there's no point in saying more.
Fortunately, all the other colleagues are like Duoduo, working tirelessly. Getting into UVL is not easy, and everyone cherishes the opportunity.
The conference call went smoothly, and by the time it ended it was almost 7 p.m. She declined her colleagues' suggestion to have hot pot with them and stayed in the office organizing materials.
As I stepped out of the elevator, I ran into the marketing director, who was dressed in a suit. She greeted me with a big smile, "Duoduo, you're leaving so late?"
It was indeed late, but only single female managers like them would work so hard. Who with a family wouldn't rush off and disappear without a trace as soon as the time came?
The two, finding common ground, went to the bar on the corner together. The marketing director, an Australian, was thirty-eight years old this year. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, wrinkles were visible around his eyes. He held up his glass, propped his head up, and asked Duoduo, "What happened? It feels like just yesterday we were here."
Duoduo and the director were good friends. Knowing that her term was about to end, she was filled with emotion and gently comforted her, "Would you like to go to Europe next? Paris or London are both good places."
“Isn’t it all the same wherever I go? The company has already made arrangements.” The director sighed. “When I first joined UVL, I was only in my early twenties. More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. I’ve traveled all over the world. All that energy I used to have, the drive to set off at a moment’s notice, has dissipated. All I want to do is rest.”
"If you're really tired, take this opportunity to relax and go on a trip."
"Travel?" The director looked at Duoduo and smiled. There was an antique-style globe in the corner of the bar. She pointed at it and twirled her finger. "I've been to the Arctic Circle. I go everywhere alone. What fun is there in that?"
That's true. The best place in the world is the place you go with the one you love. Duoduo thought of Suzhou in the rain in her memory, and felt a pang of sadness, but she didn't show it on her face at all. "Aren't you going to get promoted soon? I haven't congratulated you yet."
With only a week left before leaving Shanghai, the director was unusually sentimental tonight. "Duoduo, I was the same age as you when I left Australia for Shanghai. My ex-boyfriend questioned me at the airport, 'Are you really leaving? Is your career more important than being with us?'"
It's all the same; just look down at the wine in your glass more often.
"I just replied, 'Goodbye,' and in fact, we never saw each other again after that."
Qian Duoduo regretted it so much, feeling that tonight was definitely not a good night for a drink.
"You'll always meet the right person eventually. Which manager in the company didn't go through that process?" Duoduo said weakly, her voice so low it seemed she was talking to herself.
She wasn't making things up. UVL has its own effective training program for promising employees. Usually, after working in their home country for three to five years, they are sent to one of the countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, or America. If they are considered promising, they will be sent to another country after three to five years. After two or three countries, they can be promoted to a position where they can be in charge independently.
“But all the other managers are men,” the director said with a wry smile. “To get to this position, you’re at least thirty-five, which is the prime of a man’s life. What about us?”
She was talking about us. Qian Duoduo was thunderstruck. Although the director later tried to salvage the situation by hinting at the possibility of Duoduo succeeding her, Duoduo was not in a good mood at all on her way home. Suddenly remembering Yiyi's promise last night, she called her as soon as she got home.
"Where's the reliable man you mentioned?"
Yiyi was applying a face mask, afraid that too much movement would cause fine lines around her mouth. When she answered the phone, she whimpered and it took her a while to get her words out clearly, "It's all taken care of. Just schedule a time, I guarantee there won't be any problems."
Chapter Eight