Close Enough To Pluck the Stars” (GL) - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The afternoon sun broke through the clouds after the snow, casting a brilliant light.

Liang Ke sidled toward the door, seeing a chance to escape, but a slender, fair hand reached out from behind her and pulled the door shut, snuffing out her hope of flight. It was a gesture both gentle and cruel.

“Stay a moment. I have more questions for you,” Shu Qingchen said.

“Oh… okay. I’m not leaving.”

Liang Ke ignored the glare of the sun and stared blankly at Shu Qingchen’s chin, which was mere inches away. She felt only a faint, elegant fragrance—the beauty before her was like fine jade.

And this jade was surely no ordinary piece; it must have been sealed in an ancient glacier by some deity for exactly four thousand and nine hundred years, only to descend upon the world as a “divine spark” specifically to freeze Liang Ke to death.

“Director Shu, Leader, Teacher… I was wrong. Please give me another chance.” The Calico raised a metaphorical white flag, hoping for leniency.

“Oh? And what exactly did you do wrong?”

“Leaving my post this morning in such a hurry without your approval—that was my fault.” The Calico wagged her tail. “But I really did have an emergency. It was a matter of life and death.”

“Don’t make up stories.”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.” Liang Ke didn’t want to reveal too much, so she summarized: “Mainly, it was an emotional issue.”

Shu Qingchen didn’t speak or show any expression, but a flicker of displeasure crossed her eyes.

“No,” Liang Ke realized how that sounded and quickly explained, “It wasn’t my emotions. It was Sister A—you know her.”

Shu Qingchen took a step back, crossing her arms. She let out a faint, mocking smile. “Your feelings for each other?”

“Huh?” Liang Ke’s pupils dilated instantly. She waved her hands frantically. “No, no! How is that possible? Director, you must be joking.”

Every time Shu Qingchen heard Liang Ke call her “Director,” the coldness in her eyes deepened a notch.

However, Liang Ke remained completely oblivious, accelerating down the wrong path. The Calico was born with an obsession for “seeking death”—drama was the method, and disaster was the goal. No mortal could understand her brain’s logic, because sometimes she did it on purpose, and sometimes it was pure habit. Regardless, the ending was usually tragic.

Shu Qingchen said, “A while ago it was Zhao Pu. Yesterday it was Wu Chuchu. Who is it today—Sister A? And what was that business about a ‘groom runaway from a wedding’?”

Liang Ke shuddered, standing there like a fool with wide eyes.

The scope and comprehensiveness of this summary… as expected of a Big Shot. She had either been framed or the rumors were baseless, but how was she supposed to explain?

Seeing Liang Ke’s silence, Shu Qingchen dropped her arms and turned back to her desk. “Fine. I have no right—and no desire—to inquire too much into your personal life. But there must be a limit to the chaos; it cannot affect your work.”

“Wait, why would—” Liang Ke turned her head, taking a deep breath against the sunlight. After a long pause, she said, “Director, you shouldn’t listen to one-sided gossip. And how is your information channel so broad anyway?”

Who is stabbing me in the back?

“Consider this a formal warning,” Shu Qingchen declared. “Go back to work.”

“I won’t.”

Wronged and stubborn, Liang Ke’s rebellious streak took over.

“Hmm?” Shu Qingchen tilted her head to look at her.

“I just won’t. What ‘chaos’? What ‘no desire to inquire’? You haven’t made things clear. I’m not leaving.”

The rebellious Calico pulled over a chair and sat down right next to Shu Qingchen’s desk.

“What do you want to say?”

Liang Ke muttered, “The so-called ‘runaway groom’ was actually Sister B. She was wearing a performance costume, not a groom’s suit. Who was the uncultured person who insisted she was a groom?!”

“Oh. As far as I know, she and Sister A are both teachers at the Conservatory. What happened to her?”

“They’re getting married next month,” Liang Ke said dejectedly.

“That’s a good thing. Why are you sad?”

Liang Ke looked miserable. “When a good friend gets married, you have to give ‘red envelope’ money.”

“Then give it. I’ll contribute a share as well; please pass it on for me and give them my blessings.”

Liang Ke felt something was off. She asked suspiciously, “What do you think of it?”

“Think of what?”

“Think… about them getting married.”

“They should. But I haven’t received an invitation, so where exactly am I supposed to ‘think’ about it?”

“Oh… oh ho ho.” Liang Ke bravely met Shu Qingchen’s eyes. “But I have no money left this month. Most of it went toward buying parts for Nao Nao. Besides, I was late twice and got a big chunk of my pay docked.”

Liang Ke finished with a fawning smile.

“What are you smiling at?”

“Could you… lend me some money?”

“No.”

Liang Ke hadn’t expected to be rejected. After spending time together these past few days, her intuition told her Shu Qingchen wasn’t a stingy person, so she was momentarily at a loss.

“Don’t be so heartless. I’ll pay you back soon.”

Shu Qingchen said, “You spend more than you earn every month. What will you use to pay me back?”

Liang Ke was hit where it hurt. She felt a pang of bitterness. “How about this? I’ll also set my wedding for next month. Gift for gift—it’ll cover the deficit.”

Shu Qingchen took a sip of tea and, unsurprisingly, choked on it.

Liang Ke wanted to pat her back, but intimidated by her leader’s majesty, she didn’t dare lift her hand.

“What did you say?”

“I said I… am also… getting married…” Liang Ke watched Shu Qingchen’s expression, obediently talking nonsense. The stray hair on top of her head quivered, making her look exactly like a Teletubby.

Shu Qingchen looked at her silently for a moment, then gestured for her to leave again.

“Aiyah, I still have things to say!”

At this moment, Liang Ke forgot her self-consciousness and the massive gap between them. She only remembered what Xiao Xiaoxiao had told her about a “warm-bed trophy wife.” If the target was Shu Qingchen, she was actually quite willing—”trophy wife,” listen to that; what a tacky yet desirable profession.

To escape the chill in the air, Liang Ke left the desk and sat in the small sofa by the window. She curled up her long legs, her knees nervously and lightly bumping against each other.

Just as something was about to escape her lips, there was a knock on the office door.

“Come in,” Shu Qingchen said.

The senior with the green-rimmed glasses pushed the door open, carrying a stack of documents. He glanced at Liang Ke first, then walked to Shu Qingchen’s desk and said with a smile, “Please take a look.” He didn’t say what he had brought, simply bowing politely and exiting.

He was acting mysterious, but Liang Ke wasn’t in the mood to investigate.

Shu Qingchen began to flip through the documents seriously, ignoring Liang Ke. The Calico, bored out of her mind, tilted her head and nestled into the armchair. With warm sunlight in front of her and a cold leader nearby, her sleep quality was top-tier.

Liang Ke was woken up by her ringtone. Shu Qingchen had already left the office.

She panicked for a second as she regained consciousness, then remembered she had taken leave today.

“My salary is going to be completely docked,” Liang Ke said into the phone, feeling quite hopeless.

Zhao Pu asked, “Why are you still living off your salary?”

“How else would I live?” Liang Ke countered.

“Xiaoxiao said you’re going to be the Big Shot’s trophy wife,” Zhao Pu said. “Guess she was joking.”

“…” Liang Ke couldn’t quite admit it, but she couldn’t exactly deny it either. Silence, of course, was even more suspicious.

Seeing her silence, Zhao Pu tried to fix it: “I mean, you should have some patent income, intellectual property, things like that. I think Nao Nao is worth a lot of money.”

“Stop dreaming. Nao Nao and all that stuff belong to the lab.” Liang Ke stretched listlessly. “What do you want, anyway?”

“Xiaoxiao said her performance this month skyrocketed. Her dad rewarded her with a new car, so she’s gathering everyone for a dinner to celebrate.”

Liang Ke smelled something unusual. “Then why didn’t she call me herself? Why did she have you do it?”

“Heh, heh,” Zhao Pu said. “She’s a boss now, very busy. I naturally have to help share the ‘miscellaneous’ tasks.”

The Calico was unhappy. “Is contacting me a ‘miscellaneous’ task?”

“No, no! It’s official business. The restaurant belongs to Xiaoxiao’s family, but you need to dress formally.” Zhao Pu cleverly changed the subject.

“How formal?”

Zhao Pu countered, “What would you wear to your wedding?”

“An astronaut suit.” Liang Ke fantasized seriously. “It highlights the tech theme and fits my taste.”

“Won’t the groom be angry?”

Liang Ke said, not to be outdone, “Angry? Why would she be angry? Since she sits in that position, doesn’t she love high technology?”