3 A Fierce Battle

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Nie Rushuang spoke with intention. At her age, she no longer cared much for worldly matters. Her own daughter had already resorted to buying those toys that promised a “burst of pleasure.” The most important thing now was her daughter’s physical and mental happiness. Yet, she only expressed her thoughts briefly; a call from the reading club about the next day’s performance of “My Motherland and I” made her forget the matter entirely.

Si Mingming didn’t even see her message and told the matchmaker, “No matter what, just meet once and make a friend.”

Si Mingming was unaware of this. She glanced at the time—time to sleep and nurture health—and casually turned off her phone. Lu Manman always complained about Si Mingming’s schedule. In her heart, Si Mingming, as a “junior” leader in a top industry company, should have a bit more of a reckless attitude. Sleeping her health-nurturing sleep every day was ungrateful. To put it bluntly, she resented trying to find Si Mingming at night for company, only to be repeatedly disappointed. Si Mingming was very firm about this: no matter what, she had to get a good rest. Anyone or anything that interfered with her sleep must be dealt with.

The news of layoffs had indeed leaked out, but no leader dared to investigate. Privately, people at the meeting told Si Mingming, “Good thing there was no confidentiality agreement signed, otherwise no one would have escaped blame.”

Si Mingming said nothing. The boss was so clever—how could he trust his subordinates’ integrity enough not to require a confidentiality agreement? It was merely a means of balance. Once the news got out, the team was in turmoil; everyone tried to perform well, while the boss, like a wolf, silently observed from his post. Boss Yi Nan usually showed a commanding presence, but from his daily frequency of entering and leaving the office, Si Mingming sensed his panic. The great ship of the times was about to capsize; no one could escape the storm. Everyone was clearly distracted, waiting for the guillotine to fall to see whose head would be severed.

She understood all this but said little. Chen Ming said he wanted to invite her to a “lunch meeting,” sending her the restaurant location directly, adding, “We sit in the office all day, our metabolism slows down. Let’s eat something healthy.”

Si Mingming remembered the lemon water at that restaurant vividly. Watching the matchmaker’s exaggerated, comical manner of a blind date, the lemon water seemed even more sour than usual. She didn’t want to go, but Chen Ming had already walked across the entire office area to knock on her door, warmly saying, “Boss Ming, let’s go! Someone’s taken your seat!”

Seeing this, Si Mingming knew Chen Ming wanted to play office politics, but she didn’t want to make things tense at the moment. She got up and followed him. On the way, Chen Ming kept silent about the layoffs and instead chatted about old times.

The “old times” referred to when Si Mingming first joined the company and rotated under Chen Ming. Fresh out of school, she had performed exceptionally during her internship, earning a special recruitment by the then-boss and was hired directly after graduation. At that time, Chen Ming was just starting the wireless membership business, busy opening up the market, and Si Mingming followed behind him as his diligent assistant.

Si Mingming, in her early twenties, wore a bob haircut. Her small round face revealed two tiny dimples when she smiled. When Chen Ming assigned tasks, she didn’t take notes like others. Instead, she tilted her head and listened attentively, occasionally asking key questions. While others struggled to keep up with their notes, she had already completed insight and analysis of the task.

Youth is admirable. Chen Ming often praised Si Mingming like this to other team leaders. Indeed, she was impressive. In eight years, she seemed to rocket through promotions, gaining her own office and leading a professional team. No matter how many bosses changed, she remained unshaken.

Her rapid rise sparked countless rumors. Her first office scandal was related to Chen Ming. At that time, Chen Ming admired her, giving her rotation review extraordinarily high marks and petitioning the director to keep her in his group.

Now, as Chen Ming reminisced about these old stories, he felt somewhat nostalgic and self-deprecating: “After all these years, being on the same level as Mingming is nothing to be ashamed of. I sincerely admire her.”

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Si Mingming stopped to look at him, but her eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. Chen Ming guessed they were calm. Afraid of the sun, she was covered head to toe in summer sun-protective clothing and wore sunglasses—on the street, she looked like a strange figure. When she appeared in the restaurant, Su Jingqiu, busy with the lunch rush, was nudged by the waiter Tao Tao, who whispered, “Look up.”

The advantage of a transparent counter for healthy food was that every kind of person could be seen, each with their own interesting traits.

Su Jingqiu glanced up. The “wrapped dumpling” had taken off her sun-protective clothing, revealing a carefully tailored formal outfit underneath, incongruous with the surrounding T-shirts and jeans. Su Jingqiu just observed briefly, but the woman suddenly turned around and looked at him through the glass.

How to describe that glance? Su Jingqiu considered himself fearless, yet his heart still tightened. Tao Tao’s hand trembled, causing him to pour too much sauce as he muttered, “Creepy. That look was too creepy. Does she want to kill us?” The restaurant saw many customers, but regulars were few. Yet Tao Tao was strangely familiar with this fear. While frying steaks, he even asked Su Jingqiu, “Has she been here before? That woman.”

Su Jingqiu didn’t remember. His mind was full of the plainly dressed Zheng Liang, and he only paid extra attention to diners who buttoned their shirts up to the neck, mistaking them for her. Su Jingqiu was caught in an emotional storm—his beloved had sailed away on a great ship, while he drifted here. What kind of person was Su Jingqiu? He wouldn’t sink in the storm; he resolved to fight through its center and row to his own shore. His friend Gu Junchuan joked about his mindset as “unwilling” and “self-destructive,” reminding him that marriage shouldn’t be taken lightly—it could cost half his life. They somewhat resembled brothers in hardship.

His light-eating restaurant focused on “health” and “male charm.” Health meant the food—no layered flavors, just the true taste of ingredients, yet not too hard to swallow. Calories were strictly counted, offering concierge-like service to calorie-conscious diners. The “male charm” was a glamorous label customers slapped on. The restaurant owner was handsome, as were his staff, carving out a niche in a fiercely competitive business district.

After ordering, the diner looked back again, this time at Su Jingqiu’s arm, as if probing something. Being labeled the “salesman of male charm,” Su Jingqiu was no stranger to such looks. Standing behind the counter, on the other side of the transparent glass, he was always subjected to gazes—shy, bold, admiring, probing… occasionally alluring or lewd.

Tao Tao once worried aloud, “Although Boss Su wears clothes, I feel like in many people’s minds, he’s already naked.”

Su Jingqiu raised his arm, patted his bulging muscle, and joked, “I hope they don’t forget I’ve got this too!”

He was the living advertisement for the healthy restaurant, as if saying: eat my food, and you’ll be like me.

Si Mingming recalled Nie Rushuang saying this man looked physically impressive, so she glanced back once more. The company had many men and women, all cooped up at their desks, seldom exercising. Few had such a healthy physique. She thought: actually, our employee care is insufficient. I should talk to Xinxin about adding more incentives to the walking program.

“Do you like this kind?” Chen Ming noticed her glancing repeatedly and said.

Si Mingming shrugged, saying little. Throughout the meal, Chen Ming did not mention the layoffs list. Only when paying did he ask, “What about other departments?”

“No rush, there’s still time. I’ll have Sun Jing talk to you this afternoon.”

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As Si Mingming spoke, she heard a phone notification and saw a message from her mother, Mrs. Nie Rushuang: “Health appointment confirmed for Friday night.”

Si Mingming put down her phone and looked toward the counter again. Her blind date seemed completely unaware of the matchmaking, busy frying a steak. The cooking was vigorous, sizzling with oil and quickly catching fire. Yet his movements were swift, and in an instant, the steak was on the plate. With a finger’s push, a handsome waiter began plating. The counter bustled with orderly activity, and the restaurant was filled with laughter. The clean aroma of meat filled the air—a pleasing experience.

“Wait a moment,” she said to Chen Ming, rising slowly in her heels. The crisp sound drew the attention of some male diners. Si Mingming stopped by the transparent glass. Su Jingqiu had turned his back, squatting to open the lower refrigerated cabinet to fetch fresh lemons. The washed lemons rolled on the counter, emitting a cool mist that instantly dispelled the summer heat.

Si Mingming tilted her head, looking for a long while. This blind date, who seemed to have fallen from the sky, was right before her eyes. Even staunch materialist Si Mingming couldn’t help but think: what a remarkable coincidence.

Tao Tao saw this and pouted, whispering, “Boss! Boss! That woman…” He wanted to say she was looking at you like she wanted to kill you, but when Su Jingqiu turned, he only saw a departing back.

“Crazy!” Tao Tao said. “Now I know why I’m afraid of her—I remember! She’s been here before! She looks like she’s lost her mind!” Tao Tao was joking, but he couldn’t explain the strange fear he felt toward that woman without some excuse. Otherwise, it would seem like cowardice.

Su Jingqiu only checked his phone after finishing the lunch rush. He saw a message from his mother, Mrs. Wang Qingfang: “Blind date this Friday night. Remember to cover your tattooed arms.” No photo included—somewhat irresponsible.

Su Jingqiu hadn’t realized he was circulating so quickly in the matchmaking market. He had only impulsively decided to ride out his emotional storm, hoping to use what seemed a straightforward marriage to win back some ground in front of Zheng Liang. But less than twenty-four hours after expressing this idea, his blind date was already at the table.

This was far too thrilling.