Qi Sui was not a very resolute person.
To be honest, she had many flaws, which made her appear soft and easily deceived.
Her voice was gentle, her appearance weak and easily bullied, and she never learned to refuse. This made her the easiest target among her friends for handing out flyers.
Just like now.
She stood in the kitchen.
Her fingers had habitually taken out two raw eggs, one to be casually cooked with an egg cooker, and the other to make steamed egg custard because Qian Jin liked it.
Qian Jin hadn't always liked steamed egg custard. When they went out to eat together in college, he complained that it had an unavoidable fishy smell, and he would put the whole serving in front of Qi Sui, telling her to eat it.
She ate it all, because she didn't know how to refuse, and she even thought it was a sign of love.
She paused.
Qian Jin hadn't come back last night; otherwise, she would have smelled that strong perfume when she woke up.
Qi Sui put one egg back into the refrigerator, casually washed the remaining egg, and placed it in the egg cooker. With her other hand, she tapped the phone screen lying on the table, only to find that Qian Jin had actually replied to her message in the middle of the night.
Husband: I'm going on a business trip tomorrow and the day after.
The tone was commanding and condescending.
Qi Sui suddenly found that tone grating. She scrolled up, swiping her finger, and saw that green message bubbles accounted for the majority, with Qian Jin's replies being few and far between.
In the past, she had only thought Qian Jin's demeanor was what others called "aloof" and "solemn," but the truth was, when he flirted with that Xiang Yu using cheap and disgusting words, he must have been much more passionate than this chat history.
She blinked and sent a message:
When you come back, let's talk.
Then she casually unpinned the chat.
The contact labeled "Husband" didn't reply, but Qi Sui no longer considered him her priority.
She changed clothes and stuffed the lunch she had made yesterday into her bag.
She tied her hair into a neat high ponytail. The person in the mirror looked a bit more lively, though her face still appeared pale. So she dabbed some lip oil on her lips, finally looking better.
Only after sitting down at her workstation did Qi Sui let out a long sigh.
She adjusted a few strands of hair by her cheeks in the mirror, trying to make herself look as presentable as possible. But the faint pink dark circles under her eyes still made her look tired and weak.
A colleague patted her on the shoulder and asked her to deliver a document to the 16th floor. The tone was familiar and matter-of-fact:
"I'll leave it to you, Xiao Qi. I see you often go to the 16th floor, right? Just make a trip for me."
Before Qi Sui could refuse, the person turned and left without even a thank you.
Qi Sui lowered her eyes, staring blankly at the document on the table, her mind empty.
She and Qian Jin were both graduates from a top-five university. Logically, she shouldn't be stuck doing odd jobs. But Qi Sui had no life ambitions, nor the sense of urgency that others her age had.
Living a happy and peaceful life was enough for her.
She picked up the documents, flipped her workstation badge to the "Temporarily Out" side, and gathered the accumulated documents from her leave yesterday to take to the 16th floor for signatures.
She was familiar with the way, partly because her work area overlapped with some content from Qian Jin's department, and partly because of their relationship.
Worth mentioning, Qian Jin had never revealed their relationship in public.
Of course, Qi Sui had asked him about it.
"Why don't you introduce me to your colleagues?"
This wasn't some unspeakable secret; even when she first joined the company, she had disclosed this information to HR. But until now, no one seemed to think they were a couple.
Qi Sui watched the slowly changing numbers on the elevator. The reflective mirror in the elevator clearly showed her haggard face.
She thought with some sarcasm:
Yeah, even when delivering meals, she had to hide in the break room, and sometimes they couldn't even meet during lunch breaks. People who knew would understand they were husband and wife; those who didn't would probably think she was some kind of fairy helper.
The elevator dinged as the doors opened.
Before Qi Sui could wipe the tired and indifferent expression off her face, she bumped into a man who was frowning and talking on the phone in a cold tone.
He glanced at her briefly, then at the stack of documents in her arms, then turned around, his finger sliding down the elevator buttons, pressing 19 below 16, and stood still.
"I've already coordinated with him. All the specific information for this part has been handed over. If you have any issues, go to the person in charge."
The man gave a light cough, his voice hoarse:
"Yeah, okay, I got it. Let's talk in the afternoon."
He put down his phone and stood quietly, almost motionless.
If it weren't for his breathing and the occasional low cough, Qi Sui might not have noticed his presence.
The voice sounded familiar.
Qi Sui thought.
Her gaze inevitably fell on the mirror opposite, where the neatly dressed man stood.
The company didn't strictly require uniforms, and this foreign enterprise had no dress code for uniforms. However, some people wore loose and comfortable clothes, while others preferred proper and beautiful suits.