CHAPTER 2
Warm and Cold Fronts
A few minutes later, Chi Yang sat upright in the passenger seat, filled with regret. She had been so busy last night and so groggy this morning that she had forgotten to ask Director Qin about the other person's name and background beforehand.
As she was thinking, Chi Yang discreetly glanced at the rearview mirror.
Lu Yunqi wore a simple white linen shirt, the top button loosely undone, with the cuffs slightly rolled up. Her jet-black hair was neatly pinned up at the nape of her neck, and the high bridge of her nose traced an elegant curve. A pair of amber-brown framed glasses sat on her face, her eyes deep and composed, as if concealing an incredibly precise instrument behind them.
She was reserved, calm, and distant.
Chi Yang had summed up this kind of captivating aura back in college as: the high-intelligence vibe of a STEM woman.
Chi Yang recalled the thought that had crossed her mind when she first met Lu Yunqi.
Lu Yunqi was the best-looking person among all the top students she had ever met.
And after all these years, she still was.
Lu Yunqi sat in the seat diagonally behind Chi Yang, responding to Director Qin's questions in a lukewarm tone.
Chi Yang remained silent, ears pricked as she listened intently, her left side stiff against the seat. Whether it was her imagination or not, she could feel a burning gaze fixed on her from behind, as if it might bore a small hole through the back of her seat.
"Miss Lu, I heard you did your undergraduate at Ning University. Coincidentally, Xiao Chi is also a Ning University graduate. You two should have plenty in common to talk about," Director Qin said, pulling Chi Yang into the center of the conversation.
Lu Yunqi, who had been quiet since getting into the car, suddenly perked up and asked with interest, "Oh? Miss Chi also graduated from Ning University?"
Chi Yang: "..."
Keep pretending...
Suppressing her exasperation, Chi Yang forced a stiff smile, turned slightly toward the back, and said with a strained grin, "Yes, Miss Lu. Though I don't think we were in the same major, I studied journalism."
Lu Yunqi's expression betrayed nothing, as if she truly knew nothing about Chi Yang, calmly listening as Chi Yang introduced herself.
Finally, Chi Yang heard Lu Yunqi say, "I've just returned to the country and I'm not very familiar with Ning City. I hope you'll take good care of me, Miss Chi."
Chi Yang froze for a moment. Seeing her dazed expression, Director Qin readily agreed on her behalf, "Of course, Miss Lu. Whether it's work or daily life, if there's anything you don't understand or find hard to adjust to, feel free to come to Xiao Chi. Xiao Chi is especially happy to help."
Chi Yang: "..."
Chi Yang had no choice but to smile in agreement.
Seeing this, Lu Yunqi turned her head contentedly to look out the window, and in a corner no one could see, a smug smile curled at the corners of her lips.
Outside the window, the sky had unknowingly turned gloomy, the air thick with moisture, and a cool dampness had gathered on the glass.
Due to the meeting of warm and cold fronts, severe convective weather was expected in the coming week.
......
Lu Yunqi had just returned to the country and hadn't had time to find a place to live, so she was temporarily staying at a star-rated hotel not far from her workplace.
After dropping Lu Yunqi off at the hotel, Director Qin, seeing the situation, was full of concern and unceremoniously dumped the arduous task of helping Lu Yunqi find an apartment onto Chi Yang.
Chi Yang felt like a mute swallowing bitter herbs, unable to voice her suffering, yet she still put on a cheerful expression.
Lu Yunqi: "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Miss Chi?"
'At least you have a conscience.'
Chi Yang thought to herself.
Then Lu Yunqi shifted her tone, "Then I'll thank Miss Chi in advance."
Chi Yang: ?
No conscience at all.
After watching Lu Yunqi leave, back in the car, Chi Yang was about to speak. "Director..."
Director Qin didn't need to guess what she was going to say, so he cut her off, "Your overtime compensation will be doubled starting next month."
Chi Yang immediately fell silent, afraid that one more word would make her bonus vanish into thin air.
As soon as Chi Yang got home, she threw herself onto the bed and fell into a deep, groggy sleep. When she woke up again, the sky outside had already darkened.
The sky outside the window was dyed a uniform, velvet-textured dark blue, and small window panes filled with light began to flicker on one by one. The bedroom seemed suspended in the gap between light and dark.
Chi Yang groggily reached for the cup on her nightstand, only to find it empty, so she had to get up and head to the kitchen.
While waiting for the water to fill, Chi Yang leaned against the counter and idly played with her phone. Two unread messages from McDonald's about spring employee benefits sat quietly in her WeChat feed. Chi Yang swiped the chat away and instead tapped into her conversation with Tang Mo. After a moment's thought, she sent: [ I ran into Lu Yunqi. ]
Tang Mo replied instantly, [ Lu Yunqi? The one who stole your first kiss, then acted like it was no big deal, then asked to be your best friend, and then just up and left for abroad without even telling you? That Lu Yunqi? ]
Chi Yang: ?
Why did that make Lu Yunqi sound like some heartless scoundrel? Whatever, she'd let it go.
[ Yes! Her! ] With that, Chi Yang sent a "kitten nodding vigorously" sticker.
[ What did she come to you for? ] Tang Mo's reply speed was still lightning fast, and Chi Yang could practically feel her burning curiosity through the screen.
Chi Yang picked up the cup she'd filled with water, took a gulp, and continued typing, [ She's back in the country, about to start working at our institute doing research.]
Tang Mo sent back three ambiguous thumbs-up.jpg stickers, along with a message: [ Good thing she's not your boss, or she'd be torturing you. ]
Back in university, Chi Yang had indeed been tormented by Lu Yunqi more than once.
......
Before bed, Chi Yang leaned against the headboard with her tablet propped up, binge-watching a drama.
Suddenly, a WeChat message notification popped up at the top of the tablet screen. Chi Yang grabbed her phone from the nightstand and tapped into the "Contacts" page with the little red dot hanging on it.
!
An official, formal friend request appeared on the screen.
[ Hello, Miss Chi. This is Lu Yunqi. ]
Where on earth did Lu Yunqi get her WeChat...
Chi Yang was just puzzling over this when another message popped up at the top of her phone: [ Xiao Chi, Miss Lu asked me for your WeChat, so I passed it along to her. ]
Mystery solved...
Chi Yang reluctantly replied to Director Qin, [ Okay, got it, Director. ]
Chi Yang miserably pounded her throw pillow a few times before accepting the friend request from the account nicknamed "L."
After adding her on WeChat, Chi Yang took the initiative to greet her first: [ Hello, Miss Lu. I'm Chi Yang from the Municipal Bureau's Press Office. ]
'You want to play pretend? I can play pretend even better than you.'
Chi Yang was silently competing.
A moment later.
[ Miss Chi, I've just returned to the country. I'll have to trouble you to bear with me in the future. } Lu Yunqi seemed perfectly at ease, playing the act so naturally that Chi Yang almost wondered if Lu Yunqi genuinely didn't recognize her.
That would be way too deflating...
Chi Yang quickly dismissed the thought in her mind, and replied in a businesslike manner: [ No trouble at all, Miss Lu. Feel free to come to me whenever you need anything. ]
Lu Yunqi cut straight to the point: [ I've scheduled an appointment with a rental agent next weekend. Would you be able to accompany me to look at some apartments, Miss Chi? ]
Chi Yang: "..."
She really doesn't hold back at all.
Then, the other side added another line: [ If Miss Chi doesn't have the time, then no need to force it. ]
Was it just her imagination? Chi Yang felt like she could smell a faint whiff of something subtly scheming.
Aside from Director Qin, there were five people in the Press Office. When weather conditions were stable, they only needed to remain on standby and report to duty as needed. But recently, due to strong convective weather, Director Qin had arranged a rotation of duty shifts for them, that is, from Monday to Friday next week, and Chi Yang was assigned to the Friday night shift.
Chi Yang opened the "Weather" app again, which showed that the weekend was expected to clear up. She thought for a moment, then replied, [ I'm free all of next weekend. You pick the time. ]
Lu Yunqi: [ Alright, I'll let you know once I've made the arrangements. ]
[ Thank you, Miss Chi. ]
Chi Yang casually found a "cat says you're welcome" sticker and sent it over.
After ending the conversation, Chi Yang looked at the profile picture of the person she'd been going back and forth with. The background was plain gray, with only a cartoon-style cloud in the very center.
Such a minimalist profile picture and nickname, that was very Lu Yunqi, Chi Yang thought to herself.
......
Before she knew it, Monday arrived.
Morning light slowly filtered through the thin mist, like faint ink gradually emerging as rice paper absorbs water. The air was heavy with dew, mingling with the fresh scent of earth to form a vibrant undertone.
Chi Yang took the elevator to the seventh floor. Passing by the office, she noticed Gu Weiwei and Wen Jie huddled together chatting, so she made a show of knocking on the door and declared with righteous indignation: "Working hours, no idle chit-chat."
The two inside flinched, then turned toward the door at the sound. Seeing it was Chi Yang, they patted their chests in relief and laughed, beckoning her in.
Gu Weiwei had joined the bureau even earlier than Chi Yang and had long since become a seasoned veteran, there wasn't a single thing going on in the bureau that she didn't know about.
Chi Yang naturally joined them, deliberately lowering her voice as if passing along classified intel, drawing out her words in a soft whisper: "What's going on, Sister Weiwei?"
Wen Jie was amused by Chi Yang's comical demeanor.
Gu Weiwei said: "Yangyang, didn't you go with the Director to pick someone up at the airport last week?"
Chi Yang nodded.
Gu Weiwei: "That person officially started today, and she came in as a senior engineer right off the bat. Apparently, Bureau Chief Song is personally giving her a floor-by-floor tour right now, and Director Qin went along too. You scared me with that knock just now, I thought the tour group was coming."
Wen Jie couldn't help but marvel, "That's quite the grand treatment."
Gu Weiwei asked curiously again, "Yangyang, you're the only one who's seen this big shot. Come on, describe her for us."
An image of Lu Yunqi's striking features flashed through Chi Yang's mind. She paused thoughtfully, then answered truthfully, "She looks like a big shot."
Gu Weiwei and Wen Jie exchanged a glance.
That was like saying nothing at all...
Seeing that they weren't satisfied, Chi Yang frantically searched her brain for words to describe Lu Yunqi, then ventured tentatively, "Does 'beautiful' count?"
Gu Weiwei and Wen Jie's eyes lit up, and they grew excited: "A beautiful big shot!"
Chi Yang furrowed her brow, covered her ears, and made a "shush" gesture.
Gu Weiwei slung an arm around her shoulder: "No matter how good-looking she is, she's not as good-looking as our Yangyang."
From the day Chi Yang first set foot in the Municipal Bureau, Gu Weiwei had repeatedly insisted that only Chi Yang deserved the title of "Bureau Beauty."
Chi Yang, however, always felt the name was a bit odd.
Like the name of a flower...
A little over ten minutes later, Bureau Chief Song indeed led a small group of people up to the seventh floor.
As footsteps grew nearer, Chi Yang picked up her coffee cup, leaned back slightly in her chair, and cast a subtle glance toward the office door. Though Lu Yunqi walked in the middle of the group, she seemed to be surrounded by a natural barrier, as if separating herself from the people and things around her.
Bureau Chief Song introduced her in an official tone, "Xiao Lu, these are our colleagues from the Press Office. Press briefings are also a very important part of our work."
Hearing this, Gu Weiwei rose from her desk and stepped forward to introduce herself, "Hello, Bureau Chief Song. Hello, Engineer Lu. I'm Gu Weiwei, deputy director of the Press Office."
Lu Yunqi shook her hand modestly.
Gu Weiwei thought to herself, Yangyang was right after all.
The deputy bureau chief smiled warmly, glanced at Director Qin beside him, and mentioned, "Xiao Lu, it was Director Qin from the Press Office who picked you up on Saturday. You remember that, right?"
Lu Yunqi nodded politely. "Of course I remember. I also recall there was a 'Miss Chi.' Director Qin and Miss Chi were both very welcoming."
Chi Yang had no way to dodge this time, so she resignedly came over to exchange pleasantries.
Lu Yunqi gazed at Chi Yang, who looked like a puppy with drooping ears, and the voice of a young woman, sweet and melodious from years ago, echoed in her ears.
"Lu Yunqi, you're as cold as an ice cube, just like the cold front our teacher mentioned in class. As for me, I'm the 'little sun' everyone praises, so naturally I'm the warm front. When the two of us meet, we're bound to leave a bold and vivid mark on each other's lives. Aren't we just perfect together?"
Author's Note:
Lu Yunqi: [sly smile]
Chi Yang: ... [question mark]
According to domestic regulations, it would be impossible to have the title of senior engineer right upon joining the Meteorological Bureau, so the story gave Engineer Lu a green light, after all, Engineer Lu really is that outstanding [doge head]
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