Seventh Year Of Separation chapter 4
Hesitation
The next day, Gu Jiahe’s cold not only did not improve but worsened. When he woke up in the morning, he felt his throat sore, and his head heavy. He glanced at this year’s remaining annual leave balance and reluctantly got out of bed.
Wearing a mask, he entered the office, where two interns were busy at the printer.
“Manager Gu, why can’t this printer connect?” He Xiao saw Gu Jiahe come in and approached him as if she had found a savior.
Gu Jiahe opened the printer’s operation screen and pressed a few times, saying, “It’s okay now, just needed a reset.”
“Thanks, manager Gu.” Both interns nodded in gratitude.
As Gu Jiahe also needed to print something, he stepped back and waited for them to finish.
“Where did Lawyer Li go last night? He didn’t reply to my WeChat.” He Xiao nudged Wen Qi with her elbow.
“How would I know? Maybe he went to bed early.”
“Could it be a date?” He Xiao whispered.
“It’s not impossible. I heard… he has been in a long-term relationship,” Wen Qi rubbed his chin, answering in a low voice.
“Really? How come I’ve never seen that person in the office?”
“He keeps a low profile. Unlike you, posting every trivial matter on social media.”
He Xiao rolled her eyes at him. “Do you think you’re funny?”
Gu Jiahe stood behind the two, palms resting on the nearby desk, remaining silent.
Low profile? No wonder he took off his ring when working.
Already in a relationship, yet still asking around like he’s playing the role of a love guru? Gu Jiahe smirked.
Suddenly, his throat itched, and he couldn’t help but cough again. Only then did the two notice that Gu Jiahe had not left.
“Oh, manager Gu, are you not feeling well? If you need to print something, let me do it for you.”
“It’s okay, just a bit of a cold.” Gu Jiahe waved his hand.
Five minutes later, Li Zhao pushed open the office door.
“Good morning, Lawyer Li.” After greeting Li Zhao, the two quickly resumed their work.
“Today, we need to verify various real estate properties. Anyone available to go with me?” Li Zhao knocked on their desks.
Gu Jiahe, still standing behind them, faintly said, “Didn’t I give you the property certificate and purchase contract?”
“Inspecting on-site is more rigorous,” Li Zhao looked at Gu Jiahe and lingered on his mask for two seconds.
“I’ll drive. Who’s coming with me?” Li Zhao asked again.
The two interns shrank back, saying, “We have drafts to work on today.”
Only one option was left in the office.
“Manager Gu, can you accompany me for this trip? You’re more familiar,” Li Zhao said.
Gu Jiahe sighed and made eye contact with Li Zhao.
Half an hour later, he sat in the passenger seat of Li Zhao’s car.
The angle of the passenger seat seemed to have been adjusted by someone, and Gu Jiahe stretched his legs, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
He pressed the adjustment button beside the seat, lifted his head, and found Li Zhao looking at him.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“Yes, accompanying you on an assignment while being sick.”
Li Zhao tightened his grip on the steering wheel for a moment before starting the car.
Gu Jiahe leaned his head against the side window, wanting to rest for a while.
However, as soon as he tilted his head, he caught a glimpse in the groove near the door – a pair of sunglasses with two shiny rhinestones on them, clearly designed for women.
The intern’s words from a moment ago suddenly echoed in his mind.
Last night, Li Zhao didn’t reply to his WeChat.
Now, a pair of women’s sunglasses appeared in his car.
For some reason, Gu Jiahe felt even more uneasy, tugging at the collar of his T-shirt.
After holding back for about four or five seconds, he couldn’t control himself and asked, “Yesterday, you…”
“What’s wrong?” Li Zhao responded.
Gu Jiahe regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. What does it have to do with him where Li Zhao went last night? Even if he went to a bar to dance naked, it had nothing to do with him.
He cleared his throat and asked a meaningless question, “What time did you finish work yesterday?”
“I left after you did.”
As the car passed through a somewhat challenging road section, Li Zhao’s car had good shock absorption, and they didn’t feel the bumps.
The first address they were heading to was an office building in the old city.
Gu Jiahe wasn’t familiar with this area, having visited only once during his few years of interning, assisting in asset inventory for a year.
He peered out to check the traffic. Old city areas often lacked parking spaces, and parking by the roadside usually resulted in a ticket.
“Not easy to find parking here. Park at the back,” Gu Jiahe suggested.
“Sure.” Li Zhao followed his advice and drove to the back of the office building, finding an unattended open space.
After getting out of the car, Li Zhao surveyed the surroundings.
The company’s asset situation seemed good, having acquired two plots of land when land prices were low. There were also several office buildings in the city center.
In the projects Li Zhao had been involved in, this was considered a stable asset.
However, these old city office buildings had been abandoned as the new city developed. They couldn’t be rented at a decent price, which was a bit of a pity.
“On which floor is it?” Li Zhao asked.
“It’s on the 26th, I think. I forgot, let’s go up and check.”
The elevator in the run-down office building had also been unused for a long time. When it started moving, the hinges above emitted a creaking sound, making it eerie.
“This place is perfect for shooting a horror film. No need for background music with this ambiance. What do you think?” Gu Jiahe spoke more than usual, surprising Li Zhao.
“Is that so?” Li Zhao said as he stood closer to him, his arm almost touching Gu Jiahe’s side, acting as a barrier.
Gu Jiahe’s heart tightened initially because of the proximity, but the next moment, he unexpectedly felt a bit relieved.
About two minutes later, they arrived at the 26th floor.
Before the elevator doors fully opened, Gu Jiahe immediately stepped out.
Inside was a large open space, purchased as an investment by the partners in the company’s name. It had never been renovated, with some idle desks and chairs scattered around.
“Just these, nothing special.”
“It’s always reassuring to see it on the spot,” Li Zhao was always prudent in his work.
Gu Jiahe stood in front of the spacious floor-to-ceiling windows, hands on the railing, watching the busy traffic below and the distant skyline. His mind was somewhat vacant.
Unable to resist, he coughed twice, feeling even more discomfort in his throat.
Li Zhao had a stern expression until this moment when his expression finally changed.
Looking back at him, Li Zhao said, “I shouldn’t have taken you out. Go back and rest at noon.”
Gu Jiahe quickly waved his hand, “It’s nothing. It’s uncomfortable to stay cooped up in the office.”
After reuniting, the most frequently spoken words by Gu Jiahe were always “it’s nothing.”
Seeing him decline so quickly, Li Zhao lowered his head and fell silent for a moment.
After a while, he chuckled before speaking, “Don’t worry, I won’t go to your place again.”
Gu Jiahe hadn’t expected him to bring this up and couldn’t read his tone. He couldn’t distinguish if it was a promise or sarcasm.
In the empty office, the two stood facing each other.
Li Zhao’s face darkened, and his gaze passed over Gu Jiahe’s face. After a moment, he spoke, “Why didn’t you continue with your postgraduate studies? You had the opportunity back then…”
Gu Jiahe was somewhat surprised by his question, and his eyes evaded a bit. “I didn’t pass the reexamination. Isn’t it normal?”
“You didn’t go for the reexamination.” Li Zhao didn’t look into his eyes, his gaze fixed on the top of a distant tall building.
“Let’s not bring up the past.” Gu Jiahe put his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.
Gu Jiahe had walked about three or four meters when the long-unattended floor kicked up a dust cloud.
Li Zhao stood still, watching his retreating figure, and asked in a low voice, “Are you alone now?”
Suppressing the pain in his throat, Gu Jiahe chuckled and looked back, “I’ve already slept with you. Only now you think to ask? Trying to salvage a bit of moral ground?”
“So, you are?” Li Zhao stood still, neither moving nor responding to his somewhat pitiful sarcasm.
“What else could I be? Can I turn into a dog?” Gu Jiahe replied and, after speaking, started coughing violently. He felt a bit frustrated; this was supposed to be a moment of carefree calmness after their reunion, but it turned out so messy.
Li Zhao shook his head, sighed seemingly lightly, and said, “Forget it, it doesn’t matter.”
All the words that were on the tip of their tongues, like an ellipsis interrupting a sentence, lingered between them.