Because of the alcohol, I became emotional and lost my senses. It turns out that those who make mistakes after drinking are well aware that it is their fault; they just refuse to admit it, so they blame the alcohol instead. Poor alcohol, bearing so much unjust criticism.
That day’s incident was left behind; he didn’t bother me again. My mentor assigned me some tasks and even let me take charge of a new project. However, due to the company’s poor performance, there were only two new projects, and I found myself with nothing to do once more.
Winter quietly arrived, and the northern winter truly evokes mixed feelings. The beautiful snowy scenery hides dangers, with thin ice on the ground that can catch anyone off guard.
One morning, as I was about to head out with some documents in hand, I noticed a red carpet laid out on the stairs at the entrance of the company. I walked cautiously but unexpectedly slipped on the sidewalk and fell flat on my face. Under the watchful gaze of the Security Uncle, I awkwardly got up and laughed it off, saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
The Security Uncle pointed at the ground and said, “Your documents fell into the water.” I cursed silently in my heart and resignedly picked up the papers. Sure enough, this lousy bag wasn’t waterproof.
After going back to reprint the documents and stamping them, when I was ready to leave again, he said, “I’ll step out too; let’s go together.” I nodded, feeling utterly embarrassed.
His car was parked in the basement level one. After getting in, he turned on the lights and air conditioning but didn’t rush to drive away. He took a bag of oranges from the back seat and asked me, “Do you want some?”
I was a bit taken aback and quickly waved my hand, saying, “No thanks.” He didn’t insist and peeled an orange for himself instead.
The car gradually warmed up as I turned to look at him. Under the dim yellow light, he focused intently on peeling the orange, creating a quiet atmosphere that made my heart race.
After a while, he said, "Reach out your hand."
I instinctively extended my hand, and he placed the peeled orange in my palm.
My fingertips brushed against it lightly, and I caught my breath.
Once the car started, I regained my senses and murmured a "thank you."
He didn't respond.
Looking at the orange in my hand, I felt an overwhelming reluctance to eat it.
"Do you take the bus to work?"
When I asked this, he popped the last segment of the orange into his mouth and nodded, "Yes."
"Is it crowded?"
"Not too bad."
"Oh, I'm taking the bus tonight too. Let's go together."
"Why?"
"I'm taking my car to get washed. It's been snowing for days, and it's really dirty."
This was the longest conversation we had, and I sensed he had a bit of a cleanliness obsession.
"Where do you live? Is it on my way?"
I finally asked the question that had been on my mind.
"Yiyuan, Route 3 happens to pass by Hua Yuan and Yiyuan."
"Oh."
So he lived in Yiyuan, an upscale neighborhood.
From his usual attire and demeanor, I had guessed he was wealthy, but I hadn't expected him to live in Yiyuan.
In that moment, I felt a twinge of inferiority.
He dropped me off at the company building, and as I got out of the car, I said "goodbye," but he didn't reply.
After delivering the documents, I saw him standing downstairs, one hand on the phone and the other holding two cups of coffee.
I walked over slowly, and when he saw me, he hung up and handed me a cup.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Do you have anything else to do? If not, let’s head back.”
He put his phone in his pocket and took a sip of his coffee.
The winter sun was glaring yet cold; he stood in the backlight, sunlight filtering through his hair and piercing into my heart.
I squinted at him. “Aren't you busy? Finished that quickly?”
He smiled slightly as we walked, saying, “I just came out for a coffee.”
So he was slacking off too, and doing it quite openly.
By the time we finished work that evening, it was already eight o'clock, and the sky had completely darkened.
We stood side by side at the bus stop in silence.
Under the streetlight, he seemed quieter than usual, more elusive.
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