Pandora’s Box

After some time, I received another message from Ke Luo complaining.

“Shu Nian and Xie Yan argued.”

I ate the biscuits indififerently, “Really?”

Ke Luo was furious. “That’s when Lee told me to take this opportunity and chase after Shu Nian.”

“???” I was exasperated, “I thought the two of you get along pretty well recently, right?”

“How do I know? Lin Jing, are you reliable or not?”

If words could be lethal, I was already obliterated with them. I panicked, “I think I’m pretty reliable. So what, have you confessed your love to Lee?”

“What confession?” Ke Luo continued, “Confession should be the triumphant song of victory, not a means to charge forward. Isn’t that what you taught?”

“…..” Baseless beliefs would kill others!

“This, this is just a hypothesis. Who cares! Go and find a chance to confess your love to him! Anyways, it can’t be worse than it is now.”

I could tell that Ke Luo wanted to eat me alive.

“It was better if you said that sooner!”

I finally received news from Ke Luo late at night.

Looking at the preview of the text notification, it showed, “Lee had a heart attack and was admitted to the hospital, but his condition stabilized. We-”

I felt the numbing of my scalp. Frightened, I opened the text and read, “-are together.”

“……”

I immediately chucked the phone away and refused to eat this dog food.

However, thinking about it, this bowl of dog food was quite fascinating. From the very beginning, I was urging Ke Luo to run away and was not at all optimistic about them two. Even the client himself wasn’t optimistic.

Yet, it had been successfully cultivated.

Was love this contradictory?

Ke Luo’s romance could promptly take a turn for the better, but my secret love didn’t look hopeful at all.

Within the past six months, Zhuo Wenyang and I turned into acquaintances.

Remembering the distance between us, it only started from the night that I drank too much and took advantage of that. I didn’t know why but I couldn’t untie the knot this time and so, the relationship between us gradually drifted away like a landslide.

What frustrated me was that my image of him had not diminished by at least half.

From early on, I knew that he was beyond my reach. I knew we weren’t the same type of people, but I couldn’t stop my attraction to him.

Yet so far, I had no choice but to leave everything up to fate. I could only wait for time to dilute my feelings for him.

Or I could wait for time to dissolve his barriers between us, forget his resistance against me, and wait for time to send him back to me.

The last days of college passed by quickly. Because there were fewer classes, everyone was preoccupied with different things.

In order to meet the school’s requirements, I traveled to Lu Feng’s company to obtain my internship experience and official seal.

Ke Luo enthusiastically shared that he would help me gain experience himself, “I have to teach you well so you can really learn something!”

“…no need,” I said, “Just give me a job where I can drink tea and play on my phone. It’s best if the computer came with the configurations to play games.”

Ke Luo earnestly said, “Then how can that work? Once you come here, I can’t let you go back without some success. It’s a waste of time.”

Ke Luo kept his word. Everyday, he got up early and greedily demanded me to work. He would drill me to death, making me experience the 996 (9am-9pm, 6 days a week) cruelty of working.

I was speechless. What about fooling around? Was this a way to repay the kindness of my romance mentorship?

Before getting off work that day, Ke Luo announced to me with a pleasant demenour, “I’m going to S City tonight. If there’s anything in these two days, you can help me deal with it first. I believe in you, it’s okay.”

“…..”

Ke Luo smiled kindly, “Thank you for your hand work.”

With tears in my eyes, I said, “I shouldn’t work hard, I’m salary based.”

It turned out that he was temporarily training a useless person as a temporary replacement, as he had a good long-distance relationship. Did Lu Feng know he was so self-serving?

Ke Luo saw my grief and resentment, saying with a smile, “Speaking of which, why didn’t you go to Wenyang for an internship? He must be kinder than me and you can just play around.”

“…..”

Why wouldn’t I want to.

However, I could imagine how awkward and distant Zhuo Wenyang and I would be in that setting.

It was not that I couldn’t accept his apathy, but it was that I didn’t want to torture him.

Out of politeness, he probably would not ignore me or let me fend for myself. It would definitely make him very uncomfortable to directly teach me in person like Ke Luo did.

Although I longed to be close to him, I wasn’t that selfish.

I complained, “Isn’t this for you to maintain your good relationship? For my brother, I sacrificed myself.”

By the time I was nearing graduation, I made good progress in everything else with the exception of my crush.

In the past few months of acting as a corporate slave for Ke Luo and forcibly fed dog food to the fullest, I had indeed learnt a lot. I felt that I built a solid foundation and was qualified enough as a functioning adult in society. I was ready for the pressure of capitalism at any time.

In addition, the most significant thing was that I had successfully passed the finish line after revising countless versions of my graduation thesis. It took six years from the beginning to end, and I was able to graduate from T University, replacing the previous me. I dared not even think about it.

My life seemed to come to a successful conclusion.

On the day of the graduation ceremony, a large group of people came from my relatives. Needless to say, Cheng Yichen happily brought Lu Feng to witness my graduating moment. My dad and Cheng Yi Chen also came from S City. Ke Luo and Zhuo Wenyang was also present.

Seven people came to watch the ceremony in a single breath, in which was a bit much for the family. However, being surrounded by this huge group of family and friends, I was very happy.

I excitedly dragged them all over campus to take group photos after the ceremony. A family portrait was taken at the west school gate, and several others were taken in front of each department building. Photos were also taken at the library to commemorate, as well as the stadium.

“I almost died too young here!” The 1000 meter test was horrific!

Everyone was laughing, but only Zhuo Wenyang didn’t talk much. He quietly took pictures and recorded videos for us seriously.

I spotted Wei Yuantao admidst the excitement.

When I first met him this morning, he wore a gloomy expression and carried an air of lovelornness all over his body. He couldn’t even smile at the precious 30 seconds that belonged to him when he was awarded his degree in the ceremony.

Now he didn’t look so lost, but he looked demented.

I went over to greet him, “Brother Tao!”

He stared blankly for a bit, then rolled his eyes, took a look at me, and then rushed to pull me aside as if he had abruptly woke up from a dream.

I asked him, “What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”

He looked around, lowered his voice and whispered, “Last night, I confessed my love to Yuan Keke.”

My pupils trembled. “Confessed? You? Last night? You asked her out? So you can!”

“I can’t,” he said, “I sent her a PPT.”

“???” I dug my ears, “What happened?”

“I made a PPT to confess to her.”

“???”

“I want to explain to her why she should choose me and the advantages of it. These things are too complicated and it’s not easy to explain them in a few words. It’s better to display clearly in a PPT.”

“……….”

I had lived for more than twenty years, and I had never witnessed a more stupid person in my life, leaving me speechless.

I dumbly asked, “She refused?”

“Yeah…”

He didn’t seem too overwhelmed by grief, probably because he was mentally prepared.

“emmmm…”

What else could I say to a silly bee who made a PPT to confess?

Wei Yuantao added, “Then just now, she also sent me a PPT.”

“????”

“The context of it was to tell me exactly what made her think we were inappropriate for each other.”

“…..”

I was so speechless.

Wei Yuantao said, “Will you take a look for me? Although her PPT was perfect, I still think there is room for debate…”

He pressed on, “Hey, do you think I still have a chance?”

“Yes,” I numbly replied, “It’s hard to find someone as dumb as you. You two are a perfect match.”

Wei Yuantao seemingly ignored the first half of my sentence and only focused on the phrase “perfect match.” His eyes sparkled, “For real?”

“For real.”

Love was something that truly decreased one’s intelligence.

After being forced to appreciate Yuan Keke’s PPT masterpiece on the mobile phone and sending away the ecstatic Wei Yuantao, I looked back to see that the majority of my friends and relatives had disappeared. Only Zhuo Wenyang was left standing under the tree, as if to wait for me a distance away.

I was nervous for a moment and walked towards him with a smile on my face. He nodded politely to me, “Ke Luo took my father and others to the coffee shop.”

We remained in the outdoor weather. If they had to stand and wait for me to finish talking with Wei Yuantao, they would be scorched by the hot ground even if there was shade.

Zhuo Wenyang softly spoke again, “Let’s go.”

I was grateful for Zhuo Wenyang’s thoughtfulness, staying and waiting for his people, not minding Wei Yuantao’s delay.

After such a long time, I finally had the opportunity to walk side by side with Zhuo Wenyang thanks to Wei Yuantao.

This couldn’t be wasted! I suppressed my elation and desperately searched for a suitable topic in my mind.

What should we talk about? Remember, I couldn’t create pressure on the other party, and I shouldn’t throw out questions and wait for answers, much less talk about meaningless nonsense. I had to absolutely put an end to embarrassing conversations!

I thought frantically and kept sneaking glances at him out of the corner of my eye.

Zhuo Wenyang walked beside me slowly. He was tall, with a straight back, slender legs, and snow-white skin.

In my peripheral, I could vividly see beads of sweat flow down his forehead, as if an ice sculpture had melted onto him.

I decided to betray Wei Yuantao.

“Let me tell you something funny.”

He gave a soft “hmm.”

“Wei Yuantao created a PPT to confess to Yuan Keke.”

Zhuo Wenyang stopped in his tracks, his eyes slightly widening.

The first step in attracting his attention had been achieved!

I took advantage of this victory and continued, “Shocking, right?”

He said, “Yes.”

“This PPT usage is so ridiculous.”

Zhuo Wenyang finally spoke, “Wei Yuantao, does he like Yuan Keke?”

“Surprised? I had the same reaction as you when I first found out.”

Zhuo Wenyang asked, “So, he has always liked Yuan Keke?”

“Yeah, it’s too sad. He liked her secretly until graduation. I encouraged him many times, telling him to be more proactive, chase after her, and to show his kindness. The process was all laid out for him but he didn’t dare to anyway. In the end, he held back until the day before graduation and carefully made a PPT for her.” I thought it was funny when I explained it, “Then, Yuan Keke also made a PPT for him although she rejected him. And to mention it, she really did a good job.”

I didn’t know if it was in my head, but Zhuo Wenyang’s expression became relaxed and soft.

So did he like to listen to this gossip?

So, I began to chatter non-stop, “The two of them are very interesting. At first, I also didn’t think they were a good match. You know, Yuan Keke is like the gold phoenix that flies out of the valley. Her family situation is hard, but she’s very hardworking and down-to-earth. On the other hand, Wei Yuantao is a second rich generation in T City, completely arrogant, looks down on this and that everyday, and spends money when there’s nothing to do. He’s basically the type that Yuan Keke hates the most so I’ve never seen any compatibility between them. But now, I feel that maybe the two were made for each other, a match made in heaven…”

Zhuo Wenyang listened quietly, nodding from time to time in agreement with my speech.

He still didn’t talk much, but the strange atmosphere between us transitioned back to the previously harmonious and joyous one. It seemed that something tense between him and me quietly vanished.

After arriving at the coffee shop, Ke Luo and others already ordered a table of drinks and snacks. They were conversing around the table and they vacated seats for us of course.

Yet, my heart tensed up instinctively. Would Zhuo Wenyang mind? Would he calmly find a place farthest from me like before?

While hesitating, Ke Luo was already greeting us with a grin, “Come and sit down.”

I sat down anxiously and then felt Zhuo Wenyang also came forward, sitting next to me naturally.

“…..”

Even though he didn’t do anything, the bottom of my heart felt like withered grass reviving after the rain. In an instant, flowers rushed to bloom, from one to two, more and more until the whole world was covered in them.

After a day of shopping in T University and taking countless photos, everyone was tired when they left but remained in a very good mood. Cheng Yichen suggested, “Why don’t we go for a foot massage first?”

This proposal was immediately and unanimously supported since it fully met the needs of everyone.

We occupied a private room in a theater-style health studio, facing the widely curved giant screen. We happily ate, watched comedy movies, and waited for our feet to be massaged.

To be honest, I didn’t expect the food to be so delicious in a massage studio, to the point that I didn’t know whether this place was for pedicures or catering. Everyone was lively eating and drinking, chatting until our conversations hit the sea and sky, inexplicably feeling like a family reunion.

Ke Luo suddenly asked, “Lin Jing, from now on, you’re also a person with a degree, so do you want to continue working with us?”

I vigilantly asked, “Do you still want to continue squeezing all of me, you bloodsucking capitalist?”

Although I sighed an early contracted agreement in exchange to work before graduation, I was still free essentially.

Ke Luo was serious. “If you do livestreams, you will also be sucked by the platform. The same blood will still be sucked out here, but of course, the fat will at least not flow to outsiders.”

“…..”

Ke Luo hooked around my neck with his arm and said with a suggestive smile, “You don’t want to have it sucked by me, but let someone else suck it?”

“…..” I said, “Don’t talk like you’re a mosquito.”

Zhuo Wenyang suddenly spoke up, “If you want to, you can come to my company.”

“…..”

Ke Luo and I looked at him simultaneously.

He immediately continued, “The welfare and onboarding we give newcomers will be better.”

I suppressed the violent surge in my heart and trembling of my limbs, reservedly saying, “I will think about it.”

I didn’t know what happened and I didn’t know why, but Zhuo Wenyang seemed to reopen his door that was once tightly closed to me.