After dinner, go home.

Everyone understood and didn't disturb Jiang Yubo from sending Li Wan off alone.

Wen Ran declined again and again, saying that she could take a taxi by herself, but Xu Xiaoming still insisted on sending her home.

In the car.

Xu Xiaoming took the initiative to ask, “Is the dinner not to your liking, or do you have a small appetite?”

Wen Ran, “A little bit of both.”

“You don't like things that are too sweet, right?”

“Right.”

“Where are you from?”

Hometown? Wen Ran replied, “Yuhe.”

“No wonder! Then you should like spicy food, right?”

Wen Ran nodded.

As the car turned the corner, Xu Xiaoming took the initiative to invite him, “There is a Sichuan restaurant downstairs from our company. My colleague said that it serves authentic Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine. How about I pick you up to try it when you are free?”

“No thanks.” Wen Ran said seriously, “There is no authentic Sichuan cuisine in Shanghai.”

Xu Xiaoming was stunned for a moment and turned to look at Wen Ran.

Wen Ran noticed the gaze and turned his head.

Then, she reminded him, “Watch the road.”

Xu Xiaoming retracted his gaze and said with a smile, “Okay, then we still have a chance to go to Yuhe to taste authentic Sichuan cuisine.”

Wen Ran returned home, took a shower, and when he came out, he heard his phone, which was charging on the bedside table, vibrating.

Li Wan and Ivy started chatting in the group.

Wen Ran scrolled up the chat history.

Ivy, [How is it? Give me the follow-up [urgent][urgent][urgent]]

Li Wan, [We have an appointment to go to the aquarium tomorrow afternoon.]

Ivy, [[laughing and crying], can't you just go where adults are?]

Li Wan,[[Sweating]]

Ivy, [[points finger in grievance] I mean the concert or the art gallery, don't let your imagination run wild.]

Ivy, [So you two are done?]

Li Wan, [I don’t know either [rolling eyes], let’s meet again a few more times.]

Li Wan,[What do you think of him?]

Ivy, [I'm a good match for you in height, looks, and job. I'm from the same hometown as you and work in the same city.]

Ivy, [I’m just too honest. When I tease you, do your ears turn red?]

Li Wan,[[rolling eyes]]

Li Wan, [@Wen Ran, what do you think? ]

Ivy, [She hasn't come home yet, has she? [Smirk]]

Ivy, [Is today's blind date going to be two couples?]

Ivy, [Suddenly I feel a little pitiful [crying]]

Li Wan, [Funny girls don’t have love, you said it yourself [rolling eyes]]

Wen Ran quickly typed back, [I'm home.]

Wen Ran, [Based on today’s interactions, I think Jiang Yubo is pretty good.]

Li Wan,[[Lovely]]

Ivy likes to watch the fun, [So what do you think of Xu Xiaoming? ]

Wen Ran didn't reply to Ivy. She knew that if she replied “very good”, Ivy would not be able to stop talking.

Wen Ran was about to put down his phone when Li Wan sent him a separate message.

Li Wan, [Xu Xiaoming wants your WeChat, do you want to give it to him?]

Wen Ran frowned as the message popped up again.

Li Wan,[He has a good impression of you and wants to make friends.]

Wen Ran, [No, please help me decline.]

Li Wan, [Do you have a very bad impression of him? Is it possible that there is no chance at all?]

Wen Ran, [I have a good impression of him, but there is no chance for us.]

Li Wan, [I understand.]

On weekdays, Wen Ran is still like a busy man.

At lunch time, Ivy asked her as usual, “What should I bring you today?”

Wen Ran pursed her lips and smiled, “No need.”

She raised her chin towards the upper right corner of the desk and said, “I'll eat this.”

On top of a pile of documents were two cinnamon rolls in transparent bags.

Ivy nodded and left with the other colleagues.

This went on for several days.

On Thursday, Ivy returned to the office after lunch and saw Wen Ran sitting at his workstation, preparing to open the bag of cinnamon rolls.

She couldn't understand, “Ranran, don't you get tired of eating this every day?”

“It's good to be able to fill my stomach,” Wen Ran said, “and it's not sweet or greasy.”

Wen Ran opened the package and said, “Try it.”

Ivy waved her hand, “No, it's such a small piece, I'm afraid I can't control my bloody mouth.”

Wen Ran was amused, tore off a piece, and passed it to Ivy's mouth, “Try it.”

Ivy opened her mouth and chewed carefully. It had a strong cinnamon flavor, but was not at all overly sweet and tasted pretty good.

Wen Ran was very proud. “Is it delicious? I made it myself. My teacher...”

Wen Ran bit her lower lip and changed her words, “My family all likes it very much.”

“No matter how delicious it is, you can’t eat it every day.”

“It's just a few days.” Wen Ran said, looking down at the almost finished draft design, and said solemnly, “If I don't finish this, I won't be able to eat anything.”

Wen Ran is no longer eligible to participate in the 'Apollo Jewelry Design Competition', so she has no reason to stay at Carlyle Company.

She wanted to go home, and go home quickly.

But before going home, she wanted to prove it.

Thinking that he would be able to go home soon, Wen Ran felt that the cinnamon roll in his hand was simply the most delicious thing on earth.

Li Wan had also finished his meal by this time and came over with three drinks.

She handed one cup to Ivy and another to Wen Ran, and emphasized, “No sugar added.”

Wen Ran thanked him.

This is what Ivy and Li Wan discussed in the group yesterday, the new fruit tea launched by the coffee shop on the second floor.

Faced with leaving, Wen Ran was not completely willing to let go.

At least she couldn't bear to leave Li Wan and Ivy.

And after she returns to M Country, the chances of us getting together again will probably be few and far between.

Wen Ran put down his drink and took the initiative to invite, “Are you free this weekend? I'll treat you to dinner.”

Ivy joked, “Didn't you say the other day that you would do drawings on the weekends?”

“ I'll have time if I have dinner with you guys.” Wen Ran coaxed her.

Li Wan suddenly said, “I have something to do.”

After saying that, she shyly turned away and took a sip of the fruit tea in her hand.

Ivy was a smart person. She immediately grabbed Li Wan's wrist and said, “Jiang Yubo? Really? So how far have you guys progressed? Huh?”

“No, we've only met a few times?” Li Wan lowered her eyes and whispered, “Didn't we go to the aquarium last Sunday? He was really quiet, and then he came to the company to pick me up from get off work and had dinner with me last night, and he was also quiet.”

Li Wan looked up at Ivy and Wen Ran and sighed, “It seems like I ran out of topics to talk about last time I was with you guys.”

Ivy asked tentatively, “Are you still with him?”

Li Wan nodded, “Chuchu.”

After all, she thought about it calmly and realized that she and Jiang Yubo were a perfect match in all aspects, and it was rare to meet someone so well matched.

Ivy shook her head, patted Li Wan on the shoulder, and advised, “Don't make things difficult for yourself in love.”

Li Wan, “See you this week, we'll talk later.”

Ivy suddenly thought of something, and leaned down and waved at the two of them, as if she was going to tell them some gossip.

Wen Ran and Li Wan came over.

Ivy whispered, “Didn't Wu Yunshan's work get selected in the last business design competition? Everyone felt that she had a spot in the competition, but she came to grab the opportunity, which was unethical. Now even her own team members have opinions about her.”

Wu Yunshan can no longer use his power to benefit others, and he has also robbed and infringed upon the interests of others.

She herself did not expect that she would lose the support of the people so quickly.

Ultimately, it is because people’s hearts are driven by interests.

This kind of relationship, which was originally built for the sake of interests, is like rubble, shattered at the first blow.

While Wu Yunshan lost the support of the people, Ding Yao seemed to be reaping the benefits.

Ivy glanced at Wen Ran and changed the subject, “By the way, Ranran.”

Wen Ran, “?”

Ivy snapped her fingers. “Your image as a hard-working, dedicated worker has been deeply rooted in people's hearts.”

Li Wan suppressed his laughter and responded, “Yes, I will prove it.”

Wen Ran, “...”

The department is so small, and compared to slack off, Wen Ran's extremely hardworking behavior is more attractive to people.

After get off work in the afternoon, Wen Ran worked overtime as usual.

Anyway, she would just stay in the studio if she went back, and there would be traffic jam during the evening rush hour, which would be a waste of time.

Colleagues left one after another, and the surroundings gradually became silent. Wen Ran looked up and it was already dark outside the horizontal window.

It was dark and the branches were swaying violently, as if it was going to rain.

Wen Ran looked at the time and it was already past ten o'clock in the evening.

Her stomach felt empty, so she unwrapped the remaining cinnamon rolls and ate them.

After eating, she packed up her things and walked out.

The usual stuffy air completely dissipated, and the sound of the wind whirring in my ears was filled.

The security guard recognized Wen Ran's face and greeted her, “Little girl, why are you here so late again?”

Wen Ran smiled friendly, “Yeah, I worked overtime for a while.”

“Go back quickly, it looks like it's going to rain.”

Wen Ran responded and walked out faster.

Standing under the street light, Wen Ran took out his cell phone to hail a taxi.

It is usually easy to get a taxi during this time period, but maybe because of the sudden change in weather today, I called for a long time but no driver accepted the order. It was only after Wen Ran added a fee that a driver accepted the order. Moreover, the online taxi was still some distance away from Wen Ran .

The trees on the roadside creaked in the wind.

Wen Ran suddenly felt a dull pain in her stomach.

Wen Ran looked at the distance of the online car-hailing vehicle and ran to the gate booth.

The security guard saw Wen Ran coming back from a distance and asked first, “What happened?”

“Excuse me, do you have hot water?”

“Yes.” The security guard turned around and poured a paper cup of warm water for Wen Ran and handed it to her.

“Thank you.” Wen Ran took out the medicine bottle from his bag, poured out a white pill, and swallowed it with water.

The security guard saw her swallow the medicine and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“It's nothing. It's just an old problem.”

“Oh, you are still young, you must take care of your health. Your health is the capital of revolution.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Wen Ran thanked them, picked up her phone and saw that the online car-hailing vehicle was about to arrive at another intersection, so she quickly turned around and ran to the side of the road.

From time to time, vehicles rush past on the road.

Wen Ran looked carefully at the license plates of those vehicles, and found that none of them were online-hailing taxis. She picked up her phone and saw on the map that the online-hailing taxi was still at the next intersection.

No movement.

Her stomach hurt even more than before. It felt like it was being pressed down by a heavy object, suffocated, and stirred mercilessly.

Wen Ran felt so much pain on his back that a thin layer of sweat broke out, which was immediately dried by the wind.

She squatted down and called the driver.

The call was quickly answered, and the driver apologized to Wen Ran, “Sorry, I need to go to the toilet in the public restroom. I'll be there in two minutes.”

“...good.”

Wen Ran hung up the phone, not knowing whether the two minutes he mentioned was really two minutes.

Wen Ran counted the time and felt layers of sweat on his body, which were then dried by the wind. He felt extremely uncomfortable.

Two minutes passed, and it felt like two hours, and still no car came.

A black business car was parked on the side of the road.

Yan Wangshu walked out of the building.

From a distance, he saw a girl squatting next to the flower bed. She was wearing a white skirt, a light blue sleeveless top, and a dark red handmade leather bag on her shoulder.

This bag Yan Wangshu remembers.

It’s Wen Ran.

She squatted there, her slender fingers tugging at the hem of her skirt, revealing a little bit of her ankles, her weak arms hugging her legs, her head buried in her knees, her whole body curled up into a ball.

The wind was quite strong, blowing her usually smooth hair into a mess.

Yan Wangshu retracted his gaze, got into the car, and said, “Go back to Tan Garden.”

“Okay, Mr. Yan.”

The driver closed the door and walked around the front of the car to get in.

Yan Wangshu glanced out.

Next to the flower stand, Wen Ran slowly raised his head.

Her hair was disheveled and her face was pale. She glanced at the phone in her hand, frowned, bit her lip, and buried her head in her knees in pain.

Like an abandoned, poor, beautiful kitten.

But there are so many stray cats in this world.