《Mind Reading》 Chapter 1.1 Chapter 1 Part 1 ¡°That¡¯s when you know you found somebody really special. When you can just shut up for a minute and comfortably share silence.¡± ¡ª¡ªMovie: Pulp Fiction When Su Tang met Shen Yi for the first time in S City International Airport¡¯s car park, she didn¡¯t realize that this man lived in a completely soundless world. It was a sunny day in early August and summer heat was still blazing at nightfall. Shen Yi wore a light blue shirt, gray pants, leaning against the front of his black SUV car. He fixed his gaze on Su Tang as she walked this way, making her feel like he was a car seller. The person who welcomed Su Tang in the hall was driver Old Chen, he approached Shen Yi together with Su Tang, ¡°Designer Su, this is Mr. Shen, Shen Yi.¡± Su Tang studied civil engineering and she just struggled to graduate in a public university for civil engineers in France without a job. When Old Chen heard that she planned to try for construction design companies in S City, he started to call her ¡®Designer Su¡¯ since then. Su Tang felt awkward at the sound of it but not so much that she had to tell him to stop calling her that. Su Tang smiled brightly, ¡°Hello, Mr. Shen. Thank you for picking me up for my grandma.¡± Shen Yi smiled and nodded. He walked over and opened the door for Su Tang while gesturing ¡®please¡¯. ¡°Merci,¡± Su Tang spoke French subconsciously, but realized what she said before she even moved. She stuck her tongue out and quickly added, ¡°Thanks.¡± Old Chen, who was helping Su Tang putting her luggage in the truck let out an exaggerated laugh as if he just heard a hilarious joke, ¡°Designer Su, don¡¯t you know that he¡¯s deaf?¡± Su Tang froze with one foot on the footrest and looked back at Shen Yi in embarrassment. The handsome man still smiled like a car model. Seeing that Su Tang suddenly turned around and looked at him, his smile sweetened a few times and made Su Tang feel dazzled under twilight. OldChen finished putting the luggage in and walked towards the driver¡¯s seat. He poked his completely hairless head and glanced at Su Tang with intentional curiosity all over his face, ¡°Designer Su, didn¡¯t Doctor Zhou tell you that?¡± Doctor Zhou was Su Tang¡¯s grandma. She was a high level nurse at a private sanatorium when she was young and she had written a few books about intensive nursing, making her quite famous in the circle. After retirement, the sanatorium hired her back as a consultant. She lived in an apartment there and they called everyone wearing a white coat a doctor. Her grandma only told her that someone would be at the airport to pick her up and his name was Shen Yi, a tall man in his twenties. But, her grandma did not tell her that he was a man with such an obvious existence and of course, her grandma did not tell her that he couldn¡¯t hear voices. ¡°N-no¡­¡­¡± Su Tang didn¡¯t know whether Shen Yi was offended with her rudeness as she sat in the car feeling guilty. Shen Yi followed and sat next to hear, closing the door after settling down. There was a light fragrance on Shen Yi, it wasn¡¯t perfume, a smell which made Su Tang feel safe. It was familiar but she couldn¡¯t remember what it was. She couldn¡¯t help herself but to steal a glance at Shen Yi, but she didn¡¯t expect Shen Yi to be looking at her too. The car model¡¯s expressions blanked for a second after meeting Su Tang¡¯s curious gaze. It seemed like he realized something as his smile faded, but it didn¡¯t completely disappear. Old Chen sat on the driving seat and smiled profoundly, ¡°Doctor Zhou said that you two are childhood friends, but it doesn¡¯t look like it¡­¡­¡± ¡°Childhood friends?¡± Su Tang stared at Shen Yi¡¯s refined face. Her parents divorced when she was three years old, they both remarried and neither of them wanted her. She grew up with her grandma as an obedient child and studied hard, she never even had a proper relationship at 24 years old¡­¡­ Where did this giant childhood friend pop out from? ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. A pretty and excellent girl like you should have high standards, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d like this deaf guy¡­¡­¡± Su Tang questioned if her mandarin degenerated so much over the three years in France that she couldn¡¯t tell whether Old Chen was complimenting her or he was being sarcastic. She didn¡¯t reply, but took out her phone from her bag, opened a new note and typed something before passing it to Shen Yi. ¡ª¡ªDo you know my grandma? Shen Yi looked at the screen, then at the person who lifted the screen to his face and nodded. He took Su Tang¡¯s phone and slowly typed back with pursed lips. ¡ª¡ªYou can speak, I can read your lips. But my Chinese isn¡¯t that good, please speak slower. If you can speak English, I can read it more accurately. Su Tang stared blankly at Old Chen¡¯s bright and bald head leaning against the driving seat in her seat for a good minute before realizing that when Old Chen criticized Shen Yi, he said everything outside Shen Yi¡¯s field of view. Su Tang thought it was even meaner than talking about someone behind their back. Su Tang looked down at what Shen Yi typed on the phone and frowned as she took the phone back. ¡ª¡ªI forgot how to speak English. What about French? Shen Yi shook his head apologetically. Su Tang pursed her lips together. ¡ª¡ªLet¡¯s type and talk here, I don¡¯t want Old Chen to hear us. It doesn¡¯t look like you two are on the same side. Shen Yi¡¯s lips curved up at Su Tang¡¯s childish way of expression. ¡ª¡ªMy driver is on holiday, he¡¯s my stepmother¡¯s driver. Su Tang raised an eyebrow. ¡ª¡ªAre you Snow White or something? Shen Yi smiled quietly. His long and slim fingers relaxed and his typing speed made Su Tang feel dizzy. ¡ª¡ªNo, I¡¯m Cinderella. My stepmother gave birth to a girl. Su Tang looked up and glanced at Old Chen. ¡ª¡ªA rat turned into the white horse who pulled the carriage for Cinderella, right? Shen Yi smiled so much that she could see his teeth. ¡ª¡ªTell him that we need to get back before midnight or the car¡¯s going to receive an infringement notice for me. Su Tang blinked. ¡ª¡ªWhy? Shen Yi managed to understand Su Tang¡¯s humor, and she couldn¡¯t help but to giggle. It made Old Chen glanced at them through the rearview mirror, ¡°Designer Su, do you actually know him?¡± ¡ª¡ªBecause rat isn¡¯t allowed to pull a pumpkin on the highway. ¡°Sure,¡± Su Tang¡¯s head was full of a bald rat who was trying his best to pull a pumpkin and she couldn¡¯t stop smiling, ¡°Just got to know him.¡± Now that Old Chen mentioned it, Su Tang remembered the ¡®childhood friends¡¯ question again. ¡ª¡ªDo we know each other from before? ¡ª¡ªI¡¯ve seen you before. Su Tang didn¡¯t know how to beat around the bush. ¡ª¡ªWhy don¡¯t I remember anything? ¡ª¡ªIt was twenty years ago. Su Tang pondered carefully. She was only four years old about twenty years ago, she only remembered clinging to her grandma and followed behind her everyday while wandering in the sanatorium her grandma worked at. ¡ª¡ªIn Boya Sanatorium? Shen Yi looked at her surprisingly and quickly typed. ¡ª¡ªDo you remember now? Su Tang stared intensely at Shen Yi for a full five seconds. ¡ª¡ªYou filled in the form for body donation, right? Shen Yi nodded seriously. ¡ª¡ªI filled it in at eight years old before I went to the States, full body donation. ¡ª¡ªCan you donate me some ability to remember things first? Shen Yi laid back in his seat and trembled from laughing furiously. Su Tang discovered that he had a nice body too. He leaned towards the slim type but it didn¡¯t affect his overall appearance. Old Chen couldn¡¯t help but to glance back through the mirror again, ¡°Designer Su, no wonder Doctor Zhou compliments that you have a good personality. You can even chat so well with a deaf!¡± Su Tang hated that Old Chen was calling Shen Yi ¡®deaf¡¯. She looked at Shen Yi and intentionally spoke slowly and clearly, ¡°We were just chatting about the restaurants in Europe. There was one interesting owner who had a sign in front of the restaurant which said bald people and dogs weren¡¯t allowed inside.¡± Old Chen swallowed the rest of what he wanted to say. Seeing that Shen Yi looked confused, Su Tang took the phone and typed again. ¡ª¡ªDid I speak too fast? Shen Yi shook his head and frowned lightly. ¡ª¡ªI could read your lips clearly, but why bald people and dogs? Su Tang was amused at Shen Yi¡¯s serious face. She had a good laugh before picking up the phone again. ¡ª¡ªIt was a lie, did you believe it? Shen Yi didn¡¯t laugh back and forth in his seat like Su Tang, but he seemed to be lost in thought while looking at her gently with a quiet smile. Su Tanf felt embarrassed from his gaze and coughed a few times before stopping her silly smile. She buried her head in her phone and typed another sentence. ¡ª¡ªDo you usually use sign language? Shen Yi shook his head calmly. He smiled at Su Tang¡¯s blank expressions and typed. ¡ª¡ªThere are more people who can read than people who know sign language. ¡ª¡ªWhat about work? ¡ª¡ªMy assistant can translate sign language for me. ¡ª¡ªWhat about living? ¡ª¡ªI do everything myself, well fed and clothed as you can see. Su Tang raised an eyebrow. This man had no temper and it provoked the evil gene inside her that¡¯s been hibernating all her life. ¡ª¡ªWhat about moaning? Chapter 1.2 Chapter 1 Part 2 ¡ª¡ªWhat about moaning (1)? Shen Yi¡¯s hand trembled and almost threw the phone out. His cheeks blushed and forced himself to type. ¡ª¡ªMen have to moan too? Su Tang typed tranquilly. ¡ª¡ªYou can get up in the morning without a wake up call? Su Tang watched his face turn from red to dark in satisfaction before she added another sentence. ¡ª¡ªYou are pretty self-disciplined. Shen Yi glanced at the screen, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The car model¡¯s face switched between red and dark, eventually turning pale. Su Tang thought she went over the line with the pun and quickly typed. She tugged Shen Yi¡¯s arm and lifted the phone to his eyes. ¡ª¡ªI¡¯m sorry, it was a joke. Shen Yi forced a smile and shook his head before closing his eyes again. Su Tang blinked and tugged on him again. ¡ª¡ªCarsick? Shen Yi stared at it for two seconds before nodding lightly. Su Tang sighed. As expected, not everyone could be on their phone in a dashing car. Su Tang patted the back of the driving seat, ¡°Driver Chen, do you have any water in the car?¡± Old Chen glanced at the mirror and saw the pale looking Shen Yi, ¡°Water doesn¡¯t help.¡± Su Tang argued calmly, ¡°And what helps?¡± Old Chen could smell the gunpowder in her tone and twitched his lips into a smile, opened the storage box next to the seat and took out a bottle of water. Su Tang took it and smiled, ¡°Merde. (2)¡± Old Chen blinked and recalled she said something similar to Shen Yi when she said thank you. It was a shame that he didn¡¯t understand why Shen Tang smiled and hence he replied generously, ¡°You are welcome.¡± Su Tang suddenly remembered the slogan she saw outside the language training institution before she went abroad: A wonderful life starts from learning another language. Su Tang opened the lid in satisfaction and passed the water after patting Shen Yi¡¯s arm. Shen Yi hesitated but still took it. He took a tiny sip and swallowed it with a frown after a while. Su Tang thought Old Chen gave them something he couldn¡¯t drink and grabbed the bottle back in horror. She smelt it and took a sip too, and she turned to Shen Yi confusedly after confirming that it was just ordinary water. Shen Yi was watching her quietly with a forced small smile on his face. Su Tang put down the water. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Shen Yi shook his head. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Shen Yi nodded. Su Tang wasn¡¯t a faint hearted person and she had done everything she could do at this point. She put her phone down and sat properly so she wouldn¡¯t disturb Shen Yi resting. Shen Yi didn¡¯t open his eyes and Old Chen didn¡¯t bother butt in again. He drove through the entrance of Boya Sanatorium and made many turns before stopping in front of an apartment building. Su Tang stayed quiet on the way too. It was half past eight, the sky was completely dark. Su Tang could see her grandma waiting for her with a smile from a distance under the soft lights in the front yard. The last two years of classes in her university were intense, and so was her internship. The last time she came back was already two years ago. Her grandma was seventy years old, Su Tang came back without hesitation as soon as she graduated, deciding that she must stay with the only family she had. Su Tang wanted to get off the car as soon as it stopped, but she remembered the carsick man. Shen Yi looked as if he fell asleep. His head was tilted and leaned against the back of the seat. Su Tang hesitated and patted his arm to wake him up, ¡°I¡¯m here. Thank you for picking me up at the airport.¡± Shen Yi smiled palely. He sat up straight and fixed his slightly messy hair. He gestured ¡®phone¡¯ and Su Tang quickly took out her phone. Shen Yi took the phone, closed notes and opened contact. He quickly typed down his name, phone, e-mail, his address, and finally a selfie of him smiling like a sunflower before reopening notes again. ¡ª¡ªText or email me anytime if something¡¯s up. Su Tang swore that she was looking at him as if she saw an alien. Shen Yi laughed and added. ¡ª¡ªSay hi to Doctor Zhou for me. Then he gave her phone back. Su Tang nodded and put the phone back. Before she could stand properly, her grandma always rushed over and grabbed her hand with a smile, ¡°Tangtang is back¡­¡­¡± Then she waved at the person inside the car, but spoke to Su Tang, ¡°Tangtang, have you thanked Xiao Yi yet?¡± Before Su Tang could reply, Old Chen walked over with her luggage and a face full of smiles, ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡­ Doctor Zhou, you surely have a way of raising your child! It¡¯s hard to find a pretty, smart, educated and well-balanced young lady like Design Su even with a lantern in hand!¡± Grandma never spoiled Su Tang but she loved others complimenting her granddaughter too. Even though she knew it was just flattering, she still grinned from ear to ear, ¡°No, no¡­.. She¡¯s just a little girl!¡± Su Tang wasn¡¯t interested in the polite conversation between them no matter how much of a chatterbox she was. She took the suitcase from his hand and said, ¡°Thank you for the trip¡­¡­ Mr. Shen isn¡¯t feeling well, please drive him back first.¡± Before Old Chen said anything, her grandma¡¯s face changed and looked at Su Tang nervously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Xiao Yi?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­ I think he¡¯s carsick.¡± Grandma left Su Tang¡¯s side and crawled into the car with a frown. She touched Shen Yi¡¯s forehead and said something to him with sign language, Shen Yi also replied with sign language slowly. Su Tang couldn¡¯t understand them but grandma¡¯s kind expressions immediately turned stern seeing that Shen Yi didn¡¯t put down his hand. Her gentle voice also turned strict, ¡°Silly child¡­¡­ Xiao Chen, hurry up, we are going to the hospital!¡± ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡­¡± Old Chen looked like a security guard who heard an officer¡¯s orders and quickly climbed back into the driving seat. Su Tang saw her grandma shutting the door cleanly and the SUV springed away and made a u-turn as if it had eyes. The word ¡®hospital¡¯ circled in Su Tang¡¯s head for a while before remembering that the light smell on Shen Yi was the smell of disinfectants in hospitals. Chapter 2.1 Chapter 02 Part 1 The SUV quickly disappeared in sight after a few turns. Su Tang looked at her 30 inches large suitcase helplessly and muttered, ¡°Who¡¯s your biological grandchild again¡­¡­¡± Then she realized her grandma didn¡¯t exactly give birth to her either. Although she was complaining, she loved her grandma dearly. Luckily she graduated, her grandma could rest and enjoy life if she found a decent job soon. Su Tang had the keys to grandma¡¯s apartment. It had lifts and it wasn¡¯t difficult to drag it up. Su Tang dragged her suitcase to a corner and glanced at all the plates and dishes on the kitchen counter, they were all cut up ingredients. Obviously, grandma wanted to cook after she was home so she could have some warm homemade food, it was a shame that the carsick Cinderella stole her away half way through. Su Tang laughed secretly, that Cinderella was way too fragile¡­.. She just had dinner on the plane before it landed and she wasn¡¯t hungry at all. She went to the bathroom and washed her exhausted body thoroughly after an eleven hour flight. After she dragged her suitcase into the room grandma cleaned out for her and finished unpacking everything, it was almost eleven. And grandma still wasn¡¯t home. Su Tang called grandma, ¡°Grandma, are you still at the hospital?¡± There was silence, and a light click of the door closing before grandma lowered her voice, ¡°Tangtang¡­¡­ Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m not that hungry¡­¡­ Grandma, when are you coming back? It¡¯s late already.¡± Grandma sighed on the other side, ¡°Xiao Yi is hospitalized, I¡¯ll give him some company, I won¡¯t be home tonight¡­¡­¡± Su Tang frowned, ¡°He¡¯s hospitalized for carsickness?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not carsickness¡­¡­ Be good tonight, be careful of electricity and gas, sleep early, grandma will make you good food tomorrow¡­¡­¡± Su Tang almost laughed and felt like she traveled back in time to when she was a child. ¡°Grandma¡­¡­ I¡¯ll substitute for you, come back and sleep.¡± ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t need that much sleep at this age, it¡¯s fine. Sleep well, you must be tired after more than ten hours of flight. Aren¡¯t you going to an interview tomorrow?¡± Su Tang passed her resume to seven or eight companies in S City before she came back, the best one requested her to attend an interview tomorrow morning. Su Tang insisted, ¡°Jet lag, I won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight and I¡¯ll be home watching TV anyways.¡± Grandma hesitated. ¡°You might as well let me go and watch over that childhood friend of mine.¡± Grandma laughed out loud, ¡°Fine, fine. Come if you want. Boya Hospital, you remember where that is, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This sanatorium was affiliated with Boya Hospital, Su Tang was always sick during childhood and grandma took her there every time, and she had deep memories of the disinfectant¡¯s smell at the hospital. ¡°Level 15, inpatient department.¡± Su Tang raised an eyebrow. That level was for special VIP wards, the fee for one day¡¯s stay was almost equivalent to one month¡¯s salary of the working class in S City. Was this Cinderella from Dubai? ¡°Tangtang, it¡¯s quite late, be careful on the way here¡­¡­¡± ¡°I will. Wait for me, I¡¯ll leave right now.¡± Su Tang hung up and grabbed her bag. It was never a problem to get a taxi in front of the sanatorium no matter how late it was. Su Tang told the driver the hospital name and the driver soon stepped on the pedal. He talked starting from the name Boya, and to poetry, song lyrics to philosophy for an entire hour before he reluctantly parked outside the inpatient department at Boya Hospital. It was way past visit time and no matter Su Tang said grandma¡¯s name or Shen Yi¡¯s name, the nurse on shift only replied with ¡°come back tomorrow¡± with a poker face. Su Tang had no choice but to call grandma, and grandma told her to wait downstairs for a while. About fifteen minutes later, the lift made a gentle noise and Shen Yi walked out of the lift while holding onto grandma¡¯s arm. Su Tang blinked before welcoming them, she saw that Shen Yi was dressed up and asked, ¡°Grandma¡­¡­ He¡¯s leaving?¡± ¡°No, he has to stay¡­¡­¡± Grandma patted Shen Yi¡¯s arm, ¡°He woke up when I picked up the call and he just had to walk me down and pick you up¡­¡­¡± Su Tang glanced at Shen Yi, who was smiling quietly next to grandma, ¡°Thank you.¡± Shen Yi let go of grandma¡¯s arm and took out his phone from the pocket. ¡ª¡ªThanks for keeping me company, do you know how to drive? Su Tang nodded. All civil engineering courses around the world treated women as men, and treated men as animals. She even drove engineering vehicles for her internship in France, she could even drive a bus if Shen Yi gave her one. Shen Yi typed on his phone and passed his car keys along with the phone. ¡ª¡ª It¡¯s too late, it¡¯s too dangerous to catch a taxi. I can¡¯t drive so take my car. Su Tang appreciated this man who was more considerate of her grandma than her. She took the keys and saw Shen Yi type another sentence. ¡ª¡ªI¡¯ll go with you, it¡¯s not safe for you to come back alone. Grandma saw their conversation and panicked, ¡°No, no¡­¡­¡± Su Tang realized that it was difficult to convince someone who couldn¡¯t hear or speak. As soon as he shook his head gently but stubbornly without speaking, there was nothing she could do. Grandma frowned and gestured something with sign language but Shen Yi remained unmoved. Grandma soon gave up and sighed, letting the two young ones walk her to the carpark. That black SUV was Shen Yi¡¯s car. Su Tang drove and Shen Yi helped Su Tang set up the GPS before sitting in the back with grandma. Su Tang glanced at the mirror from time to time and saw him holding grandma¡¯s arm all the time and smiled quietly next to her. He looked like a gentle big dog, the last thing he needed to do was sticking its tongue out and wagging its tail. He did not look like someone who needed to be hospitalized¡­¡­ Chapter 2.2 Chapter 2 Part 2 He did not look like someone who needed to be hospitalized¡­¡­ They sent grandma back to her apartment and Shen Yi moved to the front seat. He set another address on the GPS and Su Tang thought it looked familiar. A few seconds later, she remembered that it was the residential address he typed on her phone. He wanted to go home? ¡°Grandma said you have to go back to the hospital.¡± Shen Yi pursed his lips together and typed. ¡ª¡ªBut I¡¯m hungry. Su Tang was unconcerned and Shen Yi added. ¡ª¡ªI haven¡¯t had dinner yet. Su Tang was slightly moved. He didn¡¯t have dinner because he had to pick her up from the airport¡­¡­ Shen Yi struck the iron while it was hot. ¡ª¡ªHospital food isn¡¯t good and takeaways aren¡¯t that clean. ¡°You are not Cinderella.¡± Shen Yi froze. Su Tang rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You are an empress.¡± Shen Yi smiled innocently. Su Tang started the car and said, ¡°We will go back to the hospital after eating, deal?¡± Shen Yi nodded three times. There was a canal in the eastern suburb in S City, and Shen Yi lived in a high quality house next to the canal. The residential area didn¡¯t include ¡®high quality¡¯ in its name, but Su Tang learnt civil engineering and she could more or less see how much it worthed from the layout. When Shen Yi scanned the card to lift the fence up, Su Tang looked at the name of the company engraved on the door: Huazheng Construction Design Corporation Ltd. It was the company that hosted the interview tomorrow. Su Tang pointed at the name and made a face at Shen Yi, ¡°I¡¯m going to an interview at this company tomorrow, I¡¯m feeling nervous looking at the name alone. Not very mature of me, is it?¡± Su Tang was about to drive in but Shen Yi pulled her arm when she stepped on the pedal. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Yi frowned and typed on the phone. ¡ª¡ªIs this going to interfere with your interview plans? Su Tang shrugged and smiled calmly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to prepare. This company is the best one here and amongst the neighboring cities, they probably have more people getting in through connections than the entire population of Paris. They are only hiring four people this time and I definitely won¡¯t make it in. I just don¡¯t want to give up. They asked me to attend the interview anyway so I¡¯ll go and test my luck.¡± Su Tang never said anything like this because it was the general truth for most people and no one needed to emphasize it. However, Su Tang didn¡¯t think that Shen Yi was considered a normal person. She didn¡¯t know what his job was, but his car, his house, and the VIP ward told her that although he couldn¡¯t hear, her reality was probably miles away from his. Su Tang smiled and added at the sight of Shen Yi¡¯s pondering face, ¡°It¡¯s more useful to look around one of their house designs in real life than reading books for the whole day. I need to thank you for this.¡± Shen Yi finally smiled. ¡ª¡ªYou are welcome, look around all you like. Shen Yi¡¯s house was in the middle of the entire area on the eleventh floor and there was a complete view of the river scenery outside the living room¡¯s French window. The basic layout, ventilation and lighting were perfect, but Su Tang thought it looked strange somewhere. After Shen Yi took her around the room, Su Tang finally realized what looked weird at the sight of two sets of bay windows side by side and the bathroom fenced off with transparent curved glass walls. ¡°You knocked off some walls?¡± Shen Yi gave Su Tang a thumbs up. Su Tang frowned and looked around, gesturing where the original walls approximately were and Shen Yi clapped with a smile. Su Tang couldn¡¯t help but to laugh. She looked at the overly spacious house and commented, ¡°The entire area of the house is more than 230 square meters, single layer. The original four bedrooms and two living rooms layout was perfect. The living room, kitchen and dining room alone is about 100 square meters large after you knock off the walls, the main bedroom is almost 70 square meters. Don¡¯t you feel like you are sleeping in the middle of a plaza?¡± Shen Yi was amused by Su Tang¡¯s metaphor and shook his head seriously. He typed on the phone quickly and passed it to Su Tang. ¡ª¡ªI can¡¯t hear any sounds at all so I don¡¯t need the walls for soundproofing. But vision is important to me, I need to make sure that my field of view doesn¡¯t get blocked so I feel more secure living here. Su Tang stuck out her tongue apologetically and blushed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­ I never considered this problem.¡± Shen Yi smiled without any comments. ¡ª¡ªHave you had dinner yet? Su Tang shook her head. It was past midnight already and it was about dinner time for her in France, she was always hungry on time. ¡ª¡ªGo and watch TV, I¡¯ll cook. It won¡¯t take long. ¡°Do you need help?¡± Shen Yi shook his head and pocketed his phone. He picked up the cat who had been nudging his leg for a while now and smiled gently as he kissed the ginger ball of fluff on the head to comfort it, the cat¡¯s exceptional enjoyment ticked Su Tang¡¯s heart. Did his kiss¡­¡­ Feel good? Chapter 3.1 Chapter 3 Part 1 Shen Yi turned the TV on and Su Tang found out that it was on mute. He picked up the remote control and changed the mode, but the people still spoke with no sounds. Shen Yi handed the control to Su Tang apologetically and pointed at the sound control on it. He pointed at his ears and shrugged. Su Tang comprehended, ¡°You want me to adjust the volume myself?¡± Shen Yi smiled and nodded. Su Tang wanted to turn the sounds on but stopped. He couldn¡¯t hear any sounds¡­¡­ Why was it on mute? Su Tang turned to Shen Yi and he passed his phone to her before she could speak. ¡ª¡ª I¡¯m not sure how much I should turn it up, it¡¯s not good to disturb the neighbors. Su Tang glanced at the beaming Shen Yi and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your job?¡± Shen Yi blinked for a second and typed a word down. ¡ª¡ªGuess. Su Tang raised an eyebrow and replied crisply, ¡°Businessman. The type that serves people with your entire heart, the type of excellent businessman who treats their guests as Gods.¡± Shen Yi smiled profoundly and seemed amused by her answer, then nodded. ¡°Then¡­¡± Su Tang wanted to ask why he couldn¡¯t hear sounds but she was too shy to ask. She changed the topic, ¡°Why did you get hospitalized.¡± Shen Yi touched his stomach. Su Tang stuck her tongue out and almost forgot that he came back for food, ¡°Go and make food, we need to go back after you eat. If my grandma finds out about this she¡¯s going to take us back and handle us by law.¡± Shen Yi looked confused, Su Tang guessed that he didn¡¯t know what she meant by ¡°handle us by law¡±. She lifted her right hand up and gestured cutting her throat, she didn¡¯t forget to stick her tongue out and roll her eyes to show that she ¡®died¡¯. Shen Yi beamed and patted Su tang¡¯s shoulders before leaving. Su Tang thought he probably wanted to say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go back alive¡±. Half an hour later, Shen Yi brought a bowl of hot noodles with chicken broth on the table, with a drumstick, three mushrooms and some finely cut green onions on top for garnish. Su Tang tried the soup and immediately said all the compliments she could find in her vocabulary, but Shen Yi¡¯s expressions told her that he at most understood a third of it. Even so, Shen Yi felt embarrassed from how much compliments he received and took out his phone. ¡ª¡ªAn hourly cook made the broth and put it in the kitchen. Su Tang¡¯s words were like spilt water. She picked up some noodles and smiled shamelessly, ¡°I don¡¯t care, you are the one who made the soup.¡± Shen Yi beamed and accepted it. Su Tang thought Shen Yi took out her bowl first before going back to get his, but Shen Yi went back to his room and he didn¡¯t come back out after Su Tang finished eating. She was just about to clean up the table before the phone rang in her bag. Su Tang took it out and it was Shen Yi¡¯s message. ¡ª¡ªYou don¡¯t have to clean up after you are done. All the bedsheets are new in the guest room, tell me if you need anything else. Good night. Good night¡­¡­ He was staying home?! Did they make a deal to go back to the hospital after eating? Su Tang¡¯s first reaction was dashing to his bedroom. She turned the door knob as it was knocked, she knocked on it three times and called his name. She was just about to curse at him before she abruptly remembered what he typed¡ª¡ª He couldn¡¯t hear any sounds. Su Tang felt something furry rubbing her leg, she looked down and Shen Yi¡¯s cat was standing by her feet, looking at her as if she was an idiot. Su Tang texted him five times to tell him to come out, and she added more and more exclamation marks at the end of the sentences. Shen Yi didn¡¯t reply back to any and she heard the clear sounds of the shower. Was he going to bed¡­¡­ Su Tang bashed the door helplessly. What a fox. Shen Yi was the first deaf person she had spent more than a minute with and she didn¡¯t know what to do when he did this. When she was about to give her grandma a call in the middle of the night, Su Tang suddenly realized that the water inside didn¡¯t sound right. The water was big, as if he turned it up as much as he could. Even so, the sound of water couldn¡¯t cover the person vomiting inside. Su Tang froze and had no choice but to look at the living thing that understood Shen Yi the most. Their eyes met and the ginger ball of fur meowed innocently before it started scratching the door. The vomiting didn¡¯t sound like it was going to stop and Su Tang panicked. She was the one who left the hospital with him and she won¡¯t be able to forgive herself this lifetime if something happened to him. Su Tang sighed and bent, picked up the cat and put it to the side, ¡°Make some space, let me do it¡­¡­¡± Su Tang was well aware of how these doors were installed, as to how to uninstall it¡­¡­ Su Tang thought if Shen Yi could afford a house like this, she supposed he wouldn¡¯t mind changing a new door. The door was like every other door in the house. His bedroom door was made up of a piece of frosted glass embedded in a thin, white frame. Su Tang found a roll of duct tape in the drawer of his study room desk and stuck on duct tape all over the glass as quickly as she could. She picked up a pan from the kitchen and smashed it at the center of the glass piece where she put the most duct tape on with all her might. With a loud bang, small pieces of glass flew into the room with duct tape, only a few fragments broke off. Su Tang climbed through the hole of the door and found the shower head running in the transparent bathroom, but he was nowhere to be seen. Su Tang pushed open the half closed door to the toilet and Shen Yi was kneeling by the toilet, still fully dressed. He supported himself by holding onto the side of the toilet, the other hand pressed on his upper stomach tightly and his face was white from vomiting. Su Tang patted Shen Yi¡¯s shoulder. Shen Yi obviously didn¡¯t know someone came in and turned around shockingly, freezing at the sight of the pan in her hand. Su Tang silently hid the pan behind her back and knelt down worryingly, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Chapter 3.2 Chapter 3 Part 2 Su Tang silently hid the pan behind her back and knelt down worryingly, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Shen Yi shook his head awkwardly. He wanted to wipe off the dirty things off his mouth but almost fell onto the ground when he loosened the grip on the toilet. Su Tang quickly threw away the pan and supported his weight. Before he could turn around, he saw the vomit on the ground sticking Su Tang and his pants together and Su Tang frowned subconsciously. Shen Yi panicked and used sign language, and it was the only one Su Tang could understand: I¡¯m sorry. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­¡­¡± Su Tang unbuttoned the top few buttons and patted his back lightly. She could feel his body heating up and trembling. Shen Yi threw up again and it didn¡¯t soothe until he had nothing to vomit. Su Tang pouted a glass of water to rinse her mouth and Shen Yi apologized using sign language again. He pointed at Su Tang¡¯s pants and pointed at the washing machine next to the sink. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯ll clean up later¡­¡­¡± Su Tang saw Shen Yi¡¯s hand pressing down on her stomach tightly and suddenly remembered that he also pressed on this spot when she asked what illness he had, but she thought he was trying to say that he was hungry, ¡°Were you hospitalized because of this?¡± Shen Yi smiled bitterly and nodded lightly. Su Tang helped him up and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to the hospital.¡± Shen Yi shook his head. Su Tang disliked forcing people to do things, but he almost threw up his guts and it scared her. Su Tang pulled him up and wanted to go but remembered that she gave the car keys back to him after she parked the car. Su Tang stretched her hand out with a stern face, ¡°Give me your car keys.¡± Shen Yi shook his head again. He stepped over the pan on the floor and left the bathroom. Su Tang saw that his steps were still floaty and didn¡¯t dare to let go of his arm until he laid down in bed. Shen Yi nudged the pillow and closed his eyes after finding a comfortable spot. Su Tang didn¡¯t want to give up and remembered that he put the keys in his pocket, so she reached his pockets. Shen Yi cooperated and laid there with his arms and legs stretched out. Su Tang searched all the pockets in his pants and shirt and found nothing. She looked up and found the pale faced man was blinding at her while smiling profoundly. Su Tang then realized she almost climbed on top of him and he looked like he was letting her do whatever she wanted. Su Tang¡¯s face burnt and stood up quickly, ¡°You¡­¡­ Hey, give me the key!¡± Shen Yi kept the smile that made Su Tang blush and pointed at the bedside drawer on the right. Su Tang opened the first drawer, and the key wasn¡¯t in there, but rows of medicine filled the drawer. Su Tang froze. She opened the second and third drawer, they were all filled with medicine. Shen Yi pushed himself up against the back of the bed and put the laptop in his lap. He quickly typed two lines and turned the screen around. ¡ª¡ªThanks for taking care of me. I have all the medicine I need at home, don¡¯t worry. I have some important work to do, and I¡¯ll rest after four, and I¡¯ll definitely go back to the hospital in the morning. Su Tang couldn¡¯t think of any counter arguments against Shen Yi¡¯s sincere words. She looked at all the medicine in his drawers and mumbled unhappily, ¡°What are you, opening a hospital at home?¡± Shen Yi smiled and nodded. Su Tang rolled her eyes and compromised, ¡°Fine, but if you try to get away with it in the morning, I¡¯ll call 110.¡± Shen Yi blinked and typed. ¡ª¡ªShouldn¡¯t you call 120 for emergencies? ¡°Who said I¡¯m saving you?¡± Su Tang glared at him, ¡°If you do that again I¡¯m going to call the police and report you for detaining a gentlewoman.¡± Shen Yi frowned slightly. ¡ª¡ªWhat¡¯s a gentlewoman? Su Tang was speechless,¡± Gentlewomen is¡­¡­ A girl from a good family.¡± Shen Yi looked at the cold faced Su Tang and glanced at the door. ¡ª¡ªA girl who broke my door with a frying pan. Su Tang breathed deeply and stopped arguing with the patient. She was going to go to the bathroom to clean herself up and someone grabbed his wrist for a second before letting go. She heard the sound of the keyboard and turned around, Shen Yi showed her his screen and looked at her nervously. ¡ª¡ªI¡¯m sorry, I was just joking. Thanks for caring. Su Tang didn¡¯t speak, and Shen Yi quickly added. ¡ª¡ªYou smashed it very scientifically. Su Tang couldn¡¯t hold it and giggled. She walked into the bathroom and left with the pan in her hands, smiling at Shen Yi. ¡°Go back to work, I¡¯ll go and see how to clean up everything scientifically.¡± Chapter 4.1 Chapter 4 Part 1 Su Tang threw all the broken glass in the kitchen bin and her shirt was drenched with sweat after she finished cleaning up. She wasn¡¯t going to leave soon and went back to her room to take a shower. She put her dirty clothes into the washing machine and wrapped the coffee-colored male bathrobe that was hanging in the wardrobe. There were no signs of someone else living in Shen Yi¡¯s home. Although the price tag was cut off, it was obviously new, and she felt a little uncomfortable wearing something brand new straight on her skin. Su Tang guessed that liking the quietness was probably in his nature. If he didn¡¯t like it, he wouldn¡¯t live a soundless life so calmly. Shen Yi never left the room again after taking the pills. Su Tang poked her head in from the door and saw him sitting against his bed with glasses. He was working on his laptop attentively and she didn¡¯t disturb him as she sat down and watched TV alone. There were many paid channels; most of them were financial related, a few dramas and anime related. Even so, Su Tang couldn¡¯t find anything she wanted to watch after going through almost a hundred channels. The last channel was a finance and economics channel, it was playing a stock analysis program. The man in the suit was talking passionately to the camera and Su Tang suddenly remembered that Shen Yi said he could lip read. Out of curiosity, she muted the TV. The program didn¡¯t have subtitles and Su Tang stared at the screen for over a minute. The analytic never stopped a single second yet Su Tang couldn¡¯t even recognise one word he said. She turned voice back on in frustration and declared giving up. Su Tang sighed in defeat. The more you compare¡­¡­ Su Tang eventually decided on a drama channel. She rested her chin in her hands as she watched Xiao Yanzi fight Wet Nurse Rong (1) and when she wanted to strangle Xiao Yanzi for Wet Nurse Rong, Shen Yi left his room and walked into the living room. Su Tang looked at the clock on the wall and it was three past four. She remembered what he typed, that he was going to work until four and go to bed. ¡°Are you done?¡± Shen Yi nodded. He sat down next to her and gave her a tired smile. ¡°You should go to bed, it¡¯s late already.¡± Shen Yi didn¡¯t say good night immediately but watched the TV with interest and typed a question on his phone. ¡ª¡ªWhich character has the best voice? Su Tang blinked and pointed at the TV, ¡°You mean them?¡± Shen Yi nodded and looked at her eagerly. Others would discuss which character looked the best, but Su Tang never thought about who had the best voice. She hesitated for a while and replied, ¡°Empress Dowager.¡± Shen Yi looked surprised, and Su Tang laughed, ¡°Her voice sounds like my grandma.¡± Shen Yi blinked and looked at Empress Dowager, who was holding Qing¡¯er¡¯s hand and smiling kindly. He pondered at the character until another character appeared before looking away and nodding regretfully. ¡ª¡ªMust be a kind voice, it¡¯s a shame that I already lost my hearing when I met her. Su Tang felt sad for him but suddenly realized what it meant. Her tongue twisted and quickly phrased a sentence which could make all mandarin teachers want to kill her, ¡°You¡­¡­ You heard voices before?¡± Su Tang realized she sounded too rude but before she felt awkward, Shen Yi already nodded with a smile and typed on his phone. ¡ª¡ªI could hear a little before three. Su Tang sat next to Shen Yi and clearly saw the natural process of typing. He looked calm, but a faint sense of nostalgia. It felt as if he was an old man recalling his life during his teenage days. Su Tang relaxed a little and asked boldly, ¡°Is it because of a sickness?¡± Shen Yi smiled helplessly and nodded. Su Tang was too embarrassed to keep asking what illness it was. She looked at the characters in traditional clothing and suddenly remembered something from an old book. She looked at Shen Yi, ¡°I think something our ancestors said fits you quite well.¡± Shen Yi turned to her and looked at her. ¡°To be bestowed with great responsibility, one must¡­¡­¡± Su Tang read the first part with great passion and forgot what comes next. She remembered that Shen Yi said he wasn¡¯t great at Chinese and never read Mencius before, he wouldn¡¯t know what idioms meant, she concluded the line herself solemnly, ¡°One must be tortured.¡± Shen Yi suddenly leaned back and started laughing. His whole body was shaking, and Su Tang pulled his arm unconfidently, ¡°I¡¯m serious, why are you laughing?¡± Shen Yi tried to stop laughing but his eyes were still smiling. He moved his phone closer to Su Tang and typed it down word by word. ¡ª¡ªOne must be crucified with ordeal and tribulation so as to break one¡¯s will; subdue one¡¯s spirit; exhaust one¡¯s muscles; starve one¡¯s flesh. I think that¡¯s what our ancestors said. Su Tang howled in grief and punched the laughing man lighting on the shoulders, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were bad at Chinese?¡± Shen Yi stopped coughing under her threatening gaze. He smiled and typed. ¡ª¡ªI studied in the States and I¡¯m bad at it. I¡¯m still learning. But I saw this in a drama and remembered it because of its meaning. Su Tang casted a side glance at him and looked unconvinced, ¡°Which drama?¡± ¡ª¡ªYoung Justice Bao. Su Tang rolled her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t argue back. She never read Mencius and she also first learnt this from that drama too. But he remembered it so clearly and she messed it up¡­¡­ Luckily, he only saw her in the sanatorium. If they did grow up together like what Old Chen said, the light of this top student would definitely cloud over her head. Su Tang was still exclaiming when Shen Yi tapped her arm lightly and passed his phone over. ¡ª¡ªThe compliment is too much, I¡¯m not that ambitious and I didn¡¯t suffer that much. But thank you for feeling bad for me. Shen Yi was still smiling but it wasn¡¯t as bright as before. The warmness made Su Tang¡¯s heart soften and completely lost her temper. ¡°Who said I felt bad for you, I¡¯m simply commenting on it¡­¡­¡± Su Tang wanted to stop embarrassing herself by turning the page. She looked at the clock and quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s way past four, you said you were going to sleep after you finished working. Hurry up and go.¡± Shen Yi hesitated. ¡ª¡ªAren¡¯t you going to bed? Chapter 4.2 Chapter 4 Part 2 ¡ª¡ªAren¡¯t you going to bed? Su Tang shook her head, ¡°It takes some time to fix my jet lag, I¡¯ll sleep after my interview tomorrow.¡± ¡ª¡ªWhen does it start? ¡°Everyone should arrive at nine to sign in, the order is based on the first letter of our surnames. If one takes five minutes, it probably won¡¯t be my turn until eleven.¡± Shen Yi was amused by her complaint-like narration and smiled sympathetically. Su Tang suddenly discovered that his surname also started with ¡®S¡¯. ¡ª¡ªMy doctor starts his shift at eight, we should make it if we leave at half past six. ¡°Okay.¡± Su Tang replied crisply and stretched out a hand, ¡°But you have to give me your car keys first so I can have peace of mind.¡± The eastern suburbs had the best environment without factories and concentrated business districts, the downside of this was that there was no convenient public transport. She already observed the surroundings on the way here, the closest bus stop from Shen Yi¡¯s place was at least a ten minute drive away, nor did she see any taxis. If he woke up and changed his mind, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to attend her interview. Su Tang asked earnestly and Shen Yi didn¡¯t hide his keys away anymore. ¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s in the fruit and vegetable box inside the freezer. It was in the fridge¡­¡­ Su Tang laughed angrily, ¡°So you plotted everything when you were cooking?¡± Shen Yi smiled innocently and didn¡¯t deny what she said. He stood up with his phone and patted her shoulder lightly to say good night. Shen Yi didn¡¯t seem to go to bed as the printer in his room worked continuously and Su Tang didn¡¯t disturb him. She took out the keys from underneath a broccoli and went back to watch the TV in the living room until six. She returned to her room to freshen up and it was about half past six after she got ready, Shen Yi also appeared in the living room fully dressed. She didn¡¯t sleep for the whole night but jet lag managed to make her stay awake. Shen Yi stayed up all night and he looked less energetic. He fell asleep soon after he got in the car and woke up when Su Tang parked the car in Boya Hospital¡¯s car park. Su Tang unbuckled her seatbelt and turned around so he could see her lips, ¡°We are here, go sleep in your room.¡± Shen Yi supported himself and sat up straighter. He smiled apologetically and fixed his messy hair. Su Tang pulled the key out and passed it to him, Shen Yi didn¡¯t take it and took out his phone. ¡ª¡ªHuazheng is quite far from here, you can drive there. Su Tang didn¡¯t know cars very well but she could tell whether a car was good or not after driving so many different ones. She estimated that one month of salary plus bonus wouldn¡¯t even be enough to change one tyre. ¡°No, no¡­¡­ Public transport is convenient here, so I¡¯ll catch the subway.¡± ¡ª¡ªSubway doesn¡¯t take you straight there, you have to change to a bus and it¡¯s a waste of time. Su Tang insisted, ¡°Then I¡¯ll catch a taxi.¡± Shen Yi also insisted. ¡ª¡ªIf you drive my car, it¡¯ll increase the difficulty for me to escape from the hospital again. This excuse was worth considering, but Su Tang immediately found a hole in his logic when she was about to think about driving, ¡°If I drive your car, you can still catch a taxi. It¡¯s so easy to catch a taxi at the front, how is that difficult?¡± Shen Yi smiled helplessly. ¡ª¡ªMy doctor confiscated my wallet. Su Tang laughed. He must¡¯ve had a long history to make his doctor do this, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t your doctor confiscate your keys too?¡± Shen Yi looked even more helpless as he typed. ¡ª¡ªI can¡¯t drive. My doctor forced me to give my driver a paid leave. I¡¯m not on the same boat as Old Chen. Su Tang found the last sentence familiar and funny. She hesitated shortly and replied, ¡°Then I¡¯ll borrow your car, and I¡¯ll fill up the petrol for you on the way back.¡± Shen Yi¡¯s eyes curved into crescents and generously gave her a bright smile like the clear sky after rain, and it made her heart tremble. How long had it been since he went to a petrol station¡­¡­ No matter how expensive the car was, petrol price was still about the same and she could afford it. Su Tang shoved the key back into the hole but Shen Yi had no signs of getting off. He took a paper filer from under the windscreen and passed it to her. He brought this from home and Su Tang thought it was work that he had to finish at the hospital. She blinked blankly when he passed it to her, ¡°It¡¯s for me?¡± Shen Yi smiled and nodded. Su Tang took it but Shen Yi already left before she could unwire the white string on it. ¡°Hey¡ª¡ª¡± Su Tang quickly rolled down the window and called out, but soon realized that he wouldn¡¯t turn around even if she screamed on top of her lungs. Su Tang watched Shen Yi walk towards the building and a strange feeling rose in her heart. She thought that she indeed had met him somewhere before. Chapter 5.1 Chapter 5 Part 1 To avoid getting stuck in track, Su Tang drove to Zhenghua Company and parked the car early. She called her grandma to report her safety before sitting down in a restaurant called Yonghe Dawang opposite the company and opened the file Shen Yi gave to her. There was a pile of A4 printing paper inside, the smell of fresh ink filled her nostrils as soon as she opened it. Su Tang took the stack out and blinked at the headnote of the first paper. A square logo was printed on the top, the same logo on the building opposite her. It was Huazheng Corporation¡¯s logo, and Huazheng Construction Corporation was a unit under the corporation. Su Tang quickly flipped through the freshly printed materials, including a few pages of descriptive articles about the company, and a set of engineer reports of the residential area Shen Yi lived in, including the bid document, blueprints and inspection report of such. Whether it was articles or the materials, every header was printed with the company¡¯s logo. The typesetting was all unified as if they were taken out from some sort of volume of files. Engineer reports were part of the company¡¯s internal information, and no one could search on the internet and print them out, why did Shen Yi have them? She recalled the slight encouraging smile Shen Yi had on his face when he gave her the file, Su Tang felt anxious; there was no way that he worked under it¡­¡­ He only admitted that he was a businessman, but he never said what kind of business, and he was definitely a businessman if he worked under the construction company. Su Tang thought it through, and her first reaction was to pick up her phone and click into the messager page, editing a quick message. ¡ª¡ªYou work at Huazheng Corporation? She deleted it before she could press the send button. What was the meaning of this question now? Asking him for connections? Su Tang didn¡¯t look down on seeking connections to find jobs. It was their own matter to survive in the society, but she didn¡¯t think that he would take her that seriously with their new friendship that was barely twenty-four hours long. If he really planned to get her in with his connections, why would he bother to print out so many materials for her late at night? Su Tang put her phone away and glanced at the tall building opposite her under the not too piercing sunlight. She chugged the warm soy milk and tidied up the messy papers, reading every page seriously from the first page again. He printed these out for her when he was sick, she wouldn¡¯t let his good intention go to waste no matter what. Su Tang read while eating breakfast until 8:40 and scanned the last few pages of inspection reports and headed towards the building across the street. The interview was held at the meeting room on the fifth floor. Su Tang signed in at the entrance and took the elevator. The corridor was filled with people, all men were dressed in suits and ladies were either in a shirt with pants or knee length skirts, her white T-shirt and khaki-colored pants with a file in hand made her look like she was delivering newspapers from the reception office. Su Tang laughed at herself for already losing the dress code part and found a corner, silently contemplating about her future plans. Grandma said she was going to make her braised fish for lunch today¡­¡­ The interview proceeded just like what she anticipated. It was almost half past eleven when she came out and she messaged Shen Yi while waiting for the lift. ¡ª¡ªI finished my interview, thank you for the materials. Is it a good time for me to go back to the hospital and give the car back to you? Su Tang admitted that she missed Shen Yi¡¯s always smiling face after getting bombarded by three cold-faced examiners. Su Tang waited for a whole two minutes before she received a long reply. ¡ª¡ªTraffic is bad at this hour, you are tired and it¡¯s not safe to drive, don¡¯t bother to come. My assistant is at your interview place, her surname is Qin, and she will contact you soon. You can just give her the keys. You can take the subway¡¯s Line Two for the sanatorium, it goes straight to the front. Have a good rest. Su Tang felt a little dazzled by how careful and considerate he was, she didn¡¯t even bother to think about why his assistant was here. She hesitated for a while and replied honestly. ¡ª¡ªI promised I¡¯ll fill the petrol for you, are you gonna let me get away with it? Shen Yi replied instantly. ¡ª¡ªYou can do that for me mentally. Su Tang didn¡¯t argue back but typed and sent a whole screen of ¡°fighting¡± to him. Su Tang just sent the message when the lift¡¯s door opened. It was always crowded when workers headed off to lunch break. She quickly squeezed inside like a sardine in a can as she didn¡¯t know how long she would wait if she missed the ride. She squeezed with the crowd to the first floor and received a message as soon as her phone had a signal again. ¡ª¡ªThanks! Thanks! Su Tang replied with a short smile. ¡ª¡ªWhat did you send? It¡¯s all censored to star signs. An unfamiliar number called her phone before Shen Yi¡¯s reply. She guessed it was Shen Yi¡¯s assistant and quickly picked it up. She just held it to her ears and the person on the other side of the phone started speaking before she could. ¡°Hello? May I ask, is this Miss Su Tang?¡± Chapter 5.2 Chapter 5 Part 2 ¡°Hello? May I ask, is this Miss Su Tang?¡± Her voice was clear and crisp, the politeness felt unemotional too. Su Tang thought that it was some sort of marketing call and replied hesitantly, ¡°Yes, you are¡­¡­¡± The person seemed to be rushing, she cut off Su Tang¡¯s words before she could finish, ¡°Hello, I am Mr. Shen¡¯s assistant. His car keys are with you, is it a good time for me to pick it up?¡± ¡°Ah¡­.. Okay.¡± Su Tang subconsciously reached into her pockets and took out the keys, ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll send them to you now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I see you.¡± The call ended before she waited for Su Tang to reply. That meant she was somewhere near her. Su Tang quickly looked up and a tall lady dressed formally in black about ten meters away was heading towards her. She was standing next to the lift and there were a few who came this way. Su Tang locked her eyes on the lady at first glance because she looked like her voice; clean and experienced, a strong feeling of professionalism was seeping through her bones. Compared to her, all the carefully dressed interviewees looked like they were cosplaying office ladies instead. This was probably what people meant when they say drawing a tiger¡¯s skin was easy, but it was hard to draw its bones. Su Tang realized that everything that was related to the word ¡°Shen Yi¡¯s¡± were all high quality. Su Tang secretly admired as she approached the lady and gave her the keys politely while telling her where she parked the car. The lady didn¡¯t exchange too much conversation and headed to the crowded lift after she thanked her. ¡°There¡¯s something else,¡± Su Tang followed her and passed the file in her arms to her, ¡°Please take this to Mr. Shen too, it¡¯s his stuff.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The lift door closed slowly and Shen Tang took out her phone, checking the message Shen Yi sent while she was picking up the call. ¡ª¡ªThanks^thanks. Su Tang blinked and realized that the star signs weren¡¯t censoring something, but it was the symbol for calculating the square in the coding language. She pictured Shen Yi roaring with laughter and shoved the phone back to her pocket with a grieving sigh. How could they be friends when they have different brain configurations¡­¡­ It was twelve past when Su Tang arrived at home. Grandma was still busy in the kitchen and Su Tang washed her hands to help. She answered grandma¡¯s questions about the interview and finally found a chance to change the topic. She minced the garlic and pretended not to care, ¡°Oh right¡­¡­ Grandma, what does Shen Yi do?¡± Grandma wasn¡¯t suspicious at all. She tasted the soup and replied, ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t really remember now that you ask. I think he¡¯s in charge of money or something, he¡¯s not busy either. He always visits me during the day and that¡¯s why I asked him to pick you up¡­¡­ If I knew he was still hospitalized and his driver was on leave, I would¡¯ve asked Xiao Chen instead. There was no need to bother him¡­¡­¡± Su Tang didn¡¯t pay attention to the second half and thought through every profession that was related to ¡°in charge of money¡±. Shen Yi didn¡¯t look like a normal staff member and she guessed the highest position, ¡°CFO?¡± Grandma carefully turned the fish over and shook her head firmly, ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not astrology related¡­¡­¡± ¡°Grandma, not UFO¡­¡­ I was talking about the CFO, chief financial officer.¡± Grandma looked at the perfect dish satisfyingly and tapped the spoon lightly on the pand, smiling, ¡°Same thing, same thing¡­¡­ I¡¯m a granny, I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on with these things you youngsters do¡­¡­ Ah, come, put the minced garlic in that dish, clean up the table and we can eat!¡± Grandma always called things she didn¡¯t understand or couldn¡¯t remember as ¡°young people¡¯s things¡±. Su Tang was scared that she would expose Shen Yi¡¯s escape from the hospital last night if she kept on asking and stopped talking about anything related to him, but she secretly searched for Huazheng¡¯s CFO on the internet. Huazheng¡¯s CFO wasn¡¯t Shen Yi, but a middle-aged man called Chen Guohui. No one in the high level leaders had the surname Shen. Su Tang¡¯s curiosity towards Shen Yi wasn¡¯t nearly enough to defeat jet lag. She finished eating and washed the dishes before she went back to her room to sleep. She woke up from the vibration of her phone when the sun was setting. Su Tang sleepily picked up the phone and found it was an email from Huazheng¡¯s HR Department. The content was simple and obviously sent to multiple people. Su Tang glanced at it and her eyes were fixed on one sentence. ¡ª¡ªPlease report on August 9th (next Monday) before 12:00 to the HR office on the second floor. What¡­¡­ Did the Huazheng office¡¯s automatic message happen to be faulty? It was just over four on a Friday afternoon and it was still working hours. Su Tang called the phone that was stated in the email if they had any questions. ¡°Hello, I attended an interview at Huazheng this morning, I just received an email, an email saying¡­¡± Su Tang paused, ¡°That I passed it.¡± The person who picked up was a middle-aged lady. her voice was soft and her attitude was gentle too, ¡°Congratulations, do you have any questions about that?¡± Su Tang suddenly thought her question sounded stupid. She hesitated for a while but still asked, ¡°I just wanted to ask¡­.. Did I really pass it? Is it possible that someone else had the same name as me, or if you sent it to the wrong person¡­¡­¡± The lady giggled, ¡°You are funny¡­¡­ What¡¯s your name? I¡¯ll check it for you.¡± ¡°Su Tang.¡± Clicking sounds came from the other side, ¡°Which characters?¡± Su Tang was nervous and her tongue was twisted, ¡°Su as in Dongpo meat¡­¡­ No, I meant Su as in Su Dongpo!¡± A wave of laughter came from the other side and she suddenly realized that the caller put her on speaker so she could type, and she didn¡¯t want to work there anymore¡­¡­ ¡°Ah, I see, I see it¡­¡± The other side was still smiling, ¡°Su Tang, the address is Boya Sanatorium, and your phone number ends with 9906?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct then, you passed the interview.¡± ¡°Thank you, sorry to bother you¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Su Tang hung up in the midst of their laughter and buried her head into the pillow. She passed her interview just like that, did her grandma cook a koi fish for lunch? Koi fish flashed across her mind and she suddenly remembered the person who gave her the materials at the last moment. She climbed up and quickly messaged him. ¡ª¡ªI can¡¯t believe I passed the interview! She didn¡¯t receive Shen Yi¡¯s message until the afternoon on the second day after she was drowned in grandma and all her friend¡¯s congratulations. ¡ª¡ªCongratulations to Huazheng for digging up a piece of gold. Chapter 6.1 Chapter 6 Part 1 When Su Tang reported to the office on Monday, everyone there still remembered about the Dongpo Meat incident. They heard her introducing her name and all roared with laughter, Su Tang¡¯s face was still blushing red after she finished handling all the documents and left the office. She would never want to see Dongpo Meat ever again in her life¡­¡­ She also needed to work on some documents in the financial affairs department, and the office was on the other side of the corridor. She passed the toilet and went in to calm herself. Su Tang came out to wash her hands, a girl who was fixing makeup on next to her suddenly turned around and grinned at her. ¡°You are Su Tang, right?¡± The girl had a baby face and large eyes, around the same age as her. Her watermelon-red dress was exceptionally obvious in the minimalist style bathroom. Su Tang recalled that she was sitting behind a desk by the window and she almost died from laughing. ¡°Hello, my name is Lu Xiaoman, Lu as in Lu Xiaofeng, Man as in Huaman House. I¡¯m in charge of slacking off in the HR department.¡± She chased away Su Tang¡¯s nervousness with her funny introduction. She decided to follow it too and replied, ¡°My name is Su tang, Su as in crisp-fried pork ribs and Tang as in sweet and sour pork. I don¡¯t know if I can be in charge of slacking off yet.¡± Lu Xiaoman laughed again, her big eyes with warm toned makeup curved into two crescents, ¡°You are funny! We haven¡¯t had any interesting people like you for a long time here, no wonder CEO Chen only wanted you!¡± ¡°CEO Chen?¡± Su Tang blinked. Her instincts told her that her miracle in passing the interview had something to do with this person, she said, ¡°Which CEO Chen?¡± ¡°Huazheng¡¯s CFO, Chen Guohui¡­¡­¡± Lu Xiaoman replied and glanced around the bathroom mysteriously. She held the eyeshadow palette in her hands and winked at Su Tang. She tried to lower her voice but she sounded excited, ¡°I heard from the upper management that CFO Chen pointed you out himself and you pushed the son of another vice president off the spot at the last minute. It was like a trade war movie, super cool!¡± Su Tang blinked blankly. ¡°I took Huazheng¡¯s vice president¡¯s son¡¯s spot?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­¡± Lu Xiaoman put down her eyeshadow and took out her blush. She brushed it on her face while looking at the mirror, ¡°I heard it from my mother-in-law, she was rambling about it last night, saying that something¡¯s wrong with CEO Chen¡¯s head¡­¡­ But I think CEO Chen¡¯s being reliable for once. I¡¯ve seen your profile, you look like a skill-based smart student, so much better than that vice president¡¯s son.¡± Su Tang caught some extra information from her sincere compliments, ¡°Sorry, your mother-in-law¡­?¡± ¡°Ahem, my mother-in-law is that vice president¡¯s son¡¯s mother.¡± Su Tang choked and stared at the girl who was fixing her makeup calmly, ¡°So¡­¡­ I took your husband¡¯s spot?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lu Xiaoman replied, looking refreshed as she packed up the blush and took out a lipstick. She frowned and complained, ¡°My husband is the type that looks decent and proper, but he only knows how to talk. We were in the same class in university and he passed all the tests with his luck. He passed theoretical mechanics after three tries and he can¡¯t handle a position that requires high skills. He doesn¡¯t want to be here either, it¡¯s my mother-in-law who wants face and wants him to work here¡­¡­¡± Su Tang didn¡¯t know what to say as she turned on the tap and smiled bitterly with the sound of flowing water. Something wrong definitely happened in the process. Perhaps that CEO Chen¡¯s standing in the wind on the top of the building to reflect on himself¡­¡­ Lu Xiaoman was obviously still curious as she asked, ¡°Hey, is CEO Chen your relative or something?¡± Su Tang didn¡¯t want to beat around the bush against a straightforward person. She shook her head and turned off the tap, telling her the truth as she wiped her hands, ¡°I¡¯ve only seen him once.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Internet search bar.¡± Lu Xiaoman blinked and almost rolled on the floor whilst laughing. ¡°You are so funny! Let¡¯s grab lunch together, I¡¯ll go find you when it¡¯s break time. Don¡¯t expect our canteen to have Dongpo meat, but we do have sweet and sour pork everyday.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Su Tang ran around all the departments to finish sorting out her documents and finally settled down in her office on the seventh level when it was almost noon. She didn¡¯t know if it was because her ¡®Dongpo meat¡¯ incident was spread around the entire company, or maybe Lu Xiaoman¡¯s words made her feel this way, she always thought that everyone in the office looked at her with odd smiles. Luckily the office was spacious and each staff had their own space. Su Tang greeted everyone and dived into her seat in her own little space as if she dug a hole in the ground and hid inside. Before she could even warm up her seat, her phone buzzed and it was a message from Shen Yi. ¡ª¡ªBusy? Shen Yi never contacted her again after the congratulations message. She was busy getting ready for work and only remembered him occasionally, she only smiled silently and she never disturbed him. She suddenly received a message and felt a little surprised. Su Tang only blinked once and replied. ¡ª¡ªI just settled down and I¡¯m going to set up my table. What¡¯s up? Shen Yi replied quickly and Su Tang could almost picture that he was sitting somewhere bright in this city, tapping on his phone fluently and lightly. ¡ª¡ªI sent you a parcel this morning, it should arrive around lunch break. All parcels are sent to the reception office, remember to grab it. Su Tang blinked. Shen Yi sent her something? Did she leave something behind at his place that night? Chapter 6.2 Su Tang blinked. Shen Yi sent her something? Did she leave something behind at his place that night? ¡ª¡ªWhat did you send? Shen Yi replied simply with one word. ¡ª¡ªFlowers. The picture of a female lead getting drowned in a truck of roses immediately appeared in front of her eyes and she almost dropped her phone. Shen Yi could definitely be the type to do something shocking like that. Shen Yi¡¯s wording made her think that it was impossible to return the parcel now. Su Tang had always had a S size body and a XXXL size heart but she hated being flamboyant. She didn¡¯t mind people talking about her, but she thought about the unreasonable inflation of products and her heart was hurting for Shen Yi. It wasn¡¯t simple for people to earn money. If he could earn money easily, he wouldn¡¯t be still thinking about work when he was in the hospital. ¡ª¡ªYou wealthy man, you didn¡¯t have to buy anything! Shen Yi replied simply again. ¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s not expensive. When the reception office called Su Tang to sign her parcel, she finally understood what he meant by ¡°it¡¯s not expensive¡±. He indeed bought flowers for her, but it wasn¡¯t a truck nor a bouquet, but a pot. A pot of wax begonia in buds; the type that old grandpas sold on the streets with a tricycle for 30 yuan. Su Tang laughed at herself immensely for her overly active imagination and returned to her office with it. She walked inside and blinked. She didn¡¯t notice it when she rushed inside before, but everyone had one or two small pots of plants on their desks. Only her desk was empty and seemed lifeless. Su Tang looked at the flowers in her hands and smiled. He even thought of this¡­¡­ Su Tang carefully placed it on her desk and took a selfie with a silly smile next to the flowers. ¡ª¡ªI got it and I love it! Thank you, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight in return. She only received Shen Yi¡¯s reply when Lu Xiaoman came to invite her to lunch. ¡ª¡ªSave it first, I want to eat good food when I¡¯m less abstained fromN my diet. Su Tang smiled and replied. ¡ª¡ªNo problem! Lu Xiaoman tagged her arm curiously, ¡°Why do you look so happy? Is it your boyfriend?¡± Su Tang put her phone away and corrected her with a straight face, ¡°Boy, and a friend.¡± ¡°No fun¡­¡­¡± Lu Xiaoman pouted and mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s not worth it to waste lunch break on him if he¡¯s not your boyfriend. Come on, let¡¯s go. There won¡¯t be anything left but rice if we are late. Those tech boys have no grace when it comes to food!¡± Su Tang thought that the next time she would meet Shen Yi would be the time she treats him to dinner, but she didn¡¯t expect to see him this Friday. Although it wasn¡¯t her invitation, it was because of dinner too. In the morning, she received an internal email in the office¡¯s automated system, the signature was Huazheng¡¯s CFO, Chen Guohui. Su Tang thought that this man couldn¡¯t swallow the fact that she took his son¡¯s place and told her that she was fired, but instead, it was a notification for her to attend a business dinner with him tonight. Su Tang was confused, but not so confused that she had to email to ask why. She called her grandma to let her know and left with Chen Guohui after she finished work. She arrived at the hotel and finally realized that the main character for this dinner for high level management staff was the person who gave her a pot of plant on the first day of work, She hadn¡¯t seen Shen Yi for a week and he was looking much better than before. He was wearing a coffe-coloured long sleeve shirt, his sleeves were rolled half way up, revealing his arm. He stood out exceptionally amongst a crowd of middle-aged men who dressed like leaders. Perhaps because it was for easy communication, Shen Yi¡¯s assistant was there too. Chen Guohui seemed to know her and greeted her as ¡°Xiao Qin¡± as soon as they met. When she introduced herself to others, Su Tang finally heard her full name: Qin Jingyao. Su Tang completely ran over her assumption that Shen Yi was working under Huazheng Corporation. Everyone present obviously knew who Shenn Yi was, yet no one mentioned his position and all called him ¡°Mr. Shen¡±. Qin Jingyao only introduced herself as his assistant. If Su Tang didn¡¯t see Chen Guohui¡¯s worried face on the way here, she would¡¯ve naively thought that it was purely a dinner with friends. Chen Guohui didn¡¯t tell her why he brought her here, so she guessed that it was because Shen Yi brought a female assistant, so it was only appropriate for Huazheng¡¯s side to bring one too. It shouldn¡¯t be concerning if Shen Yi was here. Su Tang thought that Shen Yi was far away from the dirty and messy things of the society, so much that she even questioned if he knew the existence of such disgusting things. Qin Jingyao conversed politely and appropriately with a light and professional smile on her face while Shen Yi smiled modestly as he shook hands with everyone. When he reached Su Tang, his smile broadened a little as if he was saying ¡°long time no see.¡± Su Tang mouthed silently, ¡°You look exceptionally good today¡± without anyone noticing. Shen Yi¡¯s eyes smiled and nodded happily.