SM Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Saying it is as good as doing it. “If that’s the case, we’ll date separately in the future…”

How was this matter resolved in the end?

Tan Zhi Xu felt a bit dizzy and heavy-headed. He picked up his coffee, which had gone a little cold, took a sip, and looked at the computer, his thoughts churning. He remembered the night Zhu Shihao stormed into his room.

It was the first time he’d seen such obvious anger on her face.

But so what? It only made him angrier.

She was angry but also a little aggrieved: “It’s all your fault, I was punished to stand against the wall and reflect, listened to my parents lecturing me for two hours straight, and now I have to write a repentance letter with at least twice the word count!”

He couldn’t stand seeing her in such a pitiful state, but that didn’t include this moment.

Why was Zhu Shihao aggrieved? Why was she blaming him? Just because he hadn’t pretended not to see it?

Tan Zhi Xu sat on his swivel chair, turning to face her, his long legs casually propped on the floor.

His expression was indifferent: “So, you’re arguing with me now for this bastard, whoever he is?”

Upon hearing this epithet, Zhu Shihao visibly choked.

Dismissing her reaction with disdain, Tan Zhi Xu stared at her with gloomy, cold eyes.

“Write it yourself. Life is so long, you’ll always have to write a repentance letter yourself once. Remember it deeply, no less than 936 words.”

Zhu Shihao, who had always been a well-behaved student, had only been punished to write repentance letters twice. Once was when she wanted to drink milk tea and he took her to climb over the wall, and another time was when her sports teacher refused to let her take leave during her period and he took her to skip class. But both times, Tan Zhi Xu had written them for her to copy.

It was all because of him.

The love letter was written for him, and he was the one who reported her. The whole cause and effect was because of him, but this time, he wasn’t protecting her, he wasn’t helping her.

Feeling both aggrieved and indignant, Zhu Shihao gritted her teeth. If she had to write it herself, she would write it herself.

Bastard.

Tan Zhi Xu coldly watched the emotions written all over her face. He didn’t even need to look to know the grievances in her heart at this moment, but he remained unmoved, only believing that Zhu Shihao needed to be taught a lesson.

From that day on, they seemed to have fallen into a cold war, silently and subtly venting their anger at each other. They went to school and came home together, ate together, and went to the convenience store together.

Or rather, it was Zhu Shihao who was unilaterally giving him the cold shoulder. She understood best how to “take revenge” on Tan Zhi Xu.

In fact, she did succeed.

Zhu Shihao no longer smiled at him as sweetly and obediently as before, or with a proud and cunning look.

The difference was too great, and Tan Zhi Xu felt extremely uncomfortable. But she was in the wrong in this matter, a point on which he was unusually stubborn, and he would never admit defeat.

But believing he wasn’t wrong was one thing, and being unable to stand this cold treatment was another.

Just when Tan Zhi Xu was about to lose his temper, one evening, she suddenly became okay. The bell rang to signal the end of evening self-study, and Zhu Shihao, who was in the seat in front of him, packed up her textbooks and test papers, turned her head, and smiled at him.

“Zhi Xu, let’s go home.”

The change came so suddenly that he was momentarily stunned. Then, recovering, he softly “mm”ed and reached out to take the things from her hand and put them in his own backpack.

“Mm, let’s go. Let’s go home.”

Back then, he felt that the result of making up was more important than everything else, so he hadn’t pursued the reason.

But now, sitting in the office, after many years, Tan Zhi Xu suddenly inexplicably began to wonder why. With her personality, there had to be a reason for her sudden change in attitude.

After all, no one knew better than he did that Zhu Shihao seemed easygoing, gentle, and unaggressive, but she was actually incredibly stubborn at times.

This thought came suddenly, yet it was ridiculously appropriate.

Appropriate to his mood.

It was like he clearly remembered this love letter from beginning to end, but he had become increasingly concerned about it in the past two years.

Why did he report her in the first place?

Because he wanted to restrain her behavior, he wanted her to “turn back from the wrong path,” and even more so because he couldn’t accept a stranger causing a rift between them.

Yet Zhu Shihao remained tight-lipped, wholeheartedly siding with the stranger.

So what about now? Why was his concern only increasing?

Tan Zhi Xu tugged at the corner of his mouth, a hint of self-mockery in his expression, his eyes dark.

Accompanying the sound of his fingertips tapping, his voice was so low it was almost a murmur.

“Why let her like someone else.”

In the shadows, jealousy grew wildly.

A dialog box popped up on the computer screen. It was a message from Ah Dong.

His thoughts were interrupted.

Tan Zhi Xu: [Courtesy, understand?]

Ah Dong: [Hehe, I was just afraid you wouldn’t see the message.]

Too lazy to bother, Tan Zhi Xu clicked open the file.

Ten years ago, going to school wasn’t too difficult for him. Now, ten years later, going to work was the same, except that he had been missing someone terribly lately.

Sitting in the car, Tan Zhi Xu made a call to Zhu Shihao.

“Zhi Xu.”

Her voice was soft, and unconsciously sweet when she called his name. Zhu Shihao didn’t seem to realize this, but Tan Zhi Xu didn’t intend to remind her.

Good habits, of course, should be maintained.

His fingertips tapped on the steering wheel without rhythm: “Mm, where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay, right away.” Zhu Shihao responded to Shasha before turning back to the phone. “Actually, I can’t, I have a clearance sale live stream tonight, I have to stay and check on things. It’ll probably be pretty late.”

The studio was preparing to move to Jinxi, so they were clearing out the old stock here.

He had heard her mention this. Tan Zhi Xu pinched the bridge of his nose, comforting himself that everything was for the future.

“Alright, Miss’s business is important. There’s no room for tools when no tools are needed tonight.”

The way he said it, his tone was calm, but it just didn’t sound right.

Zhu Shihao curved her lips and chuckled lightly: “Zhi Xu, don’t be sarcastic.”

With just a phone call, the two people were separated by crowds and unseen distances, but he was still drawn to curve his lips.

“Okay, don’t stay up too late. Remember to lock the door when you get home, and go to bed early.”

“Mm, you go to bed early too.” Her tone was slightly cheerful, her bright and moving smile before his eyes.

He gave a faint response and hung up the phone. He pressed his temples; he hadn’t slept well yesterday and had been busy all day today. He really did feel like he should rest early.

It was just a pity that he was stuck with an empty bed.

Another night passed.

Last night’s live stream went pretty well. With the catalyst of super discounts, almost all of the old stock was cleared out. Zhu Shihao and Shasha and the others checked the items again in the morning and told her to hurry up and arrange for delivery, so as not to get mixed up with the new items for the upcoming platform promotions.

Having completed another major task, Zhu Shihao clapped her hands: “Let’s treat everyone to milk tea.”

Everyone cheered, and a group of people gathered around Xiaoquan to order.

Shasha followed closely behind her and asked: “Sister Shihao, when are we moving? We’re so excited.”

Zhu Shihao gave her a funny look: “You won’t be working when we get there, what’s so exciting about it?”

“Of course, it’s different, it’s Jinxi! Putting aside everything else, you can run into a lot of high-quality young men, and you can go shopping after work.” Lizi, who was at her workstation, couldn’t help but interject when she heard them talking.

Turning around and finding a bunch of people with their ears pricked up, eavesdropping, Zhu Shihao thought about it, seeing how excited they were.

“How about this? We’ll move after all the in-stock items have been shipped. How about five days from now?”

For in-stock items, delivery is required within 48 hours. Generally speaking, it doesn’t actually take that long. Counting it that way, they can also pack up a bit. The things she bought should also arrive in time.

The crowd cheered.

Zhu Shihao shook her head slightly with a smile and walked towards her workroom.

Lying down in the rocking chair, she could finally relax a little recently. All the styles had been finalized, and she was just waiting for the first batch of goods to arrive.

Drinking her milk tea leisurely, the rocking chair gently swaying, she thought of something, picked up her phone, and opened WeChat, clicking on Tan Zhi Xu’s profile picture. Her fingertip hovered over the dialog box, but never fell.

Zhu Shihao smiled self-deprecatingly and returned the phone to the home screen, placing it on the small table.

Actions that used to be so natural and easy now felt restrained. She was always afraid that he would overthink, but in reality, it was clearly her who was overthinking.

She felt guilty and not candid enough.

Chewing on the pearls in her mouth, she gazed out the window in a daze.

Her phone rang. Zhu Shihao put down her milk tea and picked up her phone, her eyebrows twitching, her bright eyes holding broken light.

“Zhi Xu, I’ve noticed that you really don’t like sending messages lately.”

The moment she heard his voice, all restlessness dissipated. She was like the first ray of sunlight in the dimly lit world.

Tan Zhi Xu’s voice was lazy: “What are you doing?”

“Sunbathing in the studio.”

Hearing this, he glanced at the French windows and chuckled: “Where’s the sun? Are you sunbathing in your dreams?”

Today was still a cold wind, and there was no sunlight to be seen.

Zhu Shihao laughed, but didn’t say anything.

Tan Zhi Xu moved his neck and rotated his wrists: “Shihao, come keep me company.”

She asked: “Are there benefits and moving expenses?”

Tan Zhi Xu pressed the speakerphone and tapped a few times on WeChat.

Her phone rang. She picked it up and looked at it. “Why are you transferring money to me?”

“Didn’t you want benefits and moving expenses?”

She clicked on return transfer, complaining, “This isn’t moving expenses at all, this could be reported to the police.”

Seeing the money being returned, Tan Zhi Xu raised his eyebrows and chuckled: “Come here, did you hear me?”

Zhu Shihao stretched lazily, picking up her milk tea with her other hand: “Okay, I’ll be the young master’s study buddy and keep you company.”

Hanging up the phone, she got up, tidied up a bit, and prepared to leave. Actually, she also wanted to be with Tan Zhi Xu.

People are really strange. Clearly, they were enduring the cold wind, but as long as they thought of the person they were going to meet, every step came with warmth.

The moment she stepped into the door of Tiancheng, the temperature rose sharply. She knew the way well and went straight to his office.

She tapped on the door, and his voice came from inside: “Come in.”

Zhu Shihao slowly pushed open the door, poking her head in first. She happened to meet Tan Zhi Xu’s raised gaze. She watched his furrowed brow relax, and her eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Why do you look like you’re sneaking around?”

“You really don’t know how to chat.”

Zhu Shihao came in, closed the door, and walked towards him. She walked to the desk, put her bag on it, and propped her hands on the edge. With the height advantage of standing over sitting, she looked down slightly at the man on the other side of the wide desk.

Her gaze roamed over his face, and after carefully examining him, she frowned and asked him, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

Speaking of this, Tan Zhi Xu clicked his tongue slightly impatiently.

It wasn’t just that he hadn’t slept well last night, but that he hadn’t slept well for two days in a row.

He was missing her in his arms, and his head was filled with messy questions related to her, like a lovesick teenager in puberty: Who was he? Why did she do it? Why should she?

Tan Zhi Xu told himself rationally that it was something that happened almost ten years ago, and that person should have long become a grain of sand blown away by the wind in Zhu Shihao’s world. Furthermore, he didn’t want Zhu Shihao to think that he was petty.

It was no longer important.

He comforted himself in this way, but it lingered in his heart, bothering him to no end, and he couldn’t shake it off no matter what.

“Mm, come here.” He didn’t say any of this. Tan Zhi Xu stepped on the floor, and the office chair slid back a bit, turning to one side.

Zhu Shihao obediently walked around the desk. She had just reached out to put her hand on his palm when he pulled her. A large hand supported her waist, and he held her as she sat down on his firm lap.

Tan Zhi Xu raised his hand to smooth out her furrowed brow, tickling her chin: “Are you done being busy?”

She didn’t struggle, letting him perform his unusually smooth actions. She put one arm around the back of his neck: “Mm, did you stay up all night, or just not sleep well?”

“Didn’t sleep well.”

Her scent wafted over, and suddenly he felt very sleepy.

“Having an affair?”

Tan Zhi Xu paused, grabbed her face, turned it over, and looked at her calmly: “Say that again. Having what?”

A dangerous aura came over him. Zhu Shihao knew how to seize the moment and looked back at him obediently.

“Stealing cows.”

He snorted, playing with her slender fingers, gently rubbing the thin calluses.

The two sat there quietly for a long time. Zhu Shihao shook her hand, and his large hand followed suit and gently shook it: “Get up, your company people will come in and see us later.”

He said disdainfully: “So what if they see us? Are we having an affair? Did we cheat or have an extramarital affair?”

Neither, but it was still not so innocent.

Lowering her eyelids, her eyelashes trembled slightly. Zhu Shihao’s voice was gentle but serious: “If they see us, then we’ll have separate dates in the future, and we can’t be friends anymore.”

No one would believe in a platonic friendship between a man and a woman who had slept together. It was no longer possible to be purely friends, and it would be very upsetting for the other half whenever they thought about it.

Although, in fact, she didn’t think they could be friends in the future either.

If that person really couldn’t be someone other than Zhu Shihao, then Zhu Shihao absolutely couldn’t become a terrible person who ruins or interferes in other people’s relationships.

Especially if that person was Tan Zhi Xu.

Silence fell in the office.

After a while, the hand pinching her face exerted a little force, and Tan Zhi Xu’s gaze gradually turned cold: “Zhu Shihao, you really know how to ruin the mood.”

Hearing this, she just shrugged, undeniably.

Patting her bottom, Tan Zhi Xu had already returned to normal: “Go sit over there. I’ll finish this and go back. What do you want to eat?”

“Private chef, I want to eat Chinese food.”

Tan Zhi Xu took a step forward and handed her his phone: “Order a place yourself.”

Taking the phone, Zhu Shihao got up and went to sit on the sofa.

Whenever his eyes were tired or his heart was annoyed, Tan Zhi Xu would look up at her for a while. Even when she was just playing on her phone, the expressions on her face would be very lively.

The phone on the desk rang, the vibration against the desk even more obvious.

Raising her eyes, she saw her picking it up very deftly and putting on a sweet and obedient smile. Tan Zhi Xu, who had originally wanted to say something, closed his mouth and leaned back, watching her answer the phone with great interest.

“Aunt Ting.”

The expression that Xu Ting on the other end was about to lash out with disappeared, and she took down the phone in confusion and looked at it, confirming that she was calling her unfilial son. However, she still became reflexively gentle when facing Zhu Shihao.

“Shihao, are you playing with Tan Zhi Xu? Have you been busy lately? Don’t exhaust yourself.”

Hearing his name, she stiffened and belatedly looked down at her own phone in her other hand. She looked at Tan Zhi Xu with a look of tearful dismay, pursing her lips, not knowing what to do.

Tan Zhi Xu laughed: “Keep going. Don’t give it to me, I don’t want to hear her scolding me.”

The arrow was already on the string, so what could she do?

“I’m having dinner with Zhi Xu after he gets off work. I’ve just finished being busy and can rest for a few days.” After saying a few sentences, she gradually returned to normal. “Are you and Uncle Tan busy recently?”

The two chatted for a while, and Xu Ting’s mood was so good that she even forgot the purpose of her call. After chatting with her, she hung up, not mentioning Tan Zhi Xu at all.

Zhu Shihao breathed a sigh of relief.

Tan Zhi Xu had already walked over, chuckling: “What are you nervous about?”

She gave him an annoyed look: “It’s fine now, but what if I answered one in the middle of the night someday? That would be really terrifying.”

Speaking of which, she remembered the reason why she answered the wrong phone. “Why did you save her as ‘Aunt Ting’? I thought it was my phone.”

Who would save their own mother as “Aunt Ting?” No wonder Aunt Ting always said that he was an unfilial son.

Tan Zhi Xu wasn’t guilty at all, slowly saying: “She told me not to call her Mom.”

Zhu Shihao: “…”

Why aren’t you this obedient usually!

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