Shao ChengZe saw her move and the corners of his mouth imperceptibly hooked up.
Cheng Jinlan raised her eyebrows, "I didn't expect Shao to care so much about me that he even noticed if I was wearing a ring," she held out her hand openly for him to see, "You'll know when you get married, Shao, that forgetting to wear your ring is a common thing."
Shao's slight smile froze and the corners of his eyes lifted in an even brighter smile, but his eyes were shrouded with sharp blades, "When I get married, I will definitely send Miss Cheng an invitation. Then I hope Miss Cheng can give me and my wife some advice on married life."
Cheng Jinlan lifted her chin lightly, "No problem. As long as Shao sends me an invitation, I will definitely attend."
There was a moment of silence.
Shi Ran's phone rang.
"My husband is calling me to hurry back, so I won't keep Shao company anymore." Cheng Jinlan nodded slightly at him and walked away.
This time, Shao ChengZe didn't stop her. The untouched cigarette in his hand snapped in half in his palm, turning into powder that went into the trash can.
Cheng Jinlan had wanted to answer the call but accidentally declined it instead.
"Auntie, your pretty skirt is dirty," said a passing little girl in a sweet voice, pointing to the stain on Cheng Jinlan's waist.
The girl looked around the same age as Cheng Liqi. Cheng Jinlan stopped and bent down halfway to look the little girl in the eye, "Thank you little princess for letting auntie know. Auntie will change into clean clothes when she gets home."
The little girl was a bit shy being looked at by such a pretty auntie. She smiled bashfully and jumped into her mother's arms.
The mother smiled at Cheng Jinlan, "She gets shy easily."
Cheng Jinlan was reminded of Cheng Liqi. Her eyes softened and she bid the mother and daughter goodbye before quickening her pace.
A weight fell on her shoulder. A suit jacket that carried a familiar crisp scent. Without looking, she knew who it belonged to. Cheng Jinlan was about to push it off when a hand pressed down on her shoulder and a low voice spoke by her ear, "Do you think your husband knows you're wearing something I gave you on your head?"
Cheng Jinlan's breathing lightened. She didn't know if it was because of his question or their close proximity. His breath tickled her earlobe, making her spine tingle.
The man behind her didn't need her answer. He brushed past her shoulder and strode forward.
Someone had gone to the bathroom and come back with a face that could no longer be described as clouded. Yuan Zhongzhou fearlessly asked, "Did you leave your jacket in the bathroom on purpose?"
Shao ChengZe ignored him and asked the man beside him, "How much longer until the plane lands?"
"Boss Shao, 10 more minutes."
Shao ChengZe had lost the mood to play the filial son and grandson. "You guys wait here. I'm leaving first."
Everyone was stunned. Old Man Shao would definitely be angry if he got off the plane and Little Shao wasn't there, but no one dared stop him.
Yuan Zhongzhou was also stunned. He hurried after Shao ChengZe, "What about me?" He wanted to leave too.
"You have legs, don't you? Use them if you want to walk away."
"But how can I leave a good impression on your grandfather if I walk away?"
"Does he pay your salary? Do you need to leave a good impression on him?"
Yuan Zhongzhou: ...
Shao ChengZe was the one who brought him and now the same person was telling him to leave. Fine, he wouldn't hold a grudge against this lovelorn turtle.
"Want to come over to my place and drink? I'll crack open the good wine I brought back. That should be enough friendship right?"
Yuan Zhongzhou was about to pat Shao ChengZe's shoulder to comfort his good buddy but Shao ChengZe was walking too fast. Yuan Zhongzhou stumbled and almost smashed his face into a pillar.
He clutched his precious liver. Phew, that was close. He couldn't damage his face. He didn't care about leaving a good impression on Old Man Shao but next Monday was his first day at Shao Corporation. He had to leave a good impression on the unmarried female colleagues there.
Yuan Zhongzhou's little heart was thumping rapidly. He saw clothes on top of the trash can beside the pillar. They looked familiar. "Hey Shao, isn't that your jacket? How did it end up in the trash?"
Shao ChengZe didn't want to turn back but he did anyway.
What he saw wasn't clothes but a purple hair clip.
A tiny one, lying on the black clothes.
A very familiar scene, like many years ago.
That day it rained. A rainbow appeared in the sky after. She and he walked one after the other on the wet stone-paved road. The wind blew her skirt and long hair.
She was angry. Their meeting time was 3pm but he came at past 4pm. Her small face looked like it would puff up like a blowfish when she saw him. She didn't say a word to him and walked away. She went quite a distance before a small roadside stall caught her attention. She picked something and then realized she didn't bring her wallet.
Mobile payment wasn't popular that year. He handed the money over and took the hair clip from the auntie's hand and gave it to her.
She wasn't appreciative. "Since you paid, shouldn't you keep it yourself? Why give it to me?"
He replied, "An apology gift."
"This gift you chose is really..." She wanted to say cheap but seeing the auntie there, she gritted her teeth and said, "unique."
The auntie helped plead his case, "Quick, put the hair clip on your little girlfriend. It will definitely look good on her."
Because she heard a certain word, her fair ears and neck flushed pink. He moved closer and clipped the hair clip into her hair, taking the chance to hold her hand.
In that corner of the small Jiangnan alley, he kissed her for the first time.
In the end, the black jacket on his shoulder fell to the ground and the hair clip in her hair landed on the black jacket.
Lingering and entwined.
Only now, the lingering and entanglement was between her and someone else.
Shao ChengZe looked away and said to Yuan Zhongzhou, "Weren't we going to drink? Are we going or not?"
Yuan Zhongzhou asked, "You don't want your jacket?"
Shao ChengZe said, "I don't want it."
His mouth said he didn't want it but after not even taking two steps, he turned back. He didn't take the jacket, only the hair clip.
Yuan Zhongzhou was about to say something when Shao ChengZe looked at him, "If you don't want me to call Uncle Yuan and say some things, keep your mouth shut."
Yuan Zhongzhou immediately closed his mouth, tightly. His dad's elbows were always jutting out. Shao ChengZe could say anything and his dad would listen. He still wanted to stay in the country and taste all the delicacies. He didn't want to be dragged back so soon.
The Shao Corporation boardroom had been under low air pressure for days. Young Shao and Old Shao quarreled openly at the meeting. It was the first time someone dared to talk back to Old Man Shao like that. Everyone at Shao Corporation, including Yuan Zhongzhou, tucked their tails between their legs.
Cheng Liqi had been having a great past few days. Her little braids were almost standing upright. Shi Ran came to pick her up from school every day. Today she asked Shi Ran to bring her to the mall. Next week was Shen Chuqi's birthday. She brought her little piggy bank. She wanted to buy Shen Chuqi a birthday present at the mall.
"What kind of birthday gifts do boys like?" Cheng Liqi still hadn't decided what to get Shen Chuqi. She wanted to ask Shi Ran's opinion.
Shi Ran smiled. "When I was your little boyfriend's age, I liked models, guns, planes etc."
"Shen Chuqi's dad gives him those every year. I want to give him something different."
A woman wearing a baseball cap and mask walked by. Hearing Shen Chuqi's name, she stopped and glanced at Cheng Liqi.
Cheng Liqi noticed the look and turned to look back. The woman smiled at her before quickly walking away. Cheng Liqi hurriedly tapped Shi Ran's shoulder, "Shi Dad, did you see that woman has a mole by her eye?"
Shi Ran didn't notice the woman who walked by at all. "No, what's wrong?"
Cheng Liqi lowered her voice as if afraid someone might overhear. "Shen Chuqi's mom has a mole by her eye too. Do you think that woman could be Shen Chuqi's mom?"
Shi Ran stroked her little braid. "Lots of people probably have moles by their eyes."
"Oh, okay." Cheng Liqi pouted. It would probably be the best birthday gift if she could help Shen Chuqi find his mother.
After going up and down a few floors, Cheng Liqi still hadn't found anything satisfactory. "Shi Dad, I'm tired. Can we take a break and have some ice cream?"
Taking a break was secondary. Eating ice cream was the main objective. Shi Ran indulged Cheng Liqi in everything else but he couldn't easily agree to ice cream. It wasn't very hot now and she had a weak stomach. Eating ice cream might upset it later.
"We won't have ice cream. How about cake instead?"
Cake was fine too. She liked eating cake as well. Cheng Liqi obediently nodded.
The adult and child sat in the lounge area. Cheng Liqi scooped some cake and sighed, "Gift-giving is so hard. Shi Dad, how do you choose gifts for my mom every time? She really likes everything you give her."
Shi Ran put on a profound look. "Probably because I can see into your mom's heart."
Cheng Liqi's eyes shifted as she scooted closer to Shi Ran's side. "Shi Dad, do you like my mom? Not normal like, but like how I like Shen Chuqi? Shen Chuqi gets sad when he can't find his mom. When he's sad, I feel sad too."
Shi Ran looked at her seriously. "Why ask this?"
"If you like my mom, I can help you pursue her. If you get together with my mom, you can get married. Then you'll become my dad and I won't have to look for my dad anymore."
Shi Ran was stunned. He cautiously asked, "Do you want to find your dad?"
Cheng Liqi propped her chin up. "Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. If I find my dad, will he bully my mom?" She revealed her deepest worry.
Shi Ran scooped some cake and fed it to her. "Who's your mom? Miss Cheng the second, with your grandparents, big uncle, little uncle, and Shi Dad. No one dares bully her."
Cheng Liqi smiled brightly. "You're right. And there's me. I'll protect mom too. I can even ask Shen Chuqi along."
Shen Xi Wen sat not far from them. After finishing her coffee, she picked up her bag and left. Before leaving, she took another look at the little girl's eyes. It seems the story between Shao ChengZe and that Miss Cheng was much deeper than she thought.
At the evening banquet, Shen Xi Wen was still Shao ChengZe's female companion.
Shen Xi Wen's mind wandered.
Shao ChengZe's mind wandered even more.
Shen Xi Wen leaned on the bar. She couldn't muster any energy at all. "Did you know Cheng Jinlan has a daughter?"
Shao ChengZe was utterly disinterested. "What does it have to do with me whether she does or not?"
So he knew.
Shen Xi Wen found it a bit strange. "Haven't you seen that little girl before?"
Shao ChengZe sneered. "She's not my daughter. Why would I see her?"
