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墨書 Inktalez
Since the rainy night umbrella incident, my feelings towards Shen Zhi Zhou have become increasingly complex. At work, he remains the same stern and humorless ice-cold director; yet privately, those awkward displays of concern that occasionally slip out feel like feathers, gently stirring my heartstrings from time to time.
To thank him for escorting me home last time, I specially prepared a few exquisite dishes, packed them in a Bento box, and planned to give it to him when I returned the umbrella. After all, having made him endure so many "inedible" desserts, he should at least get a taste of my real culinary skills with savory dishes!
That noon, estimating he would be in the office, I gathered my courage and headed to the 28th floor of C Building with the Bento box and a freshly cleaned umbrella.
Luck was on my side; his office door was ajar. I gently knocked.
"Come in." It was still that succinct command.
I stepped inside to find him sitting on the sofa, looking at his tablet as if reviewing design plans. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft halo around him.
"President Shen," I said, placing the umbrella in the stand by the door. "Your umbrella is clean now. Also… this is a small token of appreciation for your help last time. Please try it." I extended the Bento box towards him.
He lifted his gaze, his eyes landing on the Bento box in my hands, and his brow furrowed slightly.
"What is it?"
"It's just some homemade dishes," I explained somewhat shyly. "Nothing special, just… wanted to thank you."
He stared at the Bento box for a few seconds without taking it. Instead, he stood up and walked to his desk, speaking in a flat tone: "Just leave it there. Is there anything else?"
I thought to myself: Here we go again! Another "just leave it there"!
Last time's desserts were also "left there," and he ended up eating them all by himself!
This time it's savory Bento; he wouldn't…
"Um," I decided to take the initiative and not let him find an excuse to "dispose of it to avoid waste" again. "President Shen, why not try it now? If you don’t like it…"
"No need." He interrupted me, picking up a document from his desk. "I'm busy."
A blatant rejection.
Alright then, an ice mountain is still an ice mountain; I can't expect him to suddenly change.
Feeling a bit disappointed inside, I forced a smile. "Okay then, I'll take my leave. You have a busy schedule, President Shen."
As I turned to leave the office and closed the door behind me, I could have sworn I heard a faint… sigh? Surely it was just my imagination.
Back at the store, my mood felt somewhat gloomy. My colleague Xiao Zhang noticed something was off and leaned over to ask, "What's wrong, Xiaoran? Did President Shen criticize you?"
"No," I shook my head. "It's just… I gave him a Bento box, and he seemed not too fond of it."
"A Bento? You made it?" Xiao Zhang exclaimed in surprise. "Someone like President Shen usually eats Michelin-starred meals or from private chefs! How could he eat our ordinary Bento?"
"Indeed..." I felt even more disheartened by what Xiao Zhang said. How could someone of his status appreciate the home-cooked meals I made? He probably thought they were a nuisance or unsanitary. I must have been deluding myself.
With that thought, a wave of bitterness washed over me.
In the following days, aside from necessary work-related communications, there was almost no interaction between Shen Zhi Zhou and me. He continued to treat me with the same cold, businesslike demeanor, as if the Bento had never existed. The little spark of hope that had ignited in my heart during that rainy night when I offered him my umbrella was gradually extinguished by cold water.
Forget it, Lin Xiaoran. Stop overthinking. Focusing on work, earning money, and paying off debts is what truly matters.
One day, the new store project team held a meeting in a small conference room in C Building. During a break in the meeting, I went to the pantry to make some coffee. Just as I reached the door, I overheard Shen Zhi Zhou's assistant, Xiao Chen, talking with a female colleague inside.
"Chen, didn't President Shen go out for lunch today? I saw him in the office all this time," the female colleague asked.
"Yeah," Xiao Chen replied with a hint of helplessness. "He's been like this for the past few days, just snacking on some biscuits or something for lunch."
"What's going on? Isn't President Shen particular about his diet?"
"Don't even get me started," Xiao Chen lowered his voice. "A few days ago, someone sent him a Bento. He took one look at it and just left it there without eating it. Later when I was about to throw it away, I found..."
My heart jumped into my throat. Found what?
"What did you find?" the female colleague asked curiously.
"I found the Bento box was empty! There wasn't a single bite left!" Xiao Chen's voice was filled with disbelief. "Isn't that strange? He barely glanced at it and acted all disdainful, yet he secretly finished it all! And now he hasn't been eating lunch properly; I wonder if he got an upset stomach..."
Boom!
My brain short-circuited again.
Empty?! Finished it all?! Secretly finished it?!
The very same Shen Zhi Zhou who said "no need" and "I'm busy," looking down on my Bento, had actually eaten it all by himself after I left?! And left nothing behind?!
This... this level of Tsundere is off the charts!
So his lack of appetite for lunch these past few days wasn’t because he had an upset stomach; rather... he had tasted my cooking and found outside food unappetizing?
The huge twist left me both amused and exasperated, instantly replacing that bitterness in my heart with a sweet feeling of both anger and laughter.
This Shen Zhi Zhou! What a quirky and reclusive weirdo!
Holding my coffee, I turned to leave the pantry, unable to suppress a big smile on my face.
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