"Let's go, May, don't keep everyone from getting to work." Willson put his arm around May's shoulder and eagerly headed outside. As she walked, May turned around and waved to me, saying, "See you next time, Ruby."
I stared blankly at their departing figures for a while, when Joyce walked over at some point: "Be realistic. Some things are simply not meant for you. Forcing yourself to have them will only make everyone uncomfortable, and in the end, it will only result in a lose-lose situation."
Seeing me staring at her in surprise, she immediately put on a stern face and glared at me: "I was talking about your dress! Is this the kind of Chanel that costs over ten thousand yuan? Look at the state it's in after just one day of wearing it. I'm never buying this brand again, it's so cheap!" With that, she turned and left.
I was tidying up my skirt in the bathroom, and sure enough, Aunt Zhang was right—the coffee stains just wouldn't come off. I sighed, thinking: I knew from the start that some things could never be mine, but I still couldn't resist trying, and trying again. And it really turned out just like Joyce had said.
A familiar figure flashed past me in the mirror. I thought I was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, oh my god, I saw Lin Yirou standing behind me, quietly smiling at my reflection.
"Oh my god, how could this be? How did you get here?" I was shocked.
"Through Cao Rui's introduction, I applied for a job as a clerk at this company."
"Cao Rui?"
"It's PETER."
"Oh," I replied, but my mind was a little confused. Didn't Peter like Lin Yirou? Why would he personally send her here? Is it because of a long-distance relationship?
"Why did you come to Guangzhou to work as a clerk? Didn't you study nursing?" I asked as I walked out with Yirou.
"I want a change of scenery. Besides, I don't really like nursing." Her face suddenly turned a little red.
I recalled how Yirou stayed up all night taking care of me when I had a fever, and I couldn't help but wholeheartedly agree: although she was living a respectable life in five-star hotels every day, such strenuous work was far inferior to a nine-to-five clerical job. But why did she have to come all the way to Guangzhou? Seeing that she didn't want to discuss it further, I didn't press her further.
"So where do you live?" I couldn't help but ask this frail woman.
“I rented a house in Yuancun, but it seems like the people around me are quite complicated.” She frowned.
I was worried too: "Why are you renting there? It's not safe for a single girl like you."
"What can I do? I just arrived and I don't even understand Cantonese. Cao Rui had to ask his classmate in Guangzhou to help me find that house."
"How about this," I felt I couldn't stand idly by, "If you don't mind, why don't you move in with me? The landlord just had a spare room available, and you can share the living room, kitchen, and bathroom with me. That way, the rent will be cheaper."
"Really?" Lin Yirou was also very happy to hear that.
Thinking about Yi Rou alone in that environment, I didn't want to waste a single day. Since Wilson was going to Hong Kong on a business trip the next day, I asked Joyce for a day off to help Lin Yi Rou move. Lin Yi Rou didn't have much luggage, just five large boxes of clothes. I just hadn't expected her to have so many clothes; my wardrobe, which used to feel empty when I was alone, couldn't fit two people's clothes at all. Since I didn't have many clothes anyway, I simply gave the entire wardrobe to Yi Rou and threw my clothes into a few plastic boxes.
Then I accompanied Lin Yirou to the market to buy some daily necessities, and the day passed by in a flurry of activity. That evening, I specially prepared several delicious Shanghai-style dishes, and I was quite satisfied with what I had prepared. So I took out my digital camera and started snapping pictures of the table. Yirou asked me curiously what I was doing, and while I was transferring the photos to the computer, I explained to her how I used a computer and digital camera to turn my culinary skills into check production through a website called "DIY with You." However, she didn't seem to approve of this way of making money. Fortunately, she was still open to my cooking, eating with a beaming smile and praising it endlessly. She refused to call me by my full name, Li Hao, and insisted on calling me "Sister Hao." I've never been too concerned about these details, so I let her call me that. After dinner, she insisted on washing the dishes, and I was happy to have someone help with housework, so I comfortably put my feet up and watched TV. The rascal shamelessly followed me and lay down on the fabric sofa in the living room, snoring away and sleeping soundly on his back.
Yi Rou was busy in the kitchen for more than half an hour before she came out. I didn't even need to look to know that the kitchen, which wasn't dirty to begin with, must have been scrubbed until it was spotless.
To my surprise, she brought out a plate of apples that were cut into lovely shapes, with toothpicks carefully stuck in them!
"You're truly a five-star man. Whoever marries you will be incredibly lucky." I laughed and forked a piece of apple into my mouth.
"No, dear sister, please don't make fun of me." Her face turned red again, and she looked really beautiful.
"I'm serious, I'm not kidding. Do you have a boyfriend?" My gossip-loving instincts immediately kicked in.
"No, who would like me? I'm stupid and clumsy. And you, dear sister, how's your relationship with President Lin going?"
"Cough cough cough..." I choked on the apple juice and almost coughed up my lungs.
Lin Yirou quickly came over and gently stroked my back. It took her a while to stop, and I caught my breath before saying, "Who said I was dating President Lin?"
"Cao Rui, that's Peter."
"Don't listen to his nonsense. Next time I go to Shanghai, I'll tear his mouth apart."
"But that night I saw you two dancing together very affectionately."
"Hey, don't be so conservative. In modern society, there aren't that many gentlemanly rules between men and women anymore. Besides, you two have danced before," I said against my will.
So, you two aren't boyfriend and girlfriend?
"Of course not. We're not even friends. In his eyes, I'm just a lowly office worker." I said this with a very sincere tone, recalling how he and May looked like a perfect couple.
"Does Mr. Lin have a girlfriend?"
"Of course there are, and they're very pretty," I said bitterly.
"Is he not married yet?" The young woman seemed to have an unusual interest in Willson.
“Miss, isn’t the order of your questions a bit reversed? Shouldn’t you ask him if he’s married first, and then ask him if he has a girlfriend?” I continued, forking my apple.
"No, if you like him, you can pursue him even if he's married," Yi Rou said earnestly.
I was shocked when I heard this. This was nothing like what she said to the woman who blushed easily: "You didn't come to Guangzhou for Willson, did you?" Although she has low emotional intelligence, I had enough gossip to get me started, and even I, with no imagination, began to understand what she meant.
Her face flushed again, and she smiled to herself, but didn't say anything.
I shook my head and smiled wryly. There are always beautiful women who appreciate good men, and my little schemes are really not worth mentioning.
"Good sister, you're practically the one who introduced me to President Lin, so could you please go all the way and arrange for me to meet him at work tomorrow? I've been working here for a week, but I haven't even seen a single shadow of him once."
"No way, Miss, you don't really want to date at the company, do you?" I was really shocked by this young girl; she was so different from the impression I had of her before.
"Of course I like him, but I don't know if he likes me back. I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't try to find out his feelings."
"What if he says no?"
“He won’t say no to me,” Lin Yirou said softly but firmly.
I practically fled back to my room. I never knew that such a seemingly delicate woman could be more difficult than me. A sudden sense of unease washed over me. I locked the door, dug out my bankbook from a hidden spot under the mattress, and read through the records five or six times, counting the zeros over and over again, before I gradually calmed down.
That morning, as soon as he sat down in his office, A-Ce suddenly appeared out of nowhere: "Hey, I heard from the administration department that a beautiful girl from Shanghai has recently moved in and is living with you? Can you introduce us? I'm being drowned in the drool of my bachelor subordinates. If you don't help me, I'll have to hand over my Western Project to TK."