Chapter 5, The Taste of Blood (Part 2)

The initially drafted plan requires only minor modifications in its overall direction, with disagreements arising in the execution of details. The meeting will be lengthy, and by the end, everyone will feel somewhat fatigued

In front of the bookshelf, there is a tissue; a porcelain cup that is black on the outside and glazed blue on the inside, the tea has cooled, yet a faint fragrance can still be detected, seemingly that of buckwheat tea; a light green pen holder, which contains not only a black signature pen but also a pink mechanical pencil. To the left of the computer, there is a bag for an Apple phone. Lu Qiran recalled that during the meeting, Cheng Rumo's phone placed on the desk did not seem to be an Apple.

Cheng Rumo's workstation was kept very tidy, with a row of books on the right. Lu Qiran glanced over and noticed that most of them were related to her profession, but there were three books that seemed out of place, clearly identified as romance novels by their titles

Regardless, one must still turn the tide. In fact, many years ago, I felt that love is not an essential thing. It is akin to chicken essence; a sprinkle enhances the flavor of a dish, but if omitted, it does not fundamentally alter the taste of the dish itself

The alarm bell tolls continuously, do you understand? Learn from the lessons, like ink; you may appear indifferent, but in reality, you still harbor unrealistic fantasies about men as a group

One confidently approached and greeted each person with a handshake.

The person in charge of Chongcheng TV arrived on Thursday afternoon, while Cheng Rumo was busy researching information on the computer. The company's internal instant messaging tool popped up a message from Qi Jiantang: The group is meeting in room 2108.

After taking two steps, seeing Lu Qiran also wanting to follow, she said lightly: "I will go get the tea set, you wait here for a moment."

After finishing her meal, Cheng Rumo casually went to the Apple Store and bought an iPhone 5. Qi Jiantang waited beside her while she swiped her card, feeling utterly amazed: "You finally decided to part with that Huawei you got for recharging 400 yuan worth of talk time? However, I suggest you hold off on the switch for now; the 5S will be released in a few months."

While doing these things, Cheng Rumo slightly lowered her head. From Lu Qiran's perspective, through the rising tea smoke, he could only see three-quarters of her profile and the faint mole on her neck

Qi Jiantang squinted his eyes and looked at Cheng Rumo with great interest, "Interesting, you have been dating Qiu Yu for two years, and you have even reached the stage of discussing marriage, yet you don't have any basic high expectations..." He paused, "If you don't fantasize about him, then who do you fantasize about?"

A conversation with Qi Jiantang temporarily allowed Cheng Rumo to set aside her troubled thoughts. She thought that although this person was accustomed to making lewd jokes, he did have a point: given the meager emotional foundation between her and Lu Qiran, the possibility of achieving a successful relationship was akin to building a tall building from flat ground. Not only had the blueprint not been drawn, but they also lacked bricks and tiles, and there was a shortage of manpower, leading to a lack of motivation.

If you truly think this way, it is indeed a good thing; what I fear is that your resolve may not be strong enough, and in the end, you might fall back into the same situation. Qi Jiantang said, "It's like your ex-boyfriend, whose head seems to be in his pants; you clearly noticed the signs of his infidelity long ago, yet you pretended to be magnanimous and allowed him to put a string of green hats on you."

Lu Qiran still needed to take a closer look, while Cheng Rumo had already come out with the tea set

Cheng Rumo reached out to brush his face aside and said, "There is something you have misunderstood about me. My generosity towards him is precisely because I do not harbor any illusions about him."

Lu Qiran has long legs and big feet, and usually walks very quickly. However, it seems that she deliberately slows down her pace to accommodate her companion

Qi Jiantang shook his head, "This analogy is inappropriate. Although love is not that important, it is still more significant than the role of chicken essence. If you ask me, it's not chicken essence, it's chicken, right?"

Passing by the tea room, a female colleague happened to be brewing chrysanthemum and goji berry tea. She looked up with a smile and said to Cheng Rumo: "Rumo, the person in charge from Chongcheng is quite handsome, and I heard he is still unmarried. Why don't you take the opportunity to have a look?"

Ah, why didn't you say so earlier? Qi Jiantang leaned forward and said, "This is not a fantasy at all. As long as you give the order, I can even eat vegetarian and chant Buddha's name."

Just as I was about to leave, the leader of the program packaging team at Chongcheng TV suddenly said: "Xiao Lu, go over and help Miss Cheng."

The marketing department quickly reached an agreement with a dairy company to be the sponsor of a new program, and Cheng Rumo, who had been slightly less busy for a while, had to get busy again

Cheng Rumo stood up and said, "Please wait a moment, everyone."

Cheng Rumo paused his movements slightly, yet remained composed and unperturbed

Since Cheng Rumo's marriage failed, her marital status has become a focal point of concern and a subject of discussion among the married women in the department. Generally speaking, as long as the person is male and unmarried, they will actively and enthusiastically try to introduce him to her.

The two quickly arrived at the tea room, where Lu Qiran placed the tea set on the table. Cheng Rumo opened two packets of tea leaves, put them into the teapot, and poured in boiling water. After waiting for a moment, she filled the eight small cups one by one. She did not understand the art of tea, a skill so romantic and delicate, so the fine tea leaves were, in fact, still wasted.

As soon as the words fell, Qi Jiantang arrived with a group of people. At a glance, there were six individuals, and indeed, the person stood at the back. He wore a short black trench coat, paired with a casual-style white shirt underneath, black trousers, and black shoes, which made his legs appear particularly long

Cheng Rumo lowered her eyes and said, "If I could wait, I would have waited long ago"

Cheng Rumo felt at that moment as if she were standing in a crowd, facing the surrounding people who were whispering and giggling, finding it inappropriate to zip up the zipper that had not been properly fastened, and equally inappropriate to leave it unzipped

Qi Jiantang burst into a hearty laugh, "It is clearly your own thoughts that are sordid."

When she arrived at Lu Qiran, she was not at all shy, still greeting with a handshake and a gentle smile, exuding grace and confidence. The surprise of the other party was only at the first sight of her; at this moment, her open demeanor was no different from her usual self.

Qi Jiantang looked at Cheng Rumo with approval and said, "I have a set of tea utensils in my office, use that to brew tea."

"Could you please not mention him?" Just the thought of the Toyota she had seen a few days ago made Cheng Rumo feel nauseous, as if someone were stuffing a sour pickle into her mouth, pinching her gills and forcing her to swallow.

Finally arriving at her workstation, Cheng Rumo took a box of Tieguanyin tea from the drawer and pulled out a key, heading towards Qi Jiantang's office

Cheng Rumo was momentarily stunned, feeling as if she had been awakened, but what followed was a wave of disorientation and embarrassment. It was akin to someone walking through a crowd with their pants unzipped; no one would have noticed otherwise, yet someone called out loudly to remind them. Although it was well-intentioned, it was undeniably awkward.

Let me do it

Cheng Rumo hesitated for just a moment before handing the wooden box containing the tea set to Lu Qiran. She only took the tea leaf box and followed behind Lu Qiran.

Cheng Rumo closed the notebook and smiled, saying: "A few days ago, someone sent me a box of fine Tieguanyin tea. I am not knowledgeable about tea, so if someone gave it to me, it must be the result of a poor choice. Instead, let's use it to refresh everyone. Let's take a short break before continuing our discussion."

You are right, "Cheng Rumo was unconvinced, "I still hold unrealistic fantasies about men as a group, which is why I am waiting for you to reform and start anew"

Cheng Rumo knew early on that Lu Qiran had no concept of whether he was handsome or not, and he never bothered to embellish himself. His clothes were consistently in black, white, and gray, and such casual combinations never went wrong. When he was not smiling, he appeared somewhat serious, and with his neat dressing style, he presented a perfect image of cold allure in the eyes of naive young girls

Cheng Rumo closed the window, picked up a notebook and a pen, and walked over

As soon as Cheng Rumo exited the conference room, she walked towards her workstation. Lu Qiran followed her at a leisurely pace, his footsteps barely audible, yet she felt somewhat irritated; moreover, as they made their way, colleagues frequently glanced over, and various comments continuously reached her ears

Perhaps the fright is even greater, Cheng Rumo thought

Cheng Rumo let out a sigh, not blaming anyone for targeting him as soon as he arrived; it was simply because he stood out too much among a group of middle-aged men, some of whom had receding hairlines or slightly protruding bellies.

If it were an ordinary day, Cheng Rumo would have simply smiled it off, but at this moment, an ominous premonition suddenly arose within her. She made a quick decision, reached up to pull down her bangs, and tucked them into her pocket

The last two characters he pronounced have some ambiguity, as Cheng Ru Mo spat at him: "Rogue"

Lu Qiran naturally noticed Cheng Rumo, and this time it was not surprise, but evident astonishment

After a while, Qi Jiantang said, "Anyway, your old classmate is not around you, and a one-night affair cannot shake the reality you both are in right now. It is so difficult to get married or start a relationship nowadays, not to mention the challenges of a long-distance relationship. Moreover, there is me, such a quality man, providing you with long-term temptation (Cheng Rumo said: 'Get lost'). You want to use an old ticket to board a dilapidated ship from the past; the difficulty is not trivial. My suggestion is to go with the flow, open your heart, and embrace life. Of course, it would be even better to open your heart and embrace me."

The team first contacted the media operations manager of Jiangcheng Satellite TV, spending two days drafting a proposal. Once the person in charge of Chongcheng Satellite TV arrives, they will discuss the details together and further refine the proposal

Lu Qiran glanced at her and paused his steps

The group members quickly gathered, without any unnecessary talk, and went straight to the point

A colleague chuckled and said: "That's right, dress up nicely to give our planning director some face."