Chapter 12

The morning passed by quickly.

Earlier that morning, Wen Xin had shared all her recent ideas and concepts with Fei Yuan, including the sketches she’d revised multiple times, the intentions hidden in every brushstroke, the allusions she’d drawn from, and even the stories she’d woven around them.

She’d entered the industry later than Fei Yuan and was still something of a newbie compared to the veterans on the team. But in design, experience was only part of it—talent mattered more. Fortunately, Wen Xin had that spark in abundance.

Fei Yuan listened quietly to her presentation, agreeing with most of her ideas and simply pointing out a few areas for her to refine. Wen Xin nodded earnestly, promising to make the changes right away and show him the updated versions soon.

She’d barely returned to her desk when her fingers were flying across the keyboard again.

Gao Qiu happened to glance over at that moment. She usually went to lunch with Wen Xin, but today she had family matters to attend to and was only working half the day before heading out.

Unable to fully shake her worry, even though she’d already given Wen Xin a heads-up, Gao Qiu couldn’t resist reminding her one more time. “I’ve got the afternoon off, so I’m clocking out soon. I won’t be able to grab lunch with you today.”

“Make sure you head to the cafeteria later,” she added, fearing Wen Xin might get too absorbed in work and forget to eat. “It’s Monday—the cafeteria has sweet-and-sour chicken wings!”

“Mm, got it.”

They hadn’t known each other long, but Wen Xin already knew Gao Qiu was a genuinely good person. With such sincere care, she owed her a proper response.

So Wen Xin pulled her eyes away from the screen and looked at Gao Qiu’s face. “Be careful on your way home.”

“No worries~” Gao Qiu thumped her chest confidently. “I’ll text you the second I get there.”

“It’s just an afternoon apart. Why the dramatics?” Lunch break was fast approaching, and some employees had already started winding down. Zhou Lele, seated diagonally behind Wen Xin, shot them a gossipy look and teased Gao Qiu with a grin. “People who don’t know better might think you’re crushing on Wen Xin.”

Zhou Lele was always the office troublemaker, the one with the loosest cannon.

“Shoo, shoo.” Gao Qiu was used to her antics and brushed off the joke without a second thought.

But Wen Xin was still new—maybe she wasn’t comfortable with Zhou Lele’s humor yet and wouldn’t know how to push back. To spare her any awkwardness, Gao Qiu jumped in to clarify. “Don’t listen to her nonsense. I’m straight as an arrow.”

“You little rascal.” She playfully covered Wen Xin’s ears, shooting Zhou Lele a mock glare of disgust. “Don’t scare our Wenwen.”

“Sorry, sorry, just kidding!” Zhou Lele shrugged, all apologetic one second—then cheeky the next. “But honestly, even if you were gay, Wen Xin probably wouldn’t go for you. She might even turn you down flat.”

“Hey!” Gao Qiu bristled instantly. Zhou Lele was great in every way except for that mouth of hers. “I’m gonna smack you later!”

“Wenwen, come on, sing my praises!” Gao Qiu’s competitive streak flared. She released Wen Xin’s ears and turned to her with exaggerated pleading, playing up the victim card. “I’m such a catch—how could Wenwen ever dislike me?”

Wen Xin: “…”

Straight girls could joke like this without a care, but Wen Xin was gay by nature, and the banter left her a bit uncomfortable. Unable to respond in detail, she mumbled a vague reply. “You really are a great person.”

“See?!” Gao Qiu lit up, puffing out her chest like a proud peacock. “Wenwen said it herself.”

Zhou Lele rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Tch.”

Gao Qiu shot her a “tch” right back. Then she turned to Wen Xin again, muttering complaints under her breath. “Zhou Lele is such a pest day in and day out. One of these days, I’m definitely giving her a piece of my mind!”

“Don’t take it to heart, okay, Wenwen?” She was genuinely concerned about how Wen Xin felt. Introverts like her rarely voiced their likes or dislikes—Gao Qiu had friends just like that, so she knew. “She’s a good person at heart, just can’t keep her mouth shut. If anything she says ever bugs you, tell me. I’ll set her straight for you!”

“Our Wenwen is too sweet to be gay anyway.”

“Do you really dislike gay people that much?” Wen Xin had been touched by Gao Qiu’s words just a moment ago, but now tension gripped her anew.

“Yeah.” Gao Qiu let out a soft sigh, her voice barely above a whisper, meant only for Wen Xin’s ears. This wasn’t something she broadcasted—it was a scar, one she rarely uncovered for others.

But Wen Xin was a good person; Gao Qiu trusted her not to spread it around. “My ex was gay. We were together for three years—three years! We were about to get married.”

“Then, the night before the wedding, I found out his secret.” Even now, recounting it left Gao Qiu short of breath. Time had passed, but the hurt and anger lingered. “He cheated on me. Went to a hotel with his lover the night before our wedding.”

“Funny, right? If his sidepiece hadn’t smugly sent me those bed photos, I might’ve stayed clueless.” Gao Qiu took a deep breath, pausing for a long moment before continuing. “My fiancé, the man I was about to marry, had been sneaking around behind my back for a whole year.”

“And get this—the other person was a guy.”

“…”

~~~

She picked at her lunch in a daze, her appetite utterly gone.

Wen Xin knew she wouldn’t eat much, so she’d only taken a small portion. But even that proved too much. Gao Qiu’s story echoed in her mind, raw with pain and sorrow, killing any trace of hunger.

People who deceived like that deserved hell. At least she’d discovered it in time—the wedding was off, and the scumbag hadn’t gotten away with it. Wen Xin was sensitive and introverted by nature; she spoke little, but her emotions ran deep. She pitied Gao Qiu and despised the man who’d tricked her. Yet at the same time, a thread of fear wormed into her heart.

Gao Qiu hated gay people—and here she was, gay herself.

Wen Xin dreaded Gao Qiu finding out. She feared the distance it would create. If that day came, she might even quit on her own. Colleagues like Gao Qiu—kind and friendly—were rare. She couldn’t bear the accusations or the rejection; better to distance herself first.

Lost in these spiraling thoughts, Wen Xin didn’t return to the office for the rest of lunch break. Instead, she wandered the grounds downstairs.

Qiqing was massive, sprawling across a vast area with beautiful, inviting scenery. Unwittingly, she found herself in a garden where, to her delight, several cats lounged about.

Wen Xin adored cats, but her mom had been allergic when she was a kid, so she’d never kept one. As an adult, work left no time to care for a pet properly, so she’d given up the idea, settling for cat videos online.

Stumbling upon them now filled her with unexpected joy.

The cats looked well-fed, their coats glossy and sleek. They weren’t skittish around people, lazily basking in the grass.

Wen Xin approached cautiously. When they didn’t flee, she edged closer and squatted down, gently stroking their ears.

“Meow~” A chubby little orange tabby greeted her, clearly enjoying the attention.

Delight bubbled up in Wen Xin, momentarily sweeping away her worries. She smiled, mimicking the cat’s meow in response. “Meow~”

In her happiness, she didn’t notice someone approaching until Shi Qianyu chuckled and slowly ruffled her hair.

Wen Xin jolted in surprise, letting out a startled yelp on reflex.

Recognizing who it was, her cheeks flushed belatedly. She prayed Shi Qianyu hadn’t heard her meowing. “Director Shi, what are you… doing?”

“Hm?” Shi Qianyu blinked innocently, as if it were obvious. “Copying you.”

“Petting the cats.”