Shen Mi held the phone tightly, anxiously waiting for his reply.
Only a dozen seconds had passed, but she felt like she had been waiting for a lifetime.
While waiting, Shen Mi had already realized the abruptness of this sentence, but he couldn't withdraw it verbally...
Finally, a new message popped up in the chat box—
- dsm: No
Shen Mi pulled the quilt over her face, as if she was afraid that the person on the other end of the phone would hear her awkward breathing.
dsm: What
Shen Mi put his phone back under the covers, poked his finger to turn off the microphone, and typed on the screen: Can we meet
There was another silence that lasted for several seconds, and Shen Mi's heart was in his throat.
dsm: Why are you typing without talking
Shen Mi turned on the microphone and mustered up the courage to repeat: "Can we meet?" Her tone sounded very frank.
dsm: Why do you want to see me
After the impulse period ended, Shen Mi's mind had cleared up: "Because you don't have a girlfriend."
dsm: Hmm
Shen Mi: "I can introduce one to you."
The perfect answer to resolve the awkward situation.
dsm: I have no plans to fall in love in the near future
Shen Mi: "Oh, okay."
The master obviously didn't want to see her, so Shen Mi tactfully didn't mention the meeting again.
There was a strange sense of loss in my heart.
dsm: Have you read the contraindications of the medicine
Shen Mi: "I've seen it, it works."
dsm: give me the address
"Okay." Shen Mi sent him the address and asked, "Is it cold there?"
Her voice still sounded weak.
dsm: Are you cold
Shen Mi: "It's cold, my hands and feet are cold, but I don't feel cold when I'm chatting with you..."
…
As they chatted, Shen Mi fell into a deep sleep again.
I woke up in the middle of the night and my phone had run out of battery and turned off automatically.
After getting enough sleep yesterday and feeling refreshed, Shen Mi charged his phone, went to the bathroom to take a hot shower, and turned on his computer to check and process work emails.
After turning on the phone, Shen Mi clicked on the master's profile picture, and the chat box showed the duration of last night's call.
3 hours and 29 minutes.
The master never hung up the phone afterwards.
Her roommate said that she would occasionally talk in her sleep, and Shen Mi's cheeks turned slightly hot.
Pray that there wasn't last night.
6 o'clock in the morning.
Shen Mi sat in front of the makeup mirror and put skin care products on her face. The face cream Xie Rongzhuo gave her was very useful. Her skin had improved visibly recently. She applied a layer of primer, drew eyebrows, and put on a complexion-enhancing lipstick, and the simple work makeup was complete.
After changing her clothes, she looked from top to bottom to check that there were no asymmetrical folds on her skirt and that her stockings were not snagged. She picked up her bag, put the sanitary napkin inside, put on her coat, and put on her high heels.
The formal dress completely hides the fragile girl who talked in her sleep last night.
*
Inside the top floor luxury house of Shangboyue Mansion.
Shen Mi put the breakfast he brought on the dining table and went to wash his hands. When he came out, Xie Rongzhuo just opened the door.
"Morning, boss."
She smiled and nodded, moving aside to let him pass. He went out and she went in, stopping in the cloakroom and starting to pick out a coat and tie.
Xie Rongzhuo sat down at the dining table with a glass of water, his eyes lingering on her legs for a few seconds.
"Not cold?"
Shen Mi came out holding two coats and said with a smile, "It's not cold. Which one do you want to wear?"
Xie Rongzhuo moved his eyes to her hand and paused for a moment: "Black."
"OK."
Shen Mi turned back to the cloakroom and came out quickly: "Is it okay to wear this tie?"
"Um."
Xie Rongzhuo looked at her thin white instep again: "Are your feet not cold?"
Shen Mi remained calm: "Not cold."
Women who wear luxury goods are blessed. They like to wear skirts in winter and pants in summer. The 18 pieces Xie Rongzhuo bought for her were all skirts. Fortunately, this "forced" cashmere coat was warm enough, and his home and company both had heating, otherwise she might have been frozen to death in the southern winter.
Shen Mi opened his suit jacket and handed it to Xie Rongzhuo. He put it on, turned around and lowered his head. Shen Mi stood on tiptoe to help him tie his tie, buttoned his jacket skillfully, and then ironed the tie flat with his palm.
"You have a regular meeting at 9am, and you have an appointment with Mr. Chen at 11am. Mr. Zhao from Mena Capital asked you to meet at 3pm this afternoon last week."
Xie Rongzhuo lowered his eyes and looked at her pale face: "I'll ask the driver to pick you up tomorrow."
Shen Mi gave him the coat: "Mr. Zhou's working hours are 7 o'clock in the morning. I came too early."
Xie Rongzhuo took it and put it on his wrist: "Then come later."
"But you..."
"I want to sleep a little longer."
"clear."
The boss wants to hibernate, which is exactly what Shen Mi wants.
Xie Rongzhuo replied as he walked out: "I won't be in the company this afternoon, so you don't need to come."
Shen Mi: "Okay."
*
At lunch, Zhang Zhiqing was full of envy: "You are so lucky, you have another half day off. Your uncle is so good to you. Unlike me, I would be criticized by my boss if I leave work ten minutes early."
Xie Rongzhuo is indeed very good to his employees.
"But the leader was very kind to another intern and wanted to teach him step by step. Maybe the intern has some connections."
"Is there anyone in the entire company with a stronger background than you?"
"My uncle forbade me to publicize my relationship with him, saying that if other people knew, I wouldn't be able to learn anything. Alas, I finally understand how you felt at that time. The unspoken rules in the workplace are really easy to bully people."
The young lady had been working at the grassroots level for less than a week and was already exhausted and kept complaining.
After waiting quietly for her to finish her talk, Shen Mi said, "Qingqing, thank you for yesterday."
"Ah? I didn't do anything." Zhang Zhiqing said, "Are you okay today?"
"It's okay." Shen Mi asked, "What did you want to see me about yesterday?"
"Oh, yes." Zhang Zhiqing took out her phone and said, "The aunt who took care of me has returned to her hometown. Send her your address and I'll ask her to send you something delicious." She handed the phone to Shen Mi, "Her cured chicken wings are delicious. You must try them."
"OK."
Shen Mi thought she was too lazy to type, so he lowered his head and entered the address.
*
Although Xie Rongzhuo gave her half a day off, Shen Mi did not leave in the afternoon. She stayed to read the new project plan, carefully analyzed the target company, sorted out the questionable points one by one, and sent them to Xie Rongzhuo's email.
Xie Rongzhuo usually replied to her the next night or early morning.
His answers were detailed and easy to understand, and he could always accurately point out the fatal problems. No matter how beautiful the other party's data was, he could always find the flaws. After reading his replies, Shen Mi often felt like he had been enlightened, and learned a lot from him that was not in the textbooks.
With the "pass" issued by Xie Rongzhuo, Shen Mi was able to obtain all the company's archived files, and the practice process during this period was relatively smooth.
*
In the blink of an eye, it’s the end of the year.
The company started its annual holiday, and Shen Mi stayed in his room playing games all day.
After going offline, the master asked her via WeChat whether she would go back to her hometown for the New Year, and Shen Mi said no.
The master didn't ask any more questions.
dsm: Don't play too late, go to bed early
Shen Mi: Got it!
dsm: good
Shen Mi sent a "kiss" little rabbit emoticon.
dsm: Yeah
What does he mean by "um"
Does it mean I can kiss him
After the live broadcast that night, the relationship between her and her master changed subtly. They both understood each other tacitly, as if they had tacitly accepted the existence of this change.
Shen Mi stared at the chat interface, a thin blush slowly appearing on her cheeks.
*
This year it was exceptionally cold, the small peppers planted on the balcony were frozen to death, and Shen Mi’s stir-fried peppers and pork were ruined.
On New Year's Eve, Shen Mi wanted to go to the supermarket to buy some beef for stew, but when he got to the door, he found that it was closed. The vegetable market was also empty, with only a few stall owners selling groceries slowly packing up their stalls.
Shen Mi went over and bought two rolls of couplet paper, selected a brush, a small jar of ink, and took a few pieces of window paper. When he was a child, he lay on the table and watched his grandfather write couplets during the Chinese New Year. This was Shen Mi's happiest time.
The vegetable vendor next to him said, "Pretty girl, buy some greens."
Shen Mi bought a bunch and prepared to go back and cook noodles.
She thought, why not buy a small refrigerator when she gets her salary, so she can store some meat at home. She walked out of the alley and turned the corner, thinking it was unnecessary. She was still a long way from the down payment for a house, so she could save as much as she could.
That's how we spend every year anyway.
Shen Mi couldn't remember how many years it had been since he went home for the New Year.
Her and her father's house collapsed in the earthquake, and the government's compensation was taken away by her second uncle, who ultimately did not help her family repair it. Her grandparents died one after another, and she lost contact with her aunts.
She only has a hometown, but no home.
I returned to my residence, opened the door, changed my shoes, and went to the balcony to pick vegetables.
After opening the rope that tied the vegetables and seeing that most of the leaves in the middle were rotten, Shen Mi suddenly couldn't hold it in anymore. She squatted on the balcony and tears flowed out like a flood.
Do unlucky people have to be extremely unlucky
Why.
She just wants to eat some vegetables, is that not allowed
The phone rang twice.
The third time, Shen Mi returned to the room, took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and said with a smile: "Boss."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and Xie Rongzhuo asked, "What's wrong with your voice?"
Shen Mi's eyes were red, and her tone was normal: "Maybe, I didn't sleep well last night."
Xie Rongzhuo: "Come down."
Shen Mi was stunned: "... You're here?"
"You're working overtime today."
Xie Rongzhuo said calmly: "Is ten minutes enough?"
"OK."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Mi took out formal clothes from the closet, put on a layer of lipstick, tied her hair into a ponytail, and went downstairs with her bag.
Xie Rongzhuo's car was parked on the side of the empty road. Shen Mi wrapped her scarf tightly and trotted over. Xie Rongzhuo sat in the driver's seat, the window half lowered, and turned his head to signal her to get in.
Shen Mi opened the passenger door, sat sideways, and turned to meet Xie Rongzhuo's eyes behind the glasses.
"You don't want to ask me where I'm going?"
Shen Mi was very clear about his schedule. If he didn't know it, it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. Today was New Year's Eve. Shen Mi smiled and said, "Your home."
Xie Rongzhuo raised his eyebrows slightly and turned the steering wheel.
It was the first time Shen Mi saw him driving. There were few vehicles on the road, and Xie Rongzhuo drove very fast, arriving at his home in fifteen minutes.
The elevator went straight to the top floor. Xie Rongzhuo reached out to open the door and went straight to the living room without stopping. Shen Mi followed him. She was very familiar with his house, but she had always come here for work before. This time it felt more like a visit.
Xie Rongzhuo stood by the wine cabinet, took a wine glass, and walked over with a decanter: "Want to drink?"
"Okay." Shen Mi inexplicably entered the guest state.
Xie Rongzhuo poured her a glass of red wine, took off his coat and threw it on the sofa, then stood by the island counter, rolled up his sleeves, lowered his head and began to unpack the ingredients. He raised his head and asked, "Can you cook?"
Shen Mi took a sip of wine and said, "Yes." He picked up his coat out of habit and hung it up.
Xie Rongzhuo took a few garlic cloves and put them on the table: "Peel them."
Shen Mi: "Okay."
The broth on the stove was bubbling with the aroma of red wine. Xie Rongzhuo was wearing a shirt and trousers, and his movements were slow and methodical. He was clearly cooking, but his movements were so elegant and pleasing to the eye that people would have thought he was making a work of art.
But, doesn’t Xie Rongzhuo dislike eating steak
I don't like it but I will do it anyway. Most people wouldn't put themselves in such a difficult position, let alone someone as picky as Xie Rongzhuo.
He should like to eat it.
I didn't expect that someone as meticulous as Assistant Zhang would make a mistake.
"Why don't you go home for the New Year." Xie Rongzhuo lowered his head and cut the steak.
Shen Mi replied: "We don't have the custom of celebrating the New Year."
Xie Rongzhuo: "Are you in a bad mood today?"
Shen Mi: "It was not good before coming."
Xie Rongzhuo asked: "Why is it better now?"
Shen Mi: "Because the beef is delicious." The overtime pay is very high. Food and money can make her forget her troubles temporarily.
Xie Rongzhuo gave her his share as well.
Shen Mi wanted to be polite, but when he saw him pick up another piece and start cutting it, he picked up the fork and started eating it without hesitation.
After eating the steak, Xie Rongzhuo took out the roasted lobster from the oven and steamed the abalone. Shen Mi divided the lobster into two portions and gave him the shelled portion after he sat down.
After eating the shrimp meat, Xie Rongzhuo went to serve the abalone, while Shen Mi cleaned up the shrimp shells on the table. There was only one dish on the table, and the two of them enjoyed the food quietly, not caring about the formality.
After finishing the big meal, Shen Mi felt better.
Thinking back to the time when I was crying alone over rotten vegetables in the morning, I suddenly found it funny.
"What are you laughing at?" Xie Rongzhuo lowered his eyes and looked at her.
After drinking half a glass of red wine, her cheeks were already flushed, her eyes were full of affection, and her smile was particularly charming.
She stood up, without a coat, her high heels outlined her mature curves, but her eyes were innocent and harmless. She took out a bunch of things from her bag: "Boss, let me help you cut window paper-cuts."
She said she didn't have the habit of celebrating the New Year, but she still prepared these things.
If it was the usual Shen Mi, he would never expose himself like this.
You can see that she is a little drunk.
Xie Rongzhuo didn't expose her: "Is there anything you can't do?"
Shen Mi half-knelt beside the table next to him, tilted his head and looked at him: "You can do it, but I can't."
He chuckled: "Learn slowly."
She clapped her hands and stood up: "I'll get the scissors."
Xie Rongzhuo reminded her: "The tool room is on the left."
Shen Mi walked to the right.
Xie Rongzhuo helped her get the scissors, pointed the tip at himself, and asked doubtfully, "Are you sure you're not drunk?"
"Drunk." Shen Mi knew his alcohol tolerance, and at most he was slightly tipsy at the moment.
"It seems not." Xie Rongzhuo handed her the scissors, picked up the notebook and sat next to her.
The huge living room was quiet, with only the occasional sounds of paper cutting and keyboard typing.
Shen Mi put the cut paper-cuts aside. When she came, she saw people in the community holding couplets and pasting them. She guessed that people here should also have the habit of pasting couplets. Xie Rongzhuo's family didn't have one yet, so she wanted to give him one. But she wasn't sure what couplets he liked.
She turned her head and looked at Xie Rongzhuo.
Xie Rongzhuo sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, leaning lazily against the sofa back, swiping the touch screen with one hand and holding a water cup with the other. His posture was unusually casual.
He happened to look towards her and glanced at the brush in her hand.
“Write what you like.”
"OK."
Shen Mi bent down, pressed his elbow on the paper, and picked up the pen to write.
After a while, Xie Rongzhuo closed his laptop, stood up and walked over. He lowered his head to look at the couplet and asked, "Have you posted it there?"
"not yet."
He nodded, spread out a new pair of couplets, and stretched out his hand. Shen Mi understood and put the brush in his hand.
"What do you want to write?"
"You like it."
Xie Rongzhuo wrote couplets, and Shen Mi went to paste window flowers.
Shen Mi's handwriting was pretty good, but she was still amazed when she saw Xie Rongzhuo's handwriting: "Have you practiced it?"
"My mother loves calligraphy, and she taught me how to write."
Xie Rongzhuo's mother was a calligrapher. He rarely saw girls who were good at calligraphy, and Shen Mi was one of them.
"No wonder your handwriting is so beautiful." Before this, Shen Mi always thought that Xie Rongzhuo had practiced signing alone, and only his name was written beautifully.
The two stood by the table waiting for the ink to dry.
Xie Rongzhuo looked at the newly pasted window paper-cuts: "Do you like red?"
"Green." Shen Mi smiled and said, "But many people will make fun of green, and those who like it gradually don't dare to like it anymore." When she was a child, she wore a green hat and was laughed at by her classmates for a long time.
Xie Rongzhuo didn't laugh at her: "Why do you like green?"
Shen Mi said: "When I was a child, there was a large bamboo forest behind my house. Whenever it rained, the bamboo leaves looked as if they had been washed. They were very beautiful." Later, the bamboo forest was gone, and the house was gone too.
When the ink dried, Shen Mi carefully rolled up the couplet written by Xie Rongzhuo, put it in his bag, and took the one she wrote to paste.
Xie Rongzhuo stood behind her and handed her the double-sided tape.
"The left side is a little higher."
Shen Mi stood on the stool, holding the couplet with both hands raised, and turned around to ask: "How about this?"
Xie Rongzhuo raised his head: "Lower."
She adjusted her height slightly: "How about this?"
"alright."
After pasting the couplet, Shen Mi stood on one leg. The stool suddenly shook and she subconsciously screamed "Ah". Xie Rongzhuo was quick to hold her waist, raised her up with one arm, and put her back on the ground.
After getting his feet on the ground, Shen Mi was still a little dazed.
I wonder if her weight of more than 90 kilograms is filled with water. In Xie Rongzhuo's hands, it's like holding a chicken.
Xie Rongzhuo looked calm. Shen Mi didn't even have time to release his embarrassment as he had already turned around and left with his stool.
"… "
*
The afternoon seemed to pass by very quickly. After I cleaned up the living room, it was time for dinner.
Shen Mi didn't expect that he would have New Year's Eve dinner with Xie Rongzhuo this year.
Xie Rongzhuo had booked the New Year's Eve dinner in advance, and it was very sumptuous. Shen Mi picked up his phone and took a photo. He wanted to post it on WeChat Moments, but he noticed that Xie Rongzhuo's hand was in the photo, so he gave up.
After dinner, Shen Mi helped clean up the dishes and sat next to Xie Rongzhuo waiting for instructions.
The Spring Festival Gala had already begun, and a chorus was playing. Xie Rongzhuo asked, "I don't want to ask why I asked you to come."
Shen Mi turned his head and looked at him: "You don't want to spend the holiday alone."
"Come over for dinner tomorrow."
Xie Rongzhuo was watching the TV, his lenses dotted with faint blue light and shadows: "Same as today, overtime pay is tripled."
He saw through her thoughts.
Shen Mi gladly accepted: "Okay."
Xie Rongzhuo moved his gaze to her face.
"Don't come back tonight."
Due to the reflection of the lenses, Shen Mi couldn't see his eyes clearly, but she knew that Xie Rongzhuo didn't mean that.
In fact, it doesn’t matter whether she goes back or not. She can get a considerable overtime pay for working overtime, but she is no longer alone now.
She gave a professional smile: "Sorry, boss, I have something to do tonight."
"Um."
Xie Rongzhuo did not force it.
*
After returning to his residence, Shen Mi pasted up the couplet that Xie Rongzhuo had sent him. He actually felt as if his humble home had been given a new lease of life.
Zhang Zhiqing sent a video, Shen Mi answered it, and when she saw the young lady in a red cloak, she smiled: "Hello, Fuwa."
Zhang Zhiqing was amused by her address and complained quietly: "My grandfather said that girls should wear red clothes during the Chinese New Year. I am already in my twenties, but he still treats me like a child. It's all my uncle's fault. He didn't come back for the Chinese New Year, and my grandfather kept nagging me."
Even a wealthy boss like Xie Rongzhuo cannot go home to spend the New Year with his family.
Shen Mi suddenly didn't feel miserable anymore.
When I opened WeChat, Master’s profile picture was buried in a pile of unread group New Year greetings messages.
Shen Mi found him and pinned his post to the top.
Seeing the message he sent this morning, Shen Mi felt guilty for no reason.
In order to earn overtime pay, she actually left him alone for the whole day...
Will he be angry
If it were her, she would definitely have all kinds of thoughts if she didn't get a reply from him for the whole day.
She explained in the chat box why she didn't reply to his message.
I wrote and revised it, and finally deleted it all.
No explanation can be as real as actual action.
The clock on the wall pointed to ten o'clock.
Shen Mi took a shower first, then sat down to prepare a New Year's gift for his master.
*
At the same second that the New Year’s bell rang, Xie Rongzhuo received a message.
Shen Mi: Happy New Year!
Shen Mi: Look! The words I wrote for you
picture
picture
Xie Rongzhuo looked at his phone and chuckled expressionlessly.
She was talking about something.
It turned out that he was going home to spend New Year's Eve with others.
The author has something to say:
"other people"
-
Happy New Year! I wish you all a beautiful, healthy, financially free and smooth new year!
66 red envelopes will be sent in the comment area~