Chapter 04
** Soft, Soft, Soft**
He didn’t reply again. Su Hao took a toothpick and started eating her fruit. After a few bites, she was full. She closed the lid and lay down to nap. Her phone rang again—a WeChat message from Su Qian.
**Su Qian:** Hao Hao, how was your first day at work? Did Zhou Yang go to the company?
**Su Hao:** It felt really good. He came to the company and just went down for lunch.
Su Qian caught herself—she had brought up Zhou Yang again.
Ah, well.
**Su Qian:** That’s good. When the weekend comes in a couple of days, remember to come home for dinner.
**Su Hao:** Okay. If I don’t have to work overtime, I’ll come over.
**Su Qian:** Mm, mm.
They chatted for a while longer. Su Hao put her phone away and started her nap.
—
There was quite a lot to do in the afternoon. Su Hao worked alongside Chen Yu and occasionally helped Lu Mimi with some statistical work. Lu Mimi did things swiftly and decisively, very efficiently. Su Hao felt a bit nervous following her, afraid of making mistakes. Lu Mimi categorized Su Hao in the same group as Chen Yu and said, “You—it’s obvious you’re not cut out to be an accountant. You and Chen Yu are only fit to be cashiers!”
Su Hao smiled, lowered her head, and kept working.
She didn’t respond.
Lu Mimi gave a cold snort and tossed her own tasks over to her.
It had always been that cashiers handled the money while accountants handled the books, but the higher-level positions almost always came from an accounting background. Lu Mimi was clearly a girl with some ambition.
During the lunch break, Chen Yu pulled Su Hao into a group chat.
The group was called **”When Will Love Arrive (6)”**
Su Hao: …
The group consisted of Festina employees. Even though Lu Mimi and Chen Yu seemed at odds, they were both in the group. Lu Mimi sent seven or eight photos in a row.
Su Hao opened them.
They were photos of Zhou Yang and Miss Li eating lunch together in the second-floor cafeteria. A few senior executives were around—General Manager Zeng and Assistant Lu were there too, just farther away.
Miss Li had ordered steak but didn’t seem to like it. She poked at the steak with her fork, a look of grievance on her brows.
Zhou Yang leaned back in his chair, sipping coffee, his expression lazy and indifferent.
Still, the handsome man and beautiful woman made for a pleasing sight.
**Tang Yaoyao:** Is this Miss Li from *that* Li family?
**Guan Xian:** Yes, that Li family. Both are distinguished, prestigious houses.
**Chen Yu:** How long has she been chasing after General Manager Zhou? I’ve already lost count.
**Tang Yaoyao:** Six months, right? Can Zhou, a man of such romantic inclinations, handle a six-month dry spell? Or is he getting pickier?
**Lu Mimi:** Hah. Maybe he’s had his fill of playing around?
**Chen Yu:** Obviously, it’s almost a done deal.
**Lu Mimi:** Pfft.
The two started sniping at each other again in the group. Seeing this, Su Hao quietly muted the group notifications and left the chat.
—
It was the middle of the month, so things weren’t too busy. Work ended at 6:00. Su Hao walked downstairs with Chen Yu, who asked, “Where do you live?”
Su Hao recalled the name of the complex. “I live at Huahui.”
“Huahui? You managed to rent a place there? That means you work super close!” Chen Yu’s face was full of envy. Su Hao smiled and said, “It is pretty close. Just got lucky.”
“Ugh, I have to take the subway for forty-five minutes every day. From here, you just turn onto that road, take the underground pedestrian tunnel, and then turn again, and you’ll be at your place. It’s very close. If you know the way, you can get there in ten minutes.” Chen Yu pointed out a pedestrian path on a main road for Su Hao to see.
Su Hao felt grateful. “Thank you. I took a taxi here this morning.”
“When it’s that close, you’re only paying the base fare.”
“Yeah.”
They chatted for a while. Su Hao watched Chen Yu enter the subway station before she herself turned onto the main road and walked the way Chen Yu had described.
Sure enough, she quickly arrived at the Huahui residential complex.
She conveniently bought groceries at the supermarket next door, planning to cook dinner that night. Just as she reached the stairwell, her WeChat buzzed. She looked down.
**Zhou Yang:** He’ll be at your place in half an hour.
Who?
Su Hao froze for a few seconds, then realized—he was talking about the man he had introduced earlier that day. She then noticed that someone had sent her a WeChat friend request a few minutes ago.
She hadn’t checked her phone, so she hadn’t approved it.
She approved it now.
The name was: **Shen He.**
Su Hao let out a breath, glanced at his profile picture, then at Zhou Yang’s profile picture next to it. Gradually, her emotions settled.
After all these years.
Everything that needed to be forgotten had to be forgotten.
She hurried up the stairs, stuffed the groceries into the fridge, and looked at what she was wearing. For the sake of politeness, she decided to change. She went into the master bedroom and put on a little black dress—one of the pieces Liao Yun had taken her to buy before she left.
When she came out, her phone was beeping.
She bent down and picked it up.
**Shen He:** Su Hao, how about dinner together? I’m almost there~
Su Hao was startled for a moment, then typed back.
**Su Hao:** Okay. Send me a message when you arrive.
**Shen He:** Will do.
Phone in hand, Su Hao stood there for a while. Then she walked to the balcony and looked outside. Unfortunately, the balcony faced the interior of the complex. Only the kitchen window looked out onto the street. Her mood was calm, but she still felt a little unsure of herself. She turned back, grabbed her small bag, and—not wanting to keep him waiting—left the apartment.
She wasn’t used to high heels. The shoes she had on were low-heeled. At this hour, the sun was setting, its afterglow hanging in the sky. Su Hao checked her phone several times.
Soon, a black Mercedes pulled up at the entrance to the complex.
*Beep beep.*
Her phone rang at the same time. She looked up.
Inside the car, a young man leaned back against his seat and smiled at her. He was handsome and clean-cut—the one from the photo Zhou Yang had sent. She walked toward the car.
From a distance, her black dress billowed in the wind. The breeze was strong, making the fabric sway, but it made her skin look very fair. Shen He coughed, quickly got out of the car, and opened the door for her. Su Hao paused for a moment, then said softly, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Shen He replied, in a cheerful mood. He turned and walked back to the driver’s seat.
He liked this type of gentle woman—the kind who spoke softly.
Jackpot!
—
The car had a faint, pleasant scent of perfume. Su Hao sat quietly. The driver’s door opened, and Shen He got in, smiling as he asked, “Hao Hao, what would you like to eat?”
Su Hao glanced at Shen He, hesitated, and said, “Anything is fine.”
“Sorry—we haven’t even chatted online, and I’m already asking you out to dinner. The thing is, I live in Kyoto. I came here to help my brother-in-law with some things, and I thought I’d come by and meet you before I leave.”
“It’s fine.”
“Does it feel sudden?”
“Not really.”
“That’s good. I was afraid you wouldn’t come down.”
“No, not at all.”
Su Hao’s answers were brief, but her voice was incredibly soft. Aside from the faint perfume in the car, her voice was the most striking thing. Shen He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
*Brother Zhou Yang’s introductions are never wrong.*
*He found someone exactly to my taste.*
The car merged onto the main road. The afterglow of the sunset was fading, and gray clouds rose in the sky, covering half of it. Su Hao held her small bag, looking at the road conditions and occasionally out the window. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Do you know about my situation?”
She asked nervously.
But her mother’s urging and her mother’s worry wouldn’t let her hold back.
Even though what had happened before wasn’t what she had wanted, it had always been a hurdle her mother couldn’t get over.
Su Hao understood her mother’s feelings.
And she respected her wishes, so she was willing to step out and try.
“I know. What era do we live in? Hao Hao, don’t worry about those things. I don’t mind.” Shen He turned his head to look at her, his handsome face full of sincerity.
Su Hao instantly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at him.
Shen He was dazzled by that smile. It took him a moment to look away.
The atmosphere in the car immediately improved. Su Hao looked out at the big city, her hand gently resting on the window sill. Following Su Qian’s advice, Shen He had arranged a Cantonese restaurant that wasn’t too high-end but had great food. He took Su Hao there to eat. He had initially thought that Su Hao’s nature was merely gentle, but he hadn’t expected that during the meal, she was also very considerate. And most importantly, when he spoke, she rested her chin on her hand and listened attentively.
Her eyes were beautiful, like stars.
She listened so intently.
It seemed as if she admired him greatly. Shen He’s mood soared.
Although Shen He’s topics jumped around a bit, Su Hao asked questions when she didn’t understand, and Shen He enthusiastically explained everything to her.
In the middle of the meal, while Su Hao was in the restroom, Shen He sent a WeChat message to Zhou Yang.
**Shen He:** Oh my god, Brother Zhou Yang, Hao Hao is absolutely wonderful. I like her so much ahhhhhhh!
**Zhou Yang:** Oh?
**Shen He:** I’m eternally grateful.
**Zhou Yang:** After just one meeting, you’re already this smitten? Have you never seen a woman before?
**Shen He:** No, no! You don’t understand.
Zhou Yang didn’t reply. Su Hao came back right then. Shen He put down his phone, glanced at his watch—there was still time.
He asked, “Hao Hao, do you know how to play billiards?”
Su Hao sat down, took a tissue to wipe her hands, looked at him, and shook her head. “No.”
“Want me to teach you?”
“Okay.”
Su Hao also glanced at her phone. It was still early.
“Let’s go.” Shen He made the quick decision. He reached for the check, only to find it was gone. He looked at Su Hao, who had already picked up her small bag. “I’ll treat this time. You can get the next meal.”
This way, there was give and take without making him lose face.
Shen He was surprised, then laughed. “Okay.”
Su Hao smiled slightly and walked beside him. They talked as they left the restaurant. Right next door was the Star Club. Shen He led Su Hao inside and explained the club’s rules to her.
He reserved a second-floor private room. Once inside, he handed a cue to Su Hao. She quickly put down her small bag and took it. Shen He picked up a cue for himself, raised an eyebrow at Su Hao with a mischievous smile, and said, “Guess how long it’ll take me to clear the table.”
Su Hao humored him and replied, “I’m sure it’ll be very fast.”
Shen He’s eyebrows lit up. He looked at her several times, smiled with a soft “mm-hmm,” lifted his cue, and started playing while chatting with her.
Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open by a long, slender finger holding a cigarette. Zhou Yang’s long, narrow eyes swept inside—and immediately landed on Su Hao, who was holding the cue, standing gracefully, exuding an indescribable charm. She was watching Shen He play with a gentle expression, occasionally nodding and smiling. When she saw Shen He sink a ball, her eyes lit up slightly—just enough to perfectly satisfy a man’s ego.
Judging by Shen He’s expression, he was utterly delighted at that moment.
There were other people behind Zhou Yang.
Li Yi’s voice was low. “So this is Su Hao? A man being looked at with that kind of admiration—how could he resist?”
The ash on the cigarette tip broke off in the wind. Zhou Yang watched the woman in the little black dress standing there. The light in the room was dim. The woman was like water. In her eyes, there seemed to be only Shen He—willing to wrap herself around him in gentle softness.
