Chapter 8

By the weekend evening, he could no longer contain himself and erupted

The little bird turned to Chuli and smiled: "Ever since I started working, I haven't had the chance to go out on field assignments, so I really envy you, Chuli."

Then I remembered that I had deleted someone in a fit of disagreement at noon

Initial Greeting : `` ... ... ''

This side

For three consecutive days of conversation that seemed unstoppable, every day after Jiang and Cheng finished writing, they could see more than a dozen messages left by Zhou Chuan, reporting various updates such as "I have gotten up", "What I had for lunch", "What I want to eat for dinner", "This news is so interesting, hahahaha", "Wow, look at this bizarre author causing trouble with their fans", "Long live the Heavenly Dynasty, may our motherland prosper and grow strong" and other assorted content

Chuli stood up straight, placed the bag she was holding on the seat, and then flashed an apologetic smile at Editor Yu: "I apologize, Editor Yu, I will make an effort to persuade Zhouchuan, and I won't come to work this late again tomorrow"

Old Miao: "Tsk tsk tsk, how pitiful!"

The elephant chuckled foolishly, neither affirming nor denying.

Zhou Chuan: I will just say a few words

Jiang Yucheng: From Wednesday night until now, the words you have spoken could at least fill the living room, bathroom, and study of that apartment.

On Wednesday evening, after finishing typing in the evening, I aimlessly browsed the internet for a while to read the news. Upon encountering some bizarre news, I instinctively copied the sharing code and then logged into the account of "The Disappearing Mr. L." I opened the friend list, and for a brief moment, I was taken aback when I couldn't find a familiar monkey avatar.

Jiang Yucheng: So how have you spent the past three years, ten months, and eleven days, during which you have not disturbed me and have been as quiet as a chicken?

Teacher Zhuchuan scheduled for me to sign the contract at 11 o'clock

In a place unseen by the initial ceremony, Zhou Chuan raised his eyebrows and took his phone away from his ear to take a glance— as if with that one glance he could see what kind of madness the person on the other end of the line was experiencing at that very moment

What the hell are you crying about

Staring at the two characters "xiang gong", Zhou Chuan curled his lips, feeling as if he had been soured to the point of losing his teeth

After pausing for a moment, she raised her hand to cover her mouth and softly exclaimed, "Oh dear," apologizing, "But I was just talking about my own laziness during university, not implying that you would use the excuse of being on an external assignment to sleep in and deliberately skip work or anything like that... Everyone is super busy; how could anyone dare to delay coming to work, right?" As she spoke, she began to laugh again.

Zhou Chuan: I'm bored, why are you being so fierce

What Jiang and Cheng did not know was that at this moment, on the computer side, Chaochuan had removed his hands from the keyboard and was sitting in front of the computer, staring blankly at the screen

Chuli slightly tightened her grip on the phone: "Hello, teacher, I apologize for bothering you again. The situation is this: I just returned to the magazine office and thought for a moment, could I ask you to keep confidential the matter of the contract we signed today, until the Monday of the week after next..."

... ...

Forcibly ignoring the fact that the copied sharing code was meant to be sent to someone, Zhou Chuan opened a pile of unread messages, only to find that all the people who left messages were friends known to both him and that monkey.

Yao spoke while looking at Chu Li

What happened between you and Ahou

Weren't you just as happy as a monkey a moment ago

Chuli was taken aback, always feeling that there was something off about those words, her face full of question marks as she turned around

It was that person who was just blocked by him three days ago

Zhu Chuan : `` ... ... ''

Hastily walking to the editor-in-chief's desk, Chu Li opened her bag to take out the contract, just as she was about to report to Yu Yao the good news that the Zhuchuan contract had been successfully secured, Yu Yao spoke first: "Why did you only come now?"

Behind her, Old Miao scoffed and replied, "So it turns out it was just a wasted trip, right?"

Jiang Yu Cheng: ... ... Big Brother? Are you very free? What did you eat tonight, was it good? What does it have to do with me? You didn't invite me to go with you!

Due to the requirement of Yuan Yue Company for working hours to start at 9:30 AM, after being reminded by Yao, Chu Li arrives at the office punctually around 10:50 AM every morning, neither early nor late, as if she had just gone to report to the Zhu Chuan family and then rushed to the office— that signed contract has been safely carried back and forth in her bag.

Since Wednesday evening until now, there has also been a fellow in a state of restlessness for three days and three nights in a high-end residence in the downtown area of City G

Her mind was filled with questions like "Why?" "What is going on?" and "What happened?" With her slightly trembling hand, she took out her phone, swiped her finger to enter the messaging interface, and found the only remaining text message, which read, "Come to my house at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning, or you will be late." After hesitating for a moment, she pressed the button to dial the other party's number. The phone rang three times before it was quickly answered.

... ... '' The initial greeting lowered my gaze, `` because it seems that it suddenly became inconvenient to follow up immediately here, I am a bit scared ... ... no, ah, I beg you, is that okay? ''

She looked down at her legs, which were still trembling a bit at that moment

Jiang and Cheng's inner world is in a state of collapse

In the swaying wind: The monkey cried pitifully, searching the world for her husband

Hello

Jiang raised the question to Cheng, but the other party remained silent for a long time without responding

The initial greetings have not yet concluded

Capitalized, life is devoid of attachment

One cannot help but feel that when misfortune strikes, even drinking water can get stuck between one's teeth

... ...

What Chuli did not know was that she was not the only one struggling in these difficult times

As the initial greetings were exchanged, the entire office fell silent. Lao Miao turned his chair, producing a soft "swish" sound, while the others returned to their lunches—when he turned to face everyone, the expressions on their faces were all quite natural as they enjoyed their meals.

The sound of a heavy object falling and a dog barking came from the other end of the phone, creating a scene of chaos. Chuli patiently waited for a moment, and only then did the man's deep and indifferent voice sound again: "What is it?"

On the weekend, Chuli lay in her rented room, emptying her mind. She did not seek anyone to vent to—more precisely, she did not know whom to turn to. This was because, on Wednesday night, when she wanted to complain to L about those little nuisances in the office, she unexpectedly found that L was suddenly unsearchable in Q. Wondering whether she had been blocked or something else, she asked all the people they both knew, only to receive the reply, "I haven't seen L recently."

After what felt like a century of anxious waiting, Chuli finally heard the other party casually say, "Do whatever you want, just don't let it affect me," before abruptly hanging up the phone. Chuli stared blankly at the phone that had returned to the home screen for about four or five minutes, and only then did she come to her senses. She quickly jogged to the restroom to wash her hands, pretending to have just finished using the facilities. After adjusting her facial expression in front of the mirror, she returned to the office with a light and cheerful step.

[Zhou Chuan: ? ? ? ]

Ah, "Chuli was momentarily taken aback, her hand gripping the contract paused, her fingers pointing outside. "We still have to go out for fieldwork. Didn't the editor-in-chief say that we must secure the contract within a week to begin the process? So, we need to visit Zhouchuan until he is willing to sign the contract? That's why I went to Zhouchuan's house today. I arrived late because—"

Initially, I wanted to say that it was not the case, as the editor's contract had already been secured. However, Yu Guang suddenly noticed that Lao Miao's expression had become somewhat stiff. After standing there in a daze for more than ten seconds, his fingers, which were holding the folder and about to take it out, suddenly relaxed, allowing the folder to fall back into the bag.

... ... Eliminating it will prevent future troubles

The ghost behind you: A L, the monkey asks where you went... what happened to you? Did you delete her? Did you have a quarrel? She said you didn't have a quarrel!

Swaying in the wind: The monkey is looking for you, what is going on between you? Have you been hacked?

Zhou Chuan silently pondered for a moment, during which he contemplated logging into his Q account. He glanced at the friend list, where the avatar of his friend, the editor Lao Miao, was flashing with incoming messages. He paused for a moment, as if he had come to some understanding.

Zhou Chuan: My sexual orientation is normal, I am just bored

Collapse

There was silence on the other end of the phone

It is as if nothing had happened just now

What do you want to do again

Colleagues inexplicably targeted her, and even her close friend, with whom she had peacefully coexisted for over three years, inexplicably blocked her.

Boredom

Swaying in the Wind: Are you there?

Lao Miao looked at Chu Li and asked, "Where is the contract?"

Zhou Chuan: How can you be so mundane? With my worth of a thousand characters, the words we've exchanged would be enough for me to buy another apartment in City G.

You must be feeling quite pleased with the contract with Zhouchuan, unable to sleep from the excitement

Chuli smiled lightly and casually tossed out the words "I am going to the restroom" as she left the office. She walked far down the corridor outside the door—when she heard the echo of her heels striking the ground, Chuli stopped and looked back.

Jiang Yu Cheng: If you're bored, go write. How many readers are waiting for you to update, Chao Chuan Da Da? Just a little extra update could make them extremely happy—why come to me to ramble on, when I won't even pay you for it

At this moment, Chuli had already been bombarded by them to the point of blanking out, blinking without being able to respond... However, Yao Yu smiled and, taking the lead, spoke in a half-teasing tone: "Old Miao, you shouldn't push Chuli too hard. You took half a month to secure the contract for Zhouchuan, and Chuli is still a newcomer. How can you expect her to accomplish it in just four days? ... However, Chuli, when going out for fieldwork, it doesn't have to be a whole morning. You have other tasks to handle; you are not solely responsible for Zhouchuan."

Ah

Jiang Yu Cheng: ... ... You wouldn't suddenly take a liking to me, would you? Shivering, I, a once-popular author, surely cannot catch the eye of someone as esteemed as you

At this moment, the graphic designer, Old Li, took over the conversation: "If I can start work in the afternoon, I might be able to take the kids to school in the morning... My wife always complains that I leave too early in the morning; I am already out the door while the kids are having breakfast, which doesn't seem like what a father should do"

I simply feel that everyone looks particularly adorable today, even the parrot fish and the catfish in the aquarium at the entrance are glowing with cuteness

After a long while, the man chuckled softly, crossed his legs, and muttered to himself: "There are quite a few persuaders, aren't there"

He knows the standard answer to the question about Jiang Yucheng—during the past three years, ten months, and eleven days of knowing Jiang Yucheng, he has not disturbed him, living quietly like a chicken, but has gone to bother another person instead

Jiang and Cheng: What is going on with you?

Then the first work week has come to an end

Having closed the secondary account Q, I opened the primary account, refreshed the online list, and captured Comrade Jiang and Cheng, pasting the copied sharing code. After receiving a series of `` ? ? '', Zhou Chuan began his chat with friends

Incoherent, the voice sounds pitiful, what is going on

Zhu Chuan : `` ... ... ''

... ...

After that

Ah

The elephant sitting opposite the little bird raised her head and glanced at her, and the little bird tilted her chin towards her and said, "Isn't that right, Elephant?"

Over here, one is unaware of the cruel and willful actions their good friend has taken against them. On this occasion, Chuli, filled with excitement, rushed back to the magazine office, arriving just around 1:30 PM during the lunch break—everyone was sitting in the office eating takeout, occasionally chatting with others on their computers or making slight progress on their work. Chuli stepped into the office and greeted each person.

The young editor, who is also a newcomer, lifted her head from the takeout and sighed softly: "Running around every day is really tough. It must be difficult for Teacher Zhou Chuan to manage, right? But going out for fieldwork is great. When I was in college, I loved doing fieldwork the most while working in the student council. I didn't have to attend meetings and could occasionally slack off in the morning..."

[Zhou Chuan: ... ... ]

Hello, Zhou Chuan, I am Chu Li, the editor from Yuan Yue She who came to your house in the morning to sign the contract

Zhou Chuan: The curry beef brisket I had tonight was so unpalatable that I saw the Buddha. How has this restaurant managed to stay in business until today?

Well deleted

Capitalized, life is devoid of attachment

She was inexplicably abandoned by the entire world in this manner

The innate alertness of herbivorous small animals in the face of threats caused her unspoken words to suddenly be swallowed back down.