My lover is here
Wen Tong had countless times sketched the visage of Xiao Wanqing in her mind during dark nights in a foreign land. She was so familiar with the nuances of Xiao Wanqing’s expressions, down to the curvature of her smiles and frowns. Now, after half a year apart, as she stood a few steps away, a single glance was enough for her to keenly sense that her beloved looked different.
She seemed more beautiful and enchanting than when she left. Wen Tong thought that it probably wasn’t just a matter of absence making the heart grow fonder. Xiao Wanqing had an indescribable charm about her now, becoming even more gentle and appealing. The vague sadness that lingered in her brow for years had dissipated, revealing a lightness and joy that Wen Tong hadn’t seen in many years.
Vibrant and heartbreakingly lovely, her face was now full of the freshness of spring.
During her absence, Xiao Wanqing had taken very good care of herself, which should have been reassuring and joyful for Wen Tong. Yet, inexplicably, a sudden twinge of anxiety clenched her heart.
The tender emotions that flickered across her eyes and the corners of her mouth left Wen Tong feeling somewhat panicked and insecure.
“You look somehow different,” she said, facing Xiao Wanqing with her luggage in tow, unable to keep the doubt and surprise from her voice.
Without any hint of estrangement after their long separation, Xiao Wanqing naturally reached out to help with another suitcase. Hearing the question, she glanced sideways, smiling nonchalantly, and countered Wen Tong’s inquiry: “Different in what way? Oh, Xianxian did mention that I seem to have lost some weight recently.”
Wen Tong snapped back to reality, her deep-set eyes filled with a profound and restrained emotion. She followed Xiao Wanqing’s steps out, and with a reserved tone, she said: “You seem much happier than before. Have you met someone new recently, or has something joyful happened?”
The tormenting suspicion in her mind was uncontrollable: Could it be that Xiao Wanqing… had fallen in love?
But for the past seven or eight years, Xiao Wanqing had shown an attitude of being detached from the world, uninterested in romantic relationships. Could someone have touched Xiao Wanqing’s heart in just the half-year she’d been away? Wen Tong was unwilling to believe it, much less accept it.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wanqing was momentarily taken aback. Her grip on the luggage handle unconsciously tightened, and the smile at her lips involuntarily faded.
Actually, Wen Tong was not the first to ask her such a question. Recently, many people, including colleagues, had joked during casual conversations that she seemed different from before; those a bit closer to her even bluntly teased her, asking if there was a special reason, noting the spring aura of someone in love in her brows and eyes.
She had never taken these comments seriously, considering them just jokes. But now, even Wen Tong was asking her the same. A rueful smile formed in her heart. Had she really become so obviously and hopelessly in love?
“You’re back, isn’t that a happy occasion?” Xiao Wanqing replied, lowering her eyelids, appearing nonchalant.
She didn’t intend to hide the truth from Wen Tong, but here and now clearly wasn’t the right time or place for such confessions. She had somewhat anticipated that Wen Tong might not easily accept her relationship with Lin Xian. Having just quit a job and starting a new one was no trivial matter. She wanted to wait until Wen Tong had settled down a bit after her return before telling her, to avoid adding to her worries.
When she left, Xiao Wanqing didn’t show any signs of reluctance or sadness, which caused Wen Tong a sense of loss. Now, Xiao Wanqing rare in her forthrightness, told her she was happy about her return, leading Wen Tong to feel a touching joy—a sentiment easily satisfied.
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A shadow of doubt still lingered in her heart, but ultimately, she forced herself to accept this comforting answer, not daring to inquire further.
Over the years, Xiao Wanqing had been very open with her about matters of the heart. Wen Tong even remembered more clearly than Xiao Wanqing herself, how many people had pursued her and how many she had rejected. It didn’t make sense that if something really was going on, Xiao Wanqing would hesitate to tell her.
In fact, deep down, Wen Tong was also afraid that further questioning might lead Xiao Wanqing to unexpectedly give her an answer that she couldn’t bear to accept. What would she do if Xiao Wanqing truly had someone else?
She left this place for Xiao Wanqing, and now she had returned with a do-or-die courage for her sake. If Xiao Wanqing truly denied her this last brave chance, then what would she do with herself?
Stay, or simply turn around and leave?
Wen Tong chose to numb herself.
She effortlessly placed her luggage in the back seat of Xiao Wanqing’s car and then took her place in the passenger seat. Glancing down, she noticed two little clay figures on the dash she’d never seen before, which startled her internally.
She picked up the figurines and played with them in her palm, asking in what seemed an offhand manner, “I haven’t seen these before. When did you become so whimsical?”
Xiao Wanqing answered her with an easy smile, “It’s a birthday gift from Xianxian.”
Wen Tong couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It had been so long since she’d seen Lin Xian that she’d gradually forgotten the subtle threat Lin Xian posed to her at the New Year. Moreover, looking at these two little clay figures, she couldn’t help but laugh; they truly were the sort of gift a child would give.
However, she didn’t enjoy the feeling of looking for trouble where there was none.
Wen Tong put the figures back, reined in her smile a bit, and said to Xiao Wanqing seriously, “I might be busy with starting my new job these next few days, so it’s going to be hectic. Once things settle down in a few days, let’s go out for a meal. I have something I want to tell you.”
Deep down, her thought was that in a few days it would be Qixi Festival—The Chinese Valentine’s Day, which they always celebrated together in the past years. This year, she wanted to use the occasion to muster up her longing and courage to confess her feelings to Xiao Wanqing decisively.
Seeing Xiao Wanqing’s increasingly cheerful disposition also gave her some confidence. She estimated that even if Xiao Wanqing couldn’t accept her feelings right away, it probably wouldn’t be like the previous years when failing to become lovers meant they couldn’t even remain friends. She had the patience to wait for Xiao Wanqing’s acceptance, and besides, once her feelings were out in the open, she wouldn’t have to hold back; she could pursue her openly.
Xiao Wanqing did not think too much about it and cheerfully agreed, “Sure.” It was a good opportunity for her to open up to Wen Tong as well.
After a moment of thought, Xiao Wanqing also told Wen Tong, “Sister Zhou Qin knows you’re back and wants to invite us out for a meal.” Zhou Qin would probably invite them after she had spoken to Wen Tong. Regardless, she was confident that Wen Tong would not directly bring the issue to Zhou Qin. Whether Wen Tong was willing to join them for dinner or even the attitude Wen Tong would have at the dinner would indirectly reveal her stance on Xiao Wanqing’s relationship with Lin Xian.
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Wen Tong agreed without hesitation. She thought that even if her confession got rejected, Zhou Qin was hosting the dinner, and Xiao Wanqing would likely give face by going. This way, she could also meet Xiao Wanqing again without awkwardness.
Each harboring their own thoughts, the two felt somewhat relieved after this topic was settled. Xiao Wanqing inquired about Wen Tong’s new job, curious as to why she had changed her mind after initially turning down Shixing’s invitation. Wen Tong analyzed the prospects of the new company objectively with Xiao Wanqing and concluded with a personal and crucial reason, “Shi Jinglan moved me. Although I do not like her always appearing so confident, unperturbed, and self-righteous, I must admit that she is an excellent leader and entrepreneur. She has big ambitions for this new company, and the blueprint she laid out convinced me. Moreover, she promised me the freedom and fairness that Xinchao could not offer.”
What Wen Tong was most reluctant to deal with were figures like Shi Jinglan, who seemed like harmless smiling tigers—beauty was her trap to let down others’ guard, and Shi Jinglan very much knew how to use her advantages. Putting aside her personal biases, Shi Jinglan was indeed a rare talent in the industry, someone who could rely on her looks but chose to speak with her capabilities.
Seeing Wen Tong’s rare look of admiration when speaking of Shi Jinglan, Xiao Wanqing couldn’t help but recall the lighter engraved with the character “Shi” she had seen at her house and felt a bit of gossip stirring within her. She hinted subtly, “You were in Changze City, and Director Shi is in Anjiang. Did she personally contact you?” Typically, recruiters handle such matters; was Shi Jinglan personally involved?
Remembering several unpleasant encounters with Shi Jinglan in Changze City, Wen Tong replied self-deprecatingly, “I’m not really that significant; it must be some kind of fated misfortune. My work in Changze City had some connections with her. I took the bad luck, and she took the limelight. While she enjoyed the show, she offhandedly managed to dig under the wall, and I, unable to resist, got loosened up.”
Xiao Wanqing laughed at her tone, jokingly teasing her, “Even a bad fate is still fate.”
Wen Tong chuckled lightly, not taking it to heart.
Before Qixi Festival, after the magazine’s morning meeting ended, the president suddenly made an internal call, asking Xiao Wanqing to come to his office.
Upon entering the office, the president greeted her with a smile, saying, “Xiaoxiao, have a seat.”
There had been a change of decision-makers higher up in the magazine, so the previously shelved idea of establishing a branch office was brought back onto the agenda. Although no official notice had been issued yet, he had already received a verbal notification.
He had always seen potential in Xiao Wanqing, but there was an old saying, “For each carrot, there’s a hole,” hinting at the issue of fitting people into the right positions. The head office was already fully staffed, and previously Xiao Wanqing had not been willing to relocate, leading him to constantly worry about her dissatisfaction with the current state of things and the possibility of her quitting. On the other hand, he felt it was a waste of her talent. Now, as Xiao Wanqing was willing to move and the opportunity arose, he notified her immediately so she could prepare her materials early.
// for every person (represented by a “carrot”), there is a suitable position or opportunity (the “hole”).
However, what he didn’t expect was that upon hearing the news, Xiao Wanqing’s face didn’t show the happiness he’d anticipated. Instead, her usually calm and composed face unexpectedly revealed a look of confusion and helplessness.
If this message had arrived a few months earlier, she would have packed her bags without a second thought and relocated. But now, Xiao Wanqing bit her lip, clenched her fists, and couldn’t utter the word “Okay.”
Even though, perhaps it’s not too late to back out now, perhaps withdrawing now could minimize the harm to both parties, or at least, to herself.
But her mind was filled with Lin Xian’s charming smile, her ears seemed to still echo with the girl’s sweet voice, and her lips felt like they retained the sweetness left by the girl.
How could she bear to hurt her, how could she bring herself to let go?
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Xiao Wanqing remained silent for a long while, then lifted her head and apologetically said to the president, who had high hopes for her, “President, I can’t go.”
The president was taken aback and said in a deep voice, “Although there’s been a delay, it’s still the project from before, and the overall plan remains the same as the original. The funding and resources are even more generous than before; you needn’t have any concerns.”
Xiao Wanqing pursed her lips and explained softly, “Of course I trust you, it’s just that I have my own personal reasons, and I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint your kind expectations.”
The president’s eyes grew solemn, and he spoke with restrained sincerity, “Then you don’t have to rush to refuse. There’s still some time. Learn more about it and consider it a bit longer.”
Xiao Wanqing knew the president assumed her reluctance was due to concerns about the conditions of the offer. She smiled helplessly, shook her head, and provided a concrete reason that would be convincing.
“President, my… lover is here, and it’s inconvenient for me.” In her eyes there was an involuntary tenderness.
LP: I pity you Wen Tong (ｏ・_・)ノ”(ノ_<、) Better yet, why not tame that smiling tiger, Shi Jinglan? ╰(▔∀▔)╯