The snow came early that year, and by early November, it was already freezing and people couldn’t do anything without a heater.
Lin Sitao was wearing a navy blue woolen coat and a plaid scarf as he hurried into the office building with his bag in hand.
Chen Yi was already waiting for him.
Upon seeing Lin Sitao, she smiled and said, “Welcome to the flagship store.”
Lin Sitao called Chen Yi his senior sister. An alumna from his university, two years his senior, and was from the same hometown as him. They had known each other since their time at the university. Now, Chen Yi was working in the company’s human resources department. The company had a massive system with nearly 100,000 employees, with several branches in Beijing alone, so Chen Yi’s description of it as the flagship store was quite fitting.
Lin Sitao was currently working at a design institute, and he would frequently come to the construction site to coordinate with the construction team for a project in the near future.
Chen Yi accompanied him to the office and gave him some advice. She also said, “The rail hub renovation project may be personally presided over by a vice president.”
Lin Sitao’s heart skipped a beat, “Wasn’t it mentioned before that Engineer Liang would be in charge?”
Chen Yi made a face, “Who knows, I just heard the news this morning.”
Lin Sitao didn’t say anything. There were three vice presidents, and it might not be the one he was hoping for.
It has been nine years since he first met He Xian. It would be unrealistic to say that his trajectory in these nine years followed He Xian’s every move (behaving like a stalker). However, every time he decided on the direction he would take in life, a faint shadow would be present. It was like being at the bottom of the deep sea, looking up at the beautiful sunlight filtering through the water’s surface.
Advance, advance further, he always thought this way.
Until today, he had the opportunity to work with He Xian. He was about to jump out of the water. And then what? What should be the first thing he should say once he sees He Xian?
“Thank you. Only because of you that I have come this far.”
It sounded too stiff.
“Hello. After all these years, do you still remember me?”
That sounded too hypocritical.
“I love you. I love you so much, always have, and always will. I love you so much that I’m acting like a stalker.”
That was good, very good. The only problem was that he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
After parting ways with Chen Yi on the third floor and agreeing to have a simple lunch with her and her husband later, Lin Sitao pressed the elevator button for the ninth floor. He looked down at his phone for a moment, and when the elevator door opened, he looked up.
There seemed to be several people in the elevator, but he only saw one person at first glance.
He Xian was standing there.
Short hair. Leaner than he remembered. Dressed in a black sweater, black suit jacket, and pants, all in a sleek black. If a sniper rifle were slung over his shoulder, he would exude the aura of an assassin.
“What floor?” the assassin asked, holding the door.
Lin Sitao hurried into the elevator and pressed the button for the ninth floor.
As he passed by He Xian, he said, “Morning, Mr. He.” The three words came out with a stutter, like a faulty cassette tape.
He Xian nodded in response.
For Lin Sitao, it was already a miracle for him to stay on his feet, restraining himself from jumping up and down.
There were times when he dreamed of He Xian growing old and miserable. When he woke up from such dreams, he felt both anxious and foolish for having such thoughts.
But now, he saw with his own eyes that He Xian was still healthy and handsome. Wherever he stood, people’s attention would be drawn to him.
As he stepped out of the elevator, Lin Sitao felt dizzy and disoriented, but also relieved and contented
By noon, Lin Sitao was still in high spirits as if he had been injected with chicken blood. He had lunch with Chen Yi and her husband at a dumpling shop near the company, where they ordered a few simple vegetable dishes.
Chen Yi’s husband, Yu Junchang, was also an engineer who had just finished another project. As colleagues, they talked about their old classmates, colleagues, and the company during their meal.
The conversation eventually turned to He Xian and his background. Naturally, everyone marveled at his family background. The He family! The grandson of He Zhongcheng! This was a well-known fact throughout the entire company system, and everyone seemed to never tire of talking about it.
Lin Sitao wanted to subtly inquire about other information regarding He Xian, but he quickly realized that anything worth knowing about He Xian was already public knowledge, and anything private would not be easily disclosed. Furthermore, the interpersonal relationships in the company were complex, and just because Chen Yi was friendly towards him did not mean that her husband would confide everything to him.
After a moment of reflection, he casually asked, “Has Mr. He gotten married?”
Chen Yi smiled and replied, “No. There are plenty of girls in the company who want to challenge Mount Everest, but I doubt anyone can match up to him.”
Chen Yi then asked Lin Sitao, “What about you? Do you have a girlfriend now? Do you want me to introduce someone to you?” Yu Junchang teased her, “Do you think Lin Sitao needs your help with his talent and looks?”
Lin Sitao smiled and replied, “You know my situation. I still haven’t found a place to settle down in Beijing after graduation. Let me work hard for another two years before thinking about it.”
Living in Beijing was not easy. With property prices skyrocketing, it was difficult to buy a house in the city. However, since he had no plans to get married, it didn’t seem like a pressing matter for him.
Earlier this year, he had bought a two-bedroom apartment for his grandparents in J City, with a good location and layout. More importantly, his grandparents finally had their own home where they could live comfortably in their old age. As for himself, he was content with renting a place or staying in a dormitory in Beijing. As long as it was clean and convenient for work, it was enough.
Later in the evening, Lin Sitao saw He Xian again, or to be more precise, he saw him from afar. After finishing his work at the company, Lin Sitao was rushing to the train station when he suddenly saw He Xian walking out of a flower shop across the street.
He was still dressed in black, holding a bouquet of wilting flowers and walking hurriedly in the complete opposite direction of Lin Sitao. The streetlights had just turned on and there was still some snow on the ground.
It seemed like a scene that only appeared in dreams. Lin Sitao stood in the piercing cold wind, knowing that this was not a dream. And just like in the dream, he had no interaction with He Xian.
However, the progress on the company side was faster and better than he had imagined. The overall person in charge of the project – as expected – turned out to be He Xian.
Two days later, the technical backbone had a meeting. Lin Sitao and his teacher went as representatives of the design institute. Lin Sitao finally had the chance to openly watch He Xian. During the meeting, He Xian didn’t waste time; he roughly determined the framework and asked a few key design and construction-related topics. The meeting proceeded quickly, leaving Lin Sitao no chance to daydream.
After the meeting, He Xian walked over and shared a few words with Lin Sitao’s teacher.
It was expected for He Xian to come and greet Zhou Xu, who was a highly experienced and well-regarded teacher in the industry, having won many awards.
Standing behind Zhou Xu, Lin Sitao quietly listened to He Xian and his teacher’s conversation. Suddenly, Zhou Xu said, “This is my student. He also contributed a lot to this project.”
Lin Sitao was taken aback, realizing that his teacher was boosting his reputation. He couldn’t help but look at He Xian.
He Xian was also staring at him.
Their eyes met for a second, and He Xian smiled and said, “I remember you.”
Lin Sitao’s mind went blank for a moment. He Xian said, “Liang Gong mentioned it to me. He said there’s a hardworking young student in Teacher Zhou’s team that Teacher Zhou really likes. That must be you, right? Truly a case of a great teacher producing great students.”
Lin Sitao’s heart painfully returned to its place.
He Xian had completely forgotten about him already.
He finally calmed down. It would have been certainly great if He Xian remembered him, but that would have been a small miracle. It was completely normal for him to have been forgotten over the past nine years. After all, He Xian’s experiences in those nine years must have been much richer and more colorful than his own.
That evening, those who participated in the meeting had dinner in a private room at the company cafeteria, with two tables arranged for them.
He Xian had drunk two glasses of wine, and halfway through his meal, Ding Shengguang also joined in. Ding Shengguang was always good at socializing and wherever he went, there would be a lively atmosphere.
With him there, the pressure on He Xian to socialize became lighter.
Toward the end of the dinner, He Xian went outside to smoke, and Ding Shengguang went with him. Ding Shengguang asked, “Still feeling down?”
He Xian replied, “No.”
Ding Shengguang glanced at his face and said, “I can’t really tell if you’re happy or miserable. It’s hard to tell.”
Ding Shengguang was always full of ideas, and he quickly changed the topic. “I don’t understand the pain of a breakup. But when I can’t find my first choice, I’ll go to my second or third. That’s how it is with relationships. Can anyone really not move on from someone else? The old ones don’t go, the new ones won’t come.”
“There was a young man at the table earlier who seemed pretty good,” Ding Shengguang noted.
He Xian remembered the young man. He was less than 1.8 meters tall, not very tall, but had an impressive leg-to-body ratio and was pleasing to the eye. He had a small face like an actor, looking especially delicate. His skin was white in a wonderful way—not reflective or powdery, just clean and fair, which perfectly complemented his amber-like eyes.
The most important thing was his eyes. Looking into them was like falling in love.
He said, “That’s from the design institute, one of Zhou Xu’s students.”
Ding Shengguang laughed, “There are several young people there, but you know who I’m talking about? It’s impressive that you noticed him. He’s talented and good-looking… Do you want to bet that you can win him over in a week?”
He Xian extinguished his cigarette and glanced at him, “One night.”
