How We Love - Volume 1 Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Not Suitable for the Job

The next day at work, Cai Xin felt shivers down her spine – the kind that you get when being stared at – as she passed by the company across the road. This had been going on for the past three days, ever since the company across the road began renovations three days ago. The feeling would only disappear when she walked into her company building and reached her office. It was even more intense today. She looked back several times before walking into the building but the building across the road was covered in tarp and she couldn’t see anything.

She asked Xiao Mei the receptionist when she passed the front desk, “Do you feel like there’s someone staring at us from across the street?”

Xiao Mei shook her head, “Nope!”

Cai Xin said solemnly, “I swear there is! My spine is tingling!”

Xiao Mei covered her mouth, laughing, “Older Sister Cai Xin, are you being followed by a ghost? Or maybe it’s a single ‘ghost’!”

Cai Xin narrowed her eyes at Xiao Mei and went into the office to check her horoscope. According to the horoscope, she would be surrounded by a lot of potential suitors soon.

Cai Xin scoffed and threw the horoscope to the side, “Even the horoscope is starting to predict nonsense, maybe I am being followed by a ghost.”

After getting off work, Cai Xin packed up her things and prepared to go to her appointment. As soon as she walked out of the company entrance, the tingling sensation on her spine fired up again. She was irked by this feeling of a ghost lingering around her, scared, too. She ran to the cafe. She looked back countless times along the way, but only saw normal pedestrians.

Sitting in the coffee shop, Cai Xin was scared out of her wits. She opened Taobao1 [javascript:void(0)]Chinese online marketplace, kind of like eBay or Amazon. and was planning to buy an obsidian bracelet that had been blessed to fend off evil while waiting. As she was scrolling through, a “Hello” came from above her. Cai Xin raised her head and was startled.

The person who greeted her was a handsome young man. He really knew his angles, he was standing half in the sun and half in the shadows, looking like a perfect statue freshly carved by the Artist.

Cai Xin looked at the person before her a little dazed, for some reason she felt she had seen him somewhere before.

“You are…” Cai Xin asked tentatively.

“Uncle Zhang.” The young man answered simply.

Cai Xin raised her cup and took a sip, “I’m sorry, I thought you were an actual uncle. I didn’t expect you to be so young. Are you younger than me? If you are,” Cai Xin shook her head, “I’m afraid it’s a no from me.”

***

Cai Xin was about to get up and leave, but the young “Uncle Zhang” sat down calmly. As he sat down, the table was pushed towards Cai Xin, trapping her so she couldn’t stand up.

“Uncle Zhang” drummed his fingers on the table, “Senior Sister, it’s not polite to leave without talking, no? The least you can do is treat me to a cup of coffee.”

Cai Xin was nailed back to her seat for being called “Senior Sister”. She knew for sure she didn’t leave her educational background in her profile.

“How did you know I’m your school senior?” Cai Xin asked doubtfully.

“Uncle Zhang” replied lightly, “You look familiar.”

Cai Xin asked, “What’s your name?”

“Uncle Zhang” spat out three words, “Zhang Heran.”

The moment these three words came out, Cai Xin was shocked to her core.

“Zhang Heran? You’re Zhang Heran? No wonder I thought you looked familiar!” Cai Xin slapped the table in amazement, unconsciously raising her voice, “ No way, Zhang Heran! You were a figure that shook the whole campus back then! There were so many senior and junior sisters fascinated and crying over you back then. I graduated two years earlier than you, so what happened in the past two years that an outstanding student like you would lower yourself down to be in this line of work?” Cai Xin rambled, in the end feeling a little distressed for him.

Zhang Heran was the pride of their entire department and even the whole school, he could clearly rely on his face or talent to become an outstanding alumnus.

Zhang Heran chuckled at her, the epitome of a beautiful man, “Nothing happened. I just thought that it would be good to take advantage of my face while I still can and earn a little money on the side. There’s no such thing as too much money. What do you say, Senior Sister? Help me out here. Would you give this moonlighter a chance?”

Cai Xin’s response was asking the waiter to bring her two glasses of water. After drinking both in one gulp, she gradually calmed down.

“Although I admire what you’re doing, I still think you’re not suitable for the job,” she resolutely replied.