Full Cup of Water - Chap 31
Xin Qianyu was helpless against such a weak Su Zhong.
He quickly relented, but he did not know how to continue the topic, so he said, “It’s cold here. Let’s go upstairs and sit down.”
The two went back upstairs with Su Zhong still wearing that ridiculous Santa Claus costume.
He had dressed up like this to please Xin Qianyu, but it seemed to have been counterproductive. Xin Qianyu was not happy at all and even seemed a little angry.
Su Zhong shrank his body inside the bulky costume, not knowing what to do.
Xin Qianyu also felt embarrassed, so he started a new topic. “How’s the listing of Yuzhuo going?”
Su Zhong paused, quickly switched back to work mode, and immediately felt a lot more comfortable. He said calmly, “Domestic companies cannot be listed directly in the United States. I suggest making a VIE structure first…”
VIE or Variable Interest Entities, which was the “VIE structure”, also called “Control Agreement”, was a method adopted by domestic companies to achieve overseas listing. Most domestic companies were listed in the United States through the VIE method.
Xin Qianyu began to discuss VIE matters with Su Zhong.
Although these two people were young, they had a refined “professional style” of doing things. No matter what conflicts occurred in the last second, as long as they entered the working state, they could be calm, peaceful, and almost without personal feelings.
The two discussed it for a long time. Then Xin Qianyu thought about making a call home and mentioning this to Xin Mu. It just so happened that he did not know where his mobile phone was, so he said to Su Zhong, “Lend me your mobile phone to make a call.”
Su Zhong naturally would not refuse, so he gave Xin Qianyu his mobile phone.
Xin Qianyu picked up the mobile phone to dial his number and soon heard the ringtone from the sofa. It turned out that his mobile phone had fallen to the bottom of the sofa.
“That’s where it is.” After Xin Qianyu hung up the phone, his fingers slipped and accidentally slid into the call log. He lowered his eyes and was quietly taken aback.
He saw the call record on Su Zhong’s phone.
In the two years since they had separated, Su Zhong had made at least a few hundred calls to Xin Qianyu. Of course, none of them got through. Because he had been blacklisted by Xin Qianyu.
Xin Qianyu’s heartstrings trembled, but he pretended not to care, quickly restored the mobile phone interface and returned it to Su Zhong.
He could not imagine how many calls Su Zhong had made to him in those two years, and what kind of mood Su Zhong was in when he could not get through.
This discovery made Xin Qianyu extremely conflicted.
On one hand, Xin Qianyu was thinking to himself, So he has been trying to contact me?
But on the other hand, he was also thinking, Was he a fool? Couldn’t he use another number to call?
Xin Qianyu suppressed the doubt in his heart and did not say anything.
He always tried his best to avoid mentioning topics related to their breakup.
Because M-global wanted to collaborate with Yuzhuo, there would be work interactions between Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong.
Xin Qianyu also went to the M-global office in Manhattan.
When Xin Qianyu arrived at the foot of the office building, Su Zhong’s assistant Thomas came down to receive him. Xin Qianyu jokingly asked him, “Are you here too? Why don’t I see Lilith?”
Thomas’ expression changed slightly and he said, “She’s in Asia.”
Xin Qianyu said, “Su Zhong was transferred to Asia last year, and she went to Asia with him. This time, Su Zhong was transferred back to the United States. Why didn’t she follow him back?”
Thomas replied, “I’m not sure about this. Her transfer has nothing to do with my boss.”
“Really?” Xin Qianyu tilted his head and asked.
Thomas nodded hurriedly. “Of course, of course. She’s not a member of Mr. Su’s team.”
In fact, on the eve of Xin Qianyu’s breakup with Su Zhong, Lilith used this method to keep saying that she and Su Zhong were gay best friends and she had no other intentions. Her conduct was “open and candid”, and it even kept Thomas in the dark. Thomas did feel that Lilith was innocent at the time. But after these few years, Thomas finally realized that something was wrong. Those who were not fools would always be able to see it over time.
It was just that Su Zhong did not seem to react, and Lilith did not pierce the paper in the window, so Thomas would definitely play dumb until the end.
Now that Su Zhong was vigorously pursuing Xin Qianyu, Thomas naturally began to understand.
Thomas only said, “In fact, in the past few years, Lilith has always wanted to get close to the boss, but the boss always ignored her. Actually, the boss is very capable of working, but he can only deal with data, not with people. When others talk to him, he can only somewhat understand. So there are always things that are overlooked…”
Xin Qianyu shook his head and said, “Don’t tell me this. The past is over.” Thomas sighed and said, “How can it be so easily over? You see, my boss didn’t get over it.” Xin Qianyu didn’t answer. Thomas only said sadly, “You don’t know anything. After you left, the boss had a problem. He has been undergoing psychological intervention and hasn’t stopped until now.” As he spoke, Thomas also made a very exaggerated action to wipe away tears, but he could only rub the corners of his eyes without tears.
When Xin Qianyu heard the words “psychological intervention”, he immediately became solemn. “Really? Does he have a psychological problem?”
“I don’t know.” Thomas looked sad. “But I’ve always been responsible for making appointments for him, so I know he is seeking help from a counsellor. I don’t know about other matters. But I feel that it’s related to you.”
Xin Qianyu was lost in thought and began to carefully recall everything that had happened this year.
He and Su Zhong had been reunited for almost a year. During this year, Su Zhong looked much more fragile than before and even made Xin Qianyu concerned from time to time.
But he never thought that Su Zhong might have psychological problems.
However, now that Thomas mentioned it, he felt it like a slap in the face, and it woke something.
In the workplace, Su Zhong looked no different from usual.
However, Xin Qianyu could perceive the changes in Su Zhong during private interactions.
Su Zhong could perceive Xin Qianyu’s emotional changes more keenly, but correspondingly, Su Zhong was also more likely to get hurt.
In the past, Su Zhong would not show frustration, loss, or helplessness, but now he frequently displayed a hurt appearance in front of Xin Qianyu.
What had happened in those two years?
Xin Qianyu sat opposite Su Zhong, and could not help but ask, “I heard that you’re receiving psychological intervention treatment, right?”
Su Zhong was a little surprised. “Who did you hear from?”
Xin Qianyu was stunned for a moment but still sold out his teammate without guilt. “Your assistant.”
“Him?”
Xin Qianyu was afraid that Su Zhong would dismiss Thomas in a rage, so he replied, “He asked me to pay more attention to your mental state. It was also out of kindness.”
“Hmm,” Su Zhong responded vaguely, not showing what he was thinking.
Xin Qianyu said, “I heard you started seeing the doctor after I left. Did you see the doctor because of me?”
“Yes.” Su Zhong still had that honest look.
Xin Qianyu’s heart tightened, and he subconsciously felt guilty. “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You did nothing wrong.” Su Zhong said.
“But in the end, it’s also because of me…”
“I should thank you,” Su Zhong said. “I went to receive intervention to correct my social disorder. This problem existed before I met you. But I have never confronted it. It was you who made me choose to face it and intervene.”
Xin Qianyu looked at him steadily. “So, you went to treat your social disorder?”
“Yes,” Su Zhong replied. “You don’t have to feel guilty because you didn’t cause it in the first place. This is a problem I’ve always had.”
Hearing Su Zhong say this, there was no denying that Xin Qianyu’s guilt had indeed subsided a lot.
However, Xin Qianyu still frowned. “Why didn’t you intervene before?”
“Probably…” Su Zhong deliberated for a while before finding the right words. “Fear of difficulties.”
“Fear of difficulties?” Xin Qianyu was surprised when he heard this term from Su Zhong.
“Yes, fear of difficulties.” Su Zhong nodded. “In my life, it was easy for me to learn everything, and I’ve never suffered any setbacks in my studies, except for social aspects. My EQ is really too low, and learning to socialize is too hard for me. Until now, I still find it very challenging. It’s such a natural thing in the eyes of others, but I can’t do it. Sometimes, I suspect that I’m not a normal human being…” The more he spoke, the more it hurt.
Xin Qianyu once again saw fragile cracks in the eyes of Su Zhong, who had always been like ice.
Xin Qianyu began to ask himself, Was it too harsh to demand from Su Zhong based on the social level of normal people?
Su Zhong continued, “But I’ll work hard.” As he spoke, Su Zhong looked at Xin Qianyu sadly. “Don’t dislike me. I can do better.”
Xin Qianyu’s heart immediately felt choked up. “I don’t dislike you.” His tone was much softer than he realized.
Hearing Xin Qianyu say this, Su Zhong breathed a sigh of relief.
Xin Qianyu struggled for a while before asking, “Do you know that Lilith followed you to the Asian branch?”
Su Zhong said, “She told me that.”
“How do you feel about this?” Xin Qianyu asked.
Su Zhong said, “I think she’s very strange.”
“…” Xin Qianyu smiled helplessly and said, “Do you know that Lilith has a crush on you and has a lot of hostility towards me?”
Su Zhong was taken aback. “I didn’t know.”
Xin Qianyu sighed. He could not tell if he was feeling depressed or helpless.
Su Zhong found this statement very disturbing and asked, “When did this start?”
Xin Qianyu replied, “Since the first time I met her.”
Su Zhong was shocked. “It’s been so long? Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Xin Qianyu was dumbfounded and after some time, said, “Because I always felt that you should know even if I don’t say it…”
Su Zhong became more puzzled. “How could I know if you don’t say it?”
Xin Qianyu smiled self-deprecatingly. “A young boy’s thinking, I guess. If I don’t say it, you won’t know? That’s because you never planned to understand me, right? If you really cared, how can you not know?” With that said, Xin Qianyu shrugged, shook off his emotions and looked back, discovering that he was naive enough back then.
Su Zhong was a little confused by this series of rhetorical questions.
Su Zhong said gloomily, “I really don’t know much about you, and I don’t know what you like…”
Xin Qianyu shook his head. “Forget it. It’s meaningless to talk about this.”
“But I don’t think you understand me either.” Su Zhong said suddenly.
“Hmm?” Xin Qianyu was taken aback.
“Do you know what I like the most?” Su Zhong asked suddenly.
“Modeling? Analysis? ……” Xin Qianyu frowned. “Mathematics?”
“No,” Su Zhong replied seriously. “I like you the most.”
“…” Xin Qianyu’s consciousness trembled as if an electric current had passed through.
“See, you don’t know. Is it because you don’t care about me or don’t like me that you don’t understand me?” Su Zhong again began to talk about logic seriously. “No, it’s just because I didn’t say it. Do you agree?”
Xin Qianyu was struck a bit dizzy by the sentence “I like you the most”, so he nodded.
Su Zhong also nodded in satisfaction. “So, I’ll tell you more about my thoughts in the future. I hope you’ll tell me more about what you like and don’t like.”
Xin Qianyu’s feelings had some inexplicable wavering.
Su Zhong glanced at his watch and said, “Okay, it’s time for my appointment. I need to see the next client. If there’s nothing else, you can go back.”
Xin Qianyu’s wavering disappeared in an instant. “Oh, okay.”
With that, Xin Qianyu turned around and left.
After Su Zhong received the guest and completed his official business, he planned to take care of his private affairs. He finally realized that Xin Qianyu did not like Lilith. Su Zhong thought about being in charge of the Yu Zhou business in the future, and that he would probably go to Asia often. If Lilith was there, Xin Qianyu would be unhappy.
For this reason, Su Zhong went to the big boss’s office to discuss. “I want HRD Lilith from the Asia-Pacific headquarters to be transferred.”
“Transferred?” The big boss asked. “Transfer to?”
Su Zhong said, “It doesn’t matter. In short, any place that I’ll be can’t have Lilith.”
“I understand what you mean.” The big boss nodded.
Su Zhong left.
The big boss immediately called his assistant over and said, “Go and fire HRD Lilith from the Asia-Pacific headquarters.”
The assistant nodded in confirmation and immediately went down to handle the matter, quietly whispering a word of pity for Lilith.
Lilith’s future was worrisome. A civilian worker fired in their thirties and wanting to find a job again would face a great deal of pressure and resistance.
The impact of unemployment was very big for an American middle class like Lilith.
Her medical insurance was gone, and she had to continue to pay the mortgage.
Additionally, re-employment had become very difficult, especially since she was used to sitting in the office and rarely working overtime but still getting hundreds of thousands in annual salary. She could not imagine what it would be like to be unemployed. Now, the economy was bad, and the unemployment rate was high. She read the news about “middle-class unemployed with a past annual salary of one million driving a Mercedes-Benz to receive relief“, but she had always just given cheap sympathy like, “It’s so pitiful”. However, her heart was still carefree, feeling that all this was far away from her.
Now she knew she was about to become a member of the unemployed army, and her panic instantly overwhelmed her like a tide.
Su Zhong did not know any of this. He went to work as usual and visited a familiar coffee shop for lunch at noon. As he looked up, he saw the haggard-looking Lilith walking towards him.
Lilith said with tears in her eyes, “I don’t know where I offended you. Are we not friends? Why did you ask the company to fire me? Can’t we talk about any misunderstanding?”
Su Zhong was a little surprised. “I didn’t ask the company to fire you. I just said I don’t want to work with you anymore.”
Lilith swallowed, shocked and scared. “What’s the difference between saying that and saying that you want to fire me?”
Lilith smiled bitterly and said, “Come on…Don’t you know you’re already a big shot who can easily kill someone with just one sentence?”
“Of course I know.” Su Zhong replied calmly and naturally.
Lilith choked for a moment, and tears flashed in her eyes. “What exactly happened? Why don’t you want to work with me anymore? Are we not friends?”
“No.” Su Zhong was still indifferent. “Xiaoyu will be unhappy.”
Lilith understood in an instant, and her heart hurt as if it was cracked. “Is he jealous? I… I’m really innocent. Think about it. I know you’re gay. How could I…”
“I don’t want to think about it, and I don’t know.” Su Zhong knew he was not good at analyzing these. “Xiaoyu said you are, so you are.”
Lilith felt a pang in her heart. “Aren’t you worried that you have wronged me like this?”
“I’m not worried,” Su Zhong said, his expression was unwavering indifference.
Lilith seemed to realize only now that Su Zhong was extremely cold and lacking in empathy.
Whether it was a natural or acquired influence, not only were Su Zhong’s feelings not abundant, but they were also very dry. The feelings that his heart could produce were probably only as much as a cup of water. Even if he sprinkled a little here and there, it would be very sparse and dried by the wind in an instant.
However, no one expected that Su Zhong would give the full glass of water to Xin Qianyu.
Since this glass of water was given to Xin Qianyu, there would naturally be nothing left for others.
Su Zhong had no feelings for Lilith and could occasionally show some friendliness, which was just social etiquette.
Lilith’s face instantly turned grey as if it had been drained of blood.
She had never been so embarrassed and felt really pitiful and ridiculous.
She had spent so much thought into scheming, thinking she was already very close to Su Zhong’s heart and no longer an ordinary colleague to Su Zhong. However, reality slapped her hard.
Perhaps Lilith should have gained clarity earlier and gotten out when Su Zhong was not absorbing any oil or salt. But the emotional investment made her more and more irrational, and the more she invested, the more reluctant she was to leave. Even if someone, on occasion, had pursued her, as long as she looked at Su Zhong, she would feel that the suitor was unsightly. Because Su Zhong was so outstanding, Lilith looked at him close at hand, always thinking that she could enjoy the moonlight first by being the pavilion closest to the water, and naturally, she looked down on others.
It was not until this moment that she deeply understood the so-called “enjoying the moonlight first by being the pavilion closest to the water” was actually just the reflection.
