11 Meeting

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He seemed to have no car, yet the manager often asked him to use his own car for errands. His driving skills were not exceptional but barely sufficient. Following the navigation, he arrived downstairs at Jiayi Building, where Xiao Liu from the administration department was already waiting by the roadside with three sealed cardboard boxes at his feet.

Once He Si parked the car, Xiao Liu picked up one of the boxes. “Open the trunk.”

He Si searched for a long time but couldn’t find the trunk release, so he called Assistant Cen to ask and finally opened it.

After setting down his phone, he got out to help carry the last box into the trunk.

“Is that all?” He Si asked Xiao Liu.

“No, there are still a few items in the office. I was worried you’d come and not see anyone, so I came down first.” Xiao Liu, shivering from the cold wind after waiting a minute or two, dusted the snow off his clothes and was about to say more when he suddenly noticed He Si’s thin attire and was shocked. “You’re wearing so little?!”

Goodness.

It was snowing today!

He Si was only wearing a sweater, not very thick, and looked cold!

He rubbed his arms and said casually, “I saw Assistant Bi was dressed lightly, so I gave him my coat. I need to work, and wearing a coat isn’t convenient.”

He added that he had to come out in a hurry; Assistant Bi had gone somewhere busy, and since he couldn’t wait forever, he came directly.

Of course, it was still cold, but fortunately, he could endure it.

Xiao Liu saw how calm He Si appeared and gave him a thumbs-up. “Young people’s bodies are really something—full of vigor, masculine and imposing, and so tall! Not afraid of snow days at all.”

He Si was speechless.

Too much praise, man.

Xiao Liu still needed to go upstairs to move things, and He Si didn’t want to sit idle in the car, so he followed him.

But when they went upstairs, it wasn’t small items to carry—it was a huge sign-in wall!

The wall was divided into several large pieces that needed to be reassembled at the annual event venue. It was clearly no small task.

Xiao Liu rested his chin on his hand, looking troubled. “It’s easy to carry these down, but how are you going to transport them? They definitely won’t fit in the trunk.”

He Si stepped forward, scrutinized the pieces from all sides, and said, “Tying them to the roof should work.”

Xiao Liu’s eyes brightened.

He Si asked, “Do you have ropes? You’ll need quite a few to secure these properly.”

Xiao Liu instantly lost energy.

After a moment, he perked up and asked around the office, and with others’ reminders, went out to find the office cleaners.

He Si waited in the administration office, where three female employees were busy at their desks. He didn’t speak, but their eyes kept drifting toward him.

After a while, one woman spoke up, “Handsome, are you from Marriott?”

He Si turned and smiled slightly.

The woman gasped quietly upon meeting his gaze.

Another woman stopped her work and smiled, “We never saw you before. You don’t come to Jiayi much, do you?”

“I didn’t come often before, but recently it’s been more frequent—about seven or eight times,” He Si replied.

“Oh, so it’s you!” Another woman recalled something and pointed at him. “Xiao Liu always says there’s a handsome guy at Marriott—well-educated, good personality, great at teamwork. We’ve all been curious. That’s you, right? The one in charge of the annual event?”

He Si was too embarrassed to admit it, so he just smiled awkwardly but politely.

They chatted for a bit. One woman noticed He Si’s light clothing, found the thermostat remote, and turned up the office heating. She tried to pour him some water but found the water jug empty.

He Si saw this and helped replace the water jug.

Xiao Liu returned outside in a fluster, only to see this scene—He Si standing by the water dispenser, holding a paper cup, surrounded by the three female employees, all beaming radiantly.

Xiao Liu was speechless.

Apparently, those three women could smile after all.

He coughed loudly twice.

He Si snapped back to attention, threw the empty cup into the trash, and asked, “Did you find the ropes?”

“No ropes,” Xiao Liu said tiredly, rubbing his forehead. “We’ll probably have to buy some.”

He Si said, “You have other work, right? I’ll go buy them.”

Xiao Liu was surprised and flattered. “You know where to buy them?”

“I just searched on the map. There’s a hardware store on the next street, probably with ropes. If not, there’s an outdoor gear shop nearby. I also picked a few backup stores within 800 meters. It won’t take long.”

Xiao Liu, though aware of He Si’s thoroughness, still felt a mix of surprise and admiration.

No wonder so many liked him.

If he were a woman, he would like him too.

Xiao Liu sighed, unsure whether he was lamenting not being a woman or lamenting that He Si wasn’t a woman.

He Si took the elevator card from Xiao Liu and went out to the lobby, instinctively glancing around but didn’t see the man anywhere after leaving the office building.

Strangely, though he’d been to Jiayi several times recently for hours each visit, he never saw that man again. At first, he thought the man worked here, but now he guessed maybe he worked elsewhere.

It was better if he wasn’t at Jiayi.

He Si thought to himself.

He really didn’t want to run into that man here. It was awkward enough that the man hadn’t noticed him before. If they met face-to-face someday, it would be truly embarrassing.

He really wouldn’t know how to handle such a scene.

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In the banquet hall, Assistant Cen hung up the phone and turned to Shen Zhi, who was seated. “President Shen, even disassembled, the sign-in wall pieces are very large and won’t fit in the trunk. Xiao Liu said He Si is out buying ropes to see if we can tie them to the car roof.”

Shen Zhi nodded. “Let’s finish these tasks today to avoid problems later.”

“Understood,” Assistant Cen replied.

At that moment, Yang Heyan burst in from outside the banquet hall, brushing snow off himself as he came. Reaching Shen Zhi, he began reporting without pause: “Boss, the live broadcast and red carpet segments are confirmed. All personnel arranged. We just need to rehearse several times the afternoon before the annual event.”

The live broadcast and red carpet were the event’s highlights and biggest draws. Even busy Shen Zhi had to make time to oversee them.

He put down his half-drunk water, stood, and said, “Let’s go out and take a look.”

But as he stood, the familiar dizziness hit him again.

Shen Zhi swayed slightly but was caught by Assistant Ma before falling.

Assistant Ma’s lips moved as if to say something but swallowed the words, glancing awkwardly at Assistant Cen.

Assistant Cen frowned and, once Shen Zhi steadied, said, “President Shen, after this, you should go back. You didn’t rest well yesterday. You can’t keep pushing like this.”

Shen Zhi didn’t argue; in fact, he wanted nothing more than to leave. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and nausea hovered faintly.

He had barely held on until now.

Outside, the snow wasn’t letting up but seemed to intensify.

A large open area paved with marble tiles stood outside the banquet hall, sheltered by an eave. Beyond that lay the outdoor ground blanketed with snow. They stayed under the eave, watching Yang Heyan and hotel staff demonstrate seating for the event.

Shen Zhi stood with arms crossed behind Assistant Ma.

Assistant Ma was about the same height and build as Shen Zhi, offering little protection against the cold wind.

After only a few minutes, Shen Zhi felt his face nearly numb from the chill.

“Xiao Ma,” Shen Zhi said, “get me another cup of hot water.”

Assistant Ma responded promptly and left.

Once alone in the cold wind, Shen Zhi’s stomach churned painfully, as if a small hammer was pounding his skin from within irregularly.

It wasn’t sharp pain but deeply uncomfortable.

Assistant Ma returned quickly, within a minute, with a cup of hot water.

Shen Zhi took his hand from his coat pocket, about to take the cup, when the nausea suddenly surged fiercely, catching him off guard, rising sharply up his throat.

He felt something flood his throat and reflexively tried to turn his head, but midway heard retching sounds.

The nausea came violently; he couldn’t stay upright and crouched down, vomiting several times.

Yang Heyan’s voice stopped abruptly at the noise. Assistant Cen was startled, quickly turning to help but hesitated to touch him, hands frozen in mid-air, face full of concern.

At that moment, Assistant Bi came from backstage and urgently asked Assistant Cen, “What’s wrong with President Shen?!”

“I don’t know,” Assistant Cen said anxiously. “Looks like food poisoning. I told you, he looked weak and pale.”

Seeing Shen Zhi wearing only a coat, Assistant Bi immediately took off his own down jacket and draped it over him.

Shen Zhi retched violently, crouching for a long time before regaining some strength.

The three assistants helped him up.

“President Shen, we should take you to the hospital,” Assistant Cen said.

Shen Zhi’s face was pale, and his breathing heavy. He took the cup of hot water from Assistant Ma and drank a little. Closing his eyes to rest, the intense nausea that felt like it would split his skull strangely subsided by more than half. In a hoarse voice, he said, “You stay here. Xiao Ma can accompany me to the hospital.”

Assistant Cen looked worried and wanted to follow but knew Shen Zhi was firm and had to agree.

After Shen Zhi and Assistant Ma got in the car and left, Yang Heyan finally relaxed from her stunned silence, still a bit blank-headed.

“Boss, you’re probably sick,” she said.

“Likely an old problem,” Assistant Cen, who had worked with Shen Zhi for years, said with concern but knew it wasn’t serious. She patted Yang Heyan’s shoulder. “After the annual event, we can rest properly.”

Yang Heyan sighed. “Yeah, then we can do some easier work to relax.”

Assistant Cen was speechless.

Does it have to be this intense?

Just as she was about to complain, her car emerged from the snow, carrying several large boards, and stopped before them.

The door opened, and He Si stepped out wearing a thin sweater.

“Back,” Assistant Cen said, glancing at He Si’s clothes and suddenly realizing something. She turned to Assistant Bi.

Assistant Bi, arms folded and shivering, met her surprised gaze. “Sister Cen, what’s wrong?”

Assistant Cen pointed at him. “Did you give your coat to President Shen?”

Assistant Bi said, “Yeah.”

“That was He Si’s coat!”

Assistant Bi was silent for two seconds, then exclaimed, “Damn! I’d been wearing it so long I thought it was mine!”

Assistant Cen was speechless.

On the other side, Shen Zhi, unable to hold on, wrapped in the down jacket, nearly fell asleep in the car. Halfway home, he woke groggily and told Assistant Ma to take him straight home—no need for the hospital.

He arrived home around six or seven in the evening. The gloomy sky darkened early. Without lights, even furniture outlines were hard to see.

After a simple wash, he didn’t change into pajamas, just took off his coat and pants and lay down. Sleep washed over him like a tide, and he soon lost consciousness.

He slept for a very long time.

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When Shen Zhi woke, the snow had stopped, and the rare winter sun shone softly through the window, its gentle light falling warmly on his hand draped over the bed’s edge.

He curled his fingers, lay still for a moment, then slowly sat up.

The clock on the wall showed past two in the afternoon. He had slept nearly twenty hours, making up for lost rest. Compared to before, he felt much more refreshed and less weak.

Shen Zhi made a simple lunch and rested briefly before taking his phone into the bathroom to soak in the tub. Leaning back, he scrolled through unread messages from last night to today.

The general management had filtered messages, so only a few work-related ones reached him, all needing attention at the office.

There were also some personal messages.

Expressionless, Shen Zhi swiped through WeChat and paused at a chat with that person. Then he opened it.

After just one night without a reply, that person had sent over a dozen unread messages.

[Xu Lin: Still busy?]

[Xu Lin: I heard from your aunt that when you get busy you often forget to eat. That’s bad for your health. Remember to eat on time.]

[Xu Lin: Otherwise, why not wait until New Year’s? I’ll come see you today, won’t disturb your work. Just meet during lunch or dinner. How about that?]

[Xu Lin: Haven’t looked at your phone for so long?]

[Xu Lin: You haven’t replied all night. Say something to me.]

[Xu Lin: Poor me.jpg]

Shen Zhi lowered his eyes, typed a string of words, then thought better of it and deleted them.

This repeated several times until he simply didn’t want to reply, so he turned off his phone and put it aside, deciding to respond at night.

He leaned back with eyes closed, hands in the water resting on his abdomen. On impulse, he touched his waist and belly twice, sensing they seemed somewhat sturdier.

He frowned and looked down.

But even through the tub’s water, nothing was visible.

After his bath, Shen Zhi noticed the down jacket he had tossed on the living room sofa last night—it seemed to be Assistant Bi’s.

He picked it up and placed it on the cabinet by the door, planning to have it dry cleaned before returning it.

Meanwhile, He Si had only two down jackets. After the boss took one, he was left with one to alternate with his coat.

Assistant Bi, embarrassed, privately added He Si on WeChat, apologizing and thanking him, offering to buy him another jacket of equal value.

He Si nearly sent the link but hesitated and declined.

The jacket was now with the boss. If the boss suddenly remembered and He Si had proactively asked Assistant Bi for compensation, it might damage his impression with the boss. It wasn’t worth the risk. Besides, the jacket was cheap—purchased for a little over three hundred yuan on Pinduoduo.

Sigh.

Time flew to the day of the annual event. Everyone’s off-duty time was moved up from 5:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. After lunch, He Si followed the manager to the venue.

Busy all afternoon with setup and rehearsals, it wasn’t until the event began that He Si finally had a moment to sip water.

The event was grand. The manager had to oversee everything and barely had time to drink, spinning around the venue like a top. When the live broadcast neared its end, the manager waved He Si over.

“Go get the boss and bring him here.”

“How long before he arrives?” He Si asked.

“He left Jiayi half an hour ago. Should be close. Wait by the entrance. I don’t know his license plate or what car he’s driving, so keep an eye out.”

He Si nodded and ran to the hotel entrance to wait.

The past two days had been sunny, though still cold. Fortunately, no new snow had fallen, and the ground was clean.

He Si waited about ten minutes and saw a Bentley slowly approach. He stepped back to make room.

It was dark by now, but streetlights shone brightly, reflecting off the car’s smooth body like flowing water. The color was hard to distinguish—gold or something similar—but it was clearly expensive.

He Si looked twice, partly to see if the occupant was their boss, partly because the car looked familiar.

The Bentley passed in front of him and stopped a few meters ahead. A door opened, and someone got out of the back seat.

He Si thought it must be their boss and was about to step forward but suddenly saw a familiar face and froze.

It was that man...

Even after so long, he recognized him instantly.

The man getting out of the car—

It was that man?!

He Si was speechless.

He didn’t have time to think why the man was here. When the man looked over, his body reacted faster than his mind, and he spun around with his back to the man.

He heard his own heartbeat.

Thump thump.

Thump thump—

As if it would burst through his chest.

Did the man see his face? Probably, since they were close. Did the man recognize him? More than two months had passed since that night.

His answer was footsteps approaching from behind, stopping right behind him.

“Take me over there,” the man said calmly.