TSMLI Chapter 25

Lin Chu saw the text message at half past four. The department meeting had been extended by half an hour, leaving her with a great deal of work still unfinished.

Shen Zhongxun’s message said he had something to do today and told her to go home by herself after work. Lin Chu pursed her lips and promptly deleted it.

She finished organizing her materials, intending to take them home to complete. As she hurried toward the company gate she saw Jiang Jin leaning against his motorcycle, pointing at her and saying to Yang Chunbei, “Look, here she comes!”

Yang Chunbei seemed displeased yet forced a smile. “I’ve been waiting for you for ages. I told him your meeting wasn’t over yet, but he insisted on waiting!”

Lin Chu was taken aback. She had long forgotten what Yang Chunbei had said to her in the cafeteria at noon and asked curiously, “Why are you waiting for me?”

Jiang Jin immediately glanced at Yang Chunbei, who quickly explained, “Hey, didn’t I just tell you at noon that we should have lunch together? You didn’t want to, so I told Jiang Jin, but he doesn’t believe me. You should talk to him!”

Lin Chu then remembered and said to Jiang Jin, “I already told Yang Chunbei I’m not going. You two go by yourselves!”

Jiang Jin said, “Why are you so hard to invite? It’s just a meal!”

Lin Chu laughed. “It’s just a meal. Why do you have to treat me?”

“What’s the reason or excuse for friends having a meal together? Aren’t we friends?”

Lin Chu thought for a moment, patted her shoulder bag, and said, “Look, my bag is full of documents. I have a ton of work to do. I really don’t have time to eat.”

She spoke the truth, yet Jiang Jin was angered.

He had had a tough time these past few days, spending a week in the hospital surrounded by corpses covered in white sheets and the constant smell of disinfectant. Although he had finally broken the big news with an exclusive scoop, no one had been happy for him or celebrated with him. Only his colleagues at the newspaper had let him treat them to a meal with his bonus. The rest of the time he had received caring text messages and phone calls from Yang Chunbei.

Jiang Jin had wanted Lin Chu to praise him, but she seemed to have completely forgotten about it. Logically Yang Chunbei should have mentioned it to her.

He did not want to lower himself any further, so he simply ignored Lin Chu, got on his motorcycle, and let Yang Chunbei sit behind him. He said to Lin Chu indifferently, “Okay, I’ll treat you next time you have time!”

With that the motorcycle sped away with a roar.

Lin Chu shrugged, struggled to squeeze onto the bus, and it took her a long time to reach the platform. After walking for quite some time she finally returned to her rented room, covered in sweat.

It was too hot and she had little appetite. After taking a shower she began working, typing away on the computer. When she was halfway through she felt a little hungry, so she opened a pack of instant noodles and ate them dry, crunching them crisply.

While searching for keywords related to “city investment,” Lin Chu inadvertently discovered a recent news item. The lessee of the factory in Huitian North where the accident had occurred had officially filed a lawsuit against Nanjiang City Investment Group. This news, which had been dormant for a long time, was brought to the forefront again. As a wholly state-owned enterprise directly under the Nanjiang Municipal Government, it had disregarded environmental construction and the safety of the people by carrying out violent demolitions. This undoubtedly tarnished the glorious achievements of Nanjiang’s urban development over the past decades, leaving a dark and foul stain on the record.

Lin Chu frowned, grabbed the instant noodles that had fallen onto the keyboard, and stuffed them into her mouth. Logically, if the lessee’s partner had not caused trouble by Nanhu Lake, the incident would have been covered up long ago. This was enough to prove that the lessee had originally reached an agreement with the city investment company. Yet just as the matter was fading from people’s memories the old story resurfaced and a lawsuit was filed. Lin Chu was completely baffled. Even after finishing her noodles she still could not figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about these things that were irrelevant to her and focused on finishing her remaining work. She did not fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.

On nights filled with the chirping of insects and the calls of birds, the sounds of nature seemed to perform a symphony, causing some to toss and turn in bed.

Chuqian, originally a small county town, had not received much attention from the Nanjiang Municipal Government for many years. Many corners retained the most outdated features of a town. This residential building had witnessed the more than twenty years that Chuqian had gone through since it was transformed from a county town into a district. Behind the building lay a black ditch, blocked by a grove of trees. Frogs could often be heard croaking at night.

Shen Zhongxun lay on the bed, holding the photograph in his hand and gazing at it repeatedly.

Lin Chu had been very pretty as a child. Her face was small and fair, with a bit of baby fat that made her look good on camera. Perhaps because she was thirteen or fourteen years old she always seemed carefree.

But Shen Zhongxun did not want to look at Lin Chu right now. He only wanted to know who the man next to her was. Their behavior was too intimate, and he felt heavy-hearted.

His text messages to Lin Chu went unanswered, as if no matter what he did she kept him shut out.

Shen Zhongxun was not shameless. He would feel unhappy after being thwarted several times, yet his desire to have Lin Chu always overshadowed it.

At this moment he stared at the photo again and again. His doubts, resentment, bitterness, and hidden anger all erupted at once. He did not know what to do next. If a male colleague appeared beside Lin Chu he could go and remind him, but if this old photo were placed in front of her, would it evoke her past memories? Shen Zhongxun was unwilling.

After much thought he decided to put the matter aside for the time being and not go to Lin Chu. He needed time to think things through.

Wednesday passed peacefully. No one’s name appeared in Lin Chu’s phone. However, Xue Quan obtained her phone number and asked inexplicably, “Was this your old number too?”

Lin Chu asked, puzzled, “Yes, what’s wrong?”

Xue Quan raised an eyebrow but did not answer. He simply downloaded a ringtone from the internet to use as Lin Chu’s exclusive incoming call.

In the afternoon a colleague asked Lin Chu to call someone. Xue Quan was always wandering around and never settled down. When she needed him to do something serious she could never find him.

The moment the number was dialed, a line from a song lyric echoed from the corridor outside the office: “A Lin Daiyu fell from the sky,” followed by the next line, playing on repeat twice. Lin Chu immediately snapped out of it and forcefully hung up the phone.

Xue Quan slowly walked in, twirling his phone, and leaned over Lin Chu’s desk, grinning as he said, “I just gave you the number, and you’re already using it?”

Lin Chu moved aside to keep her distance from him, and her colleague immediately waved and called Xue Quan over to handle the matter. Yet everyone looked at the two young people with a strange expression.

The worst thing in this kind of workplace is forming cliques. However, Lin Chu’s position was too low, far from that threshold. What she feared most was the gossip of the second rank. She remained on high alert and tried her best to avoid playboys.

Before they knew it day and night had turned, and Thursday had finally arrived. August was upon them. A colleague at work had a family background in the military, and on Army Day she liked to boast to others about the various ranks held in the compound.

Lin Chu changed into a cheongsam in the conference room on the second floor. When she pulled back the curtain her colleague was still talking nonstop. Yang Chunbei whispered to her, “She likes to show off. Doesn’t she see the other girls? They’re all from the military!” She covered her mouth and laughed. “What’s so good about this lousy company of ours? Everyone’s crowding in here, and it smells like garbage everywhere. I don’t think state-owned enterprises are like this!”

Lin Chu laughed. “Who knows? Maybe it’s just good feng shui.”

A group of pretty young women took their positions and greeted the inspection team from the neighboring city under the scorching sun. Among the city leaders who accompanied them, several looked familiar, as they had recently visited the landfill.

A bead of sweat slid down Lin Chu’s forehead, but she did not dare wipe it away. She stood upright, her gaze occasionally meeting Yang Chunbei’s. Both of them held complaints and helplessness in their eyes.

The leaders strolled leisurely from east to west, hands behind their backs, and it took them quite a while to reach Lin Chu’s location. She was finally able to step into the shady area and open the door for the leaders to enter the exhibition hall.

Yang Chunbei accompanied the exhibition hall manager to give an introduction, while Lin Chu was busy serving tea and water, walking around and trying to avoid the photographer’s lens.

She took a few big steps, her high heels clicking crisply on the tiles. A leader noticed her and said with a smile, “Young lady, don’t rush to pour water. Watch your step. Go sit over there. It’s alright!”

Lin Chu smiled shyly, feeling a little flattered. Sitting down to rest was out of the question. After pouring the last cup of tea she stood by the wall and acted like a puppet.

The friendly leader and others said, “It’s been three or four years since I last came here. Things have changed a lot. Old Xue, do you still remember back then…?”

The group of middle-aged people began to reminisce about the past. In such a large place they actually spent the most time in the exhibition hall, and finally finished their visit just before three o’clock. The leader walked past Lin Chu and smiled at her. “Now you can go and rest. It seems that our arrival has been the most exhausting for you young ladies!”

Lin Chu smiled, feeling a sense of honor at being praised.

With their work finally finished, Lin Chu and Yang Chunbei breathed a sigh of relief and rushed back to the office building, eager to get home.

Yang Chunbei changed out of her cheongsam, re-braided her hair, and said, “Hey, the leader you were talking to seemed really nice, not at all arrogant. What’s his position?”

Lin Chu said, “I didn’t pay attention at all. There were so many schemes and traps, it was all so confusing!”

Yang Chunbei laughed. “I didn’t listen carefully, but it shouldn’t be the biggest.”

After changing their clothes the two returned to their respective departments. Lin Chu had a relatively light workload today, so she lingered for a while before it was time to leave. Just as she finished packing up and was about to go, her department head rushed back from outside and stopped her. “Are you free tonight? If not, you can work overtime.”

Lin Chu said, “I’m free tonight. What kind of work?”

The leader replied, “It’s a dinner party.”

Lin Chu had worked for a whole year and never attended any dinner parties.

Many people think that state-owned enterprises only have unspoken rules like “connections,” but they do not know that dinner parties are one of them. Any enterprise that needs to make a profit has its own unspoken rules. Waste disposal is contributing to the city, and not making money does not mean it does not need to make money. Lin Chu understood this well, so when Yang Chunbei complained to her about dinner parties she was not surprised.

This kind of thing usually did not happen to Lin Chu’s department, but for some reason today the leader wanted to take her along. She could not help feeling uneasy, her heart pounding. She wanted to refuse, yet she was afraid of making a mistake in her words. After all, she had just agreed to work overtime a minute ago, and if she made an excuse the next minute it would be too obvious.

The leader urged, “Hurry up and pack up. We’ll leave now, and we won’t eat too late.”

Lin Chu stammered, “I don’t drink alcohol.”

The leader said, “You don’t need to drink, just sit there. Hurry up, they should all be on the bus by now. Don’t worry, there are several girls, not just you!”

After saying that he turned and left, urging Lin Chu to hurry up and follow. She did not even have time to make another excuse.

The location was set at the Nanhu Hotel, and it would take some time to get there. Nestled in the passenger seat, Lin Chu called Ye Jing. Ye Jing, still at work, exclaimed in surprise, “You’re going to a dinner party? Oh my god, I hope nothing bad happens!”

Lin Chu reassured herself, “No, no.” She deliberately added, “Look, I definitely won’t be free before seven o’clock. If you really have something to do, then call me!”

Ye Jing and Lin Chu had known each other for four years and shared a great understanding. Ye Jing immediately understood and said, “Okay, I think I definitely need your help on this side. I’ll give you a call later!”

Lin Chu felt much more at ease and soon arrived at the hotel.

The leader’s explanation was that there were not enough people, so Lin Chu had been asked to fill in. Therefore it had nothing to do with the department, and the leader’s position did not qualify him to participate.

Actually there were not many girls present. Two familiar-looking girls belonged to the general manager’s office, while Lin Chu had not seen the other two before, but they were clearly used to drinking and extremely skilled at it.

Xiao Zou from the General Manager’s Office was tall and had a cold and aloof appearance, yet she was very easy to get along with. She pulled Lin Chu to sit down and whispered, “The other two are from the City Investment Company. As for the bureau chiefs, I don’t need to tell you. None of the serious ones came to eat, and these are the only ones who aren’t serious.” She then asked curiously, “But it’s really strange that you came here.”

Lin Chu was equally puzzled, but she soon found out the answer.

She looked young and was very proper at the dinner table, only taking small sips of low-alcohol red wine. The other people, who had been through thick and thin for many years, could tell that she was different at a glance. Although they found it strange, no one said anything.

The leader who had spoken to Lin Chu that afternoon was sitting diagonally across from her. After a few drinks the room temperature rose, and someone started a commotion, making several young women stand up to offer toasts, especially targeting Lin Chu. “They’ve all had quite a bit to drink, so just drink as you please. You haven’t had much to drink, which is very disrespectful to the leader!”

The kind leader immediately spoke up for her. “It’s not allowed to bully young girls.” He smiled and asked Lin Chu, “You look a bit young. How old are you this year?”

Lin Chu’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively felt that she had done something foolish today. She smiled and said, “I’m twenty-five.”

The leader said “Oh,” and added, “I didn’t realize you were a recent graduate!”

The group chatted and drank among themselves, and the leader spoke to Lin Chu without attracting much attention. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Lin Chu nodded. “Yes, they’re getting married soon!”

She guessed that men preferred clean-cut, young girls, so she answered this way on purpose, hoping to dispel any lingering thoughts in others.

But the man does not talk about marriage with her, so who cares what she says?

The leader had just exempted her from drinking, yet soon changed his tune and asked her to drink a few glasses, which naturally led to others egging him on.

Lin Chu could not refuse the other party immediately, so she slowly finished the red wine in her hand, then pretended to be unable to hold her liquor, deliberately swaying before sitting down again. In fact a glass of red wine was not enough to make her drunk.

A moment later she was persuaded to drink another glass. The tactful person had already made room for her and, while talking, asked her to sit down next to the leader to offer a toast. Lin Chu really did not know how to handle it, so she had no choice but to sit down and carefully finish the second glass. Her face was already flushed, yet she was not confused at all.

Seven o’clock was still a long time coming, and she could not return to her seat. The leader started chatting with her casually, and by the end the atmosphere at the table had become increasingly lively. He patted Lin Chu’s leg and laughed, “So young, but you’re very capable. You’re good at studying and good at working. Your parents must be very proud of you!” As he spoke he simply placed his hand on her leg.

Lin Chu’s expression changed slightly, and she could not help but move her legs. She gave a perfunctory reply, but the other person’s hand seemed to have taken root. After sticking to her he even rubbed her leg with his thumb. Lin Chu immediately got goosebumps. She calmly picked up her wine glass, smiled, took a sip, and then coughed violently. Her body trembled, and the wine in her mouth dripped onto her leg. The large hand immediately withdrew.

She had just breathed a sigh of relief when, unexpectedly, the hand patted her back. The leader said with concern, “Why are you drinking so fast? Drink slowly, drink slowly!”

His hand movements slowed, and as he stroked downward Lin Chu could even feel his fingers brushing against the bra strap through her clothes.

Her back stiffened, and she could no longer force a smile. When her phone rang she stood up abruptly, suppressing her anger and nausea. She apologized to her boss and hurriedly ran out of the private room.

The private rooms in the Chinese restaurant on the third floor were like a maze, with dragon-like patterns engraved on the walls, leading all the way to the restaurant’s front desk. Each private room had the same door, high up in the ceiling, making it seem as though one were going in circles, which was very easy to confuse people.

Lin Chu felt dizzy when she saw the white wall with the dragon motif. She covered her phone and walked a little further away, grumbling, “How can you find an excuse to leave!”

Ye Jing asked her how things were going, and Lin Chu started to tear up as she spoke. “It’s disgusting! He’s older than my dad, and he actually touched my leg! It’s disgusting!”

Ye Jing said angrily, “Just say you have something to do at home and leave right away!”

Lin Chu nodded fiercely, wiping away the tears that were about to stream down her face. “I’ll leave right away. At worst I’ll get scolded by the director. I’m not a prostitute!” She turned around angrily and walked toward the private room, explaining the situation to the leader with teary eyes. “My sister has carbon monoxide poisoning. Her neighbor just called me!”

Tears streamed down her face, seemingly genuine. The leader, not in a hurry, asked with concern if she needed a ride home, but Lin Chu naturally declined and hurriedly ran out of the private room.

Shen Zhongxun was smoking at the curved corner, listening intently to every word of Lin Chu’s earlier phone call.

He had been so busy these past two days that he could not spare a moment to think. He only wanted to find some time to reflect, yet he did not even have time for that. He had hidden that photo very well, only glancing at it occasionally. He never grew tired of looking at Lin Chu’s face.

Shen Zhongxun tried his best to hold back, took another deep breath, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lin Chu wipe away her tears and stride out with her head held high. He then hid behind her and watched her get into the elevator.

Back in the private room the others teased, “We were just saying you were lost. If you had known there was a restroom inside, you wouldn’t have taken this long to go to the bathroom after you finished the call!”

Shen Zhongxun smiled and made a few perfunctory remarks, then raised his wine glass and downed it in one gulp.

Feng Zhi hosted a dinner at his own hotel, his purpose still being to attract investment for the project. Shen Zhongxun did not budge and insisted on his position. Feng Zhi was inevitably indignant, yet he could not force the issue.

Unexpectedly, after Shen Zhongxun sat down he took the initiative to ask, “After you go out, turn left and count the fourth door on the left. Who are the people inside tonight?”

Feng Zhi pondered. “The fourth door… Room number six.” He raised an eyebrow and smiled at Shen Zhongxun. “Why are you asking about this?”

Shen Zhongxun waited for his reply without saying a word. Feng Zhi could not get anything out of him, so after thinking for a moment he said, “Those officials from the neighboring city!”

He could not give specific names or positions, only saying that it was an inspection team that had recently arrived.

Shen Zhongxun frowned. “I want to know what happened in that private room tonight.”

Feng Zhi smiled. “That’s easy. I’ll tell you later!”

After the dinner everyone headed to the next venue. Shen Zhongxun lagged behind, listening to Feng Zhi recount the situation in VIP room number six. Upon hearing this his expression darkened, and the sudden drop in atmosphere sent chills down the spines of those around him.