"Don't touch me!" Holding her head and waiting for the excruciating pain to subside, Qian Duoduo looked down and was shocked to see that her shirt collar was wide open, revealing her lace bra. Forgetting about her head, she frantically covered her collar, and when she looked at him again, her eyes were filled with rage. "You surnamed Xu, I'm going to sue you for rape!"
Shouldn't he be the one to say that? His desire subsided, and Xu Fei wanted to explain, but the way she looked at him was like she was looking at a rapist. His temper flared, and his eyes turned cold. "Qian Duoduo, you're drunk."
"So you brought me to your car, and to me, to me—" She couldn't finish her sentence, overwhelmed with shame and indignation. She glanced at the time displayed on his dashboard: 11:59. Seriously? This long day wasn't over yet? She'd had enough!
She reached out to push the car door open. If she could, give her a witch's broom; she'd want to disappear instantly.
"I wanted to take you home, but you wouldn't answer when I asked for your address. Qian Duoduo, what are you doing!" Grabbing her as half of her body was already sticking out of the window, Xu Fei couldn't help but raise his voice.
"I'll go home by myself, I don't need you to take me." The cold wind made her dizzy again, but Qian Duoduo was determined to leave this man who made her feel ashamed, and she pulled him very hard.
Her coat, which she had only draped over her shoulders, suddenly slipped away during the tug. Unable to maintain her balance, Qian Duoduo ended her most disastrous day with a scream and a miserable fall to the ground.
She heard the sound of a car door closing, followed by footsteps. The car stopped in front of her, and her shadow on the ground slowly shortened. It was so quiet all around. He squatted down in front of her, and she could clearly hear his breathing.
"Go away." She didn't look up, her voice was very low.
In the dead of night, she seemed to hate him to the core. He had no experience dealing with a half-drunk woman, so perhaps it would be better for him to walk away.
She was thinking this in her mind, but there was a voice in the quiet night, his own, low but soft, even with a hint of coaxing, "I'll take you home." "Go away!" she repeated her sentence, with a faint sob, but she didn't look up.
"Where do you live?" he persisted.
The last time he showed such patience was when he was only ten years old. The little girl next door was lost and crying in front of his house. She was only three years old, and the world was just 500 meters away from her home. He took her hand and walked her home, comforting her all the way. His palms were covered in tears and snot.
"I told you to get out of here." She persisted, why wouldn't this man disappear? She hated him, no, she loathed him.
Her eyes stung. Good heavens, she really didn't want to cry in front of this damned man. She bit her tongue to hold back her tears, struggling desperately against her terrible emotions.
“Okay, I’ll call the HR manager.” He reached for his phone.
What? Hadn't she embarrassed herself enough today? Did he want to make it known to everyone in the company? Shocked, Qian Duoduo looked up sharply and grabbed his arm.
The streetlights on this path were spaced far apart and the light was dim. Her eyes were surprisingly bright in this light, but upon closer inspection, they were full of tears, welling up and brimming around her eyes.
She was drunk, and she reminded herself that some people do incredible things when they're drunk, like Qian Duoduo.
She was wailing in the street, crying as she grabbed his collar, forcibly kissed him in the train car, and then flew into a rage.
She was drunk, so whether she cried or laughed, nothing should be taken seriously.
But my heart is so soft; I want to hug her and comfort her, and I also want to continue that kiss—
Oh no, he didn't drink much at all, but he got infected by a drunkard...
"Don't hit me, I'll go home by myself." She finally spoke, struggling to stand up. Although her legs were weak, she knew she couldn't die in front of this man, even if she was going to die.
A car was turning out of the residential area next door, its roof light on, moving very slowly. Qian Duoduo reached out and waved, but her movement was so big that she almost fell into the middle of the road.
He quickly grabbed her, but she turned back and opened the taxi door without looking back.
The driver kept glancing at her suspiciously in the rearview mirror. After giving her the address, Qian Duoduo covered her face and groaned, "Stop looking! I've lost face today, I can't face anyone anymore!"
Chapter Nineteen
On Saturdays, Yi Yi's daily routine is to wake up around 10 a.m., get up, and go downstairs for brunch. Aunt Zhang has been living in the house for many years, but Yi Yi still addresses her as "Madam" and "Former Madam," which sometimes makes Yi Yi feel like she's acting in an old-fashioned Cantonese movie, the kind that keeps replaying over and over again.
"Madam, you're up? Your husband came home last night. You were sleeping. He said he had a meeting in Nanjing this morning, so he wouldn't disturb you. He left in the middle of the night." "Oh." Yi Yi was so used to this situation that she answered casually. Her bathrobe was quite long, and she carefully lifted it as she walked down the last step.
Niu Zhensheng's business spans the entire country. When they were deeply in love, he would enthusiastically take her around to various places. However, when they arrived at a place, she would often wander around alone or simply sleep soundly in the hotel. By the time he finished his work, it would be past midnight. They rarely saw the sun together. After they got married, it became even worse; he would often not see her for ten days or half a month.
At first I complained a little, but I got used to it later. What could two people talk about even if they were really together?
Or perhaps we can each offer our own perspectives; his contributions mostly revolve around recent market volatility, soaring raw material prices, and their impact on downstream industries, emphasizing the need for caution in all endeavors.
She could also report on minor gossip within the industry, such as Mrs. Zhang's new limited-edition diamond watch, or Ms. Li's dissatisfaction with her convertible Porsche and the likelihood of people throwing trash off the bus.
Forget it, saying it out loud would only result in them staring at each other blankly, so the last time they had a topic of common interest was with Qian Duoduo's help—about suitable blind dates for Qian Duoduo.
There was soy milk and fried dough sticks on the table, as well as milk and bread. It was the same every day, and it made me lose my appetite. Yiyi lay there stirring the food with her spoon, and whenever she thought of Qian Duoduo, she reached for her phone.
The first call I made was to Qian Duoduo, but her phone was off. It was a bit strange. Qian Duoduo was known as a superwoman in the workplace, and her phone was like her lifeline, always on 24/7. Sometimes when she was bored in the middle of the night, she would call her and hear the clicking of keyboards on the other end. You couldn't help but admire her.
I tried to call her home again, but the phone rang by itself. It was Qian Duoduo, "Yiyi, do you have time? Come out and keep me company."
Of course she has time. She doesn't have much else these years, but she has plenty of time, so she and Qian Duoduo complement each other perfectly, and their friendship has lasted a long time.
She ran upstairs excitedly to change her clothes, and Aunt Zhang followed her up and said, "Madam, you're going out without eating anything? Be careful of low blood sugar."
"I'm not hungry." She buried herself in the enormous walk-in closet, rummaging through the clothes for a while, and finally pulled out a fitted coat. "Wear this."
Aunt Zhang has been in this house for seven or eight years. Most of the time, this big house is just this coquettish lady and herself. When she first came, Yiyi was only in her early twenties. Although she called her "Madam," she always felt that this lady was no different from a little girl. She was about the same age as her own daughter, and her heart softened when she saw her being coquettish. So she treated her very sincerely, and the two of them had always had a very good relationship.
She was in her early fifties and had a slightly talkative nature. As she went up to help Yiyi put on her coat, she muttered to her, "Either don't eat at all, or eat just a little bit. Your waist is so thin it's practically nothing left."
"A slim waist is good, who would like a barrel waist? Is it attractive?" The sliding door of the walk-in closet was a large mirror, and Yiyi looked at herself in the mirror and asked with a smile.
Aunt Zhang fastened the belt of her coat and looked her up. Yiyi had fair skin, and the coat collar was trimmed with a black mink fur trim that floated softly on her cheeks, making her skin appear even more radiant.
"She's beautiful," Aunt Zhang said honestly, then added casually, "But madam, being too thin makes it harder to raise children, and it will be tough when you give birth."
The words were spoken and immediately regretted, but there was no going back. The two people who had been laughing and talking just moments before fell silent, then turned their heads away, pretending they hadn't heard a thing. Aunt Zhang realized her mistake. When Yiyi first got married, she was pregnant once, and at three months, the ultrasound showed it was a boy. Her in-laws were overjoyed, and her husband was beaming. But back then, she was still a young girl herself, careless in everything she did. One night, when her husband came home, she ran downstairs to greet him, and in her haste, she tripped and fell.
After that, it never happened. I went to the hospital for tests again and again, and they all said there was no problem, but it just didn't happen.
The words were already out, and there was no point in trying to make amends. Aunt Zhang was a little embarrassed, but Yi Yi laughed again after a few seconds and waved to her, "Let's go, let's go. Don't wait for me to come back for dinner. Duo Duo and I are eating out."
Chapter Twenty
Yiyi arrived early, but Qian Duoduo hadn't come yet. She asked someone to sit in a familiar corner and wait. The waiters all knew her and greeted her with smiles when they brought her coffee, but seeing her blank and listless expression, they didn't dare say much. On Saturday, the café was crowded, about 80% full. Young couples huddled together, whispering to each other; there were also slightly older people, but they were relatively silent, the women holding magazines, the men with blank expressions; at the family resting place, a child was struggling and crying with a flushed face, attracting stares from everyone around, the young mother was flustered, the elderly rushed to help, and the father stood by expressionlessly, as if he were in another world; the truly older ones, however, seemed to have common topics, the elderly couples drinking coffee and laughing constantly, pointing and talking with great interest about everything happening around them.
She and Qian Duoduo used to hang out here when they were in school. She remembers that the two of them would often sit here facing each other for a whole afternoon. Qian Duoduo could complete at least two academic reports, while she would read all the current issues of the magazine and still have time to organize her thoughts and feelings.
The café has been renovated several times and the owners have changed several times, but despite the comings and goings of people, all the backgrounds seem unchanged. No, there are changes, though; in the blink of an eye, the two of them are almost thirty.
Unconsciously holding her cup and looking out the window, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure. Her expression changed drastically, her eyes widened, and her first reaction was to press her face against the glass to get as close as possible to see clearly. However, what she actually did was shrink back as if she wanted to become a seed and hide herself.
The crowd outside the window was bustling. The figure flashed by. It must be an illusion. Her expression was shocked. It was impossible, at least in this city.
The door was pushed open, and Qian Duoduo appeared. Without even looking around, she walked straight in this direction. Upon seeing her, she didn't even greet her, but collapsed onto the sofa, looking completely exhausted.
After waiting for a long time without receiving a single greeting, Qian Duoduo finally sat up in surprise and looked at her face in astonishment. "Yiyi, what's wrong with you? Your face is so pale, and you're sweating in this cold weather."
"Oh, it's nothing. I just drank a glass of ice water too quickly." She bit her lip, snapping back to reality and banishing the hallucination from her mind. Looking directly at Qian Duoduo, she asked curiously, "What's wrong? Why are you so down?"
Qian Duoduo is usually full of energy, so it's rare to see him looking so dejected.
"I've made enemies." Qian Duoduo said through gritted teeth as she straightened up and took off her coat.
She's back to normal now. Yi Yi's eyes lit up as she looked at her, then she smiled and leaned forward. "Duo Duo, you look so beautiful today."
Underneath her coat was a rare velvet knee-length dress with a gathered shoulder design, exposing her long, shapely arms and legs. Instantly, their table became the focus of attention.
"I have a date tonight." Qian Duoduo said this casually, as if she were talking about some insignificant little meeting on her schedule.
"A date? Ye Mingshen?" Yiyi's face lit up with a genuine smile. "Steve told me he's very satisfied with you. What about you? Was it love at first sight? How many dates have you had today?"
She asked enthusiastic questions, but Qian Duoduo remained listless, saying, "It's alright, very reliable."
What kind of adjective is that? Yiyi asked again, "By the way, who did you say you had a grudge against?"
When that topic was brought up, Qian Duoduo immediately perked up, frowning as she uttered three words, "Kerry Xu."
Who is it?
"Xu Fei, the new marketing director." This time, Qian Duoduo forced out the answer through gritted teeth, and anyone could see the bitterness and resentment in it.
Huh? Yi Yi was stunned. Qian Duoduo usually talked to her mostly about work, but in her memory, Duoduo had always had a smooth career at the company. How could a new director who she hated so much suddenly appear out of nowhere?
And then there's Xu Fei—why does that name sound so familiar? Yiyi looked up at the sky, racking her brains.
When her coffee arrived, Qian Duoduo reached out to take it, held it, and took a sip to catch her breath.
She had escaped from home. The chaos of the previous night meant she arrived home in the early hours of the morning without saying goodbye to her parents, who were frantic and almost called the police. Later, she realized her phone was off. Exhausted, she had no energy to say anything. She took a quick shower and collapsed onto the bed like a lost soul.
In the morning, while eating breakfast, I explained that I had drunk a few too many drinks at the company banquet and got a good scolding from my mother, "I thought you were going on a date, but it turned out to be work. I'm so angry."
This makes sense – Qian Duoduo finally realized that what was driving her mother crazy wasn't that she didn't come home late at night, but that she still couldn't stay with a man late at night.
Chapter Twenty-One
Actually, that's not the case at all! Furious, Qian Duoduo wanted to tell the truth, but then she remembered that if she spoke the truth, her mother might storm into her company on Monday and demand that the man who forcibly kissed her take responsibility. Coming to her senses, she shut up and reluctantly uttered, "I'm going out. I won't be back for dinner tonight."
Mrs. Qian was furious. "You're still going to work overtime?"
"I'm going on a date! Are you satisfied now?" Qian Duoduo couldn't help but raise her voice an octave as she knocked on the door and entered the house.
"I remember now!" Yiyi suddenly clapped her hands together with a crisp snap. "Isn't that Xu Fei you mentioned someone from the same university as you?"
Qian Duoduo was drinking coffee when she was so startled by Yi Yi's excited words that she almost spat it out. She quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth. "What did you say?" "Is it true?" Yi Yi said excitedly, "Back then, we were almost graduating. There was a rumor that there was a little flying man in the first grade of your school. Our school, which was obsessed with girls, even organized a fan club to watch his running race. It was a big event, with cheerleaders, banners, and everyone chanting, 'Xu Fei, Xu Fei!' I remember it very clearly."
Qian Duoduo looked confused. "Really?" When she was in school, she was only interested in scholarships and nothing else. Especially in her senior year, she was busy interning at several companies to gain experience. She didn't have time to care about the so-called "little flying man".
"Yes, but could it be someone with the same name? Logically speaking, he's at least two or three years younger than us, so it's unlikely he became your boss so quickly, right?"
"She is very young." Qian Duoduo gritted her teeth as she spoke about her age.
"Is it really true? That Xu Fei is so handsome! I've heard my female classmates mention him since then. They say he even became the student council president." Yi Yi was moved by the memories and put her hands together, starting to daydream.
Yi Yi's college life was the complete opposite of Qian Duoduo's. She attended a girls' college with easy courses and lots of free time. During breaks between dates, she would go around looking at handsome guys with her girlfriends, so she still vividly remembers the unprecedented scene back then.
Student council president—the carefree Qian Duoduo—finally vaguely remembered something, and the fingertips holding the coffee cup began to tremble, causing the brown coffee in the snow-white cup to sway back and forth.
"Duoduo?" Seeing that her expression was off, Yiyi finally calmed down from her excitement and called her name cautiously.
"So it was him!" The memories that were already somewhat shrouded in mist were suddenly illuminated by lightning. Qian Duoduo slammed her coffee cup on the table, ignoring the splashes of brown liquid, and stood up on the spot.
Connecting the dots, Qian Duoduo, adept at summarizing, finally pieced together the whole story. The conclusion shocked her. Seriously? It was just a joke back then, and that man was so petty? He actually used such despicable means to retaliate against her?
But after thinking about it, I realized it was impossible. Elizabeth made it very clear that he entered UVL as a management trainee, which means he was a trusted confidant directly selected by a core senior executive. He hadn't been in the country for years, and when he came back, he was promoted directly to director. Why would he bother arguing with her over a single sentence?
Not necessarily! I dismissed my own thoughts again. He's a man, who knows what's going on in a man's mind? Some people who appear very successful and glamorous on the outside have unbelievable scandals that are later exposed. Who knows if they might also have some perverted thoughts?
Qian Duoduo was in a state of utter confusion, her mind racing with endless thoughts, causing her immense distress.
Since Duoduo said those four words, she has been frowning and pursing her lips, her facial expressions quite interesting. Yiyi's curiosity was piqued, and she eagerly asked, "Tell me what happened? You two didn't have a past, did you?"
"What a joke! How could I possibly have anything to do with him? He's so much younger than me!" Qian Duoduo firmly denied it. "Oh—" Yi Yi trailed off in disappointment. True, Qian Duoduo was a person of principle. Xu Fei was younger than her, and so many grades below her; there was no way they could have had any special relationship.
Sigh, no gossip to hear, no secrets to dig up, how boring.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Just then, Qian Duoduo's phone rang. It was Ye Mingshen, whose cheerful voice was like a gentle breeze.
"Duoduo, where are you? I just left school, shall I come pick you up now?"