The Sixth Song – 《Walking Towards Me》

After finishing lunch, Lu Chengze mentioned wanting to send me off. Seeing how it was getting late, I told him to go back first.

Lu Chengze didn’t insist.

He was quite… gentlemanly——Erm, well I couldn’t really use that word, because in my opinion, being gentlemanly was more or less deliberate. It seemed more appropriate to use the word comfortable to describe him because of his sense of propriety and boundaries.

After returning to my workplace, I went to the pantry¹[1] The pantry may also be referred to as the breakroom, restroom, lunchroom, canteen, mess, lounge, staff room, etc. to pour myself a glass of water. As soon as I returned to my seat, someone stood up. It was the copywriter of our team.

Upon seeing me, her eyes turned sharp: “Qi Miao! Tell us honestly! Why didn’t you eat with us at noon?”
Another AE agreed: “Exactly!”
I placed my cup down and gave them the answer they wanted to hear most: “I hung out with a wild man.”
“D*mn——”

After chatting randomly for a while and talking a little bit about the issues of the details in the announcement poster, my seat finally cleared.

I pulled my chair out and sat down. I opened up my WeChat and saw the message Lu Chengze had sent me five minutes ago.

Lu: Have you reached your workplace?
I replied: I’ve arrived, how about you?

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I warned him: It would be best not to blindly follow my Moments, most of it is just for show, the deck of an iceberg.
Lu Chengze replied: What does that mean?
I honestly answered him: It’s all an act. You know, glamour and style are also part of professionalism in the eyes of clients. You have to look healthy – physically, mentally, and aesthetically – before they can feel at ease working with you. In truth, I rarely read books after work. When I return home at night, I just want to lie down. I flip between Taobao, Douban, and Weibo³[3] Weibo is short for Sina Weibo. Sina Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website. It is one of the biggest social media platforms in China. until I receive a work cue or feel sleepy…

I was stunned, suddenly realizing we were still strangers the day before yesterday and that I just spilled too much bitterness in front of this handsome guy who I had a very favorable impression of.

I cut my losses: Of course, I will come back to life the next day.

Lu Chengze repeated my daily pastimes: Taobao, Weibo, and Douban.
I frowned: Is there a problem?
He said: There is one.
Me: Say it.
His tone was serious: Consider adding WeChat?

I snorted a laugh in my heart and continued typing: I am on WeChat from morning to night.
I then added an explanation: The company version.

Lu Chengze seemed to have realized something: I didn’t take that into consideration and didn’t think of this. Our company uses DingTalk.

I wasn’t sure if it was because of his distinct figure but he seemed to be very memorable. After our meeting in the afternoon, the words he sent over would stand up and transform into his appearance and bearing, changing from the constructed figure in my mind to a live reel.

For example, in this sentence, I seemed to be able to see him drawing his lips into a line, feigning seriousness and being pretentious. But his lips were still curved, overflowing with his smile.

After being lost in thought for a few seconds, I was interrupted by an image he sent over. It was his NetEase Cloud⁴[4] NetEase Cloud Music is a freemium music streaming service developed and owned by NetEase, Inc. user interface. He said: If you don’t like WeChat, we can also talk here.

I burst into an unrestrained smile in front of the monitor and typed on the keyboard with both hands: Let’s stick with WeChat.
Him: Ok.
I continued to type: WeChat, Taobao, Weibo, Douban, is this order ok?
The reaction he gave was very reminiscent of a top student schoolboy with a humble appearance but with devious thoughts: When I was asking, I didn’t think of taking first place.

I said: Hey, it’s got conditions, an equal exchange.
He immediately replied with an “Ok.” From his speed to his tone, he sounded obedient and indulgent.

I was curious about what he did in his spare time: What do you usually do after you get off work or on holidays?
He said: Swimming, baking, biking, basketball.
Me: ???
As expected, he was teasing me: Lies. I play games.
Me: You scared me. I was about to be rolled into a fried dough twist.⁵[5] She means she was almost tricked and her brain was about to be twisted from all the shock. Here, picture time! So yummy, I love these.

I asked: A mobile game?
After all, if it wasn’t Honor of Kings⁶[6] Honor of Kings is a multiplayer online battle arena developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Tencent Games for the iOS and Android mobile platforms for the Chinese market. -Wikipedia, then it was PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds⁷[7] PlayUnknown’s Battlegrounds, a battle royale shooter that pits 100 players against each other in a struggle for survival. The acronym for this is PUBG..

He replied: I play but I play online games more often.
I used my limited understanding to reply: steam.
Him: Yeah, that’s right, recently I’ve been playing a steam game.
I asked: What is it called?
Him: Grounded.⁸[8] Grounded is a survival game that can be played either in first-person or third-person. In the game, the protagonist is shrunk to the size of an ant and must strive to survive in a backyard filled with various bugs and insects.
Me: Is it fun?

He didn’t reply and only asked: Do you want to play?
I told him how I really felt: Not really, and I don’t really have the time.
He responded with a smile, evidently understanding the sentiment: Yet you still asked.
I didn’t hesitate to reply: Because this is my “Marcovaldo.”

I guessed he must have laughed. He said: Don’t think too much, just chat.
I agreed: Mhmm, after all, there are so many songs to talk about.
He replied: Mhmm, we can also chat over coffee tomorrow.
Me: After drinking coffee, we can also talk about the taste of the coffee.
Him: If the drinks at this shop are good, we can continue going to the same place the day after tomorrow. If it’s not good, we can change to a different place the day after next.

The two of us were like elementary chickens⁹[9] Internet slang for high school students or adults who are acting childishly., childishly bouncing the conversation back and forth.

If it weren’t for my makeup, I really wanted to rub my face to wake myself up because in this dream-like lightheartedness, I was floating on clouds the entire afternoon.

　　—

On this day, except for when I went to wash up, I basically wasted the entire night chatting with Lu Chengze.
We both used NetEase Cloud and our conversation basically revolved around music.
The genre and styles we enjoyed ranged widely. Country, rock, and jazz were all pretty good. We also listened to POP, R&B, and blues.

At the end of their chat, Lu Chengze asked me: What time do you usually take the subway?
I replied while in a haze of happiness and exhaustion: If I don’t have anything to do in the morning, I usually take the ten o’clock trip.
He said: Okay.
I said: What? Are you going to see if you bump into me?
He replied: I want to try.

The next day, before I got into the subway car, I put in my earbuds in advance, turned off the Bluetooth on my phone, anticipating a successful connection with him.

I waited at a fixed location on the platform. The second I stood in place after getting on, my headset sounded a beep, letting me know it had automatically connected. When I turned my head to randomly look around, I saw Lu Chengze.

A large guy standing there conspicuously in a white sweatshirt and shining just as much as yesterday.

At that moment, my eyes must have been wide-open because his smile widened at my reaction.

There were three people separating us.

How could I have not noticed him the last two times? It was to be one of the unsolved mysteries of mankind.

As I was calming myself down from the surprise, Lu Chengze raised his phone and started to tap away on the screen, his lips slightly curved.

I followed and entered WeChat, but there was no message.

Suddenly, my head was filled with his clear voice:

“Morning, Sugar.”
“Would you like to listen to a song?”

I uncontrollably revealed my emotions.
He wanted to “try bumping into me, ” as if. He “came prepared” with a radio station set up for me alone.

I looked to the side again and he happened to look over as well. Because of his superior height, it was very easy to find him in this crowd.

I went into WeChat to reply: Okay.

He closed his eyes again and his bangs obediently hung down, covering his eyes. Soon after, music began playing in my ears, starting with a seductive male and female duet chorus.

Surprisingly, it was a love song sung by a duet.

At the same time, Lu Chengze was approaching me with a smile on his face, particularly radiant. Especially with this kind of daybreak-like smile which belongs to you, it was that kind of vanity and secret delight which would make you swell up like a hydrogen balloon.

Lu Chengze stood by my side, slightly behind me. If I wanted to face him squarely, I would need to turn my head. All of a sudden, my heart began racing and my feet were in a mess.
It wasn’t that we had never been so close before, but… yesterday we were meeting face to face and today I couldn’t see him. I felt like things were slipping out of my control. But it was very clear to me that he was very likely to be looking at me or occasionally glancing at me, lowering his thin eyelids and beautiful eyelashes.

As if he was memorizing me.

I coyly let go of the ring and Lu Chengze, behind me, raised his arm. Sure enough, he easily took hold of the same ring.
With this change in positions, he entered the confines of my bubble. His arm partially encircled me, hanging by the side of my face and making me feel caged in and ambiguous.

The male and female voices in my earbuds melded together, weaving into a touching sound:

“I don’t want to let you guess my thoughts
Uneasy expectations brewing in the air
We are all waiting
We have plans in our hearts
The phone in my hands is cleared for you
Only then can I receive your
platform brimming with love

We don’t only have digital digital
Throw away the phone and make something magical magical
Don’t overthink
After meeting you, there are only good dreams when I close my eyes

Do you dare to come with me…”

I breathed a light and long breath.

The song finally ended and silence settled in my ears, and a rainstorm raged in my chest.

I lifted my right hand, crooked my fingers in a signal which meant I had something to say.
He tilted his head close, like a tall and docile white horse, letting me lead him.

I felt my throat tighten and dry up. I asked in a low voice: “What is this song called?”
His whisper-like bass falling on the back of my ear made my heart tremble: 《Walking Towards Me》.

The author has something to say:
This song is quite wonderful
A homonym for digital is “dī zhe tóu”¹⁰[10] dī zhe tóu is pinyin. In English, the meaning is lowering your head.

---

Index:

[1] The pantry may also be referred to as the breakroom, restroom, lunchroom, canteen, mess, lounge, staff room, etc.

[2] Sisyphe is a bookstore. I checked out their site and their storefront is so cute!

[3] Weibo is short for Sina Weibo. Sina Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website. It is one of the biggest social media platforms in China.

After being lost in thought for a few seconds, I was interrupted by an image he sent over. It was his NetEase Cloud user interface. He said: If you don’t like WeChat, we can also talk here.

[4] NetEase Cloud Music is a freemium music streaming service developed and owned by NetEase, Inc.

[5] She means she was almost tricked and her brain was about to be twisted from all the shock. Here picture time! So yummy, I love these.

[6] Honor of Kings is a multiplayer online battle arena developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Tencent Games for the iOS and Android mobile platforms for the Chinese market. -Wikipedia

[7] PlayUnknown’s Battlegrounds, a battle royale shooter that pits 100 players against each other in a struggle for survival. The acronym for this is PUBG.

[8] Grounded is a survival game that can be played either in first-person or third-person. In the game, the protagonist is shrunk to the size of an ant and must strive to survive in a backyard filled with various bugs and insects.

[9] Internet slang for high school students or adults who are acting childishly.

[10] dī zhe tóu is pinyin. In English, the meaning is lowering your head.