woman wearing irish linen shirt

We went to take a shower one after another in a tacit understanding without saying anything extra.At first I thought she had some idea of ​​what she was going to talk about tonight, but when I saw people coming out, I didn't dare to think that way.

She looked defenseless, almost at my mercy.

Miss Pender's hair was wet and dripping from the tips.She just brushed her hair as she walked to the bed, wearing a large slub cotton T-shirt, the fabric was so thin that I could see through.

As usual, we have already stuck together.

But not today.

Today I need to know who I am... arguing with.

I knelt down and wiped her hair.Each other's skin rubbed against each other's intentionally or unintentionally, and she gently hugged my waist, as if she was going to kiss me in the next second.I just held back, tried to stay calm, and endured uninterruptedly: I felt a nameless fire within me that was starting to grow stronger.

With my hair half dry, I grabbed the bath towel with one hand and turned my head to kiss her ear.She hugged me tightly, her softness and pride, her bones and flesh, all fit me.The slub cotton was soaked wet by the heat of the body, she invisibly infected me, melted me, and made me enchanted.

Miss Pender looked up.

We're going to kiss in a second.

"We need to talk." I close my eyes.

She loosened her hand a little: "OK."

Eyelids lifted, Miss Pender was still unarmed.I couldn't speak at all, and quietly pulled her arm away, and sat in the same direction as her, but a little distance away.

Miss Pender's expression changed, and she turned around: "Did something bad happen?"

How could she be so hurt?

She took advantage of my relaxed vigilance due to personal affairs, played tricks on me, and made me numb.She gave me hints and cooperated with Kevin.She bewitched me, like playing with a fly in a glass bowl——she crossed the thunder pool and defeated my army.

Of course I don't want to believe this.Of course, I hope that everything Kevin said is pure fiction, and I hope that I will stay here at the beginning of this Saturday, staying in what I think is the truth.

How could she still be the one who got hurt?

I made up my mind: "You design me."

She seemed to be in disbelief, frowning slightly: "I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"

"Third party information." I don't look over, "Ruijie never asked for third party information. I thought it was a problem solution for his peace of mind, he wanted my hands to get a little dirty... I thought Well, I've been thinking about it for a long time and I can't understand why he would ask for something that he has access to. It seems to be the only reason, a reason that doesn't exist, and I'm just fooling myself."

"Ruijie? Well, Yao, what are you talking about—"

If it hadn't been for her repeated persuasion and tricks, I would never have given it up.

"Maybe this isn't a good time to play innocent. Kevin told me a lot... and I can't believe him, and I can't say he's lying. Is it my incompetence, Sonia?" I shook Nodding her head, without looking at her, "Why can't I find any evidence to support that you have never had anything to do with each other?"

She paused: "What did Kevin tell you? Did you come so late today because you wanted to see him?"

"I thought you didn't want me to lie. I thought that as much as you hated following the rules, you wouldn't try to break the first rule of our relationship—"

"Yao, my dear—" She forcibly stepped over, trying to cup my face.

I refused, and my neck was stuck.I didn't expect that she would use force on me.

Miss Pan De straightened my face, was stunned for a moment, but still said forcefully: "Yao, look at me."

I sniffled and turned my eyes to the side.

"Li Yao." She called me by my full name, "Look at me."

Miss Pender's expression made me feel in a trance that she should be the one who was really hurt.Her tone softened, and she stroked my cheek with her thumb: "I'm sorry. Why are you crying? Did I hurt you?"

I knew she was just asking about my face.The apology in her mouth was nothing more than the superficiality of my skin, she talked about pain instead of hurt, she was just trying to restore her decency.

I put my hand between her arm and my cheek, and the back of my hand rubbed against the inside of her forearm without moving.

She withdrew her hands.

I wiped my tears with my arm.

Miss Pender sat back.She is a little far away from me now, but she seems to be within reach, as if I only need to pour a little towards her, and her tenderness will immediately comfort me, and her eyes will heal me, like filling a wound of all-purpose glue.

Instead, I get further away from her.

I hate the soft policy the most.

"Yao." She sat around her knees, her chin resting on her arms, "Can we have a good talk? I'm confused by what you just said. I really didn't mean to hurt you. Can you forgive me?"

"I'm not mad at you for that." I looked at her, maybe not very considerate eyes, "you can ask, about anything you are confused about."

She thought for a while: "What did Kevin tell you?"

"I'm pretty sure you now have the third-party information I gave him."

"You didn't answer my question," said Miss Pender.

I felt cold again: "You didn't answer me either."

She took a breath, looked at me, and said slowly, "I wish I had a chance to explain—your guess is correct, I did get that document. But it's not a trap..."

I couldn't stand it anymore and raised my hand.

Miss Pender fell silent.

I tried to speak, but found that even the sound of my breathing was trembling.I never thought that I would lose face in such a day, and for a long time, I couldn't speak a single word.

My heart seems to be squeezed by the hand of fate, and I can no longer keep its original shape—that fate that does not exist.If it wasn't playing with me, then what was I being tormented for, and where was my malice, and where was my heart broken?

"Yao." Miss Pan De said timidly, "Can I have a chance to explain?"

I have never heard her tone like this before, I couldn't bear it, and I don't know where the unfounded hope came from, so I finally nodded.

She spoke very slowly: "Kevin works for me. However, this affiliation between us is not permanent and dynamic. You have to know that the premise of all this is that we are all serving customers. My work requires I have a responsibility to the client. I will admit that in order to obtain this third party material - and I want to ensure that it is from you - I did ask Kevin to cooperate with me and guide you when necessary."

I raised my forehead with one hand: "Who is your client?"

She was stunned, and blurted out: "Your group."

"Any more?"

"Excuse me?" Miss Pender frowned.

"Is there any more?" I repeated, looking up at her.

Miss Pan De frowned, she didn't speak for two or three seconds, she just looked at me.The meaning in her eyes was extremely complicated, and at the end, she said, "What have you heard?"

I suddenly laughed: "You dare not answer."

Her expression made it difficult to tell whether it was anger or guilt: "I have signed many confidentiality contracts, Yao, I can't answer all your questions, and my power is limited."

I hung my head and let out a long breath.I'm so tired, just a few minutes, but I feel like it's been a long time."Is there anything else you want to explain?" I asked.

She looked at me for a long time.In the end, Miss Pan De said: "I didn't design you."

"Who is your client?"

Her eyes froze, like a thin layer of ice on the thawed spring water: "Did you hear what I said just now?"

My heart hurts like a knife.

But anger and great suspicion finally prevailed, and I had to ignore her barely traceable grievances and asked, "Who else got the documents? Kevin, BCG, who else?"

She looked at me with a stubborn expression and didn't answer.

I seem to be cutting my own flesh.I took a deep breath and said in a very low voice, "It seems that you are losing your chance to explain."

"I have no choice."

"What do you mean you have no choice?"

Miss Pan De embraced herself and looked away: "I must confirm the only candidate for the CEO of the new company as soon as possible. That is the safest position. After the reorganization, the situation will fluctuate violently, and you have the qualities to be a CEO. But From the point of view of candidates, you are a very radical choice, I need evidence to convince others...

"I tried to ask you directly, I tried..." Her right hand was all stuck in her hair, "but I can't dispel your suspicion, Yao, I really have no choice. You have to understand, in There is not a lot of freedom between the work contract and the agreement between the two of us. I am taking advantage of very narrow freedom. Kevin is the best channel, and your performance has exceeded my expectations. This document was handed over by completely legal means - I shouldn't have told you this, and I have no way to give further explanations until the project is completely over. Yao..."

Miss Pan De turned around, stunned and lost.

Her hands left her hair.She held her arm, trembling slightly, already speechless.

I let her down.

All my decency and all my tenderness have been paid as a price, and my reason, which is about to collapse, can only be maintained by relying on love.

The brain is like an old magnetic disk. After receiving the feedback of external information, it is erased bit by bit and overlaid.

In the end, I could only believe what I heard - I couldn't believe it at all, looking at her, my voice was so vague: "You want me to be the CEO of the subsidiary company?"

She nodded, her eyes turning red.

I held back what I almost blurted out.I try to be considerate, I try to pack it, I want my feelings to sound just a little bit softer—

"Couldn't you," I said, with a lump in my throat, "couldn't you just stay in your own driveway, away from my work?"

In the end, it's just futile.