Chapter 4 Third Encounter

Chapter 4: Third Encounter

Mou Wen stayed up late to put together a draft and sent it to Lin Weisen, while bracing herself for him to chew her out. She'd heard that interns at this company always got scolded for their first draft, so she figured she wouldn't escape it either.

But Lin Weisen suddenly notified her that evening, telling her to contact Xie Chong to discuss the draft.

"Huh? My draft?" Mou Wen was a bit surprised. "Mentor, you haven't even revised it yet!"

"We'll start with yours." Lin Weisen had dealt with so many clients that virtually every one of them would ask for a second or third revision regardless of what the first draft looked like. So as long as the initial draft didn't have major issues, it would basically slide by. Besides, Mou Wen's draft was really well done.

Lin Weisen discovered that Mou Wen was a crazy talented designer. Many interns at the company had a common flaw: they had trouble applying what they learned, so their designs were mediocre. Mou Wen was different—her designs were full of clever touches. She must have put a ton of thought into it. She really designed it like it was her own home.

Lin Weisen didn't say these things to Mou Wen. As her mentor, he needed to maintain some authority, worried she'd get a big head. She was already full of herself without him praising her. Before presenting her draft, she'd tell Lin Weisen, "Mentor, let me tell you, this draft is freaking awesome!"

"You're way too cocky." Lin Weisen said. "Don't get too big for your britches. If the company doesn't sign you, you'll end up at a design institute!"

"No way!" Mou Wen knew Lin Weisen was just trying to scare her. "Of course the company will sign me, they'd be stupid not to. I'm not going to a design institute—the pay sucks."

"Design institutes get you a Beijing hukou." Lin Weisen reminded her. Some of Mou Wen's classmates went to design institutes for the hukou, lower pay but great benefits. Mou Wen didn't want that; she wanted a high salary. It's all drawing either way—she wanted the best pay for her work.

"A Beijing hukou's great and all... but right now I just want to make money." Mou Wen said honestly. Her dad used to drive trucks and had a bad back; her mom made steamed buns and had a bad neck. They worked their tails off, and Mou Wen wanted to earn more money while she was young.

By the time Mou Wen called Xie Chong, it was almost midnight.

She tried his work number from the office phone first, but after a few tries, no one picked up, so she switched to his personal number.

He picked up right away, and said her name right off the bat: "Mou Wen." Short and to the point, nothing else.

Mou Wen hesitated, then copied his tone and said, "Xie Chong."

Now it was Xie Chong's turn to be surprised. He put on a stern voice: "You're imitating me?"

Mou Wen couldn't help but laugh and let out a "heh" before saying, "Mr. Xie, the initial draft is ready. When are you free to go over it?"

"I'll come to your company," Xie Chong said. "I'll wrap up work tomorrow and come by around 5:30."

"Alright."

Xie Chong had a really nice voice. After hanging up, Mou Wen sat there dazed, wanting more. But she couldn't think of anything to say to him, so she went online to search: What do poor and rich people of opposite genders talk about? The answers were all over the place. Mou Wen laughed as she scrolled—so ridiculous, what the heck is this stuff? Then she thought: Why am I even looking this up?

Mou Wen had never really experienced a Beijing autumn; she figured it couldn't be that different from Tianjin. After pulling all-nighters for days, she felt completely drained, so she was extra slow getting up the next morning. Wrapped in her blanket, she sat up with her eyes closed and dozed off for another two minutes.

Chu Ling knocked on her bed frame from the bunk below, calling her to get up.

Only then did Mou Wen fully open her eyes.

They'd planned to hit a new breakfast spot for tofu pudding and youtiao. Before heading out, Chu Ling pinned a new hair clip onto Mou Wen's head: "Here—I saw your flower clip fell off, so last night I went to the alley shop and grabbed two. One for you, one for me."

Chu Ling turned to show Mou Wen hers, and Mou Wen had already thrown her arms around her: "Chu Ling, Chu Ling, you're so good to me! When I get paid, I'll treat you to Jiutouying or Pizza Hut, deal?"

That Pizza Hut was right under the overpass. Every time Mou Wen thought about going, she figured it was too pricey. But treating Chu Ling, she wouldn't feel a bit of regret.

"Great, great!" Chu Ling was delighted. "When I get my bonus, I'll treat you too. Let's eat at both places downstairs!"

"Not Bifengtang! Too cheap!" Mou Wen snorted, making a face of disdain toward Bifengtang, then laughed to herself.

The leaves on both sides of Suzhou Street began to rustle and fall. The two of them huddled together, arms wrapped around each other as they walked, saying, "Once the weather clears up, let's go to the zoo this weekend to buy winter coats!"

The tofu pudding at the breakfast place was delicious. The two of them had big appetites and ordered another basket of soup dumplings. After eating, one headed left toward Baishi Bridge, the other right toward Zhongguancun.

Mou Wen hadn't even sat down at the office when Lin Weisen waved her over: "Come on, today Xiao Gu's kid is sick and took leave. You're coming with me to survey three properties. Then we'll come back and go over the draft with Mr. Xie."

"Do you think Mr. Xie will actually come to the company?" Mou Wen said. "I bet he'll stand us up."

"Not necessarily. People who accomplish big things are very good at time management. I think he'll come." Lin Weisen said, then turned back to glance at Mou Wen, looking like he wanted to say something but held back. What he was thinking was: There are so many bad people in this world, and a girl like Mou Wen could easily be targeted.

"Mentor, what do you want to say?" Mou Wen asked.

"I want to say that newcomers in this industry have it really tough. You need to hang in there."

The two of them walked out of the company talking, and only then realized it had started to rain.

Beijing's autumn rain falls in layers upon layers.

Dark clouds covered the tallest building, spreading outward little by little, then blanketing the entire city. The autumn rain carried a chill—with each downpour, the weather turned colder quickly. That's why Beijing's autumn always seemed so short.

Mou Wen shivered and followed Lin Weisen into the car.

That day's property surveys were grueling—two duplex villas and one large flat. The homeowners all had endless demands. As Mou Wen measured, they kept talking:

"Be careful—that painting is very expensive!"

"I'm not planning to repaint the walls, so don't get them dirty."

"You're too slow—I have urgent things to do!"

...

Mou Wen kept a good attitude at first, smiling and agreeing to whatever the clients said: "Okay, don't worry, I'll be careful."

Until one client said: "You've probably never even seen something like this before, and if you break it, you couldn't afford to pay for it anyway..."

Her movements froze for a moment.

That was genuine mockery and arrogance—a condescending look from someone wealthy. Lin Weisen spoke up then: "Right, we don't come across these things often. Today is really an eye-opener."

Mou Wen thought to herself: What eye-opener? That's a fake. She'd never seen the real thing, but she'd read about it in books.

"Look, this young lady doesn't seem convinced. Is this how your company serves its clients?" The client suddenly lashed out.

Lin Weisen quickly took the tools and notebook from Mou Wen's hands and pushed her out. He knew Mou Wen was outspoken and feared she'd cause trouble. But he didn't really know Mou Wen—she might feel wronged, but she wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her income!

He pushed her outside, and she suddenly turned back with a smile: "I'm sorry! Please don't mind me!"

The door closed behind her. She stood at the entrance, looking at the autumn rain outside, and suddenly felt homesick. She called her mother, whining that she really wanted to eat the buns her mom made and drink the milk tea her mom brewed herself.

Ge Yunqing instinctively asked if something had upset her. Mou Wen lowered her voice and said, "Mom, I ran into a big idiot today! He thought a fake was the real deal, and then said I had a bad attitude!"

Ge Yunqing had a fiery temper. Hearing this, she was furious: "Did you curse him out?"

"No, I didn't—I didn't dare. He's my client."

"Unacceptable! You curse him back!"

Mou Wen knew Ge Yunqing's temper well, so she negotiated with her: "Dear mother, can I curse him out next time?"

Ge Yunqing calmed down a bit: "What did you say you wanted to eat?"

"I want to eat the buns you make, the milk tea you brew, I want milk skin and milk tofu, and I want beef jerky..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, the phone on the other end went dead—beep, beep, beep.

Mou Wen knew she was putting her mother in a difficult position. By the time the buns her mother made arrived via the logistics from their hometown, they'd already grown green mold!

She figured her mom was right—she should've talked back. So she stood there, mentally tearing into the client's crap taste! She wasn't good at cursing; the worst she could come up with was: "If you can't tell the difference, go to the hospital and get yourself some glasses!"

When Lin Weisen came out, he shot her a look, and she immediately slapped on a smile and said to the client, "I've already had a little self-reflection just now. Don't be mad at me. I'm just an intern, I don't know anything. Don't be mad, okay~"

She really had a way with people—not too humble, not too pushy, but somehow made them feel at ease. The client, who'd been in a bad mood, felt a lot better now and said, "It's fine, I won't hold it against you."

On the way back, the rain got heavier. The gate at the company parking lot was broken, and to save time, Lin Weisen told Mou Wen to head upstairs first. She opened the car door but then sat back down and asked Lin Weisen, "Master, do I look like I've had a good day today?"

Lin Weisen didn't know why she asked, so he teased her, "You look like you have a good day every day."

"That's great! Thanks, Master!" Mou Wen pushed open the car door and ran out into the rain.

She had no idea Beijing's autumn rain could be like this—it soaked through her thin clothes in an instant. In the elevator lobby, cold drafts blew in every time the building door opened and closed. Waiting for an elevator during rush hour took forever.

She caught a blurry reflection of herself in the wall—a shivering, soaked mess.

I need to avoid Xie Chong, she thought. He'd definitely say, "Your clothes, soaked through." Just like he'd said, "Your hairpin, lost a flower." Mou Wen was afraid she'd snap at him. Having to hold back twice in one day was just too cruel.

She ran to her desk as soon as she got in. Xie Chong, in the meeting room, noticed her wet footprints leaving a trail of shallow marks on the carpet.

Five minutes later, she walked in wearing the company's custom T-shirt, her canvas shoes still soaking wet.

She's had a rough day, Xie Chong thought. Beijing's autumn rarely sees rain, but when it comes, it strips away the warmth and drags you straight into winter.

Mou Wen felt his gaze on her feet and curled her toes where he couldn't see.

Luckily, Lin Weisen pushed open the door and apologized to Xie Chong, saying they'd been delayed by the heavy rain.

Xie Chong said, "No worries. Is it cold outside?"

"Really cold," Lin Weisen said.

"That explains it." Xie Chong looked at Mou Wen. "Assistant Mou's lips are purple." He stood up and tossed his leather jacket across the table to her. She caught it clumsily, almost dropping it.

"Borrow it for now. Return it when you leave," Xie Chong said. "I saw you run inside earlier, and you didn't put on extra clothes when you came back. You must not have a spare."

Mou Wen didn't try to be tough and said thanks. She draped his black jacket over her shoulders. The faint scent of it wrapped around her. It might have felt intimate, but she couldn't care less. She was too cold.

Her old canvas shoes finally gave out this autumn.

She'd been heartbroken when she'd walked through the puddles earlier. Those shoes had been with her for years. They were a pair of Converse that Ge Yunqing had gritted her teeth to buy her after she aced her mock exams in senior year. Though they were frayed at the edges and the soles had worn thin, she always wore them when she had to walk a lot. Now they'd split open.

Mou Wen felt the cold wind seeping through the opening into her cold, wet feet, chilling her whole body.

Damn it. Little Mou Wen had caught a cold. She muttered to herself.

During the meeting, she forced herself to focus, scribbling down Xie Chong's requirements in her notebook. Sometimes she felt Xie Chong looking at her, but she didn't look up. She just wanted to get back to her bunk and sleep.

"Mou Wen."

She blinked and looked around. Lin Weisen was nowhere to be seen; only Xie Chong sat across from her.

"Mou Wen," he called again. "You fell asleep."

Mou Wen quickly apologized, "Sorry, I'm not feeling well."

"You were snoring," Xie Chong said.

Mou Wen instinctively asked, "Was it loud?"

Xie Chong smiled. "Not loud." After a pause, he added, "Because you didn't snore."

"..." Mou Wen had no energy to deal with his teasing and asked, "Where's my master?"

"He stepped out to take a call."

"Oh."

Mou Wen slumped back onto the desk, feeling herself burning up. Xie Chong leaned back in his chair, also getting ready to rest. His gaze naturally drifted to the floor under the table and landed on Mou Wen's shoes.

The front of her canvas shoes had split open, grinning up at him.

Xie Chong instinctively turned his face away.