How Can Two People From Different Sides Ever Fall in Love? - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

◎ You’re not as difficult to get along with as the rumors say ◎

“CP?”

“Yes.” Hollis nodded, not at all hiding the fact that he had stood at the door yesterday and heard everything.

He asked without reservation: “Why did you want to ship a CP of me and Raven, but ended up not doing it?”

Hollis felt that Raven only had a half-baked understanding of CPs. Raven’s explanation yesterday sounded somewhat reasonable at first, but upon closer thought, there were still many suspicious points that didn’t make sense.

Shipping acquaintances was as awkward as watching acquaintances act, but he and Raven interacted normally and didn’t intentionally perform in front of others. So, was it Silver who found it awkward, or Raven?

At this moment, Silver truly felt awkward.

Listening to Hollis’s tone, he wasn’t entirely ignorant of CPs. The fact that he asked so openly suggested he probably didn’t know the “ferocity” behind shipping CPs.

However, they weren’t “selling” a CP; there was no reason for the person involved to force a fan to ship them.

Silver felt awkward, silently vowing never to discuss others behind their backs again, while simultaneously regretting her boast to Raven that she would absolutely not ship him and Hollis.

She couldn’t help it if the main subjects insisted on handing out “sugar”!

Silver probed cautiously: “You don’t mind?”

Hollis took it as a matter of course: “Doesn’t this just show that Raven and I have a good relationship?”

Silver didn’t know how to explain that CP pairs don’t necessarily have to have a good relationship; often, a bad relationship provides more tension.

Of course, her shipping would also be even more “ferocious.”

She let out a faint sigh; it was hardest to explain things to someone who partially understood but didn’t quite get it.

Hollis, however, immediately grasped her meaning: “There are other forms?”

“There are,” Silver gave him a grateful look, “quite a lot.”

Hollis was about to ask further with humility when Silver’s phone on the desk chimed. She picked it up to see a message from Secretary-General Voye.

Private topics always tend to facilitate a relationship between two people.

Silver put down her phone and naturally changed her form of address: “Let’s go, Hollis. The Secretary-General is calling us to the Chairman’s office.”

On their way walking side-by-side, Silver acted as she did with Raven, losing her previous restraint and speaking much more casually: “Why do you think the Chairman called us over?”

Hollis also found it strange. What matter was so urgent that they had to be called over even if Raven was absent? He recalled the work arrangements discussed previously; according to the plan, it seemed to be time for—

“The arrangements over there are finalized. A business trip to New Zigg on Sunday. Two slots. Discuss it amongst yourselves and see which pair is most suitable to go.”

With the development of the era and the progress of technology, the forms of expression for light and shadow art are also constantly evolving. In recent years, the main organizers of Light and Shadow Art Week have acquired more tasks, one of which is contacting a company that provides technical support—traveling for business and signing contracts.

They had now reached exactly this step.

According to the original plan, it was most convenient and economical for people of the same gender to travel together. However, the situation had changed this year; the two most suitable people, coming from different parties, seemed somewhat unsuitable.

As soon as Verdi thought about writing the name “Hollis” on the travel list, he found it an eyesore.

Moreover, Raven had requested leave this morning. Although it was only for one day, Verdi didn’t want to appear too autocratic, ignoring others’ thoughts and making a final decision directly.

Thus, he had Voye call Hollis and Silver over.

Regardless, they had to go through the motions.

“What are your thoughts, you two?” Verdi smiled warmly. “Feel free to speak your minds.”

Silver lowered her eyes obediently, avoiding Verdi’s gaze, and grumbled internally that “speaking one’s mind” would be the true end of it.

Hollis knew he wasn’t welcome here. Since nothing he did would be right, he might as well get straight to the point to secure the greatest benefit for himself: “Chairman Verdi, according to custom, it should be most suitable to send me and Raven.”

Verdi’s mouth twitched. He had expected Hollis to take action, but he hadn’t expected him to be so direct, leaving no room for mediation. He suddenly found himself unable to understand this young man before him.

“That is indeed correct, but Raven is on leave.”

“Then swap for me and Silver?”

Verdi immediately changed his tune: “He’s only on leave for today. It just so happens today is Thursday, so there are two days of preparation time. Go down and discuss it; give me an answer by tomorrow.”

Before they left, Verdi enjoined: “Two men are best, and secondly, they must be familiar colleagues.”

In any case, it couldn’t be Hollis and Silver, whether for safety considerations or work capability.

Voye saw them out, smoothing things over for Verdi along the way: “I heard something happened with Raven’s elder. The Chairman is worried; no matter how important work is, it doesn’t compare to the health of one’s family.”

Hollis was non-committal, silently walking at the rear.

Silver, caught between the two, took on the burden of socialization: “That’s indeed true, but I believe Raven can handle everything.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go on the business trip if Raven truly couldn’t make it, but the leadership didn’t want to see her and Hollis traveling together.

Verdi’s words before they left had to be heard in reverse.

In his view, the best candidates were actually her and Raven.

Everyone understood the subtext, but since the Dawn Party had sent over such a significant person, the actual candidates could only be Hollis and one of them.

Even though the discord between the two parties was an open secret, they still had to consider each other’s face when handling public affairs.

With so many eyes watching, any matter could be made into a big issue during an election.

Silver began to feel lost; what exactly was the meaning of work?

The time it took to reach the elevator was not enough to ponder the meaning of work. Silver could only compose her emotions and enter the elevator right after Hollis under Voye’s gaze.

As the floor numbers changed, Silver suddenly said: “Did you notice the way the Secretary-General looked at you just now?”

She originally didn’t want to say it, but the more she thought about it, the more surprised she felt, and she couldn’t hold back.

As a woman, she was very familiar with that kind of gaze.

Walking on the street daily, she would occasionally meet a strange man whose eyes were full of aggression, scanning her from head to toe as if evaluating the value of a piece of merchandise to see if it was worth his while.

Although Voye’s gaze was more subtle, Silver, who had lived in such an environment, sensed it instantly.

That was why she found it strange, and even wondered if she had seen it wrong.

Voye once had a public girlfriend!

Hollis shrugged indifferently: “Um-hum.”

Of course he had noticed. Since he was a child, he had received all sorts of strange gazes; Voye’s was considered restrained. But he didn’t care; looking a few times wouldn’t make a piece of flesh fall off, unless Raven felt uncomfortable.

“It seems you’re quite open-minded.”

“Hmm?” Hollis asked curiously. “What makes you say that?”

Ding—

The elevator doors opened, and other colleagues appeared around them. Silver had to interrupt the conversation: “Talk back at the office.”

Back in the Light and Shadow Art Week group office, Silver immediately forgot her previous vow. Not much time had passed, and she was already back to discussing other people’s business.

“Look, you don’t mind me shipping your CP, and you don’t mind the way the Secretary-General looks at you…”

Silver took a sharp intake of breath, as if she had discovered a secret: “Speaking of which, you’re not as difficult to get along with as the rumors say!”

This seemed to be true. Upon hearing this, Hollis’s expression didn’t even change: “That counts as being open-minded?”

Silver knew she had misspoken, but since the other party didn’t care, apologizing seemed like making a mountain out of a molehill: “See, you didn’t even get angry when I said that.”

Hollis pondered slightly: “If you shipped a CP of me and anyone else, I would definitely be angry.”

Silver hurried to defend her reputation: “Are you joking? Am I the type of person who sees any two men together and just starts shipping them?! It’s clearly you and Raven…”

“Hmm?”

“I beg of you,” Silver put her hands together in a prayer gesture to Hollis, “please stop tempting me. I’m truly about to lose my handle on this.”

“Why? Are you worried Raven won’t agree?” Hollis seemed determined to cultivate a CP fan for himself and Raven. He pressed on, insisting on finding out the reason Silver wasn’t shipping them.

Silver was out of moves: “Not entirely. But if you really want to know, I’ll send some ‘things’ to you tonight. You’ll understand after you see them.”

Hollis waited and waited. He finally waited until the sun set and only neon lights sparkled outside the window, yet he didn’t receive the “things” Silver mentioned, nor did he see Raven return.

He looked at the message Silver sent in the chat box:

I thought about it, you and Raven are about to go on a business trip together.

To avoid affecting your work, how about I send them to you after you get back?

After Silver returned and was organizing the “things,” she found there were too many of them. She spent a long time picking and choosing, and the ones she could actually send were pitifully few.

Additionally, she remembered that before getting off work, they had contacted Raven and confirmed that it would still be him and Hollis going on the business trip.

She suddenly worried that even if it was something a “newcomer” like Hollis could see, if he over-imagined things, it would inevitably lead to awkwardness.

After all, they would be sharing a room for several days, seeing each other constantly; having these “things” in mind—Silver broke out in a cold sweat just thinking about it for them.

But breaking her word made her the one in the wrong. After stalling for a long time, she tremblingly explained to Hollis.

Hollis was again very open-minded and quickly replied: Okay.

Even though he had prepared himself to have no fate with these “things.”

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Hollis reached out a long arm only to find the space beside him empty and cold.

Raven hadn’t returned.

The thought immediately surfaced in his mind.

He didn’t get up right away. Instead, he turned and lay prone on the cold pillow, taking a slow, long deep breath, but only coldness crawled through his nasal cavity.

At the moment he exhaled, he leaped up. After washing, he put on a hoodie and shorts and went out for a morning run.

Yesterday Verdi had given a grand wave of his hand, granting them Friday along with Saturday. When Silver heard the news, she had desperately wanted to push Hollis aside and snatch the travel slot for herself.

Thinking of the resentful gaze Silver had delivered before work ended, Hollis gave a light snort and comfortably enjoyed the holiday he deserved.

Rounding a street corner, he saw the bakery Raven frequently patronized was open. His footsteps paused, he crossed the road, and became the shop’s first customer of the day.

Freshly baked pineapple buns—Hollis finished one as he walked.

The bread was so sweet it made him frown; he couldn’t understand why Raven’s taste was so particular.

He couldn’t handle sour, bitter, spicy, or salty, yet his tolerance for sweets was very high. He never ate bread plain; it had to be coated in sweet syrup, but if it was too sweet, he wouldn’t eat it either.

He was very hard to please, and lazy to boot.

Hollis held a corner of the bag and shook the remaining pineapple buns.

Usually only Raven ate them. Today he hadn’t paid attention and bought an extra one, only realizing after eating that the person who liked them wasn’t there.

He could eat it, or not. But the sweetness in his mouth hadn’t completely dissipated.

So, along the top two corners of the packaging bag, he folded a triangle, dangled the bag, and returned to the apartment drenched in sweat.

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