Withоut еlаbоrаting to Zhang Xiаоqiang, he lаter shut down his соmрutеr аnd wеnt to wash uр. Passing by the mirror, Wei Qingуuе glanсed аt it twiсе. Тhe mirrоr wаs sроtlеss, reflеcting a clеаr imagе.
It really wоuldn’t do without а housekеереr, hе thоught silеntly, squeеzing оut toоthраste. Тhe bаrе toothраste lаy there аs if stripped nаkеd, аnd Wei Qingуue felt an inехрlicаblе wаvе оf disgust. Нe mесhaniсallу pressеd the switсh, аnd thе elесtriс tоothbrush beside thе sink began buzzing incessantlу.
He washеd his facе hastilу, lаthering а rich foam of cleanser in his palms before applying it to his face, where it lingered for only a few seconds. Wei Qingyue scooped handfuls of water, splashing it repeatedly onto his face.
Bathing was another matter. Wei Qingyue’s habits were peculiar. After showering, he would return barefoot to the bedroom. Unlike most people, who would sit down first and then lift the blanket to lie down, Wei Qingyue walked directly to the foot of the bed, stepped onto it, and casually flopped down wherever he landed. He would then pull the blanket over himself, wrapping himself up.
If anyone outside had been paying attention, they would have seen a strange young man living alone behind the bright floor-to-ceiling windows, pacing back and forth like a robot, meticulously carrying out his routines.
Lying in bed, he suddenly realized he didn’t know if Jiang Du would get used to him. He had too many quirks, but who knew? Sleep with me, come into my arms. As drowsiness washed over him, Wei Qingyue’s mind repeated the same thought: Sleep with me, come into my arms.
He just hoped Jiang Du wouldn’t think he was a pervert. With that thought, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he drifted off to sleep with a smile.
In September, the finance department of Lingdong Technology was usually very busy, needing to compile financial data for the next quarter and release quarterly reports. Autonomous driving had always been a key focus for the company. As the PowerPoint slides flipped one by one, the data for several major business segments came clearly into view.
After the meeting, Wei Qingyue stayed behind to report to his direct superior, the big boss.
Lingdong had just obtained the Class A navigation qualification. Earlier, they had nearly succeeded, but in the end, the Ministry of Natural Resources canceled Lingdong’s application due to issues with the eligibility of its shareholders.
Originally, the company’s senior management had planned to acquire a company with Class A qualifications as a temporary measure. Wei Qingyue insisted on applying independently. He had long anticipated that emerging industries relying on navigation electronic maps would become highly popular in the coming years, and the high-precision map sector had already attracted major players to enter the field.
"Once the map is launched, the coverage data will no longer be limited to first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen," Wei Qingyue explained calmly as he presented the slides. "Although the industry has been urging the government to relax review conditions in recent years, from a practical standpoint, it’s only this year that the qualification window has shown signs of opening. However, policy details may actually become increasingly stringent."
The other party nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Although there are still issues with the lack of unified application scenarios, as L2 secures mass production project approvals, this problem can gradually be resolved."The steady middle-aged man gestured habitually as he spoke: "The actual road conditions in our country are far more complex than those in Europe and America. It's perfectly normal for the data richness to exceed theirs by dozens of times. The question is, how can algorithms achieve a high level of synergy with map data, right? We still need to hire more people for positions like SLAM algorithms, localization, and high-precision maps. By the way, the tech park is conducting test drives next week. You should come and take a look."
After leaving the meeting room, he went to the pantry to have some snacks. Holding a cup of coffee, he gazed down at the city from the window.
Wei Qingyue still had a project to discuss with Zhang Xiaoqiang. The reason he had maintained contact with her over the years was because the automotive company she worked for frequently collaborated with Lingdong. Even if he wanted to cut ties, it would be impossible. Moreover, Wei Qingyue had no intention of doing so all these years.
He routinely invited Zhang Xiaoqiang to meals in a very formulaic manner. When discussing work, he was meticulous, but once the topic shifted to seeing a doctor, Wei Qingyue became highly resistant, thinking she was being unreasonable.
Zhang Xiaoqiang had grown increasingly adept in social interactions. No matter how angry she was, she could still speak to you with a smile, carefully and methodically. She never got angry with Wei Qingyue, even when he had acted so inappropriately that anyone else would have cut ties with him. She didn't.
Over the past two or three years, Wei Qingyue had become much steadier, but when it came to speaking, he often remained unpleasantly blunt in front of acquaintances, leaving others speechless while he remained unmoved.
She had once introduced him to a private psychologist who was highly regarded in the field and exceptionally skilled. However, whenever Wei Qingyue visited, he either slept or dozed off. When communicating, he would spout nothing but lies—not even his punctuation could be trusted.
There was simply no client as difficult as him.
But when Zhang Xiaoqiang introduced her regular housekeeper to him, he gladly accepted. When he was studying abroad, his mother was busy with her career and relationships, leaving him to stay with a host family. At first, he wasn't very accustomed to it—even the family dog only understood English. Later, his spoken English improved rapidly. The hostess took him to church activities, where he sang hymns and studied the Bible. Seeing that Wei Qingyue had no intention of converting to Christianity, she eventually left him alone. The food was terrible, and the family ate incredibly fast. To avoid being disliked, Wei Qingyue tried his best to adapt to the host family's ways. However, some of their attitudes made him uncomfortable, such as their unintentional displays of superiority and disdain for China. It was during this time that Wei Qingyue deeply felt the weight of human prejudice and the futility of ineffective communication. He wasn't particularly happy, but unhappiness was a constant in his life—not unbearable, just something he grew accustomed to over time. Fortunately, his excellent grades allowed him to effortlessly tutor the host family's children in math, which helped maintain their relationship in a somewhat balanced state.
So, years later, after returning to China, Wei Qingyue immediately resumed a completely solitary lifestyle. All he needed was a housekeeper.
At noon, 12:14 PM, while having lunch in the cafeteria, Zhang Xiaoqiang called him to discuss seeing a neurologist.
She coaxed him patiently over the phone: "I just found out this doctor is our high school alumnus. You'll understand once you meet him."
Wei Qingyue thought she was being particularly tedious and bluntly replied, "So what if he's an alumnus? What does that have to do with me? If you have nothing important to say, don't waste my time.""Go take a look, we can all have a meal together, just to catch up." Zhang Xiaoqiang patiently persuaded him, occasionally rubbing her waist—she hadn’t slept well lately due to business trips.
Wei Qingyue was even more direct this time: "I have nothing to catch up on. If you want to reminisce, go ahead. I’d rather talk about work if I have time. I feel you still have a guarded attitude toward Lingdong, which makes it hard for us to leverage our strengths."
Seamlessly shifting from personal matters to business, Zhang Xiaoqiang sounded particularly helpless: "Tsk, the tone of your last conversation clearly suggested you looked down on us for having too little influence in the new energy sector, unworthy of entering your social circle."
"Nothing of the sort, what nonsense are you talking about?" Wei Qingyue laughed. "How would I dare look down on Minister Zhang?"
"Hey, just agree this once, old classmate. Do me a favor." Round and round, Zhang Xiaoqiang circled back to this topic.
"I’m perfectly fine, what’s wrong with you? Instead of preparing for the auto show, why keep bothering me with this?" Wei Qingyue’s eyes were cold, his expression utterly unempathetic. "I still need to prepare a research report. I’m hanging up now."
"Wei..." Zhang Xiaoqiang didn’t finish calling his name, paused for a few seconds, and slowly put down her phone.
The city sky was clear and vast.
That afternoon, he met with the team from the collaborating university. A group of them led Wei Qingyue on a tour of the latest laboratory. Outsourcing engineering R&D to universities and research institutes for trial and error was an idea he had proposed to the company partners from the very beginning.
When he went to find Jiang Du, it was already past her off-work time. Old Luo told him his watch would take a while longer to be returned. Wei Qingyue frowned, finding it amusing:
"What, did they send it back to Europe for repairs?"
For Wei Qingyue, a phone was a tool for making calls, not for telling time. That was what a watch was for. In some matters, he was particularly stubborn.
But Jiang Du had already eaten ahead of him. She said apologetically, "I was too hungry, so weak I had no energy left. Luckily, I brought the lunchbox Grandma made for me. How about I keep you company while you eat?"
When facing him, she seemed unconsciously a bit reserved, completely forgetting that long, warm, and lingering kiss, forgetting they had already shared an intimate moment.
Wei Qingyue hadn’t forgotten. He first apologized for being late, then found a fast-food restaurant and ate unusually quickly. Jiang Du watched him and reminded, "Isn’t it too hot? Eat slower, or it’ll be bad for your esophagus and stomach."
Hearing this, Wei Qingyue listened, slowing down and chewing carefully.
"You really shouldn’t eat so fast in the future. It’s not good for your health." Jiang Du sat quietly and emphasized it again.
"Starting to manage me already?" Wei Qingyue’s eyebrows glistened with a bit of sweat.
Jiang Du felt even more embarrassed by his words. She thought, I do want to manage you. You’re the one who said you needed someone to keep you in check, and I don’t want anyone else doing it, so it has to be me. Besides, if someone else tried, I know you wouldn’t listen.
Thinking this made her incredibly happy.
Strangely, Wei Qingyue seemed to read her mind, gently nudging her shoe under the table: "Since you want to manage me, go ahead and do it."
Jiang Du reflexively denied it: "Who said I want to manage you?"
Wei Qingyue smiled without saying a word.
"What have you been busy with?" He put down his chopsticks, pulled out a tissue to wipe the corner of his mouth, then poured some water to rinse.
Jiang Du always smiled shyly. She said, "Interviews, writing articles.""You?" Wei Qingyue chuckled. "An interview? Who have you interviewed, being so shy? Why didn't you come interview me that day?"
Jiang Du nervously touched her hair and said, "Interviewing you is Huang Jie's job; I'm not qualified. Besides, I don't really like interviewing people like you. I prefer interviewing ordinary folks, regular people, like..." She spoke slowly, her eyes blinking as she looked at Wei Qingyue, gauging whether he wanted to hear more.
"Like what?" Wei Qingyue sat beside her, naturally stretching his arm over the backrest behind her and crossing his legs as he focused on her. This posture placed Jiang Du entirely within his sphere of influence—Wei Qingyue was inherently a very dominant person.
Jiang Du glanced out the window. Not far away, under the night sky, an elderly flower seller sat on a small stool, looking around.
She pointed and said, "Like that grandma. I want to know what she's thinking, how much she earns each day, why she sells flowers—whether it's because life is hard or just to pass the time. If I ever get the chance to make a documentary about the city, I'd focus on people like her."
Wei Qingyue turned his head to follow her pointing finger. "I remember you mentioned a documentary to me. I watched it. Although it's far removed from my life, still..."
"You were deeply moved, weren't you?" Jiang Du turned her head and immediately met his smiling eyes. Caught off guard, she stared blankly for a few seconds.
"But it didn't really affect me much. I just thought, 'Oh, that's tragic, but they're still living.' Everyone has their own hardships," Wei Qingyue shrugged. "I've known this truth for a long time, so I don't get as easily teary-eyed as you girls do."
Jiang Du lowered her gaze and said softly, "I hope people who watch documentaries can draw some strength from them. It's not about being moved to tears."
"Should I watch it again then?" Wei Qingyue was still looking at her with a smile. He cleared his throat and patted her shoulder, signaling her to stand up. "We just finished eating. Want to take a walk together?"
As they stepped outside, Wei Qingyue didn't forget to get back at her, picking up where they left off. "What do you mean, you don't like interviewing people like me? What kind of person am I?"
Jiang Du was taken aback and answered truthfully, "The kind that feels very unfamiliar."
"How so?"
"Very smart, very confident, always ahead of the times, full of talk about high-tech and new technologies, eloquent, always striving for greater heights. Huang Jie has interviewed many successful people. Most of them aren't young anymore, though there are exceptions, like you. She even did an episode with a famous live-streaming sales host. Honestly, I don't understand what these people are so excited about or what all the fuss is. I can't relate to them." Jiang Du always spoke slowly and gently. The expression on her face finally allowed Wei Qingyue to pinpoint the source of the clear sense of distance—subtle, yet not cold.
"Ultimately, I'm too ordinary, and I don't like joining in the excitement. But I'm still very curious about the world, which is why I got into this line of work—it lets me meet all kinds of people." Jiang Du noticed Wei Qingyue's eyes hadn't left her face. She instinctively touched her cheek. "Do you want to talk about yourself?"
"Talk about what?" Wei Qingyue asked knowingly.
Jiang Du was stumped and quickly backtracked. "Never mind, I was just saying." She was still the same—if someone didn't want to talk, she wouldn't press at all.Wei Qingyue continued, "My story, if told from the beginning, would be quite long—starting from when I left in 2007, all the way to now. Of course, it's not some grand epic. Sometimes I was lucky, and other times it was just plain shitty."
He asked if she minded him smoking. Jiang Du thought for a moment and said, "Go ahead and have one if you want."
Wei Qingyue lit a cigarette. The wind blew, scattering the smoke and tousling his hair. When it fell over his eyes, he looked like the boy from back then. But his frame had become that of a man—no longer slender, his shoulders now solid and broad.
He began talking about his studies, his work, and returning to China to start a business with his senior. However, the continuous high investment led to their startup being acquired by Lingdong. He then joined Lingdong, responsible for the planning, development, and operational management of the autonomous driving division.
Jiang Du listened with great interest. As Wei Qingyue finished his cigarette, the last ember drifted over with the wind and landed in her hair. He apologized profusely, carefully brushing it away for her. In her ear, she heard his low chuckle.
The two stood very close. Jiang Du remained still, letting him tidy her hair. Wei Qingyue suddenly said, "I've wanted to touch your hair for a long time. I always thought it would be soft, and it really is."
Jiang Du looked at him in surprise. Wei Qingyue said, "Don't look at me like that. What I mean is, I've had my eye on you for a long time."
Jiang Du blushed and stammered, trying to change the subject, "Huh? Why did your startup with your senior fail?"
Wei Qingyue, focused on stroking her hair, replied casually, "It was too early-stage to survive until profitability. Back then, in 2015, I had just returned to China. My senior thought autonomous driving had great prospects and left his company to start his own business. I was also interested, so we gave it a shot. Later, we struggled with funding, the cash flow broke, and we had no choice but to sell out to Lingdong."
Hearing the words "sell out," a flicker of amusement crossed Jiang Du's eyes. Wei Qingyue slowly let go of her hair and said simply, "I could sell myself to you too."
His eyes were so bright, reflecting the early autumn night sky.
Jiang Du's breath caught, as if all her strength had been drained away. Yet her heart pounded fiercely, as if it could be renamed "Thump-Thump"—beating relentlessly all day long. How should she respond? Oh, she had originally planned to discuss some work-related matters with him. She had thought of many topics before he came to find her. Jiang Du's mind was a mess...
"Find a time, and I'll officially sell myself to you?" Wei Qingyue made no attempt to hide his desire for her. He spoke even more bluntly, interrupting her thoughts.
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