I didn’t know if I was talking to him or to myself.
After those words fell, Shen Lin remained silent, and the car became quiet once again.
The windshield wipers swung side to side, pushing the water away from the glass.
Li Zaijun’s mood, for no apparent reason, plummeted, adding a touch of irritability.
Neither of them spoke again. It wasn’t long before they were about to arrive at the courtyard house, and as the car was about to stop by the roadside ahead, Shen Lin handed her an umbrella:
"You can’t drive into the alley, so I won’t accompany you further. Take this umbrella with you, don’t get wet."
He didn’t bring up anything else, as if she hadn’t said anything at all just moments ago.
Li Zaijun silently took the umbrella, even though the rain wasn’t that heavy anymore, and she could have refused it.
After the car stopped, she unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and without looking back, she said:
"You should still go to the blind date this weekend."
As the car door shut, she didn’t look back at him inside, but she could feel a gaze fixed on her.
Li Zaijun walked into the alley under the large black umbrella, kept walking until she reached the corner, ensuring she was out of sight of the person in the car, then she paused, stopping in her tracks.
Actually, her feelings were incredibly complicated.
Li Zaijun stood at the base of the wall, slightly tilting her head up, observing the sky above the narrow courtyard alleys.
The sky was a gloomy gray, and the raindrops kept falling, much like her mood.
She had just gone through a breakup and wasn’t ready to step into another relationship so soon.
But most importantly, she felt insecure.
What kind of man was Shen Lin?
He had been toughened in the military and had faced deceit in the business world. He was truly impressive and competent, which made her feel, paradoxically, like she wasn’t a match for him.
Maybe it was also... inferiority.
He was so capable, and she was just a young lady who hadn’t fully stepped out into society; the gap was too vast. If he were to play her, she might not even find herself worthy of even debris.
But if his feelings were genuine...
Then what about her did he find appealing?
What was his purpose in pursuing her? Was it just a simple liking?
She feared that, having escaped one peril, she might foolishly jump into another.
Shen Lin was excellent, but not someone she could handle, which is why she had told him he should go on the blind date this weekend.
He deserved someone who matched his stature and vision, an equally outstanding woman...
But why was there still an indescribable melancholy deep in her heart...?
And would he actually go on the blind date come the weekend...?
Before I knew it, the weekend arrived, in the afternoon.
With graduation looming, Li Zaijun had interviewed at a company a few days ago, passed smoothly, but was now in her probation period.
Although it was the weekend, she left for work without hesitation due to the tasks assigned by her company.
Today, she was to meet a client with the project manager from her team at a luxurious restaurant in Beijing.
She had heard from the manager before that this was a major client who could sign deals worth millions, and needed to be treated well.
When Li Zaijun hurriedly arrived by taxi, she suddenly saw a familiar car in the restaurant’s parking lot.
But she didn’t look closely, after all, Beijing had too many luxury cars that looked alike.
Due to severe traffic on the way, she almost arrived late and repeatedly apologized to the project manager.
Accompanying the project manager were two other employees, one of whom was also an intern.