Chương 44: Creating Opportunities
"Why are you smiling to yourself?!" Xiao Yan crept up behind Si Ming, trying to scare him. Si Ming was deep in his thoughts, and he was thinking about what happened last night with Yu Xi when he fell on top of her. "Oh? Nothing. Just tired. Why are you so early today, Xiao Yan?"
"Don't try to change the topic! Tired?! Why?! Did you went on a date with a girl yesterday night?" Xiao Yan exclaimed.
"I wouldn't count that as a date." Si Ming replied calmly.
"Wait. What?! Did you just admit that you went out with a girl?!" Xiao Yan replied shockingly, with his eyes widened.
Right at this moment, Feng Jiu entered the office. Xiao Yan immediately blurted out, "Si Ming went out with a girl yesterday!"
"What?!" Feng Jiu was in shock, and her jaws dropped slightly."I had the same reaction when I heard about it too!" Xiao Yan exclaimed, and he started to laugh. Si Ming smiled, and then he replied calmly, "Calm down, guys. It's not even that big of a deal."
"No! It is! Si Ming having a girl?! I would never have imagined that." Feng Jiu still couldn't believe what she just heard. Xiao Yan then replied sarcastically, "If Ice Face could have a girlfriend, why can't Si Ming have one too?"
"Well. That's different." Feng Jiu replied as she shrugged her shoulders lightly."How is that different? Isn't it even weirder that Ice Face had a girlfriend?" Xiao Yan replied curiously.
"That's because Dong Hua is shameless!" Feng Jiu replied with an annoyed tone. Then she turned over to Si Ming and replied, "So now, can you tell us more about that 'girl' that you were talking about?"
"I will tell you next time, and now it's time to work." Si Ming then pushed them towards their desks. "But... It wouldn't take long to tell us about her." Feng Jiu tried to make Si Ming talk, and he replied, "No more 'buts', start working now!" Feng Jiu pouted, and then Si Ming walked back to his office.
Dong Hua and Lian Song were standing at the door, and they overheard what Feng Jiu said.
"Wow, she seems mad. What did you do to offend her, that she was 'praising' you this way? Something must have happened between the two of you when I was away." Lian Song shook his head lightly.
"Oh, you think that's praising? Did your girl praise you that way too?" Dong Hua replied calmly. Lian Song then had a proud look on his face, and he replied, "Of course. She praises me every day, saying that I'm a playboy and a scum."
"Sounds about right." Dong Hua then smirked and slowly walked into the office.
Feng Jiu instantly kept quiet, upon seeing Dong Hua walking in. She thought to herself nervously, "Geez, I hope he didn't hear what I just said."
"Oh, Good morning. What brings you here today?" Si Ming asked Dong Hua. Then he replied calmly, "Just checking on the project's progress."
"Progress? We barely started." Si Ming replied confusedly. Dong Hua immediately replied, "Oh, Lian Song just came back to the office today, and I wanted him to familiarize himself with the project. He would also be working closely with your team."
Then Dong Hua looked over to Lian Song, and said, "Lian Song, right?"
"Huh? What? But I thought you said..." Lian Song felt confused, and then Dong Hua subtly elbowed him in the stomach before he could finish his sentence.
"Owww. That hurts!" Lian Song bowed over in pain. Dong Hua then stared intensively at Lian Song and replied calmly, "Oh. Your gastric acting up again?" Lian Song then looked back at Dong Hua, and immediately got the hint.
"Oh, right, I didn't have my breakfast yet. Also, I told Dong Hua to bring me here, to familiarize myself with the project. Guess I'll be making more trips here too." Lian Song said, and he turned back to Dong Hua and added on, "We need to make more trips down to the design department, right?" And he winked subtly to Dong Hua.
"You're certainly right." Dong Hua then tried to hide a smile on his face. Then they proceeded to the meeting room. Dong Hua chose the seat with Feng Jiu directly in his view. He could see Feng Jiu from the meeting room because the exterior walls were made out of glass panels.
"Good view." Dong Hua mumbled under his breath. Lian Song then leaned closer and said, "Good what?" Dong Hua then nervously cleared his throat and tried to act calm, then he replied, "I mean it's comfortable here. I think I'll come here more often to do my work."
"Don't you enjoy your privacy? There are so many people here, though."
"Well, I like a change of environment. It's too quiet and cold in my own office, and sometimes I could even hear my own breathing."
"Yeah. No wonder you're an ice block." Lian Song murmured.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Dong Hua said sternly.
"No. I'm just thinking." Lian Song said.
"Thinking of what? My sweet and sour fish? I can cook for you if you want to." Dong Hua replied sarcastically.
"No, thanks! I am just wondering why you seemed a little different after you came back from the resort. And now, it's even weirder that you're sitting here and doing work."
"How is that weird? Your good friend, Si Ming is here to accompany you too. So why are you complaining?"
"I don't know, and it's just so unlike you to do something like this. Wait. Is the rumoured beauty in this department?! Is that why you want to be here?!" Lian Song stood up and looked out through the glass panels, trying to guess which girl it was.
"If you say so." Dong Hua replied casually.
"Wait. This is not the Dong Hua I know, and you didn't even bother to deny it! Oh my gosh, the rumours were true, you're indeed hiding a rumoured beauty in the office!"
"Get out now. You're disturbing my peace." Dong Hua tried to chase Lian Song away so that he can enjoy his 'view' peacefully.
"Tell me more about it first! Wait... don't tell me that it's Ji Heng."
"No." Dong Hua replied in a stern and cold tone.
"Who else could it be?! Tell me..." Before Lian Song could continue pestering him, Dong Hua then pushed him out of the meeting room and said, "Get out now."
"Where do I sit then?!" Lian Song asked, and he had a fake frown on his face."Anywhere but here." Dong Hua then closed the doors on Lian Song's face.
"He's still an Ice Block, always so cold to us. I wonder who that girl is. I really need to meet her, and then find out how she melted his Ice cold heart." Lian Song thought to himself, and then he walked over to where Feng Jiu was sitting.
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"Hey, Feng Jiu. How are you doing recently? And how's Cheng Yu?"
"Oh hey, Lian Song! I'm doing really good, and Cheng Yu is back in school, so she's really busy. How was your business trip?"
"Ah. It went well, but sadly I didn't get a chance to go to the resort. Did you enjoy yourself there?"
"Yes! I loved it, and it was fun. It's such a pity that you couldn't come, we had so much fun together."
"So... Uh... Are you feeling better regarding you-know-who? I mean it must be hard seeing him here, huh?" Lian Song was worried about Feng Jiu, and he was afraid that she was still feeling hurt.
"Oh. I'm totally fine now. I have moved on, although I still have some feelings left. I also know that he has a girlfriend now. Don't worry about me. I'm not sad anymore. I'm just focusing on my work and earning more money for Ye Qingti's bills. Thanks for your concern, Lian Song."
"Ah. I'm glad to hear that. Yeah, I heard about the rumoured beauty too, but I'm sure you'll find someone better eventually! We should totally catch up over dinner someday, and maybe you can ask Cheng Yu to join us too!" Lian Song then winked at Feng Jiu.
"Of course. I know what you're thinking! You would wish that it was just the both of you having dinner, right?" Feng Jiu laughed and teased Lian Song.
"Don't expose me like that. Come on! I'm still a good friend, even though I have my motives towards Cheng Yu sometimes." Then they both started to laugh and joke around as usual.
Dong Hua, who was staring at them both having fun, started to feel jealous. "Why are they laughing so happily? I told Lian Song to get back to work, not to flirt." Then he walked to the door and yelled out Lian Song's name.
"Oh no! The king is summoning me back. He's so indecisive. One minute he tells me to get lost, then the next minute he's calling me back." Lian Song shook his head.
"King of Ice Block? Hurry and go now, before he kills you by smashing you with his heavy ice blocks." Feng Jiu laughed and chased Lian Song away.
"I guess this is my fate. Getting chased away wherever I go. Boohoo." Lian Song then slowly walked over back to the meeting room.
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"You called me?" Lian Song asked casually.
"What were you doing out there? Shouldn't you be working?" Dong Hua asked sternly.
"I was just asking Feng Jiu about some things. We didn't even talk that long."
"Well. If I didn't call you in, you'd definitely waste more time on flirting instead of working."
"Flirting...? No way! Feng Jiu's best friend is my crush, and her name is Cheng Yu."
Dong Hua suddenly felt like he had heard this name before, but he still couldn't remember anything. Then he replied, "Oh? So you're close to her?"
"Of course! We all know each other really well. Why are you asking?" Lian Song smirked at Dong Hua.
"Nothing. Just asking casually." Dong Hua replied calmly and looked down to read his work documents.
"Oh? Is it really nothing?" Lian Song leaned closer to Dong Hua and raised his eyebrows.
"Do you want me to deduct your salary for slacking during work hours? Start doing work now before I make you work under the hot sun, in the open-air car park." Dong Hua replied sternly.
"You're so cruel to me." Lian Song frowned and acted sad.
Then he thought to himself silently, "Is Feng Jiu the rumoured beauty of his? I mean she's beautiful, but how did this happen? Should I ask Feng Jiu about it? Judging by what she said just now, it seems like she doesn't know anything about it."
Lian Song then decided to keep his suspicions regarding this matter to himself first, as he didn't want to cause Feng Jiu to have any false hopes. He decided to observe Dong Hua more and try to find out the truth.
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Everyone in the office then started to gossip, "Why is our President here?" One of the employees asked.
"I worked in this company for more than one year, and this is only my second time seeing him, it's unbelievable! I wonder why he's here too." One girl replied.
"Maybe it's because of the new project?" Another girl replied.
"No, it can't be. Usually, they have their meetings in the President's office." The employee replied.
Then Ji Heng's new assistant, Min Su, walked out. "Maybe he's here to see our manager, Ji Heng? Didn't you guys hear about it? They were working closely during the 'Pillow Dream Destination' project, and people even saw them spending late nights in the office together." Min Su said.
"Oh, that would make total sense then! Maybe his rumoured girlfriend is Ji Heng, and they are having a secret relationship?" One of the girls replied.
At this moment, Ji Heng walked out from her office, and she curiously asked, "What are you guys talking about?"
"Just in time, Ji Heng. We were just discussing why our President is here, and we were guessing that he's here to see you." Min Su replied.
Ji Heng was pleased to hear that, but she pretended to look calm and said, "Stop gossiping and go back to work before our President sees all of you here." Then she smiled to herself.
The group then began to disperse, and one of the employees said, "I think she's just shy and didn't want to admit their relationship. It must be true then!"
Feng Jiu, who was seated nearby overheard their conversations. "I knew he was here to see Ji Heng." Then she continued her work, ignoring the rumours.
Xiao Yan then stood up and leaned over Feng Jiu's work station. "Why is Ice Face here?" She then replied, "What else? Most likely here to see your Ji Heng."
"Not my Ji Heng again! There are so many girls out there, and he could just pick someone else." Xiao Yan pouted. And Jie Lu, who was seated behind Xiao Yan, replied, "Yeah. Ji Heng should date Xiao Yan so that other girls have a chance to date our President!"
Xiao Yan immediately gave Jie Lu a high-five and said "You're my best friend, from now on. You know, I think you'll be way cuter if you're always this nice, Jie Lu." Then she rolled her eyes, and replied, "You should save this sweet-talking for Ji Heng."
Meng Shao then replied, "Let's get back to work, if not, we won't be able to finish it and then we will need to work over-time."
"Yes, mini boss!" Xiao Yan started typing on his computer and tried to finish up his work.
Feng Jiu then glanced over to the meeting room, where Dong Hua was sitting at. "So hard to focus on my work, when he's facing me directly. Although he still looked handsome. Gosh, what am I thinking about? Okay. Focus. I need to start working now." Feng Jiu then buried her head into her computer and avoided looking at Dong Hua for the whole morning.
"Busy girl, huh? She didn't even look at me once." Dong Hua thought to himself. Although he was busy with his work, he kept glancing over to Feng Jiu whenever he had the time to do so.
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Soon, it was lunch-time.
Feng Jiu stood up and excitedly asked, "So which cafeteria should we go to for lunch?!"
"I think we should go to the mini cafeteria located on the 2nd floor, and it shouldn't be that crowded there." Si Ming suggested. Everyone then agreed on it, and they left their office, to head for the mini Cafeteria.
"Oh? Mini Cafeteria on the 2nd floor?" Dong Hua who was actually standing nearby, overheard their plans. Lian Song then walked over to Dong Hua, and asked, "So, what's for lunch? I'll order takeaway delivery to your office."
"Hmm... I feel like heading down to the Cafeteria today." Dong Hua replied casually."Cafeteria?! But you never ever go there! And it's crowded!" Lian Song replied shockingly.
"Oh? We can head to the mini Cafeteria on the 2nd floor. I heard it's less crowded there. It's time for me to try the Cafeteria's food, and also make sure that our staff receives good food quality."
Lian Song then felt his forehead with his hand and then felt Dong Hua's forehead. Dong Hua immediately smacked his hand away and asked, "What are you trying to do?" Lian Song immediately replied, "Trying to see if you're suffering from a fever. You must be sick. You usually don't even care about the staff's wellbeing."
"I'm hungry." Dong Hua replied coldly, and he slowly walked out of the office. Lian Song then grabbed his wallet and chased after Dong Hua.
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"What are you going to order for lunch, Feng Jiu?" Xiao Yan stood beside Feng Jiu in the queue, and they were looking at the menus of the day."Hmm... Set A looks nice. Sweet and sour pork... yummy!" Feng Jiu replied.
Feng Jiu, Xiao Yan and Meng Shao decided to get Lunch Set A, while Si Ming and Jie Lu got Lunch Set B. After they all got their food, they settled down at the corner end of the Cafeteria to enjoy their lunch. After they started eating, they noticed Ji Heng sitting across the cafeteria area.
"Hey, it's Ji Heng!" Xiao Yan exclaimed excitedly. "Calm down, and eat your food." Si Ming replied, and then he continued to eat his lunch. Feng Jiu continued eating and avoided looking at Ji Heng as she didn't want to ruin her appetite.
Xiao Yan then profusely waved to Ji Heng, trying to get her attention. But Ji Heng's eyes were fixed on someone else. Without a doubt, she was staring at Dong Hua.
"Ji Heng, our President is here! He must be here to see you." Min Su said, and she pointed at Dong Hua. But Dong Hua totally ignored Ji Heng and walked past her without even looking at her once. Min Su noticed that and she quickly commented, "Maybe he's just shy, and didn't want to be obvious." Ji Heng then gave a fake smile and replied, "Let's just eat." Deep inside, she knew fully well that Dong Hua wasn't there for her, but she just didn't want to accept the truth.
"Ice Face?!" Xiao Yan exclaimed, and everyone instantly turned to look at Dong Hua. "Weird, what is he doing here?" Si Ming replied. Meng Shao then replied casually, "No idea, and I didn't even see him entering the cafeteria."
Feng Jiu continued eating, totally ignoring Dong Hua's presence. "He must be here to see Ji Heng." She silently thought to herself.
Dong Hua and Lian Song queued up to get their food, but as usual, everyone let them cut the line to the front. Both of them got the Lunch Set A, and they headed towards the seating area. Lian Song then pointed towards Feng Jiu and Si Ming, "There's an empty table beside them, let's sit there!". Lian Song yelled out to Si Ming, "Hey, Si Ming! Save us the seats beside your table; we are coming over now!"
Dong Hua felt satisfied with Lian Song's suggestion, and he replied, "Lian Song, I think that you're working so hard recently, and I was thinking of giving you a raise." Lian Song immediately widened his eyes with surprise, turned his head towards Dong Hua and said, "Oh? What did I do?" Then he noticed Dong Hua looking at Feng Jiu.
"I'll take back the pay raise if you keep asking why." Dong Hua replied coldly. Lian Song immediately changed the topic and said, "Do you want the seat beside Feng Jiu? I want to sit beside my best friend, Si Ming." Then he raised his eyebrows at Dong Hua.
"If you insist." Dong Hua replied calmly, and Lian Song immediately sat down beside Si Ming. Feng Jiu didn't acknowledge Dong Hua's existence when he sat down as well. Dong Hua then noticed her being so cold, and he silently thought to herself, "Why is she so cold towards me?"
Lian Song then turned over to Si Ming, and said "Enjoying your lunch, huh?"
"Yeah, the food is good here. What are you doing here? I thought you always eat in your office's pantry."
"Oh. That's because someone wanted to check on the staff's wellbeing, making sure that they receive good food quality in the Cafeteria. I'm glad you think that the food is good here, if not I'll need to suffer and write a report on it." Then he winked at Si Ming.
"Oh? I wonder who's torturing you at work like this?" Si Ming smirked.
Dong Hua then cleared his throat, and Lian Song immediately said, "Oh! Getting hungry, digging in now!"
Feng Jiu then gave a smug smile to herself, and silently thought, "How funny, staff's wellbeing? More like Ji Heng's wellbeing." Then she continued to stuff herself with food, and she finished her lunch before everyone else.
"Huh? You're already done eating?" Xiao Yan asked confusedly. Feng Jiu then wiped her mouth with a napkin, and replied, "Yeah. I'm feeling extra hungry today." Xiao Yan then picked up some sweet and sour pork from his plate and put it on to Feng Jiu's plate. "Here you go, you can have some of my food. I know you too well, and you'll be hungry in an hour's time. Eat more!" Meng Shao also started to put some food on her plate, "Take some of mine too! It's too much for me, anyway."
Feng Jiu smiled and replied, "Aww. You guys are so sweet. Thank you! But this is enough for me, and I'm getting full too." Then she continued eating.
Dong Hua saw everything that had just happened, and he stared jealously at her plate. "Sweet? Just giving her some food is considered sweet? Wait till I buy ten sets of sweet and sour pork for her, then she will know that I'm the sweetest guy in the whole wide world."
Lian Song noticed Dong Hua staring at Feng Jiu's plate, with jealousy written all over his face. Then he sarcastically whispered to Si Ming, "Sweet and Sour Pork, huh? Sweet, when Xiao Yan and Meng Shao gave their food to Feng Jiu. Sour, when Dong Hua noticed guys giving Feng Jiu food." Then he nudged Si Ming to look at Dong Hua's jealous face.
"Did you notice that Dong Hua seems to have taken an interest in Feng Jiu recently? Everyone thought Ji Heng was his rumoured girlfriend, but I'm starting to think that we could be wrong about it." Si Ming whispered back.
"You noticed that, too?! I thought I was the only one. But I don't know if it's a good idea to let Feng Jiu know about it now. After all, she thinks that Dong Hua likes Ji Heng, and it's also helping her to move on from her pain."
"Yes. He's been acting really weird recently. But Dong Hua is unpredictable, so we can't know for sure. Let's just keep it from Feng Jiu for now, and observe the situation." Si Ming replied calmly.
"I'll be sure to create more chances for them to meet, and then we will observe his actions around her." Lian Song raised his eyebrows. Si Ming then reminded Lian Song."Good plan. But make sure that Feng Jiu doesn't get hurt again."
It was a quiet lunch, mainly because everyone was afraid to talk around Dong Hua. Everyone quickly went back to work after they finished their lunch. Although Dong Hua usually wasn't the type to care about having conversations, he really wanted to talk to Feng Jiu. But at the same time, he didn't know how to approach her.
Lian Song and Si Ming tried to get them to talk, but it was clearly not working. Unfortunately, Feng Jiu's heart had already turned cold because she wanted to protect it from getting hurt again. At this point, Dong Hua was falling hard for Feng Jiu, even though he kept fighting his feelings for her.
"I want her to be mine so badly, but I really have no idea how does 'love' feels like."
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