In her past life, she hadn't had any close friends or classmates. It was only in this life, with Huang Feng, that she truly felt what it was like to be cared for by a friend.
Huang Feng had pretty much finished packing her luggage during the lunch break. After rolling up her bedding and tidying up the dorm, the two girls left, loaded down with bags big and small.
They had too much stuff, and it was all very heavy. The two girls had to stop and rest several times on their way. By the time they finally saw the main gate of First High School, the bag handles had already dug several red marks into their fingers. Thankfully, the textbooks they'd been issued were still in the classroom. Otherwise, adding those books to their load would have been completely unbearable.
It was almost five o'clock. In the height of summer, the sun set very late. The sun was still high in the sky, its golden rays baking the earth, searing and blinding.
Xu Su felt a drop of sweat from her forehead trickle into her eye. She quickly set down the bag and bucket she was carrying, pulled a tissue from the pocket of her school pants, and wiped her brow and eye.
Huang Feng stopped too, setting her things on the ground. As she rubbed her aching palms, she glanced toward the school gate. Her gaze suddenly focused, and her eyes lit up. "My brother's here!" she exclaimed. "I see his boss's car!"
Xu Su froze and looked over as well. Sure enough, the familiar car was parked in the distance.
She heard herself ask, "Didn't your brother drive his own car? Is it okay for him to use his boss's car for personal errands?"
'Hasn't Huang Chao bought a car yet? Calm down... Zhou Mochen wouldn't actually come along with his assistant just to pick up the guy's sister, would he?'
"It's fine. My brother's car is in Beijing; he didn't drive it back to Chang City this time. He leaves early and comes home late with his boss every day, so he always drives his boss's car."
Huang Feng picked her things back up. "Don't be put off by how aloof his boss seemed last time," she said as they walked toward the gate. "He's actually a really nice guy. I heard my brother say once that after graduating from college, he was hitting dead ends everywhere looking for a job in Beijing. It was his current boss who believed in his abilities and was willing to take a chance on him."
"You have no idea how competitive it is in Beijing. It's really hard to find a good job without an impressive resume. My brother told me that even graduates from top universities are dying to get the job he has now."
Xu Su followed behind Huang Feng, listening in silence. She wasn't particularly curious about Huang Chao's career path; she already knew from her past life that he had become Zhou Mochen's assistant back when Zhou Mochen was just a college freshman.
'What Xu Su found surprising was that the job market in Beijing was already so cutthroat back in the early 2000s?'
'Huang Chao was a real talent, one of Zhou Mochen's future top lieutenants. To think he couldn't even find a job after graduation?'
When Huang Feng saw that Xu Su was quiet, she guessed she was still worried about what happened at the milk tea shop. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "His boss definitely won't be there. The guy's super busy. My brother's worked for him for four years, and that day at the milk tea shop was the first time I'd ever even met him."
Xu Su was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she suddenly faltered, her pace slowing to a crawl. She stared, stunned, at the tall, slender figure up ahead. "...Definitely won't be there?"
'Then who was that she was seeing?'
'What kind of cursed fate was this! She had been determined to steer clear of Zhou Mochen in this life, so why had she ended up running into him twice in less than ten days?'
While she was still in a daze, just as he had countless times in her past life, the man walked right up to her.
Zhou Mochen held out his hand. When the girl in front of him didn't react, he prompted, "That looks heavy. Let me get it for you."
His attitude was so natural that for a second, Xu Su felt as if she hadn't been reborn at all. Before she could even process it, the bag full of clothes and the bucket holding her toiletries and a worn-out straw mat were in Zhou Mochen's hands.
Seemingly pleased with the girl's compliant behavior, Zhou Mochen chuckled softly. "Let's go. It's too hot out here. Get in the car."
The way Zhou Mochen acted made it pretty hard to believe they were strangers.
The brother and sister who had witnessed the entire exchange stood there, dumbfounded.
This was especially true for Huang Chao. In four years of working for him, he had never seen his boss be so pleasant and friendly toward any woman, let alone offer to carry her bags. That was completely unprecedented.
With a few years of work experience under his belt, Huang Chao recovered faster than his sister. Seeing his boss had already strode far ahead, he started to follow, reminding his sister, "Ahem! ...What are you standing there gaping for? Let's go, Fengfeng."
He then glanced at the girl his boss was clearly treating with special consideration. Unsure how to act, he finally settled on a stiff nod and a smile. "The car is right at the school gate. Please, take your time."
"..."
Huang Feng stared daggers at her brother's back. After a long moment, she said, "Did my brother just... speak so formally to you? Why was he being so respectful?"
Suddenly, it seemed to click for Huang Feng. She grabbed Xu Su's arm and demanded, "Okay, spill. What's the deal between you and my brother's boss? Why would he offer to carry your luggage? And you just handed it over like it was the most natural thing in the world!"
Xu Su felt terribly wronged, shaking her head so fast it was a blur. "I swear, I don't know him! And we definitely don't have any kind of relationship! His presence is just so... intense, I handed my stuff over before I even realized what I was doing! This is only the second time I've ever met him!"
'Xu Su was panicking internally, already preparing for the worst.'
She touched her hair, which had grown out a little but was still quite short. She was completely baffled.
'Is that guy Zhou Mochen really not going to let me be, even with short hair?'
Huang Feng looked her friend up and down, and a bold theory popped into her head. "Could it be... he likes you?"
Xu Su jumped, quickly clamping a hand over Huang Feng's mouth.
The girl had a loud voice, and while Zhou Mochen and his group were probably too far away to hear, there were plenty of other students around!
Baseless rumors had a way of twisting and changing as they passed from person to person. If even a whisper of this reached a teacher's ears, Xu Su would probably have her parents called in before the new semester even officially began.
Huang Feng also realized that this wasn't the kind of conversation to have in such a crowded place. She glanced at Xu Su and covered her own mouth with one hand, motioning that she wouldn't say another word out of line.
Only then did Xu Su lower her hand. The two of them half-pulled, half-dragged each other toward the school gate.
By the time they got to the car, their luggage was already in the trunk. Zhou Mochen was sitting back in the passenger seat, and Huang Chao was holding a rear door open for them.
Xu Su: ...
'Given the situation, it would be awkward to refuse a ride.'
Once the two girls were in, Huang Chao got into the driver's seat. As he started the car, he asked in a conversational tone, "I heard last time that you're from Kang County?"
'His tone was smooth and natural. He was certainly worthy of being Zhou Mochen's future right-hand man. While he wasn't as polished as he would be a decade from now, the potential was already there.'
Glancing at Huang Feng, who was making faces at her from the side, Xu Su said with a helpless sigh, "Yes, I'm from Kang County. We're the same generation, you don't have to be so formal with me. It feels a little weird."
'In her past life, she wouldn't have thought anything of it. But in this life, now that Huang Feng was her friend, how could she let her friend's older brother use such a formal tone with her?'