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墨書 Inktalez
In the early evening, Shang Wenjuan knew that Lin Xiao didn't eat spicy food, so she chose a Huaiyang cuisine restaurant.
When the two girls arrived, Du Hao and a man had already arrived. As soon as they sat down, Du Hao enthusiastically began the introductions.
"This is my girlfriend, Shang Wenjuan; this is her best friend, Lin Xiao; and this is my colleague, Shi Zhenyu."
Lin Xiao and Shi Zhenyu exchanged slight nods, acknowledging each other. Shang Wenjuan, with her cheerful personality, opened up the conversation. "Shi Zhenyu, what do you usually do for work?"
Shi Zhenyu was not very talkative; he answered Shang Wenjuan's questions but rarely initiated conversation. Occasionally, he would return the question to Lin Xiao, asking her about her work.
Lin Xiao had a more reserved personality and responded to Shi Zhenyu's inquiries but didn't elaborate much. From Shang Wenjuan, Lin Xiao learned that Shi Zhenyu was a local from Yu Rao; his father worked for the power supply company, and his mother was an elementary school teacher. After graduating from university, he naturally joined the power supply company.
In a small county like Yu Rao, decent jobs included civil servants, employees in public institutions, teachers, doctors, or positions in the power supply company or banks. Given his background, Shi Zhenyu was considered well-off in Yurou County.
Since they didn't know each other well, their conversation revolved around Yu Rao's local customs and their work situations. With Shang Wenjuan and Du Hao present, the atmosphere didn't feel awkward; being young adults, they managed to enjoy their meal together.
"Lin Xiao, Xiao Du and I are going to watch a movie. Do you want to come?" Shang Wenjuan asked. Having just returned from her hometown, she naturally wanted to spend more time with Du Hao.
"You go ahead; I’ll head back since I have work tomorrow," Lin Xiao replied, tactfully avoiding being a third wheel.
"I'll walk you home," Shi Zhenyu interjected at the opportunity.
"No need; it only takes me ten minutes to walk back," Lin Xiao said.
"I'll accompany you; it’ll help me digest," Shi Zhenyu insisted persistently.
Feeling that refusing him again might seem rude since he was Du Hao's colleague, Lin Xiao reluctantly agreed.
As they walked outside into the cold night air, Lin Xiao regretted not accepting Shi Zhenyu's offer for a ride earlier. Now she was out in the cold without any way to refuse him.
"Are you catching a cold?" Shi Zhenyu asked as he quickly took off his scarf and offered it to Lin Xiao.
Just as they stepped out, Lin Xiao inhaled some chilly air and coughed twice.
"Thank you, but no," she replied. She felt that accepting a scarf from someone she had just met was too personal for her comfort level.
The two of them remained mostly silent along the way, with Shi Zhenyu quietly following beside her.
"I've arrived. Thank you," Lin Xiao said as she reached the entrance of the community and prepared to get out of the car.
"Lin Xiao, do you believe in love at first sight?" Shi Zhenyu suddenly asked, without saying goodbye.
Lin Xiao was taken aback, unsure how to respond.
"Can I text you?" Shi Zhenyu added, realizing that his words had slipped out without much thought, and quickly tried to clarify.
"Sure. It's getting cold; be safe on your way back," Lin Xiao waved her hand and turned to head back into the community.
Shi Zhenyu stood there, his heart fluttering with excitement.
As he drove home, his steps felt light, and the sweet scent of winter nights intoxicated him.
A few minutes earlier, at the traffic light, Li Hao had just returned from the provincial capital to Yu Rao. He watched the pedestrians outside the car window, contemplating how to enhance Yu Rao's commercial atmosphere.
A familiar figure caught his eye—Lin Xiao was standing at the intersection with a man, waiting for the light to change. They weren't talking to each other.
Yet among the crowd at the intersection, it was clear that they were together. The man stood slightly behind Lin Xiao, blocking off a busy area with his body, his hand subtly positioned to protect her from the throng of people behind them.
An unnamed anger surged within Li Hao. He had told her to take a break, yet here she was on a date with another man. The fleeting thought of betrayal crossed his mind, only for him to find it absurd moments later.
Lin Xiao had been by his side nearly all the time; aside from sleeping, she was practically inseparable from him, always available on weekends as well. Yet a voice in his head shouted that she somehow found time for romance—perhaps he hadn’t given her enough to do.
On the sixth day of the new year, while other units were still off work, half of the office staff had reported for duty in preparation for the county-wide target assessment meeting scheduled for the seventh day.
At noon, after confirming seating cards and arrangements with Luo Qianwei, Lin Xiao went to check on the materials being packaged in the document room. Everyone else had gone out for lunch, leaving Zhou Bin alone on duty.
"Lin Xiao," Zhou Bin said with a bright smile as he approached her, raising his eyebrows playfully.
"Has your sister-in-law not let you take care of the baby these past couple of days?" Zhou Bin asked, his tone light and teasing. He had a more feminine demeanor and lacked the deep, serious thoughts typical of a man in charge.
Lin Xiao felt at ease talking to him, enjoying the youthful energy and casualness that came with their friendship.
"How do you know?" Zhou Bin asked in surprise.
Lin Xiao wanted to roll his eyes dramatically; every time Zhou Bin took care of the child, he would surely complain about it.
"Don't change the subject. Did you go on a blind date yesterday?" Zhou Bin's excitement was barely contained.
"How do you know?"
"My cousin Shi Zhenyu called me last night and talked for an hour, just asking about you," Zhou Bin replied with a mischievous grin.
Lin Xiao felt a bit annoyed; he hadn't even discussed it with Shi Zhenyu yet, and now everyone seemed to know. Losing interest in the conversation, he gave Zhou Bin a few half-hearted responses and turned to leave the office.
Noticing Lin Xiao's displeasure, Zhou Bin hurried after him, grabbing his arm to defend his cousin. "My cousin is a great guy, really! Don't be so quick to reject him. Just give him a chance; you'll definitely fall for him."
Zhou Bin's voice rose slightly with urgency.
Just as Lin Xiao was about to respond, he saw Li County Chief approaching and quickly stepped back from Zhou Bin to create some distance between them.
They both turned slightly and said in unison, "Li County Chief."
As Li Hao exited the elevator, he overheard Zhou Bin's comment but didn't even glance at them as he walked past.
Even without seeing Li Hao's expression clearly, Lin Xiao could sense that he was angry.
Since they were heading in the same direction towards the office, Lin Xiao fell back by a meter but kept pace with Li Hao.
Lost in thought about Zhou Bin's words, Lin Xiao was oblivious to Li Hao slowing down until he heard him speak.
"Director Zhao Chenghua is here for Yu Rao; you should join us. I'll send you the location."
Caught off guard by Li Hao addressing him directly, Lin Xiao instinctively stopped in his tracks but quickly regained his composure.
Li Hao turned slightly and noticed Lin Xiao’s distracted demeanor, feeling a twinge of annoyance.
They say that people in love lose their intelligence; it seemed Lin Xiao wasn't as exceptional as everyone thought.
Lin Xiao had to know that Li Hao thought of him this way; he must have felt like he could just punch him to death.
Returning to the office, Lin Xiao handed the finalized meeting materials for Chuchiqihui to the county mayor's office. With nothing to do in the afternoon, he flipped through his notes and organized his thoughts for the day.
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