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墨書 Inktalez
The next day, Wang Xu reluctantly took me home. Before leaving, he repeatedly urged me to take care of my health, reminding me that Dr. Li had said I needed to recuperate. He even asked if he could stay at my place, but I firmly turned him down.
My parents arrived at the station in the afternoon, and I went to pick them up. As soon as she saw me, my mom started asking about things back at Wang Xu's hometown. I brushed it off lightly, careful not to go into detail. My dad quietly listened without asking a single question.
Once we were back home, our family had a reunion dinner together. My mom talked about life in her hometown and brought back some local specialties. After dinner, I went to my room to call Miao Miao, but I couldn't get through. I thought she might be busy and decided to wait a bit. However, two or three days passed, and no matter what time I tried to reach her, I couldn't connect.
I began to feel anxious.
Miao Miao is someone who understands boundaries; she had promised to keep in touch and would surely find a way for me to reach her. Now that she was suddenly unreachable, I couldn't help but worry that something might have happened to her.
Thinking like this during the New Year wasn't good at all. I tried contacting her several more times, but still had no luck. When I called Wang Nan, there was no response either. I remembered Miao Miao mentioning that Wang Nan's parents were going on a trip; could something have happened while they were away?
With no other options, I decided to contact Lu Ming. Just a few seconds after dialing, Dong Lu picked up on the other end.
"Zhuang Jun? Lu Zong is in a meeting; can you call back in an hour?"
I was surprised. "Still working during the New Year?"
"Yes, the company is preparing to launch new software, and everyone is working overtime. If you want, I can ask Lu Zong to contact you."
"Alright, thank you, Sister Lu."
Half an hour later, Lu Ming called me back. I asked if he had any news about Miao Miao.
"Yes," Lu Ming replied succinctly.
I was anxious. "Then tell me, how are Miao Miao and Wang Nan doing? I can't get through to Miao Miao's phone, I can't reach her."
"Come to the company and handle the related matters."
"Lu Ming!"
"My company doesn't keep idle people."
I hung up angrily, grabbed my bag, and walked out. My mom heard the noise and came out of the kitchen, asking where I was going. I replied, "Looking for a jerk."
I quickly arrived at Luming Company and saw Dong Lu in her usual spot. Dong Lu wasn't surprised to see me; she pointed towards the break room.
I followed her point direction and pushed open the break room door, expecting only Lu Ming to be there, but to my surprise, Little Lu Shuang was also present.
"Aunt Zhuang," Lu Shuang sweetly called out to me, tilting her head and adding, "Happy New Year."
I hadn't seen her in a while; the little one had gained some weight, looking round and rosy.
"Happy New Year to you too, Shuangshuang." I responded with a warm smile.
Lu Ming had been standing nearby for who knows how long; upon hearing my voice, he looked over. I couldn't avoid him and naturally met his gaze. "Mr. Lu, I want to talk to you about Miao Miao."
"Okay."
I patted Shuangshuang's head and told her to wait here obediently while I spoke to Lu Ming for a moment. Lu Shuang nodded cutely, promising to wait patiently. Her obedient demeanor was truly unlike that of a child her age.
As our conversation shifted to a quiet corner of the stairs, which was not very spacious, Lu Ming stood in front of me, towering over me by a head.
I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. Fearing that his imposing presence would intimidate me as usual, I straightened my back deliberately. "Lu Zong, how is Miao Miao doing? Can you tell me?"
"She's fine."
"Then why isn't she answering my calls? Miao Miao must know I would be worried about her. If nothing is wrong..." I couldn't believe that Miao Miao would disregard my feelings; at the very least, she would have informed me in advance.
Lu Ming's expression tightened. "She can't contact you right now. Just rest assured."
"Can't contact me? Why not? Wait, did you say she asked you to reassure me? How do you know she asked you to tell me that?" I suddenly caught the deeper meaning in Lu Ming's words.
"Yes, she asked me to let you know when it was convenient."
I was slightly angry. "Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I was too busy and forgot," he replied nonchalantly.
Tension filled the air as I pointed an accusing finger at Lu Ming and shouted, "I understand you're busy, but what about other people's matters? Since Miao Miao asked you to inform me and reassure me, why didn't you tell me immediately when you heard? What are your intentions?"
While I was agitated, Lu Ming remained unusually calm. He waited for me to finish before responding, "I received a call from Wang Nan before the meeting. May I ask, Miss Zhuang, were these two or three hours really so unbearable for you?"
"You said you received a call from Wang Nan today?" I felt a bit dazed.
Lu Ming nodded.
With Lu Ming's confirmation, my face turned red with embarrassment as I recalled my earlier excitement; it was indeed a bit excessive. I had a preconceived bias against Lu Ming, and if it were someone else, I might not have reacted so strongly.
"I was wrong just now, but if Wang Nan contacted you today, then why didn't Miao Miao reach out to me today?" I still harbored some doubts. Although Lu Ming didn't seem to be joking, if they could communicate wherever they went, why didn't Miao Miao look for me?
"They went to a semi-closed island for vacation without any means of communication and only contacted me after returning. As for why she didn't contact you, I have some thoughts."
"Oh?" I was puzzled.
"If there are no significant changes in feelings, the selective concealment could only have two possibilities. But since she informed me and not you, knowing that you would worry, there is only one possibility: she hopes you won't involve your emotions."
Lu Ming's calm analysis made sense, yet I felt confused and couldn't grasp his words for a while. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that if Miss Zhuang's actions upon learning the truth wouldn't benefit Mu Miaomiao in any way, I suggest Miss Zhuang continue to live her life well."
His distinction of our feelings based on interests genuinely angered me. However, upon reflection, his words didn't seem too difficult to understand. Miao Miao not informing me indicated she didn't want me to worry, which meant something must have happened. But even if I knew, there was nothing I could do; all I could do was worry helplessly. Perhaps she feared that I would interfere with her current matters or there were other circumstances I wasn't aware of.
In any case, I already knew Miao Miao was safe. Everything could wait until she returned safely. Looking at Lu Ming in front of me, I suddenly found myself at a loss for words, unable to even say "thank you."
As I looked at Lu Ming, he was also looking at me. It was then that I had the chance to observe him; his slightly blue chin bore stubble, and his bright eyes seemed mismatched with his slightly fatigued demeanor. Unlike Lu Shuang, Lu Ming seemed... thinner.
"Mr. Lu, if you have finished what you wanted to say, I will take my leave." I withdrew my gaze and stopped looking at him.
"Since Miss Zhuang is already here, let's go handle the paperwork over at Dong Lu," Lu Ming suddenly interjected.
"What paperwork?"
A hint of sarcasm flashed across Lu Ming's face. "Miss Zhuang, don't forget that you are still an employee of my company until you complete your resignation process. Even if you didn't follow the procedure when you joined, I hope you can adhere to the company's rules when you leave."
Indeed. I seemed to have been saying I wanted to leave Luming Company but had yet to handle the formalities. Since I was here today, I might as well settle everything. Lu Ming must have called me over with this in mind.
"Alright."
I returned to Dong Lu's side, while Lu Ming bypassed me and went straight into the break room. Dong Lu looked at me in surprise after I spoke: "Zhuang Jun, you can apply for resignation, but you can't just leave right now."
"What? Why not?" I was taken aback.
Dong Lu chuckled lightly and waved his hand. "Since you're here, you've seen the situation. The company is at its busiest right now; everyone is working overtime. It's not just about the extra pay; it's about doing your part as a member of the company. Even if you're resigning, you need to finish your current tasks first. I think you're not too busy lately; could you come back to work tomorrow?"
Dong Lu's words made it sound like if I insisted on leaving, I'd be heartless.
I was momentarily at a loss for words; after all, Dong Lu's suggestion was unexpected. My decision to leave was already made and couldn't be changed.
"Alright, alright." Dong Lu assessed me for a moment as if he had compromised. "If you're determined to leave, it should be after this period. Having one more person putting in effort would help us take a longer break later. You haven't been with the company for long, but I hope during this time, you can consider the company. Mr. Lu comes in personally every day; it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask for just half a month."
Dong Lu spoke in a way that seemed to give me a large escape route, but it was still in line with her original plan, just dressed up for my ears.
In fact, I could have done as I did before, simply not show up and leave without a word; who could stop me? However, with Dong Lu saying this and feeling a bit guilty about my earlier prejudice against Lu Ming, I hesitated and replied, "Let me think about it."
"Alright then, see you tomorrow morning. You should head home now, be careful on the way, and get some rest," Dong Lu smiled warmly at me before returning to her work.
I took a moment to look around. Almost all the employees were present, and everyone had lost their previous lightheartedness, replaced by a more serious demeanor. Seeing this made me feel a bit reluctant; I had planned to brush off Dong Lu and not come in the next day, but now I really needed to think it over.
If I just walked away like this, it would be unfair to Miao Miao who had kindly introduced me. I felt guilty for not considering it seriously and realized I needed to go home and reflect on it properly.
After taking the subway back home, my mom pointed towards my room: "You have a package."
"A package? I haven't ordered anything. Besides, aren't deliveries on break during the New Year?" I muttered quietly.
My mom also found it strange and remarked, "Yeah, but someone delivered it anyway and said it was for you."
Thinking too much wouldn't help, so I quickly changed my shoes and headed to my room. Sure enough, there was a large package sitting on my desk. As I approached it, various doubts and surprises flooded my mind; something about this package felt off!
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