19 Mom
Working overtime past one in the morning, the manager showed no sign of leaving. She had only rested her head on Assistant Cen’s desk for a few minutes before getting up to see that He Si had finished his tasks. She patted He Si on the shoulder and said, “Thank you for your hard work tonight. You can head home first.”
He Si had run back and forth more than a dozen times, his lips nearly dry from talking, and his back aching from exhaustion. Hearing the manager’s words, he finished handing over his work and prepared to leave.
Just as he reached the door, the manager suddenly called out to him.
“Oh, He Si,” she said, “There’s definitely no subway this late. Just take a taxi home and get the fare reimbursed from the finance office later.”
He Si replied with a quick okay.
The manager suddenly remembered something and added, “There’s a big mall nearby that always draws crowds for New Year's Eve gatherings. At one or two in the morning, taxis are really hard to come by. Book the ride first before going downstairs—it’s freezing out there, you might catch a cold.”
He Si realized it was already the first day of the new calendar year. Although he hadn’t celebrated outside, the ride over had been delayed several times in traffic.
So he sat back down at Assistant Bi’s desk and simultaneously booked rides through three different apps.
The manager peeked over and glanced at He Si’s phone screen, then let out a surprised “Wow.”
“There are over a hundred people waiting ahead?”
He Si sighed helplessly. “Too many people, too few cars.”
“Isn’t the economy supposed to be bad now? But from what I see, these people are doing just fine. Compared to before, there’s no drop in people going out during holidays,” the manager remarked with a click of her tongue.
He Si waited a while, but the estimated wait time stubbornly hovered above an hour. He decided to cancel all three orders.
He recalled there was a bike-sharing station downstairs.
Might as well ride part of the way.
Just as he stood to greet the manager, Shen Zhi’s voice unexpectedly came from nearby: “Still not leaving?”
He Si swallowed his words and turned to look.
Shen Zhi was standing at her office door, reaching out to turn off the lights. It looked like she was ready to leave as well.
“Just rang in the new year, can’t really leave yet,” the manager sighed on He Si’s behalf. “Boss, you don’t know how crazy the taxis are right now. He Si has over a hundred people waiting ahead of him, and it’ll be over an hour.”
Shen Zhi frowned and looked toward He Si.
He Si stood quietly.
Shen Zhi walked over and asked, “It’s this late and there are still so many people trying to get taxis?”
“They’re all out celebrating the new year. This is just the time when the crowds are dispersing,” the manager mused. “You wait a bit longer. If it’s really no good, once I finish here, I’ll drive you home.”
“Manager,” He Si began, “I can—”
Before he could say “ride a bike,” Shen Zhi interrupted, “You come with me. I’ll take you home.”
He Si’s words caught in his throat.
The manager reacted quickly and stood up with a snap. “That’s great!”
He Si glanced at Shen Zhi.
She remained cool and indifferent. After giving the manager instructions for the remaining work, she was already walking toward the main office door.
He Si hurriedly bade the manager goodbye and quickened his pace to follow. Walking behind Shen Zhi, he said, “Thank you, boss.”
Shen Zhi didn’t turn around but gave a faint acknowledgment.
The elevator held just the two of them, and the atmosphere was indeed a bit awkward. He Si didn’t stand side by side with her but took the space behind. Being taller, from his angle, he could see Shen Zhi’s lips pressed tightly together, a sign she was uncomfortable.
Downstairs, Shen Zhi’s driver was already waiting by the curb.
Shen Zhi got into the back seat first. He Si opened the front passenger door and slid in.
The driver, seeing He Si, showed no surprise and asked, “Where do you live?”
He Si gave his home address.
The driver checked the navigation and noticed that He Si’s and Shen Zhi’s homes were in completely opposite directions. He looked worriedly at Shen Zhi through the rearview mirror.
“Drop him off first,” Shen Zhi said.
“Alright,” the driver quickly adjusted the GPS.
Despite being past one in the morning, the road was still congested. The car crawled and stopped repeatedly until it finally cleared after turning a corner.
Suddenly, a stifled retching sound came from the back, as if someone was trying not to vomit.
Then came two coughs.
He Si instinctively wanted to look back but held himself. Instead, he glanced in the rearview mirror toward Shen Zhi, who sat directly behind him. He could only see an arm tucked inside the pocket of her down jacket.
He then looked at the driver.
The driver acted unfazed and focused on driving.
The three remained silent all the way. The heater warmed the car, making He Si drowsy. When the car stopped, he suddenly jolted awake. His mind hadn’t fully processed the moment before his body instinctively turned around.
Across the seat, Shen Zhi was asleep, her head resting against the window.
She had pulled up the hood of her down jacket, the large opening nearly covering the upper half of her face, revealing only her pale chin and thin lips.
Even asleep, her lips were pressed tightly.
He Si withdrew his gaze and noticed the driver looking at him. When He Si met his eyes, the driver asked, “Shengshi New Town, is this the place?”
He Si looked around and saw the car had stopped outside their residential complex. He unbuckled his seatbelt but didn’t rush out.
Seeing this, the driver asked again, “What’s wrong?”
He Si hesitated briefly, then shook his head and thanked the driver.
As he opened the door and stepped out, Shen Zhi woke up, lifting her hood as she asked hoarsely, “Here?”
“Boss, I’m home,” He Si said, closing the front door and walking around. “Thank you for the ride.”
“No problem. You’ve worked hard. Get some good rest,” Shen Zhi said calmly, meeting He Si’s gaze without any avoidance or hesitation, as if they were simply boss and employee.
He Si couldn’t help but admire Shen Zhi’s mental strength.
No wonder she was a boss.
Truly different from him.
“Goodbye, boss,” He Si said, then suddenly heard a faint whimpering sound. Thinking it came from the car, he noticed Shen Zhi looking behind him and turned his head as well.
Nearby stood a yellow stray dog, tail tucked, looking emaciated but with a large, swollen belly like a balloon filled with air.
A heavy snow had just fallen, leaving several centimeters on the ground. The dog sniffed around in the snow, shivering from the cold.
Sensing their gaze, the dog lifted its head, wagged its tucked tail slightly, and shakily approached the car.
He Si stood still. The dog circled his feet, sniffed his shoes, then pressed its head against his pant leg, whimpering.
“Is it pregnant?” Shen Zhi asked in surprise.
He Si looked down at the dog weaving around his feet and replied, “Judging by that belly, it’s probably close to giving birth.”
“Where would it have the puppies in this freezing weather?”
He Si wasn’t sure, but since the question came from their boss, he answered patiently, “It probably finds some sheltered spot. That’s how stray animals do.”
Shen Zhi looked down for a moment. Seeing the dog hadn’t left, she asked, “Is it hungry?”
He Si said, “Most likely always hungry.”
Shen Zhi turned to the driver. “Deng, do we have any food in the car?”
“No,” the driver answered. “Only water.”
So late, all the nearby stores were closed, and it was impossible to buy anything on the spot.
Shen Zhi remained silent. He Si held his peace for over ten seconds, then said, “Boss, I’ll head home now.”
As he walked away, the dog followed.
But the dog was weak and heavily pregnant. He Si deliberately quickened his pace and soon lost the dog.
The next day, He Si slept until afternoon, tidied up his home, and began cooking with the ingredients he had bought the day before.
Halfway through, his phone rang. The caller ID showed “Mom” again.
This time, He Si answered. Tilting his head, he pressed the phone between his ear and shoulder, continuing to cook as he said, “Mom.”
On the other end, Yuan Fang’s voice sounded both complaining and hesitant: “I’ve called you over twenty times. Why did you only pick up now? You don’t even reply on WeChat. Do you even have a mom anymore?”
He Si chuckled softly while stirring the pan, though there was little real cheer on his face. “I told you I’m busy, didn’t I? I was working late at the company last night and only got home at two this morning.”
Yuan Fang said, “No matter how busy, you can at least reply to WeChat, can’t you? I don’t even expect you to find time to call me. Just text me when you go to the bathroom or something.”
“Alright, alright,” He Si said. “I’ll definitely reply next time.”
“You said that last time too.”
He Si just smiled and fell silent.
After a pause, Yuan Fang said, “Are you coming home for dinner today? Your brother’s back, and he brought his girlfriend. You should bring your girlfriend too. It’s been so long since we all got together.”
“My girlfriend has to work late. She won’t have time,” He Si said, transferring the food from the pan to a plate. Setting down the spatula and picking up his phone, he added, “Maybe next time.”
Yuan Fang couldn’t hold back, “Next time? Always next time? How long do I have to wait? Sometimes I wonder if you even have a girlfriend or if you’re just making excuses to brush me off...”
Before she could finish, He Si interrupted.
“Mom, the manager’s calling. I have to take this.”
He hung up with a click.
The kitchen fell silent again.
He Si stood still, phone in hand, when the noise of Xiao Bao upstairs broke through—a commotion quickly followed by Aunt Cai scolding him. Xiao Bao’s cries filled the house as he shouted that he didn’t like his mother anymore.
He Si listened expressionlessly for a long while, then slipped his phone into his pocket and took a bowl of rice.