Chapter Thirteen – The Date

When Xu Shixi arrived at Xunyuan, Su Yishu had just left his home.

The landscaping in Fragrant Garden was exquisite, with an astonishing fifty percent of the community covered in greenery. Magnolias, palms, osmanthus, and camphor trees were planted in the most harmonious combinations. It was the lushest moment of the year—not the fierce green of high summer, forced by the blazing heat, but a gentle, natural vibrancy.

The camellias in the shrubs had already passed their peak, with only a few scattered blooms remaining. Fortunately, the gardenias that were just beginning to open painted a faintly fragrant touch over the otherwise pale flowerbeds.

As Yishu walked out of the community gate, the security guard regarded her with a gaze that bordered on astonishment. There were many possible interpretations to be found in his eyes.

Yishu paid him no mind. She shot him a swift glance, pressed the iron gate’s button, and stepped out.

The nearest bus stop was not close—she had to turn onto Xingzhou Avenue. Perhaps those living in high-end communities never took the bus, and so the bus company hadn’t bothered to set up a stop here.

Fragrant Garden and Textile City were separated by only two streets. Go straight to Xingqiao, turn left onto Yuyang Road, and you’d arrive as soon as you got off the bus. Xunyuan was west of Fragrant Garden, also two streets away; after entering Xingzhou Avenue and heading north, a left turn at the crossroads onto Yue’an Road would bring you to the company gates in ten minutes.

The elevator doors had just closed when Qiao Siming, rushing in, pressed the button on the wall and forced them open again.

Last night’s department dinner had continued until midnight. This morning, he’d only woken up thanks to the five consecutive alarms he had set. He often said that to wake someone truly asleep, you had to summon all your strength to rouse them. That’s why none of his girlfriends’ gentle whispers ever worked. Worried he’d turn off the alarm in a daze, he set five at once.

“I’m telling you, it was a real shame you didn’t make it last night.” Siming’s throat was parched from running; he swallowed desperately to wet it and undid the top button of his shirt. “I had no idea that Song Yu, the new girl in our department, could hold her liquor so well. And she can sing, too!”

Xu Shixi remained composed. “You guys went singing as well?”

“That was my idea,” Siming said, catching his breath and running a hand through his hair as he adjusted his appearance in the elevator’s reflective panel. “Just eating is so boring. With a group this big, where else would we go if not karaoke? The movies?”

Xu Shixi shook his head coolly, unwilling to continue the conversation.

“Weren’t you on your way over yesterday? Why did you message later saying something came up?” Siming’s eyes flashed with all manner of speculative scenarios.

Xu Shixi said nothing. Just then, the elevator arrived at the thirtieth floor. He walked straight to his office, leaving Siming behind, still pressing for answers.

Yesterday afternoon, after closing a business deal with a client, Xu Shixi had been heading to the department dinner. While passing along Yuyang Road, he’d glimpsed Yishu in the rearview mirror—helpless and lost in the rain. In that instant, he had only one thought: bring her into the car, take her away from the cold, wet world.

When had he started to feel this way?

Looking back on their meetings and growing acquaintance, it all seemed to have happened so naturally.

At the office door, his hand on the handle, a deep male voice sounded behind him.

“Congratulations, Manager Xu.”

Xu Shixi paused, turning around with a half-smile. “Thanks to your support, Manager Wan.”

Their professional, insincere smiles chilled the room’s temperature in an instant.

“We’ll see how things go,” Wan Xinheng said as he stepped closer, staring down at him with arrogant disdain.

“Always happy to learn from you,” Shixi replied, refusing to back down.

Once the room was quiet again, his assistant, Xiao Ye, brought over the latest progress reports for the city village redevelopment project.

He opened the report and frowned deeply. The project was progressing far more slowly than expected. Some crucial construction materials had yet to arrive, yet the workers’ wages had to be paid in full.

A portion of the project involved relocating villagers, so the potential profit was already limited. If construction fell off track, the losses would be incalculable.

He instructed Xiao Ye to ask the procurement department why the cement and steel on the requisition list had not been purchased.

Half an hour later, Xiao Ye returned, hair disheveled and out of breath. She reported that the required materials were still being “screened,” and that the prices set by the planning department exceeded expectations. Even if procurement agreed, finance would not approve the funds, so nothing could be purchased.

“Which brands are they considering?” Xu Shixi’s hands clenched into fists.

“Fubo, Jiafu, and Liquan,” Xiao Ye replied, rubbing behind her ear as she tried to recall.

All three brands hovered at the threshold of barely acceptable quality. If they were chosen, the end result for the project’s quality was all too obvious.

They were simply looking for a chance to line their own pockets.

But what could he do?

The three procurement supervisors were all relatives of the company’s senior management. The chairman turned a blind eye to their schemes, so long as they didn’t go too far.

“You can go now,” Xu Shixi said, folding his hands under his chin. “Let me think about it.”

He remained in that position until noon, when Qiao Siming came in to invite him to lunch at the second-floor cafeteria.

“You still haven’t told me what happened last night,” Siming said, setting down his chopsticks, uninterested in eating.

Xu Shixi was equally uninterested. Under Siming’s relentless questioning, he thought that, since it was already noon, he might as well send a message to ask.

As Siming’s attention wandered, he quickly took out his phone and sent a message.

—Did you sleep well last night?

—Very well. Sorry for causing you trouble.

…

What should he say next? Two people with no experience in relationships, speaking of love with the innocence of schoolchildren. Too shy for flirtation, hesitant to speak their hearts; every word had to be carefully transformed before it could be uttered.

—There’s a new movie, “You and Me.” If you’re free, would you like to see it with me?

—I’m free.

—Then tomorrow night, I’ll pick you up at Textile City.

—Alright.

“Who are you messaging?” Siming’s gaze was sharp. “Flirting with another girl right in front of me?”

“A client,” Xu Shixi replied coolly.

Flirting? Let it be flirting, then. He thought to himself, he clearly liked her—why not say it? As a man, he ought to take the initiative.

“Really a client?” Siming probed, seeing through him. “In my twenty years on the battlefield of love, I can tell you’re in love. Your first love, too.”

Xu Shixi couldn’t be bothered to answer.

“Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you’re even attracted to women—you’ve never seemed interested before.”

“If you’re so interested, why are you still single?” Xu Shixi shot back.

“I just haven’t met the right one—still searching,” Siming said, making excuses with mock pride.

“If I’m going to find someone, it has to be the one destined for me for life,” Xu Shixi said firmly. “That’s the biggest difference between us.”

That’s the biggest difference between us.

Siming was stunned by his words, reconsidering him afresh. In thirty years, only his carefully maintained appearance had provided any comfort. As for everything else—what was there? His family was wealthy, but his father had already decreed in his will that all the money would go to charity after his death. Siming would not inherit a cent. His mother had no say in the family at all.

To him, Shanghai—the glamorous metropolis—was a city of demons.

He had fled, following Xu Shixi to Cloud City. For him, pleasure and living in the moment were life’s truest joys and purpose.

He envied Xu Shixi for his harmonious family; for his smooth, successful career; for a life that seemed blessed in every way.

But this was only his own narrow perspective.

And that so-called envy, perhaps it had already grown into something more: a tinge of jealousy, even resentment. Of course, he had yet to realize the slow, silent growth of this negativity within him.