Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Man Wrenching the Tide (Six)

Yu Manyi walked back to her dormitory from the electrical machinery company, crying and walking along the way. By the time she arrived, one thought remained in her mind: Song Qi actually yelled at me!

Lying is a matter of character, but yelling at someone is a matter of attitude. With both of these problems, he had practically sealed his fate. It wasn't until she reached the door that she realized she had forgotten her keys. She pressed the doorbell twice, and a male colleague from the translation department on the first floor came to open the door for her.

Yu Manyi had seen this colleague before. He had the delicate face that was typical of talented men from her era, his hair combed neatly. Since he resembled her cousin in some ways, she wouldn't elaborate on him here.

The translation department, unlike the art department, didn't have any female colleagues, so he had frequently hinted at going out for coffee together. However, Yu Manyi never remembered his appearance or name, even after they had talked about it many times. In her mind, she simply referred to him as "passerby A."

When passerby A saw that Yu Manyi was crying, his expression immediately became concerned. Using her Italian surname, he asked, "What happened, Miss Borrelli?"

Yu Manyi knew that the English department of the translation department always spoke in English for translation purposes, but she found it somewhat pretentious. When passerby A spoke to her in English, she rolled her eyes and then switched to a mix of Chinese and English, trying to be more restrained.

"It’s nothing." Yu Manyi stepped aside and walked past him, preparing to go upstairs.

"Miss Borrelli!" Passerby A chased after her, saying, "Last time I asked you to have a cup of coffee..."

What’s so good about that traditional Chinese medicine? Yu Manyi didn't understand. But she was angry with Song Qi at the moment, and now seeing passerby A, her irritation towards men in general was slightly lessened, a cycle of irritation and relief.

So, she glanced at passerby A for a moment and, rarely softening her tone, said, "How about tomorrow after work?"

Passerby A left happily.

Though Yu Manyi didn’t know what was so special about coffee, she thought about how Song Qi had never taken her out for coffee. He only ever took her to eat yellow fish wontons. That thought made her even angrier.

Yu Manyi realized that anything related to Song Qi could easily make her emotions fluctuate, and tears would sometimes start to fall again. For instance, now, as soon as she compared, the tears she had just stopped were filling her eyes again.She tearfully returned to her room, and as soon as she opened the door, she came face to face with You Hong, who was eagerly waiting at the desk.

Earlier in the evening, You Hong had asked Yu Manyi to copy the notes from the fourth floor, and she had been eagerly anticipating her return. She even went so far as to prepare a cup of tea for her, a gesture that seemed almost excessive. However, after waiting for a long time and not seeing her return, she finally heard footsteps. When she opened the door, what she found was a pair of tear-filled eyes!

You Hong froze.

How ironic! Her smile couldn't be retracted, and the tea on the desk was still steaming. Should she ask about the notes? With Yu Manyi in this state, it would be inhumane to ask for the notes right away.

Yu Manyi wasn't completely unprepared. She had previously asked Yuan Wan for last year's materials and was planning to use that as an excuse to distract You Hong. As she sniffled and sat down at the desk, just as she was about to pull out the materials, You Hong cautiously asked, "You... what's wrong?"

The floodgates of tears had opened!

Yu Manyi had never imagined that the ice between her and You Hong would be broken by insulting men!

She was so heartbroken. When a person is heartbroken, their narration tends to lack logic, and logic had always been a scarce resource in Yu Manyi's mind.

After a brief and slightly edited recounting of the events, Yu Manyi, crying, vented her frustrations to You Hong:

"He mocked me the first time he saw me! I used to dress not very fashionably, and he said I was like the purple clothes of his grandfather coming to life! When I first came to Shanghai and stayed in a shabby guesthouse, he even said it was a place no human should live in!"

"My god, what a vicious mouth!" You Hong exclaimed, shocked.

"He’s like a heartless stray cat! When he’s hungry, he comes looking for me, and when he’s done, he leaves without a word!""Men are most afraid of being hot and cold!" You Hong said firmly.

"They’re so unromantic, only know how to take me to eat yellow fish dumplings. We've known each other so long, and he hasn’t told me a single truth. He clearly comes from a good background, but pretends to be poor, making me feel guilty every time I spend a little money on him, as if I’m afraid he’ll starve!"

"What? Is he afraid people will take his money?" You Hong speculated shrewdly. "Men like that are the most scheming!"

"He yelled at me just now! Yelled so loudly!"

"Why did he yell at you?"

"Because..." Yu Manyi hesitated, unable to reveal anything about the radio, so she said, "Because he doesn’t like me spending too much time at the library!"

"My god! How can he limit you from going to the library? Who does he think he is? Does he just want you to wash your hands and make soup, stop learning so much, so that you don't outshine him?"

Yu Manyi nodded randomly, "Exactly!"

"Break up, you must break up!"

You Hong tightly gripped Yu Manyi's hand, united in their cause, and their emotions instantly heated up. "A man like this is not worth a second of your time! Manyi, everything you’ve said is true, right? There really are men like this Cheap Man...You, Deserve, Better!"

"It's all true," Yu Manyi wiped her tears, determined. "Not a word I made up, it’s all true... Why are you speaking English too?"

"I've been talking to the colleagues at the translation office downstairs too much."

……

Yu Manyi spent the entire night talking bad about Song Qi to You Hong, and also confessed that there were no exam papers on the fourth floor, no past topics, just some drawings. If You Hong didn’t believe her, she could lend her Jiang Laoshi’s permission letter next time.The lights were all off, and it was quiet by the bed. Yu Manyi heard You Hong let out a bitter laugh and say, "Forget it, let's pretend I never mentioned this. Maybe I'm just destined to be a saleswoman."

"Your art is so good, how could you become a saleswoman? English and arithmetic aren't as difficult as you think. I think it's just that when you were learning..."

"I have difficulty with reading and writing. It seems like a sickness. I've been like this since I was little," You Hong turned over and fell asleep. "If it weren't for the Business Printing House hiring, I wouldn't have anywhere else to go. But I'm afraid in the end, I'll have to stand at the counter. Go to sleep."

Yu Manyi blinked in the dark and turned over. You Hong didn't argue with her anymore; her tone was calm when she spoke. Since she couldn't see her face in the darkness, Yu Manyi almost imagined hearing You Xiaoqing’s voice.

Yu Manyi wiped her tears on the pillow and fell asleep.

The next day, she went to the Business Printing House for class as usual. She ran into the "passerby" during both breakfast and lunch. In the morning, she hadn’t realized he was throwing flirtatious glances, but by noon, she remembered that she was supposed to go have coffee with him in the evening. It made her feel a little pressured.

She wasn't particularly keen on drinking Chinese medicine, and Yu Manyi realized her tastes were really quite simple... After waking up from her nap, she realized she still liked eating yellow fish wontons.

So, in the afternoon, she took some time to go to the translation office and told "passerby," "I have to go to the Oriental Library after class. I have some assignments to do, so I won’t go with you."

"I can wait for you," he said. "Or I can accompany you there."

In the end, it turned into Yu Manyi needing to go to the library with the passerby after class, and after copying the books, she had to go drink coffee with him. She felt overwhelmed.

The working hours at the translation office were slightly longer than at the art department. After class, Yu Manyi parted ways with You Hong and went to the printing house entrance, pretending to stand there for a while, planning to leave on her own after a bit. That way, she would have more confidence when lying later in the evening. However, after standing for only two minutes, a shadow was cast over her from behind, covering her body.

Yu Manyi noticed that her shadow had grown several inches taller and wider on the ground. She suddenly turned around and met Song Qi’s half-open collar.

He was wearing a shirt a size bigger than usual, probably to avoid putting pressure on his injured shoulder. Yu Manyi noticed that there was still a faint bandage peeking out from one side of his collar. She sighed and raised her gaze, locking eyes with his downward-turned eyes.

She looked up, and Song Qi slightly tilted his head."Who goes out running around right after an injury? The bullet didn’t even hit you hard enough." Yu Manyi shifted her gaze and took a step to the right. Song Qi followed her, and when she moved left, he did the same.

"What are you doing!" Yu Manyi whispered, irritated.

"Are you going to the library?" Song Qi lowered his voice and blocked her path, "You can’t go."

"I…"

"The things you need to copy, I have them in my company too. I’ll give them to Mr. Xu, and it’ll be more complete than yours."

"…"

Yu Manyi was about to say something, but he had already anticipated her thoughts. She paused for a moment, then changed her words, "I’m not going to the library, I’m going to a café with someone."

"With who?" Song Qi raised both his voice and eyebrows.

"A male colleague."

"Which male colleague?"

"…"

Yu Manyi realized she didn’t even know what the passerby’s name was!

"Mr. Jia!" she said offhandedly.

"Mr. Jia, I really am Mr. Jia," Song Qi replied."......"

"Song Qi!" Yu Manyi stomped her foot and looked up, "Why are you so annoying?"

"Am I annoying again?"

"You..."

"Miss Borrelli!"

A loud call from behind caused Yu Manyi to feel a sudden dizziness, as the world seemed to spin. Song Qi turned his head with her, only to see the passerby, with his slicked-back hair and powdered face, running out of the translation office, stopping momentarily when he saw the close proximity between Song Qi and Yu Manyi.

From the corner of her eye, Yu Manyi saw Song Qi cross his arms.

"Miss Borrelli?" the passerby said with a forced smile, "Didn’t we agree to go out tonight..."

Song Qi raised his eyebrows even higher, and Yu Manyi was caught off guard—what was supposed to be a trip to the library, maybe followed by a coffee, suddenly became a date?!

"So this gentleman is...?" The passerby chuckled, turning to Song Qi and sizing him up.

Song Qi, having been injured before, now stood even more solemnly, like a bamboo tree, silent beside Yu Manyi. His broad shoulders and lowered lashes hid the sharpness in his eyes. His lips curved slightly in a faint smile, making it difficult to tell his true attitude.

Yu Manyi stammered, "Ah, I... he... I..."

"I'm her brother," Song Qi said."Ah!" The passerby suddenly realized, reaching out to shake his hand. Song Qi didn’t avoid it and extended his hand to reciprocate the Western-style greeting. As their palms met, the passerby felt the calluses on his hand, his expression showing some uncertainty.

He couldn't figure out Song Qi's demeanor. Though they weren't far apart in age, at first glance, Song Qi looked like just another engineer from the foreign trade office. But this was not the hand of someone who regularly held a ruler. What exactly had Song Qi been gripping? With the world in such chaos, an engineer like him... What could he be doing to leave calluses in such places?

The passerby quickly retracted his hand.

"Work's been too busy. Only today did I have time to come see her," Song Qi said. "Do you have plans?"

He turned to look at Yu Manyi, who immediately shrank back from his gaze. "So... am I... interrupting you two?"

"No, no," the passerby quickly replied. "We're colleagues, we can arrange a meeting anytime..."

"So you two can meet anytime?" Song Qi said, understanding.

Yu Manyi wished she could disappear into the ground.

"Miss Borrelli, since your brother's here to see you today," the passerby stepped aside, "family comes first. We can arrange another day. Bye-bye!"

"Bye... bye..." Yu Manyi responded stiffly, her eyes fixed on the ground.

The passerby ran off, and soon, other colleagues from the translation office came out of the printing house. Yu Manyi and Song Qi stood among the crowd, occasionally bumped by the passing people, causing her steps to shift. Before long, she was once again pushed right up to him.

There were so many people leaving work that there was no space for her to move away, and she didn't have the courage to meet Song Qi's gaze. What was she so guilty about? Clearly, it was Song Qi who had made the mistake yesterday!

Song Qi, now more composed than before, stood quietly, watching Yu Manyi, not saying a word, waiting for her to explain herself.

Finally, the crowd thinned, and Yu Manyi took a deep breath. She looked up, ready to confront Song Qi and expose everything she had deceived him about.However, the moment she raised her head, a man across the street completely caught her attention.

Song Qi was facing away from the street, his body blocking her view, so Yu Manyi could only catch a glimpse from the angle between his shoulder and neck. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she grabbed the fabric on Song Qi’s shoulder, slightly raising herself on tiptoe, her face full of confusion as she stared at the man across the street.

Song Qi was suddenly pulled by her, and seeing her frightened expression, he followed her gaze and turned his head. But Yu Manyi took a step forward, nearly diving into his arms, and quickly and quietly ordered, “Don’t turn around!”

His neck stiffened, then he lowered his head and saw Yu Manyi getting closer, almost burying her face in his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“Scarf Fish, Scarf Fish, Scarf Fish.”

Song Qi: ...

Today, he was going to turn around and see exactly who this "Scarf Fish" was.

Though the crowds leaving work started thinning, the Business Printing House was still such a large company, with cars passing by constantly at the entrance, making it easy for Song Qi and Yu Manyi to blend into the crowd.

Using the flow of people, he turned around, and the moment he saw the scene across the street clearly, his pupils quickly contracted. He reached out and pulled Yu Manyi firmly into his embrace.

They were in the open, wearing the uniform of the police station, confidently walking past the street corner. Meanwhile, Song Qi and Yu Manyi were in the shadows, retreating quietly with the crowd, heading into a narrow alley.

The top of the alley was crisscrossed with tangled wires, and clotheslines were strung up. The overlapping, damp, and worn clothes hung down, showing the traces of people competing for space in a cramped environment.

After hiding behind these overlapping clotheslines, they moved away from the wide street and deep into the alley’s end. In the midst of his vigilance, Song Qi felt some amusement. He chuckled at Yu Manyi calling the man “Scarf Fish”—it was such an apt nickname.

How did she come up with nicknames for everyone? Was Mr. Jia also a nickname...? Did she have a nickname for herself?They had retreated through the alley for quite a while and were now far away from the street where the printing house was located. Furthermore, the man hadn’t noticed their presence at all. Song Qi sighed in relief, lowering his head to look at Yu Manyi, who was holding his hand as they ran. Her face was pale, and her palms were covered in cold sweat.

Such courage... she still wanted to go to the library to copy the radio data?

He even started to wonder if Mr. Xu's half-cabinet full of documents had been copied and sent by Yu Manyi herself.

“So that’s why I didn’t want you to go to the library anymore,” Song Qi couldn’t help but speak. “Scarf Fish…”

He closed his eyes, unsure how he ended up shouting along with Yu Manyi.

“If Scarf Fish gets a sudden impulse and raids the library, they’d catch you red-handed.”

“Yeah, it’s terrifying. I can’t believe something like this happened.” Yu Manyi was still shaken.

She stopped, suddenly thinking:

“Then let’s not walk outside anymore. If he sees us, he’ll recognize both of us. And if he notices you’re injured, he’ll definitely find it suspicious.”

“Go to a coffee shop?” Song Qi suggested meaningfully.

“A coffee shop is still outside!” Yu Manyi firmly rejected, not realizing what Song Qi was hinting at, and dismissed him as being ridiculous.

The two of them stood facing each other in the narrow alley. Yu Manyi raised her head and glanced at the higher buildings visible above the low residential houses, trying to get a sense of the layout.

“We’re almost at my dorm,” she said. “The first floor should be empty now, you…”

They had run a few times earlier, and Song Qi’s complexion was still far from good. He had just woken up yesterday, and Yu Manyi honestly didn’t know why he had to go out. He had only brought her more trouble—he might as well have stayed in bed and been a beautiful decoration."You go sit downstairs at my dorm for a while, wait until evening to come out."

After saying this, she walked a few steps forward, then suddenly turned around, huffing, "Sit properly when you get there, and don’t cause me more trouble!"

"Then there's nothing I can do," Song Qi surprisingly said. "I’m just born to be a big trouble."

After speaking, he swaggered off. The alleyway was complex, with many intersecting paths, yet he precisely found the way to Yu Manyi's dorm. He must have an incredible sense of direction.