Chapter 1 (1/2)

Awkward Qixi Evening

“Spending this holiday alone is such a shame.”

Xiao Hehe almost missed her flight, and just as she got situated, a text came. It was spam for an online dating site. She deleted it without a thought.

So today was Qixi, a very irritating holiday.

The Qixi Festival, sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival or Chinese Valentine’s Day, occurs on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. It celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaving girl, two lovers who were separated by a galaxy, only able to meet once a year.

Xiao Hehe took the opportunity to send a text, “Dearest Xiao Bao, Mum’s arriving at the airport at 20:30. Come quickly to pick me up!”

Zheng Xiaobao was her b.u.m coworker. He was originally supposed to make this trip, but came up with a lousy excuse, and pushed the errand to Hehe. So maybe she wanted to treat him like a slave for a bit. In any case, this guy just happened to have bought a car recently. He’d patted his chest, and promised that he’d wait for her to return and be his first pa.s.senger.

She calls him “xiao bao”, literally “little treasure.” As far as I’m aware, it’s an endearing term that parents may use for their children. Incidentally, his real name is also Xiaobao, just with different characters.

Before Hehe had boarded the plane, she’d been filled with two bottles of beer by a lively client. But she didn’t get to finish her meal. Now, she was dizzy, hungry, tired, and sleepy.

She couldn’t remember Zheng Xiaobao’s entire phone number, so she went through her contacts, one by one. She finally found him, when the pa.s.senger next to her turned and b.u.mped into her. Hehe pressed the “send” b.u.t.ton, and a second later, the screen displayed “successfully sent.” And then she realized that she hadn’t sent that text to Zheng Xiaobao, but rather Zheng Xie.

Hehe started to sweat a bit, and quickly called Zheng Xie to explain. The phone kept ringing, but no one picked up. He can’t be that petty. Hehe didn’t give up and called again. Idiot… She should send another text. But before she could finish typing, her phone dinged twice and shut off. Hehe was dismayed.

Then she thought, Zheng Xie seemed to have never responded to her texts. Who told her to always send him garbage messages? He probably ignores a text once he sees she’s the sender, since she always calls him if it’s something important anyway. Moreover, Zheng Xie probably wouldn’t misunderstand. How could she be so impolite with him? With an IQ as high as his, he’d probably be able to guess that she’d sent the message to the wrong person.

Today was Qixi. Zheng Xie wouldn’t be spending it alone. There should be a fine gla.s.s of wine in his hand, as he enjoys his evening. He wouldn’t even notice her mistake.

With that thought, Hehe was rea.s.sured, and put her head down to sleep. But before she could fall asleep, she vaguely recalled that when he was younger, Zheng Xie also had a nickname called Xiao Bao. …What a mess. Now, she couldn’t get to sleep.

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There was still a bustling crowd at the airport. Once she was past the ticket counter, the girl who had been sitting next to Hehe was pulled into a big embrace. Hugging so closely on such a hot day, weren’t they afraid of heatstroke? Xiao Hehe would not admit that she was jealous. She just felt that it was immoral. And besides, the beds in the hospital are getting very close now (there’s too many people?).

“Ms. Xiao, over here.”

As she was stepping outside the airport lobby, she was thinking about whether taking the bus or the taxi would be more expensive. Suddenly, she hear a familiar voice. With another look, she realized it was Zheng Xie’s personal driver, Xiao w.a.n.g. It was no small surprise to Hehe.

“Who are you here to pick up? Did Zheng Xie…gege also have a business trip? Or…” Zheng Xie’s nth girlfriend? She promptly swallowed the second half of that sentence.

English doesn’t really have these terms of address that, for example, Chinese has. “Gege” literally means “brother,” but is also used for older male friends, etc. I’ll drop these t.i.tles in translation when used in conjunction with a name, but in this case, the pause before she says it (I a.s.sume) suggests their sort of ambiguous relations.h.i.+p.

“I’m here to pick up Ms. Xiao. Please get into the car.” Hehe looked up to the sky. Strange, the moon was in the sky. The color was normal.

When she got into the car, she found out that young master Zheng Xie had gone to the hospital that afternoon, with a high fever. Xiao Hehe was tired and weary, and after three seconds of consideration, she decided to go to the hospital to express her compa.s.sion and concern. After all, she’d known Zheng Xie for 25 years now.

In her mind, other than going for checkups, the hospital was a place you only go to every three or four years. The hospital was no better than a maze. After numerous turns, she finally arrived at her destination. Really, how corrupt it was. He was staying in such a large room for a fever. How nervous the hospital beds must be.

Zheng Xie was leaning up on the bed, the IV still attached to his arm. His face was a bit pale, but his eyes were clear and bright. When he saw her enter, his expression didn’t change. He just pointed at the bench against the wall, motioning for her to sit.

His secretary, Wei Zhixian, sat on a stool beside the bed with a laptop, carefully recording the words that were dictated to him. The economics terms were like a monk’s mantra to her. Listening made her dizzy, and in a moment, she had fallen asleep.

She was, in fact, tired. On her business trip, she’d spent more than 14 hours a day working, and hadn’t had a good night’s sleep at all. She only woke when someone placed a coat on her. Rubbing her eyes, she saw that it was the elegant Secretary Wei. Seeing Hehe wake up, Wei Zhixian smiled gently. “I was about to leave. Should I give you a ride?”

Before Xiao Hehe could answer, the young master on the bed said, “No need. When I’m done with this, Hehe will leave with me.”

“The doctor said you should stay in the hospital overnight for observation…” After seeing his boss’ face, Secretary Wei responded, “Okay, please be sure to rest. Director, your phone.” He pulled out a s.h.i.+ning, limited edition platinum phone from his pocket.