Liu Qingning let out a soft gasp, her face flushed as she looked at the icon of the lips.
The level of intimacy in these messages had already surpassed their usual interactions.
In the past, he would never have dared to send her such messages.
Tang Song seemed especially bold today.
With a slight movement of the mouse, the computer screen lit up.
Though she looked at the lines of code, Liu Qingning couldn’t focus her eyes.
Her thoughts gradually drifted to that summer in 2016.
After receiving the college entrance exam results, he and a few male classmates drank a lot together.
At 8 PM, he suddenly called her, asking her to come sing at a KTV in the county town, speaking with a slurred tongue.
Worried, she snuck out without telling her parents.
When she arrived, the other male classmates left immediately.
In that small KTV room, Tang Song drank while congratulating her for getting into Imperial University, telling her not to forget him once she became successful.
He even sang several songs to her with the microphone in hand.
Of course, Liu Qingning knew what he was thinking and shared many of her plans for the future with him.
But at that time, Tang Song was already drunk and couldn’t really listen.
When she helped him leave, he suddenly hugged her, crying uncontrollably.
And then, caught up in the moment inside the small KTV room, she covered his mouth with hers.
Their lips pressed together, unmoving, for a full two minutes.
It was her first kiss, vividly remembered to this day.
Afterwards, Tang Song lay down and slept on the KTV sofa.
The next day, when he called, stammering to ask about it, she didn’t explain.
She merely teased him about having a wild dream.
Sometimes Liu Qingning couldn’t help but wonder, if college hadn’t been so busy, if work hadn’t been so hectic, perhaps they would’ve been together by now.
The black Mercedes stopped at Kexing Science and Technology Park.
Tang Song got out of the car, looking up at the towering office building.
This was one of the most notorious hubs for overtime in Shen City.
But since it was Saturday, only some of the areas inside were lit, leaving the surroundings a bit desolate, with just some people passing by in the street-level shops.
Checking the time, there were still 20 minutes before Liu Qingning finished work.
Exhaling, Tang Song started wandering along the park’s stone paths.
It was his first time visiting since his first love moved to work here.
Along the way, girls passing by would steal glances at him, blushing and looking away when their eyes met.
After wandering for a bit, Tang Song stood under Building B, quietly waiting for his first love to appear.
The last time they met was during the Lunar New Year.
Liu Qingning only stayed at their hometown for three days before rushing back to Shen City for work.
They only met twice, and shared a meal together.
Even then, he could see the deep exhaustion in her.
Later, she only mentioned gaining weight, getting uglier, and never video-called him again.
As 6:30 approached, Tang Song’s heart suddenly began to race.
Imagining the scene when they meet, silently rehearsing what he would say and do.
"I’m leaving first, bye-bye."
"Feels like it’s about to rain, I’ll head out too."
"Wait up for me, let’s go together."
Since it was Saturday and the weather outside was ominously dark, none of the coworkers intended to work overtime.
Feeling the complex gazes of her coworkers around her, Liu Qingning pursed her lips and took out her Bluetooth earphones, putting them on.
News of her impending resignation had already spread in the company.
Although no one said anything to her face, they were certainly discussing it behind her back.
Century Wisdom had only started expanding in Shen City, with most employees being new hires.
As a shareholder and leader, her relationship with these employees wasn’t close, barely more than ordinary coworkers.
As Huo Lili mentioned, most people were really curious about how much she cashed out from her shares, spreading exaggerated rumors that sparked envy and jealousy.
She opened her phone and shuffled the music.
The elevator slowly came to a stop on the first floor.
"♪BGM: I heard the departure of winter, I woke up in some year...♪
As Sun Yanzi’s song played, her emotions gradually began to calm.
Walking out of the office building’s entrance, a wave of stuffy, humid air hit her.
The sky was thoroughly covered in leaden gray clouds, with occasional flashes of lightning in the distance.
With a thunderstorm approaching, Liu Qingning quickened her pace toward the park’s exit.
Since there was no subway nearby, most coworkers were heading to the shared bike station to ride to the subway stop.
"♪BGM: Overcast, evening, outside the car window, someone is waiting in the future...♪
"Hey, that little brother standing to the right of the door was super handsome," a female coworker glanced back excitedly, "He was looking at me, should I go ask for his WeChat?"
"He has great fashion sense too."
"Wow, his physique is amazing too, those broad shoulders and narrow waist are incredible."
"I say, can’t you women be a bit more reserved, acting like you’ve never seen a man before?"
"Ha, Brother Hui, haven’t you also been caught sneaking looks at pretty girls? Why can’t we sneak a peek at handsome guys?"
Hearing her coworkers’ chatter, Liu Qingning didn’t look back and even quickened her pace a bit more.
"♪BGM: Look left, look right, look ahead, love takes a few turns before it arrives, whom will I meet and what kind of dialogue will it spark..."
Some people can steal your full attention just by appearing.