Chapter 45 045 Liking is the best feeling she can give...

During lunch break, Tang Sijia took a break, and took out her crochet hook and white wool to casually crochet a small poodle doll.

While crocheting, she couldn't help but jokingly think that when the industry she is in is not doing well one day, she can open a handmade crochet shop.

"Sijia, didn't you just give it to Mr. Song two days ago? Why are you still crocheting?" Sister Wang came to the office to find her during lunch break to get a document. When she came back and saw the woman crocheting seriously, she couldn't help but tease.

Tang Sijia smiled and said, "It's for Song He."

After learning that she gave a doll to Song Xiuren, Song He also asked for one on WeChat, and said that she was partial.

In desperation, Tang Sijia had to agree to give him one as well. Unexpectedly, Song He sent the needle and thread that night.

Perhaps the housekeeper told him to reciprocate, and along with the needle and thread, there were also many valuable jewelry necklaces, which were stuffed into her like buying goods from a street stall.

Tang Sijia had no choice but to accept a pair of plain hoop earrings that didn't look that expensive.

"What a love affair, the family members are so familiar with each other." Sister Wang shook her head and teased.

Tang Sijia's cheeks were hot, and she pursed her lips and smiled embarrassedly.

After finishing the last little tail of the doll, Tang Sijia placed the doll on the table, thought about it, took a photo and sent it to Song Xiuren: [Does it look good? ]

After about a few minutes, Song Xiuren replied: [It looks very good. ]

Tang Sijia thought of the couple's video checking on Song Xiuren that she saw on the Internet after dinner two days ago. She paused: [Your reply is so perfunctory, check on me! 895637! ]

This time, within a few seconds of the successful message sending, Song Xiuren's video came over.

Tang Sijia was nervous, and quickly clicked to answer the call.

"So soon, waiting for me?" The man's handsome face appeared on the screen with a faint smile, but his voice sounded a little strange.

Tang Sijia smiled embarrassedly: "Why did you suddenly call me via video?"

"My girlfriend is checking up on me, and the video is more credible." Song Xiuren said seriously.

Tang Sijia felt sweet in her heart, and she didn't forget to ask: "Do you think it's silly to make those checking up gestures?"

Song Xiuren thought for a while: "A little bit."

"But if you want to see it, I can take a video now."

"Forget it," Tang Sijia looked at him, "Next time."

"Okay," Song Xiuren was silent for a while, "Sijia, can we meet in the evening?"

"Okay," Tang Sijia nodded, "It just so happens that you can bring Song He's doll to him."

Song Xiuren nodded in agreement.

That evening, Tang Sijia didn't have to work overtime, so she went home early.

Song Xiuren still had to attend a meeting and would not arrive until a while later, so he asked her to have dinner first.

Tang Sijia made some dinner casually, and after eating, she saw that Song Xiuren still hadn't come, so she simply went to take a shower first.

It was summer, and one would sweat a lot just by drying one's hair. Tang Sijia came out in a suspender nightgown before her hair was completely dry. Unexpectedly, when she returned to the living room, there was a knock on the door.

Tang Sijia hurriedly took the coat beside her and put it on. After confirming that there was nothing wrong, she opened the door.

Song Xiuren was standing outside the door. The moment the door opened, a scent of mint and lily came. He was stunned for a moment before he noticed the woman's slightly damp long hair, and his Adam's apple moved.

"You're here?" Tang Sijia curved her eyebrows, "Why are you in a daze? Come in quickly. It's too hot outside tonight."

The highest temperature tonight is said to be 40 degrees.

"Yeah." Song Xiuren responded.

"Did something happen?" Tang Sijia looked at him puzzledly, "Why do we meet suddenly?"

"Nothing can happen so we can't meet?" Song Xiuren joked.

"Of course not," Tang Sijia was about to say something, but she caught a glimpse of his red hand with several obvious scars. "How did you get your hand hurt?"

Song Xiuren followed her line of sight and paused. "I played a game with someone and got hurt accidentally. It's nothing."

"Wounds are prone to infection in summer, so it's better to apply some medicine," Tang Sijia said as she took the iodine and cotton swabs and called him, "Come here quickly."

Song Xiuren's eyes softened and he sat quietly on the sofa.

Tang Sijia held his hand with one hand and gently wiped the wound with a cotton swab dipped in iodine.

Song Xiuren looked at the woman in front of him, his eyes dazed.

The sound of cicadas could be heard faintly in the night outside the window. The lights in the house silently illuminated the two of them. The air conditioning was blowing a cool breeze, and the atmosphere became quiet at some point.

"Sijia." Song Xiuren suddenly called softly.

Tang Sijia looked up in confusion, and her eyes darkened. Then she felt the soft touch on her lips, which she touched gently, with caution and great care.

Tang Sijia was startled, her heart began to beat rapidly, and the loose coat on her shoulders slid down her arms.

Song Xiuren's peripheral vision touched the woman's right shoulder, and his body suddenly froze.

In the same position as Shi Chuan, there were some inconspicuous marks left, which were traces of the tattoo that remained after being washed, and had not yet metabolized.

But it can be seen that this place is exactly the same as the tattoo of the black buck rose.

At this moment, he suddenly understood the horror of Shi Chuan's words.

He couldn't help but think of the look in her eyes when she loved someone, and the tone of her voice when she said those three words...

Song Xiuren let go of the woman in his arms and looked at her seriously. The words he thought he would never say came out of his mouth: "I love you."

Tang Sijia was stunned and looked at him in a daze.

"Sijia?" Song Xiuren called her softly, with expectations and eagerness in his eyes that he didn't even notice.

Tang Sijia moved her lips, she knew she should respond.

However, she knew clearly that her response was not the answer he wanted to hear.

"Xiu Ren, I..." Tang Sijia tried hard to say something, but in the end, she lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Xiu Ren."

She liked him.

Every minute and every second with him, she felt happy and joyful.

She thought he was the same.

When they were together, he said he liked her, and later, his maturity and restraint further strengthened her thoughts.

But now, he said "love".

And she couldn't say the word "love" anymore.

In her heart, the strong feeling of love, along with the feeling of near-death brought to her by the two bungee jumps, dissipated into the past.

Perhaps, as he told her at the beginning, this was a kind of self-defense.

Liking is the best feeling she can give.

*

Song Xiu Ren left.

Before leaving, he still smiled and said to her, "Go to bed early."

However, he, who always did things meticulously, forgot to take away the poodle doll that he saw on the entrance cabinet at a glance.

Tang Sijia looked at the doll, stunned for a moment, and returned to the sofa, full of confusion.

After a long while, she suddenly remembered that Song Xiuren once mentioned to her: He is a desperate person.

Whatever he does, he will boldly invest and do it to the extreme.

Even in love, it is the same.

And she can't give him the ultimate love, perhaps this is the crux of their problem.

For a long time afterwards, Tang Sijia and Song Xiuren tacitly disconnected.

Their chat history still stopped at the last time she asked him where he was, and he replied "Ten seconds countdown, I'll be there."

The doll given to Song He naturally remained in her hands.

Tang Sijia didn't know what this meant. Maybe her self-defense really worked. Maybe this was the normal on-and-off relationship of adults. She felt lost, and even sad about a broken heart in the dead of night. But when the sun rose again, she could quickly get back to work.

In early August, the Business Media Industry Summit Forum was held again.

It was held in a local hall, where many well-known large-scale business forums were held.

This was the first time that Tang Sijia attended the forum with Vice President Sun as a supervisor.

She didn't hide in the corner as usual and didn't contact anyone. When Vice President Sun introduced her to other industry leaders, she learned to smile and raise her glass, entertained them one by one, and introduced herself tirelessly.

This feeling was not as bad as Tang Sijia imagined. In the social gatherings, people would always be more polite than usual to maintain their dignity.

But after a round of toasts, Tang Sijia still felt a little tired.

After greeting Manager Sun, Tang Sijia walked out of the conference hall and went to the window at the end of the corridor to get some fresh air. When she returned, she ran into a group of people in suits.

The leading man was wearing a neat suit, tall and handsome as always, but his face was a little pale, and his eyes were full of fatigue.

Tang Sijia's steps could not help but pause.

Song Xiuren, who was opposite, also saw her and froze in place. The assistant beside him whispered "Mr. Song" several times, and Song Xiuren finally reacted, raised his lip corners to her, and nodded slightly: "There is a business meeting here today."

Tang Sijia also smiled and nodded politely: "Yes, I saw the meeting sign downstairs."

She just didn't expect that Song Xiuren would also participate.

Song Xiuren responded, and there was another silence.

Until the assistant said again: "Mr. Song, it's almost time for you to speak."

Tang Sijia was the first to smile with understanding: "You guys go ahead and get busy."

Song Xiuren nodded almost imperceptibly, and was surrounded by people and walked towards the innermost large conference hall.

At the moment of passing by, Tang Sijia felt a sense of sadness but relaxation, a sense of loss.

But it was not fatal.

"Xiao Tang, what are you doing standing there? Come over here, let me introduce you to Director Qin of Guangyu." A capable woman stood next to Mr. Sun, waving her hand to call her.

"I am coming." Tang Sijia raised her voice slightly and walked in the opposite direction.

What Tang Sijia did not expect was that the weather was still sunny in the morning, but after the forum meeting ended, it began to rain heavily.

Vice President Sun received a call before the meeting ended and returned to the company early. Tang Sijia had to wait in the door on the first floor of the auditorium building, hoping that the rain would stop quickly and that the online car-hailing service would accept the order as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the weather was not good.

No one accepted the online car-hailing service order, and the rain even had a tendency to get heavier. The dark clouds in the distance pressed down. It was only a little after four in the afternoon, but it looked like seven or eight o'clock.

Tang Sijia couldn't help hugging her arms, which were getting cold. She looked at the rain that would stop at some point. She wanted to run into the rain, but she felt bad for the suit she had bought for the meeting.

A black Phantom drove past the door and then backed up after a moment.

A young man in a custom suit holding a black umbrella slowly got out of the car from the driver's seat.

"Sister?" A familiar voice sounded with some sincere confusion, as if she was just passing by. "Why are you here?"

Tang Sijia heard the voice and raised her head: "Shi Chuan?"

"I just passed by here and saw someone who looked like you inside," Shi Chuan smiled innocently, "I didn't expect it was really you."

"Didn't you bring an umbrella? I'll take you home."

"Why are you here?" Tang Sijia was puzzled.

As if afraid that she would misunderstand, Shi Chuan explained: "I came to inspect a project nearby."

As he spoke, he took out his mobile phone, opened an app, and showed her the itinerary above.

Tang Sijia looked over and saw that the itinerary was sent by his assistant at around ten in the morning. There was indeed a project inspection itinerary in the afternoon.

She hesitated.

"Looking at the rain, it will probably stop in the evening," Shi Chuan glanced outside the door, then looked at her embarrassed expression, pondered for a moment, and said embarrassedly, "I have some emotional problems, and I don't know who to ask. Can I ask my sister for advice?"

Tang Sijia finally looked at him: "Is it related to your marriage partner?"

"...Yeah."

Tang Sijia didn't say anything more this time. After pausing for a few seconds, she nodded.

Shi Chuan smiled lightly, held an umbrella and sent her to the car, and walked to the driver's seat on the other side.

The moment he opened the car door, Shi Chuan noticed something, glanced at the door of the hall, and then retracted his gaze, got into the car and drove away quickly.

At the door of the hall, Song Xiuren, who had left early after hearing the assistant report "I saw Miss Tang at the door, she didn't seem to have an umbrella", still stood stiffly in the same place, looking at the car silhouette going away, with the black umbrella in his tightly clenched hands slightly deformed.

*

Inside the car.

Tang Sijia sat in the passenger seat, staring at the black puppy doll in front of the car.

The stitches were shoddy, and the thread on the tail was crooked and twisted in an irregular spiral, which looked out of place in the luxurious car.

Shi Chuan gripped the steering wheel, his hands unconsciously getting stronger.

He knew Tang Sijia was looking at the doll, and he was afraid that she would pinch the doll on a whim, and then she would hear her old voice and realize his deception of her.

However, there seemed to be another voice in his body that couldn't help shouting, hoping that she would pick up the doll and discover his hidden and despicable love.

But in the end, Tang Sijia looked away as if nothing had happened, and never looked at the doll again.

Shi Chuan's hands suddenly lost their strength. Accustomed to the spasms and pains of his heart, he smiled skillfully: "I remember there is a business meeting in the hall today, Xiu Ren will also participate. Is he still busy?"

When Tang Sijia mentioned Song Xiu Ren, her eyes darkened and she was silent for a while without responding to his question.

However, Shi Chuan had already guessed the answer through her expression, and the smile at the corner of his lips became more genuine.

"You just said you wanted to ask me some emotional questions?" Tang Sijia asked back.

Shi Chuan's smile froze slightly, and after a moment he said quietly: "I don't know how to get along with her so that we can feel more comfortable with each other."

Tang Sijia really thought carefully: "What is her personality like?"

"Very gentle," Shi Chuan's eyes were dazed, "sometimes very stubborn."

"How long have you known each other?"

"... For a while."

Tang Sijia thought seriously for a while, and sincerely suggested: "Shi Chuan, you are very smart, good-looking, and you know a lot. You can understand everything at once. You just get along with each other as usual and care more about each other. It's enough, but remember to be sincere this time and don't deceive each other again."

The blood on Shi Chuan's face gradually withdrew. For a moment, he could not tell whether the pain in his heart this time was because she was really making plans for him and other women, or because of the last sentence of relief "Don't deceive each other again."

The car suddenly became quiet, and no one spoke again.

Shi Chuan turned on the car stereo and played a light music.

Tang Sijia paused, it sounded very familiar.

It was the song she used to listen to occasionally when she was reading or working on the carpet.

Shi Chuan stopped the car when he arrived downstairs of the residential complex. He turned around and found that Tang Sijia had fallen asleep quietly leaning against the seat amid the sound of raindrops, soothing light music, and the comfortable breeze of the air conditioner.

She looked less cautious and wary of him when she was asleep than when she was awake, just as if they were still living together.

Shi Chuan couldn't help but reach out and touch her eyebrows, nose, lips at a distance of a few centimeters...

"What if only by deceiving can you get close to each other?"

"What if that person is you?"

he whispered softly.

The sleeping person will not give him an answer.

The same goes for the awake person.