Chapter Seventeen – Return to Kaisheng

The business at the physical store gradually found its footing. According to Liu Hanzhang, the company intended to assign another person to the store to make management more convenient.

Yi Shu thought this made sense; at times the shop would see two or three customers come in at once, and it was truly impossible for one person to handle everything. If she tried to juggle all at once, she feared she might overlook something. If she focused her attention on one customer, she worried the others might feel neglected and leave in disappointment.

Liu Hanzhang’s preferred candidate was Guo Yamei. Although she had previously made a grave mistake due to negligence—or perhaps overconfidence—deep down, Liu Hanzhang did not doubt her abilities.

When Yi Shu recommended Yan Lu to Liu Hanzhang, she barely finished her sentence before being interrupted. Similarly, when Liu Hanzhang brought up Guo Yamei, Yi Shu fell silent. She could not bring herself to refuse her superior, yet she could not go against her own heart.

That evening, back at her place, Yi Shu told Yan Lu the general situation, hoping she would seize the opportunity. Unexpectedly, Yan Lu seemed indifferent. She said she still preferred her job in the customer service department at Kaisheng, and wanted to continue as an online representative. If she wanted to visit, she could always come and stay for a few days.

Yi Shu looked at Yan Lu curled up on the sofa, a faint blush on her face. It was as if she understood her, yet somehow didn’t.

The next morning, as Yi Shu was leaving for work, Yan Lu was still asleep. She had the late shift today, and wouldn’t get up before noon.

Stepping out of the residential complex, Yi Shu could spot Xu Shixi’s black Mercedes from a distance. She’d only learned about the car two days prior, having secretly snapped a photo and searched for it online while he wasn’t looking. It wasn’t vanity—when you liked someone, you wanted to know everything about them.

“What brings you here?” Yi Shu hurried across the sidewalk.

He leaned out from the car window, the early morning sunlight casting a soft halo of gold across his face. For a moment, Yi Shu nearly lost her composure.

“Get in,” Xu Shixi said, pulling his head back in as she got into the passenger seat. “I have some business nearby today, and since you live here, I thought I’d give you a ride to work.”

“Is it about the urban village project?” Yi Shu’s tone was calm, not wanting to bring up the subject. It was as if, as long as she didn’t think or speak of it, the place in her memory still existed, but once mentioned, it would vanish, like the wind brushing past the car, never to return.

Xu Shixi kept his eyes on the traffic ahead and nodded slightly. He wasn’t sure if Yi Shu would notice such a subtle gesture. At this moment, he simply couldn’t bring himself to utter those few words.

Recently, the project had faced an awkward suspension over building materials. Xu Shixi discovered in private that Wanxin Heng had been sabotaging them. Taking advantage of the days he was away on business, Xu Shixi acted swiftly and decisively to resolve the issue. Though this offended a handful of troublemakers, they took into account their own standing in the company and banded together to shift the blame entirely onto Wanxin Heng.

After they got out, he bent over to retrieve breakfast from the back seat and handed it to her.

Yi Shu took the wooden-colored paper bag, her eyes lingering on him, reluctant to look away.

“Hurry now, you’ll be late,” she said, closing the car door and waving to him.

Once the car disappeared from sight, Yi Shu eagerly opened the bag—a bottle of milk, a box of sandwiches. Delving deeper, she found a note.

—Remember to have breakfast.

The breeze from the lakeside carried its familiar freshness, tinged with the scent of leaves.

Sunlight danced across every pane of glass, casting dazzling reflections. Waves of people made their way into the Textile City for work. Yi Shu adjusted the bag in her hand and stepped inside.

In just over a month, the building had gone from nearly deserted at its opening to bustling with activity. Ascending the central staircase from the lobby, the newly opened shops pulsed with vitality. It was only nine in the morning, yet already many buyers hurried through the corridors. Numerous foreigners in white lab coats, who made up half the crowd, were among them.

“Yamei!”

An elderly voice called from the entrance.

Yi Shu was certain it came from her own shop’s doorway. Setting her milk down, she went outside.

“May I help you?” she asked, puzzled by the elderly man before her, whose hair was half white, at least sixty years old, with a slightly stooped back. Judging by his expression, he didn’t seem to be here to buy curtains.

“Are you here for curtains?” she asked, following her professional instinct.

“No, no,” the old man explained anxiously. “I’m looking for Yamei. I brought this for her.”

Yi Shu studied him. Judging by his age and appearance, he was likely her father. The vest he wore was the uniform of a porter at Textile City. Since Yamei had worked there recently, she must have run into her father. He must not know she’d been reassigned to the customer service department.

“She’s not here,” Yi Shu replied, struck by a thought. “She had to return to the company today to help out with something.”

“If she isn’t here, never mind. Could you please give this to her?” He pulled a black cotton cloth pouch from his trouser pocket, its white stitches crookedly sewn.

Yi Shu mechanically accepted the pouch, feeling its contents—seemingly paper, and given its bulk, likely money.

“You should give this to her yourself,” Yi Shu said, handing it back.

“She won’t take it from me,” he said, visibly agitated, his body trembling.

His eyes glistened with moisture, and the weathered lines of his face made Yi Shu reluctant to refuse.

It had been a long time since she’d returned to Kaisheng; everything remained unchanged.

After six o’clock, the stream of people at the company’s gate vanished in an instant, save for a few stragglers from the administration building or the workshops in the back.

The nearby bike shed, once packed, was now empty, with only a few battered bicycles left on the ground.

In the office area, the evening shift customer service informed her that Guo Yamei had gone to the workshop.

Yi Shu went downstairs, crossed the landscaped grounds, and saw Guo Yamei approaching from the other side.

As they were about to pass each other, “Wait a moment.”

“What do you want?” Guo Yamei glanced at her sideways, her tone shifting from sharp to cold.

“I don’t want anything,” Yi Shu turned, taking a deep breath. “Your father asked me to give you this.”

Guo Yamei spun around, “What did you say to him! I knew it, you just can’t let me be. Are you satisfied now?” She sneered, “Did you come here to laugh at me? If so, you’ve achieved your goal. You can leave now.”

“I have no interest in mocking you,” Yi Shu said, struggling to contain her discomfort. “Your family matters, your own affairs—I don’t care. If I had really said anything, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Guo Yamei seemed to ponder this, then fell silent, standing still for a moment before turning and walking away.

Yi Shu could guess most of what had happened. She dared not dwell on it, afraid that if her suspicions proved true, the sympathy she kept in check would overwhelm her.

Should she feel sympathy and pity for her? It was a question worth pondering.

If so, on what grounds?

If not, why not?

Watching Guo Yamei’s retreating figure, Yi Shu’s tightly wound heart gradually relaxed. Earlier, she had intended to find Yan Lu in the office, but as it turned out, Yan Lu had only worked a half-day and left at five thirty.