WRR – Chapter 10

There were four people in the workroom, including Xu Shi. Xu Shi felt that as a mere assistant, she didn’t need any coffee, so she only bought three cups.

On the way back, Heard replied to her message.

She said: What a coincidence.

Xu Shi shifted the coffee to her left hand and used her right to reply to Heard.

Yan Wuwu: I know! It scared me. She’s even the person I’m responsible for. I have to follow her around for the next three days.

Heard: You don’t seem very willing.

Yan Wuwu: It’s not that I’m unwilling.

Yan Wuwu: I’ll see if I can switch with a colleague in a bit.

Heard: So unwilling to be near her?

Yan Wuwu: It’s not that.

After sending that, Xu Shi thought for a moment, then sent another reply: It is.

When Xu Shi said she was unwilling, it wasn’t because she disliked Yu Lingshan. To her, Yu Lingshan was just a stranger she had run into a few times. But after so many encounters, Xu Shi’s physiological response had already memorized it. It was telling her that she tended to get flustered whenever she saw this woman.

After all, she was working for the next three days. She was representing her company and couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

Heard didn’t reply again. Xu Shi knew she was busy, so she put her phone away.

Before returning to Yu Lingshan’s workroom, Xu Shi ran into the person who had been coordinating with her in the hallway. She told him she was thinking of switching with a colleague.

She thought it would be fine, since Yu Lingshan had been randomly assigned to her and the work hadn’t even started yet.

But he said, “Sorry, you can’t.”

Xu Shi paused. “Huh? Why not?”

“It’s quite a coincidence. Teacher Yu’s assistant just came to see me a minute ago and specifically requested you,” he said with a smile. “Don’t you and Teacher Yu know each other? You’ll have better chemistry working together. Why would you want to switch?”

Xu Shi gave a dry laugh, suddenly at a loss for words. She could only nod politely. “Okay, thank you.”

When she returned to Yu Lingshan’s workroom and knocked, she saw Yu Lingshan’s assistant going over the day’s schedule with her.

All three people in the room looked up at her at the same time, and the man who had been sitting and asking for coffee suddenly shot to his feet.

He strode over to Xu Shi, took the coffee from her hands, and politely extended his right hand. “Hello, hello. My name is Sun Yu. You can call me Xiao Sun, just like Teacher Yu does.”

Xu Shi smiled and shook his hand. “Hello, I’m Xu Shi.”

Sun Yu nodded. “I know, I know,” he said with a grin. “Sorry for making you buy coffee.”

Xu Shi shook her head. “It’s no problem.”

After the pleasantries, Sun Yu went over, handing one cup to Yu Lingshan, placing another on the table next to the assistant, and taking the last one for himself.

Once the bag was empty, Yu Lingshan asked Xu Shi, “You only bought three?”

Xu Shi nodded. “Yes.”

Yu Lingshan: “What about you?”

In her head, Xu Shi thought, I’m not worthy. But out loud, she said, “I don’t drink coffee.”

Hearing this, Yu Lingshan immediately raised her hand, snatched the coffee that Sun Yu was about to open, and held it out toward Xu Shi.

Xu Shi immediately waved her hands. “No, no, I don’t need it.”

Yu Lingshan didn’t move. “Do you want me to bring it to you?”

Terrified, Xu Shi hurried over and took the coffee.

Then Yu Lingshan said to Sun Yu, “If you want some, go buy it yourself.”

Even after being rebuffed, Sun Yu was still all smiles. “Alright, alright.”

With that, Sun Yu left. The assistant continued to go over work matters with Yu Lingshan.

With nothing for her to do, Xu Shi stood waiting in Yu Lingshan’s blind spot. She carefully opened the coffee, afraid that even this small sound would disturb them.

Yu Lingshan was wearing suit trousers today with a white top underneath. As she sat on the sofa, her long legs revealed her ankles.

Xu Shi bit the rim of the plastic cup, staring at Yu Lingshan’s ankle.

Though she wasn’t necessarily staring at her ankle; she might have just been zoning out in its direction.

This event was called the “Journey of the Past.” It had invited masters from niche industries across the country to exchange ideas, hold discussions, and present a few awards.

Because everything had happened so suddenly, the materials Xu Shi received yesterday only contained the three-day event schedule and a list of her duties and things to be aware of. She hadn’t had time to check the guest list at all.

Now she wondered, if she had known Yu Lingshan would be here, would she have come?

Would she have come to this event because of the fortune Heard had told, or would she have passed the job off to a colleague because of Yu Lingshan?

As she thought about it, Xu Shi suddenly smiled.

Why was she acting as if Yu Lingshan were a tiger? What was so scary about her? It was only three days. It wasn’t like she had never been alone with Yu Lingshan before. They’d even slept together once. What was the big deal?

But just as she finished that thought, Yu Lingshan suddenly turned her head, her gaze landing on Xu Shi’s face. Xu Shi instantly froze up.

Xu Shi quickly put down her coffee. “What is it?”

Yu Lingshan asked, “Is my ankle pretty?”

Xu Shi’s face flushed. “I wasn’t, I…”

Yu Lingshan smiled and turned her head back. “You don’t have to answer.”

Just then, the assistant finished her report. She packed her things into her bag, walked over to Xu Shi with a smile, and extended her right hand. “Hello, my name is Tingting. I’m Teacher Yu’s assistant.”

Xu Shi shook her hand. “Hello, Xu Shi.”

Tingting: “Teacher Yu doesn’t like to be interrupted when she’s working, so I’m only greeting you now.”

“Oh,” Xu Shi said. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Work is more important.”

Xu Shi hadn’t even questioned it, but Tingting suddenly explained, “Teacher Yu can interrupt herself, but we can’t.”

Yu Lingshan: “You make me sound so unreasonable.”

Tingting feigned surprise. “Ah, is that what I meant?”

Tingting smiled and picked up her bag. “I’ll head out first, then. You and Teacher Yu can stay here.”

Xu Shi: “Okay.”

And just like that, only Xu Shi and Yu Lingshan were left in the room. Xu Shi remained standing where she was, while Yu Lingshan sat on the sofa, legs crossed, sipping her coffee and playing on her phone.

Xu Shi secretly took out her phone for a peek. Heard still hadn’t replied.

Today, the masters didn’t have much to do—just a meal, a meet-and-greet, and some conversation. The main event was tomorrow.

So Xu Shi’s workload for the day wasn’t heavy. Her main task was to meet the person she was responsible for—this queen—get to know each other, and pass on any urgent notices in a timely manner. The important part was tomorrow, when Xu Shi would need to guide them from place to place.

Xu Shi stood there zoning out for a while longer before Yu Lingshan suddenly spoke. “What’s fun to do in B-City?”

Xu Shi snapped back to reality and blurted out, “I don’t know.”

But “I don’t know” was clearly not the right attitude for her job, so she quickly added, “I’ll look it up.”

Yu Lingshan gave a faint “mm.” “You still remember you owe me a meal, right?”

Xu Shi: “I remember.”

Yu Lingshan: “If you’re free tonight, have dinner with me.”

Xu Shi said, “Oh, okay.”

Yu Lingshan’s tone was curt, as if she were in a bad mood. And in all the time they’d been talking, she hadn’t turned her head, nor had she smiled at Xu Shi or said strange things like she had the last time, and the time before that.

When Tingting and Sun Yu returned, Yu Lingshan got busy. Xu Shi relayed the necessary information to them, led them to the hotel, and saw them to the main hall for their meal. Her duty was done.

Then she took out her phone and sent a message to Heard.

Yan Wuwu: The morning is finally over.

Heard replied quickly this time: Very tiring?

Yan Wuwu: It was okay.

Heard: How was it, getting along with her?

Yan Wuwu: It was okay. It’s work, after all.

Yan Wuwu: She has such a queenly vibe today.

Yan Wuwu: Help, she’s so gorgeous!

After that message was sent, a few hundred meters away, a woman who was secretly looking down at her phone suddenly smiled.

Heard: Why are you like this?

Yan Wuwu: Huh? What did I do?

Heard: Nothing.

Xu Shi suspected Heard thought she was being superficial, but she didn’t know how to explain herself, so she decided not to.

Later, she shared a few things that had happened that morning with Heard. After reading them, Heard said she had to get busy and disappeared.

The food arrived at Xu Shi’s table, so she put her phone away.

“Which teacher were you assigned to?” Xu Shi’s colleague, Xiao Yu, asked her during the meal.

Xu Shi: “Yu Lingshan. Do you know her?”

Xiao Yu gasped. “Of course! You actually got assigned to her.”

Xu Shi: “What’s wrong? Is she very famous?”

Xiao Yu smiled. “She’s a great beauty! A beautiful designer. I have a friend who really likes her.”

Only then did Xu Shi remember that this princess next to her was just here to experience the working life, dressed head to toe in luxury brands.

“My friend knew I was coming to this event and even asked if I would run into Yu Lingshan. I didn’t expect I wouldn’t even have to ask around—she was assigned to you,” Xiao Yu said happily. “When you get a chance, bring me along. I want to get a photo with her to send to my friend.” After saying that, Xiao Yu suddenly gasped. “Can we switch?”

Xu Shi shook her head. “No, I already asked.”

Xiao Yu was disappointed for a few seconds, then said to Xu Shi, “I heard she has a bit of a strange temper. You should be careful.”

Xu Shi was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe stubborn?” Xiao Yu smiled. “I’m not too sure either, but she’s an artist. They all have quirky tempers.”

Xu Shi nodded.

After lunch and a short break, it was time to work again. But there still wasn’t much to do in the afternoon. The masters would be viewing an art exhibition in the auditorium, and Yu Lingshan didn’t need her around, so she went to take care of other things.

Heard didn’t appear the entire afternoon. So when it was time to get off work at five, Xu Shi couldn’t help but send her a message.

Yan Wuwu: So busy today, huh?

She had just put her phone away when it vibrated.

Xu Shi immediately picked it up, only to find it was a WeChat message from Yu Lingshan.

Yu Lingshan asked: Where are you?

Xu Shi: In the lobby.

Yu Lingshan: Room 2815. Come up.

Xu Shi: Okay.

Xu Shi didn’t dare to delay. As soon as she received the message, she went upstairs.

The 28th, 29th, and 30th floors of the hotel were reserved for the teachers. Many people were heading up at that time, and the elevator was quite lively.

The air was filled with praise, flattery, and insincere laughter. Only Xu Shi stood in the corner, her face expressionless.

A few people got off when the elevator stopped on the 28th floor. Xu Shi followed behind everyone, keeping a distance of three meters.

As she walked, eventually only one other woman was left. The woman turned back to glance at Xu Shi. Xu Shi gave her a signature smile, and the woman smiled back before turning away.

After a few more steps, Xu Shi saw her glance at a room door on her right, her steps seeming to falter for a moment before she continued on.

The room the woman had glanced at was 2815, the one Yu Lingshan had given her. Xu Shi stopped in front of the door, and the woman turned to look at her again.

Xu Shi looked back at her, their gazes meeting briefly in mid-air.

Turning back, Xu Shi knocked on the door. “Yu…” She swallowed the name “Lingshan” that was about to slip out and corrected herself, “Teacher.”

A familiar voice came from inside. “Come in.”

The door wasn’t closed. Xu Shi pushed it open and went in. Walking through the entryway, she saw Yu Lingshan at a glance and realized she was the only one in the room.

Yu Lingshan had changed into a dress and was sitting on the edge of the bed, giving off a completely different vibe.

Xu Shi walked over. “What is it? Did you need me for something?”

Yu Lingshan gestured with her head toward the bed. “Change into this.”

Xu Shi looked at the dress on the bed. “Huh?”

Yu Lingshan: “Are you really planning to go to dinner with me dressed like that?”

Xu Shi looked down at her work clothes. They were indeed not very appropriate.

Xu Shi: “I’ll go back and change. I brought other clothes.”

Yu Lingshan: “You want me to wait for you?”

Xu Shi faltered. “No.”

Yu Lingshan: “Change. I’ve booked a restaurant. We have half an hour.”

Xu Shi relented. She took the dress Yu Lingshan gave her into the bathroom and quickly changed.

When she came out, Yu Lingshan glanced at her back. “Pretty impressive. You can zip it up yourself.”

Xu Shi was too embarrassed to admit she’d fumbled with it for a long time inside. She mumbled, “It wasn’t hard.”

Yu Lingshan stood up from the bed and picked up a sash that was the same color as the dress Xu Shi was wearing.

“Turn around.”

Xu Shi obediently turned around, her back to Yu Lingshan.

Yu Lingshan suddenly wrapped her arms around her waist from behind. Xu Shi jumped, and the sound of her sharp intake of breath was especially obvious.

She looked down and saw that Yu Lingshan was helping her tie the sash.

Xu Shi immediately stepped forward. “I can do it myself.”

Yu Lingshan didn’t let her get away, pulling her back and continuing without a word.

Xu Shi looked down and saw Yu Lingshan’s fingers sliding along the sash. Because of this movement, Yu Lingshan’s hands were also sliding faintly against her waist through the dress.

Xu Shi was about to get goosebumps.

“What are you nervous about? I’m straight,” Yu Lingshan said.

Xu Shi was confused. “Huh? What’s straight?”

Yu Lingshan had already started tying the knot. She smiled. “You’re the one who’s straight.”