The person in charge led another group on a tour of the premises.
Most of the factory's work was done in batches. Apart from the small section that required manual assembly lines in the office building, the rest was divided into blocks according to regulations for ease of management.
Qi Sui hugged her notebook, following behind Selina, and ran head-on into the planning department, who were also on a tour. Engineer Wu, who had previously signed for Qi Sui, was among them. He looked up and waved at Qi Sui.
"Xiao Qi, you're here too?"
Qi Sui smiled politely.
Her relationship with the entire planning department, aside from being Qian Jin's wife, was only that of acquaintances—enough to exchange greetings when they met.
Of course, Qian Jin was also mixed in. He was quite popular in the planning department, hardworking and ambitious. In the eyes of his superiors, he was a rising star; there was no way they wouldn't bring him along.
But right now, he was looking down. When he heard her name, he only stood there blankly. Qi Sui didn't look at him, so he stared absentmindedly at the floor until she walked past as if he didn't exist.
He opened his mouth as if to call out, raising his hand, but saw nothing between his fingers.
They were married.
But Qian Jin never wore their wedding ring.
In private, he told Qi Sui he was afraid the ring might cause a bad impression if seen by others; in public, he pretended nothing had happened, not even applying for the company's marriage leave.
Selina glanced at the planning department and also smiled politely.
The projects under the International Department had little to do with the Planning Department; they only needed to be exported, not launched domestically, so the Planning Department didn't know her well.
Engineer Wu watched the two leave, tugged at Qian Jin's arm, and asked with some confusion:
"Don't you know Xiao Qi? Why didn't you say hello?"
Qian Jin was at a loss for words, so he brushed it off.
Entering the elevator, Selina pressed the button.
"Hungry?" she asked Qi Sui.
Qi Sui snapped out of her daze, then said softly, "A little."
Selina said, "There's a coffee shop downstairs. Let's get something to eat."
"No need—"
Selina cut her off: "I'm hungry. The company doesn't expect you to work yourself to death."
"Okay."
Sitting once again in this coffee shop, in the same seat, Qi Sui had a completely different mindset. She held the small, hot ceramic cup in both hands, staring absently at the rose-shaped latte art inside.
Across from her, Selina elegantly sipped her bitter coffee, watching her dazed expression and speaking casually:
"That man from the planning department just now—your husband?"
"Huh?" Qi Sui looked up. "Engineer Wu? No… it's not him."
Selina tapped the table. "I mean the one standing at the back, with hair slicked back like it's been licked by a cow."
"Heh." Qi Sui was amused by her comment and nodded. "Mm."
"Was it that obvious?"
Selina hummed in agreement. "Just barely. Only I could tell."
Qi Sui took a sip of her hot chocolate—sweet but with a hint of bitterness. She squinted, as if savoring that faint trace of bitterness.
She set down the cup, as if making a decision. "Sister S, I'm getting a divorce."
For some reason, she felt a slight urge to confide—maybe because she was facing a friendly woman, or maybe because of the bitterness that had been pent up for years.
"He cheated. I had a huge fight with him yesterday and told him to get out of my house within two days."
But Selina's expression was calm and indifferent, without a trace of emotion.
"Mm. That's good."
"He's not a settled man, and you look too settled."
"Is that so?" Qi Sui murmured. "Is being too settled my fault too?"
Selina didn't offer her opinion, only stared at her silently.
"Actually, we never really had feelings for each other." Qi Sui paused to choose her words. "Rather, he never had feelings for me. But he was good at pretending. I thought he could pretend forever. If he had fooled me for a lifetime, he would have been a good man."
"I'm just… a bit unwilling."
Qi Sui asked with self-mockery, "It's laughable, isn't it?"
"I'm unwilling because after the divorce, he can still be carefree and be with his mistress, while I'll be trapped in this marriage for who knows how long. I want to be as heartless as him, but I just can't."
Selina said, "You're unwilling?"
"Then do what he did—go play with men."
"He has an affair; you mess around with guys. Isn't that simple? I'm all for open relationships. This problem is easy to solve in my book."
"Huh?"
Qi Sui momentarily forgot what she wanted to say, instead left speechless by her superior's remarks.