Chapter 43: Resonance in the Mind

Meng Xingzhe sat frozen in his seat. Yao Jia’s head suddenly slipped onto his shoulder, and he didn’t dare to breathe too deeply. The faint fragrance from her hair wafted to his nose. He inhaled slightly, his eyes narrowing as if he were a bit tipsy.

The car moved smoothly, and she slept peacefully. Yet his heart pounded in his chest, as if an earthquake was brewing inside.

Suddenly, glaring headlights flashed through the car window. A vehicle on the opposite road drove by with its high beams on. The light hit her eyelids, and she shifted uncomfortably against his right shoulder.

He turned his head to look at her, noticing the frown on her face.

Silently, he raised his left hand in front of her, shielding her eyes from the harsh light. Her frown relaxed, but something in his heart tightened.

He suddenly wondered if she often fell asleep like this on Yue Xuran’s shoulder, and if Yue Xuran also raised his hand to block the light for her.

Yao Jia slept the entire bus ride, eventually being woken by Meng Xingzhe.

“We’re here. Wipe your drool and get off,” Meng Xingzhe said, feigning irritation.

Yao Jia absentmindedly wiped the corner of her mouth, realizing she’d been tricked. There was no drool.

Following Meng Xingzhe off the bus, she told him, “If you lie, you’ll turn into a donkey in your next life.”

She noticed Meng Xingzhe swinging his left arm and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you pull a muscle? From picking oranges?”

Meng Xingzhe suddenly stopped, turned around, and glared at her. In the neon-lit night of the city, his gaze was deep and penetrating.

He stared at Yao Jia without blinking, making her heart skip a beat for no apparent reason.

She thought he was about to say something profound, but he just glared and then turned to walk away.

Yao Jia shrugged, wondering what had triggered his mood this time.

Meng Xingzhe shook his arm, thinking he must be cursed. He shielded her from the light the whole way, yet received no thanks and couldn’t even borrow money. What was he doing it for?

His phone suddenly rang in his pocket. Surprised, he saw it was his father, Meng Yutang, who had been eager to cut ties with him for three months.

Answering the call, Meng Yutang’s voice came through, full of energy: “Son, an old business friend’s daughter has returned from abroad. She’s a true lady. When are you free next week? I’ll arrange a meeting for you!”

Meng Xingzhe replied irritably, “I’m not interested! I can’t even afford to take her out. Unless you give me some…”

Before he could finish the word “money,” the call was abruptly disconnected.

Meng Xingzhe was speechless.

His father always hung up whenever money was mentioned, as if the word “money” triggered his hang-up reflex.

Was he even his biological son?!

**

In the evening, while connecting with Bei Luonan to discuss company matters, Meng Xingzhe was distracted.

Bei Luonan talked about one thing, and Meng Xingzhe responded with another. Bei Luonan mentioned something up, and Meng Xingzhe talked about something down.

When Bei Luonan said, “You owe me two million,” Meng Xingzhe absentmindedly agreed.

Then, realizing what he’d said, he immediately snapped, “Get lost! Don’t think you can cheat any more money out of me!”

Bei Luonan asked, “What’s wrong with you today? You’re not a teenager anymore, so why are you acting like one with teenage troubles?”

Meng Xingzhe told him to get lost again.

He didn’t know how to describe his emotions.

He couldn’t help but pay attention to someone, even though he knew she didn’t meet any of his criteria for a partner. Besides, she wasn’t single.

Just that fact alone should have turned all his distractions into pointless worries.

So he thought there was no need to discuss this anomaly with Bei Luonan. He should just squash this strange feeling at the level of distraction.

He would never fall for someone like Yao Jia. It was impossible. He was looking for someone with an outstanding family background, elegance, gentleness, who wouldn’t meddle or argue with him.

None of these qualities matched that girl, and she had a boyfriend.

So there was no way he could fall for her!!

He was just lonely and isolated doing customer service here, seeing her every day. That’s why these strange feelings grew. Once he returned to his original life, back to his comfort zone as Manager Meng, he wouldn’t even remember who Yao Jia was.

Meng Xingzhe stared at the lamp he’d borrowed from Yao Jia, thinking for half the night, and felt he had figured it out.

Before bed, Yao Jia received a message from Yue Xuran.

He sent a few scattered sentences:

[I got home.]

[Very happy.]

[I enjoyed today’s event.]

[Fun and relaxing.]

[Sleep early.]

Yao Jia, holding her phone and struggling to keep her eyes open, replied with “Goodnight.”

After a while, just as she was about to fall asleep, another message from Yue Xuran arrived.

He replied: [Alright. Goodnight.]

******

The next day, after clocking in at work, Yao Jia was bumped from behind.

She turned to see it was Hao Lidan.

Hao Lidan realized she had bumped into someone and explained, “I didn’t see you there.” She seemed a bit off today, keeping her head down.

Yao Jia thought, of course, you’d bump into someone if you don’t look up while walking.

Seeing there were two minutes left before work started, Yao Jia decided to visit the restroom. She stepped aside to let Hao Lidan pass first. Unexpectedly, they moved in sync, as if they had some uncanny coordination.

She moved to the left, and Hao Lidan followed suit.

She moved to the right, and Hao Lidan mirrored her again.

Finally, they both stopped. Hao Lidan looked up, exasperated, and said, “Alright, alright, you go first!”

In that moment of looking up, Yao Jia noticed there was an injury on Hao Lidan’s face.

Yao Jia was momentarily stunned.

The corner of Hao Lidan’s left eye was bruised, and there was a cut on the same side of her mouth.

Realizing her facial injuries were exposed, Hao Lidan quickly raised her hand to cover half of her face and snapped, “What are you staring at? Never seen someone who tripped while getting up at night? Please, move aside!”

Yao Jia shrugged and stepped to the side.

Hao Lidan lowered her head again, hiding her face and injuries from view, and quickly walked to her workstation.

As soon as she sat down, Hou Wenwen leaned over to talk to her, probably asking about her face. But it seemed Hao Lidan brushed it off with the same excuse about tripping at night, leaving Hou Wenwen with a look of slight annoyance at not being told the truth by her friend.

Yao Jia knew that such injuries couldn’t simply be the result of a nighttime fall. Something else must have happened.

But it wasn’t her concern. That’s what Yao Jia told herself.

The morning shift went smoothly for Yao Jia. She handled various situations with ease, and even when unexpected issues arose, she could calmly explain technical principles while devising solutions.

Sometimes, she encountered particularly demanding and skeptical customers who said, “Kunyu Electric claims this product is the best-selling in the home appliance industry. So, tell me, how many have you sold? Do you have proof, or are you just boasting?”

At such times, Yao Jia found that all her learning about appliances, industry knowledge, and news updates were not in vain; they were immediately useful.

She explained to the customer in detail that last year, Kunyu Electric’s sales of this product were 1.5 times that of the second-best-selling company in the industry. This data could be verified on the industry information network. The reason Kunyu Electric’s product stood out among similar products from other companies was its unique technology, independently developed by Kunyu, which made it more convenient, safer, and more efficient compared to others on the market.

By the end of her explanation, the demanding customer softened and said to Yao Jia, “You explained it well. I enjoyed listening. You’re different from other customer service reps; some only give empty platitudes, which sound insincere no matter how polite they are. You’re great, and I’m very satisfied with your response. I’ll continue to support Kunyu Electric’s products!”

Hanging up the phone, Yao Jia felt an immense sense of joy, a satisfaction that seeped into her very bones.

When break time came, neither Yao Jia nor Meng Xingzhe felt like moving, so they stayed at their workstations, chatting idly.

Meng Xingzhe had overheard Yao Jia’s phone conversation. He turned to glance at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes, and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Not bad. Now you can handle customers on your own without needing my help.”

Though his words carried a teasing tone, beneath it, Yao Jia could sense that Meng Xingzhe was actually expressing approval.

She smiled broadly, showing four teeth on both the top and bottom, and said to Meng Xingzhe, “Watch out, you old wave, or I’ll leave you stranded on the beach!”

Meng Xingzhe’s face darkened instantly. “Who are you calling old?” he retorted, pausing before adding, “Your boyfriend is the same age as me, a month older, in fact. If I’m old, he’s ancient, ancient plus!”

It took Yao Jia a moment to realize he was talking about Yue Xuran.

She was amazed that he thought of Yue Xuran more often than she, his supposed fake girlfriend, did. Even more astonishing was how he knew Yue Xuran’s birthday. Could it be that he found it hard to find a rich beauty and decided to try his luck with a handsome, wealthy man instead? And shamelessly attempting to steal a colleague’s boyfriend, no less. Unbelievable!

After completing this mental deduction, Yao Jia solemnly declared to Meng Xingzhe, “Yue Xuran is straight. Please, leave him alone.”

Meng Xingzhe’s expression shifted so rapidly it could have filled an entire meme collection.

From a trio of question marks, to a “You must be crazy,” to a “Say that again if you dare,” and finally to a resigned acceptance—fine, she’s just a clueless kid.

“Spare me your nonsense. When it comes to proving who’s straight, I’ve never lost!” Meng Xingzhe said, raising his chin.

“…”

Yao Jia thought, a show-off is a show-off; even with the title of being straight, he has to outdo others to feel satisfied.

Just as their break was about to end and they were about to return to work, there was a commotion in the call center.

Customer Service Supervisor Cao Chun suddenly entered from the door, her face darkened. She walked to the aisle next to Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe’s workstations, leaned over Meng Xingzhe’s desk, and knocked on Yao Jia’s table.

Yao Jia was about to put on her headset to start work, but when Cao Chun called her, she set it down and turned to see Cao Chun’s grim expression.

“Did you get into another argument with a customer over the phone?” she asked sternly. “Yao Jia, what’s going on with you? Have you forgotten the lesson you learned last time? A customer, upset about being argued with by a Customer Service Representative, has complained directly to upper management. Now the leadership is demanding an explanation from our Customer Service Department! Manager Li is away on a business trip, and they’ve specifically named me to take the blame! So, tell me, how do you plan to handle this?”

Yao Jia was left dizzy by Cao Chun’s barrage of accusations without any regard for the facts.

She defended herself, “I didn’t argue with any customer!”

Cao Chun snapped, “Still denying it? You’re the only one in the call center who’s ever argued with a customer!”

Yao Jia almost laughed out of frustration. Just this morning, she was praised by a particularly demanding customer for her thorough assistance. It couldn’t be that this customer was two-faced, praising her one moment and then turning around to make a baseless complaint about her arguing with them, could it?

That seemed impossible; there must be some misunderstanding.

Just as she was about to explain, Meng Xingzhe, who had taken off his headset, spoke up. “Supervisor Cao, Yao Jia handled all her calls this morning appropriately. She didn’t lose her temper or insult anyone. Even if you’re upset about being reprimanded by upper management over this issue, you shouldn’t take it out on the frontline staff without investigating first. You should review the call recordings from this morning to see who was actually arguing with a customer.”

Cao Chun’s face turned various shades of red and white. Meng Xingzhe was absolutely right. With Li Wangli not around, she had been the one called in to face the criticism. The leader had scolded her just like Li Wangli would scold a subordinate Customer Service Representative, with harsh words and no kindness, even saying, “Can you do your job or not? If not, step aside and go home. There are plenty of people willing to take your place!”

Having been caught in such a frustrating situation, she was too impatient to listen to the call recordings and rushed over to reprimand Yao Jia instead.

Everyone in the call center was obedient and compliant, except for the troublemaker Yao Jia. Among everyone, she was the only one who had ever argued with a customer. If it wasn’t her, who else could it be?

She thought she couldn’t possibly have accused the wrong person.

But who would have expected that before Yao Jia could say anything, Meng Xingzhe would jump in to defend her? And he did it so bluntly, embarrassing her in the process.

Cao Chun glared fiercely at Meng Xingzhe.

She recalled the last time Qin Zhenxin brought the media to thank a lifesaver, it was also him who pushed Yao Jia into the meeting room, leaving Li Wangli in an awkward position.

He really did protect Yao Jia, even at the risk of offending the leadership and losing his job.

Just then, Lin Qian arrived and asked what was going on.

Cao Chun, already angry, even found Lin Qian annoying.

“All thanks to the good students you’ve trained!”

She turned back, pointing at Yao Jia, and said, “I’m going to listen to the recordings right now. If it turns out you were the one arguing with the customer, you, Yao Jia, and you, Meng Xingzhe, as an accomplice, should both be prepared for punishment!”

After delivering her ultimatum, Cao Chun stormed off.

Yao Jia exchanged a glance with Meng Xingzhe.

“What did I do to deserve this???” Yao Jia was still a bit bewildered.

Meng Xingzhe smirked, full of sarcasm. “How does someone like that become a supervisor of the Customer Service Department and an assistant to the Manager? Must be some kind of nepotism, right?”

Lin Qian immediately tapped his desk, his voice a bit stern. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Meng Xingzhe exuded an air of fearlessness. “Judging by your reaction, Team Leader, I must be right. Kunyu, oh Kunyu, if nepotism isn’t rooted out, the future looks bleak.”

Lin Qian’s voice and tone grew even more severe. “Meng Xingzhe, do you want to keep your job or not? If you do, you should restrain yourself.”

******

The truth soon came to light. This time, Cao Chun had indeed accused the wrong person. But she didn’t come to apologize to Yao Jia. It was as if a superior wrongly accusing a subordinate was an unavoidable part of workplace life, something subordinates just had to get used to without seeking redress, unless they didn’t want to work anymore.

And the person who actually argued with the customer turned out to be a surprise to everyone. It was the excellent veteran employee, Hao Lidan. She was called into Cao Chun’s office and didn’t come out for quite a while, and when she did, she kept her head down.

“According to Hou Wenwen, Hao Lidan had some family issues and lost control of her emotions while on the phone, leading to the argument with the customer. I heard she received a disciplinary action, and her performance evaluation score for this month will likely be low, with a significant deduction in her salary,” Tian Huasheng said to Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe during dinner.

Yao Jia remembered that Hao Lidan had mentioned having family issues and had taken leave from the fruit-picking trip yesterday.

She thought that Hao Lidan, who usually appeared so strong and competitive, must have encountered something truly difficult to lose control like that.

Tian Huasheng said, “Aren’t I sitting pretty close to Tong Yumo and Hao Lidan’s workstations? Just before we got off work last night, I overheard Hao Lidan telling Tong Yumo that her water pipes burst at home, flooding everything. The bed and sofa were soaked, making it impossible to stay there. She said she slipped on the wet floor last night and that’s how she injured her face. She asked Tong Yumo if she could crash at her dorm tonight.”

He paused for dramatic effect. “Guess what Tong Yumo said.”

Meng Xingzhe, with his usual “not my business” attitude, bluntly replied, “She can say whatever she wants. It’s none of my business.”

Yao Jia glanced towards Tong Yumo’s room. It seemed she hadn’t come back tonight.

Retracting her gaze, she said to Tian Huasheng, “Did she tell Hao Lidan that she wouldn’t be returning to the dorm tonight, so she couldn’t let her stay?” Then she reconsidered, “Wait, if she’s not coming back, Hao Lidan could just stay in her room and wouldn’t have to share a bed.” She realized her guess was off.

Tian Huasheng chuckled, as if revealing a secret unique to girls, and shyly announced in a playful tone, “Tong Yumo told Hao Lidan that she got her period and messed up the whole bed last night, so it was uninhabitable. She planned to stay at home tonight.” He gestured towards Tong Yumo’s room. “See? She didn’t come back tonight; she went home.”

Yao Jia was speechless. Just the other day, when they were helping Chen Luoxi find her child, Tong Yumo claimed it was her third period this month. Now, only a few days later, she’s on her fourth? And it messed up the whole bed? How much blood could that be? Her blood must be flowing out as freely as her honesty.

It’s ironic how Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen often stood up for her, yet when it mattered, their friendship was as flimsy as plastic.

After dinner, Meng Xingzhe washed the dishes to repay his debt through labor. Tian Huasheng pulled out a yoga mat and began contorting himself on it. Yao Jia intended to read or play on her phone in her room, but seeing the overflowing trash can in the living room, she decided to clean up and take out the trash from the room, kitchen, and bathroom.

Before heading out to dispose of the trash, Yao Jia said to Meng Xingzhe, “Hey, your work today can’t count as fifty bucks. It’s only thirty-five because I’m taking out the trash. I’m deducting fifteen.”

Meng Xingzhe, hands deep in soapy water, battling dishes, almost snapped a bowl in half upon hearing her bargain.

“Leave the trash there! Do you think you’re better looking and the trash prefers you? Leave it. No one asked you to take it out,” he shouted towards the door.

He never imagined he’d bend over backward just to save fifteen bucks.

But Yao Jia ignored him, not giving him a chance to compete over who the trash preferred.

Yao Jia took out the trash, leaving Meng Xingzhe fuming over the fifteen bucks.

On her way back, Yao Jia unexpectedly encountered Hao Lidan in the stairwell.

Hao Lidan was standing at the opposite door. When she turned and saw Yao Jia, she quickly looked away without greeting her.

Yao Jia shrugged and entered her own dorm.

Passing through the living room, she said to Tian Huasheng, who was bent over on the yoga mat, “Looks like Hao Lidan moved into the dorm across the hall.”

Tian Huasheng, hugging his legs, said, “Then it seems her house really is flooded. It’s unlivable.”

Meng Xingzhe, finishing the dishes, casually remarked, “Who knows if it’s really a flood or if the grape arbor has fallen.”

Tian Huasheng didn’t get the reference.

He asked Meng Xingzhe, “Bro, what do you mean? Is Hao Lidan growing grapes at home? But wait, I thought she lived in an apartment!”

Yao Jia turned to Meng Xingzhe, exchanging a glance.

She raised an eyebrow. “Is it what I think it means?” referring to the fallen grape arbor.

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow too. “Probably.”

Tian Huasheng stood up on the yoga mat, stamping his feet in frustration. “Jia, Bro, could you share your mind-meld with me?”

Yao Jia turned to him and explained, “The fallen grape arbor is a story from ancient times. A minor official had scratches on his face from his wife. When his boss asked about it, he claimed the grape arbor at home fell and scratched him. It’s a metaphor for a domineering wife who hits her husband. Brother Meng here flipped the story.”

She paused, then turned back to Meng Xingzhe. “So, are you saying Hao Lidan might be a victim of domestic violence?” She paused again. “But wait, doesn’t the company not hire married women? She should be single, right? Could it be her boyfriend?”

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying, and headed back to his room.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Yao Jia got up to check and found Lu Fangfei and Hao Lidan standing outside. Both looked troubled. Lu Fangfei’s face was full of anxiety, while Hao Lidan’s tear-streaked face showed she had been crying, her sobs still causing her to shudder. It seemed she had just had an emotional breakdown.

Lu Fangfei said to Yao Jia, “Yao Jia, could you please help me look after Hao Lidan for a bit? She wanted to stay over for a night, so I let her come. I’m currently working overtime on a recruitment plan for another department, which the boss needs by tomorrow. But as soon as she arrived, she started crying uncontrollably in my place. I’m anxious to finish my work but can’t just ignore her. I’m about to break down myself! Sister Luo Xi is also working overtime and taking care of Shanshan, so she can’t help either. We’re really at our wits’ end and can only ask you to watch her for a while. Once I finish my work, I’ll come to pick her up and take her back to sleep.”

As Lu Fangfei spoke, she pushed Hao Lidan through the door and hurriedly returned to the apartment across the hall.

Yao Jia looked at Hao Lidan, who was slumped by the door, leaning against the wall and sobbing quietly. She sighed and shook her head.

Usually, when she was being fierce and targeting her, she was so full of herself. Now, with tears streaming down her face, she looked like a paper tiger whose facade had been torn apart.

She said to Hao Lidan, “Why don’t you stop standing at the door? Come sit on the sofa in the living room.”

Hao Lidan straightened up from the wall and walked into the living room.

The short distance seemed to take a toll on her, as she staggered with each step. When she reached the sofa, it was less of a sit and more of a collapse into it.

Tian Huasheng stepped off the yoga mat and walked over to Yao Jia. With a soothing, childlike voice, she asked Hao Lidan, “Sister Hao, what’s wrong?”

— Translator’s Notes —

– fallen grape arbor: From a classical Chinese anecdote (often attributed to the Tang dynasty), where an official excuses facial scratches from his wife’s beating by claiming a grape trellis collapsed on him. It euphemistically refers to domestic violence by a shrewish wife; here, adapted to suggest violence against the wife.