Chapter 10

Translator: Amber.es

Editor: merahmapple 🍁

When He Ziming knocked on the door and came in, Qu Zhengyan had already moved and sat on the sofa holding the documents to study. From the time he called to the time he waited for the other party to come, he kept wondering what kind of posture was the most natural. Not even noticing when He Ziming opened the door and entered.

He Ziming calmly nodded his head. He directly said, “I came up to look at the computer. What’s wrong with the computer?”

Qu Zhengyan pretended to be busy with official business and waved his hands carelessly. “Can’t start. Have to trouble you.”

The polite appearance of the two was entirely like a superior to a lower-level staff. However, doing something bad would still leave a guilty feeling after all.

Qu Zhengyan felt He Ziming turning the table and sitting in front of his computer. He couldn’t help but slip his gaze there.

He Ziming wore a black V-neck sweater, making his face and hands look even lighter. The sun fell on him through the window, and the light and dark lines of his clothes made a thin outline. Qu Zhengyan frowned involuntarily.

While he was in deep thought, he heard He Ziming saying softly, “Several system files are damaged.”

Qu Zhengyan forced a concerned look., “Is it serious?”

“It’s okay,” He Ziming tapped his fingers on the keyboard, while answering, “I’ll be as soon as possible. It won’t take too long.”

“…Uh, this computer has been very difficult to use recently. It is slow and prone to problems. Why not just reformat it?”

He Ziming paused and said, “Okay, then I will help you backup the files first.”

“Oh, no need. I backed it up,” Qu Zhengyan said, “You can just remove the data.”

He Ziming raised his eyes to look at him.

Qu Zhengyan felt embarrassed, and quickly lowered his eyelids to avoid the gaze, pretending to be nonchalant. “I am used to backing up my files once a day.”

After a while, he heard He Ziming say lightly, “This habit is pretty good.”

Qu Zhengyan felt a little sweat coming out of his forehead.

The computer center used to have other people coming up to fix the computer. Qu Zhengyan remembered those young people liked to run up and down. One moment, they had to take a disk. Another moment, they wanted to take advantage of free time to do something else. Yet He Ziming sat without moving.

He quietly put down the file and looked up.

He Ziming rested his chin with one hand, with his elbow resting on the table. His head tilted slightly, he looked attentive. But his eyes seemed to penetrate the computer screen, seemingly gazing quietly into a distance far away.

Qu Zhengyan inexplicably wanted to pull that gaze back to him.

“…Well, Xiao Jin, are you still used to getting along with new colleagues during this time?”

He Ziming seemed startled by the sound. He “huh” and quickly put down his hand.

“Yu Junxing and the rest are going to the headquarters next month to do system syncing, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can your staff handle it?”

“…It’s okay.”

This kind of question should be asked to the director of the computer center, right? But even if he was a little surprised, He Ziming didn’t show it at all.

“Well, if you have any trouble at that time, you can come to me.”

“……”

Qu Zhengyan gathered courage, hesitating, “Xiao Jin?”

There are some things, no matter how difficult it is to face, it must be done.

He Ziming turned his head to look at him.

“You…you…” Qu Zhengyan expended his whole energy, but yet he could only ask very softly, “Are you…still angry with me?”

He Ziming didn’t speak for a while. As he looked back, a confused expression gradually showed in his eyes. The wind blew through the window. Autumn was in full season. The golden ginkgo leaves hit the glass and rolled down silently, leaving only a hint of coolness.

“…I came home from school on the weekend, and they said that you have gone to Beijing with your mother. I wanted to ask for the address, and…” No one was willing to tell me. In fact, Qu Zhengyan was simply driven out by the old lady of the Du family at that time. The expression of Xiao Jin’s father also made Qu Zhengyan understand that he had no chance of hearing Xiao Jin’s whereabouts from their mouths.

“I always wanted to… I’m sorry to tell you…”

He Ziming’s figure remained unchanged, but it seemed to be less stiff, as if a sigh came from the depths of his body. “…It’s not your fault.” He looked away, staring at the fallen leaves on the windowsill, paused for a while, and said to himself, “Actually, I went back once…”

“What……”

“Nothing,” He Ziming suddenly smiled, and the corners of his lips pressed upwards.

At that moment, one could vaguely see the beauty of a teenager. “Nothing. Let the past be the past. I have almost forgotten it, and…”

He looked at Qu Zhengyan, his expression became gentle. “And, it was not your fault originally.”

Qu Zhengyan felt that his nose was a bit sour, and hurriedly lowered his head. “If I told you properly at the time, it wouldn’t be like this.”

He Ziming was silent for a while and said lightly, “The requirements are too harsh.”

Qu Zhengyan looked up.

He Ziming’s smile was as transparent as a shadow, melted invisible by the sun, and his face turned cold. After pondering for a while, he said, “No one can ask a high school student to become an education master. Besides…”

Qu Zhengyan suddenly knew what he had swallowed back.

…Besides, I have never been your responsibility.

You are wrong, Xiao Jin!

I was wrong too! I was wrong because I used the wrong method to take on this sweet responsibility. It was my mistake because I realised it too late.