Chương 3: Wine Into the Depths of Sorrow
The team-building event was finally settled on a Japanese restaurant, a bit far from the company. After work on Friday, Qiu Mingyue and a few colleagues took a taxi to the izakaya.
The decor of the restaurant had a very Japanese atmosphere. A group of twenty to thirty people reserved a large tatami room, requiring shoes to be removed.
The restaurant provided woven slippers with black straps crisscrossing. Qiu Mingyue wore light beige socks and changed her shoes. A colleague noticed and casually said, "Mingyue, you look very cute like this."
Qiu Mingyue just smiled.
After changing shoes, a tall man nearby also changed his, making her feet seem petite. It was Zhou Su, her superior. Barely reacting in time, as a subordinate, she instinctively greeted him politely, "Director Zhou."
Even though she wasn't barefoot, Qiu Mingyue suddenly felt a bit shy.
Zhou Su chuckled softly and asked, "Do you like Japanese food?"
The choice of cuisine was decided by a group vote, with Japanese food coming in first, followed by hot pot.
Qiu Mingyue had chosen Japanese food. She replied, "Yes, I like it. How about you, Director?"
"It's fine, but I chose Cantonese cuisine."
Qiu Mingyue also smiled. Cantonese cuisine was the least favorite choice, remembered by only a few votes. She thought about saying something bold but decided to follow her colleagues into the room and find a seat.
They were among the later arrivals, with not many seats left. When Qiu Mingyue realized this, Zhou Su, who came in later, was already being warmly invited to sit at their table.
Right next to Qiu Mingyue.
She kept her gaze fixed three inches in front of her table, not daring to move, her ears sensitively picking up the sound of clothing rustling as the person next to her sat down, making her ears burn.
Under the table, space was limited. As Zhou Su stretched his long legs, Qiu Mingyue's feet intertwined, carefully avoiding contact. Yet, the proximity of his presence was so intense that it sent tingles through the side of her body closest to him, as if touched through the air.
Qiu Mingyue's interactions with Zhou Su at the company weren't that frequent. Her senior colleague, Lin, usually accompanied her. In meetings, she typically sat across from Zhou Su, never as close as now.
To speak less, Qiu Mingyue focused on eating throughout. The atmosphere in the private room was quite good. Everyone knew Zhou Su was a leader who kept work and private life separate. Away from the office, he was quite amiable, engaging in jokes without hesitation, even those directed at him.
The Qixi Festival was approaching, and the conversation naturally shifted to plans for the holiday. Men and women alike shared their sweet romantic troubles as topics for toasting and chatted for most of the day. Mao Linlin, the leader of their planning group, asked, "Zhou Su, are you still single?"
Mao Linlin was a few years older than Zhou Su and already married. Zhou Su was the type who seemed approachable but had a cold temperament. Only Lin in their department could tease him a bit. She led the way, and naturally, more people joined in.
"Ah? Director Zhou is still single?"
"What type of girl does Director Zhou like?"
Someone teased, "Didn't you just say you were going to spend Qixi Festival with your boyfriend?"
"That's not for me, I'm asking for my single girlfriend, okay?"
"Okay, okay."
While eating salmon lava rice, Qiu Mingyue heard Zhou Su's clear, pleasant voice: "Temporarily single."
The word "temporarily" was intriguing.
Mao Linlin said, "Our Director Zhou is just too low-key and a workaholic. I've never seen your girlfriend. Tell us, what type of girl do you like?"
Zhou Su replied as usual, "It depends on fate."
Mao Linlin bluntly said, "Look at that, the ones who talk about fate are the ones who say they don't have many requirements, but actually have very high standards."
Everyone burst into laughter, Zhou Su just hooked his lips, not at all embarrassed.
Qiu Mingyue knew Zhou Su was single. She was curious about what type of girl he liked, or more accurately, how he interacted with a girlfriend.
Even more precisely, she wanted to know what Zhou Su was like in bed.
Her gaze only started to wander at this point, glancing to the left to see his hand holding a glimmering glass cup. Under the warm yellow light, the small glass shone brilliantly, yet it was not as beautiful as his hand, resembling white jade. His index finger tapped rhythmically against the side of the cup.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhou Su rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms. The prominent veins connected to the back of his hand, resembling dormant tree roots, lay still yet seemed to breathe with a silent, fiery intensity.
Qiu Mingyue longed to touch...
Now her entire face was flushed.
"Mingyue, are you still single too? Hey, why is your face so red? Is it hot?"
Suddenly called out, Qiu Mingyue was startled and felt Zhou Su's gaze on her, making her face even hotter. She quickly said, "A little, haha, maybe it's the alcohol."
"Drink less then. But, this is when having a boyfriend comes in handy, someone to call if you're drunk."
Qiu Mingyue could hardly keep her smile from freezing on her face.
"How old are you this year, Mingyue, twenty-five? By the way, I just remembered I know someone who seems like a good match for you. He's a junior from my university, a local, and handsome..."
Qiu Mingyue patiently waited for the introduction to end, then tactfully declined: "Honestly, I just broke up recently, so I'm not really in the mood right now."
"Oh?"
Mao Linlin, not wanting to touch on a sensitive topic, changed the subject: "Yes, Mingyue mentioned it to me. She and her ex-boyfriend had been together for a few years and broke up due to long-distance. It's okay, she's still young. No rush in finding someone else, we can talk about it some other time."
Qiu Mingyue, with her innocent and cute looks, gentle yet playful personality, and logical approach to work, was well-liked in the office. She instantly received a lot of sympathy, even sparking a colleague to share their own tragic long-distance relationship story, shifting the focus away from Zhou Su and Qiu Mingyue as single individuals.
Qiu Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief.
She had an ex-boyfriend, but not one she broke up with due to long-distance. In the current workplace environment, everyone was concerned about each other's love lives—as if there was nothing else to talk about besides work.
Having been in the workplace for a while, Qiu Mingyue thought the best guise was the freshly-broken-up persona. Claiming to be single inevitably led to being set up on dates, and claiming to have a partner required maintaining a web of lies. Claiming to have recently broken up was hassle-free, leaving her free to date or not, especially since jobs nowadays were short-lived.
Qiu Mingyue finished her plum wine and wanted to pour more, but the bottle was too far away; she had to stand up to reach it.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Su noticed and not only brought the bottle over but also poured her another glass. The transparent liquid dropped into the glass and rose again. Qiu Mingyue was flustered and thanked him repeatedly.
As she reached for the glass, Zhou Su brought her a dessert: "Drink less."
Amidst the clinking of glasses, Zhou Su's casual admonition was light, heard only by Qiu Mingyue. It was like the sound of a musician unintentionally plucking a string, played without care but captivating the listener.
On the surface, she nodded woodenly, but inside, her mind was exploding with fireworks. The tofu pudding was cold and refreshing. With each bite, her mind fizzed like short-circuiting wires.
Her legs remained entwined under the table, keeping a distance from Zhou Su, afraid of touching him. But at that moment, she wanted to hear more from him.
To her.
Regardless, she turned on her recorder.
Zhou Su was replying to a message, and Qiu Mingyue, not wanting to seem like she was peeping, focused on eating her pudding. She wasn't particularly fond of sweets, but it tasted good, especially since Zhou Su had gotten it for her. She finished it quickly, holding the spoon in her mouth, absentmindedly licking it clean before lifting the glass for another sip.
"So you actually like drinking, huh?"
Qiu Mingyue's lips were still on the glass's rim, her eyes widened. Zhou Su, who had put down his phone, was watching her, resting his head on his left hand, holding his glass on the table with his right. His long eyelashes cast a shadow, and his posture seemed unfamiliar to Qiu Mingyue, his words tinged with a hint of teasing ambiguity.
Qiu Mingyue thought she was overthinking because she blinked, and the carefree attitude she saw in Zhou Su seemed to fade, although his posture hadn't changed. She just felt that he might be a bit tipsy.
It appeared his alcohol tolerance wasn't great.
Qiu Mingyue coughed twice and replied hesitantly, "Not really, but I can hold my liquor."
Zhou Su nodded, "That's good."
With that, Qiu Mingyue said, "Director Zhou, then let me toast to you?"
After saying so, she downed her drink, feeling the warmth rise to her eyes, blurring her vision momentarily. She noted Zhou Su's heavy gaze, and couldn't help but admire his finely chiseled features. But before she could observe more, Zhou Su also raised his hand and drank.
Qiu Mingyue then noticed that Zhou Su had unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, revealing a slightly open collar and his long, sensual neck. His prominent Adam's apple was like a tempting fruit. She imagined biting it, hearing the sound of his swallowing, easily picturing how the liquor would slide down his throat, tracing the veins disappearing under his shirt collar.
She knew the taste of that drink.
She couldn't keep looking. Qiu Mingyue forcibly shifted her gaze away from Zhou Su, but it involuntarily fell upon his waist.
Above, a white shirt hugged a lean waist; below, black trousers wrapped around crossed legs.
Qiu Mingyue's imagination ran wild, and her normally well-behaved legs moved slightly. She was wearing a skirt, and her bare calves immediately brushed against the silky fabric of Zhou Su's suit and the warm sensation beneath. This startling contact snapped Qiu Mingyue back to reality, her soul returning to her body.
"I'm sorry, Director Zhou!"
"It's okay."
Zhou Su's attitude remained the same, though he seemed a bit puzzled by Qiu Mingyue's exaggerated reaction. But Qiu Mingyue's internal annoyance was of no help.
This prompted others to chime in, "Director Zhou and Mingyue are drinking? I want to toast Director Zhou too!"
"Be careful not to get the director drunk!"
"Mingyue, come on, I'll drink with you too."
Amidst the bustle, Qiu Mingyue was quietly pulled aside by Jiang Ran, who gave a knowing look towards Zhou Su, who was being coaxed to drink, and asked, "What were you two whispering about?"
Qiu Mingyue and Jiang Ran sat close at work. Jiang Ran, with her lively and extroverted personality, was the only person in the company who knew Qiu Mingyue didn't have a long-distance ex-boyfriend.
Qiu Mingyue replied, "There was no whispering."
"But I saw it."
"Saw what?"
Jiang Ran lowered her voice, "The director poured you wine and brought you pudding."
Qiu Mingyue kept her composure, "You'd get the same treatment sitting next to the director."
"True," Jiang Ran agreed, "The director is really something. But honestly, I don't have a chance, what about you?"
Qiu Mingyue knew Jiang Ran was just babbling because of the alcohol and didn't engage. She bit into her beef rib, her mind elsewhere.
She did consider it, watching Zhou Su with his eyes reddened from alcohol and his lips moist. She took another sip of her drink.
Wine entering the depths of sorrow, turning into tears of longing.
If he were just a duck, she would have already indulged with him numerous times by now.
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