Chapter 7

「If I say that I’m finally closer to you, the reason is simply because it takes 103 steps from the second seating row to the podium, while it barely takes 61 steps from my seat to your seat.」

–

If it was to be said, they had a reason and it was because their leader, Old Zhang, had retired but many other departments had received news that there would be arrangements. Thus, a notification from the Administration Department of an activities day quickly tinged on the bottom of the screen before Cheng Yan had returned from the tea room.

As soon as Cheng Yan stepped into the office with a cup in his hand, he saw Miao Yu finish reading the email.

Curious as to why she turned from excited to disappointment, he asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Miao Yu, with a look of reluctance, said, “I’m so done, I thought only last year’s activities day was on a weekend, but this year’s also the same. I’m gonna die from a free weekend overtime, okay?”

Fatty giggled, hearing her complaint, as he didn’t sleep for the break but texted someone on his phone with a book as a cover. “Miao Miao, Which company will put those activities on working days? It’s capitalism exploiting the working masses, understood?”

“I understand that…” Miao Yu pouted, not too happy, “but he scheduled it for next week. There will definitely be a report meeting before the weekend, so I need to put some progress in. Now we gotta go mountaineering.”

“Mountaineering!!” Miao Yu slumped in her chair, “What’s the difference between this and going to work?”

After she finished, she sprang up, “Cheng Yan, are you going? Didn’t you not go last year?”

“Yeah, I didn’t.” Cheng Yan nodded.

“What about this year?” Miao Yu asked again.

Cheng Yan hesitated a little, then shook his head and earnestly said, “I don’t know yet.”

Last year he had considered if he should go or not, but at that time he and Huo Sheng were not in the same team so they were in different groups for the activity. Furthermore, they went to the gym last year, and there was something like trampolining, which is not anywhere near what he would want to do.

He saw Miao Yu leaned over and thought she was curious if he was going or not. Who would know that Miao Yu didn’t ask anything but looked around the office to check something. She then twisted back and whispered, “It’ll be okay if I take a day off and not go, right? It’s just a normal activity after all.”

“It’ll be alright.” Cheng Yan answered from his experience.

Upon hearing his answer, Miao Yu was instantly relieved. She pushed her chair back and applied for a leave.

Cheng Yan opened the email again after his space quieted down. The email notified them of going on a hiking and camping trip to a nature reserve around two hundred kilometers away. The time will be on the next weekend for two days and one night.

Cheng Yan had been to the nature reserve mentioned in the email before, but he doesn’t have any idea about camping, not even about what to bring for the trip.

He spent the rest of the day casually checking on his phone for some essentials to bring. Once it was time to go back to work in the afternoon, he began sorting out this week’s information.

Data sorting can be boring but it can also be interesting as it does provide access to many latest information. Except, no matter who it is, having to put up with three to five hours of staring at the screen can be a little overwhelming, so it would make people get up frequently to make a drink.

Cheng Yan had bought a new teacup on Wednesday. It was checkered with black and white, looking very much like a jacket he once had. He was always fond of teacups like these, looking refined but not old-fashioned. In just two hours in the afternoon, he had used it to get water for three or four times.

These three or four times, for sure, were observed by Miao Yu.

If it were other people, this wasn’t a lot, but for Cheng Yan, who would sit in front of the computer unmoving for a whole afternoon, this was all too new for Miao Yu.

She stood up with confusion and headed for the water dispenser for a cup of water. She stood there and found that she couldn’t see anything else except for some moving shadow in the chief’s office.

She couldn’t help but wonder if he was looking at Assistant Liang, but when Liang Chen came to see him, Cheng Yan didn’t even seem to notice, thus she was seemingly in a dead-end with her thoughts. She simply sat on her seat, becoming more and more curious that she began pondering.

A chat software was available for the company. Normally, many people would turn the notification sound on to not miss anything.

Just after the QQ-like notification sounded for the fifth time, Fatty finally couldn’t hold it anymore. He stood up and knocked on Miao Yu’s table, drawing Cheng Yan’s attention along.

Fatty, “Miao Miao, hello, are you daydreaming? The chat has been ringing for ages.”

Only then did Miao Yu hastily open the chat.

She didn’t think much of the message but when she opened it it was Assistant Liang who was asking if she was free to help out. And she, who hadn’t made any progress for a week, was immediately inexplicably nervous. She shouted in a low voice to the side, “Cheng Yan, Cheng Yan!”

That one word, “please”, was written all over her face, and even her tone was pleading, “Cheng Yan, Assistant Liang seems to have something urgent but my stomach isn’t feeling well. Can you see if she needs any help instead if that’s alright?”

The naive Cheng Yan was astonished for a second, but after seeing Miao Yu covering her stomach, he finally nodded helplessly and turned around.

When Liang Chen saw that it was Cheng Yan who came in, she was surprised and wanted to ask, “Why are you here?”. Yet, before she could, she heard Cheng Yan with a levelled tone speak, “Miao Yu isn’t feeling well so I’m here to see if you need help?”

This caused Liang Chen to nearly laugh but she endured to not show it. As if nothing had happened, she stood up and pulled out a chair for Cheng Yan to sit on. She then explained the task, “Help me organize this, I’ll need it before the end of the day. It’s nothing too complicated, and you can ask Brother Sheng if you need to.”

After listening for quite a whole, Cheng Yan understood what he needed to do. Frankly speaking, Liang Chen probably had to do something else and needed him to do the work at hand for her.

Liang Chen spent five minutes giving him the details and stood up. Once she was at the door, she spoke to Huo Sheng, “Brother Sheng, I’ll be going now.” Then she said her goodbye to Cheng Yan too.

Huo Sheng, who had been working on his computer without lifting a gaze, looked up and spoke towards the door, “Good luck with your blind date.”

It resulted in Cheng Yan choking from his drink. After the door closed, he was coughing for a while.

It was a horrible feeling to sudden choke, in addition to the fact that he would be embarrassed to even cough in this office. Thus his whole face and even his ears were dyed red within seconds, which could’ve been caused by his coughing or his embarrassment.

Huo Sheng helped him refill his cup of water and placed it back down again. He asked, “Are you okay?”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yan fleetly waved his hands but couldn’t say a word as he was choking and coughing.

Huo Sheng looked at his downcasted eyes and red ears. He couldn’t hold it and laughed, but didn’t say anything. Until later, when he saw that the colour of his face had returned normal, he laughed and teased, “What’s wrong? Is it a rare thing for Liang Chen to have a blind date?”

Cheng Yan was about to put the cup to his lips when he said that, but the pain of choking once again swelled. He immediately swallowed some air, easing himself, and then looked at him squarely, “No, I didn’t hear about that yet so I’m a bit surprised.”

Huo Sheng then chuckled, “I thought it was quite funny when I heard that today.”

“But, I heard you’re her childhood friend?” Huo Sheng asked.

“Mm… Mm.” Cheng Yan nodded, but he was a little confused as to how Cheng Yan told Huo Sheng this.

Yet before he could lower his head, he heard Huo Sheng explain, “It’s not that she said anything. It’s just that I asked her why she switched her job and she said her childhood friend is here, and I thought that it’s probably you.”

“Why?” Cheng Yan spouted.

“What do you mean why?” Huo Sheng was puzzled.

“Huh? Um,” Cheng Yan blinked, “May I ask why you think it’s me?”

The corner of Huo Sheng’s mouth raised, he said, “It’s just the addressment.” Then he returned his attention to the computer.

Addressment… Cheng Yan involuntarily repeated in his heart. Which means he had heard that “Ah Yan” and remembered it.

He gently pursed his lips and quickly looked at his computer, sorting out the things Liang Chen had entrusted to him.

An assistant’s job was diverse and was completely different from his job.

He originally wanted to finish everything before the end of the day and hand it over to Huo Sheng, but Huo Sheng received a phone call for a business trip. Thus he only had to finish his work.

It was a good thing that Cheng Yan is a meticulous person, and with the addition that he was writing it on Huo Sheng’s behalf, he proofread it several times before pressing save and leaving with a message.

When he sat him down, it was three in the afternoon, and when he left his seat seven had passed. He stretched his arms and found out it was a little dark outside, so when he came out, the office was the usual emptiness of a Friday.

He returned to his seat, woke the computer and noted down everything he hadn’t finished today before stuffing some material into his bag.

Once he took his bag, he recalled that he had forgotten his teacup on Liang Chen’s desk, so he quietly pushed open Huo Sheng’s office door once again.

He should’ve been gone after taking the cup but, for some reason, just when he turned around, he changed directions as if he was lured, and walked in.

Yet, once he was at Huo Sheng’s seat, he didn’t sit down but stood there as if he was looking at a certain spot through the door until, after a while, he started tracing back step by step.

He counted with a voice that only he can hear, “1, 2, 3, 4…, 59, 60, 61.”

He stopped in front of his seat and carefully took out a pen from the table and the diary that was supposed to be in his bedside cabinet from his bag. He lifted the pen and wrote some words.

61 steps left.