"Hotel?" Xu Shuang hesitated for a mont, "Are you currently sharing your place with soone, or have you given up your apartnt?"
The terminal, Jiang Nian was stunned.
"No."
But...
If you’re visiting West Lake, then my place is quite convenient from a tourist’s perspective.
"Then I’ll stay at your place." Xu Shuang said calmly, without blinking, "Save so money."
Jiang Nian: "???"
It’s hard to imagine the words "save money" popping out of her mouth, it almost feels like a codic absurdity.
It’s not peak tourist season right now, so hotels actually aren’t expensive.
In any case, it’s kind of funny.
"Alright, as long as you don’t mind." Jiang Nian didn’t hesitate, "It’s just a bit small."
I’ll have to sleep on the sofa again.
Damn!
The two took a taxi, silent all the way. They arrived at the apartnt by noon, a breeze greeted them upon opening the door.
Jiang Nian often cos and goes, so he didn’t bother closing the balcony window.
Xu Shuang changed shoes and walked in, glancing around. The room had no particular sll, looking very clean.
It’s a loft space, but quite spacious.
No signs of life, it felt cold and deserted. More like just a place to sleep.
"Just have a seat wherever you like, I’ll tidy up a bit." Jiang Nian put down his things, rolled up his sleeves, and started cleaning.
The bed sheets need changing, just a casual thing.
Mop the attic floor, dust a bit. Incidentally, bring out the folding table and chairs for temporary use.
The more tis you do sothing, the better you get at it.
With nothing else to do, Xu Shuang strolled leisurely in the small living room. It was clean everywhere, she felt Jiang Nian was being excessive with the cleaning.
Suddenly, she spotted an empty vase on the shelf. Squatting down curiously, she picked it up.
A thin layer of dust settled on the rim, only visible when facing the sunlight.
....
Beijing.
On a Saturday off, Li Lanying slept until noon. She only got up at al ti, planning to take her sister out for food.
For her, this was a joyful thing.
People need familial love, but her family was different. Fortunately, she still had a sister.
"Ah~ so sleepy." Senior Bai You opened the door, stretched lazily, "Qingqing!!"
Li Qingrong turned around, her hair draped over her shoulders. She sat in a corner of the living room reading, with a notebook beside her.
"Hmm?"
"Wake up, wake up, let’s go out to eat!"
"Brush my teeth first."
"Oh." Li Lanying yawned again, wobbling around in her plush pajamas, "What ti did you get up?"
"Seven o’clock."
"So early?" Li Lanying mumbled to herself and then went into the bathroom, and took a while to finish washing up.
After changing clothes, she beca a lady again.
"Should we call Jiang Nian?"
"He’s in Yuhang."
"Oh, I see." Li Lanying asked offhandedly; she didn’t really want to have Jiang Nian join them for a al.
It would encroach on her alone ti with her sister.
"By the way, you and him..." Sister Bai You turned her head, "What’s the situation now, still haven’t made it clear?"
"No."
Hearing that, Li Lanying didn’t pursue further. In her heart, she hoped her sister would get married and have children.
To lead a relatively happy life.
This is also the mindset of the older generation — whatever the personal circumstances, having a child transforms a mother.
But rationally, she knew this was unlikely.
Without familial love, forcing her to marry and have children was like robbing Peter to pay Paul, no big difference.
Does it have to be Jiang Nian?
Get to know other people, find your own happiness!
These words, even she couldn’t bring herself to say. After all, she could imagine what Li Qingrong would respond.
"Why don’t you find soone?"
Right.
Why don’t I find soone, why don’t I get married — she couldn’t even say what’s so good about marriage.
"Take it slow then." Li Lanying beckoned to her, "Let’s go, I’m taking you to an amusent park today."
Li Qingrong: "???"
She closed her book, "If you want to raise kids, have one yourself, stop treating like a child every day."
"Hehe, I’m just joking." Li Lanying moved forward, hugging her sister’s arm.
"There’s nothing more fun than a real younger sister."
Li Qingrong: "...."
Recently, she’s been quite busy, only seeing Jiang Nian once every week or two. Ti was limited, but she felt fulfilled.
High school was so boring, nothing to do.
She didn’t exactly strive for fa and wealth but unconsciously studied, thereby developing a new habit.
She hadn’t given it much thought, nor expected much.
But of course, she did want quite a bit.
"He wants to buy a house in Beijing." Li Qingrong said quietly as they headed out, "That’s why he’s always working."
"Buying a house?" Li Lanying was surprised.
She herself had flourished from graduation just recently buying a ho, and now Jiang Nian also wanted to buy one.
All I can say is, it’s quite brave.
"Yours together?" she asked.
"Yes." Li Qingrong raised a slight smile, which quickly faded, "But I think it doesn’t necessarily have to be in...."
"No way, it must be in Beijing." Li Lanying interrupted, "Let him try first, see how it goes."
"Okay."
On the road, Li Lanying was sowhat distracted. Not until after ordering food did she frown and send Jiang Nian a few ssages.
After a while, he responded.
"It’s going okay."
"Sister Ying, why are you asking all of a sudden?"
Li Lanying typed back, "Nothing much, just curious, [picture] talk later, let’s eat first."
.....
Yuhang.
Jiang Nian was also eating, this ti Xu Shuang was treating. The two of them sat in a restaurant, facing each other.
"What’s wrong?" Xu Shuang asked.
"Nothing, just a minor thing." Jiang Nian put down his phone, "Want to visit West Lake later?"
"Aren’t you supposed to work?"
"Then let’s visit in the evening." Jiang Nian corrected, "You can rest in the apartnt this afternoon, I’ll call you when it’s ti."
"Sure."
In the afternoon, Xu Shuang returned to the loft apartnt. She stared at the living room for a while, then drew the curtains for a nap.
She woke up earlier than she expected.
She gazed absent-mindedly at the curtains, then got up, drew them open, and looked at the 4 PM sun.
A soft light halo fell on the balcony.
Xu Shuang picked up her phone, composing a ssage to Jiang Nian, initially wanting to ask if he had finished work.
But after reconsideration, it didn’t seem appropriate.
So instead, she took a photo of outside the balcony, sending along the warm sunlight.
A mont later, her phone buzzed.
"I’ll be back in two hours. If you’re bored, you can go for a walk, just don’t wander too far."
Two hours?
Xu Shuang pressed her lips together. This person was thodical. At least it made people feel assured.
That’s just his charm.
Jiang Nian wasn’t doing nothing; he was busy with work—checking things every half month, then every week—the schedule was tight.
The good thing was, the efficiency was high.
The store had launched several new products, data wasn’t as strong as the primary product, but that was okay.
Due to so systemic issues, there’s a gap in exposure.
Winter was approaching; the next few flagship products were starting to gain traction, leveraging natural traffic shifts.
After wrapping everything up, Jiang Nian was ready to leave.
"Zhang Wei."
"Hey, boss." This guy Zhang Wei was obsequious, "What’s up, the tea’s already changed."
Jiang Nian had registered a company long ago, to facilitate straightforward advertising. Now they’ve shifted gears, achieving a small scale.
Nearby there are mom-and-pop stores that can’t grow in size.
"Hire people, two for operations." Jiang Nian thought for a mont, "Recruit three for custor service, and another for the warehouse."
He planned to do this personally, but initially left it to Zhang Wei to sift out unqualified candidates.
"Alright, will get it done!"
"Hmm."
Jiang Nian left, and upon returning to the apartnt, Xu Shuang was watching TV and had brewed herself a pot of tea.
Being able to care for oneself is good.
"Ti to eat."
"In a bit." Xu Shuang put down the teacup and turned to look at him, "I just arrived at noon; it seems too early for dinner."
"Let’s take a stroll first, then find a place to eat."
"Sure." Jiang Nian nodded.
The evening breeze was gentle as the two went downstairs. Without transportation in Yuhang, they could only wander nearby.
Walking and chatting all along.
Only after night fell did they hail a cab for dinner. Close to West Lake, they planned to wander around after eating.
Jiang Nian was still contemplating brand building, casting a glance at Xu Shuang again.
Even if soft living is needed.
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