To You Whom I HATE The Most Chapter 7

Seventh Letter

"How's the revision coming along?"

Cen Wei lifted the back of her hand to wipe the corner of her mouth, then responded, "It's almost done. I'll bring the draft to you in a bit."

Jing Shenyan nodded. "Alright, we'll go again on Wednesday."

"Okay."

Jing Shenyan put the soy milk back in the bag and stood up straight, facing the elevator doors.

Since he didn't bring it up, Cen Wei naturally assumed he wasn't going to say anything about it.

After a brief silence, the elevator doors opened, and Jing Shenyan stepped out first.

Looking at it this way, his attitude toward her seemed even more distant than before.

Cen Wei felt a heaviness in her heart, a feeling she couldn't quite put into words.

After graduating from university, she moved to Rongcheng and took her first job as an assistant designer at an advertising company. At that time, Jing Shenyan was her colleague.

It was common for seniors to exploit their juniors in the workplace, and the one who was leading them, especially, was no kind person. They often made the newcomers do the hard work, but the credit never went to them.

When Cen Wei first entered the workforce, she took it as a necessary part of her growth, working diligently and without complaint for a year.

When Jing Shenyan approached her and asked if she would be willing to join him in starting a business, Cen Wei hesitated for only a moment. After confirming the conditions and assurances, she agreed.

He was a reliable and steady person, something that had been proven by their close interactions over the years.

At that time, four designers had followed Jing Shenyan, but now, only Cen Wei remained at Jingming.

To her, Jing Shenyan was more than just a boss or colleague. He was a friend, one of the few people she knew well in the city.

Cen Wei had never thought that he might like her. It wasn't that she was slow to catch on. Rather, he had hidden it so well.

Aside from the incident in the car that day, Jing Shenyan had never shown any affection toward her.

Over the five years they spent together almost every day, Cen Wei and he had never even shared a meal alone.

At the end of last year, she was ready to go on a business trip with him, but in the end, he chose to take another male colleague instead.

Knowing that she had a boyfriend, he kept his distance and never used his position to take advantage.

He always gave her what she was due, and he kept anything inappropriate well hidden.

Before that day, this distant but not unfriendly relationship was the most comfortable for Cen Wei.

But not anymore.

When Jing Shenyan said those words, it was clear that he had already anticipated that things between them could never work out.

Cen Wei stepped out of the elevator and took a deep breath to steady her emotions.

She hadn't yet mentioned her resignation to her colleagues, nor had she started writing her letter of resignation.

She didn't know if it was procrastination or hesitation, but she couldn't really make up her mind.

In the afternoon, the office was buzzing with plans to order milk tea. Some wanted the signature roasted milk from XX brand, while others preferred soy milk from another shop.

Li Yuetian stretched her neck from across the room and asked for Cen Wei’s opinion.

Cen Wei was actually craving that mint dark chocolate drink from the other day, but she only said, "I'm fine with whatever, it's up to you."

Li Yuetian sighed in disappointment and sat back down. "I knew I wouldn’t get anything out of you."

Cen Wei smiled lightly.

Looking down, she saw a new message pop up on her phone.

It was from Zhou Ran, asking what time she would be home after work.

They added each other on WeChat yesterday, but Zhou Ran's Moments was almost as dull as he was in person.

Zhou Ran's WeChat name was "Z," and his profile picture was of a wooden house floating in mid-air, with a gray, overcast sky in the background.

Cen Wei found it familiar. After thinking for a moment, realized it was the poster from the movie called The Cabin in the Woods.

He was not afraid of bad luck using a horror movie poster as his profile picture.

Zhou Ran didn’t have anything posted on his Moments. Cen Wei had checked several times.

Cen Wei thought for a moment and then typed a reply: "Around five or six."

Zhou Ran: "Alright, I have a delivery coming to my place. Could you please sign for it?"

Cen Wei responded with an "OK" emoji.

Their studio was quite relaxed. There was no mandatory clocking in or out, and if they didn’t feel like coming to the office, they could work from home. The only requirement from Jing Shenyan was to turn in their work on time, and as long as everyone showed up for meetings, that was enough.

Seeing there was nothing else to do, Cen Wei packed up her things and prepared to leave for the day.

After drinking milk tea this afternoon, she didn't have much of an appetite now. But worried that she might be hungry later in the evening, Cen Wei went to a bakery on her way home and bought a bag of chocolate toast

She had always been the type to save on meals when possible, making do with whatever she could.

Just before 6:30, someone rang the doorbell.

Cen Wei peered through the peephole. Confirming it was the delivery, she turned the door handle.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou from 1206, right?"

"Yes." Cen Wei pointed to the large package on the floor and asked, "What's this?"

The delivery guy glanced at her. "Don't you know what your family ordered?"

That question left Cen Wei momentarily speechless. She gave a nervous laugh and explained, "He has a habit of buying random things."

The delivery guy asked, "Is he not home?"

"No, he’s still at work."

The delivery guy handed her the receipt. "Could you sign here, then? Please sign your husband’s name."

The way he said "husband" felt oddly off to Cen Wei. She hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly scribbled "Zhou Ran" on the delivery slip.

"Do you want me to help you bring it inside?" The delivery guy figured she wouldn’t be able to move the heavy package on her own.

Cen Wei quickly nodded, stepping aside to give him space. "Thank you so much."

The delivery guy lifted the package with effort, letting out a grunt. Cen Wei caught a glimpse of the label on the box. It was a treadmill.

"Where should I put it?"

"Put it in the living room for now." Cen Wei pointed to a spot.

The delivery box hit the floor with a muffled thud, and the delivery guy straightened up, clapping his hands. "If you have any issues, just contact us."

"Alright, thanks."

After seeing the delivery guy off, Cen Wei stood in front of the large box blocking the space between the living room and dining room. She scratched her head, unsure of what to do.

By the time Zhou Ran got home, it was already dark. Cen Wei had just finished showering and was sitting on the couch, drying her hair.

"Thanks."

The hairdryer hummed loudly, and Cen Wei didn’t hear him clearly. "Hmm?"

"I said, thank you." Zhou Ran grabbed a small knife and squatted down to open the package.

"It’s fine." Cen Wei placed the hairdryer on the coffee table and stood up to help him. "Where do you plan to put this?"

Zhou Ran looked around, then raised his head. "Over there."

He was pointing to the open space near the balcony, but that area was technically designated for Cen Wei.

Cen Wei responded with an "Oh."

Zhou Ran explained, "I ordered this a couple of days ago, and at the time, I didn’t know you’d be here."

Cen Wei furrowed her brow. Something about the way he said it sounded odd.

"It’s fine. The living room is spacious, so it doesn’t matter," she said understandingly.

Zhou Ran paused and glanced at her.

He realized that even though they were both squatting, he couldn’t look Cen Wei in the eye. If she lowered her head even slightly, he couldn’t see her expression anymore.

He was always awkward and couldn’t figure out what was going on in her mind.

Seeing Zhou Ran stop moving, Cen Wei turned her face toward him. "What’s wrong?"

Zhou Ran looked away. "Nothing."

He gathered the torn tape into a ball and said, "I won’t be using it before you leave. I’ll be going to the gym downstairs these next few days."

"It’s fine. You can use it. It’s good to exercise more."

Zhou Ran seemed to let out a soft chuckle, although it was so faint that Cen Wei wasn’t sure.

She stood up and returned to the couch, sitting cross-legged.

——He read Step 1 three times.

Around 2 AM, a disturbance broke out on the street outside, as if someone was arguing.

Cen Wei stirred groggily, turned over, and covered her head with the blanket.

After drifting back to sleep, she had a dream.

The alarm clock’s ringing was like a death knell, always startling and nerve-wracking.

Gu Kefang stood at the door to Cen Wei and Cen Yuetong’s room, shouting loudly, "Get up, you two!"

The smell of breakfast would drift from the kitchen. The sisters, one lazier than the other, would lie in bed until Gu Kefang lost patience and came to pull the covers off them.

"Five more minutes," Cen Wei mumbled with her eyes closed.

Cen Wei irritably kicked off the blanket. "So what if I'm late? I’m not going to school!"

"Zhou Ran?"

"Your alarm has been going off," he said, holding her phone in his hand.

"Oh, sorry." Cen Wei’s mind was still half-asleep, and her head felt heavy.

Zhou Ran cleared his throat, unsure whether to leave or stay. Zhou Ran coughed, feeling awkward about standing there under her gaze. He asked, "Um, do you want breakfast?"

"Huh?"

"I made breakfast. Do you want some?"

"Sure."

"Then, why don't you go brush your teeth and wash your face first?"

"Oh." Cen Wei responded slowly, gradually coming to her senses. "Oh, okay."

She threw off the covers, got up, put on her slippers, and quickly ran into the bathroom.

Cen Wei had brought some of her clothes downstairs yesterday, and while getting ready, she changed into her work attire.

"Aren’t you going to work today?" Cen Wei asked.

"I am."

"So you woke up late today?"

"No, I didn’t go to the gym this morning."

"Oh." Cen Wei nodded, unsure whether to call him disciplined or self-torturing. Who goes to the gym before work?

Great. None of it was anything Cen Wei liked to eat.

She pulled out a chair and sat at the dining table. Zhou Ran asked, "How many eggs do you want?"

"Boiled?"

"Mm." Zhou Ran slid a small bowl over to her, with three boiled eggs inside.

"No thanks." Cen Wei shook her head. "I don’t like boiled eggs."

She heard Zhou Ran mumble under his breath, "Why doesn't anyone like them?"

Cen Wei took a small bite of the toast, her curiosity piqued. She instinctively asked, "Who else doesn’t like them?"

Zhou Ran paused for a moment as he peeled the egg, then answered, "My sister."

"You have a sister?"

"She’s from my uncle’s side. She doesn’t like eggs. She always says boiled eggs have... " He intentionally trailed off, avoiding a crude expression, "a strange smell."

"Strange smell? It’s not that bad."

Zhou Ran seemed to recall something, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly before quickly flattening again.

But Cen Wei still caught the fleeting smile on his face and asked, "What are you laughing about?"

"Oh, it’s just, when I was younger, I once forgot to wipe the eggs before boiling them. You know, the eggs we brought back from the countryside, they’re more... organic. When I opened the pot lid, the smell came out, and my sister nearly threw up." Zhou Ran placed the peeled eggs into the small bowl, mashed them with a fork, and spread the mixture on the toast. "Ever since then, she’s hated eating eggs."

"So the strange smell is...?" Cen Wei chuckled in disbelief. "I just think boiled eggs are tasteless and hard to swallow."

"Should I get you some oil and vinegar dressing?" Zhou Ran pretended to get up. "Or would you prefer to eat more eggs?"

"No need." Cen Wei stopped him with a gentle smile. "I don't like it when people force me to eat things I dislike."

She added, "I'm not really one to take advice."

"Oh." Zhou Ran nodded and sat back down, continuing with his breakfast.

Perhaps because the conversation had been so casual, he forgot that they weren't that close.

He decided not to comment anymore.

"I'm full, thank you for the breakfast." Cen Wei got up from her seat.

"Hey," Zhou Ran called after her.

"Hm?" Cen Wei slung her bag over her shoulder and let her hair fall free from where it had been flattened.

"You forgot something." Zhou Ran tilted his chin slightly.

Cen Wei followed his gaze and saw that she had forgotten her lipstick.

"Ah, thank you."

Cen Wei turned back from the door and reached out to grab it.

When she reached the door again, Cen Wei turned back and, somewhat awkwardly, said, "I'm heading out now."

Zhou Ran, equally unaccustomed to these formalities, replied, "Okay, goodbye."

Only then did he feel some relief.