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The waiter brought a few new dishes of tea and snacks, which were ordered by the old gentleman. Judging from his attitude, it was obvious that he didn't want to let them go too early.

Duan Baiting mentioned half an hour ago that he might have to leave early because his wife was having a dinner party nearby and he had to go pick her up.

Now that all the people who were supposed to be picked up had arrived, there was no reason to leave early.

The old man smiled and pointed to the plates of delicious snacks: "Try some tea cakes, the little girl should like them."

Song Wanyue tasted a piece. It looked good, but too sweet.

She took several sips of tea before she could suppress the sweetness.

Duan Baiting found her expression funny and raised the corners of his lips.

Those present were either old men or looked serious and formal as if they were out on business. Colleagues' attention was more focused on Duan Baiting.

The man sitting across from them at the table had a chilly temperament like a winter night, but with the slightly upturned corners of his lips, he seemed a bit gentler.

But his eyes were always on Song Wanyue.

My colleagues understood.

"I feel that handsome guy is also interested in you. He has been looking at you."

Song Wanyue raised her eyebrows and looked forward. Duan Baiting was holding a teacup and his eyes were on her.

No reservations.

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When the show was about to end, Roman said he would send his colleague home first. His colleague pulled Song Wanyue and said, "Let's go together."

Roman smiled and glanced at Duan Baiting who was being talked to by Mr. Wang.

He was polite on the surface, but he seemed a little bored. His eyes kept looking over here.

From just now till now, his eyes have almost always been on them.

It can also be said that it was on Song Wanyue.

Roman was still a bit considerate: "Are you worried that no one will see her off? Okay, it's getting late, let's stop here for today. Go to the company early tomorrow and don't be late, as there is a meeting to attend." He said the latter part while looking at Song Wanyue.

The party finally dispersed and Song Wanyue went outside first.

Duan Baiting followed out soon after. There is no one beside me.

It is windy and cold on winter nights. Duan Baiting saw that she was wearing three layers of clothes, almost wrapping herself up like a bear.

"You've been quite obedient lately." The tone was gentle, like approval.

Song Wanyue didn't care: "If it weren't for you, how could I wear so many clothes? It's hard to even raise my hand."

As she spoke, she deliberately stretched out her hand to gesture, and her movements were indeed a bit clumsy.

Duan Baiting smiled, put his arm around her shoulders and walked outside.

The car was parked on the side of the road and the driver was sitting in the car waiting.

He looked at the relatively busy street in the distance, stopped, and suddenly didn't want to go back like this.

So he asked, "Do you want to go for a walk around the neighborhood?"

"Okay." Song Wanyue agreed without hesitation.

She doesn't like sports, but she likes shopping. When she was in school, it was customary to run three laps in physical education class, and she wanted to cry after one lap.

But if they were shopping, she and Shizuka could shop from morning to night without ever complaining about being tired.

The prices outside the alley are totally disproportionate to the housing prices here. It's very busy along the way and people are selling small things.

Homemade handicrafts, clothes costing dozens of dollars on average, and some street snacks.

When the wind blew, the smoke drifted into the crowd.

Duan Baiting calmly changed direction with Song Wanyue to prevent her from being choked by the smoke.

But she didn't pay any attention at all, her whole mind was on those stalls.

"Have you ever been to this kind of roadside stall before?"

Song Wanyue's habit of not looking at the road came back again. There were people coming and going nearby, and she would be bumped into if she wasn't careful.

Duan Baiting put his arm around her shoulders and asked her to lean as close to him as possible.

He stretched out his hand and waved it in front of her to disperse the smoke.

"No."

He actually didn't like this kind of excitement very much, he thought it was too noisy. Plus there are so many people and it's crowded, so it's inevitable that we'll bump into each other.

Song Wanyue seemed particularly excited, saying that he was not down-to-earth enough on weekdays: "Otherwise, why would your subordinates be so afraid of you. You have a cold face all day long, and act superior, who wouldn't be afraid?"

Have a cold face all day long, and act superior?

Duan Baiting pondered for a few seconds and asked, "Is that so?"

The person involved was unaware of this and even thought he was quite amiable. Things at work need to be handled impartially, and it's understandable to be strict.

As for private matters, he has been very tolerant towards his subordinates.

Overtime is voluntary and overtime pay is at the highest level in the industry. Not to mention bonuses and vacations.

When Song Wanyue heard him say the word "amiable", she almost laughed out loud.

"Affable? You?" His tone was actually a little contemptuous.

On a snowy winter night, the wind was cold and bleak.

Duan Baiting was dissatisfied with her current tone and reached out to pinch her cheeks. He asked in a calm voice, "Isn't it?"

She shook her head. This guy really had a serious lack of self-awareness.

There was a men's clothing store in front of it, with a handwritten sign next to it.

——50% off on all items, starting from 88 yuan.

Song Wanyue walked over, picked up the coat hanging on the outside, put it on Duan Baiting and gestured.

"It feels quite suitable."

Duan Baiting looked down and saw a dark gray jacket with an unknown pattern embroidered on the chest.

Like an eagle, but also a bit like a dog.

The boss who was eating in the shed saw the customers coming and quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks and came over, introducing with a smile: "This is a new model that arrived today. We got ten pieces in total, and nine were sold during the day. You are lucky, this is the last one. I just put it out, and it would have been bought by someone else later."

Song Wanyue touched the thickness of the clothes with her hand, and it was quite thick.

So she asked: "Boss, how much is this dress?"

The boss has been in the clothing business for many years and can tell the fabric and workmanship at a glance.

Both of them are obviously wealthy people, both in temperament and in their attire.

Naturally, the fat customer had to be ripped off: "Since you really like it, I'll give you a discount. The price is five hundred."

Duan Baiting was about to pay, he didn't want to stay here any longer.

He had taken out half of the red banknotes in his wallet, and he heard Song Wanyue's sweet voice ringing out in the noisy night: "Fifty."

Duan Baiting: "..."

Song Wanyue finally bought the coat for one hundred.

She told Duan Baiting that small stalls like these always quote random prices, so she had to bargain down the price.

She seemed very happy. She held the coat horizontally, looked at it from front to back, and occasionally put it in front of him to gesture.

When she smiled, the corners of her eyes would always bend slightly downwards, and her clear and bright eyes seemed as if one could see through them at a glance.

Seeing her smiling so happily, Duan Baiting also smiled faintly and hugged her in his arms: "Are you so happy?"

"Of course." Because of the height difference, her head could only touch his shoulders and her face was buried in his chest.

Even through the coat, she could still feel his strong and powerful heartbeat.

"This is our first time shopping."

Duan Baiting touched her head: "There will be a second time, and a third time. As long as you want, I will accompany you."

Song Wanyue hid in his arms and acted coquettishly: "Tingting, it's cold."

After understanding what she meant, Duan Baiting smiled helplessly, opened his coat and wrapped her in it.

"Are you still cold?"

She moved: "It's a little hot again. How about loosening

your hold a little?" Duan Baiting hugged her tighter. This time he would not indulge her: "Then let it be hot for a while."

----------------

The jacket that Song Wanyue bought for Duan Baiting for one hundred years finally appeared in the closet at home. It seems somewhat out of place with his pure handmade haute couture items that often cost six or seven figures.

But he did wear it for a long time, until the rough workmanship caused the seams to crack, and then he retired it from his wardrobe.

Song Wanyue's career is on the right track. The case she took over a few days ago was in the countryside.

The case is neither big nor small.

The bridge connecting the two sides of the river has to be demolished because it did not obtain permission in the early years, and villagers are not allowed to cross it.

But that was the only road to the town, and after it was blocked they had to spend two more hours going around the mountain.

Song Wanyue took the high-speed train in the afternoon, and three hours later she took a special bus to the village.

This trip will take at least a week.

Aunt Qin was helping her pack her things, including mosquito repellent, sunscreen, and calming incense.

Duan Baiting flew to the UK the day before yesterday, also for work.

The earliest he could return would be the day after tomorrow. Song Wanyue received the news at the last minute and had to go to the countryside, so she didn't have time to tell him.

At this point, he is probably still resting.

Aunt Qin was a little worried: "Will they be able to adapt to the living environment in the countryside?"

If it were someone else, Aunt Qin wouldn't be so worried. But Song Wanyue was born spoiled and had never suffered any hardship since childhood.

Not to mention living in such a harsh environment for a week.

Song Wanyue smiled and said, "Rural development is very good now. I used to go sketching with my classmates, and the place we lived in had air conditioners and water heaters. You don't have to worry."

Hearing her say this, Aunt Qin was relieved a little: "That's good. If you need anything, remember to call home and I will send it to you, or just ask someone to buy it for you locally."

------------

After she arrived at her destination, Song Wanyue realized where Aunt Qin's worries came from.

She glanced at the desolate land in front of her.

It seems that the place where I went to sketch originally has developed relatively well.

Seeing her like this, her colleague took the suitcase from her hand with a smile and said, "This place is like this. Otherwise, why would there be a lawsuit over a bridge?"

Song Wanyue followed up angrily, "I didn't expect... it would be like this."

Even the road was a muddy road. It had just rained, and the soil was wet and soft, so one step deep and one step shallow.

My feet were covered in mud.

Fortunately, I was wearing sneakers today, so it wasn't too difficult to walk.

My colleague smiled and shook his head, sighing: "Why not eat meat porridge?"

They lived in a place arranged by the village chief. The residence here was a large courtyard surrounded by several side rooms.

Song Wanyue lived in the vacant east wing, and there was a fence at the back where she raised chickens.

It was still clucking in the middle of the night.

The wooden bed was covered with a very thin layer of cotton wool, and underneath that was dried straw.

On top are the clean sheets that have been washed until they are white.

Song Wanyue felt like she was being tortured to death and she didn't sleep the whole first night.

The next day, she and her colleagues walked the streets to collect evidence with a pair of panda eyes.

I didn't have insomnia that night, maybe because I stayed up all night and was tired during the day.

I lay down and fell asleep.

It wasn't until the third day that she managed to hold back and not collapse.

You have to boil water and wash in a basin to take a bath. The toilet is also a dry toilet.

She could still tolerate the issue of eating.

When Duan Baiting called, she was thinking about how to take a bath.

Until the moment she heard his voice, she almost cried: "Tingting."

A trembling cry came to her ears, and Duan Baiting's tone was tense because of worry: "What's wrong?"

She pursed her lips, and her eyes were really red: "I miss you so much."

It was also because of this sentence that she saw Duan Baiting who came from North City in the afternoon.

He drove here by himself, but his car was parked outside and he couldn't drive in. The road is too narrow.

Song Wanyue came out with a bowl and a white steamed bun in her hand.

It's stuffy in the summer and there's only an old-fashioned fan in the house.

The more it blows, the hotter it gets.

My colleague has already started eating and is sweating profusely.

Song Wanyue placed a small stool at the door and was about to sit down when she realized something was wrong. She raised her head and saw Duan Baiting coming over.

He must have just got off the plane and drove here immediately after returning home.

He looked a little tired.

He stopped and looked her up and down.

Perhaps it was because it was too hot, her usually fair skin was turned red by the heat, her high ponytail was covered with beads of sweat at her temples, and the strands of hair around her ears were wet and stuck to her face in a messy manner.

He took a bite of the steamed bun in his hand and put some pickles in the bowl.

Duan Baiting steadied his breathing and walked up to her: "Is this for dinner?"

She was stunned by his sudden appearance, but now she came back to reality because of his words.

"Why are you here?"

There was joy but also confusion.

Duan Baiting found it difficult to take his eyes off her. In just three days, she had become so miserable.

He reached out and pinched her arm: "You've lost weight."

Song Wanyue's eyes lit up and she smiled: "Really?"

He frowned: "What's there to be happy about?"

Song Wanyue saw that he looked unhappy and seemed annoyed. Then he shut up.

My colleague was holding his bowl and was halfway through his meal when he stood there in a daze.

She had an impression of this man. They had had dinner together before in a teahouse.

At that time, I felt that the way he looked at Song Wanyue was not right, and I thought he might be interested in her.

Now it seems that he has been caught up?

------------

Duan Baiting stayed here with Song Wanyue at night. He originally planned to take her to town, but it was too far.

Because the road was difficult to travel on, the car was parked far away.

While Song Wanyue was taking a shower, Duan Baiting tidied up the room for her.

That old-fashioned fan makes a lot of noise but does little good.

Probably thinking that there was something wrong with some parts, Duan Baiting borrowed some tools from the owner and repaired it simply.

When Song Wanyue came out, he was washing his hands.

There was dust all over my fingers.

The fan noise became much quieter and the wind became stronger. Her hair was still wet. She didn't bring a hair dryer this time, and there wasn't one here.

Just wipe it with a towel and let it dry naturally.

Duan Baiting asked her to sit down beside the bed, took the towel from her hand, gathered her long hair in his palm and wiped it gently.

Song Wanyue reached out her hand to the fan and felt the increasing wind speed.

Seeing the tools that had just been put away, she asked him, "Did you repair it?"

He nodded.

Song Wanyue exclaimed, "You're amazing. How come you can do everything? You can even repair electric fans."

The tools were too old, and the parts were damaged and loose. Some very basic theoretical knowledge.

But Song Wanyue's words were particularly pleasant to the ear, so he accepted them as a matter of course.

"How long will it take?" he asked her calmly.

Song Wanyue thought for a while and said, "The progress is quite smooth. Tomorrow should be the last day, and we can go back the day after tomorrow."

Duan Baiting didn't say anything.

He was standing behind her at this time, and she could feel her wet hair being gently wiped by him.

Song Wanyue could neither hear nor see the rest.

I thought he came all the way to see her and would have a lot to say to her.

Yet it is so quiet.

Apart from asking her some basic questions, he didn't say a word otherwise.

Song Wanyue didn't like him saying nothing. Obviously, she had a lot of things to say to him.

There was a hint of dissatisfaction on her face. Just as she was about to turn around, she heard him laugh very lightly.

A very faint breath.

Song Wanyue wondered: "What are you laughing at?"

He gently used a comb to straighten her tangled long hair. The sound was soothing and quiet in the noisy night filled with the chirping of insects and frogs.

"It was the first time I saw you in such a mess. I felt so distressed at the time." He paused, then chuckled very softly, sat down beside her, and reached out to touch her face, "But now when I think back, you were so well-behaved back then."