Lumi asked Tang Wuyi: “Are they telling you not to play with me?”

“Don’t listen to them. I play with whoever I want, they can’t control me. You know what the best part of being an adult is?” Tang Wuyi winked at her: “The best part is that as long as I’m happy, everything else can go to hell.” He shrugged, looking like a spoiled young master.

Lumi suddenly felt as if they had returned to their school days, when parents and teachers would choose friends for you. Their principle for choosing friends was the same: play with the obedient and good students, and stay away from the bad ones.

Lumi wasn’t a good student when she was in school, and after she started working, she wasn’t a good employee either. There were many times when people kept their distance from her. At first, it was Shang Tao, who didn’t care what others thought of her mentor and was just good to her and trusted her; then it was Tang Wuyi, who, in just a few days, became inseparable from her.

Tang Wuyi really didn’t care about other people’s opinions. During the next meeting, he still sat next to Lumi. They sat in the back row, their chairs close together. When they looked up at the PPT, they were in the same posture. Sometimes when they heard what others were saying, they would exchange a knowing smile, sharing a strange tacit understanding.

“You two aren’t really dating, are you?” Daisy sent a message to Lumi: “I feel like something’s off between you two.”

“Is that not allowed?” Lumi retorted.

“The company doesn’t allow it…”

“Are you Will? Or Tracy?” Lumi sent a “mind your own business” expression, showing that she was not to be trifled with.

“So Jack has taken on a project now, hasn’t he?” Tu Ming asked Daisy.

“Yes, the Pudong project.” Daisy said: “They’ve had a remote meeting.”

“Could Jack give me an update on the progress after the meeting?” Tu Ming sought Tang Wuyi’s opinion.

“Sure.” Tang Wuyi sat there, neither servile nor overbearing.

This was the first time Tu Ming had a face-to-face conversation with Tang Wuyi since he joined the company. The young man in front of him had a peach blossom face, smiling before he spoke, with a firm gaze, exuding a sense of dramatic conflict. Tu Ming didn’t dislike him, in fact, he rather liked him.

“Have you settled in since joining?” Tu Ming asked Tang Wuyi.

“Quite settled.”

“Are you getting along well with your colleagues?”

“Yes, especially Lumi. I really like her.” Tang Wuyi expressed his appreciation for Lumi sincerely. Tu Ming nodded: “Lumi is very capable.”

Tang Wuyi suddenly laughed: “Shall we not talk about Lumi? Because I heard that you and the company’s colleagues don’t like her.” This didn’t seem like a conversation between a new employee and his boss, but Tang Wuyi was unconventional.

“There’s a rumor that I don’t like Lumi?” Tu Ming’s brows furrowed slightly as he wondered where the rumor came from. It probably stemmed from their initial confrontations and Lumi’s later indifference towards him.

“Yes, and someone told me that Lumi is about to be optimized, and I should stay away from her, or I might not even pass my probation.” Tang Wuyi spoke one sentence after another. He was just like that, arrogant and carefree, a playboy in the eyes of others. Having lived abroad for many years, he had a very distinct characteristic: if he had something to say, he wouldn’t hide it; if he had to fart, he wouldn’t hold it in. He felt that his colleagues had prejudices against Lumi, and even Will did, so he spoke up.

Tu Ming listened to him seriously and saw his determination to stand up for Lumi, as if Lumi was the friend and path he had chosen for himself, and he had to stick to it no matter what. He only spoke a few words, but he couldn’t hide his sincerity, which was similar to Lumi’s.

“Firstly, Lumi’s work efficiency is very high, and her results are excellent. She won’t be optimized; secondly, I can’t control what colleagues think of Lumi, but I don’t dislike her.” Tu Ming smiled at him: “In fact, I admire her very much.”

Both of them were silent for a few seconds, contemplating the true meaning of the phrase “I even admire her very much.”

Tu Ming broke the silence first: “So, could you update me on your project progress? And any issues you’ve encountered?”

“Sure.” Tang Wuyi gave a brief overview of the situation. The site selection was completed, the theme design was in progress, and the budget had been submitted for approval. It was just the usual process, and the project Daisy gave him wouldn’t make any mistakes or stand out. It was commonly known as: assisting.

In a company like Ling Mei, every colleague felt a sense of crisis, and everyone watched their territory very closely. Tang Wuyi discovered this on his first day at work, which was why he liked Lumi. Because he saw how Lumi easily handed over big tasks to Wumeng and even helped her avoid pitfalls. Tang Wuyi thought she was both foolish and cool, with a straightforward confidence that no one else had. How wonderful.

Tang Wuyi loved playing with people like her.

After listening to him, Tu Ming pondered for a long time. He felt that Tang Wuyi’s work was too simple. When he was hired, a comprehensive assessment was conducted with Tracy’s department: although he was young, he had the ability to lead comprehensive projects.

“Your work completion rate is very high. I have another project I’d like you to take a look at.” Tu Ming told Tang Wuyi about the Qingdao project: “Following the Northwest S+ project, this is another pilot project in cooperation with the government, S-level. Would you like to handle the market research?” Tu Ming sent him the information as he spoke.

“I’ve heard of this project. Isn’t Erin in charge?”

“Erin has been transferred to a closed project team, recommended by Lumi.” Tu Ming said truthfully.

“Alright, I’ll take it. Thank you, Will.”

“You’re welcome. It’s great to quickly make friends in a new company. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

After chatting with Tu Ming this time, Tang Wuyi suddenly realized that Tu Ming wasn’t as rumored to be someone who didn’t understand human emotions, a “scholar.” He had a straight ruler in his heart, in other words, he was upright, sincere, and cultured. This was quite rare.

After leaving Tu Ming’s office and returning to his workstation, he told Lumi: “Will has given me the Qingdao project.”

“Wow, that’s really great.”

Tang Wuyi knew Lumi was pretending to be confused. She had recommended Wumeng to the closed project team, and the vacant project needed someone to take over. She seemed to have guessed that Will would give it to him. So he asked her: “You guessed it, right? How did you guess?”

“Didn’t I tell you? He’s a good person, a smart person.” Regardless of whether he was willing to get involved with her, her affirmation of his character remained unchanged.

Lumi told Tang Wuyi everything she knew about the Qingdao project and introduced him to Shang Zhi Tao. She said in the group: “My two friends have finally met virtually. Can Flora give Jack some advice?”

“Of course!” Shang Zhi Tao was excited and immediately made a voice call. The three of them chatted for a while. When they hung up, Lumi saw that Tu Ming had sent her a message:

“If you’ve heard rumors that I’m considering optimizing you, don’t believe them. I won’t.”

“I never believed it.” Lumi replied.

“That’s good. Work hard.”

“Okay.”

Lumi casually replied with an “okay” and closed the chat window.

Tu Ming felt a sense of losing a friend. There was a period when he considered Lumi a friend. She never put any pressure on you; you didn’t need to pretend in front of her; you could just be yourself. She never spoke seriously, but she could dissolve all kinds of bad emotions, making you feel that your mood wouldn’t be so bad.

Such a Lumi was always like a hurricane; she blew away, but there were traces where she passed.

Her new friend defended her, even openly expressing his appreciation for her in front of his superior, which was quite rare.

As he pondered, he heard someone in the office area shout: “It’s snowing!” followed by people running to the windows to watch the snow. He stood by the window and watched for a while.

The first snowfall was unusually generous, falling in large, fluffy flakes, covering the roads with a thin layer of white in no time. The footprints of passersby were clear, extending into the distance, truly beautiful.

“Put down your work and go out to enjoy the snow for a while.” He said in the department group. There was suddenly a burst of laughter outside, and Tu Ming curled his lips.

“Aren’t you coming, Boss?” Wumeng asked in the group.

“I have to discuss something with Luke later. You guys go ahead and play.”

“What a pity!” Daisy said.

Whether it was genuine or feigned regret, it didn’t stop them from quickly evacuating the work area.

Tu Ming stood by the window and watched as Lumi took out her cricket from her arms and squatted on the ground with Tang Wuyi. Their heads were close together as they played with the cricket in the snow.

Lumi only dared to play for a short while, afraid of freezing the cricket to death. As she put it back into the gourd, she said: “Enjoy the snow once, prove you haven’t lived in vain!” Then she put the cricket back into her arms to keep it warm.

“You’re the first girl I know who keeps a cricket. That’s so cool!”

“Haha, when I was a kid, there were few things to play with in winter. My dad and uncle would go to Panjiayuan to catch crickets and listen to them chirp! I love playing with them. It’s fun to watch them eat and drink. Feed them a few times and they get familiar with you. How fun! Too bad these hundred-day bugs don’t live long.” To keep the cricket warm, Lumi usually wore a thick down jacket when she went out in winter, a stark contrast to her meticulous and attractive appearance in summer.

“That’s true.” The two of them tilted their heads back to let the snow fall on their faces, feeling the coolness. This silly act made them both laugh.

“What are you doing tonight? How about hot pot?” Tang Wuyi suggested. There were few good Chinese restaurants abroad, and since returning to China, he had been infinitely enthusiastic about Chinese cuisine, wishing he could eat from morning till night.

“Can’t do it tonight. Tracy’s department notified me that there’s a reunion event for employees with more than five years of service, and I have to attend…” Lumi had to give Tracy face. There weren’t many people in the company who could control Lumi, and Tracy was one of them.

“Alright, I’ll go with someone else.”

Tu Ming stood upstairs watching the employees having fun downstairs. It was truly rare for adults to have such joyful moments, and he was infected by their emotions, feeling that the snow had come at the perfect time. He suddenly decided on this year’s department team-building event, wanting to take them to Hokkaido to soak in the hot springs. So he told his secretary: “Help me check the schedule and department budget. Look into a six-day trip to Hokkaido for hot springs.”

Xing Yun’s phone call interrupted him, and he answered: “What’s up?”

“I sold the house. Today when I was packing, I found some of your old things inside.”

“Just throw them away.” Tu Ming said.

“Don’t you want to hear what they are? There are comic books, a portable music player, and some serial pictures, quite a lot. I remember you never threw away the things in your school and the Summer Palace house.”

When Tu Ming heard the words “serial pictures,” he changed his mind: “I’ll come by after work to pick them up. But tonight, there’s a reunion event for employees with more than five years of service that I must attend. Can you pack them for me? I’ll just grab them from your downstairs.”

“Alright.”

After work, Tu Ming went to Xing Yun’s place to pick up the items. The road was slippery after the snow, and he had to brake carefully to avoid colliding with the car in front of him. When he arrived at Xing Yun’s place, the snow was still falling. Wang Song and Xing Yun were standing in the snow waiting for him. Xing Yun’s hand was in Wang Song’s down jacket pocket, and there were two cardboard boxes beside them, covered with a layer of snow. Seeing Tu Ming, she withdrew her hand and smiled at him.

“I think these things are quite precious, so I thought I’d give them to you.”

“Thank you. Did you finish selling the house?”

“It’s sold. I’m planning to move closer to my parents.”

“Yeah, it’s easier to take care of them. I have an engagement tonight, so I’ll leave first.”

Wang Song remained silent the whole time. He brushed the snow off the boxes and placed them in Tu Ming’s car.

Tu Ming picked up the boxes and casually asked: “How many years apart are you two?”

The other two were taken aback for a moment, and it was Xing Yun who spoke: “To be exact, five years.”

Tu Ming nodded and got into the car.

Five years.

Is the mindset of women liking younger men the same as men always liking younger women? This question suddenly popped into his mind, but he had no answer. Tu Ming felt that he really knew nothing about relationships between men and women.

He glanced at the neighborhood again. When he bought the house here, he thought the small and broken charm was rare, and it was also in a good school district. Although he wasn’t married at the time and didn’t plan to have children, he had already planned many years ahead. The planned future never materialized, and life took a dramatic turn, developing in an uncontrollable direction.

There weren’t many cars on the road he was now driving on. He checked the time and stepped on the accelerator. Tracy called to ask where he was, and he answered the call, not paying attention to his surroundings. He only heard a loud bang, and the accident happened quickly. He didn’t even have time to react before he felt dizzy.

Tracy heard the sound and called out a few times: “Will, are you okay? Hello?”