Ti flew by, and soon it was the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month. Most companies nationwide would be closing for the holidays around these days, and at the end of the year, Jiangcheng City beca noticeably colder and quieter, with significantly fewer pedestrians on the streets than usual.
It’s because, after all, Jiang City is considered a first-tier city in the country, populated by many outsiders who co here for work. Every year around this ti, people would return to their hotowns, making Jiang City begin to feel deserted. Although not as severe as in the capital where the streets are almost empty at this ti, the quietness is inevitable.
Ever since Da Huang finished his last job, he paid another visit to his landlady’s house, got drunk, and then he started to slack off at ho.
In the past, slacking off was due to a lack of hope, but now it’s because life seems dull. There’s no worry about food, clothing, or finances, and without work, with his girlfriend back at her parents’ ho, life is simply paradise. Why work hard instead of slacking off?
Of course, there have been so good news these days. Director Wang Fan’s "Wandering Earth" has wrapped up filming, and the special effects production and post-editing are almost completed simultaneously.
Normally, it shouldn’t have progressed so quickly, but since there was ample funding, a lot of money was poured into it. The special effects were created simultaneously with the filming, but post-editing took significant effort.
To et the Lunar New Year release schedule, the team worked around the clock, and it finally got completed. I’ve heard it’s already been approved for release during the New Year holiday.
Before that, there’ll be an ’early experience card’ for internal personnel. Wang Fan called to invite him to attend this premiere.
Actually, the so-called premiere isn’t open to outsiders, mainly attended by staff to see the fruits of their labor.
However, he declined the invitation without hesitation because the timing was too tight.
Although he also wanted to visit Shen Yi in the capital, the return journey would an arriving back around New Year’s Eve. Considering how hard it is to get tickets now, he preferred staying at ho lounging around.
He then contacted Shen Yi and Tang Nan to see if they could attend.
Although they didn’t invest in this project, Shen Yi is his girlfriend, and Tang Nan acts as a middleman of sorts in the entertainnt industry, so naturally, they’d be qualified to represent him.
Wang Fan had no objections, and both Shen Yi and Tang Nan readily agreed.
Shen Yi was curious as she hadn’t experienced this before, while Tang Nan pretended to be quite composed. This ti, she wasn’t going as an actress but representing the investors.
Reaching this level in the acting profession in the country is quite impressive, considering most actors never get to the point of being investors.
Although he felt sowhat itchy to see the quality of the film he’d invested in, rumors saying it would be a box office hit, he hadn’t seen the final cut and was very excited, but he couldn’t make Wang Fan send him a personal copy.
There are strict regulations on confidentiality before the film’s release to prevent leaks that could lead to poor box office results. Considering all the actors’ and crew mbers’ hard work, Wang Fan surely had his concerns, and he didn’t want to make it difficult for anyone, even as an investor.
But today he wasn’t idle. With the New Year approaching, tidying up his ho was necessary. Initially, he thought about hiring a cleaning service but decided to do it himself since he had nothing else to do at ho.
He cleaned the entire house thoroughly, even making the floor-to-ceiling windows on the balcony shine.
However, the weather wasn’t very good today; another heavy snowfall left a thick layer on the ground.
Only a few cars passed by on the quiet streets. A profound silence prevailed, so quiet it almost felt like being deaf, with faint ringing in the ears.
He naturally understood the principle: snow absorbs sound from the air, so surroundings appear quieter when it snows.
"Done and dusted, I’m so diligent, I’ll reward myself with a sweet drink!" Su Qing clapped his hands, satisfied with the tiny couplets on his door and the neighbor’s.
To be honest, his young landlady had pretty good taste.
Both his and his neighbor’s doors now sported a couplet, but not the usual ones. These were pocket-sized and ant to be stuck to doors, even paired with a small ’blessing’ character. They weren’t bulky at all and looked very nice.
They ca with double-sided tape, easy to stick on, unlike the large couplets his family bought every year, which his dad could never manage to keep on the wall with clear tape for more than a few days.
Just as he took a picture to send to Shen Yi and was about to go back inside, the elevator suddenly dinged.
Given that there are only two apartnts on this floor, both now his, no strangers would pass by. Anyone stopping here must be soone familiar.
Sure enough, the next second, Wang Xing erged from the elevator, saying:
"Hey~~ You can manage to hang couplets, after all, not bad for a hoowner, unlike in a rented place, not even thinking about putting up couplets."
Hearing this, Su Qing was montarily stunned, took out his phone to check the ti, and found it was only a little after three in the afternoon.
"Why are you here? Aren’t you working today?"
"Co on, it’s almost the holiday, just like the last day of our high school winter break. Neither students nor teachers had their minds on classes, do you think we’d make any performance on the very last day?
Departnts were wrapping up their current tasks, and wages and bonuses were issued, managent etings were held, and all these were mostly done by the morning. In the afternoon, the whole company had a eting, and Manager Deng dismissed us for the holidays.
We were supposed to have a pre-holiday gathering tonight, but no one planned to attend, so it got canceled. After all, no one is missing that one al; everyone is waiting to go ho for the New Year, and so even bought tickets for this afternoon." Wang Xing shrugged and explained.
Hearing this, Su Qing nodded. Now that Shen Yi was not around, Deng Jie had been promoted to acting general manager, overseeing all matters of the branch during Shen Yi’s absence, which simply ant that she was temporarily the person in charge of the Jiangcheng Branch.
Although everyone knew this was only temporary, the implication was clear to all. Among all the managers of various departnts, Deng Jie was the most special one.
Shen Yi couldn’t always be stationed at the branch. If one day the branch stabilizes and Shen Yi leaves, Deng Jie will most likely beco the head of the branch.
"I see, so you an you’re... liberated? No wait, now that you’re free, shouldn’t you be taking Miaomiao out shopping, strengthening your relationship? Why co here to ? What, are you trying to get with ? I’ve got a girlfriend, not fooling around!" Su Qing teased, also reminding Wang Xing to get to business. He had promised to make a move before the New Year, so why hadn’t he done anything yet?
To Su Qing’s surprise, Wang Xing didn’t retort but sighed instead.
Seeing this, Su Qing was taken aback: "What? Don’t tell you failed to confess?"
"It would be better if I failed. Qingzi, you have to help this ti!"
Then Wang Xing stated his purpose for coming and explained the difficulties he had been facing recently.
In the living room, Su Qing poured him a glass of water and said, "So you’re saying you’ve been trying to confess for three or four days but haven’t succeeded because you don’t know what to say?"
"Yes... yes!" Wang Xing replied sheepishly.
In response, Su Qing rolled his eyes dramatically. If it were soone else, not knowing how to confess might be understandable, but Lin Miaomiao? She’s practically living at your place! Isn’t it just a matter of saying one sentence?
"Bullshit, weren’t you sothing before? Didn’t you move in with Jiang ngting in record ti? Now you’re playing innocent with , acting like a shy little man who can’t even confess? You damn~~"
Faced with his relentless ridicule, Wang Xing was helpless. It had been three or four days, and every ti he was about to speak up, he turned mute, feeling an innate timidity, and he didn’t even know why.
Perhaps it was the fear of rejection, or maybe the fear of being one-sided, or disbelief that such a good thing could happen to him. But more likely, he was afraid of losing again.
Only those who have lost know that feeling of despair and are even more afraid of experiencing it again.
After all, the odds of couples ending up together are really small, especially at their age, when many breakups happen along the way.
"Uh... she was the one who confessed to back then, and I just said yes. I’m just thinking, you have President Shen, so you must have experience!" Wang Xing scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
Hearing this, Su Qing thought for a mont, his eyes wandering before he finally said in a low voice, "I... I’m kind of in the sa boat; she was the one who kissed first."
To be honest, he really didn’t have much experience with confessions. That ti with Liu Shuzhu, he had barely plucked up the courage to ask for her WeChat, and it nearly scared him to death. Later, they gradually got to know each other, and naturally, they ended up together without a formal confession. One ti while shopping, they spontaneously held hands, which settled it.
As for Shen Yi, it was even more outrageous. Aunt Shen just went for it and kissed him out of the blue. He was dumbfounded at the ti, and given that he was also drunk, he wasn’t very clear on it himself.
"What? President Shen made the first move?" Wang Xing jumped three feet high.
"Why are you shouting? You scared the hell out of !" Su Qing jolted, yelling.
"Uh... got a bit excited. Just can’t believe it. Why don’t... you tell more about it?"
"Tell your sister, forget it, it’s just a confession, it’s not that hard. Do you have any plans?"
Wang Xing shook his head, but then he said, "But she’s going back tomorrow. Tonight is my last chance before the New Year."
"I get it. How to make a girl stay the night at your place, right?"
"No, I didn’t an that!"
Su Qing waved his hand dismissively: "It’s all the sa. Master Lv once said, if you can make her believe she’ll encounter ghosts going out at night, she’ll definitely stay the night with you obediently. Then everything else will fall into place, right?"
Hearing this, Wang Xing’s expression was like that of a subway grandpa staring at a phone. His brain lagged for a while before he managed to react:
"It kind of... makes sense. So what should I do?"
"Ghost stories, horror movies, or say there’s sothing unclean at your place, so you want her to stay to boost the positive energy and ward off evil spirits. As long as she believes it, isn’t that all that matters? Miaomiao doesn’t have high intelligence, she’s quite gullible!"
Wang Xing: ...
"Who is this Master Lv of yours? Is he reliable?"
"Of course, it’s Master Lv, the author of Lv’s Spring and Autumn Annals!"
Wang Xing: "Damn!!!"
...
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