Chapter 2: She’s Twenty, Right?
Xicheng sat down and started working.
Her main job was to write copy, occasionally taking on some miscellaneous tasks such as taking photos, printing, and editing videos. The workload was not heavy and there was no technical difficulty. It was the kind of work that anyone with a fluent pen could do.
The more those colleagues talked, the more invested they became.
At first, they would be considerate of the fact that there was a newcomer, but now that they were familiar, they no longer deliberately avoided it.
But actually, there wasn’t much new material to talk about. As they talked, they inevitably joked about Qiao Yi’s relationship with their boss. Liang Yuzhi took over Xingling for two years, and everyone didn’t know much about his private affairs. The topic was always about his family.
Obviously, his family’s core business was all in the south. When he came back from abroad, he didn’t stay under his parents’ knees, but took a position in the power center early on. Instead, he ran to the capital to take over a newly started Xingling to do AI enterprise services with an uncertain future.
If it’s said that he’s a rich second generation playing around, he’s not that unambitious. After all, the development of Xingling in the past two years is obvious to all.
But is he particularly hardworking? Not really, he’s still a long way from being a workaholic, otherwise, how could Xingling still be trying to maintain a two-day weekend?
So, is the biggest possibility that he’s running towards Qiao Shao with both hands?
Jokes like these are not fresh at all, Tang Xicheng’s ears are all too familiar with them.
She is not unfamiliar with Qiao Yi, the C-position candidate of the boy group in their mouths. They met half a year ago, and it has always been Qiao Yi who came to find her unilaterally. At first, he sent her two books because she had casually mentioned to Liang Boqing that there were a few books she couldn’t find.
Later, when she was about to move out of the dormitory, the counselor kindly informed Liang Boqing, and Qiao Yi came to help her find a house and move.
The first time he came, he cursed and said that Liang Yuzhi was a selfish ghost who only knew how to throw burdens. At that time, Yan Yue was also there, exclaiming, “This guy is so handsome.”
The person in question immediately beamed with joy. Xicheng was shocked by his speed of changing faces.
Later, when they became familiar, Qiao Yi became even more unbridled in front of her.
It can be said that 70% of her understanding of Liang Yuzhi comes from Qiao Yi’s complaints, detailed to how Liang Yuzhi was cunning and deep when he was a child, causing him to be bitten by a dog.
As for how much truth there is in the words, it is unknown.
And at this time, the central figure of the topic, Qiao Yi, had already finished his coffee, watered the plants in Liang Yuzhi’s office that were dying but not dead, and was bored, leaning on the office desk and spinning a pen.
After three minutes of showing off his skills, he threw the pen down and went to flip through the books next to him. After flipping through several books, he started humming a song.
Someone ran out of patience, threw down a stack of data reports in his hand, leaned back and said, “What’s the point of you hanging around here with me?”
Qiao Yi answered, “Anyway, I don’t have anything to do.”
“You’re really that idle, that’s good, I’m short of a receptionist, start right away, do you want to do it?”
Qiao Yi rolled his eyes, “Don’t insult me, I’ll be your receptionist, can you afford me!”
Liang Yuzhi said indifferently, “Then you’re welcome to leave.”
Qiao Yi: “I’m here to talk business, can you give me some respect? Just add a bit of investment, look at how stingy you are.”
“Did you make a profit last month?”
Someone choked.
“…Almost, I’m working hard.”
How credible was it for someone with a history of failures to say such words?
Counting up, in the past five years, there were coffee shops, independent bookstores, gyms, pet hospitals, and other fields that died in Qiao Yi’s hands. This directly caused him to be isolated and helpless when he opened a bar.
One was that his family strongly opposed it, not only did they not provide any financial help, but they also stopped his monthly pocket money. Second, all his friends avoided him like the plague, including that group of bastards led by Liang Yuzhi, none of them had any faith in him. Later, he only got the first investment by annoying Liang Yuzhi with his soft and hard tactics.
That is to say, Liang Yuzhi was actually the major shareholder of his bar, commonly known as “sugar daddy”. Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother to please him.
“You tell me, what kind of friendship do we have? Back then, when we were in University, I went to see you every holiday. Did I ever ask you to run once? Just look at now, was there anything I can help you with that I ever said ‘no’ to? When did I not treat your affairs as my own? The mess that your uncle left you, didn’t I also help you take it over? I would even share one leg of my pants with you if I only had one pair.”
Qiao Yi repeated his old tricks.
Liang Yuzhi didn’t buy it: “You don’t think I invested that money in you because of your ability, do you?”
Friendship? He had given it.
Qiao Yi knew this was hopeless.
“Fine, don’t give it then. Why are you so stingy?”
But he didn’t come here to idle, he couldn’t stay quiet for a few minutes, and started to make noise again.
“Hey, what happened with you and Jiang Jinyu?”
He pretended to be concerned, “Weren’t you doing fine? How did you break up so suddenly? Now she says you’re ungrateful and unfaithful.”
Liang Yuzhi looked unconcerned: “You ask her.”
“I did.” Qiao Yi coughed slowly, hiding his face.
“It’s just that her little nephew peed on you, what’s the big deal? Jiang Jinyu’s family is a bit annoying, but you only see them twice a year, it’s not hard to cope with them.”
He smiled and wanted to persuade him a few more words, but Liang Yuzhi said, “You do it then?”
“…That’s not necessary.”
Qiao Yi wisely shut up.
He’s not stupid, Jiang Jinyu’s family is big and has a lot of relatives, and Tianjin is close, it’s hard to find a reason to refuse, going twice a year is enough to annoy him, Liang Yuzhi has indeed been very considerate to endure until now.
After all, they were just using each other as a shield, why make it more tiring than a real marriage alliance?
As for Jiang Jinyu, well, she’ll have to find another good man.
Speaking of which, it’s strange, Jiang Jinyu has been playing with them since she was eighteen or nineteen, and now it’s been almost ten years of friendship, but she hasn’t developed anything with any of them.
At first, Qiao Yi thought she and Liang Yuzhi had a chance, but the two of them didn’t seem to have any sparks. Liang Yuzhi has been single for quite a while, as far as Qiao Yi knows, he probably doesn’t even have a bed partner, probably because he has an annoying ex-girlfriend, he’s annoyed, and has a shadow over intimate relationships.
But that’s been quite a while ago, hasn’t it? What’s with the abstinence route? There are quite a few people who pounce on him, it’s not hard to pick one, right?
Qiao Yi suggested to him, “Or you should just have a serious relationship, it can also solve the physiological needs, right?”
Liang Yuzhi told him that if he put half the energy he spent worrying about other people’s physiological needs into his business, he wouldn’t have to come this time.
Qiao Yi felt that he was diverting the topic, “Avoidance is useless, physiological needs are not subject to human will, unless you are ED at a young age.”
Liang Yuzhi told him to roll.
After finishing the ma**script, proofreading, and typesetting, Tang Xicheng started to edit the video materials.
During this process, only one colleague communicated with her on the internal communication tool.
Once verbal speech is not used as a means of dialogue, the amount of unnecessary greetings decreases significantly.
For others, whether out of politeness, to avoid embarrassment, or to consider social efficiency, reducing communication with her is the simplest way.
This experience is not at all unfamiliar to Xicheng, who has been repeating it throughout her student life.
From a certain perspective, this is actually the biggest benefit of aphasia. Xicheng realized this after entering middle University.
To this day, she has become very accustomed to it and even enjoys it.
For example, at this moment, as the most silent existence in the entire environment, she enjoys the privilege of excluding all non-essential social interactions.
Naturally, work efficiency has improved.
She finished her work before lunch, greeted Tao Ran, and then left the company to go to University. She has elective classes on Thursday morning and Friday afternoon, so she only works half a day on these two days.
At 2 o’clock, she attended a lecture on “Selected Lectures on Western Literary Theory” in the Humanities Building.
There weren’t many people, and they were scattered. Xicheng sat in the last row. Two minutes before the class started, someone entered the classroom from the back door and sat down on her left.
Xicheng turned her head and saw that it was Xiao Lang. He smiled and said, “I came to listen to Professor Wang’s class.”
Xiao Lang used to be their class monitor, but then he transferred to the Law University. During their freshman year, due to the counselor’s request, he took good care of Xicheng. They were in the same group for group activities and practical homework. After transferring, they had less interaction, but they occasionally bumped into each other at University.
The professor had already started the lecture on the podium. Xiao Lang only brought a notebook.
Everyone was very engaged in the entire class, and there were a few minutes left for independent reading at the end.
Xiao Lang pushed his notebook over, and on the blank page, he wrote: “I heard you moved out of the dormitory?”
Xicheng replied with her pen: 【Moved out in September.】
Xiao Lang asked again: 【Is it safe, is it far from University?】
Xicheng: 【It’s fine, it’s close, I’m with Yan Yue.】
She paused, and asked: 【Did you get the result of your exemption?】
Xiao Lang: 【Yes, I got P University. I heard you didn’t want a quota, do you have other plans?】
Xicheng hadn’t answered yet when the class ended.
A few classmates came over and talked to Xiao Lang.
He has always been popular, a top student, good-looking, and has a good personality. He is the most popular type on campus. Even after transferring majors, he did not become estranged from everyone.
Someone asked him why he was here, and Xiao Lang said he missed Professor Wang’s class.
The other party didn’t believe it: “I’m afraid it’s not for Professor Wang.”
There were people who agreed.
Naturally, there were also eyes falling on Xicheng. Before the topic moved to her, Xiao Lang subtly blocked it for her. Because of these greetings, the break time was completely occupied, and their chat did not continue.
The second class ended, and everyone left the classroom.
When they got downstairs, Xiao Lang suggested going to eat together, but Xicheng refused.
Xiao Lang said, “You always refuse me very simply, as if you don’t need to think about it.”
Still in a casual tone, but much more direct in his words, “I heard about why you moved out of the dormitory, and I want to confirm if it has anything to do with me.”
Tang Xicheng understood what he was talking about, and could imagine how others described her and her roommate Zhang Qian’s constant conflicts because of Xiao Lang, which eventually led to her moving out.
But she clearly told him: 【It has nothing to do with you.】
The brief explanation didn’t have much convincing power, and Xiao Lang didn’t think that Tang Xicheng would really do anything because of him, but he knew Zhang Qian.
Xicheng saw the look in his eyes and wrote a line on her phone to ask him, 【Do you think I was bullied?】
Xiao Lang didn’t answer.
Xicheng suddenly smiled at him. She often looks expressionless, which makes it easy for people to forget that she has dimples on her cheeks when she smiles.
Xiao Lang was easily infected and also smiled, looking at her with slightly bent eyes, “So there isn’t?”
Xicheng shook her head. Her skin is very white, her eyebrows and eyes are not the most delicate, and there is even a short light scar on the tail of her right eyebrow. Because she didn’t apply lipstick, her lips are pale, making her look less spirited, but strangely, everything on her face is just right.
