Don't Turn from Summer Chapter 10

Don't Turn from Summer (莫负寒夏) by Ding Mo (丁墨)
Chapter 10

“Hanxia? Hanxia?”

“Huh?” She jerks awake and raises her head in front of the computer. Sis. [1] Zhang, her colleague in the department, is standing by the desk, watching her with a smile.

[1: Sis. here literally means older sister. When it is followed by a last name (In Chinese, following a last name), it is a respectful way to address a women older than oneself.]

“What are you looking at? So engrossed.” Sis. Zhang asks.

“Oh, I’m working on some data.” Mu Hanxia pats her head bashfully. Actually she was in blank just now. “Sis. Zhang, what’s the matter?”

Sis. Zhang is smiling very amiably and points behind herself. Now, Mu Hanxia sees Meng Gang and the department manager standing at the door of sales department, discussing something. Mu Hanxia shudders as if being electrified. She tries to smile and asks in a voice low: “Why Manager Meng is here?”

Sis Zhang replies, “The performance is so great the last few days. Manager Meng says he will treat the whole sales department with drinks. See, money is here already. Go get the drinks.”

“OK.” Mu Hanxia quickly takes the money and stands up. As she passes the door, she greets with her head low, “Hi Manager Meng! Hi Manager!”

The manager beams, “Go buy the drinks. Be quick!”

Meng Gang just responds with a soft “hmm”, which sounds especially deep and casual to Mu Hanxia. He doesn’t look at her either.

Mu Hanxia races downstairs.

There is a nice coffee shop across the street. Mu Hanxia seldom comes here because it’s quite expensive. But its taste is really delicate and tantalizing.

It’s mid-afternoon. The lucid sunlight of May spreads over the street. There aren’t many people in the shop. Music is soft in the background and the fragrance is thick. Mu Hanxia stands in front of the counter and orders over ten drinks in one breath. No need to pay out of her own pocket gives her some sense of luxury, and the stressful confusion in her mind seems to have lifted a little.

She bends to survey those delicate cakes, thinking to herself, “Give myself a reward.”

“Do you have nut cakes?” She asks.

The salesperson replies apologetically, “I’m sorry, they are just sold out. The new ones need a ten-minute’s wait. Would you mind?”

Mu Hanxia thinks for a second and says, “That’s OK.” She has always liked food with a nut flavor and has spent her hard-earned money for the nut cakes here a couple of time. The taste is really her greatest love of all.

Finally, with the salesperson’s recommendation, she picks a Tiramisu cake, which she pays with her own money, orders a glass of juice, and sits down in a quiet corner to enjoy a few minutes’ leisure while the salesperson packs the drinks for her.

Remembering what happened last morning, Mu Hanxia is still boiling inside and can hardly calm down. Lowering her head, she looks at her hands. The hands are still fair and slim, but there is already thin callous in the palms. Meng Gang just held them like that. What was he thinking about her? Where is he going to place her?

While she is lost in thoughts, there is a ringing at the door--someone comes in.

She lifts her head and sees Lin Mochen in a black suit and shirt walk in with a face of little expression.

Mu Hanxia stares at him.

He also sees her, but acts as if he doesn't, and walks straight to the counter to order food.

Mu Hanxia doesn’t budge either. She calmly lowers her head again and goes back to her juice and cake.

Footsteps approach, and black suit flashes by. Holding the tray in his hand, he sits down opposite her at the table, a mere half-a-meter’s distance between them.

And in his tray, there is actually a piece of newly baked nut cake.

Now Mu Hanxia forgets all about her entanglement with Meng Gang. Glancing at Ling Mochen, with that elite air all over him, who is starting to sip his coffee, she suddenly remembers the message she sent him yesterday: “So what? You come bite me?”

......

“There are so many empty seats here. Why do you sit here?” She says.

“Why can’t I?” He replies lightly.

Mu Hanxia decides to speak no more.

After a moment, his voice is heard again, “Why help Meng Gang?”

Mu Hanxia pauses and raises her eye at him, feeling ridiculous, “Shouldn’t I? Or should I possibly help you instead?”

He looks squarely at her, the lines on his face distinct from the sunlight, the eyebrows straight and unyielding, and nose also straight and tall.

“Correct.” He answers, “A fine fowl perches only on a fine tree. You should be on my side.”

Mu Hanxia suddenly doesn’t know what to say next. This guy is proud, lofty, and overbearing, and he doesn’t even bother to hide it. It is he who owes her, but why it sounds like she owes him now?

“I’m not a farm bird.” She mutters, “The theories you said, I don’t understand.”

There is some hint of insult in her words.

[2: Bird can be an insulting word when used to address a person, meaning the person is uncivil or even evil, usually paired with beast in use.]

Lin Mochen: “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Mu Hanxia quickly lowers her head and smiled. She takes the little spoon and digs into the cake.

Music is flowing softly around; the man at the opposite is quiet again. The familiar delicate fragrance filling her mouth, Mu Hanxia eats the cake spoon after spoon, suddenly noticing Lin Mochen gives her another look, a look that’s...very hard to describe.

Mu Hanxia suddenly understands, and stares at the cake she almost finished.

Alas, ate the wrong one. This is his nut cake.

Because the table is so tiny and their cakes are placed so close, plus she was somewhat absent-minded just now, in addition to the fact that nut cake is her favorite, she is eating non-stop...

Mu Hanxia is so embarrassed and quickly puts down the spoon, “Eh...”

“Does it feel especially good to eat from others’ plate?” He says.

Mu Hanxia blushes, gives him a stare, and decidedly calls for the salesperson, “Another nut cake for him, please!”

He says nothing. Mu Hanxia calms down and thinks to herself, since I’ve already started eating, I’d better finish it. After all, it’s 15 Yuan here. But a couple more spoonfuls later, he starts again, “The spoon is also the one I used just now.”

Mu Hanxia, “...” She immediately throws down the spoon, but then hears his even voice, “Things I’ve used, I don’t like them to be used again by others.”

Mu Hanxia has the pulse to smash him in the face with the cake. He apparently has noticed her eat the wrong cake with the wrong spoon, but purposefully waited until now to speak up -- and in two separate times.

A slight smile flashes by in Lin Mochen’s eyes. Mu Hanxia knows that she’s at fault, so she starts to get up, holding back her temper and embarrassment. Then she hears a clear and soft female voice, “Jason, how long have you been here? This is...”

Lin Mochen raises his head. Mu Hanxia also turns to the voice and sees the woman from that night, Chen Weiwei, the board chair’s daughter of Yong Zheng Inc, standing behind them. She wears a casual outfit, but still appears slender and curvy. Her face is still a little pale and is wearing a cast on her right arm, but she has a delicate make-up and is smiling pleasantly.

The moment she sees Mu Hanxia, Chen Weiwei pauses a little, and then nods slightly to her, showing a graceful smile.

Mu Hanxia also nods to her politely, but thinks to herself, the woman is like Lin Mochen, full of this lofty air. She thinks she should go now.

Lin Mochen stands up, pulls out the chair for Chen Weiwei. Mu Hanxia glances at him, thinking, “Hah, now he’s got manners.”

“This is Mu Hanxia.” Lin Mochen briefly introduces them, “Chen Weiwei.”

Mu Hanxia: “Hi.” And she says to Lin Mochen with some politeness, “I got to go now.” Lin Mochen looks at her and nods. But at this point, Chen Weiwei suddenly speaks, “Mu Hanxia? You are the Mu Hanxia from Sixth High (School)?”