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墨書 Inktalez
The next day at work, during the lunch break, I was about to go to the break room to get some water when I heard Dong Lu's sharp voice drifting over. I paused, not wanting to listen but unable to move.
"Who knows? Lu Zong just said the no-makeup rule two days ago, and now it's changed in just one day."
"Sister Lu, you’re the favored one around Lu Zong; how would we know?"
"It's not that I don't know, but honestly, those words were unbelievable. What is Lu Zong trying to achieve by doing this? Has Lu Zong ever acted without a purpose?"
"Who knows? If anything happens in the future, Sister Lu, you have to keep us updated."
There were only a few women in the company. Besides me, the only ones in the break room were them. The only one who wore makeup besides them was me.
I held my cup, took a deep breath, and pushed open the slightly ajar door of the break room. The discussion inside abruptly stopped as I walked in. A few people looked at me with strange expressions, and one by one, they left, leaving only Dong Lu behind, leisurely sipping her water.
"Did you hear everything?" Dong Lu asked openly without any hesitation, which surprised me.
"Yes, I heard." Since she didn't avoid it, I couldn't either.
"It's just some casual gossip in the company. You won't take it to heart, will you? Or do you know why Lu Zong is doing this? If you do know, you shouldn't keep it from me," Dong Lu asked tentatively.
I found it strange: "Sister Lu, I haven't been at the company long; it might not even be a fraction of the time you've spent with Lu Zong. If there really is something going on, you would definitely know more than I do. No need for me to say anything, right, Sister Lu?"
"Ha! I didn't notice before; you're actually quite sharp-tongued. After getting used to you, I realize you're not what I thought," Dong Lu said as she looked at me intently, not entirely in admiration but with a hint of something deeper.
It wasn't exactly a compliment but couldn't be considered an insult either. I could only respond calmly: "There's nothing going on; you're just overthinking it, Sister Lu."
"Whether you're overthinking or not remains to be seen. You're planning to resign, right? After a month, I really won't see you anymore?"
"Yes, that's right."
By then, my phone number would be removed from Dong Lu's contacts; this was something she had shown me before. Dong Lu said she never kept contacts of people with whom she had no connection—like me after that.
After a couple more exchanges with Dong Lu, I left the break room. Later in the afternoon, just before quitting time, I suddenly received a call from Miao Miao that nearly made me jump out of my seat.
With excitement and eagerness filling my heart and a pressing desire to know what had happened with Miao Miao, I answered the phone without giving her a chance to speak: "Miao Miao! Where are you now? Are you back? Do you have time? Let's meet up."
"Okay, where are you? I'll come pick you up," Miao Miao's voice was calmer and more soothing than I had imagined, with a hint of fatigue.
"I'm at Luming Company. I came over to resign, but since they were short-staffed, I decided to stay and help for another month. Just call me when you're on your way, and I'll be waiting for you."
"Alright."
When it was time to get off work, I was about to leave with my bag when Dong Lu called out to me, "Hey, Zhuang Jun, there's still some stuff here that you can help me input into the computer and organize the data. Are you... getting ready to leave?"
She looked me up and down.
I hurriedly explained, "Sister Lu, I have something to take care of right now. Just consider today as a day off for me; I won't be staying late. I'll definitely stay tomorrow."
Dong Lu seemed a bit displeased, but I couldn't worry about that right now. After going downstairs, I saw Miao Miao's car. I opened the passenger door and got in, bombarding her with questions: "How did it go this time? Wang Nan's parents didn't make things difficult for you, did they? I couldn't find you later; where did you go?"
Miao Miao, wearing sunglasses, looked ahead and started the car before slowly replying, "I broke up with Wang Nan."
I was taken aback and couldn't believe what I heard. "What did you say? Miao Miao, you broke up with Wang Nan? How could that happen?"
"Zhuang Jun, let me tell you, it's true that incompatible family values can't keep people together. Just like me and Wang Nan. No matter what I do, Wang Nan's parents won't like me. So I decided not to do anything anymore; if they like someone else, let Wang Nan be with them. I can't be bothered."
Miao Miao drove quickly; I knew she must feel wronged and upset inside. She was just venting her frustration. Seeing her wearing sunglasses made me want to take them off her face, but she avoided my hand.
"Zhuang Jun, don't move; you're making me lose my confidence in speaking."
My hand froze in mid-air before retracting back. I didn't try to take off Miao Miao's glasses or disturb her deliberate insistence.
But I still worried about what had happened to her while I couldn't reach her. When I asked her about it, she casually mentioned that when she went to meet Wang Nan's parents, there was another woman there besides her.
The woman who was arranged to go on a blind date with Wang Nan.
Even though Miao Miao spoke of it so casually, my whole body trembled at the thought. What kind of outrageous situation was this? Did she just happen to run into it? All I could say was that Miao Miao was unfortunate; what else could be said?
"You mean Wang Nan's parents let another woman meet Wang Nan for a blind date right in front of you?!"
"Well, when I was there, that woman said she graduated from Harvard and is now taking over her father's company. She obviously has three properties, is young and accomplished, and seems quite satisfied with Wang Nan in every aspect."
I couldn't help but ask in anger, "What about Wang Nan? He's right there watching! Isn't he supposed to protect you and say something?"
"Wang Nan was pretty upset. He ruined the blind date his parents arranged for him, and they were furious, saying they would cut ties with him. That Harvard woman even comforted Wang Nan, telling him to handle the aftermath first and that she would wait for him." Miao Miao paused here, as if holding back her breath, waiting a long time before releasing it.
"How can there be such a woman? What happened next?"
"After that, I was really annoyed by that woman. You know I hate it when others look at Wang Nan like they want to strip him of his clothes. So I splashed a glass of red wine on her face. Finally, she closed her eyes."
Miao Miao spoke calmly, but I felt extremely agitated. This was something Miao Miao would do, but what about the consequences...
"Then that woman asked me while wiping her face if I knew how much that red wine cost, wanting me to calculate how long it would take me to earn that much salary. She also asked me what I could give Wang Nan while being by his side—whether I could provide him with a bright future or peace of mind. Her questions were quite strange, but ironically, I didn't have a comeback for her."
Miao Miao's voice grew softer as she spoke; I could sense the restraint and pain in her words.
"Yeah, what can I give Wang Nan? I try my best to present myself well for him, but apart from that, I can't offer him anything. Wang Nan was born into such a family; he needs to bring wealth to them. Relying solely on Wang Nan isn't enough. I can't afford it; even a pair of shoes costing two thousand was gifted by Wang Nan. Why? Because I simply can't buy them myself."
"That's not true!" I knew Miao Miao didn't genuinely lack the means to buy shoes worth two thousand; it was just that she couldn't bear to spend that much.
She was willing to spend more on Wang Nan than he spent on himself; it was merely an attempt to salvage some dignity for herself.
Miao Miao continued with self-deprecation, "Well, that's how it is. I'll find time to talk to Wang Nan properly. We're both adults now; before this, I just couldn't see things clearly. Coming from a small family made me unaware of the bigger picture. Who knows, maybe his parents still have some consideration for me—what a foolish dream."
"What about Wang Nan? You have to consider his feelings too. You know he truly likes you and wants you by his side. Since Wang Nan is holding on, you shouldn't give up either. You've both come this far; it's not easy. You love Wang Nan so much; as long as you both like each other, there's still a chance to fight for it."
I always wanted Miao Miao to hold on a little longer; it wasn't easy for her and Wang Nan. I could see how much he loved her—his feelings were genuine, perhaps more real than anything else.
"No need for that; Wang Nan agrees to break up." Miao Miao suddenly blurted out, shocking me.
"What did you say...?"
"Nothing much; it's all in the past. Anyway, from now on, Wang Nan will go his way and I'll go mine—let's keep our distance and just greet each other when we meet."
Miao Miao briefly mentioned it without going into detail. After hearing Miao Miao say that, I still wanted to know what had happened, but since Miao Miao chose not to share, I didn’t want to press further.
When Miao Miao parked the car in front of the nightclub, she pulled the handbrake and asked me, “Zhuang Jun, will you have a drink with me tonight? Just forget what you saw today by tomorrow, okay?”
We sat quietly in front of the colorful neon lights. I felt sorry for her but didn’t know how to express it. Watching the tears slip out from under her sunglasses made me think that if it were any other day, I would have believed it was just my eyes being blurred by the light, that I was mistaken.
“Okay, Miao Miao, I’ll keep you company.”
Perhaps everyone has faced setbacks in love, big or small. The hardest part is feeling alone during tough times. Miao Miao is so strong, yet she still came to me for warmth when she was hurting. I knew she must have gone through something difficult; she just wouldn’t say anything, leaving me to rely on my own guesses.
In the nightclub filled with booming sounds, Miao Miao downed many shots of strong liquor. I watched her with concern and kept an eye out for her, shooing away the men who buzzed around her like flies. I saw her slowly lean over the table, dampening a small patch.
How could love be like this? How could life be like this? Regardless of whether one is usually weak or strong, optimistic or pessimistic, reality can make one feel small and useless.
In the end, what reality seeks to destroy will be ruthlessly obliterated.
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