Chapter 10
Ji Ting paused and opened the door.
Outside the door, Tan Yucheng held his phone, while his eyes teared as he looked at her. He exuded a strong smell of alcohol, and his white shirt loosely paired with a loosened tie. He was tall, blocking the hallway light, creating a flickering effect.
Ji Ting blinked slightly. “Drinking?”
“Yeah,” he loosened his tie a bit, ” we have company dinner tonight, plenty of wine and spirits.”
“Oh, quite a lot,”
Ji Ting stepped aside. Tan Yucheng changed his shoes and entered, his tie still loose. She was concerned he might not stand steadily, so she waited nearby. She had showered and was wearing a white camisole dress, her hair cascading softly over her shoulders under the gentle light. Tan Yucheng turned his head and met her gaze.
Ji Ting asked, “Do you want some sobering pills?”
“I’ll rest for a bit.”
He changed his shoes and walked to the sofa, leaning back heavily. His long legs spread apart, indicating the alcohol was already affecting him. Ji Ting poured a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table, then fetched a first aid kit and put some sobering pills next to the water glass. She sat on the carpet, leaning against the sofa, and resumed her earlier task with her head bowed.
As she completed her task, Tan Yucheng’s phone displayed something—they were teammates.
Tan Yucheng sat up straight, picked up the water and took a sip. He turned off his phone and his gaze fell on her, engrossed in her game. After a while, Ji Ting’s phone rang—it was a message from Meng Jia.
She paused, looked up, and met his gaze.
Tan Yucheng’s eyes didn’t move away, locking gazes with her for a few seconds. Ji Ting understood his meaning.
Meng Jia: [Is he with you?]
Ji Ting: [No, I’m about to sleep.]
Meng Jia: [He had dinner tonight and drank a lot of alcohol. I’m worried about him.]
Ji Ting: [Oh, I didn’t know.]
Meng Jia: [Forget it.]
Ji Ting hummed in acknowledgment. She put down her phone and looked at Tan Yucheng.
He raised his hand to cover his forehead, leaned back, and spoke lazily, his voice low, “Find her a boyfriend.”
Ji Ting’s heart skipped a beat.
“Where should I find one?”
Tan Yucheng, affected by alcohol and feeling a bit irritable, wasn’t as stable emotionally as usual. He raised his hand again to adjust his collar, looking a bit drowsy. Ji Ting sat on the carpet, watching him from her reclined position.
She observed him for a while, and just then her phone rang again, it’s another WeChat message. She lowered her head to read it.
Upon hearing the sound, Tan Yucheng put his hand down and glanced at her.
The message was from Lu Hai. Ji Ting breathed a sigh of relief and looked up, saying, “It’s not Meng Jia.”
Tan Yucheng gazed steadily at her.
Ji Ting replied to Lu Hai’s message, [Are you asleep?]
Ji Ting responded, [Not yet, but I’m getting ready.]
Lu Hai: [Okay, goodnight.]
Ji Ting: [Goodnight.]
“Ji Ting.” A man’s voice came from above. Ji Ting blinked slightly and looked up. Tan Yucheng had finally completely undone his tie, casually rolling it up on the armrest. He said, “It’s been tough to catch you lately.”
He glanced her way.
Ji Ting hesitated for a while.
She remembered he had indeed tried to make plans with her a few times recently, but she had always been busy. Feeling somewhat accused as a friend, Ji Ting stayed quiet for a few seconds before murmuring, “I’m sorry, it just happens that every time…”
“Yeah, with him,” Tan Yucheng cut in.
Ji Ting nodded.
Tan Yucheng looked at her for a moment, then laid back on the sofa, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the light. “I’ll take a nap.”
“Okay.”
Ji Ting said as she turned off one of the lamps on the side table, dimming a small area of the room. His collar was slightly open, revealing distinct muscle lines under the thin shirt. Ji Ting pulled over a cushion and opened it, shaking out a small blanket, which she draped over his abdomen. Then, she sat leaning against the sofa, still playing onto her game task that wasn’t yet completed.
She bowed her head and continued.
In the quiet breaths between them, there was a faint scent of his cologne mixed with the dissipating smell of alcohol.
Because she had fallen behind on so many tasks, Ji Ting decided to finish them all at once. She sat cross-legged, her hair cascading over her shoulders, the straps of her camisole dress delicate. Tan Yucheng drifted off in a slightly restless sleep due to the alcohol, occasionally stirring with a hint of restlessness. In a half-awake state, he loosened his arm, his eyes dropped to Ji Ting sitting next to him.
Her hair strands fell, lightly brushing against his arm where faint veins stood out.
Her profile and neck were fair, emitting a subtle fragrance of shower gel. Tan Yucheng looked at her for a moment longer, then raised his hand again to shield his forehead and drifted off to sleep.
The night grew late.
Ji Ting put down her phone and turned to look at the man on the sofa. Her sofa wasn’t long enough for him to lie down properly; one long leg stretched out onto the floor. Ji Ting got up and pulled the blanket over him. There were veins on the back of the man’s hands, his fingers were slender. His eyes were covered by his arm, but his nose was prominent. Ji Ting’s gaze inadvertently swept over his thin lips.
She stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Suddenly, she snapped out of it, straightened up, glanced around, and left only the lamp at the end of the sofa in the living room.
Afterward, she returned to her room, lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Early morning.
Before dawn, gray light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Tan Yucheng sat up, loosened his collar, picked up the cold water on the coffee table and drank it all in one gulp.
Then he got up, washed his face in the bathroom to clear his head. He walked towards the master bedroom, glanced at the door handle. She hadn’t even closed the door. He raised an eyebrow, stood for a few seconds, then left the apartment.
After going out, he lit a cigarette and went downstairs.
When Ji Ting woke up, it was 8:30 in the morning, a normal time. For a moment after opening her eyes, she was disoriented, but gradually clarity returned, and she realized there was still a man in the living room.
Ji Ting sat up, pushed aside the blanket, and opened the door.
The living room was empty.
He had left.
Ji Ting stood there for a moment, then walked to the window and opened it. There was still a faint smell of alcohol in the air. She tied up her hair to get ready for her morning routine, passing by the coffee table, where she noticed a note.
She picked it up and read it.
It was his handwriting.
—There’s breakfast in the kitchen
Ji Ting put down the note and walked into the kitchen. At a glance, she saw a thermos sitting there. She lifted the lid and found salty pork bone congee from a breakfast shop downstairs. Ji Ting closed the lid and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
Around nine o’clock, Ji Ting finished her breakfast and headed downstairs. She walked towards the shop while browsing her Moments (social media feed).
Meng Jia had posted a text-only Moment.
Meng Jia: “I’m not giving up.”
Comments below were all cheering her on. Ji Ting wondered what Tan Yucheng’s reaction might be. As she entered the shop, she happened to see a Moment from Shu Xiao. Shu Xiao had removed her makeup and was wearing black-rimmed glasses, making her face look smaller and exceptionally beautiful.
Currently, she is a graduate supervisor at a university. When she had gone abroad, she had completed her PhD directly there and had stayed on as a supervisor.
Her mother worked in investment banking in Silicon Valley.
No one knew when she would return. Meng Jia’s Moments might not have been without the intention of showing Shu Xiao, but Shu Xiao hadn’t responded at all. Her posts were about her daily life and routine.
Meng Jia seemed a bit cute, warm, lively, and cute.
“Good morning, Sister Ting.” As soon as she entered, Xiao Wan greeted Ji Ting spiritedly.
Ji Ting looked up and smiled, “Morning.”
Zhang Yang had already been busy in the kitchen for a while. He leaned out and said to Ji Ting, “We need to buy coffee beans today, Sister Ting.”
“I’ll have them delivered later,” Ji Ting replied, placing a small package in the lounge before putting on her apron and starting her day’s work. In the afternoon, Lu Hai invited Ji Ting to a dinner and to check out the design plans for a new branch.
Ji Ting agreed.
Lu Hai found another new restaurant for dinner, a Japanese cuisine place with private rooms and a large floor-to-ceiling window where they could sit and overlook the ¹CBD of Li City. The lights were on at night, and the city was prosperous.
“From here, you can see Zhuoyue clearly, right?” Lu Hai sat across from her, pointing at the window.
Just as Ji Ting sat down, she leaned forward to look. “Yes, I see it.”
Lu Hai adjusted himself and poured tea for Ji Ting, saying, “A colleague recommended this place, especially praising their grilled dishes.”
Ji Ting took a sip of the barley tea and smiled, “You could become a professional food reviewer.”
Lu Hai chuckled at her comment, “Before I met you, I didn’t have much interest in these things. Now, I just want to bring you to try them out.”
His eyes were sincere.
Ji Ting smiled back and set her cup down.
Lu Hai slid over a laptop and pushed it in front of Ji Ting, reaching over to point at it, “Here’s the preliminary plan. Take a look. You’re the client now.”
He smiled at Ji Ting.
Ji Ting glanced at the screen. She had to admit, his design ideas aligned very well with what she envisioned. The location of the new branch was in a cultural district where each store had its own style, tailored for young people. Even without overly unique designs, each place had its own personality.
Lu Hai’s design incorporated the current trendy Melard color scheme, boldly adding some eye-catching colors for impact. “Sunset” light boxes were warmed with warm tones.
Ji Ting was pleasantly surprised. She looked up and said, “It’s pretty good.”
Lu Hai felt a bit nervous, but hearing her praise, he relaxed and smiled, “I specifically visited the cultural district and spent two days there. Since our shop is near the entrance, we need to highlight some personality without being too abrupt and disrupting the overall feel of the area. Using colors like this is the only way. We can adjust the other details further.”
Ji Ting nodded. She scrolled with the mouse pointer, looking at the design.
After a few seconds, she smiled at him, “What about the contract?”
“Here it is.” Lu Hai’s heart pounded. He handed the contract to Ji Ting. Since their first meeting, Ji Ting seemed elusive, like mist, like rain, like wind—hard to grasp. Moreover, their interaction so far hadn’t established a clear relationship. Of course, he hoped to use the client-contractor relationship to build on it further and find an opportunity to break through. Otherwise, he feared Ji Ting might call a halt any moment.
Ji Ting took the pen and glanced over the terms and the design fee.
The company where Lu Hai worked didn’t come cheap, nor did he personally, but it was worth it. Ji Ting signed her name, agreeing to pay the deposit by tomorrow afternoon to Lu Hai’s company.
With the business discussion concluded.
The computer and contract were set aside. Lu Hai handed the menu to Ji Ting to order. The private room here had excellent soundproofing, front and back, ensuring that conversations from neighboring rooms couldn’t be heard.
The outside view was also splendid. A glass of sake paired with salmon, shrimp, and crab set a pleasant atmosphere. Ji Ting’s cheeks flushed slightly red, listening attentively to Lu Hai’s words.
With a hint of alcohol on his brows, under the soft light, Lu Hai appeared gently charming, quite intoxicating.
Seeing her like this, Lu Hai’s heart raced. He opened his mouth, “Ji Ting.”
“Yeah?” Ji Ting wiped her lips and looked up.
“Do you think I…”
Before he could finish, Ji Ting’s phone vibrated several times in a row, making distinct sounds—drrrr—very noticeable on the table, instantly interrupting the flow of conversation and the atmosphere.
It was a WeChat message from Yu Xi to Ji Ting, multiple messages in quick succession, seemingly urgent.
Ji Ting slid open her phone to check.
The first sentence made her freeze.
Yu Xi: [Shu Xiao has announced officially in her Moments that she’s dating someone.]
—
¹CBD stands for Central Business District. It refers to the commercial and business area of a city where you typically find skyscrapers, offices, and major financial institutions.