[Tao: I don’t want to!!]
Tao Zhiyue replied very decisively, but as soon as the message was sent, he regretted it and hurriedly clicked to withdraw it.
Even if you want to refuse, you shouldn't refuse so directly.
In Tao Zhiyue's subconscious mind there still remains the concern and thoughtfulness of a middle-aged man.
The HR on the other end typed for a while and then sent a cautious question.
[hr: I saw it.]
[hr: Should I pretend I didn’t see it?]
[hr: Wrap myself tightly in my little quilt.jpg]
The complicated and inexplicable emotions were interrupted by the HR who did not play by the rules, and Tao Zhiyue was instantly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
[Tao: … ]
[Tao: That’s not what I meant.]
[Tao: It was just... it was too sudden, I wasn't mentally prepared_(:3∠)_]
[hr: OK, I’ll ask again tomorrow.]
[hr: I can change my return trip to later.]
[hr: Actually, it is not impossible to have a big one.]
When Tao Zhiyue saw these two words, his whole body trembled and he said it reflexively.
[Tao: No, no!]
[hr: OK.]
[hr: No, OK!]
[hr withdrew a message.]
[hr: Can I come and ask tomorrow?]
[hr:萌混过.jpg]
After the sudden exposure, whenever Tao Zhiyue saw the message from HR, he could always remember the expression on the face of the boy in the white T-shirt when he handed him the chlorpheniramine. It was sincere and earnest.
Coupled with his nagging words, he was like a big dog wagging its tail, making it impossible to refuse.
Tao Zhiyue clenched his fists, trying hard to suppress the turmoil in his heart. After struggling for a while, he managed to utter a few words without any pain.
[Tao: Why do you always steal my emojis…]
[hr: Because it's cute^-^]
[hr: Can I continue to steal in the future?]
Tao Zhiyue really wanted to answer no, but his fingers were more honest than his brain.
[Tao: It’s up to you_(:3∠)_]
[hr: OK!]
[hr withdrew a message.]
[hr: accidentally forgot/cute]
Tao Zhiyue was shamelessly touched by cuteness.
After being hit on the head with great force, Tao Zhiyue gave up resisting. Facing this man who completely met his highest standards in both character and appearance, he had no way to deal with him.
The only thing to be thankful for is that HR doesn’t know that I like him too.
Otherwise, Tao Zhiyue would definitely be ashamed and would dig a hole and escape overnight.
To be fair, it's not that he doesn't want to see HR. This person who makes his heart beat fast both online and offline is more haunting than any kind of destined fate described in any story.
Tao Zhiyue began to feel that this journey into the dreamlike world of novels was perhaps because God felt a little unwilling to let him go after hearing of his death, so he decided to give him a chance to make up for his regrets.
It's just that he recognized his orientation a long time ago, but HR just realized that he likes men.
Liking each other was originally the most wonderful thing, but at this moment he was not sure how much sincerity and freshness there was in the other party's love.
Although Tao Zhiyue has never been in love, he has heard a lot of gossip stories.
No matter which circle you are in, people with good looks or money and power always have more choices and opportunities. Too many people are tempted by beauty and money and scramble for favor. It is no longer news for straight men who are serious on weekdays to occasionally cross the line and try new things.
The first time he saw the boy in white T-shirt, Tao Zhiyue had a hunch that he must have a good family background. That kind of innate temperament could not be concealed even by the simplest clothes.
So even though his face was blushing and looked inappropriate, he didn't feel that he had fallen in love with this stranger whom he had only met once.
Because from beginning to end, they belong to two clearly distinct worlds.
This is a far cry from the distance between a 22-year-old programmer who works from 9 to 6 and a middle-aged human resources manager in his 30s or 40s.
Unexpectedly, the fantasy of an age-gap relationship was shattered, and Tao Zhiyue fell into the abyss of Cinderella and the nobleman again.
It really is a world of novels.
After thinking for a while, Tao Zhiyue really couldn't hide his thoughts and raised his questions very carefully.
[Tao: Why do you... like me?]
He had no idea that he was attractive at all.
HR seems to be glued to his phone all the time these days, and his reply speed can be measured in seconds.
[hr: I think there is no reason for liking you. Because you are Dr. Tao, I like you.]
[hr: If Dr. Tao wants to ask what is it about you that attracts me, I can say a lot.]
[hr: But, is Dr. Tao a company?]
As soon as the two lines of text popped up, Tao Zhiyue almost knocked over the cup of water beside him.
He pushed the cup away, covered his face with his hands, and spoke briefly.
[Tao: .]
[hr: If you suddenly blush now, is that okay?]
[pottery:!!!]
[Tao: I was allergic! Not blushing!]
[hr: OK! I’ll tell you then.]
[hr: Dr. Tao has a very regular schedule and is very self-disciplined. I think it is worth learning from him.]
[hr: Dr. Tao loves his work and is very focused every day at work, which is my most serious shortcoming recently.]
[hr: Dr. Tao has great ideas and execution ability. He was able to design and build so many unique and beautiful houses in the game.]
[hr: Dr. Tao cooks for himself every day, he must be a very good cook, but I can only make fried tomato and eggs, I am so stupid.]
Tao: Okay, stop talking...
The words to stop were already in the input box, but due to the secret joy and expectation in his heart, Tao Zhiyue did not send it out after all.
He was immersed in a very complicated state of self-contempt. He looked at the tissue box on the table, then touched the leaves of the potted plants. The sound of his colleagues typing on the keyboard became particularly clear in his ears.
In order to avoid being discovered by his colleagues, Tao Zhiyue held his chin with one hand, with a serious expression. He seemed to be thinking seriously about some work problem in front of the screen, but his peripheral vision occasionally swept across the screen of his mobile phone where new messages kept popping up.
[hr: Although our acquaintance was due to a misunderstanding, Dr. Tao is the most gentle and warm-hearted person I have ever met.]
[hr: It is also very brave.]
[hr: Then let me tell you, I made a very important decision because I was inspired by your courage.]
[hr: Now I feel even better. It’s great to be able to take this step.]
[hr: Otherwise I can’t chat with you anytime like this.]
[hr: ! ]
[hr: I have never pursued anyone. Out of curiosity, I searched online for some methods written by others, but I found that they were all unreliable.]
[hr: I think the first step in pursuit should be to be honest and speak out your inner feelings.]
[hr: Let me finish the first step today, and then I will slowly think about what to do next.]
[hr: If there is anything that makes you unhappy during this period, please tell me.]
[hr:dog rolling around.gif]
[hr: This is an emoticon pack I found on the Internet. Dr. Tao can also steal it.]
[hr:^-^]
Tao Zhiyue tried to recite the Heart Sutra silently to force himself to cool down, but his cheeks still began to turn red and hot at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He felt that he might not even be able to take the first step.
hrHis lethality is really too strongqaq
Why can this person express such delicate and sensitive feelings so calmly
It was completely different from any love-related movies or novels he had seen.
A colleague who was passing by with a cup of water happened to catch a glimpse of his face and was immediately startled: "Xiao Tao, what's wrong with you? Do you have a fever?"
Tao Zhiyue put his phone upside down with a snap, subconsciously straightened his chest and abdomen, and sat up straight with a stiff back: "I'm fine, just hungover."
"Hey, didn't you guys have a dinner party this evening?" The colleague was stunned, then realized, "Did you drink again yesterday? I didn't expect that you, Xiao Tao, are still an alcoholic, haha. Let's drink together next time when you are free."
"..." Tao Zhiyue was inconsolable, "Okay, Brother Sun, I'll definitely do it next time."
After his colleague left, Tao Zhiyue opened his phone depressedly and tried hard to type a reply.
[Tao: I want to work!]
[hr: OK, keep it up, Dr. Tao.]
[hr: I forgot to change my words again, sorry!]
[hr: But that’s really cute.]
[hr: Can I apply to continue using these two words?]
[hr: Give you flowers.jpg]
Tao Zhiyue blushed and typed a reply angrily, then closed his eyes and threw the phone aside in a self-deception.
[Tao: Okay! !]
The screen quickly lit up, and Gougou rolled around happily again.
So for the whole day, when Tao Zhiyue was typing code in the visual interface, his mind was filled with the endless cycle of Dr. Tao, Dr. Tao, and Dr. Tao.
There are always mistakes in the code I type. I delete, modify and write a lot. At first glance, it seems that I have only written half of it, but the actual progress is only two and a half lines.
Tao Zhiyue scratched his hair in distress until it became a mess, but he was unable to successfully block out the words that kept echoing in his mind.
Completely unable to work, he simply gave up and waited until the afternoon or evening when he was calmer to resume work.
Tao Zhiyue, who was determined to slack off, clicked on every software on the computer desktop with a blank face, and emptied the Recycle Bin five or six times, but he did not have the courage to open the pp.
When he flipped through his mailbox, he saw the planning proposal that Wang Heng had sent a few days ago. There had been so many accidents in the past few days that he almost forgot about his promise to help Wang Heng with suggestions.
As if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, Tao Zhiyue quickly downloaded the attachment and deliberately adjusted the angle of the screen to try not to let others see it.
Wang Heng was planning an SLG strategy mobile game, and he wrote about the game's background setting and main gameplay in great detail. Unlike most similar games in China, he did not set the story in the context of the Three Kingdoms or Europe, but wanted to make it a Q-version Japanese style and incorporate some relaxing and casual gameplay.
Tao Zhiyue was attracted by his idea and gradually read it carefully, occasionally writing down his thoughts as a player and programmer.
He remembered that Wang Heng usually liked to watch Japanese comics, so when he was conceiving a game, he naturally incorporated his personal hobbies and feelings into it.
Tao Zhiyue also thought about what kind of subject matter he would choose if he were to participate in the development of the game.
… It’s probably a love game in which an ordinary protagonist suddenly gets involved in a strange emotional entanglement.
Shocked by the idea that suddenly popped up in his mind, Tao Zhiyue shuddered unconsciously.
But the idea of making his own game took root firmly in his mind.
After attending a game exhibition where new products are frequently released, Tao Zhiyue no longer seems to be satisfied with his current stable, dull and routine work status.
Every gamer aspires to make a game that he or she truly loves.
He clearly possessed the ability to do so, but he had to give up his ambitions just because he had to hide from someone.
But in the day-to-day contact with HR, Huo Ran, who he had only met briefly and was a stranger and distant to him, didn't seem to frighten him so much anymore.
He was no longer alone, and gradually gained the courage to fight against fate.
When this thought popped up in his mind, Tao Zhiyue realized once again how much change the appearance of HR had brought to his life.
In this special moment, he stared at the motionless computer screen and thought about many things.
Finally, it was 5:58 in the afternoon, which was the time when Tao Zhiyue usually finished checking the code and prepared to log off.
Although today's work was not completed, he still had to go to class on time. He copied a copy of the unfinished code to his USB drive and continued it when he got home.
At six o'clock, Tao Zhiyue got off the phone, closed the lid of his water cup, picked up the shopping bag, and did the whole process smoothly.
But unlike in the past, today, a message popped up on his phone on time.
[hr patted me.]
[hr: Off duty!]
[hr: What to eat in the evening?]
Tao Zhiyue glanced at the screen of his mobile phone, put it into his pocket immediately as if he had received an electric shock, and walked towards the door calmly.
Xue Huacan, who was sitting next to him, looked up at him, then lowered his head silently, this time without saying anything.
He clocked out and walked quickly towards the bus stop, where messages from HR continued to pop up one after another.
[hr: I plan to go to Nanshan Road to eat some special snacks. The posts on the kong forum all recommend this place.]
[hr: I heard that many stores have long queues every day.]
[hr: Today is a weekday, I wonder if there will be so many people.]
[hr: Has Dr. Tao been there?]
[hr: I will write down all the delicious food and recommend it to you^-^]
Sitting in the familiar window seat with no one next to him, Tao Zhiyue quickly took out his cell phone.
hr has been talking to himself all over the screen, looking silly.
Tao Zhiyue looked at the lines of text and tried hard to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth that he couldn't help but purse revealed his mood.
He wanted to be more reserved and reply to the message later, but every second seemed very long.
After waiting for only a few dozen seconds, he couldn't wait to start typing.
[Tao: I haven’t been there.]
[Tao: Have fun eating!]
[Tao: I haven’t decided what to eat for dinner yet.]
[hr: Let’s eat hot pot!]
[hr: spicy hot pot with red oil! ]
[Tao: Hot pot is so troublesome...]
[Tao: How can we eat hotpot on a weekday night?]
hr took a while to enter.
[hr: Oh, let’s change to a simpler dish.]
[Tao: For example, scrambled eggs with tomatoes?]
[hr:! ]
[hr: In fact, scrambled eggs with tomatoes are very nutritious and sweet, especially good with rice. ]
[hr: cat giggles.jpg]
[Tao: Isn’t fried tomato and eggs salty?]
[hr: Ah, Dr. Tao doesn’t add sugar? ]
[hr: Sweet is so delicious!!]
[Tao: It’s so strangely sweet!]
…
The two stops passed quickly. When the bus arrived at the station and opened its doors, Tao Zhiyue hurriedly stopped chatting, got off the bus and walked into the supermarket.
When he came to his senses, he had already picked out several big and plump tomatoes.
That evening, when he was busy in the kitchen with an apron on, he looked at the tender yellow eggs and bright red tomatoes in the pot, and then stared at the white sugar in the seasoning box. After a mental struggle, he finally mustered up the courage to add two spoonfuls of sugar.
Under the warm yellow light of the living room, the scrambled eggs with tomatoes looked tempting. Tao Zhiyue couldn't resist the temptation of the aroma and hesitantly stretched out his chopsticks.
It turns out that the sweet fried tomato and eggs mixed with rice with distinct grains are so delicious.
He took a bite and felt that something was missing. He sat down at the small dining table and thought for a moment, then turned on the TV which he hadn't watched for a long time.
Amid the sound of the news broadcast, the food was emitting a faint heat, as if every ordinary and precious day had passed.
The TV screen reflected flashing colors on his face. Tao Zhiyue, who tried the new flavor, ate half a bowl of rice more than usual.
After dinner, he touched his bloated belly and stood on the balcony, staring into the night in a daze.
He unconsciously thought of that special person again.
hr should be strolling along Nanshan Road. Jinbei City is a famous food city, which is one of the reasons why Tao Zhiyue chose this city to live.
Unfortunately, he has lived here for a year and has never had the chance to go shopping or explore any shops.
... What snacks would hr like
Tao Zhiyue was a little curious, but was too embarrassed to ask. He was eager to do something, but he could only look through the chat records between him and HR over and over again.
The more I looked at her, the more I couldn't hide the smile on my face. Fortunately, the evening breeze cooled my face.
The only trouble was that due to his personality, he didn't know how to respond to HR's sincerity and enthusiasm.
In the chat history that kept sliding, HR's avatar with a sudden change in style made every word he said particularly lively. On the contrary, Tao Zhiyue's gray avatar seemed cold and made his words seem dull.
After thinking for a long time, Tao Zhiyue opened the pp profile column. Since registering, he has always used the light gray system default avatar.
After flipping through the photo album for a while, Tao Zhiyue found a photo taken last fall.
At that time, he had fled from Yanping to Jinbei City for three months and was about to move for the second time. The first house he rented had poor lighting and he could not see the sun all day. His mood every day was as damp as the clothes hanging on the balcony. Later, he gritted his teeth and decided to move to a more expensive house.
After finally signing the new rental contract, Tao Zhiyue, very satisfied with his new home, went back home with his bag, planning to move in over the weekend. He had very little luggage, so he could move everything by taking a few buses back and forth.
At that moment, he walked on a path covered with fallen leaves. The golden sycamore trees on both sides swayed in the wind, and with every step he took, there was a small and dense sound of shattering.
Suddenly, Tao Zhiyue felt something, looked back, and saw an autumn leaf falling quietly on his shoulder.
Like a butterfly that had landed in his heart, it made his heart tremble slightly.
So he stopped, picked it up gently, put it in his hand, and recorded its final appearance in the world.
Select the photo and confirm the change. The light gray color that remains unchanged for years will fade away quietly.
Now Tao Zhiyue also has a new avatar, which is a golden sycamore leaf, and the warm color of his palm can be seen on the edge.
This leaf, like the HR at that moment, always reminded him of that autumn day which seemed a lifetime ago.