Assistant Architect

Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

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The high-speed railway station ofC-City is a fairly cool mid-point station. Although it is less than sixo’clock, the train they missed is the last train that stops at this platform.This means that they have to stay overnight near here to wait until the nextday to get back to Haicheng.

Things like missing a high-speedrail seem small, but if a boss really wanted to be picky, one can be accusedfor not having a sense of time. The time delay and economic loss caused by thechange are linked to the company’s benefits. After all, Zhang Siyi is not animportant person in the company. He is just a newcomer who has been employedfor less than a year. The tolerance for this kind of mistake will not be toohigh.

Zhang Siyi grabbed the phone andwas so nervous that he did not know the right words to say. This is the firstexperience Gu Yu gave him. Will his unreliable performance make Gu Yu thinkless of him? After a few moments, he heard Gu Yu’s calming voice: “Isthere a hotel nearby?”

Feeling anxious Zhang Siyistarted to panic: “I don’t know. This station is quite remote. We rushedin after we got here and I didn’t look around. I will go see it now.”

Gu Yu: “Well, if there is ahotel nearby, stay there with Lu Qiao for one night. I will help you reserve thetickets for tomorrow’s trip back home. If there is no hotel, ask someone ifthere is a car returning to the city. It’s early enough that there should becars available. If not, don’t panic. I will arrange a car to pick you up.”

Listening to the calming voice ofGu Yu analysis of the situation, Zhang Siyi gradually felt relieved. Eventhough the other party’s existence was just a phone call, a voice, Zhang Siyifelt greatly reassured that everything will be ok.

Even though a situation like thisisn’t really a big deal, Zhang Siyi and Lu Qiao are stunned by the guilt ofmissing the train. Any clear-headed person would have picked themselves up andlooked for an alternative answer to their problem.

They quickly left the station tolook around and sure enough, there is a guest house nearby. It looks relativelysimple with a normal price. There is a vacancy, but Zhang Siyi is a littleunhappy with the environment in the guest house. Nevertheless, he can’t bepicky in this situation. Lu Qiao is very happy to have a place to sleep. Beingboys, they aren’t too worried about security.

The two booked a standard room.After checking in, Zhang Siyi sent a message to Gu Yu, saying: “I found aroom in a nearby guest house.”

Gu Yu: “Take a photo.”

Zhang Siyi: "……" A picture?(=////=)

Zhang Siyi glanced at Lu Qiao whohad just taken off his shoes and climbed onto the bed. He walked over and satside beside him.

“What are you doing?“Lu Qiao saw Zhang Siyi raise his mobile phone. With his arm around LuQiao, grinning, and with a “V” gesture he took a photo and sent itfirst to the Borderless Forbidden City group and then sent the photo to Gu Yu.

Moments later, the phone waspinging with messages. Friends in the group reacted faster.

LeLe: “Wow! Sisters selfie,so loving!"

Auntie Four： "……"

XuanXuan: “Where are you?”

QiaoMei: “On a business trip in C-City. We missed the last train back so Ihave to spend one night with Four.”

Piggy:“Four you went to open a room with Qiao Mei! You betrayed me! You don’tlove me anymore!”

AuntieFour: “Wait, What? When were we together?”

LuQiao was laughing on the bed: “Ha-ha-ha! Rest assured, Auntie Four I willbe responsible for you!”

ZhangSiyi laughed and said: “fuck off!"

ZhangSi Yi saw 2 unread messages in the upper left corner of the Phone. He thoughtGu Yu also replied so he quit the chat and checked the messages.

GuYu: “…”

GuYu: “I am talking about the hotel photo.”

ZhangSiyi: “…”

GuYu: “Smiling so stupidly. I told you not to take selfies.”

GuYu: “It seems you are very happy and not at all regretful for missing thehigh-speed train.” [Smiles]

ZhangSiyi: “………”

ZhangSiyi gulped and held back for two seconds but eventually he couldn’t hold backanymore and sent a kneeling cry emoji expression: “We already know that wewere wrong……"

GuYu: “Ok. Report what happened today from start to finish."

ZhangSiyi began to elaborate and told him what happened with the taxi causing achain reaction to miss the high-speed train. He was really angry. If it wasn’tfor driver and bad luck, they wouldn’t have missed the train!

Afterlistening to him, Gu Yu told him: “This is a small matter, but it is agood lesson not to make plans in an idealized way. Next time, what if youreturned to Haicheng and was expected to give a report or have a meeting? Ifyou miss the plane, Party-A will not care. On the contrary, they will thinkthat an architect without good time management skills isn’t trustworthy.

ZhangSiyi listened and did not dare to refute it. However, there were somegrievances in his heart. This time, he and Lu Qiao came together. Why did Gu Yuonly lecture himself?

Heremembered is the past, he had complained in his circle of friends and hiscolleagues that Gu Yu was always lecturing him all the time. He felt that hewas not free. His colleagues advised him that Gu Yu's attention only indicatedthat he still needs to grow. If the work is done well, Gu Yu won’t be too muchtrouble for him.

ZhangSiyi looked across at Lu Qiao and saw him holding his mobile phone laughing. Hedidn’t know what he was looking at… Lu Qiao's work is better than his? Gu Yuhas nothing to comment about?

Lookingdown at the conversation interface with Gu Yu, Zhang Siyi comforts himself. Heregards this as Gu Yu’s special care and replies: “I will remember.”

Afew seconds later, Gu Yu once again sent a “small fox touches hishead” expression, and Zhang Siyi was stunned. The little bit of feelingthat had just been twitching in his heart seemed to be completely dispelled bythis expression.

GuYu said again: “Remember to have dinner, go to bed early, see youtomorrow.”

ZhangSiyi: “…well, see you tomorrow.”

ZhangSiyi did not know how big of a silly smile was on his face at the moment.

Thenext day, Zhang Siyi and Lu Qiao returned to Haicheng with the earliesthigh-speed train. When they arrived at the company, it was almost noon.

ZhangSiyi returned to his desk and put down his backpack and camera. Bi Lele smirkedat him and also Zhu Hongzhen also turn aside and laughed. Zhang Siyi wondered:“What?”

BiLele: “Hey, you will know when you see it!”

ZhangSiyi was tired by a day and night business trip. The brain was a bit sluggish.He turned-on his computer and opened the company’s website. This is a faintreminder. Wouldn’t it be his own photo?

Thehunch is correct. After the webpage is displayed smoothly, at the top of thepage, Zhang Siyi sees his stupid photo taken during the annual meeting and thebeautiful photo of Gu Yu.

“Damnit!” Zhang Siyi cried: “Why is my photo at the top!”

BiLele laughed and said: “Ha-ha-ha, have you forgotten that the final winnerof the photo contest is determined by online voting? The votes of the twophotos of you and Gu Yu are the highest in the funny group and the seriousgroup, so they appear at the top!”

ZhangSiyi grabbed the mouse: “Isn’t the voting time starting after the newyear? How can you vote when I am on a business trip!”

BiLele shrugged: “After the annual meeting. Anyway, it won’t matter when youvote. The result will definitely be the same.”

ZhangSiyi said at the table: “Not if I can help it! If I’m here I can at leastprevent you from voting for me!”

BiLele, Zhu Hongzhen, Yuan Zhicheng and other people around heard him and turnedtheir heads with a scornful expression.

ZhangSiyi: “…” Is he too confident in his own appeal?

Afteranother glance at the total votes tallied thus far, Zhang Siyi discovered thatthey were far more than the following series of photos. It was simply“leading ahead.”

Justas Zhang Siyi was in the midst of the chaos, a familiar voice came suddenly behindhim: “Oh, it seems that we can win the first prize in the photographycompetition together.”

ZhangSiyi got goosebumps and his hair all over stood on end.

Atthe annual meeting he did not dare say anything to his boss, but now he can’thelp it. Angry he raised his voice: “Boss! How can you steal mypicture!”

Lookingat the screen, Gu Yu raised his eyebrows in question and responded with anindifferent tone: “Oh? Did you not also steal my picture?”

Suddenly,everyone around quieted down. A few people turned to look at Zhang Siyi with anexpression as if to say: Ah-Ha! It was you who also stole Gu Yu picture! Itturns out that more than girls are obsessed with Gu Yu appearance.

ZhangSiyi’s cheeks were hot, and he opened his mouth and wanted to argue something,but his mind was blank and had nothing to say. Indeed, at that time Gu Yudidn’t notice that he took his photo.

GuYu looked at Zhang Siyi’s flushed face, shy and embarrassed. His gentle eyeslooked more intently and his smile widened. An irresistible charmed flowed fromhim.

Lookingat the real person compared to the picture is more radiant that it makes onewant to surrender their soul. Suddenly, Gu Yu laughed out, gently at first, butthen it grew louder, overflowing, from the nasal cavity.

Heimmediately raised his hand to cover his face and smiled. He stretched outanother hand and stroked Zhang Siyi’s head as if to pet him: “Oh, don’tmind the photo, work hard.”

Watchingthe excitement from the sidelines, the group did not expect Gu Yu to reach outand do such a thing to Zhang Siyi. They all froze, flabbergasted. A few girlshad covered their mouths, muffled their voices … Electrified, the air full ofsweet current pumped out pink bubbles that went into everyone’s heart.

Stunned, Zhang Siyi mind is blank for a moment. His face is getting red, then dark red, then purple, and then poof, spontaneous combustion. His hair was completely blasted up. That kind of touched-head expression from WeChat isn’t a problem, but in reality……..(o////o) ………

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