Chapter 89: She Couldn’t Deny That She Was Not So Calm at This Moment. p1
As Huai Xing had said, when the temporary design team was assembled, the other six designers who had come from all over the country swallowed their dissatisfaction when they learned that the director was Chu Wantang. What was there to compare? They couldn’t compare in experience, in achievements, or in leadership ability. It was no exaggeration to say that Chu Wantang was a crushing presence in this aspect.
In addition, everyone also felt a faint sense of excitement. The vice president of “Lan Ling” had come over, which meant that the difficulty of the challenge they were facing now would rise a lot. Coincidentally, they liked to do challenging things.
The night was falling, and the ink-colored sky was like a veil. A group of ten people were having dinner at a high-end Chinese restaurant near the company.
There were eight people in the design team, one of whom was a former official designer of “Silk Season.” The extra two people at the dinner were naturally Huai Xing and Lu Xianyue. The plan to recruit fashion designers was discussed by them, and no matter what, they had to express their importance to these designers. After all, they were going to cooperate until the end of the big show.
The crystal chandelier on the ceiling and the wall lamps on the wall complemented each other, bright and soft. Outside the entire floor-to-ceiling window were lush green plants that also looked lush under the warm streetlights.
The fine rain was drizzling, adding a bit of mystery and poetry to the night.
“President Huai, President Lu, I have to say that the reason we submitted our emails to ‘Silk Season’ this time is because the conditions you offered are too good,” a freelance designer named Mo Mo said with emotion, holding a wine glass. “You’re not stingy at all. There are so many room allowances. Hey, you don’t know how annoying it was when a client dragged out the final payment before. It was so annoying that it made people angry… It’s not easy to make money now. I’m used to being free, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be dedicated when I participate in a team cooperation again. You can rest assured. ‘Four Seasons Have Silk Season’ will definitely make a name for you!”
“I’ll drink this glass. You can do as you please.”
The others echoed, and also talked about their difficulties in being dragged out of the final payment. The atmosphere looked very harmonious.
Huai Xing’s period had just arrived. She didn’t drink much anyway, so she just raised her glass and clinked it with the others from a distance, and then tilted her head back and drank more than half a glass of plain water.
The glass was empty, and Chu Wantang, who was sitting next to her, filled it for her.
On such an occasion, they were naturally sitting together.
Their identities had changed. Huai Xing still remembered that five years ago, because of “Lan Ling’s” big show, their group of temporary models had had dinner with CEO Mei and the others, and Chu Wantang was sitting next to CEO Mei. Now, after so long, they were facing a new big show, but the person next to Chu Wantang had become herself.
But drinking room-temperature drinks and wine was not satisfying enough for some people. Another designer named Rao Kai asked the waiter for ice cubes.
He held the ice bucket that the waiter had brought, shook the crisp ice cubes inside, and walked over with a grin to ask, “President Huai, President Lu, Director Chu, do you need ice cubes?”
“We don’t need any, thanks,” it was Chu Wantang who answered. She remembered that Huai Xing had also strictly required Lu Xianyue not to touch ice.
Rao Kai stood at the side, a little puzzled. “Why? Are you on your period?”
Lu Xianyue frowned at these words, and Huai Xing expressed her attitude first. “Teacher Rao, when we’ve already expressed that we don’t need it, you shouldn’t ask any more questions.” She stared at this male designer who had a small name in the circle and was also one of the only two male designers in the team, her expression calm, and her words light. “No matter what the reason is, it has nothing to do with you. What we need to do is to respect each other. Don’t you think so?”
Rao Kai’s face froze for a moment, and he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, President Huai.”
He took the ice bucket back to his seat, poured a full glass of ice cubes, and stood up. “To show my apology, I’ll drink this glass.”
Lu Xianyue said, “Don’t force yourself. We don’t have a ‘drinking culture’.”
“It’s okay, President Lu. I’m thirsty.”
Chu Wantang had almost finished eating. She propped her chin on her hand and observed everyone present. In these two days, she had already gotten a general idea of these few people based on their information, and had also set the preliminary work content. The division of labor was clear, and she was just waiting for it to officially start.
As she was thinking, her gaze slowly fell on Huai Xing’s profile. It could be seen that Huai Xing’s state was a little different today. She would occasionally rub her waist, and her brows would also furrow slightly from time to time.
Chu Wantang was not unfamiliar with such a Huai Xing.
Even if Huai Xing’s lower abdomen didn’t hurt during her period, she would still have some other physiological reactions. A sore waist was the most common one.
The people at the table were still communicating with each other, chatting and laughing, looking forward to the cooperation in the next two and a half months.
Chu Wantang pressed her lips together, leaned her upper body towards Huai Xing a little, and said in a low voice, “Are you free on Saturday night, Xingxing?” She quietly chatted about private matters. “I’ve also bought some things. They should all be delivered in the next two days. Even if it’s a rental, it’s still a housewarming, right? So I’d like to invite you to have dinner at my place.”
“…” Huai Xing looked at her. “Is it takeout?”
“I’ll cook it myself.”
Huai Xing: “…Why don’t we just get takeout?”
She had never had Chu Wantang’s cooking, but she thought that there was a reason why Chu Wantang had never cooked. It was probably the same “color, aroma, and taste all abstain” as her.
“So you’ve agreed?”
“Mm,” Huai Xing said, adding a portion of corn and shrimp to her bowl, and said lightly, “Are you surprised, Sister Wantang?”
Chu Wantang’s eyes curved, and she tried not to laugh too unrestrainedly. “No.”
She shouldn’t be surprised. After all, they were friends now, even if Huai Xing was still doing it for their mothers’ sake.
Lu Xianyue at the side looked at their posture of whispering and raised an eyebrow.
She had originally wanted to sit between the two of them, but who knew that Chu Wantang had only taken a seat after she had sat down, not letting her plan succeed. But seeing that Huai Xing did not resist contact with Chu Wantang, she felt that she should just forget about those little thoughts of hers.
Huai Xing was more decisive than her and would not be easily swayed. Besides, although she was Huai Xing’s good friend, it was not appropriate for her to interfere too much between the two of them. If Huai Xing really needed her help, she would definitely have her specially call her to find her like before.
Everything had a limit. Chu Wantang was now in a cooperative relationship with them, and she shouldn’t bring in so many personal emotions.
Thinking of this, Lu Xianyue moved her gaze away and looked at the fine rain outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
The plum rain season in Haicheng was almost over.
The meal was over at nine-thirty. The other six designers were still staying at the hotel and would have to find time to look at apartments later.
After a wobbly farewell, Chu Wantang naturally got into Huai Xing’s car.
As for Lu Xianyue, she was going to find Wen Shiwei tonight, so she wouldn’t be going with them.
The light rain had not stopped, and it was blown into threads on the window by the wind. Huai Xing’s waist was still sore, and changing her sitting posture had no effect. Her mood was inevitably a little irritable.
At the side, Chu Wantang received a call from Su Qiao.
Even though Huai Xing couldn’t hear Qiaoqiao’s voice, she also knew what they were talking about, because what Chu Wantang said fell into her ears without any avoidance—
“Mommy is in Haicheng now. Do you want to come and play too? Ask your mommy if you can.”
“I’m not scared. Your Auntie Xingxing is here. She’ll take care of me.”
“You miss her too… but Auntie Xingxing is not feeling well right now. When she’s better, I’ll have her contact you, okay?”
“I miss you so much,” Chu Wantang said, hanging up the phone and putting it down. She turned to look at the person beside her and blinked. “I was just speaking for Qiaoqiao.”
Huai Xing’s eyelids lifted, and she “mm”-ed. “I know.”
“Do you have a massager at home?” Chu Wantang asked with concern.
“I do.”
“We’re almost home.”
“Mm.” The feeling of a sore waist seemed to have eased a little. Huai Xing slowly closed her eyes and rested her head against the car window.
The light in the car was dim, and the flashing lights outside the window were flickering on her face. Her furrowed brows showed no sign of relaxing.
Chu Wantang curled her knuckles. In the past, at times like this, she would have given Huai Xing a massage. But now, she couldn’t bring up this request, which was a reward for her.
Her friendship with Huai Xing was fragile. She could only maintain it within a certain range and not touch Huai Xing’s bottom line.
Otherwise, she didn’t know how long this identity of theirs could last.
She couldn’t help but think of Lu Zhenyue again. The fact that Lu Zhenyue’s return to Jingcheng was undecided was beyond her expectations. She had looked through Lu Zhenyue’s previously published schedule, and in the past, Lu Zhenyue had only performed in Haicheng for a little over a month at most.
Was it a coincidence? Or was it intentional, just like her?
The latter was more likely. Chu Wantang’s lips were pressed together tightly, and her hands were clasped tightly on her lap. In fact, she didn’t have that much confidence, but in front of Lu Zhenyue, she had to show a very confident side.
Anxiety and unease were swaying in her heart. She glanced at Huai Xing again and then slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what, she now had a chance to be in close contact with Huai Xing. She would seize every opportunity until she heard Huai Xing’s heartbeat, which was only for her.
The time in the car was very short. Before long, they got out of the car and walked side by side to the elevator in the underground garage.
The air was a little stuffy. Huai Xing’s waist was also sore when she stood, and her hands were on her sides. She just wanted to get home quickly and lie down. And this elevator was actually coming down from the highest floor, the numbers getting smaller and smaller, and it even stopped several times in the middle.
When they finally reached the B1 floor, she dragged her body in.
Chu Wantang pressed the eighth and eleventh floors. She turned her head to look at Huai Xing and said, “If no one gets in or out, it’s fifteen seconds to the eighth floor and twenty-one seconds to the eleventh.”
Huai Xing tilted her face up slightly, her eyelids slightly lowered, her expression very calm. She asked with a puzzled look, “What’s the point of counting this?”
“…It means you’ll be home to rest soon,” she said. Almost as soon as she finished speaking, they arrived at the eighth floor.
Huai Xing nodded, stood up straight, and lifted her leg out of the elevator.
In less than a minute, she was lying on the sofa. The massager at home happened to be out of battery, so she could only lie there like this, her head on a cushion, her hands stretched forward to scroll through her phone. Since Lu Zhenyue had told her her feelings, the frequency of their chats had also risen sharply, and they had just managed to grasp the right degree, not too dense, not too cold.
And Lu Zhenyue was working overtime at the theater today. She had told her that she would be back late and had said “good night” to her in advance.
Huai Xing replied with the same two words and then switched out. The next second, the WeChat message bar interface changed to the caller ID. It had only been a short while since they had separated. Why was Chu Wantang calling her?
She turned her face to the side, pressed it against the cushion, and answered casually, “What’s wrong?”
“A hot compress is more effective. It can promote blood circulation in the waist and relieve muscle tension,” Chu Wantang said slowly. “Do you have a hot water bottle?”
“…You don’t have to worry.”
“Why can’t I worry as a friend? Don’t I have that right?”
“I mean, I’m fine,” Huai Xing said, flicking her hair. She had no choice but to say.
Chu Wantang’s helpless voice sounded on the other end of the phone. “But what you said reveals a lot of information, Xingxing. If you had a hot water bottle, you would definitely have said you had one, just like the massager. So can I come and find you? I have a hot water bottle here.”
Huai Xing still refused. “I can do it myself. You should go to bed early.”
Chu Wantang did not insist and replied, “Good night. Sweet dreams.”
“What counts as a sweet dream?” Huai Xing suddenly asked.
“There are many kinds of sweet dreams. For example, having a positive emotional experience, or fulfilling a long-held wish or goal in a dream, a beautiful scene, or something that brings inspiration?” Chu Wantang dragged out her tone, her voice soft. “But for me, there’s only one situation that’s a sweet dream.”
When you’re there.
But she didn’t say this directly. She couldn’t take a wrong step. But in these years, she had really wanted to dream of Huai Xing, but Huai Xing had almost never clearly entered her dreams. Even if she had, it was only a blurry outline.
Many times, she had woken up in the endless night, not turning on the lights, letting the darkness engulf her, her tears surging.
It turned out that the mistake she had made was so great that even wanting to dream of Huai Xing had become a luxury.
Now she didn’t need to beg Huai Xing to enter her dreams. In reality, the distance between them was only three floors.
Huai Xing did not press her on what the situation was and reacted flatly. “Thanks for the science lesson. Good night.”
With that, she hung up the phone.
The dream she had had about Chu Wantang last time popped into her mind at an inopportune time. At this moment, due to the change in her hormone levels during her period, her emotions were fluctuating, and it was also easy for her to think about things.
After a long while, she took a breath and propped herself up, going upstairs to take a shower.
…
