If the transportation expenses are not reimbursed, according to my saving nature, I must take the bus every day instead of taking a taxi to work. Ever since I discovered that translation is such a labor-intensive job, I have developed the same habit as Li Chuan, preferring to spend money rather than consuming myself on details.
I took a taxi to the 19th floor of Xiang Lai Building - CG China Headquarters. The person who received me was Chen Jingfei, director of the personnel department. She took me to visit the offices, meeting rooms, lounges, and cafes of various departments. I found that there are not many CG staff members, all together, there are about 130 people. Among them, there are three foreign designers: two speak French and one speak German. Despite their heavy accents, they all speak very fluent English. Chen Jingfei said that none of the three foreign designers knew much Chinese. If they are going to deal with customers, they have to go through a translator. In addition, all important documents in the company, especially tender documents and design proposals, must be copied to the Zurich headquarters in Chinese, English, and French for filing. Also, most of the Chinese designers here are not proficient in English, French or German. Therefore, important notices, briefings and emails from the headquarters need to be translated into Chinese and communicated downward. At the same time, if Chinese designers need to contact the headquarters, they also need the participation of translators. "So, the work of the translation team is very important and quite busy."
Of course I know that Xiang Lai Building is where Li Chuan works. When we were together with Li Chuan, he mentioned it to me more than once. However, Li Chuan is a person who is very clear about public affairs and private affairs, and he does not want outsiders to disturb his personal life. So I only know one CG staff member, and that is Li Chuan's secretary, Zhu Bixuan.
After listening to Chen Jingfei's introduction, I suddenly realized that the translator who went abroad was Zhu Bixuan who had worked in CG for nearly seven years.
After introducing the office area on the 19th floor, Chen Jingfei said: "The offices of the president, vice president, chief designer and their secretaries are on the 20th floor. Please go this way. Mr. Shen was going to see you today, he has something urgent to go out Yes. Let's go see the vice president."
Go up the elevator to the twentieth floor, and there is an extremely luxuriously decorated office in front of you. On the door of the second office, I suddenly saw the words "LC ong". In an instant, my heart seemed to be pinched by a hand and I couldn't breathe.
"Are you uncomfortable?" Sensing my sudden acceleration of steps, Chen Jingfei asked.
Yes, I'm not feeling well, and I'm anxious to get away.
"No. Maybe I'm going to see the vice president, so I'm a little nervous." I smiled pretendingly.
Chen Jingfei said: "The office just now is the office of Mr. Wang Lichuan, the chief designer of our company. He is Swiss Chinese and can speak popular Chinese."
I asked: "Is Mr. Wang not here today?" The door of the office is frosted glass. If there is light inside, people outside can see it.
"Mr. Wang used to be the president and chief designer of CG. Now he has been transferred back to the Zurich headquarters as the vice president. He is our immediate boss. However, he still has a lot of design projects in China, so we keep his office. Occasionally come to Beijing for business, not many times."
"It turned out to be a promotion."
"It should be said that it is necessary for work. CG Architects belongs to CG International Investment. It is Mr. Wang's family business. Our boss and vice president here used to be his favorite generals." The admiration on her face, beyond words.
"oh."
"Mr. Wang doesn't like being called Mr. Wang. If you meet him, you can just call him Mr. Wang. Although he comes from a wealthy family, he is very gentle and low-key. In the past, he would eat with everyone in the restaurant at noon. of."
"oh."
"Mr. Wang is brilliant and a legend in the construction industry. When he was transferred, we were all very sad."
"Oh." I felt that Chen Jingfei's words were full of emotion.
Before I knew it, I followed her into the third office. The first room after entering the door is the secretary's office, which has a deep suite. "Xiaotian, this is the new Annie, the English translator of the translation team. Is it convenient to see Mr. Zhang now? I have an appointment yesterday."
"Come in, Mr. Zhang is waiting for you."
Zhang Shaohua, vice president of CG, is a capable middle-aged man with dark skin, a small stature, and an aquiline nose. He has certain characteristics of southerners. His voice really had a strong Sichuan flavor. He shook my hand warmly. The three of us exchanged a few simple greetings, and we knew each other. He answered the phone, so we took the opportunity to come out.
My office is in 1902, diagonally opposite the elevator. There are good desktop computers in the office, and in addition, the company sent me a thin and light Sony laptop. I never dreamed that I would own such an expensive "office device" so soon.
Turning on the computer, I started to use - my exclusive account in the company - to send and receive emails. My task is to translate all emails that are specifically forwarded or cc'd to me from CG. Translate Chinese into English, or English into Chinese. French and German are handled by other translators.
The communication between Beijing and Zurich is very busy, and the mailing list is endless. I scanned it roughly, and there was an email from Li Chuan in it—"Welcome Mr. South to work in the French branch! Mr. South will replace Mr. Laino who was transferred to the Austrian branch as the chief designer of the Paris branch." .” A serious official document was sent to all branches of CG around the world through his secretary Ruth.
It took me only three minutes to translate it into Chinese and forward it to all members of the company. Also pleased to discover that the job is pretty easy. I translated all the emails in two hours and then went to the restaurant for lunch.
The restaurant is on the 18th floor, so you don't need to take the elevator, just walk one floor, and you will be there in no time. The restaurant serves both Western and Chinese food in the form of a buffet. I took a fried rice, a dish of spicy fish nuggets and a cup of coffee, and ate alone at a table. After a while, a well-dressed lady asked me very politely with a plate of salad if she could share a table with me. I nodded quickly.
"I'm Emma from the French team. You must be the new translator, Anne, right?"
"Yes." I stood up and helped her take the teacup in her hand: "I'm in 1902, please take care of me."
"I'm in 1904, our offices are next to each other. You look very young, have you just graduated?"
"Yes. I came from the Ninth Pass."
"Bixuan just left last week, and she left suddenly. The company was eager to ask for someone, and refused to spend time recruiting, so they just poached you from Jiutong." She smiled at me, her eyes were bright and full of charm: "Listen Said it cost a lot."
"Where," I said, "Jiutong has received a lot of orders recently. It is very busy, but there is actually a shortage of people."
"We are all guessing who will come. And we pray every day, hoping that Jiutong will not send an old man here." She said, "But we are also surprised that you are so young. Are you twenty years old?"
"Twenty-two. What about you?" I don't think she looks very old.
"Thirty-two."
I was taken aback: "No way? I think you are at most twenty-five years old."
"First, I'm not married. Second, I eat salad and vitamins every day." She forked a few vegetable leaves and ate with Italian salad dressing with relish.
"Sister Ai—"
"Please call me Emma."
“Emma, how long have you been here?”
"I am the oldest group of employees in the company. It has been ten years. I was only as old as you when I came here."
I secretly thought in my heart, ten years ago Li Chuan was less than twenty years old and had not yet graduated from university. The company obviously didn't start when he came.
"It seems you like it here."
"Yeah. Do you know why I'm still single until now?" She suddenly laughed mysteriously.
I shake my head.
She leaned over and whispered, "I've tried to seduce every president here, but I've never succeeded."
Seeing my astonished expression, she laughed wildly: "Sure enough, it's a little girl, so take it seriously. Of course it's a joke! Do you like shopping in shopping malls after work? I know there are a few stores with pretty good clothes. Also, do you want to go to the mall?" Going to the spa? I have a few annual cards in my hand, which were given away. Lisa’s facial mask is very good. I have two cards, but I can’t use them. I’ll give you one.” After that, she took out a A card, forced into my hand.
"Thank you, Miss Emma!"
"Emma."
"Yes, Emma."
She tore open a small bun, ate it very politely, and said, "This bag in your hand is really unique."
This Gi bag was bought by Li Chuan for me.
"Really? It's a gift from someone else."
"Boy friend?"
"Before. We broke up long ago."
"Does he make a lot of money?"
"how do you know?"
"I fell in love with this bag five years ago. It was too expensive. I struggled for a long time and I was not willing to buy it. The real thing sold for tens of thousands! Pair it with your jeans, which is stylish and low-key. Your ex-boyfriend has great taste! "
The jeans were also bought by Li Chuan. He doesn't like shopping, but he has a good eye for clothes. I looked at the bag in my hand and hurriedly said, "This is definitely not the real thing."
"If I can't tell the truth from the fake, why am I still working in a foreign company? When Sister Chen introduced you today, the girls in the French group and the German group all saw this bag and said that you must be Xiao Guan's new boss." girlfriend."
I shook my head desperately: "No, no, Mr. Xiao's girlfriend is named Tao."
"Is Tao Xinru? I know her very well! She is only unrequited love at best. Although Xiao Guan is fickle, he has a good reputation in the industry. He is a rabbit who doesn't eat weeds, and never falls in love with anyone inside the company. Tao Xinru If you knowingly commit a crime and expect to use your sincerity to make Xiao Guan break the precept, will you end up with a concubine with a heart like water and a man with a heart like iron?"
I denied it again: "Anyway, I am absolutely, definitely not Xiao Guan's girlfriend."
"Really?" Emma glanced over my head and stopped at the entrance of the restaurant. She laughed out loud, and pinched my face with her fragrant, white and tender hands.
I look up. Seeing Xiao Guan walk in at some point, he walked straight in front of me.
"Mr. Xiao." I quickly stood up.
"Annie," he greeted me and Emma lightly, "Emma."
"President Xiao and Emma know each other?"
"Well, Emma and I are alumni. She is one year higher than me, and the alumni association often meets."
"Xiao Guan, why are you free to come to CG today?" Emma looked up at him, her face full of ridicule.
"I'm here to talk to Mr. Jiang about something. You know, I'm also in real estate, and I want to ask their designer for help." He sat down and said to me, "How is it, Anne, are you used to working on the first day?"
"Very good. I think it's easier than Jiutong."
"Don't underestimate the enemy. When the bidding begins, you will have a lot of interpretation work. Recently they are busy with the bid in Wenzhou. Are you familiar with the Wenzhou accent?"
I suddenly became nervous: "What? Do I want to translate Wenzhou dialect? I don't understand a word of Wenzhou dialect."
"Don't be nervous," he smiled, "Most of the people you will deal with are government officials, and they can speak Mandarin with you."
"Oh." I breathed a sigh of relief, "Then, who did you give those auction house manuals to?"
"Tao Xinru." He said, "Director Tao scolds me every day."
"Mr. Xiao, have you had lunch yet?" I asked.
"No. There is a Mongolian barbecue next door, and everyone says it's delicious. Are you interested in trying it? I'll treat you."
"Thank you." I pointed to the dinner plate, "I've eaten a lot, and my stomach feels a little uncomfortable today..." In fact, I haven't started to move the food on the dinner plate.
"It's okay, let's do it next time." His expression was a little awkward, obviously his self-esteem was greatly hit.
We said a few more polite words, and he politely left.
Turning around, I saw Emma staring at me with strange eyes.
"What's the matter?"
"You, Annie, actually publicly rejected Xiao Guan? Which nerve is wrong?"
"Didn't I say it? I'm not his girlfriend, why should I have dinner with him, which is misleading?"
"Did you know? Xiao Guan's eyes are high above the top, he is defiant, and he seldom takes the initiative to girls. There are many nymphomaniacs who are willing to spend money to treat him to dinner, but he still doesn't go."
"Okay, I admit that I'm sick, I won't catch my breath..."
"Look at you stupid! At the beginning, I was just picking and choosing until now I can't do anything. You, you must wait until I am this age to know what regret is." She took out her mobile phone and handed it to me, "Hurry up and call someone , Said that the stomach doesn't hurt anymore."
I smiled and shook my head, and returned the phone to her: "I think you two are quite suitable, why don't you make the phone call yourself."
After lunch I go back to the office and continue working. After working for an hour, the phone rang.
"It's me, Xiao Guan."
"Mr. Xiao. Hello."
"Is your stomach better?"
I still remember this, I was so scared that I broke out in a cold sweat: "Okay... okay."
"Can I have Mongolian barbecue tonight?"
"Evening? Excuse me, I...have yoga class tonight."
"when it start?"
"Seven o'clock."
"when will it finish?"
"Eight o'clock."
"I'll pick you up at eight, tell me the address of the yoga class."
No way, I reported the address.
"Then, Annie, I'll give you ten minutes to change. I'll see you at eight ten."
I still want to say something, the phone has been hung up.
After I practiced yoga, I didn't change my clothes, and stood at the gate of the gym, sweating profusely. At 8:10, Xiao Guan arrived on time by car.
I opened the car door myself and got in.
He drove slowly and didn't speak for a long time. I sat beside him and said nothing.
After a while, there was a red light on the road, and he suddenly said: "Maybe you don't know, I once pursued Emma when I was in college. At that time, there were many people chasing her, and I barely ranked first. Once, she fell in love with her." A coat, very expensive, I have no money to buy it for her. Of course there are other things, we broke up."
I'll wait for him to go on.
"We all graduated later. I went to sea to earn some money. She heard about it and came to me. I ignored her, and she was very angry."
"Does this have anything to do with me?"
"Today, I'm embarrassed that you rejected me in front of her. She must be very happy looking at me. "
"I have no idea… "
"It doesn't matter if you know or not," he said, "Anyway, you have to have a good Mongolian barbecue meal with me tonight."
I was irritated by his domineering tone, not to mention that I didn't understand his logic.
"Mr. Xiao, please stop the car." I said coldly.
His face turned pale, and the car stopped abruptly.
"Excuse me, are you an only child?"
"Yes, so what?"
"Because you are the only child, there is a reason, I am afraid you will understand later than those of us who have brothers and sisters." I opened the car door and said to him: "Not everything in this world revolves around you. Whether you have fun with any woman, I have no responsibility and none of my business. Goodbye!"
I slammed the door and walked away.
I thought Xiao Guan, who was furious, would fire me because of this, because my personnel relationship is still under Jiutong. Unexpectedly, there was no movement for a whole month. I haven't heard anything from Xiao Guan, nor have I received any phone calls or emails from him. I work hard, and when I get tired, I just stand next to the trash bin downstairs and smoke. No one makes things difficult for me, and nothing bothers me. I have my own office and play some soft music while translating. Sometimes the work is finished ahead of time, and I go to the next door to Emma or other translators to have a chat. They often come to me when they are tired from work, or during lunch time, or take me to go shopping together. There are only a handful of female employees in CG, and everyone takes care of each other and is very united.
One day, I finished my work and was wandering around the Internet, looking for Ben Yishu to have a look, but Yishu couldn't find it, so I found a green website - "xx Literature City".
I found that there are not only a lot of romance on it, but also that anyone can register a pseudonym and become an Internet writer.
It took me half an hour to register a pseudonym. Then I hung up on the Internet to watch Du Ruo's "Tian Wu", there are three parts in total. I open the window very small, and if someone comes in, I close it. "Tianwu" has greatly improved my work efficiency. I want to finish my work as soon as possible every day, so I can read the next chapter of "Sky Dance" earlier. It's a pity that in less than a week, I finished watching all of "Tianwu". Then I continued to watch Ming Xiaoxi, Gu Man, and Qingchuan's... When I found that there were no stories to read, I used my registered pen name to write stories on them.
I decided to name my story "The Past of Li Chuan".
I wrote the first chapter and found that there were only five hits, one reader comment, and two words: "Come on!"
Well, I will write for the reader who cheers for me. I quickly wrote the second chapter, the third chapter. I think the story of me and Li Chuan, except for the last scene, is actually very beautiful. In some places, I wrote very restrained, in some places, I wrote very boldly. Believe me, the real Li Chuan is definitely more beautiful than the Li Chuan I wrote. I was crying while writing, immersed in the good memories, which moved my readers by the way.
How I wish Li Chuan was a character in my story, I could write about him at will, and arrange a perfect ending for me and him.
Of course, this is not true. But the Li Chuan in the story can make me gradually forget the real Li Chuan. Those pains, described over and over again, are gradually diluted; those loves, recalled over and over again, become boring. I saw another Li Chuan becoming more and more real in my mind, getting closer. But the real Li Chuan became dimmer and smaller, and finally became a point, gradually moving away from me.
So much smoking, so much drinking, so many sleepless nights. And that time when I stood alone on the roof garden of Longjing, staring at the little traffic downstairs in the night wind, if I didn't think of my father and younger brother, maybe I would jump off.
I finally found a way to bury love and turn pain into joy.
Every morning, the first thing I do when I wake up is to turn on my computer and check my stories for a few new posts. I work hard during the day and concentrate on creating after get off work. Practicing yoga, going to bars, watching movies, dancing disco... I fell asleep when I was tired from playing.
I live a fulfilling life.