Xiao Xiao noticed that the traffic policeman's dark face had flushed slightly, and he turned away as if he hadn't seen her. She suddenly felt very good today. Teasing a traffic policeman, hehe, not everyone dares to do that!
Xiao Xiao smugly shrank back into the car, then looked at the flashing numbers on the traffic light and felt that time was passing so slowly. She wondered if she would be late again today. If she had known it would be this slow, she would have preferred to run the red light even if she got caught and lectured by such a handsome traffic cop next time.
Bored, she turned her gaze to the sidewalk, aimlessly scanning the hurried pedestrians. Suddenly, as if struck by a blunt object, she froze on the spot. The man appeared in her line of sight without warning, like a needle piercing Xiao Xiao's eyes.
He was still the same, with a gentle smile always on his face, even when he said "break up" to you. He was looking at the woman beside him with tender eyes. The two held hands and whispered something, their faces occasionally showing knowing smiles. They walked hand in hand in front of Xiao Xiao's car, completely unaware of the person inside.
This is what lovers are like; when their love is at its peak, they can only see each other.
Xiao Xiao felt dizzy, as if her heart was being gripped tightly by two clenched hands, almost dripping water—no, her heart wouldn't drip water, only blood.
The honking horns behind her pulled Xiao Xiao back to reality. The red light ahead had already turned green, and even the traffic policeman noticed that something was wrong with Xiao Xiao and glanced at her a couple more times.
Xiao Xiao closed her eyes, slammed on the gas pedal, and the car finally shot forward...
Fang Yi's head finally stopped hurting today. He drank too much the night before last, which caused him to have a headache all day yesterday. Thinking back to that absurd thing, he couldn't help but laugh and cry. He never thought he would actually be interested in a little boy. What's even funnier is that the little boy was able to escape right under his nose!
Just as Fang Yi picked up the coffee his secretary had made, his beautiful female assistant swept in like a gust of wind.
"Mr. Fang, these are some documents that need your signature, as well as the proposals that the board of directors will review this afternoon." Xiao Xiao handed a thick stack of documents to Fang Yi.
Seeing the thick stack of things, Fang Yi couldn't help but frown. It was only the first day of work, why was she already here? She had never been this proactive before.
"Why are you working so hard today?" Fang Yi asked with a smile.
Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow, looked at Fang Yi, and said, "With such a high salary from you, how can I not work hard to live up to your expectations?"
Fang Yi smiled and nodded. Who says beauty and intelligence can't coexist? His female assistant was a perfect example of someone who possessed both. For some reason, looking at Xiao Xiao, Fang Yi was reminded of the embarrassed young man from the night before last. What was wrong with him? Why was he constantly thinking about men? Had something really gone wrong?
Xiao Xiao worked like crazy all day, not only finishing up all the work that had piled up before, but also making up for a lot of the progress.
"What's wrong with Assistant Xiao today? She seems to be working herself to the bone?" Secretary Liu asked Polly in a low voice. Polly secretly glanced at Xiao Xiao, who was smiling and discussing a proposal with someone, and said mysteriously, "Not only is she working herself to the bone, but she's also in an unusually good mood. She's had a smile on her face all day. Has she started a new relationship?"
Xiao Xiao didn't notice the reactions of her colleagues. All she wanted to do was keep herself busy, make her smile more natural, and stop that gentle smiling face from appearing before her eyes, and stop those hands clasped together from gripping her heart so tightly.
So, Xiao Xiao was exceptionally busy that day, almost running around on the edge of her seat.
On this day, Xiao Xiao smiled especially sweetly.
In this world, some women like to use their gentleness to cover everything, such as men, and their own hearts that are already hard as iron; while other women always like to put a steel cage around themselves, to keep out the men outside, and to protect their own weak hearts.
Xiao Xiao clearly belongs to the latter category.
Actually, that's not entirely accurate. Xiao Xiao isn't just tough on the outside but soft on the inside; she has an extra layer compared to others. In Zhang Jingzhi's words, it's like Xiao Xiao's steely exterior is covered with a thick layer of honey, which is why she always attracts a lot of attention.
Often, people think they have hardened their hearts and thickened their skin, and that they can casually bring up the past, turning experiences that make them laugh or cry into jokes.
There are also many times when I think I can be strong and face the outside world with a smile, turning the tears in my eyes into a faint smile, with my eyes curving and the corners of my mouth twitching.
The sheath may seem sturdy, but often a casual remark or a fleeting glimpse of a figure in the distance can pierce through this hard-won steel sheath, stabbing straight into the heart and causing excruciating pain.
As Xiao Xiao sat on the hotel carpet and opened her first can of beer, she wondered why seeing this after all these years still hurt so much. Why was this knife still so shiny, without even a speck of rust, after all these years? It was truly inexplicable.
The slightly bitter liquor, though just beer, sent a burning sensation through my stomach.
Xiao Xiao had always considered herself a very rational person. You could say that she became a very rational person after that incident. No matter what she did, she would always leave herself a way out and be prepared for any unexpected events.
So even her decision to drown her sorrows today was carefully considered.
Women should not get drunk in public; it's irresponsible of them to do so.
She used to have her own place where she could buy some alcohol, lock the door, and drink to her heart's content. The next day, a headache would naturally replace the heartache. But now that Chu Yang was staying at her place, Xiao Xiao had to come to the hotel and book this room herself.
Here, at least no one will see her sadness, no one will see her crying without any regard for her image.
Without any food, the alcohol was consumed even faster. In no time, three or four cans were already lying on the ground. The effects of the alcohol hadn't kicked in yet, but the smiling faces in front of me became clearer, as if I were frozen on that day many years ago.
So I was once this innocent too! Xiao Xiao thought, throwing away the empty beer can in her hand, and then picking up another can from the ground. With a "pop," she opened it, and beer foamed out, then hissed and burst in the air, just like her love.
People say that first love doesn't understand love. Actually, it's more accurate to say that young people don't understand love and always confuse passion with love. And passion, no matter how intense, always has an end.
When the man said "break up," Xiao Xiao was stunned. He said he just wanted to experience what it's like to love someone. What's it like to love someone? It turns out he didn't know what it was like to love someone. How ironic it was that he said those words when she was willing to give up everything for him!
From initial anger and sulking to later compromise and tears, Xiao Xiao did a lot—things she could think of and things she couldn't, things she should and shouldn't have done—but all of this only earned her greater resentment from him.
When love is gone, your tears are no longer pearls in his hand, but become annoying muddy water on a rainy day. But women are blinded by so-called love and can never see things clearly.
Seven or eight beer cans were scattered on the ground. Xiao Xiao wiped away her tears, some of which accidentally got on her lips. She found them to be slightly bitter, like beer. No wonder she could drink so much, Xiao Xiao thought. So some of the tears had already started to flow out.
Time flies, five years have passed. Why does it still hurt when something stings my eyes? Xiao Xiao was a little puzzled.
She staggered to her feet and swayed toward the bathroom. "That's the downside of drinking beer," Xiao Xiao muttered to herself. "You always have to run to the toilet."
Just as she came out of the bathroom, her phone rang. Xiao Xiao hesitated for a while before finally picking it up and pressing the button. It was Chu Yang's voice: "Sister Xiao Xiao, I forgot my keys. When are you coming back?" Chu Yang asked.
Xiao Xiao (revised)
Xiao Xiao forced a "hmm" and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go back now."
Although reason told her that it was best to stay in the hotel, she couldn't help but go back emotionally. Chu Yang had nowhere else to go, so she had to go back.
Stepping out of the hotel, the wind made the effects of the alcohol even stronger. Although she was aware of her condition, her body was not cooperating. She decided she couldn't drive and should take a taxi.
It was strange; there should have been taxis at the hotel entrance, but there weren't any at this time. Xiao Xiao sighed and swayed towards the roadside. Perhaps her walking posture was too strange, attracting stares from passersby.
I managed to grab onto a lamppost by the roadside, but I couldn't move at all. It really felt like I was walking on cotton. I had drunk too much today. Even though I was holding onto the lamppost, my body was still sliding down uncontrollably.
Oh no, I had to wear such a short skirt today, I'm definitely going to expose myself, Xiao Xiao thought.
Before she could slide down, a pair of large hands suddenly reached out from behind, supported her shoulders, and lifted her up again.
Xiao Xiao strained to look up, trying hard to see who the person behind her was.
Jiang Sicheng frowned as he looked at the woman in front of him who was completely drunk. She didn't seem like a stupid woman. How could she drink so much alone outside?
She turned and glanced at him, then actually smiled, "Hello, police officer." Her speech was already a little slurred, and she looked at him with hazy, drunken eyes, smiling innocently.
Jiang Sicheng was somewhat amused and exasperated, and said with a cold face, "Where are the keys?"
He knew she had a car; she had even swaggered at him from inside it that morning.
"Keys?" Xiao Xiao's head was spinning even more. She thought to herself, "The police are really amazing. How did they even know that Chu Yang forgot his keys?"
She buried her head in her purse and finally managed to pull out a bunch of keys, which she casually handed to Jiang Sicheng.
Jiang Sicheng freed one hand to take Xiao Xiao's keys, and Xiao Xiao immediately slumped down again. Seeing her like this, he quickly leaned her body against him before taking the keys she handed him.
The keychain has many keys of different sizes, but it is definitely not a car key.
"Where are the car keys?" he asked again.
Xiao Xiao stared at him blankly, a silly smile on her lips, as if she hadn't understood what he was saying at all.
Helpless, Jiang Sicheng could only put one arm around her waist, then take her purse from her hand and start rummaging through her car keys himself.
A woman's purse is always full of random things: powder compacts, lipsticks, tissues... all sorts of things. When he saw that she also had sanitary pads in her purse, his slightly dark face couldn't help but blush.
He had stopped her car many times before, so he recognized it at a glance.
Xiao Xiao saw it was him in her daze and felt relieved. She obediently let him drag and carry her into the car.
He knew which neighborhood she lived in, but he didn't know which building unit she lived in.
He gently patted her face. "Wake up, where do you live?"
"Building 7, Room 802," she muttered, then turned over and went back to sleep.
When the car pulled up at the entrance, Chu Yang was sitting on the steps waiting. Seeing Xiao Xiao's car approaching, he hurried over to greet it. The car door opened, but unexpectedly, a traffic policeman got out.
Chu Yang was a little stunned and didn't know how to react for a moment. Then he saw the traffic policeman park the car in the parking space, then turn to the other side, open the car door, and take Xiao Xiao out.
Jiang Sicheng glanced at Chu Yang and asked, "Do you know her?"
Chu Yang nodded and quickly had Jiang Sicheng carry Xiao Xiao into the building. "She's my roommate, uh, what happened to her?"
"I saw she was drunk on the roadside, so I brought her back," Jiang Sicheng said.
On the weekend, a batch of new cars were on display at the auto show center, which was packed with people. Zhang Jingzhi was holding Xiao Xiao's hand with her left hand and pulling Chu Yang with her right hand, and she had a hard time getting there.
"Sis! Do you think I'm free? I don't have money to buy a car, why did you drag me here?" Chu Yang asked Zhang Jingzhi with a slightly complaining tone, wearing a long wig.
Zhang Jingzhi glared at her, but didn't say anything. She continued to stand on tiptoe and crane her neck, looking around for people.
Xiao Xiao raised the corner of her mouth, revealing a mocking smile, and said, "Isn't it because she needs someone's help, so she has to drag us here to do her a favor?"
Hearing their conversation, Zhang Jingzhi had no choice but to turn around, put her hands together, and bow twice to the two young ladies. "Please, ladies, just consider it as supporting me, okay? Please, please."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Jiang Xiaoruo waved to Zhang Jingzhi, who quickly pulled Xiao Xiao and Chu Yang over. "Xiaoruo, I've brought you volunteers. Let's see what we can do to help you? Hand out flyers?"
A woman in a suit standing next to Jiang Xiaoruo's eyes lit up when she saw Zhang Jingzhi and the other two. She looked them up and down and, before Jiang Xiaoruo could speak, she rushed over and said, "Thank goodness, you're the friends who came to help Xiaoruo? You've come at the right time. Two of the car models were delayed on the way, and I'm having a headache with them. Could you three help out? The payment is negotiable!"
Zhang Jingzhi was a little dumbfounded. She had only come here to help with some publicity, but she didn't expect to suddenly be asked to be a car model.
"I can't!" Zhang Jingzhi hurriedly pulled back. A car model? Looking at the fashionable woman twisting her body into an S-shape on the platform in the distance, Zhang Jingzhi shook her head repeatedly. Let her do it? Are you kidding me?
"It's alright, it's alright. You just need to stand by the car and pose for a bit. It's not like you're going on a runway. It's very simple!" The woman was very persuasive, and even Jiang Xiaoruo came over to act as a mediator, bowing and making obsequious gestures.
Zhang Jingzhi glanced at Xiao Xiao with a troubled expression. Xiao Xiao shrugged and said, "I don't care."
Zhang Jingzhi looked at Chu Yang again, and Chu Yang rolled his eyes, "I'm not doing it."
In the end, none of the three escaped; Jiang Xiaoruo and her colleagues dragged them all to the changing room to change their clothes.
Xiao Xiao was wearing a tight-fitting black velvet evening gown, her narrow waist and pert hips making her look like a fairy.
After her struggle, Zhang Jingzhi wore a rather understated sapphire blue cheongsam, giving her a slight air of elegance befitting a lady from a prominent family.
Chu Yang was the most troublesome, as she refused to change her clothes. Later, under Zhang Jingzhi's coercion and the staff's enticement, she finally changed into a bright red short-sleeved shirt and skirt. If it weren't for the promise of being paid for three people, she would have done this pointless thing even if it killed her.
The three people had different outfits and different personalities, so they were assigned to different parking areas.
Chu Yang (revised)
People came and went in front of the booth; some looked at the cars, and some looked at the people.
Chu Yang leaned casually against the car door, watching the car models around him posing seductively, and found it somewhat amusing.
Wearing heels nearly ten centimeters high, Chu Yang felt his toes hurting after standing for a while. He thought about taking a break and sitting in the car, but when he glanced at the diligent beauties around him, who were still posing in various ways by the car, he felt that he couldn't go too far, since he still had to take their money later.