Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 012

Chapter 12 ☆, Who doesn’t like Xin Xin?

Xin Xin didn’t know how to answer Zheng Zaochuan’s question, let alone how to face his pointed questioning.

Luckily, the noodles were ready, so she interrupted.

“They’re delicious.”

That was fake.

Xin Xin loved spicy food, but these noodles were made with chicken broth.

Zheng Zaochuan didn’t even look at her as he brought her noodles and added a large spoonful of chili oil.

Xin Xin felt awkward at having her politeness silently exposed, but seeing Zheng Zaochuan wolfing down his food without questioning, she lowered her head to eat her noodles as well.

The chicken soup, paired with freshly prepared chili oil, invigorated the flavor and satiated her taste buds.

They had dined together many times over the years, but Zheng Zaochuan rarely visited small roadside restaurants like this one. He disliked sharing tables, hated overly noisy environments, and sometimes complained about the substandard hygiene of food served outside.

Xin Xin hadn’t expected the restaurant he’d driven hours to eat at would be this one.

Zheng Zaochuan, seemingly able to read her mind, explained calmly, “When I was little, Uncle Huang would make me a bowl of noodles after school if I didn’t have dinner.”

Xin Xin was stunned. After knowing each other for so many years, this was the first time Zheng Zaochuan had mentioned his youth.

“Are you from Jiangcheng?”

Zheng Zaochuan thought for a moment. “I haven’t told you?”

Xin Xin was also surprised. “How strange! We’ve talked so much over the years, but what were we talking about?”

Zheng Zaochuan said unhappily, “From poetry and songs to philosophy of life, from work to life’s ideals. After all these years, I’m still a familiar client.”

He was still dwelling on what happened a few days ago. Xin Xin smiled. “It’s mainly because I don’t have the money to rent such an expensive place like yours. Otherwise, you could be my landlord.”

Zheng Zaochuan looked up. “Xin Xin, are you trying to piss me off to death?”

Xin Xin wasn’t much of a joker, but teasing Zheng Zaochuan gave her a special pleasure. Zheng Zaochuan wasn’t one to shy away from it either. He looked a little puzzled. “Xin Xin, from what I understand, you earn a decent salary. Why would you put yourself in such a difficult position just to rent an apartment or buy a bag?”

Xin Xin sighed and tried to describe her nameless sorrow to Zheng Zaochuan as accurately as possible. In reality, this melancholy has a long history. Looking back, Xin Xin seems to have only retained a touch of childish recklessness in the first three years after graduation.

Every year since then has been spent cautiously, fearing any missteps.

This feeling has recently reached a peak: Ashley’s departure, Mary’s plans to get married, Fu Meng’s usurpation of the position she once thought was hers, and most importantly, her parents, who once held little expectations of her, are now experiencing an inexplicable anxiety as they age.

Zheng Zaochuan listened quietly as Xin Xin calmly described recent events.

“So you want to save for a house?”

Xin Xin thought about it and decided it wasn’t that specific.

“Maybe a house and money are both ways of coping with anxiety. Maybe I’ve reached a certain age.”

When Xin Xin first graduated, she visited her older sister, who had just given birth. The once sunny and cheerful girl who loved extreme sports now looked exhausted and anxious. Xin Xin still remembers playing with her baby as she told her sister the good news, “I found a job. I love finance, and I’ll always love this industry.”

“Impossible.”

It was a calm statement.

At the time, Xin Xin was unconvinced, believing that people were different. Choosing a career and a life they loved allowed them to live life to the fullest.

But now, she finally understood that everyone is the same. Everyone inevitably faces waning passion and confusion about life.

Xin Xin didn’t think Zheng Zaochuan would understand this feeling.

He was the kind of person who always lived in the present. Even during Hanhai’s most difficult times, Xin Xin never saw him show even a hint of anxiety.

But surprisingly, Zheng Zaochuan didn’t laugh at her whining.

“I’ll look into the house for you. Think about it before you buy and move in. I’m not so stingy as to consider rent even if I lend out my house for a year or two.”

This was Xin Xin’s sense of boundaries at work again. Just as she’d initially refused Zhao Xi’s protection, now it was hard for her to accept such a generous offer from a friend.

Thankfully, Zheng Zaochuan didn’t wait for her answer, and the two of them began their night hike.

The mountain in Jiangcheng wasn’t particularly high, but it was high enough to overlook the city’s nightscape.

As they climbed, Xin Xin was once again impressed by Zheng Zaochuan’s incredible stamina. He carried all their equipment single-handedly, yet he remained calm and composed without a trace of fatigue.

Several times along the way, Xin Xin wanted to give up.

Zheng Zaochuan held out his hand. “I’ll pull you up. We’re only one-tenth of the way there.”

After repeating the same conversation five times, Xin Xin exclaimed in exasperation, “Zheng Zaochuan, Zheng Zaochuan, you’ve deceived me so much.”

Zheng Zaochuan chuckled softly, his voice clear in the still night. “I wasn’t lying; I was encouraging you. And, this time, it’s for real.”

Xin Xin complained bitterly, but halfway through, she had no choice but to climb.

Thankfully, this time, Zheng Zaochuan didn’t lie to her. After a short walk, they reached the summit.

Just like watching meteor showers together before, Xin Xin had no regrets this time. From the mountain at night, looking down, she could see the city lights, and looking up, she could see the clear starry sky.

The summer breeze in Jiangcheng was gentle, making her breath incredibly clear.

Zheng Zaochuan felt as if a heavy stone had fallen from his chest as he watched Xin Xin’s unconsciously happy smile. He realized at that moment that, somehow, he’d begun to regard Xin Xin’s happiness as his own responsibility.

Xin Xin ascended the mountain, feeling refreshed. Although the climb had felt like slavery, she now felt a sense of exhilaration, a sense of life in the wilderness.

“Let’s watch the sunrise together.”

In a moment, Zheng Zaochuan had rented a tent and set it up, with two sleeping bags neatly stacked inside.

The two of them, wrapped in blankets, gazed at the stars.

“I really like the stars.”

Xin Xin was startled, feeling a subtle tug at her heart. But then, her rationality reminded her that Zheng Zaochuan was just like that.

“I like the stars, too.”

Zheng Zaochuan glanced at Xin Xin’s face beneath the night sky. Even in such a beautiful atmosphere, she still seemed distant and aloof.

Inappropriately, Zheng Zaochuan recalled the theories of a former flirt.

You can’t control your feelings; the initial expression of love is always curiosity. This kind of curiosity can lead people to unconsciously breach distance. When you deeply love someone, you don’t need space; you instinctively push past their boundaries.

Zheng Zaochuan had once scoffed at this notion, believing that all feelings were best kept within certain boundaries. Otherwise, they would inevitably spiral into jealousy, destruction, and hatred.

But now, for the first time, he realized the destructive nature of this uncontrollable impulse.

Carelessly, he would gradually test their boundaries, gradually breaking down their defenses.

“You won’t ask me why I like stars?”

“Stars are so beautiful; who wouldn’t like them?”

Zheng Zaochuan smiled. “Yes, who wouldn’t like Xinxin?”

Xin Xin froze for a moment; she realized he was talking about her name. But a subtle unease made her pretend she hadn’t understood.

Zheng Zaochuan changed the subject, saying, “I think anxiety is a good thing. It means you’re doing well now, or you feel things might get worse in the future.”

He seemed to be comforting her. Xin Xin understood his unique comfort. “Yes, it means things are going well now, and there’s still plenty of room for things to get worse.”

A relationship that needed no definition may be the one that never ended.

That night’s literary nonsense made Xin Xin suddenly realize that the reason they had known each other for years and kept in touch frequently, yet didn’t even know each other’s hometowns, was because they never discussed anything specific.

Like the stars in the sky, they appeared very close to the naked eye but were actually light-years apart.

The next day, Xin Xin watched the sunrise through bleary eyes before fainting on the car heading back to the city. Zheng Zaochuan had slept for no more than three hours that night, but after descending the mountain and eating two steamed buns, he was refreshed and drove home.

Xin Xin slept for a full fifteen hours until someone frantically banged on the door, waking her.

When she opened the door, she saw Mary, looking distraught.

Xin Xin, startled awake, quickly let Mary in first. She was in a terrible state, her hair disheveled and her face pale. Although she looked like she was trying hard to hold back tears, her eyes were as red as a rabbit’s.

“What’s wrong with you…”

Before she could even ask, Mary suddenly hugged her, buried her head in her neck, and sobbed. Xin Xin let Mary hold her, feeling the warmth of her tears, listening to her kitten-like whimpers, and quietly patting her back.

Mary’s long, smooth hair spread out. Xin Xin remembered that when she first met Mary, she had waist-length hair with tiny, woolly curls.

If someone else had that hairstyle, they would have aged twenty years.

But Mary sang “Popcorn is Beautiful” and proudly said, “Since I was eighteen, I haven’t had long, plain, straight black hair again.”

Xin Xin’s memory was a little fuzzy, and she wasn’t sure how long Mary had been wearing that plain, straight black hair.

But she vaguely remembered that after meeting Han Canghai, Mary had long stopped wearing her beautiful, curve-defining dresses, and her beloved high heels had been put away. Jeans, sweatshirts, sneakers, and long, straight black hair became Mary’s standard attire.

Xin Xin guessed that Mary’s tears were because of Han Canghai. Inappropriately, she recalled the tragic scene of Han Canghai being hit by a car while riding his black electric scooter to work. If it were a man Mary had known before, Xin Xin wouldn’t have worried so much. She’d simply assume he’d cheated or flirted, and she could just find someone else.

But none of that was possible for Han Canghai. Similarly, Han Canghai was no ordinary man to Mary.

Xin Xin was frightened by her own imagination. As Mary’s sobs subsided, she gently asked, “Mary, what happened?”