Until the meeting ended, Cen Jin's mood remained indescribable, with no outlet for her feelings.
Returning to her workstation, she immediately opened WeChat and sent a message to Chun Chang.
Cen Jin typed rapidly: I'm so choked up I could die.
Chun Chang replied: When isn't the whole world against you?
Cen Jin felt stifled: The person who cut ties with me is now working part-time in my building, acting completely uninhibited right in front of me. Would you be okay with that?
Chun Chang: Li Wu?
Cen Jin: Who else.
Chun Chang reached peak schadenfreude: Damn, that kid's something! So persistent. Can you handle it? I know I couldn't.
Cen Jin: The women around me are still discussing him.
Chun Chang grew dissatisfied: How strange that your coworkers get to see Li Wu in person before I do?
Her focus had veered completely off course, leaving Cen Jin no choice but to reply with a "?"
Chun Chang: You care so much. If you can't stand him being out there attracting attention, just go downstairs right now and either chase him away or lock him up at home. Make sure he never appears before you or your colleagues again.
Cen Jin felt something stuck in her throat.
Truthfully, she had realized it since that afternoon when she stumbled upon her photo in Li Wu's dorm room—her world had begun tilting, leaning toward an unpredictable direction. Everything about that boy was no longer entirely within her control.
Especially during that minute he appeared in the conference room earlier. Though she maintained a stern expression throughout and didn't glance his way once, she had already felt uncomfortable all over, her heart in tangles.
Her territory was being quietly eroded. The young man had parasitized his way back into her jungle in another form, and this time, she lacked sufficiently powerful weapons to slash and drive him away.
Cen Jin was utterly sick of this feeling.
There was a sense of defeat, a reactive stress from being provoked.
And a secret, subtle pride that she didn't even want to acknowledge herself.
Unable to articulate these complex emotions, Cen Jin knew only one thing: when a relationship tends toward losing control, indifference is the best approach.
She closed WeChat, forced herself to stop thinking about it, and turned to focus on her work.
Around nine in the evening, Cen Jin went to the basement level to get her car and head home.
Passing by Meet, she acted as if she didn't see it. Only after the car had completely passed did she glance in the rearview mirror. The café at night reflected in the small mirror resembled a warm-colored wishing bottle.
The people inside were like matchsticks, utterly indistinguishable from one another.
Cen Jin withdrew her gaze and accelerated away.
―
Today marked Li Wu's seventh day working part-time at Meet. Under the manager's arrangement, he and Cheng Rui had clear divisions of labor: one handled drink preparation, the other managed the cash register.
Both wore the standard store uniform: gray stand-collar shirts with brown aprons tied over them.
Li Wu, tall and slender with broad shoulders and a narrow waist—a natural clothes hanger—looked refined and artistic in the work attire.
The infusion of fresh blood had indeed boosted Meet's customer flow.
White-collar workers from Jiuli Building had caught wind of the news, frequently visiting the shop under the guise of making purchases to catch a glimpse of the fresh face. The number of customers specifically requesting Li Wu to deliver their orders was also increasing daily.
Whenever they had a break, Cheng Rui would pull Li Wu aside to secretly admire and sigh over the pretty women stopping by the café:
"Damn, that woman looks just like Suzy!"
"Wow, that short-haired one has such a great figure!"
"Holy... makes you realize what we used to see back in school.""I finally understand why you like older women, Li Wu. They're all so beautiful—who wouldn't want to date an older woman after seeing them?"
Li Wu kept a straight face: "...What about Tao Wanwen?"
Cheng Rui immediately shut his mouth and patted his chest: "Though they're good-looking, none of them can compare to Tao Wanwen's status in my heart."
Li Wu curved his lips slightly, offering no comment.
Cheng Rui suddenly remembered something: "But we've been here for a week—how come we still haven't seen your crush?"
Li Wu's smile faded: "I saw her today."
"Huh?" Cheng Rui widened his eyes: "When?"
Li Wu said: "When I delivered coffee to her company this morning."
Cheng Rui asked concernedly: "How did it go? Did you get to talk?"
Li Wu lowered his eyes, somewhat wistful: "How could I? She didn't even look at me."
"Did you look at her?"
"I did," Li Wu wiped the counter: "But didn't dare to be obvious."
Cheng Rui sighed at his timidity, even demonstrating: "Why are you so cowardly? If I were you, I'd directly bring the coffee out and hand it to her with both hands, staring right at her with that intense, sincere, love-filled gaze."
Li Wu disdainfully: "You're insane."
"How can you insult me? I'm giving you advice."
"You don't understand her."
Cheng Rui mocked: "Oh? And you do? If you understand her so well, why haven't you won her over?"
Li Wu paused his movements, quietly taking note of the method.
However, in the following days, Li Wu received no more orders from Aoxing.
After asking Cheng Rui to subtly inquire with the manager, he learned that Cen Jin's team had gone to Yuncheng for a business trip and filming. Li Wu instantly became dejected.
On the evening of July 10th, Cen Jin and several colleagues landed back in Yishi.
Exhausted from days of travel, they slumped in the car from the airport to the company, too tired to speak. Unfortunately, Yuan Zhen received an urgent call from another arrogant and domineering client, repeatedly demanding immediate video revisions.
After failing to negotiate, Yuan Zhen grabbed his head in frustration.
Cen Jin, resting with closed eyes, heard the commotion and opened them to ask.
Yuan Zhen exchanged a look with her, and Cen Jin immediately understood, sighing helplessly as she gazed out the window.
Lu Qiqi, chatting on WeChat, suddenly clutched her head and groaned: "Teddy says our floor has a power outage. It'll take a while for the technician to fix it, so we should find somewhere else to work."
The video department guy quickly opened his laptop to check the battery, then glanced outside and suggested: "Let's go to Meet to edit—it's quieter."
Cen Jin hesitated slightly but nodded in agreement.
After getting out of the car, the group looked up.
Their company floor was indeed pitch black. Everyone sighed collectively and marched toward Meet, using it as a temporary workspace.
The first to spot Cen Jin was Cheng Rui behind the counter. His pupils dilated in surprise as he stared intently at her. When she glanced his way, he quickly raised his hand in a small greeting. Cen Jin smiled faintly and followed her colleagues inside.
After one of Cen Jin's male colleagues came to place an order, Cheng Rui hurried to find Li Wu, who was still cleaning in the back kitchen.
"Your crush is here!" he whispered excitedly, nearly jumping three feet high.
The tall, slender boy washing dishes turned: "Where?"
"Out there," Cheng Rui described eagerly: "She's wearing a spaghetti strap dress. Sister Cen's arms are still so fair—she didn't even get tanned on the highland trip."Hearing this, Li Wu's expression turned cold as he flicked suds toward him: "Did I ask you to look?"
Cheng Rui's eyes immediately stung, and he squeezed his eyelids shut, cursing, "Fuck! Should I greet her with my eyes closed then???"
Li Wu turned off the faucet and pulled off his rubber gloves: "Where's their order slip?"
Cheng Rui, squinting, pulled the receipt from his apron pocket: "Basic drinks, plus two cakes."
Li Wu took it: "I'll make them."
"Got it. You can deliver them too, alright," Cheng Rui conceded, rubbing his eyes as he walked away. "As if anyone's competing with you."
Li Wu also lifted the curtain and strode back to the front counter, starting to operate the coffee machine.
Several times, his gaze drifted over the overlapping chairs and warm yellow halos of light, secretly searching for Cen Jin and her group.
They were quite a large party, so they had pushed two four-person tables together.
Cen Jin was undoubtedly the most striking among them—otherwise, why would he spot her at a glance and see no one else?
The woman sat by the aisle, her laptop open in front of her. She was resting her chin on her hand, chatting with colleagues, her nose delicate and straight, lips rosy, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling.
Li Wu took a breath and lowered his eyes, focusing on the latte art.
Once several cups of coffee were ready and arranged on a tray, Li Wu bent down to retrieve two desserts from the display case and carried everything over.
The moment the young man arrived, the previously lively conversation at the table instantly quieted.
Several women turned their attention to him, admiring his face and movements, watching his long, distinct-knuckled fingers curl around the cup handles as he transferred each coffee from the tray to the table in front of them.
Cen Jin was seated by the aisle, so Li Wu stood right beside her, mere inches away.
The tall youth's shadow fell directly over her, bringing a slight tension. Cen Jin could only act as she had before, staring intently at her screen and slightly curling her fingers.
After everything was served, just as Li Wu picked up the tray, Yuan Zhen suddenly called out to him: "Little brother."
Li Wu stopped and curved his lips slightly: "Yes?"
Yuan Zhen tilted her head with a smile: "Do you still remember me?"
Li Wu studied her for a moment: "I remember."
"Wow," Yuan Zhen was pleasantly surprised. "You still remember me! Since you have an impression of me, how about reconsidering giving me your WeChat?"
Li Wu remained silent.
Lù Qíqí scoffed, calling her out: "Haven't you had enough? He already said he has someone he likes."
Yuan Zhen was unfazed: "What does 'having someone he likes' mean? It just means it's one-sided, they're not together yet. What's wrong with getting to know me too?"
Lù Qíqí took a sip of coffee, licked the foam from her lips, and tutted: "You should be careful with her. She's the female pervert that young, handsome men flee in terror from for hundreds of miles."
Yuan Zhen feigned severity, slapping her arm: "What are you making me out to be? I just want to be friends with little brother, understand? Friends!"
Yuan Zhen then smiled sweetly at Li Wu: "Little brother, are you an adult?"
Li Wu nodded.
Yuan Zhen pressed further: "Just graduated from high school?"
"Mm."
Seeing how adorably handsome and well-behaved he was, Yuan Zhen couldn't resist teasing him: "Besides this part-time job, any plans for the summer? This big sister wouldn't mind showing you around and broadening your horizons."
Li Wu didn't quite understand her implication and could only offer an awkward smile.
Yuan Zhen cupped her face and cooed: "Little brother, smiling at me like that—does it mean you're willing?"
"Ugh—" The other male colleagues couldn't help but sigh in exasperation.
Lì Fēi mocked: "Why don't you show me around too? I'd also like to see the world."
Yuan Zhen shot him a glare, disdainful: "You? You have the nerve?"Just as he was about to speak to Li Wu again, Cen Jin suddenly said, "I'm going to the restroom."
She rose from her seat but didn't move, staring straight ahead as she waited for the people at the table to make way.
Li Wu snapped to attention and quickly stepped aside.
Cen Jin walked straight past him and headed toward the restroom.
After Cen Jin left, Li Wu lost interest in lingering at that table any longer. After exchanging a few perfunctory words, he returned to the bar counter.
No sooner had he set down the tray than his phone vibrated abruptly in his apron pocket.
Li Wu casually opened it and was surprised to find a message from the permanently pinned contact at the top of his WeChat.
Cen Jin: Come here.
—
Just two words made Li Wu's heart pound wildly, his breathing growing ragged. He untied his apron, hastily wiped his hands, and hurried toward the restroom.
He felt like her kite—no matter how fierce the wind, if she chose to reel him in, he would fight against the gale to rush to her side.
As soon as he turned the corner, he saw Cen Jin standing sideways at the end of the hallway.
Her canary-yellow spaghetti strap dress fell to her ankles, revealing a vast expanse of smooth skin on her upper body, like a snowfield under moonlight.
Li Wu clenched his fist and slowed his pace as he approached her.
The woman glanced over as well—after so many days, she was finally willing to look him in the eye again.
Cen Jin felt that Li Wu seemed different, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly how. His face was the same, his figure unchanged. Perhaps it was his gray work uniform, which lent him a more mature air, accentuating a haze-like sense of aloofness.
She didn't give him the chance to strike first. The moment the young man stood before her, Cen Jin parted her lips and asked, "Is this the part-time job you mentioned?"
Li Wu was taken aback. "Yeah."
"Is selling smiles your way of being independent?" Cen Jin blurted out again.
Silence fell between them for a few seconds.
Li Wu stared at her, his gaze sharp and clear, but he remained silent.
Cen Jin looked away, pressed her lips together, then turned back and shot him a sympathetic yet fierce glare. She raised her phone, pressed the screen to life with her thumb, and began typing rapidly. "I'm transferring the 100,000 yuan back to you right now. I didn't sponsor you through school just so you could sell smiles to others. Treat yourself better and focus on being a proper student."
As she was still entering the amount, her wrist was suddenly seized.
Li Wu's movement was swift and forceful. Cen Jin stumbled forward slightly but quickly steadied herself.
The young man's hand felt like a searing iron shackle. Cen Jin's heart seemed to burn as well, contracting violently.
Unable to move, Cen Jin strained in the opposite direction, trying to break free, but he held on tightly. Humiliated and enraged, she raised her face and shot him a warning look with her eyes.
The young man's dark, bright eyes locked fiercely onto hers. "Didn't you say you never wanted to see me again? Why did you call me here?"
Cen Jin retorted sharply, "Then you shouldn't have shown up in front of me. Showing up is one thing, but debasing yourself—who are you trying to impress?"
"How am I debasing myself? Don't you think your actions right now are the ones making me feel like I'm selling smiles?" Li Wu released her hand, his expression stern. "You're the one who came to the shop today. You're the one who messaged me to come here. I came this time, but don't expect it to be so easy next time."
With those words, Li Wu turned and walked away.
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