Chapter 5

TRANSLATOR – ANNIE

EDITOR – ANDREA

He chuckled as he continued to carefully sort out recruitment information for her, using a spreadsheet to list out addresses and other important information for each and every company. He even helped her send out emails.

She struggled to suppress a sigh. “Nowadays, looking for a job is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”

“Don’t worry,” he responded, reassuring her. “As long as you are patient, you will be able to find that needle.”

Receiving that interview notice from Bo Yuan had come as a surprise for her. She couldn’t even recall if she’d ever submitted a resume to the company. Perhaps Shao Zhenrong had helped her with that one. Even so, she didn’t hold much hope; it was a well-known company in the industry and design was the very vied-for position. Although they had unexpectedly offered her a chance to interview, she thought that it was likely she would go in full of hope and leave deflated from disappointment.

She arrived according to the appointment time. Located in a prime spot, not only was the exterior of the office building classy, the interior was even more lavish. The people that flowed in and out of the building were all well-dressed. As she stepped on the elevator and gained a widened field of vision, a sense of calm arose within her, as though standing at such a high place could grant her the power to swallow the mountains and rivers.

The design of the reception room was scrupulous, characterized by a balanced combination of simplicity and sophistication. The glass ran ceiling-to-ground, providing a view of the high-rise buildings assembled at the city center. The grand spires of the buildings all spoke to true modern architecture.

Du Xiaosu felt an appreciation for this place, purely out of her love of architecture.

The people from Human Resources asked her the usual questions before changing the topic. “Ms. Du, you are from the Department of Engineering at T University. Why did you drop out of your major for two years?”

At random, she replied, “I wanted to use those two years to better myself.”

She left the interview not knowing whether she had answered that question correctly. They asked her to head home and wait for a notification from them.

Despite the fact that she did not hold much hope, she actually received a call three days later, telling her to come in a second time.

This time around, she decided to adopt a more serious attitude. She also did a lot of additional background research. The HR manager was quite satisfied. 

By the time her third interview rolled around, it went similarly smoothly.

When she received an offer, she was elated. Triumphantly, she called Shao Zhenrong: “Bo Yuan hired me.”

Shao Zhenrong was also jovial: “Let’s go celebrate in the evening.”

Unfortunately, he had an operation to attend to at the last minute. He hastily called her, “I’m going into the operating room soon. You can eat first. I will pick you up after I get off work.”

Du Xiaosu agreed, but took the subway to the hospital on her own in the evening. She had to wait nearly three hours before he finished. Emerging from the room, he seemed distressed. “Why did you come so far? Didn’t I tell you to eat first? Are you hungry?”

“I’m not hungry.” She just looked at him. Because he had worn a hat, his hair looked soft and a little flat: not exactly messy, but rather resembling the fluff of a child’s hair. After standing in front of a surgery microscope for five to six hours, his face looked tired. It seemed as if he had fought a tough battle.

Surgery was laborious, especially in neurosurgery and open cranial surgery, which was always a matter of life-or-death. He told her, “Today, the patient was a child with a tumor at the base of his skull. The operation was very successful. After I came out, the child’s mother cried and smiled. My hard work was worth it.”

He lost weight recently. There were faint dark shadows under his eyes. Perhaps because the clothing he wore in the winter was thicker, his face seemed more sharp. Her heart felt soft. Perhaps it was distress, perhaps it was pride. She simply looked at him. 

He joked, “Why are you looking at me like that? Am I very handsome tonight?”

“Yes!” She held his hand.“The Doctor Shao, who rescues the dying and heals the wounds of the pained, is the most handsome!”

As they dined, she told him, “Did you know, when I was a child, I wanted to marry a doctor or an architect, because I thought those two professions were so splendid. After all, one can cure diseases and save people, and the other can build the world. But then, once I actually became a student of architecture, I felt a little disappointed.”

He always loved listening to her talk about these things, so he asked, “Why?”

“Hm . . . maybe because I felt it was different from what I imagined. The mysteriousness of it disappeared, the workload was very heavy, especially in drawing the diagrams. I was sensitive back then, and often cried as I drew.”

He couldn’t imagine her being so sensitive, because he had always thought of her as being persistent and strong. Even as a small entertainment reporter, in order to take pictures, she could even risk climbing onto water pipes.

When she started work, Du Xiaosu quickly entered the working mindset. Although she was a newcomer, she was very diligent and willing to learn. The people in the design department were young and many had just returned from studying abroad, making it such that the work atmosphere was relaxed and lively. She got along well with her colleagues and gradually felt that the work came easily. It didn’t take long for her to start participating in the design of important cases. The boss repeatedly reminded her, “Xinsheng is an important customer. Mr. Lin is very demanding on the details, so everyone must be meticulous in their work. Ning Weicheng, Xiaosu is a newcomer. Watch over her.”

Ning Weicheng was the deputy director of the design department. A graduate of America’s C University, he was talented in his work. The boss valued him greatly. This time, he led their team to meet with Xinsheng’s vice president. 

Du Xiaosu had never expected that Mr. Lin would be Lin Xiangyuan.

“This is Du Xiaosu from our design department.”

Hearing Ning Weicheng introduce her in such a way, he stretched out his hand to her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She smiled calmly. “The pleasure is mine . . .”

Ning Weicheng was responsible for displaying the presentation. Lin Xiangyuan listened attentively throughout. After the meeting, it was already time to get off work. Lin Xiangyuan said to Ning Weicheng smoothly, “It’s almost six o’clock. Everyone is working hard. I would like to invite everyone out to dinner.”

Xinsheng and Boyuan had cooperated for many years. As such, the teams of the two companies were also very familiar with each other, as though they were all a team. Du Xiaosu didn’t want to appear too petty, so she didn’t try to find an excuse to leave first.

They ended up eating Hunan cuisine. Most of Xinsheng’s planning department was made up of young people, so the atmosphere was lively. As they talked during the dinner, someone suddenly had an epiphany. “Oh? Mr. Lin is also a graduate of the Department of Construction Engineering at T University, a schoolmate of our company’s Du Xiaosu.”

Lin Xiangyuan was silent for a moment before saying, “Indeed.”

This drew everyone’s attention and they teased, “Miss Du should offer Mr. Lin a cup. After all, by all accounts, Mr. Lin is Miss Du’s senior.” 

Du Xiaosu stood up with the cup generously. “Mr. Lin is very capable. It’s an honor for me to have such a brother.”

Lin Xiangyuan smiled, “Thank you.” He knocked glasses with her.

After they exited the restaurant, Du Xiaosu’s path didn’t coincide with any other colleague, so she left alone. Yet, as she walked, a car slowly passed from behind before coming to a stop before her. It was Lin Xiangyuan’s car. He got out of the car and said to her, “Let me send you . . .”

She said, “It’s alright. There is a lightrail station ahead.”

He said: “Even as college classmates, it’s only right for me to send you.”

“It’s really not necessary. I will be there in two stops. I don’t even have to transfer rides.”

He finally asked, “Is there no one to pick you up?”

“That’s not it. He is working overtime today. Besides, he lives far away from where I live. There is no need to let him run around to pick me up.”

Her tone was relaxed and calm, as though they were old classmates who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. 

Lin Xiangyuan was filled with emotion. She was already so indifferent. He had thought multiple times about what their reunion would be like. Perhaps she would hate him, perhaps she would turn around and leave. Back then, she had been so stubborn, her temper short. Prideful, so he knew there would be no room for sand in her eyes. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have disappeared without a trace after breaking up. Still, he really didn’t expect that she could not have even an ounce of care.

Calm, relaxed, forgetting everything that had happened in the past.

She refused to even hate him, making him wonder if she ever even really loved himself back then.

He felt unwilling to leave her here, but she politely bid him goodbye. He stood there, watching her walk further away. From behind, the driver reminded him: “Mr. Lin, parking is not allowed here . . .”

He silently got into the car and said, “Let’s go.”

Du Xiaosu didn’t take this reunion to heart at all. It was a while later, while she was eating with Zou Siqi, that she remembered to tell her friend.

Zou Siqi shook her head when she heard. “And you still ate with him? This kind of man, if it were me, I would definitely turn around and leave.”

Du Xiaosu sighed. “Ai . . . that’s not necessary. Actually, thinking about it now, I don’t hate him much.”

Hearing this, Zou Siqi’s anger rose, “Du Xiaosu, he cheated on you and only broke up with you just before Fengzi’s marriage, exactly like Chen Shimei! He treated you like a fool, yet you still don’t hate him.”

Du Xiaosu said, “At the beginning, he really did love me. As for what happened later, I can only say that everyone has their own ambitions.”

Zou Siqi rolled her eyes in frustration. “Du Xiaosu, there’s no saving you. When he pursued you in college, who can say whether it was because your father held a powerful position or because he actually cared for you?. After graduation, when he found a wealthier woman with more power, he instantly dumped you. Yet, you still say he truly loved you back then?”

Du Xiaosu joked with a despondent attitude, “Zou Siqi, can you at least keep some good memories for me? You continue to make it sound so ugly. That was my first love, my first love!”

Zou Siqi broke out into a smile. “Forget it, forget it. It’s best that you don’t care about him. It’s not worth it for that kind of man.”

Du Xiaosu thought for a while and said, “Although he lied to me, looking back, this experience was actually a good thing. Otherwise, I may still be muddled, hiding under the wings of my parents.”

Zou Siqi said, “In that case, you really have to thank him. If he hadn’t broken up with you, how could you have had the fate to meet Dr. Shao?”

As soon as Shao Zhenrong was mentioned, Du Xiaosu glowed, breaking into a smile. “Indeed. It seems fate is always fair.”

“Fairness!” Zou Siqi was glum. “Why can’t I meet such a superb man like Dr. Shao?”

“Oh, right,” Du Xiaosu suddenly remembered. “Our company has recently done design for the Yipin Mingcheng developers. I can use my connections to buy a house at a lower price. Didn’t you want to buy one? Why don’t I help you apply for one?”

Zou Siqi was very happy. “That would be great!”

Du Xiaosu filled out the registration form for the purchase. The transaction went very smoothly. Soon, Yipin Mingcheng notified her to pick a house number and place a deposit. She went to see the residence with Zou Siqi.

It was currently the hottest era for the real estate market. Not only was Yipin Mingcheng in an excellent location, the basic structure was essentially almost finished, so the houses were filled with people inspecting. Upon inquiring, it turned out that today was the lottery for the first-phase houses. Many interested customers had hired people to stay in line for them. The procession was huge. 

Seeing that the two had an order form, the sales lady led them to the VIP room. After sitting down and pouring tea, she smiled and said, “The two of you have requested purchases internally right? All the houses reserved internally are second phase, high-rise, well-oriented, and with good airflow. All the units are placed close to the garden. It’s a very good deal for such a price. Which floor or volume of house would you two like to see?”

Zou Siqi asked, “When will the second phase homes be handed over?”

The sales lady continued to smile her professional smile: “The second phase and the first phase are delivered at the same time. In fact, they are both structurally-complete. The only difference is that the first phase will be sold first.”

Du Xiaosu suddenly realized that the so-called second phase was another way of raising house prices through limiting options.

The sales lady took them to see the house. The room design was very reasonable, and the floor direction was good. Even Du Xiaosu felt the urge to buy after seeing it, not to mention Zou Siqi. Yet, when they learned of the final asking price, the two couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air. The sales lady said, “The internal purchase is very worth it. It’s about 100,000 yuan cheaper.”

On the way back, Zou Siqi had no energy: “Ai… Not even a year’s salary can buy a bathroom.”

“The market has gone crazy,” agreed Du Xiaosu. “No wonder our company performance has been steadily rising. The sheer number of plans I’ve had to draw has caused my hands to go limp.”

Zou Siqi noted, “The prices will definitely continue to rise. It has been rising from last year to this year. The location of this property is great, but I didn’t expect that I couldn’t even pay the down payment. I made you work in vain.”

Du Xiaosu comforted her, “It doesn’t matter. It’s the same if you can buy it in two years.”

Zou Siqi said mournfully, “Once the price rises again in two years, I still won’t be able to afford it.” Suddenly, she said, “Xiaosu, why don’t you buy it? You are going to marry Dr. Shao anyway. Buying it early is better than buying it late. The house is really great.”

Du Xiaosu’s heart moved, but she was a little hesitant.

After she went back, she told Shao Zhenrong. Much to her surprise, he immediately said, “We will buy it sooner or later, so why don’t we just buy it now.”

“But it’s so expensive. Although the location is good and the room type is perfect, it is so expensive.” She began to regret her usual lavishness. She had so little in her savings that they were basically a drop in the bucket.

“It’s all right,” said Shao Zhenrong. “While I was studying abroad, I had some money on me. I bought stocks and put them in the London stock market. The cash should be enough to pay for the house.” After a pause, he reached out to take her hand. “Xiaosu, I want to have a home for the both of us.”

A house for the two of them. Du Xiaosu’s heart felt warm. Although she had been renting a house and it was pretty comfortable, she had never felt quite at home there. His words made her feel at ease and comforted. A home for the two of them! How tempting! She made up her mind. Let’s do it!

Shao Zhenrong was too busy, so it was with much effort that he squeezed the time into his schedule to visit the house with her.

The house was not big, but it was enough. Both bedrooms faced the south, with large bay windows facing the blue sky and white clouds of the city. If one leaned down and lowered their head, they could just see the small garden underneath.

The sales lady said with a smile, “This study room can be used as a baby room in the future. This apartment type is the most suitable for young couples.”

Shao Zhenrong said to Du Xiaosu: “Why don’t we first paint the walls, then add some bookshelves? Once we change it to a baby room, we could use some softer-colored wallpapers.”

Du Xiaosu fought the urge to smile. It was foolish to think of the future so early. He held her hand as they walked around the house. In fact, the walls were empty on all sides and smeared with rough cement. The wind blew in from the living room window. Du Xiaosu felt that she was also quite foolish, because she already started to think about changing to curtains when they moved in, watching the sunlight slowly shine onto the floor, reflecting the patterns on the curtain.

Their home. Neither of them could resist curling their lips into a smile.

Back in the sales department, they were basically satisfied. But the total price was so high that Du Xiaosu did a double take while looking at the figure. She couldn’t help asking Shao Zhenrong, “Should we reconsider?”

“No need. As long as you like it, we should buy it. Besides, I know I like it very much.”

Because it was an internal purchase, Shao Zhenrong planned to pay it off in one lump sum. The transaction was so straightforward and free of complication that the sales lady couldn’t help but grin. Du Xiaosu still had the sensibility to make counter offers, so the sales lady asked the manager to give them a discount. It was the first time Du Xiaosu had spent so much money in her life. Shao Zhenrong swiped his card. A large stack of documents still had to be signed, so the two of them sat there in the VIP room, signing. The room was very quiet. Du Xiaosu watched Shen Zhenrong carefully filling out the documents with his head lowered, writing thor names in smooth handwriting: Du Xiaosu, Shao Zhenrong . . .

The sales lady took their ID cards and household register to make copies. She didn’t returned for a long time. Meanwhile, Shen Zhenrong finished filling out the forms. He turned to smile at her. “Our names were written together for the first time.”

He didn’t even ask before putting her name down as the house owner.

Du Xiaosu put her arms around his neck from behind, watching him sign, and asked, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll swindle you and run away?”

He squeezed her cheek intimately. “I just want to use this house to trap you so you can’t run.”

During the rare occasion of the Spring Festival, even the hospitals were on holiday. Because Shao Zhenrong’s family was not in the city, the department took special care of him and didn’t schedule him for temporary duty. He accompanied Du Xiaosu home. During the peak of travel season, and because of a winter storm, not only were the plane tickets full-price, but also in short supply. This was the first time Shao Zhenrong had visited the Du residence. Du Maokai and his wife had specially gone to the airport to pick them up.

Back at her parents’ side, Du Xiaosu was like a child, chattering non-stop. “Shao Zhenrong is really amazing. The stocks he bought tripled, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to pay for the house in full.”

Mother Du only had complaints. “On the phone, I said Mother and Father would help you a little bit, but you weren’t willing to ask us at all.”

“Mom!” Du Xiaosu held her mother by the waist: “We have money. Zhenrong paid for the house, and I have the money on hand to buy furniture and appliances. Don’t worry about us. He earns a lot, and it’s not like I earn very little.”

Mother Du lightly scolded, “Your tail is up in the sky. With your lavish practices, no matter how much you earn, it will never be enough for you to spend.”

Du Xiaosu didn’t care. “Shao Zhenrong said he would support me.”

She was so confident because she loved him so much. Unlike her mother, she stayed calm.

The Du home was very spacious. Mother Du had cleaned up the guest room personally a few days earlier, and she even took special care of Shao Zhenrong, taking into consideration what he would eat or use, such that Du Xiaosu went so far as to exclaim, “Mom, you’re biased!”

In reality, the most biased one was Du Xiaosu herself.

She took out all the albums and pictures from her childhood. He smiled as she showed them to him. “So you have been so show-off since childhood.” There were so many photos of her. Her parents adored her so much that they had taken countless pictures. Large and small, long and square, laid out, they could cover her whole bed.

From a tiny baby to learning her ABCs, from wearing pigtails and navy skirts to performing shows in kindergarten, from a little baby just learning how to speak to participating in middle school singing competitions . . . .

He really liked looking at the traces of her growth, frame after frame, so he flipped through her photos over and over again.

She explained the pictures to him one by one, like when she had taken this one one, and at what age she had been when that one had been taken. The two of them sat close together, like children, sitting cross-legged side by side, surrounded by piles and piles of photos. He listened to her chattering, and only felt adoration. It was great, her telling him about her past little by little, knowing that she would always be by his side in the future.

Finally, she threw down the photo album and asked him with a smile, “So many photos! You must be tired of me already!” He took her in his arms and said to her, “No, I think it too little. Xiaosu, once we have a child, I’ll take a picture of him every day.”

She grinned: “How many pictures would that amount to?”

He said: “Three hundred and sixty-five a year. That’s not too many.”

Mother Du knocked on the door, telling them to come eat fruit. She had washed the grapes and cut the cantaloupes. The carambola was sliced ​​into five-star pieces and placed in the fruit plate. She smiled and watched the two youngsters eat. Seeing the pears, and knowing that Shao Zhenrong enjoyed them, she picked one up and cut one for him.

From many years at home, pears were the only fruit Mother Du wouldn’t cut in advance. When the family wanted to eat them, they would cut it themselves.

“Because we never want to be parted.” Du Xiaosu told Shao Zhenrong with bright eyes.

PUN: 永不分离