Chapter 58

Wei Xiaolu hit the “Confirm Submission” button and sank back into the sofa, looking like she might melt right into it.

Shen Siyan closed the laptop beside her and turned with a faint smile.

“Congratulations,” Shen Siyan said, reaching over to rub the back of her neck. “First phase complete.”

“What do you mean, congratulations?” Wei Xiaolu rubbed her face. “I just finished sending out my resume...”

She said that, but honestly, just submitting the applications had been torture enough.

Over the past week, with Wei Xiaolu’s relentless effort, she had finally reached her goal of eighty applications.

Of course, Shen Siyan had helped too. Whenever Wei Xiaolu got fed up and went numb from application fatigue, Shen Siyan would step in for a while; but Wei Xiaolu always took over again soon after, because deep down she still felt this was her own business.

That was also why she had thought it inappropriate when Shen Siyan offered to send her to work with a friend of hers, and had flatly rejected the suggestion. Part of it was, of course, pride; she wanted to prove she wasn’t some woman living off her girlfriend. But more than that, she worried that if even her first real job after entering society was arranged by Shen Siyan, that favor would eat away at the purity of their feelings and leave their relationship stained by too many impurities.

Wei Xiaolu wanted their feelings to be feelings, and work to be work.

Even if their relationship had started through work, now that the internship was over, the interests of boss and subordinate should stay in the past, behind that door.

At the very least, from this point on, there could be a cleaner line between them.

Wei Xiaolu stretched. “I’ve been sending out resumes these past few days until my head feels all foggy.”

“Perfect,” Shen Siyan said, standing and patting her shoulder lightly. “Change clothes. We’re going out.”

“Where to?” Wei Xiaolu brightened a little.

“To—” Shen Siyan gave a soft laugh. “Somewhere to waste the weekend with you.”

“Then we could just stay home...” Wei Xiaolu began, then suddenly stopped. Her eyes darted as a mischievous grin spread across her face. “Jiejie.”

“Mm?” Shen Siyan was smiling too, though the meaning in it was hard to read.

“We’re going out...” Wei Xiaolu pressed her lips together. “So, uh. A date?”

Shen Siyan smiled. “Mm-hm.”

“Hehe.” Wei Xiaolu asked, “What do you feel like doing?”

“Want to see an opera?” Seeing her blank reaction, Shen Siyan added, “Or an auction?”

What Wei Xiaolu had been thinking of was bubble tea, a movie, and a big meal.

Maybe realizing she wasn’t interested, Shen Siyan changed course. “How about deep-sea fishing? We can go to that place from last time.”

“Mm...” Last time, they’d just sat around talking, and Wei Xiaolu didn’t understand the appeal of that kind of refined leisure. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I want something we can actually do.”

Let’s go shopping! That at least had some activity.

Shen Siyan considered it briefly before replying, “I can book a private ski slope, or we could go riding at a stable. If you’re interested in racing, we could go to the track too, though I’m not very good at that.”

Wei Xiaolu scratched her ear.

She felt a faint, tiny bit embarrassed.

The activities Shen Siyan mentioned had never even crossed her mind. In truth, Shen Siyan’s world and hers had always been very different; maybe because Shen Siyan, now newly appointed as department head, had been too busy with work, sacrificing entertainment, and had always lived simply and efficiently, Wei Xiaolu had overlooked that fact.

“I can’t do any of those...” Wei Xiaolu looked away. “Just pick the simplest one.”

“I’ll teach you,” Shen Siyan said after a pause. “How about horse riding?”

“Oh, okay.” Wei Xiaolu nodded.

Shen Siyan immediately picked up her phone and made a call. It seemed to be to some stable owner, and the person on the other end greeted her warmly: “It’s been two years since you last came; we’ve been missing you.” Shen Siyan smiled and looked at Wei Xiaolu. “We’ll go today, and I’m bringing a girl.”

After the call ended, Shen Siyan crooked a finger at Wei Xiaolu. “Little one, pack your things. A friend of mine runs a stable; we’re staying at her place tonight.”

If nothing else, Shen Siyan never lacked execution. From making the call to packing up and getting ready to leave, it took barely ten minutes.

Wei Xiaolu was still getting ready. Since this was their first date, she was carefully shaping her brows when she glanced in the mirror and saw Shen Siyan already standing in the doorway to her bedroom, wearing a brown leather coat that fell past her knees, leaning against the frame as she waited.

Not wanting to keep her waiting too long, Wei Xiaolu quickly finished her makeup, grabbed her backpack, and went over. “I’m ready.”

Shen Siyan looked at her and smiled softly.

That smile made Wei Xiaolu’s heart itch. She ducked her chin into her scarf and giggled to herself.

Before, whenever they went out, Shen Siyan would dress her up, pick out her clothes, and then say she looked stunning, that the two of them were “a match made in heaven.” Back then, Wei Xiaolu would also go into full praise mode; whenever Shen Siyan tried on an outfit, Wei Xiaolu would compliment everything from her face to her figure, and sometimes even her hair.

But now she was quiet.

Mm... maybe they were both shy, because for the first ten minutes after getting into the car, neither of them said a word.

It wasn’t as if they’d ever struggled to find things to talk about. On the way to and from work, it had never been this awkwardly silent.

In the end, it was Shen Siyan who pulled up the variety show Wei Xiaolu had watched last time on the in-car screen.

“It’ll take two hours to get to the stable,” Shen Siyan said. “Watch something you like.”

Wei Xiaolu seized the chance to ease the mood and turned to look at Shen Siyan, propping her face in her hands.

“Why are you looking at me?” Shen Siyan asked gently. “If you want to watch something else, just chan—”

“Didn’t jiejie say to watch something I like?” Wei Xiaolu said.

At first, Shen Siyan’s expression barely changed, but gradually even her smile began to show more clearly. She raised her right hand to cover the corner of her mouth.

“Didn’t you say,” she asked while rubbing Wei Xiaolu’s head, “that you didn’t want that kind of thing that makes people embarrassed?”

“That, that doesn’t mean we can’t say anything at all,” Wei Xiaolu mumbled, burying her whole face in her scarf. “It’s okay to say a little once in a while.”

Then she peeked back out and eyed Shen Siyan with a mischievous grin. “So that means you’re embarrassed.”

Shen Siyan lifted a shoulder but didn’t answer.

Silence was agreement. Wei Xiaolu swayed happily from side to side. Shen Siyan glanced at her a few times, then asked her to help search for something online.

“What are we searching for?” Wei Xiaolu asked.

“Search,” Shen Siyan said after a brief pause, “what to do when your girlfriend dances in the passenger seat.”

Wei Xiaolu had only typed in the first three words when she heard the rest and instantly flushed. She flung the phone away. “Hey! I won’t move around anymore!”

Shen Siyan smiled. “Dance when we get to the stable.”

By the time the sun was sinking in the west, the car finally drove into a spacious village.

Wei Xiaolu pressed herself against the window and stared, wide-eyed, at the quiet scene outside.

In the distance stretched a continuous dark-blue mountain ridge; closer by, a patch of yellowed pasture spread out before them, with several horses by the fence lowering their heads to eat feed.

Nearby, a woman with a ponytail was teaching a father and son how to ride.

“We’re here.” Shen Siyan opened the door and got out.

Wei Xiaolu followed her toward the horses. The tanned woman noticed them and waved both arms high in the air. “Siyan! I’m still teaching people how to ride. I’ll be done in a minute. You two go inside and sit down first.”

“Okay.” Shen Siyan lifted a hand in reply.

At the far end of the pasture was a house built of wood and stone. When the evening breeze blew, the wind chimes under the eaves rang clear and bright.

The moment Wei Xiaolu stepped inside, warmth wrapped around her. There was a fire burning in the hearth, and the firewood crackled softly.

The furniture was rustic, as if it had all been handmade. Wei Xiaolu pulled over a wooden stool to sit on, then noticed that the wall opposite was covered with saddles and reins.

“Wow...” She didn’t even know where to begin. “Living here would be way too nice.”

“You can enjoy it here for two days too.” As Shen Siyan spoke, she took off her leather coat, drew a bucket of water from the cistern, and set it on the stove to heat.

Wei Xiaolu noticed many photos of the stable owner on another wall; some had already yellowed with age. She asked, “Has this stable been open for a long time?”

“Seven or eight years,” Shen Siyan said, sitting by the fireplace to warm her hands. “The one outside just now, Lu Lan, her family ran into some big trouble back then. She wanted some peace and quiet, so she came out here and opened this stable.”

Wei Xiaolu wasn’t so cold anymore. She drifted over to the fireplace, hesitated for two seconds, then reached out and took Shen Siyan’s hand.

“Cold,” Wei Xiaolu said, looking up with a smile. “I’ll warm you up.”

Shen Siyan froze for a moment, then smiled. “Thanks, baby.”

Just as she was warming her hands, the wind chimes suddenly rang out. Along with the creak of the wooden door, Lu Lan came in.

Seeing someone enter, Wei Xiaolu let go of Shen Siyan’s hand at once.

“Siyan, you haven’t been here in so long. What have you been busy with?” Lu Lan said. “We’re having barbecue in the yard tonight. I’ve already got the meat ready, and you have to eat until you’re stuffed.”

“Okay.” Shen Siyan patted Wei Xiaolu’s waist. “I’m going to help grill the skewers. It’s cold outside, so stay in here for a while.”

Wei Xiaolu wanted to help too, but when she saw that Lu Lan was only greeting Shen Siyan and completely ignoring her, she figured going out would only make her even less noticeable, so she stayed inside and waited for the food to be brought in.

The walls were thin, so while the barbecue was being made, she could hear the conversation outside and learn a little about Lu Lan. It turned out this striking woman wasn’t naturally like that; she had simply grown tired of her family’s harsh discipline and had no interest in inheriting the family business, so she took advantage of the chaos to cut ties and run off to pursue freedom.

Somehow, that background sounded familiar, a little like when Shen Siyan had broken with her family not long ago. Wei Xiaolu wondered whether Shen Siyan had been influenced by her.

Wei Xiaolu waited a long time before they finally finished a tray. Lu Lan carried it inside and shouted for everyone to eat.

“Come on, come on, eat,” she said, grabbing two bottles of beer in one hand and slinging her other arm over Shen Siyan’s shoulder. “Have a little drink tonight; let’s catch up properly.”

Shen Siyan smiled and waved it off, then turned to look at Wei Xiaolu.

“What?” Lu Lan clicked her tongue. “You can hold your liquor pretty well, can’t you? Weren’t you able to knock back a bottle in one go when you first started work? Not anymore?”

Shen Siyan still shook her head and walked over to Wei Xiaolu’s side. “I mean I’m not catching up tonight.”

“Huh?” Lu Lan didn’t catch on.

Wei Xiaolu was biting into her barbecue; the meat was still on the skewer when suddenly someone wrapped an arm around her waist and Shen Siyan’s familiar scent, mixed with the smell of grilled meat, brushed past her nose.

“Today I’m here to keep my girlfriend company,” Shen Siyan said, tilting her head so her ear lightly touched Wei Xiaolu’s. “We’ll catch up another day if we get the chance.”

The lamb skewers smelled so good that Wei Xiaolu didn’t even have time to react. Her teeth were still on the skewer when she saw Lu Lan jolt in shock; with a sharp crack, the two beer bottles in her hands shattered on the floor.