Chapter 11

To prevent the tragic scenario that Pu Tao had mentioned from actually happening, after lunch that day, Su Xiaomi even refused Pu Tao’s tempting offer to nap together in the lounge. She stayed by her computer, determined to snag a high-speed train or regular train ticket from Songcheng back to Ying City.

As it turned out, tickets were impossible to come by, and it seemed like they would remain so for a lifetime. Not even a standing ticket was available.

There were plane tickets, but as the holiday approached, airfares had skyrocketed. Normally, a ticket from Songcheng to Ying City cost around seven to eight hundred yuan, but during the holidays, it surged to one or two thousand. Although Su Xiaomi had worked for several years, she was never good at saving money. Now, with her internship salary at Yihang, spending thousands on a plane ticket was something she couldn’t bring herself to do.

So, she called home in a soft, pleading voice.

Su Xiaomi: “Dad, do you love me?”

Dad: “Of course, I do!”

Su Xiaomi: “Then could you buy me a plane ticket from Songcheng to Ying City?”

Dad: “Sweetie, what did you just ask me?”

Su Xiaomi: “I said, could you buy me a plane ticket from Songcheng to Ying City?”

Dad: “No, the sentence before that.”

Su Xiaomi: “…Dad, do you love… never mind, I get it. You don’t love me at all.”

Dad: “That’s not it. I do love you, as long as we’re not talking about money.”

After hanging up, Su Xiaomi stared at her computer for a long time. Suddenly, it occurred to her that Yihang Media, being such a large company, surely had more people from Ying City besides her and Jiang Yi. Maybe there were others who also needed to return to Ying City for the Qingming Festival.

With this thought, she immediately pushed her chair back and went to ask the HR lady. Surprisingly, there was someone else—a colleague from the entertainment department next door.

Su Xiaomi, who was highly proactive and completely free of social anxiety, quickly went downstairs, bought two cups of milk tea, and casually strolled over to the entertainment department. By the time she left, she had solved her transportation problem.

After work, Su Xiaomi went shopping at the mall and specialty stores, buying a bunch of local products and gifts for her family. Then, she returned to her dorm to pack her luggage.

Her roommate, Ruan Tian, was a native of Songcheng, so she naturally went home for the holiday. This left Su Xiaomi alone in the dorm. Perhaps because she had solved her transportation issue or because she had saved a significant amount on plane tickets, she was in high spirits that evening, even humming happily while packing.

This good mood lasted until the next morning.

When she loaded her suitcase into colleague Brother He’s car and, under his direction, placed the remaining luggage in the front passenger seat, she gratefully opened the back door and got in. Her good mood came to an abrupt halt.

Who could tell her why Jiang Yi was also in this car???

Brother He, noticing Su Xiaomi’s discomfort, smiled warmly and said, “Xiaomi, I ran into President Jiang in the parking lot yesterday and found out that he’s also from Ying City. What a coincidence, right? And his Maserati started leaking oil before he even left the parking lot. Can you believe it? Such a high-end car having quality issues—these big brands are really slipping. So, I boldly invited President Jiang to ride with us. You don’t mind, do you?”

Jiang Yi sat to her right, so close that any slight movement would bring her into contact with his leg, clad in thin suit pants. In such a situation, even with ten times the courage, Su Xiaomi wouldn’t dare say she minded. So, she replied, “Oh, of course not! It’s an honor to share a car with President Jiang! I had no idea you were also from Ying City. What a coincidence! Ying City truly breeds talented and successful people like you, President Jiang…”

Jiang Yi was inwardly amused but maintained a calm exterior.

“Yes, it is quite a coincidence.”

Perhaps because Su Xiaomi was overly nervous, she thought she saw a glint in Jiang Yi’s eyes as he spoke, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing unusual. She chalked it up to her own anxiety at seeing Jiang Yi unexpectedly.

The car slowly started and soon merged into the holiday traffic.

To avoid saying too much and making mistakes, Su Xiaomi theatrically yawned as soon as they passed the highway toll booth and said, “I was so excited last night that I didn’t sleep well. I’m a bit tired now, so I’ll take a nap!”

Without waiting for a response, she pressed herself against the window, maximizing the distance between herself and Jiang Yi, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep.

At first, she was just pretending, but eventually, she actually fell asleep.

Jiang Yi, who had been chatting with Brother He in the front, suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. At first, he didn’t realize what it was, but as the soft, faint scent of shampoo reached his nose and a few strands of black hair brushed against his neck, he realized that Su Xiaomi had leaned toward him during a turn and rested her head on his shoulder.

Su Xiaomi, seemingly uncomfortable, nuzzled against his shoulder, found a comfortable position, and continued sleeping. In the quiet car, Jiang Yi even thought he could hear her soft, warm breathing, like that of a small animal, gentle and steady.

Su Xiaomi slept surprisingly long. She was eventually rudely awakened to find the car parked at a service station, with Brother He nowhere in sight.

She instinctively glanced to her side and was surprised to see Jiang Yi still in the car, massaging his right shoulder and neck. Noticing her gaze, Jiang Yi awkwardly looked away and said with a hint of irritation, “What are you looking at? Hurry up and get out to take a break.”

Su Xiaomi, swallowing her pride, asked, “President Jiang, what’s wrong with your shoulder? Did you sleep in a bad position and get a stiff neck? I have some experience with that…”

Jiang Yi: “Shut up. It’s all your fault… never mind, I don’t want to talk about it.”

With that, he opened the car door and stormed out.

Su Xiaomi watched Jiang Yi’s furious retreating figure, feeling wronged. How could he blame her, an innocent employee, for his own poor sleeping posture? Capitalists these days were truly becoming more and more inhumane.

The innocent employee, Su Xiaomi, first went to the restroom. After washing her hands, she headed to the restaurant and found Jiang Yi and Brother He sitting at a table by the window, eating noodles.

Seeing her approach, Brother He teasingly winked at her, “Did you sleep well?”

Su Xiaomi smiled, “Very well.”

Brother He: “I thought so.”

Su Xiaomi: “Huh?”

Brother He: “Nothing. By the way, since I didn’t know what you like, I didn’t order for you. Go ahead and pick whatever you want. Don’t be shy, it’s on President Jiang.”

Su Xiaomi gratefully glanced at Jiang Yi and sincerely thanked him, “Thank you, President Jiang.”

Jiang Yi merely nodded slightly, his eyes still fixed on the window, not even glancing her way. Su Xiaomi pouted. This man was always an ice block in public, so much so that despite his striking looks attracting many glances from girls in the restaurant, no one dared to approach him. It was the same back in school—many girls liked Jiang Yi, but few dared to pursue him. Su Xiaomi herself had harbored a crush on him for nearly three years before mustering the courage to confess just before graduation.

Although Jiang Yi was treating, Su Xiaomi didn’t order anything expensive—just a small bowl of tomato and egg noodles, the cheapest option. The only indulgence was adding two fried eggs.

When the noodles arrived, Brother He smiled and asked, “Just a small bowl? Is that enough?”

Su Xiaomi nodded, “It’s enough.”

Brother He: “You girls really eat so little. The female colleagues in our department are the same. Even when we go to buffets, they just eat a little and say they’re full.”

Su Xiaomi smiled, “Some of them might just be dieting to lose weight.”

Jiang Yi, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, “Are you this thin because you’re dieting?”

When Jiang Yi said “this thin,” he was comparing her to her high school self. He remembered her as being plump and soft, like a doughy bun. So, when he first saw her at the interview, he hadn’t recognized her at all.

Su Xiaomi didn’t catch the underlying meaning and simply thought he was asking if she was dieting. She honestly replied, “No, it’s not intentional. I just got busy with work in recent years, ate irregularly, and gradually lost weight…”

Jiang Yi: “You’re too thin now. You should eat more.”

Su Xiaomi looked at him expectantly, “So, you think I look better when I’m chubbier?”

Jiang Yi: “I think having a healthy body allows you to serve the company better. And if all Yihang employees were as thin as you, I’d worry people would think we can’t even afford to feed our staff.”