WRR – Chapter 9

After Xu Shi said that Yu Lingshan was her good encounter, Heard asked her: “Why do you think it’s her?”

Xu Shi wanted to ask herself the same question. Why did she think Yu Lingshan was her good encounter? She clearly wanted to hide every time she saw her, and when they did meet, she became a nervous wreck, feeling small, pitiful, and helpless in her presence.

But the fact was, she hadn’t gone anywhere else. She had gone home. She didn’t want any other good encounter; Yu Lingshan was enough.

Yan Wuwu: I don’t know.

Yan Wuwu: I don’t know if she’s the one you predicted either.

Heard: The divination was for your heart. If you feel it’s good, then naturally, it’s her.

Yan Wuwu: Is that how it works?

Heard: Fortune-telling isn’t entirely dependent on the hexagrams. If you believe, it’s true; if you don’t, it’s not. Since you believe she’s your good encounter, then she must be.

Xu Shi thought for a moment, then typed: But actually, I’m quite scared of running into her.

Heard: ? Why?

Yan Wuwu: I don’t know. I don’t know why either.

Yan Wuwu: I feel like we’re not the same kind of people.

Heard: ?

Heard: Did something happen between you two?

Xu Shi hadn’t been thinking about it much, but Heard’s question immediately brought the image of waking up in Yu Lingshan’s bed crashing into her mind.

Yu Lingshan’s head had been nestled in her arms, and her hand had still been resting on Yu Lingshan’s waist.

Goosebumps instantly prickled Xu Shi’s skin.

Yan Wuwu: I’ve slept with her.

What Xu Shi didn’t know was that when the person on the other end received this message, she nearly spat out a mouthful of water.

Heard: Slept with her? As in?

Yan Wuwu: I spent the night at her place. I drank too much that day, and she took me in. I slept in the same bed with her.

Heard: And then?

Yan Wuwu: There was no ‘and then.’ I drank so much I blacked out. I don’t remember anything. I have no idea what I did.

Yan Wuwu: She said I didn’t do anything, but I don’t know if that’s true or if she was lying to me.

Heard: Do you think she would lie to you?

Xu Shi thought for a long time before replying: Yes.

The person on the other side of the screen started laughing.

Heard: Why? Has she lied to you before?

Yan Wuwu: No, I don’t know her very well, but she looks like she’d be good at lying.

Heard: So, little one, that’s just your own assumption.

Xu Shi bit the tip of her tongue, suddenly feeling she had been a bit unfair.

Yan Wuwu: Hehe, I’m probably overthinking it. She’s a pretty good person.

Yan Wuwu: Exceptionally good.

By now, Xu Shi had entered the elevator, and the signal immediately weakened, preventing her phone from receiving messages.

She looked up at the ascending numbers, only just realizing that she felt no pressure at all chatting with this “Heard.” It felt natural. More than that, she really enjoyed talking to her.

Why was she telling her everything? It was as if they had known each other for a long time.

When she stepped out of the elevator, a message from Heard had already arrived.

Heard asked again: Why are you afraid of her?

Yan Wuwu: I don’t know. I’m just afraid of her.

Yan Wuwu: Maybe it’s because she’s too beautiful, and I don’t know how to interact with someone so good-looking.

Heard: You’re very good-looking too.

Yan Wuwu: I’m too awkward, I don’t know how to make conversation.

Heard: Do you want to have a proper conversation with her?

Xu Shi seriously considered the possibility of becoming friends with Yu Lingshan.

Then she said: No.

Yan Wuwu: She’s probably very busy. She wouldn’t have time for me.

Yan Wuwu: And our paths don’t cross.

Heard suddenly went silent. Xu Shi stared at the screen for several seconds, but there was no reply.

Just as Xu Shi thought Heard was busy again and was about to put her phone down, a message came through.

Heard: You really are afraid of her.

The two of them stopped talking about Yu Lingshan. After getting home, Xu Shi discovered that the potted plant she had bought just a few days ago had bloomed. Since she had nothing else to do, she took a picture and sent it to Heard, telling her the story behind the flower’s arrival at her home.

Unexpectedly, Heard had the exact same kind of plant in her office—a large pot with only a single bloom. This coincidence made Xu Shi happy for several minutes.

Her chats with Heard continued like this. Heard would occasionally be very busy, and Xu Shi would wait for her.

Gradually, Xu Shi became more talkative. But whether she said a lot or a little, Heard would always read every word she sent and reply with gentle warmth.

Sometimes, though, Heard was a strange person. She would make wild jokes with Xu Shi, and after Xu Shi believed her, she would say, “I was just teasing you. Why do you believe everything?”

Xu Shi often felt lonely, but she wasn’t good at making friends. Weiwei was also busy with work and had an irregular schedule, so on her days off, Xu Shi was usually home alone, killing time with boring things. Besides her mother, she had no one to talk to.

Heard’s appearance seemed to add a new color to her life. Now, just the thought of being able to share what she was doing with Heard after she was done filled her heart with warmth.

Who would have thought? She and Heard had only known each other for two days.

As she was thinking about this, it was already Sunday night. Xu Shi was sitting at her desk watching a video. When it ended, she was about to pick up her phone to find Heard when she received a message.

Heard said: It’s raining outside. Remember to bring an umbrella if you go out.

Xu Shi pulled open the curtains. The window was still ajar, and a light drop of rain drifted onto her face.

Yan Wuwu: I’m not going out today.

Heard: Why are you such a homebody on the weekend?

Yan Wuwu: I don’t know where to go.

The moment she sent it, Xu Shi felt an impulse to meet Heard. But she quickly suppressed it. Then, she opened Heard’s profile picture and asked: Is that you in the photo?

Heard: It’s me.

Yan Wuwu: What a cute cat.

Heard: It’s a friend’s cat.

Yan Wuwu: What a cute friend’s cat.

Heard: You’re very cute too.

Heard’s compliment made Xu Shi laugh. She hugged her phone and rolled halfway across her bed, then thought for half a minute before deciding to chat more deeply with Heard.

Yan Wuwu: I keep calling you ‘miss,’ but I don’t even know how old you are. What if you’re younger than me?

Heard: It’s appropriate. You can call me that.

Yan Wuwu: You know how old I am?

Heard: It’s in your profile.

Xu Shi immediately clicked into Heard’s profile, but she had only filled in her birth year. She was five years older than Xu Shi.

Five years again. Xu Shi immediately thought of Yu Lingshan.

Yan Wuwu: You’re the same age as the young woman I met yesterday morning.

Heard: Is that so?

Yan Wuwu: You probably live in the city center too, right?

Heard: Mmm.

Yan Wuwu: Maybe we live close to each other.

Heard: Maybe we’ve met.

Heard’s message made Xu Shi’s heart flutter. She even had the immediate urge to ask, “How about we meet up? If you don’t mind, I’ll buy you coffee.”

But in the next second, Heard suddenly changed the subject.

She said: I did another divination for you. Want to hear it?

Xu Shi’s burst of enthusiasm was extinguished.

Yan Wuwu: Yes.

Heard: It’s related to your work.

Heard: [Image]

Xu Shi opened the image. It was a chaotic mess of black, gray, and white that she couldn’t understand at all.

When she exited the image, Heard’s explanation had already arrived: The hexagram says you’ll have a new breakthrough at work soon. It tells you to pay attention and seize the opportunity.

Xu Shi was half-convinced—the half that believed was because of Heard, the half that doubted was because of the hexagram.

Yan Wuwu: Okay.

What Xu Shi didn’t expect was how accurate Heard’s divination would be.

The next day at work, after the morning meeting, a senior leader came to their department. He said there was a company-sponsored event in a couple of days, and their department needed two people to follow up on it.

“It’s quite urgent. Xiao Zhao, confirm the numbers and report back to me in half an hour.”

Xu Shi had heard about this event last month, but rumor had it their company hadn’t won the bid. She didn’t know why they were able to participate now.

“What do you all think? Who wants to go? It’s in B-City, leaving the day after tomorrow, for three days and two nights.” Manager Zhao scanned the people below him.

In the past, Xu Shi never participated in things like this. She had no social skills and had never attended a similar event. But after Manager Zhao finished speaking, she immediately thought of what Heard had told her yesterday.

The matter was so sudden that no one seemed prepared. Looking around, no one made a sound.

Xu Shi struggled internally for a few seconds, then slowly raised her hand.

“Xu Shi?” Manager Zhao was very surprised to see her raise her hand. “You want to go?”

Instantly, everyone’s gaze fell on Xu Shi.

Xu Shi swallowed. “Yes.”

Manager Zhao smiled. “Alright, one spot for Xu Shi. Who else wants to go?”

Soon after, another colleague raised her hand. Xu Shi turned and exchanged a smile with her, and the matter was settled.

After the meeting, Xu Shi immediately typed out a flurry of messages, telling Heard what had happened.

Heard said: That’s great. Do your best.

Heard’s words were very confident, as if she was certain her divination would be accurate.

But it had to be said, Xu Shi was also starting to believe in Heard’s divinations. Whether it was the good encounter or this work opportunity, they both seemed to be spot on.

The day after tomorrow arrived quickly, and Heard became very busy. Many times, she would only reply with a sentence or two after several hours had passed.

After the plane landed, a team was there to pick up Xu Shi. She and her colleague, along with people from other companies, filled a car and headed to the hotel together.

Xu Shi already had a general idea of today’s work. It wasn’t too difficult, but it wasn’t simple either. In short, she was to follow the person she was assigned to and act as their assistant.

After getting out of the car, Xu Shi briefly checked in with the person at the entrance and was led to a workroom upstairs.

Until this moment, Xu Shi had no idea who she was assigned to. It was only when she pushed open the door and went inside that she saw the person.

And the sight gave Xu Shi a real shock.

“Xiao Zhi,” Yu Lingshan said, leaning back on a low sofa, looking surprised but not entirely so. “It’s you.”

Xu Shi was instantly at a loss.

Wh-why is it Yu Lingshan again?

“What a coincidence, haha.”

Xu Shi froze on the spot, her mind going blank, completely forgetting everything the person who had briefed her had just said.

Just then, someone nearby said they wanted coffee. Xu Shi quickly raised her hand. “I’ll go buy it.”

And then she vanished.

Not long after Xu Shi left, Yu Lingshan’s phone vibrated. A message from Yan Wuwu was on the screen.

Yan Wuwu: Help me, I ran into her again!

Yu Lingshan locked her phone with a sigh of resignation and turned to ask her assistant, “Is there something wrong with my face?”

The assistant immediately grew tense and leaned closer. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong with your face?”

Yu Lingshan pushed her away. “It’s nothing.”

Then she turned to the man sitting behind her playing on his phone and said, “If you want coffee, can’t you go buy it yourself? Don’t have hands?”