Full Cup of Water - Chap 17
The news that Xin Qianyu planned to go to the United States soon reached Zhu Pu and Zhu Zhu’s ears. Zhu Pu asked Xin Qianyu, “Are you going to the United States to make up for your error? Or for Su Zhong?”
Xin Qianyu shrugged helplessly. He could not even say it himself.
Su Zhong was like an addictive drug to him. A while ago, the ceramic mug broke, and he was quite disheartened about it. He always felt like this was a bad omen. He wanted to control himself from thinking so much and had not contacted Su Zhong for several days.
As a result, since he did not contact Su Zhong, Su Zhong also did not contact him.
That was how the two of them, separated by the Pacific Ocean, started a cold war. Ah, no, it was not a cold war. Xin Qianyu smiled bitterly and shook his head. Su Zhong probably had not noticed any abnormalities at all.
For a cold war, both sides had to do it consciously to start the war.
Between him and Su Zhong, only he was doing it.
When in love, he seemed to be the only passionate one.
From personal experience, Xin Qianyu knew that coldness and warmth were both from him. Su Zhong was a heated swimming pool. No matter how you splashed, he was lukewarm and always kept it at the most suitable temperature.
Seeing Xin Qianyu’s slightly serious expression, Zhu Zhu, who was good at observing words and expressions, mediated the situation and said with a smile, “Our Xiaoyu is taking a ‘two-pronged approach’. While resolving business matters, he can still date. Isn’t that good?”
Xin Qianyu lifted the corner of his mouth and said, “I can distinguish between business and private matters.”
“Eh?” Zhu Pu was a little surprised when he heard Xin Qianyu say this. “Are you going to the United States this time without meeting Su Zhong?”
Xin Qianyu lowered his eyes. “I will resolve the business matter first and talk about the rest later.”
He would listen to his mother’s teachings.
Xin Qianyu felt that he was getting farther and farther away from his original self, and gradually he had really integrated into the role of the little white flower who revolved around Su Zhong. This was not the life Xin Qianyu wanted.
He had such good talent and resources. Was he going to be a mistreated wife dedicated to beating up mistresses?
He did not want to disappoint his mother, let alone himself.
After the Christmas holiday passed, companies in the United States began to start work one after another. Xin Qianyu made arrangements to fly to the location of the AA Examination Association.
Therefore, Xin Qianyu did not tell Su Zhong he was going to the United States.
Xin Qianyu tried hard not to think about Su Zhong. It was difficult because his love for Su Zhong completely occupied his heart. He just had to cram more work to resolve it.
Feelings, like missing someone, were particularly difficult to control, but behaviour was much more controllable. He was unable to not think about Su Zhong at all, but at least he was able to not contact Su Zhong. Su Zhong’s number lay quietly in a corner of his phone, and he did not touch it.
However, when he first got off the plane, Xin Qianyu subconsciously clicked on Su Zhong’s account.
Discovering that Su Zhong’s avatar was tapped on, Xin Qianyu smiled self-mockingly. It had almost become a habit.
He tapped on Su Zhong’s homepage and found another photo of Su Zhong. It was a photo of a group of people in the restaurant. Lilith was, as usual, standing closest to Su Zhong with a bright smile.
Su Zhong’s gaze seemed to be unfocused, and he looked into the distance in a daze, his mind obviously wandering.
“Could he be thinking of me?” Xin Qianyu zoomed in on the photo and carefully traced Su Zhong’s appearance in the online photo with his fingers. “Definitely not. I’m so narcissistic. I’ve always been the only one who misses him. Since when does he miss me? I’m guessing, he, being in a daze like this, should be due to calculating some arithmetic problems in his mind again.”
Xin Qianyu quickly put away his thoughts and began to focus on work. Zhu Zhu had offered her services as an assistant and followed Xin Qianyu here. One reason was that Zhu Zhu also wanted to develop her career, and the other was that Zhu Zhu said there was no credible person around Xin Qianyu. If he drifted so far alone, she was afraid that he would be very helpless if he was “plotted” against.
Xin Qianyu smiled and asked, “Do you think someone will ‘plot’ against me?”
“I don’t know.” Zhu Zhu replied, “All I know is, ‘A man without foresight will encounter matters of immediate concern’.”
Zhu Zhu had a very tender face, but she spoke in a very old-fashioned manner and had a set of sayings.
Facts proved that Zhu Zhu’s words were correct. What she expected really happened.
When Xin Qianyu and Zhu Zhu went to the AA Examination Association with the proposed contract, they were stubbornly shut out. Xin Qianyu was very surprised and wanted to ask what was wrong, but the other party was very cold and did not answer at all.
Zhu Zhu immediately called Zhu Pu. Zhu Pu was a personnel elf and relatively well-informed. But the time difference was a limit, and it took most of the day for Zhu Pu to find the crux of the matter. “The people from Qiushi Education disclosed to the AA Examination Association about us using pirated textbooks. The AA Association was very dissatisfied and said that it wanted to reconsider its cooperation with our group!”
Xin Qianyu was struck by lightning.
After hitting a wall with the AA office, Xin Qianyu and Zhu Zhu had to go back to the hotel to reorganize. Zhu Zhu sorted out the news, frowned and said, “Qiushi is looking at us too much. They must have embellished the bad things about us to AA. Sigh!” As she said that, Zhu Zhu raised her eyes to look at Xin Qianyu again. “Why is it so coincidental? This project was going well. Once it’s in your hands…”
The same was true of the previous procurement project, and the same was true of this signing trip. It seemed to be a windless and wave-free sea. But as long as Xin Qianyu stepped in with one foot, he would immediately be caught in the undercurrent.
Xin Qianyu smiled bitterly. “Is it my bad fortune?”
“Now is not the time to joke.” Zhu Zhu said seriously. “Xiao Mu Jie threw you the projects from last time and this time. Haven’t you ever thought this was not just a plot of Qiushi Education?”
It was not that Xin Qianyu had not considered there was Xin Simu’s hand behind it. However, he shook his head. “The last mistake was my negligence. I’m also paying for the problem this time with my last mistake. After all, if it weren’t for my poor procurement supervision at that time, there would be no reports, let alone incidents where the AA Association changed its mind at the last moment.”
Zhu Zhu calmed down.
Xin Qianyu leaned his body on the back of the leather chair, closed his eyes and exhaled a foul breath. “In the end, it’s all me…”
At this time, the phone rang.
Xin Qianyu lowered his eyes and found that the call was from Yuzhuo’s headquarters. He thought it might be his mother calling. Unexpectedly, it was not. The person who made this transoceanic call was Xin Simu.
As the project manager, Xin Simu had called to ask him about the progress of the matter.
Although Xin Qianyu had some doubts that his predicament was caused by Xin Simu, he still responded in a measured tone, and at the same time humbly apologized. “I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t tell me you’re sorry,” Xin Simu said. “This contract discussion has been going on for more than half a year. If it doesn’t go through at this final leg, I’m afraid you have to explain it to the old man yourself.”
Xin Qianyu said, “Yes, I’m bringing this project to an end. But I know that Cousin has invested a lot in this project in the early stage. If it fails, it will be a great regret for everyone. But since Cousin has been in contact with people from the AA Association for a while, I wonder if there is any familiar person to get in touch with? Or is there any way to clarify the misunderstanding with the AA Association?”
Xin Qianyu’s words sounded polite, but they were actually quite rude. The translation was: I can’t carry all of this blame. You were working on this project and would have a hard time if it’s screwed up now. Let’s quickly find a way to mend the pot together.
When Xin Simu heard Xin Qianyu’s words, she laughed softly and said, “Okay, then I have to come to the United States. You have worked too hard recently, so use the opportunity to take a break and stay with your boyfriend.”
After Xin Qianyu heard these words, he felt some discomfort and said, “It’s very troublesome to fly here and there like this since it’s really my problem. I’ll work harder and if there’s really no way, I’ll need to trouble you again to come over.”
Xin Simu replied, “Okay, but this matter should not be delayed, so I’ll give you a week. Awaiting your good news.”
After the call was over, Zhu Zhu, who had listened to the whole conversation next to him, could not help but ask, “Why didn’t you let Xiao Mu Jie come over?”
“I suddenly felt that she agreed so readily as if waiting for me to beg her to come.” Xin Qianyu pondered carefully. “She gave me the project. If I ask her for help immediately upon encountering trouble, moreover, this trouble was caused by me earlier, and she flies in immediately, quickly solving the problem. At the same time, I’m with my boyfriend. In the eyes of others, won’t I be a shocking good-for-nothing?”
“Speaking of which, there’s no evidence of pirated textbooks at all.” Zhu Zhu said, “In the eyes of the outside world, this is more like the saying of ‘chasing the wind and clutching at shadows’.” AA was far away in the United States and has always had a good relationship with us. How could they suddenly change their mind because of such a thing?”
Xin Qianyu’s expression also became solemn. “Do you mean…?”
“I have a bold guess…” Zhu Zhu frowned so hard that the wrinkles could pinch a housefly to death. “Although it was reported by someone from Qiushi Education, could it be that Xiao Mu Jie already knew the inside story? Xiao Mu Jie knew that there was a rat in the Department of Education and Research, so she asked you to go there to guard the rice bowl. When something happened, she jumped out to speak for you, earning her a good reputation. In addition, she has a good relationship with the AA Association. Could it be that she instructed the people of the AA Association to use pirated textbooks as a reason to close the door on you? When you encountered a wall and begged her personally, she would solve the problem like a hero. This was the so-called fighting spirit roused by the first roll of drums, depleted by the second and exhausted by the third. As soon as you returned to the headquarters, you were frustrated again and again. You would be pressed, beaten, and unable to stand up, so you can only be stepped on by her in the future.”
Xin Qianyu was silent for a long time, then sighed. “In fact, I also have such a guess. But I don’t think she is someone who will harm the interests of the group to attack me. She’s not a small-minded person. Taking 10,000 steps back, even if she ignored the overall situation to defeat me, she would be caught in her own trap. Because the old man definitely wouldn’t tolerate her like this.”
“No, the interests of the group have not been damaged.” Zhu Zhu shook her head and said, “Didn’t your mother resolve the matter of the pirated textbooks report?” As for the matter of the AA Association, since she was so readily agreeable to solve it, she must have planned a way of escape.”
Xin Qianyu’s heart swayed when he heard the words, and he finally woke up. The delicate and gentle Xin Simu was the tigress who could eat people more than Xin Mu with her teeth and claws.
However, this acknowledgement did not frighten Xin Qianyu but made him see more clearly. Originally, he could not figure out Xin Simu’s attitude towards him, so it was not easy to make a move rashly. Now that the “enemy and I were clear”, he was no longer hesitant.
Xin Qianyu calmed down and raised his head. It was probably the first time in several years that all he thought about was his own business, and there was no shadow of Su Zhong at all.
What if Xin Simu was a tigress?
He, Xin Qianyu, just wanted to snatch food from the tiger’s jaws.
