Fangyuan was still anxiously awaiting my response. After a fierce internal struggle, I finally said to him, “You’re right. I’ll pretend I never heard anything.”
Fangyuan asked cautiously, “Are you sure?”
I nodded, turned around, and walked out of the staff lounge, feeling a deep sense of depression that couldn’t be expressed in words. Fangyuan was indeed right. This matter was of great importance—it involved the fate of two shopping malls and too many people. Chen Jingming had told us about it only because he trusted us. If I couldn’t bear it and revealed it to Mi Cai, I would be betraying Chen Jingming. However, if I kept it to myself and watched helplessly as that lonely, indifferent woman was schemed against by her own uncle, then I would be aiding the evildoer.
I was distracted the entire day, and it seemed like an eternity before I finally reached the end of the workday. Looking at the complicated neon lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a sudden sense of inner turmoil gripped me again.
After staring out the window for a long time, I finally picked up my backpack and said to Fangyuan, who was still working, “I’m leaving first.”
Fangyuan instinctively responded with a “Hmm,” then suddenly looked up and said, “It’s only seven o’clock. You’re leaving already?”
“It’s not early anymore. It’s been an hour and a half past work hours.”
Fangyuan nodded and said, “Staying in the office makes your mind narrow. Go home first. If you come up with any good promotional ideas, keep us updated.”
I gave an OK sign, didn’t even have time to say “See you tomorrow” to Fangyuan, and hurriedly left the office that had been making me feel suffocated.
…
Carrying my shoulder bag and smoking a cigarette, I wandered aimlessly with the crowd on the street, not knowing where to go, my mood becoming increasingly heavy.
Fifty meters ahead on the opposite street, the giant logo of Zhuo Mei Shopping Center glimmered on the rooftop. Yet who could see the struggles hidden beneath that light? Who could pierce through this brightness and see the ugliness of human nature?
I mechanically walked closer to Zhuo Mei Shopping Center, and my confused mind mindlessly led my body into the mall along with the crowd.
Actually, I had no idea why I came to Zhuo Mei. Perhaps subconsciously, I wanted to inform Mi Cai about this conspiracy targeting her so she could avoid this disaster. But I was held back by another strong resistance, leaving me confused and seemingly losing all rational thought.
So I took the elevator from the first floor to the sixth floor. With no more floors above, I had nowhere else to go. I found a bench for customers to rest and sat down, somewhat absentmindedly watching the passing shoppers.
Suddenly, the elevator door leading to Zhuo Mei’s office area opened, and I immediately saw Mi Cai stepping out, followed closely by a young female assistant. Instinctively, I didn’t want her to notice me. I stood up from the bench and quickly slipped into the nearest store.
The shop attendant greeted me with a “Welcome.” I looked up and was instantly dazzled by the dazzling array of colorful women’s lingerie.
“Sir, are you here to pick out some lingerie for your wife?” the enthusiastic shop attendant asked.
“I damn…” I barely managed to stop myself from saying, “Do I look like someone who has a wife?” Instead, I smiled and said to the shop attendant, “Yes, help me pick one. Something sexy.”
The shop attendant immediately showed me a set and enthusiastically began explaining its features. I nodded in agreement while scanning the outside with my eyes. Not seeing any sign of Mi Cai, I finally relaxed a little and interrupted the still-chattering attendant, saying, “This lingerie is nice, but it’s too cheap. Didn’t your training teach you to judge customers’ purchasing power based on their attire?” I said, lifting my shoulder bag to bring its logo into the attendant’s view. “See this? It’s a Ruckdas bag. Never heard of Ruckdas? Well, today I’ll educate you. Ruckdas is a new luxury brand jointly created by Reebok, Nike, and Adidas. This bag I have is their latest global limited edition. Just three words: extremely luxurious! Do you really think someone like me would buy second-rate brand lingerie here?”
The shop attendant looked a bit perplexed. I slung my shoulder bag over my back and prepared to leave, but suddenly noticed Mi Cai standing outside the lingerie store’s aisle with her assistant, giving me a strange look.
I forced myself to walk out of the lingerie store and approached Mi Cai, squeezing out a smile as I asked, “What a coincidence, running into you here.”
“I work here… but what are you doing in a women’s lingerie store?” Mi Cai asked, looking at me like I was some kind of pervert.
I deflected the question with a sigh and said, “So you work here. Are you a floor manager at the mall?”
Mi Cai shook her head, her gaze still carrying a hint of disdain as she pressed, “You still haven’t answered my question. Why are you in a lingerie store?”
I impatiently replied, “Can you stop looking at me like I’m some kind of pervert? I came into the lingerie store to avoid running into you. I saw you coming down from the elevator earlier.”
“You’re hiding from me? I should be thanking my lucky stars that you’re not bothering me anymore!” Mi Cai said, giving me a skeptical look.
I sighed and said, “I just feel guilty, that’s all.”
That was actually the truth. If I ultimately chose not to inform Mi Cai about Mi Zhongde’s power conspiracy against her, I would feel an intense sense of guilt and remorse.
Mi Cai smiled and said, “You should’ve felt guilty a long time ago. You should find a proper place to live and settle down for a while. Isn’t that better?”
Clearly, Mi Cai misunderstood the true meaning behind my feeling of guilt, but I couldn’t explain it to her, so I changed the subject, saying, “Haven’t eaten dinner yet, right? Let’s have a meal together. We just happened to run into each other anyway.”
Mi Cai checked her watch and nodded, saying to me, “It’s about time for dinner. I heard a new rice noodle shop opened downstairs, and the food is pretty good.”
“Are you treating me?”
Mi Cai smiled faintly and replied, “Your backpack is Ruckdas. Can’t you even afford a bowl of rice noodles by yourself?”
I: “…”
…
Even though Mi Cai said she wouldn’t treat me, she still joined the line at the rice noodle shop. At that moment, immersed in the crowd, she looked like an ordinary girl without a trace of her CEO demeanor. Once again, I felt a strange sense of sadness and inner conflict. Perhaps I really shouldn’t have invited her to have dinner together, even if it was just a bowl of rice noodles.
Shortly after, Mi Cai sat down opposite me with the small receipt from ordering food, then glanced at my backpack and smiled, asking, “When did this Ruckdas brand come out? It sounds pretty impressive!”
Looking at her smiling face, I realized: after countless arguments, we had become familiar with each other. We teased each other, invited each other for meals, and helped each other with small things. As long as it didn’t involve that old house, we were gradually becoming something like friends.
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