Chapter 43 The Wind is Falling
The sky is clear as the sun rises, and the clouds clear in autumn.
Outside the car window, osmanthus flowers are in full bloom. Yellow millet grains poke their heads out from among the leaves, and the light yellow color leaps on the green leaves, leaving a strong and long-lasting fragrance.
On the street, two people in the car each had their own thoughts.
Wen Baijing raised his hand to touch the hair beside Ye Zhenzhen's ear, but Ye Zhenzhen turned her face away and deliberately avoided him.
"Zhenzhen, do we have to do this?" His hand stopped at Ye Zhenzhen's ear, and he said in a calm tone: "You know, I am..."
He suddenly felt like there was something stuck in his throat, and those three words were stuck in his throat.
The first time Wen Baijing called her "Zhenzhen", her heart surged and her heartbeat became disordered.
The stalemate lasted for a few seconds, and the air flowing around slowly condensed.
Ye Zhenzhen lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then bit her lip and said nothing.
"Mr. Wen, I'm going to be late for work." Ye Zhenzhen raised her eyes and met his, "I'm leaving first."
Some emotion emerged in his calm eyes, and he suddenly grasped Ye Zhenzhen's slender wrist.
Ye Zhenzhen looked at the small reflection in Wen Baijing's eyes, her heart filled with sorrow, and her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of blurry gauze.
She felt soft-hearted for a moment, and her remaining rationality stopped her delusional thoughts. She avoided looking at him and looked up at the busy street ahead.
"Mr. Wen, you have to pay a fine for being late."
After saying this, Wen Baijing's expression froze, and he finally let go. The heavy stone in his heart sank even more.
"Zhenzhen, remember to contact me if you have anything."
The movement of opening the door paused, and she nodded in a trance.
The moment the car door closed, Wen Baijing murmured dejectedly, "I like you."
That sentence was lost in the busy streets.
Wen Baijing watched Ye Zhenzhen's back as she left, unable to guess her emotions.
He pushed open the car door and shouted to the thin figure, "Ye Zhenzhen!"
She paused, turned her head and smiled brightly, with full eye bags, clear eyes and white teeth shining like diamonds.
Ye Zhenzhen's smile was the same as before, it was his favorite smile.
Wen Baijing responded to her smile, moved his toes, but did not move forward.
In the morning light, in this mundane world, they were only a few meters apart, looking at each other from a distance.
A few seconds later, Ye Zhenzhen turned her head, her eyes filled with a clear spring. She bit her lips tightly and strode forward. The moment she walked into the employee passage, she tried her best to open her eyes and looked up at the white ceiling above her head.
Wen Baijing returned to the car dejectedly, raised his hand to loosen the tie around his neck, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the chair with his head slightly tilted back.
He lit a cigarette and leaned his elbow against the car window, the thick smoke obscuring his face.
When he couldn't find Ye Zhenzhen, he thought that they would meet again one day, and when they met again, he must keep her.
Now, on the third day of the reunion, it ended like this.
Why is she so stubborn?
Ye Zhenzhen was absent-minded the whole day, unable to control her wild thoughts.
She stood at the gate with a dull look in her eyes, her hands folded on her abdomen, shaking uncontrollably.
"Ye Zhenzhen!"
The store manager waved his hand in front of her. She came to her senses and gave him a stiff smile.
Xia Tong walked up to her and accompanied her to stand guard at the gate. She asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with you?"
Ye Zhenzhen shook her head, her left thumb embedded in the palm of her right hand, "I'm fine."
Xia Tong turned her head and saw the store manager was looking down at the data. Xia Tong turned back and whispered, "If you have any questions, just tell me! We are all friends. Maybe I can help you find a solution!"
Ye Zhenzhen lowered her head and looked at her toes, then raised her chin slightly, straightened the corners of her mouth, and said slowly:
"It's okay! Thank you."
Xia Tong pouted and touched her elbow, "Your eyes are bloodshot, did someone bully you?"
Ye Zhenzhen was touched in a sore spot, and her emotions kept rising and falling for a moment. She raised her head and said vaguely, "Help me stand guard for a while."
Before she finished her words, she covered her face with her hands and ran towards the warehouse in panic.
After closing the warehouse door, she slowly squatted down.
Tears kept flowing through her fingers and her shoulders kept twitching.
The small warehouse was filled with goods and she squatted on the ground not daring to cry out loud.
It was obvious that she was stubborn and unwilling to compromise. She didn't understand why she was crying, but she was just heartbroken and her emotions were overwhelmed by the thorns.
"Ye Zhenzhen, are you okay?"
There was a knock on the door, and Ye Zhenzhen quickly returned to reality, trying to clear her mind of distracting thoughts.
She wiped her tears, opened the door and walked out.
This is work, and she cannot let personal matters affect her work.
She went to the bathroom and saw the person in the mirror was pale and tear-stained. She scooped up some water to wash her face, and when the cold water touched her skin, she woke up instantly.
After returning to the store, Ye Zhenzhen calmed down a lot. Working hard and making money are more important than anything else.
"Welcome to Zhichu Women's Clothing!"
Seeing a customer approaching from afar, she blurted out out of habit.
The visitor and she both widened their eyes.
"Ye Zhenzhen, why are you working here?" Li Ling looked at her in surprise, with an expression of disbelief on her face.
The atmosphere was a little awkward, and Ye Zhenzhen felt hot and uncomfortable. It was such a surprise. She had never run into her former colleague since leaving the nightclub. She was like a reformed person who met her former accomplice, anxious, worried, and afraid of being exposed.
Ye Zhenzhen pretended to be calm and swallowed the lump in her throat. She forced a polite smile and said, "Welcome to Zhichu Women's Clothing. If you like any clothes, you can try them on."
Li Ling smiled faintly, snorted, and walked into the store with her back straight.
Li Ling was strolling around aimlessly, and Ye Zhenzhen followed closely behind her.
"Ye Zhenzhen, how did you end up like this?"
Li Ling's tone was contemptuous and she had a sense of superiority. Now Ye Zhenzhen was just a small shopping guide, earning a meager salary, so it was normal for her to be looked down upon.
"Are there any clothes you like in the store? I'll give them to you to try on." Ye Zhenzhen said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
There was no point in panicking, she could only do her job well and serve the customers well.
"Ye Zhenzhen, you really can't think flexibly? When you are at the peak of your popularity..."
"Hello, do you like this one? I'll give it to you to try on?"
Ye Zhenzhen was afraid of being exposed, so she quickly interrupted Li Ling.
Having her dark history exposed in public is more terrifying than letting Ye Zhenzhen die.
Li Ling sneered, "You are really stupid. You have a beautiful appearance but don't know how to use it. You have a mountain of gold but don't know how to dig it. You are really just a vase."
Ye Zhenzhen kept glancing around, fearing that their conversation would be overheard by their colleagues.
"Sister Li Ling, everyone has their own aspirations. If you want to buy clothes, I would be happy to serve you." Ye Zhenzhen responded with a smile.
Li Ling pointed at a row of clothes and said, "I want to try all of these."
Ye Zhenzhen served Li Ling with a smile. No matter how difficult it was for Li Ling, she kept smiling and tried her best to remain decent.
Li Ling had had enough of the hassle and felt bored. "Ye Zhenzhen, I won't buy it. Don't you know?"
"It's my job to serve customers. If the store doesn't have the clothes you like," Ye Zhenzhen folded her hands on her stomach and paused, "You can come back and have a look when new styles are available. Maybe there's something you like."
Li Ling crossed her arms and asked in confusion, "Ye Zhenzhen, I didn't buy any clothes and I tried on so many of them, aren't you angry?"
"I won't be angry." Ye Zhenzhen stepped aside to make room for the customers, and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter if you don't buy anything. After you enter the store, other customers will also come in to take a look. A deserted store will not attract customers. I should thank you."
"What do other customers have to do with you? Even if the deal is done, it has nothing to do with you." Li Ling looked at her like a fool and laughed.
Ye Zhenzhen didn't answer and picked up the clothes that Li Ling had thrown on the sofa.
Li Ling snorted and walked away. People with different values cannot communicate with each other.
Xia Tong complained: "What kind of person is this! He tried so many things without buying anything! This is really bullying!"
Ye Zhenzhen smiled helplessly and said, "It's okay. There were no customers in the store before she came in. After she came in, didn't you open the order?"
"Ye Zhenzhen, are you stupid?" Xia Tong laughed angrily, "I'm standing up for you."
"It's okay. There will always be a few customers who find fault." Ye Zhenzhen responded nonchalantly.
After Li Ling left, Ye Zhenzhen finally felt relieved. It was good enough that she was not exposed and could continue working.
After getting off work and returning to the rental house, Ye Zhenzhen suffered from insomnia as expected.
At night, when she saw Wen Baijing's WeChat, her eyes inexplicably became red.
【Zhenzhen, I miss you. 】
[Mr. Wen, please take care of your health and smoke less. ]
There is cool moonlight outside the window. Looking out, you can see the swaying shadows of the osmanthus trees and their rich fragrance permeating into the house.