Salt Soda and Mint - Chapter 5

The words on the card seemed to have been written by someone else; the handwriting didn’t look like hers. Nan Sui looked at the signature at the very end.

A small incident from her interview surfaced in her mind. She had originally assumed the other person didn’t mind or simply didn’t care, but she hadn’t expected her to remember it so clearly. Between the lines, there seemed to be a hint of resentment.

Nan Sui read those two sentences of well-wishes several more times.

She hadn’t intended to blame the other person at all for missing their appointment tonight, yet Lu Ling had still thoughtfully expressed her apologies, attentive to the small flicker of emotions in her heart, just as gentle and meticulous as always.

Nan Sui’s cheeks grew slightly warm, and even the roses in her arms felt strangely hot. She looked around, moved a small cosmetic rack off the table, and placed the roses there with great care.

She took a few photos from different angles; no matter how she looked at them, they were beautiful.

Since starting university, this wasn’t the first time she had received flowers from someone, but it was the first time she had felt such a delightful and wonderful sensation upon receiving them.

Zhong Yi returned to the dorm from the laboratory. Her expression was as listless as ever, and she said lazily, “I’m going to take a shower.” As she gathered her toiletries, she caught a glimpse of Nan Sui acting like she had lost her mind, secretly giggling to herself.

“…”

Zhong Yi didn’t pay much attention, but a casual glance caught something, and her footsteps faltered.

Staring at the bouquet of roses for a long moment, she asked slowly, “Are you in a relationship?”

Nan Sui snapped back to reality, “No.”

“Then, a romantic interest?”

“Uh, not really.”

“Oh, I get it, you have a little secret,” Zhong Yi said, her tone indifferent, before suddenly tickling her when she wasn’t paying attention. “Tell the truth, are you dating? Is it that person from the Chemistry department?”

The two of them messed around for a while.

Nan Sui stopped her, smoothed out her messy hair, and said seriously, “It’s really not that. It’s just an elder I’ve known for a long time.”

“An elder?” Zhong Yi looked at the content of the card and curled her lips, “This elder doesn’t seem to have pure intentions toward you.”

“She was just, um, apologizing to me. There’s no other meaning,” Nan Sui said, unable to withstand her teasing gaze. She pushed her away, blushing, “Aren’t you going to take a shower? Go on!”

Zhong Yi was forced forward, “It’s truly a ghost story, seeing Nan Sui acting all shy.”

Nan Sui began her formal internship. She needed to go to the company three days a week, and she spent the rest of her time busy with classes and her graduation thesis. On her first day of work, she took the subway to the company half an hour early. When she arrived, there were already quite a few people there, even though it wasn’t work hours yet.

It looked like an intense, competitive company.

Xu Yizhu had just arrived as well. She ran into Nan Sui in the lobby, greeted her, and stepped into the elevator together. “We’re on the sixth floor. I’ll take you to meet your colleagues and show you your desk in a moment.”

Nan Sui followed her to a clean desk by the window, where her employee badge with her photo on it was waiting.

She hung it around her neck and listened to Xu Yizhu say, “If you need anything, come directly to me. That over there is the pantry, it has a coffee machine, a microwave, fruit, and snacks. By the way, did you eat breakfast?”

“I ate at the cafeteria before I came.”

Xu Yizhu said, “Remember to eat breakfast. Sometimes we need to go out to find clients, and if you don’t eat, it’s easy to get hypoglycemia, which is bad for your health and affects work efficiency.”

Nan Sui nodded, “I understand.”

As a large listed group, the Surname Group had many product lines, including beauty, apparel, watches, and haute couture, all positioned as high-end luxury brands. The China headquarters had over a dozen floors and thousands of employees, divided into different departments.

Nan Sui and Xu Yizhu worked in the Beauty Marketing Department, in a direct supervisor-subordinate relationship.

“There’s nothing urgent today, so just familiarize yourself with the environment first. Then, watch the promotional video for the Black Raven series from the beginning of the year to understand our editing style. Or, you can try to create something on your own. Regardless, our new products are expected to launch at the end of the month, and it will be very busy then.”

Xu Yizhu introduced Nan Sui to the other members of the team. Once there were no issues, she returned to her office to work.

Nan Sui sat at her desk for the whole morning.

No one talked to her.

Everyone was busy with their own tasks all morning, and the atmosphere was quite oppressive. While Nan Sui was waiting to get water in the pantry, she caught sight of a woman out of the corner of her eye, pressing a phone against her shoulder with a frown, drinking coffee while talking, and after a few minutes, she continued the phone call and left in a flurry with her coffee.

Nan Sui, “…”

When it was finally time for lunch, Nan Sui stretched. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Nan Sui turned her head to look at a young girl at the neighboring desk. The girl seemed unnatural under the gaze, her eyes darting away as she said, “You’re Nan Sui, right? I’m Yan Ran. We’re both under Supervisor Xu. The company doesn’t have a cafeteria, so why don’t you come out and eat with us?”

Nan Sui glanced over and saw two other people also looking at her.

She gladly agreed, “Okay.”

Led by the senior employees, they arrived at a small noodle shop in the business district near the company. The four of them sat at one table. The noodle shop was packed with customers during the lunch hour, and they chatted idly while waiting for their food.

Nan Sui listened quietly, and when they mentioned her, she didn’t seem timid. She could smile and answer whatever was asked.

After they finished eating, they packed a portion for Xu Yizhu.

According to the senior staff in the group, there were seven or eight supervisors in the marketing department. Xu Yizhu was the most approachable and gentle of them all, having the least amount of leadership airs, and she rarely criticized the interns.

Yan Ran had the most to say about this. She had only recently become a permanent employee. She originally stayed home full-time to study for the civil service exam, but later, due to financial pressure, she came to Surname. At first, she was made things difficult everywhere, and Xu Yizhu had smoothed things over for her most of the time.

“Made things difficult everywhere? Who was giving you a hard time?” Nan Sui asked curiously.

“Sigh, it was my own clumsiness that dragged the project down,” Yan Ran didn’t want to say too much, her lips pursed seriously. “I’ve improved now.”

The others echoed with a laugh, “You have improved, and you aren’t socially anxious anymore. No wonder Sister Zhu thinks so highly of you and went through so much trouble to snatch you away from the others.”

Nan Sui asked, “Weren’t you in this group before?”

Yan Ran nodded.

Nan Sui had a vivid imagination. Based on the snippets from the others and the person involved, she could imagine a scene of Xu Yizhu as a hero saving a damsel in distress. Perhaps Yan Ran had been bullied and looked down upon in another group, frequently targeted, and then the brave and kind Xu Yizhu had flashed onto the scene, rescued this fragile and helpless intern into her palm, and doted on her heavily.

“…”

The atmosphere in the car returned to quiet, with soft music playing.

She bit her lip and looked away, not wanting her smile to be too obvious.

In the span of a week, Nan Sui’s internship work went even more smoothly than she had imagined. There was no backstabbing environment or heartless colleagues. She went to work and got off on time, and her graduation thesis was progressing steadily under her advisor’s guidance. Everything seemed to be going well.

On the subway ride back after work, it was as crowded as always. Another wave of people surged in. She gripped the overhead handle and struggled to pull out her phone with one hand.

She looked at the new message.

It was from Lu Ling.

Nan Sui read it carefully.

Lu Ling: [I’m taking a half-day off tomorrow. Let’s make up for the meal we missed before. Is tomorrow convenient for you?]

Without even looking at her schedule, Nan Sui typed: [Convenient, convenient, convenient!]

After a few seconds of silence, the reply came: [Good. Shall I come to Surname to pick you up?]

Nan Sui: [Okay]

Lu Ling: [What time do you get off work?]

Nan Sui:

Lu Ling: [Hmm, wait for me then]

Nan Sui: [Hmm]

As it turned out, when receiving a long-awaited invitation, she started feeling restless from the night before. The next day, she couldn’t sit still in her office chair, her eyes moving across the computer screen, only to inexplicably find themselves looking at the time in the bottom right corner.

Xu Yizhu noticed and sent her a private message: [Are you not feeling well?]

Nan Sui: [No]

Xu Yizhu: [I thought you had a mosquito bite on your butt.]

“…”

Having been reprimanded by her supervisor, Nan Sui worked honestly.

When it was finally time to get off work, Yan Ran had just closed her laptop when she felt a light breeze brush past her cheeks. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, the girl beside her had already teleported to the elevator, smiling broadly and saying goodbye to them, before darting into the elevator in a single stride.

“…”

This was probably the most enthusiastic person she had ever seen when it came to leaving work.

When the elevator reached the ground floor and she walked toward the entrance, Nan Sui suppressed her overly obvious smile.

Many cars were parked at the entrance. Lu Ling was standing beside a white car, looking up toward her, and Nan Sui noticed her too.

On the busy street, her aura was very unique: a simple beige cardigan, a light-colored skirt, and her long ink-black hair draped over her chest—loose, gentle, and with a unique charm.

Nan Sui jogged over to her. Upon reaching her and seeing her lowered gaze, her原本 (originally) quickened breathing softened.

After two seconds of silence, she licked her lips: “Teacher.”

Lu Ling gave a soft “Hmm.” “Sorry about the last time, something came up. Do you still like the flowers?”

“I like them.”

“I’m glad you do. Get in the car.”

Nan Sui paused for a moment. Last time she sat in the back seat, but since they were reacquainted now, she should follow their past habits.

She didn’t take it upon herself to decide, looking at the woman with a silent question in her eyes. As if knowing what she was struggling with, Lu Ling said gently, “Sit in the passenger seat.”

Nan Sui’s lips curled, and she trotted over, opened the door, and got in.

The car slowly merged into the main road, and Lu Ling broke the silence: “Would you like to listen to music?”

“If Teacher wants to listen, you can turn it on.”

In the corner of her eye, the young girl’s hands were clenched into fists, resting on her knees.

“Little Nan Sui, you seem very reserved.”

“Am, am I?” Nan Sui resisted the urge to look in a mirror, putting on a calm and composed look: “Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen Teacher for a long time, so it’s normal to be a bit unfamiliar.”

Lu Ling laughed.

In the quiet, enclosed space with no music playing, the woman’s light laugh was extremely clear and pleasant.

Nan Sui was slightly embarrassed.

She couldn’t help but look at her. It just so happened to be a red light ahead, and the car stopped. Lu Ling took the opportunity to glance at her.

The two made eye contact.

Lu Ling said softly and slowly: “Then what should I do to make it seem less unfamiliar?”

She feigned asking for advice: “Can you teach me?”