Lumi pursed her lips and tossed her phone into her bag. She looked up and asked Wang Jiexing, “If a woman asks you out three or five times and you never agree, why is that?”

“It’s just not interesting! If you asked me out, I’d be there in a flash. If someone else asks me, I’ll consider it.” Wang Jiexing drank the salty soup and started teasing her, “I say, buddy, how come you’re getting more and more backward? Do I need to give you a lesson on men? Didn’t you claim to be able to tell a man’s character just by closing your eyes and sniffing? What’s wrong? Is your nose broken? Can’t smell anymore?”

“Shut up!” Lumi kicked him under the table, “Are you annoying or what!”

“Want me to teach you a trick?”

“What is it?”

“Don’t bother with him. If a man doesn’t show up after you’ve asked him out three times, don’t waste your time on him. He’s not worth it.”

After parting ways with Wang Jiexing, Lumi really pondered men. If a man truly liked you a little, he would probably be jealous. When she got home and sat on the sofa, she thought about it for a long time. She pinched the delicate, warm flesh of her neck with her index and middle fingers and made a clicking sound.

“Fuck!”

Lumi’s eyes watered from the pain. She cursed Wang Jiexing as a bastard and also called herself an idiot. She hadn’t really pursued men before. Besides a head full of bad thoughts, she was just full of enthusiasm. But Tu Ming didn’t even give her a chance, and after all her efforts, she was still stuck in place!

Lumi gritted her teeth and did it to herself three or four more times. The flesh made clicking sounds, and when she looked in the mirror, it was red, and her neck felt hot and stinging.

“Stupid.” She cursed herself and went back to bed. The next day, when she opened her eyes, she wanted to tease Tu Ming again, but she remembered Tu Ming’s responses every time:

“Sorry, I have plans.”

“Sorry, it’s not appropriate.”

“Sorry, it’s inconvenient.”

“Sorry, it’s against the rules.”

She forcibly held back.

On Monday, she deliberately wore a wide-collared sweater, exposing her bare neck, with a clear strawberry mark on her clean, white skin. She deliberately chose a seat directly in front of Tu Ming, something she hadn’t done in a long time. She sat in the front, right under the boss’s nose.

The conference room was a bit quiet. Daisy sent her a message: “Hey, friend, you’re not covering your strawberry mark and sitting right in front of the boss.”

“Can the boss control everything, including whether employees have a sex life?” Lumi replied, looking up at Tu Ming.

He was looking at his phone, and when he sensed something unusual, he finally looked up and saw Lumi sitting opposite him, along with the eye-catching strawberry mark on her neck. Tu Ming was an adult and naturally knew what it was. He quickly looked away as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

It seemed there was only embarrassment, no jealousy.

Lumi saw it.

She suddenly felt quite bored. She had thought that if Tu Ming showed even a little jealousy or anger, she would immediately show him the origin of the strawberry mark. The whole process was a childish tactic used by a woman who likes a man.

Naive, with a hint of a twist in her emotions, she thought it might bring their relationship to the next level.

But he didn’t react at all.

Lumi suddenly felt extremely bored. Throughout the entire meeting, she didn’t say a word. When she left the conference room, Wumeng slipped a Band-Aid into her hand. In the summer, she often carried them in her bag, as even the high heels could cause blisters. Today, it was unexpectedly useful.

“Thanks, but is this to cover it up? No need, everyone has a sex life!” Lumi joked, seeing Tu Ming packing up his computer and leaving without any expression. She averted her gaze.

Her colleagues laughed, and Serena said, “Such intense behavior is rare.”

“I was just in the mood!”

After saying that, Lumi returned to her workstation, feeling like a deflated balloon. Shang Zhi Tao’s message arrived on time: “Did Lumi sleep with Will today?”

“No, I don’t want to anymore. I’m changing targets.”

Lumi’s messages, each ending with a period, showed her particular frustration.

Shang Zhi Tao felt very sorry for Lumi. She could understand the feeling of liking someone and not getting a response. Especially for a girl like Lumi, who had never suffered such grievances.

She racked her brains to think of how to comfort Lumi, but Lumi sent her a photo: “Quick, take a look at this guy! I’ve been liking younger guys lately!”

“Are you trying to self-soothe?” Shang Zhi Tao asked her.

“I was a bit frustrated just now, but it’s fine now. I had a strawberry mark on my neck, and he didn’t react at all. He’s done for. He doesn’t know how to appreciate me, he’s not worthy of me, he’s lost me.”

After saying this, Lumi left the tennis group and told her tennis coach she wouldn’t be continuing her lessons, offering the remaining tuition as a treat for drinks.

So be it, if you can’t beat them, join them, and if you can’t join them, don’t play.

I’ll just be a salted fish, do whatever you want!

When she bumped into Tu Ming in the elevator after work, Lumi greeted him as usual: “Heading off, Boss?”

“Yes.” There was no more conversation.

Lumi didn’t say anything either. Zhang Xiao’s call came at the right time, and Lumi told her: “Alright, I know, I’ll be there in a bit. Any handsome guys? Oh, okay. No drinking, I’m quitting. We’ll see how it goes!”

Tu Ming glanced at her and said, “Don’t drink and drive.”

Lumi didn’t respond to that. There was nothing to respond to, he would say that to anyone. It only proved that he was a decent person.

She left the elevator and went straight to her parking spot, not exchanging any unnecessary words with Tu Ming.

Tu Ming watched her car speed away and stood in front of his own car for a moment. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but he was clear that Lumi probably wouldn’t even be friends with him anymore. She had left the tennis team group, flaunted the strawberry mark on her neck, and ostentatiously ended her inexplicable and strange infatuation with him. With her pride intact, she was off to find other interesting people and things.

Tu Ming shrugged and got into his car.

By the time Lumi and Zhang Xiao were listening to music in the bar, surrounded by a lively atmosphere, her mood had improved a little. She felt that she had been too narrow-minded. Tu Ming just didn’t like her, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Why should she blame him!

Hey!

Forget it! Just let it be! What did Lu Guoqing say? He said: “I didn’t raise a precious daughter just to have her suffer in front of you!”

====

The severe cold arrived without warning.

By the time Lumi woke up from a nap, the trees were bare, and a fierce wind was howling outside, making the windows rattle. Lumi didn’t want to get out of bed. She opened her eyes every two minutes until she finally dragged herself out of bed, fearing she would be late for work.

She didn’t feel like putting on makeup. After washing up, she dug out her coat, wrapped a scarf around herself, and headed out. Every year at the beginning of winter, she would feel listless, wanting to hibernate.

When she arrived at the company, Wumeng was already there, temporarily sitting at Shang Zhi Tao’s workstation. Seeing Lumi arrive, she pointed to the coffee on the desk: “It’s American style, just bought it.”

“Thanks.” Lumi opened her tote bag. The day before, she had unusually taken her laptop home because the project budget had been rejected and needed to be redone: “Aren’t you going to Qingdao with Will today?”

“It’s been postponed to tomorrow. Today, we have a new colleague starting, and we’re having a welcome dinner. We’ll go on the business trip tomorrow.” Wumeng pointed to Tu Ming’s office: “The boss is also here.”

“Oh.” Lumi glanced at Tu Ming’s office. She had vaguely heard about the new colleague, a young talent recruited from abroad: “Is Daisy his mentor?”

“Yes.”

Lumi stopped talking, too lazy to continue. She went to the pantry to wash her cup. Daisy followed her into the pantry and nudged her with her elbow: “Did you hear?”

“What?”

“About the new employee.”

“What about the new employee?”

“The new employee is a handsome guy, a good-looking younger man. Daisy showed me a photo earlier; he’s really nice.”

“Oh.”

The cold weather had dampened Lumi’s interest in handsome men. She sat at her workstation working, looking somewhat lifeless. She occasionally glanced at the time at the bottom of her computer screen, contemplating skipping work after Tu Ming left on his business trip in the afternoon.

After a while, Wumeng started packing her things, making quite a racket. Lumi asked her: “What’s wrong?”

“They said the handsome guy will sit here first, and I’ll move to the empty seat next to Serena.”

“Oh.”

Just how handsome was this guy? Lumi wondered. After a while, she felt that she was being too naive. The young man had a face that seemed indifferent, but when he smiled, it was filled with sunshine. He sat down next to Lumi and greeted her in a familiar manner: “Please take care of me, Lumi.”

“How old are you?” Lumi didn’t respond to his request for care and leaned back in her chair to ask him, like a female bandit.

“I’m 24.”

“What’s your name?”

“Tang Wuyi. As in the ‘Five Righteous’ from ‘Seven Heroes and Five Righteous’.”

Lumi inwardly laughed at his odd name but then thought about her own name, which wasn’t much better, so she chuckled: “Alright, your name sounds like you’re a chivalrous hero. I like it.”

Tang Wuyi also liked martial arts novels, and the two of them chatted for a bit, feeling particularly congenial. During the evening gathering, Lumi volunteered: “I’ll take Jack with me.” Tang Wuyi’s English name was Jack, not particularly noteworthy, but he was easygoing.

Daisy whispered to Lumi: “Sister, go easy on him. The little brother is still young.”

“Where did that come from?” Lumi replied, used to speaking nonsense.

When they met Tu Ming, Wumeng, and Daisy in the parking garage, Daisy joked: “When it comes to having a connection with handsome guys, it’s still Lumi. The new intern actually asked to ride with Lumi.”

“You might want to ride with me, but the gender is wrong, so I won’t take you.” Lumi joked with her and then glanced at Tu Ming and Wumeng. Tu Ming was looking straight ahead, not participating in the strange battles between women. However, Lumi’s enthusiasm for Tang Wuyi suddenly reminded him of that evening when she came to give him an old CD player, and he listened to a love song downstairs.

Tang Wuyi got into the car with Lumi, fastened his seatbelt, and sat there as if thinking about something, suddenly laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Lumi asked him.

“You speak with such intensity, like you’re ready for battle. The workplace is really complicated.”

“You’re quite perceptive, little brother!” Lumi laughed. The cricket in her arms also chirped: “You’re too perceptive, actually able to tell that I was speaking with intensity just now. Alright, you’ll definitely be able to navigate this place.”

That evening, Tang Wuyi sat next to Lumi. His nature was somewhat similar to Lumi’s. Both of them had a bit of a rebellious aura, and their conversations were interesting, amusing their colleagues to no end.

After a while, the alcohol started to take effect, and everyone was chatting among themselves.

Lumi and Tang Wuyi were both tilting their heads, talking and laughing together, then continuing their conversation.

Lumi felt that it had been a long time since she had met such a congenial colleague. She was particularly happy and even sent a message to Shang Zhi Tao: “I’m doomed. Our little brother is about to take your place in my heart.”

“I can’t be replaced!” Shang Zhi Tao protested.

Lumi laughed out loud at her message. When she looked up again, through the lively dinner table, she caught Tu Ming’s gaze resting on her for a moment before shifting away.