Chang Liu had actually seen Qin Wangshu long ago, but at the time, the other woman hadn't spared her even half a micrometer of attention.
Later, they ran into each other three times because of work, but those only counted as meetings in Chang Liu's sense of the word. They couldn't really be called meetings, since the two of them never spoke once.
Later still, Chang Liu went to work at Qin Wangshu's company, and that was how “Wangshu and Chang Liu” began.
Excerpt One:
“Why did you come back too?” Chang Liu turned to ask Wangshu, who had one hand in his pocket and the other on the handle of his suitcase.
“Do I need your permission to come back?” Wangshu glanced at Chang Liu.
At his words, Chang Liu's face instantly turned scarlet.
She thought, That's right. Why would he tell me he was coming back? Who am I to him? But if he was planning to come back, why did he ask me yesterday to bring Aunt Qin a bunch of gifts? Just thinking about it makes me mad.
Excerpt Two:
“Wei Su said you looked good in a shirt today. She's a shirt fanatic, so she insisted on asking what brand it was... I wanted to see you...” Before Chang Liu could finish sending the message on WeChat, she got a video call from Wen Lu, a college classmate. They chatted for almost half an hour. As soon as she hung up, Wangshu called. Chang Liu answered and heard him say irritably, “Come downstairs. I'm outside your building!” Chang Liu was baffled and wondered, What are you doing outside my place? I never asked you to come over. Wangshu waited for a while with no response and thought she'd hung up, but the call was still connected. He asked, “Are you coming down?” “Oh, I'm coming right now.” Whatever he was here for, Chang Liu quickly put on her shoes, told Wei Su, and went downstairs.
Theme: Sketching the horizon where Chang Liu stands, gazing up at the sky as clouds roll by.
