Star-Crossed Lovers: The Ex-Convict and the White Rabbit - Chapter 15 - Returning to Work

Chapter 15 – Returning to Work

Lu Yin requested for leave because of her sprained foot and had to rest at home for another two weeks.

She went to the factory early in the morning. Her colleagues had not arrived yet and she found a secluded corner to drink a carton of milk. The factory canteen was actually the staff lounge. It was very spacious, there were two unused sewing machines stacked in the corner and in the middle was a long wooden table with jars of pickles and bottles of vinegar that others left behind. Sunlight passed through the aged glass, highlighting flecks of dust under its rays. An electric fan whirred above, the whole room looked a little messy.

Lu Yin withdrew her gaze and sighed.

She heard disorderly footsteps from the corridor. Several female colleagues were chattering amongst each other as they walked over. Their voices drew closer and closer. Lu Yin wriggled in her seat, inexplicably flustered.

The door was pushed in, the voices stopped upon seeing her.

Lu Yin lowered her head and took a sip of milk. Someone immediately greeted her, “Sister Yinyin, you’re here.”

“I heard you sprained your foot. Is it better now?”

“I have soy milk. Little Lu, do you want some?”

Lu Yin played with her hair, smiled and replied, “It’s just a small injury, it’s fine after a few days of rest… I just had breakfast, no need.”

The woman smiled, put the soy milk on the table and went to the dressing room behind the curtain to change into her uniform.

The room was strangely quiet for a few seconds. Everyone was busying themselves, the air was awkward.

Lu Yin felt as if she was sitting on needles. She picked up her trash and smiled, “I’m going back to the office, talk to you later.”

Several people replied hurriedly, “Later.”

“Ok…”

“Ok, ok…”

The door closed behind her. Whispers burst from within but she couldn’t hear clearly. She gently clasped the doorknob, feeling like a turtle that had finally retracted into its shell and escaped the outside world, finally safe.

Her colleagues didn’t say anything just now and didn’t even mention her cancelled wedding. But she couldn’t bear other people walking on eggshells around her and greeting her kindly. But those eyes looking at her filled with questions, sympathy and regret made her feel even sadder, as if she was a failed experiment.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur and her colleagues went to the cafeteria for lunch. She didn’t want to go and planned to just have a few bites of bread.

Someone knocked on the wall. She looked up. It was a male colleague.

“Eat with me?”

Lu Yin shook her head, “Go, I ate too much in the morning and I’m not hungry yet.”

Her male colleague said, “Even if you ate a lot, it was only breakfast. It’s noon now, you should still eat even if you’re not hungry.”

“I won’t go…”

Her male colleague was about to say something when someone called him, “Chen Rui, we’re waiting for you, hurry.”

“Coming,” He shouted back. He leaned down and whispered, “If you don’t want others to talk about you, hiding isn’t the way to go. You should pretend as if nothing happened and go about your day as you did before.”

Lu Yin suddenly raised her head. She couldn’t deny that the only thing she wanted to do now was run away. That much was obvious, it was too difficult to handle.

She bit on her lower lip.

Chen Rui’s eyes were flooded with infinite energy. He encouraged her, “Let’s go!”

Hesitating for a moment, Lu Yin stood up and followed him out.

The cafeteria meal was the usual three dishes and one soup; one meat dish and two vegetarian dishes, the soup was tasteless.

Several colleagues sat around the dining table, both men and women, eating and chatting, full of energy.

No one expected her to talk and they didn’t gesture with their eyes for her to either. It looked like no one was talking behind her back.

Lu Yin back wasn’t as straight and she lowered her shoulders, finally feeling the slightest bit relaxed.

Someone walked in and greeted the table. When she saw that she came to work, her eyes immediately glimmered with intrigue. She asked, “Lu Yin, are you okay?”

The whole table immediately fell silent. Some people buried their heads, others coughed awkwardly. The colleague next to her hit her arm before she realized she shouldn’t have asked. She shrank her neck in embarrassment and slipped away.

Lu Yin put down her chopsticks, suddenly feeling like she was chewing wax.

The colleague just now was from another department, nothing but acquaintances. And most importantly, she hadn’t been invited to her and Liu Zecheng’s wedding.