Chapter 2

She had never considered whether this matter held any metaphorical significance in her life; she simply followed her intuition to learn and accumulate life experiences, such as cooking, cleaning, and organizing. Without any prompts, she had already developed the habit of not investing too much emotion in objects, replacing what needed to be replaced and discarding what needed to be discarded. This unconscious training manifested a certain degree of energy when she decided to leave her hometown—she persuaded her parents with almost no effort and gained their trust

It is not that I do not miss that warm hometown, filled with the aroma of food throughout the four seasons—where there are one or two porridge and noodle shops on any given street. However, to back down over such trivial matters is not quite the case.

In fact, after the group was created, very few people spoke in it. As time passed, it quickly sank down from each person's message list. After six months, Baoyin's male colleague switched jobs to another company and did not establish any new connections with anyone in the group

I was not in Beijing before, I was at my hometown, I suppose I can be considered a journalist or an editor, writing things, but I can't really explain it clearly... " Kong Kong felt a bit frustrated, she was too shy, even a few casual remarks were so awkward, " My current boss was my editor before, she thinks that what I write is quite good... "

It is said this way, but Kong Kong has never received any transfer from him.

"If you share a rental with someone, then living here with you is no different," Chen Kewei explained the issue from a completely rational perspective, "At most, you can just pay me rent, and I won't be polite with you."

Sake steamed clams. Basil crushed and mixed into the pasta. Round, white button mushrooms, turned upside down after removing the stems, resemble small bowls. Brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with cracked black pepper and a pinch of sea salt, baked in the oven at 180 °C for fifteen minutes. There are also some home-cooked dishes: the simplest being sweet sausage stir-fried with snow peas; slightly more complex dishes include slices of tofu coated in egg wash, first pan-fried in oil, then stir-fried with a tomato, adding the fried tofu once the tomato releases its juice. The most time-consuming is the oxtail soup, which is not made often. There are also some home-cooked dishes: the simplest being sweet sausage stir-fried with snow peas; slightly more complex dishes include slices of tofu coated in egg wash, first pan-fried in oil, then stir-fried with a tomato, adding the fried tofu once the tomato releases its juice. The most time-consuming is the oxtail soup, which is not made often

Kong Kong was astonished; she never imagined that something she posted on a travel platform four or five years ago would be remembered by someone. It was a personal emotional record with no practical value as a travel guide, written after her first and only solo trip. At that time, she had not yet come to terms with the pain caused by her separation from Yan Yiming, and the long-standing inability to digest the grievances and sadness was the reason that prompted her to write that note

Having finished speaking, Baoyin entered the elevator

Everyone has a tendency towards inertia. Over time, the anxiety that once lingered in the mind, like a taut bowstring, loses its maximum tension due to the prolonged duration. However, she does not feel entirely at ease. After all, as roommates, everyone has the obligation to bring a bit of positivity into each other's lives— a little sunshine, a little convenience, and a little warmth in support.

After everyone finished their drinks and chatted for a while, the time finally came to disperse. At that moment, Baoyin's male colleague was the first to stand up and announce the end. He took out his phone and asked, "Shall we add each other? Or should we create a group?"

You may still feel very special right now, but I want to tell you that the existence of work, companies, and collectives is meant to diminish individuality. To put it more broadly, life is the same; you must adapt and compromise in some way. From your attire to your expressions and tone, you should strive to remain consistent with everyone else. Making friends is a different matter; in a professional setting, no one appreciates an outsider.

He could sense that she had already passed the most awkward phase. He still remembered the first time he came home from work and saw her had prepared dinner, feeling quite surprised. That night, the two of them sat at the dining table, both appearing a bit uneasy, but now they were both very relaxed—sometimes, after she finished showering and stood at the bathroom door blow-drying her hair, she would even raise her voice to chat with him.

"Alright, I no longer need to speak." she thought

Although the search for a house is still ongoing, it no longer seems as urgent. The fundamental reason is that the distance from Chen Kewai's home to K空 Company is just too convenient. Additionally, factors such as rent, living alone, or sharing a room have made K空's options quite limited

That night, Kong Kong received a friend request, with the verification reason stating: I think it would be better to get to know each other.

At noon, Qiqi and Xiaonan would invite Kongkong to have lunch together. For the first few times, in order to appear more sociable, she went along with them to a fast food restaurant near the company, where they encountered colleagues from other departments. Although she had greeted everyone when she joined, it seemed that Kongkong could not remember any of them. The two girls quickly integrated into the group, chatting and laughing with everyone, while she sat alone on the side, unable to interject a single word for a long time.

I might have a bit of talent she said with a smile

How could you make so much food? Haven't you always lived at home? Once, Kong Kong bought a frozen whole chicken from the supermarket and, following an online recipe, made a delicious roasted chicken with vegetables. Chen Kewei opened a bottle of white wine, and they placed the roasting pan on the coffee table. The two of them sat on the floor cushions, tearing apart the roasted chicken with their hands while watching "Coffee Community".

Qiqi immediately went online to check that company, and then excitedly reported relevant information in their small group of only three people: "Although their experience is not very extensive, they have developed quite well in recent years, producing one or two hit dramas. They have their own artist department and have signed a bunch of newcomers... It looks quite promising, it would be great if we could establish a deep cooperation."

The small conference room fell into silence as Zhou Baoyin scrolled through her phone for a while. Kongkong silently prayed that she could keep scrolling until Qiqi and the others arrived, so that she would not have to introduce herself alone.

The text she had long forgotten—though she had not yet forgotten Yan Yiming—was suddenly brought up by someone she had only known for two hours, causing her to fall into a temporal rift in the stillness.

That afternoon, just as Baoyin had predicted, there was no substantial progress made, aside from consuming two hours of everyone's lives. The main speakers were Baoyin's male colleague—whose name Baoyin couldn't even remember—and Qiqi. They took turns introducing their respective companies' businesses to each other, and then discussed some of the current trends in the market. During this process, Xiaonan joined in.

Zhou Baoyin could not help but laugh out loud

Occasionally, she would take the subway for a few stops to Guomao to have lunch with Chen Kewei, and after finishing, she would take the subway back. More often, she would buy a sandwich or bread from a convenience store near the office, along with a cup of coffee, and sit on a bench next to the greenbelt to eat haphazardly.

Feeling empty, she had no choice but to sit down again, her hands retreating under the table to pick at her nails. This was an involuntary action she resorted to whenever she felt nervous, a habit she had never been able to break.

But her prayers were in vain, and Zhou Baoyin quickly put down her phone, breaking the silence. She looked straight at her and asked, "How should I address you?"

Many years later, Baoyin still finds that scene from that day quite amusing: "At that time, I thought, this girl is just too honest, afraid of adding two more friends, as if it were a matter of great seriousness for her"

She had to recall what Yan Yiming had said: "If you remain so fragile and sensitive, it will be very difficult. Reality will not break you, but you will break yourself, do you understand?"

It is evident that Baoyin is imitating her tone. Kongkong did not struggle much and simply clicked "Accept"

Kong Kong could not have imagined that the joke he made unintentionally would provoke such a strong reaction from Chen Kewei. Given his consistently gentle nature, this is, in fact, quite ironic.

He was unsure if it was the scent of oranges in the air that made his heart feel slightly sour. He thought that there would always be some suitable moments when they could talk about their past experiences, perhaps even discuss matters related to romantic relationships, thereby enhancing their mutual understanding

The leisurely days at the company did not last long. One day, the boss's profile picture popped up in the work group, and the boss succinctly sent a notification: a representative from a film company will come in the afternoon; you all should meet with them and see if you can discuss some potential collaboration.

She attempted to alleviate the awkward atmosphere of the lunch, but after struggling for a few seconds, she gave up: "Whatever, I've said it, what else can be done"

I remembered, "Out of the blue," Baoyin said, "Did you write a travel diary about Angkor, titled 'No Need to Ask Where to Go at This Moment'? I forgot where I saw it."

Baoyin blinked her eyes and said, "That post has been in my computer's favorites for a long time. I remember the ID is just called 'Kongkong.'" She smiled and added, "I agree with what your boss said; you write quite well."

There are still half an hour left until the agreed time, and Qiqi and Xiaonan went out hand in hand to buy coffee and milk tea. Koko waited alone in the small meeting room, choosing to sit in the innermost chair, which was quite inconspicuous. She believed that even if she didn't say much later, no one would pay attention to her.

Chen Kewai took the baking tray and wine glass to the kitchen, tidied up the countertop, disposed of the trash, and upon returning, found Kongkong lying on the cloth, asleep, with a crumpled used tissue clutched in his hand

The door to the conference room was pushed open, and she thought it was Qiqi and Xiaonan, but it was not; it was a stranger's face, almost the most beautiful face she had ever seen in real life. In an instant, she recalled what Qiqi had said in the small group at noon—"They have their own artist department"—and she assumed the other person was an artist from that company

When she finishes work early, she will stop by the supermarket on her way home to buy some vegetables, fruits, and sometimes even wine

After hesitating for half a second, I recited that sentence in a blank manner: "Just call me Kong Kong."

"This is the place, my colleague will be here soon, please have a seat," Kong Kong said, "I will urge them to come."

"You all seem like you just stepped off an assembly line that produces elites," she said with a soft laugh

He sat down on another cushion, lowered the volume of the television, and the film had reached the moment when Veronica reunited with Bob. He had already seen this movie once before and knew the subsequent plot, but he was too lazy to change the channel. He took an orange from the fruit plate and slowly peeled it, occasionally glancing at the empty space beside him. In that moment, he thought that if life were to continue like this in the future, it wouldn't seem so bad after all

Xiaonan echoed a few comments in the group, and Kangkang felt she should join in as well. However, she hesitated for a bit too long and had not yet figured out how to phrase her response, causing the atmosphere to cool down. That opportunity had passed, and she could only send a lukewarm expression to indicate that she had indeed participated.

Kong Kong tidied up the empty cups in the conference room, packed them into a paper bag, and when she was carrying it to the hallway to throw it away, she saw Baoyin still standing in front of the elevator. She had to force a smile.

She played with her phone for a while and entered Yan Yiming's Moments to take a look. The other party had set the visibility duration to "the last three days," during which he had not posted anything. She unconsciously sighed, not knowing what she was mocking—perhaps mocking her own powerlessness and futility—despite everything, she still occasionally wanted to peek into his life

The first time she went to have lunch with Chen Kewai, Kong Kong had an impression—when he walked out of the elevator with a group of men dressed in suits and shirts, she recalled a passage from "Revolutionary Road," depicting the scene where Frank and countless men in suits, ties, and carrying briefcases were waiting for the train on the platform. Every face looked similar, like a drop of water merging into rivers, lakes, and seas, making it impossible to distinguish who was who, until Chen Kewai stood in front of her, at which point she clearly recognized him as the person she lived with.

After two weeks, she decided not to force herself any longer, as she was not there to make friends anyway

The department has just been established, and the boss has not yet assigned any specific tasks to them. In the context of a significantly unfulfilled workload, everyone is initially taking advantage of the situation to slack off at work.

Before coming to Beijing, she had heard that in any culture-related industry here, everyone refers to each other as 'teacher'—she found it both absurd and amusing: If I call you teacher, what can you teach me? If you call me teacher, how can I accept that?

Amidst the roaring noise of the wind tunnel, she was completely unaware of the tension in his voice. Biwei, why do you call yourself Kongkong? Chen Kewai had considered asking, but felt that doing so would make him seem rather dull. Perhaps when the time was right, she would speak of it herself, he thought, as he meticulously peeled away the small white strips from the orange segments, bit by bit

I have long been prepared to live alone; if I must settle for less, then I have also long been prepared to live with another person. A voice said in the empty heart

When everyone was introducing themselves, Kong Kong still adhered to her usual principle: "Just call me Kong Kong. Although I am a few years older, you do not need to call me 'sister', let alone 'teacher'"

When Chen Kewai asked that question, Kong Kong was already on her second cup. She said, "My parents' cooking is quite unappetizing. When I was young, I really enjoyed eating at other people's homes. Later, as I grew a bit older, I became more self-conscious and felt embarrassed to keep going to others' houses, so I started cooking for myself."

On a later day, she shared this discovery with Chen Kewei in a restaurant, treating it as a somewhat amusing matter, without realizing that it might embarrass the other party

For reasons that are hard to articulate, Chen Kewai felt somewhat uncomfortable, experiencing a sense of being offended despite knowing that the other party had no malicious intent

Baoyin widened her eyes slightly, her expression devoid of aggression yet filled with curiosity: "Were you not in this line of work before? What were you doing previously?"

During the process of cooking, Kong Kong experienced a sense of tranquility that came from focusing on the steps, but she also knew that this was merely a fleeting novelty—if she were to spend every day in the kitchen doing these tasks, the enjoyment would turn into torment and exhaustion

The kitchen is fully equipped with knives, cooking utensils, and tableware, yet shows no signs of use. Before moving in, the most frequently used item by Chen Kewai was the small white milk pot, which he would use to cook various types of ramen

That night when they met at home, Chen Kewei had already forgotten the minor friction that occurred at noon. He even specially brought back a box of fried chicken for Kong Kong. However, Kong Kong, citing discomfort, curled up in the study and refused to come out. Such a clumsy lie, one wonders if he would believe it. She did not blame him at all; she blamed herself: not for her careless words at noon, but because she always cared about these trivial matters. Clearly, she could have laughed it off and cursed a little to get over it, yet she just couldn't move past it—just like many times before, when others regarded it as merely a fallen leaf, it would always stir up a storm in her heart. She did not blame him at all; she blamed herself: not for her careless words at noon, but because she always cared about these trivial matters. Clearly, she could have laughed it off and cursed a little to get over it, yet she just couldn't move past it—just like many times before, when others regarded it as merely a fallen leaf, it would always stir up a storm in her heart.

Kong Kong stood up a bit flustered, nodding while inwardly complaining about why Qi Qi and Xiao Nan had not returned yet. She glanced at the time on her phone; there were still ten minutes left, and Zhou Baoyin had arrived early.

Kong Kong felt a wave of darkness wash over her when she heard the first half of the sentence, but fortunately, there was still the second half. This was the moment she was most enthusiastic during the entire meeting, as she spoke up before anyone else could: "Let's create a group, creating a group would be better."

"Okay," Baoyin nodded, "This will be quite a waste of time, right? In fact, we won't come up with anything significant. However, since the bosses have made a request, let's just go through the motions."

Kong Kong could not continue any longer. Thank heavens, at this moment, Qi Qi and Xiao Nan finally arrived, carrying paper bags emblazoned with the logos of coffee and milk tea brands, chattering as they handed one cup each to Kong Kong and Bao Yin. The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became much more relaxed, and Kong Kong let out a long sigh of relief in his heart

That afternoon, if one must ascribe some meaning to it

"It's fine, my colleague hasn't arrived yet either, let's wait a bit." Zhou Baoyin casually pulled out a chair and sat down, appearing much more at ease than Kong Kong, as if she were accustomed to such situations and felt no embarrassment at all

Kong Kong looked at Baoyin, and at that moment she did not know why she suddenly felt a surge of courage: "I don't understand, this is my first time attending such a meeting, I have no experience."

The people and shows they mentioned, as well as the variety programs, Kong Kong had not seen any of them, and she did not know how to pretend to be knowledgeable. Although Bao Yin did not speak much, Kong Kong could discern from her expression that the reasons for their silence were different: hers was due to ignorance, while Bao Yin's was due to weariness

I am Zhou Baoyin from Company × ×. The young lady at your front desk directed me to this room. I haven't gone to the wrong place, have I

The so-called content team is still in its infancy, consisting of only three members. Besides Kong Kong, the other two are girls who have just graduated, four to five years younger than her. The quieter one is named Qi Qi, while the more lively one is named Xiao Nan

After leaving her most familiar and comfortable state of existence, she now knows