Sweeping Mouse Ridge – Chapter Three : 8

Ma Xiaozhong drove his own new energy vehicle, taking Guo Xiaofen westward to the Runtang High-Tech Incubation Park in the western suburbs, intending to first talk to Zheng Gui, the boss of Mingyi Public Relations Company, as agreed with Liu Simiao. Throughout the journey, Ma Xiaozhong’s mouth never stopped chattering, constantly telling Guo Xiaofen, who was sitting in the passenger seat, how long it had been since he’d seen her, how much he missed her, how he worried she would not be able to take care of herself, how he wanted to contact her but worried she might overthink things and misunderstand his intentions, and how if he did not contact her he worried she might be sleepless and think he’d forgotten her. He even said he bought this new energy vehicle so he could give her a ride today, a true testament to the saying, “It takes a hundred years to share a boat ride, a thousand years to cultivate new energy…”

Guo Xiaofen’s head was throbbing; she cracked the window open and pressed her ear against it, rubbing her temples incessantly. Finally, they arrived. She opened the car door, got out, and gasped for breath, clutching her chest like a miner who had just escaped a mine disaster.

“What’s wrong? Carsickness?” Ma Xiaozhong locked the car, bent over, and ran over to ask solicitously.

“It’s nothing; I’m just disgusted!”

“Disgusted?” Ma Xiaozhong blinked his small eyes. “Did you download some malicious plugin into my life without my permission?”

Guo Xiaofen was furious: “Hey Ma, do you know why so many people would rather not get a license plate than buy a new energy vehicle?”

“No?”

“Because it looks stupid!”

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“But, there’s Tesla, too…”

As he said this, he pointed to himself, seemingly unintentionally. Guo Xiaofen was truly disgusted this time, pounding her chest and dry heaving for a long time. When she straightened up, she suddenly froze.

Following her gaze, Ma Xiaozhong was also shocked—

In front of a gray-white semicircular building with a “D” marked on the side, stood a person wearing a light blue denim shirt, smiling and chatting with a thin cleaning lady. He had a baby face, a serene expression, and calm eyes, but his upturned lips revealed a hint of arrogance.

“Hu Yanyun?” Ma Xiaozhong could not help but ask, “What’s this guy doing here?”

Guo Xiaofen turned and walked away, clicking open the door of the new energy vehicle. Ma Xiaozhong quickly followed: “What’s wrong? Are you not going to interview Zheng Gui?”

“Not interviewing him!” Guo Xiaofen’s face was flushed red, her expression a mixture of anger and resentment. “I do not want to run into someone even more annoying than you!”

Ma Xiaozhong’s mouth had barely opened into a smile before closing again. While using the car key to open the door, he frowned and muttered under his breath, “What did I do to deserve this?”