Soul Patch

Chapter 21 The Old Man in the Park

Yang Shanshan released her grip as if she had been electrocuted, lowered her head, and turned to leave.

"Okay, you should go to work now. I... I'll be going now. See you tonight!"

After saying that, he started to walk towards the door.

"Hey, wait a minute..." Wenjie grabbed the lunchbox on the table and pushed it towards her.

Oh, I forgot my lunchbox. Yang Shanshan touched her forehead, a little embarrassed.

She glanced at the lunchbox Wenjie pushed towards her, then looked up at Wenjie and noticed that he seemed hesitant to speak.

Her expression changed, as if she had a premonition that it wouldn't be a good thing.

"Yang Shanshan, I just forgot, I might have to work overtime tonight. How about I treat you to dinner another time?"

……

Bai Yu darted out of the office area entrance and stormed into the smoking room in a fit of rage.

He roughly pulled out a cigarette, using a bit too much force, and pulled out an extra one, which fell to the ground.

He lit the cigarette in his mouth, took a deep drag, and looked down at the cigarette on the ground. He stomped on it hard, crushing it!

Damn, just as it was time for lunch, I was force-fed a whole bunch of dog food from Wenjie.

Bai Yu was in a bad mood, and he found the lunch unappetizing.

After lunch, I returned to my office and bumped into two people being all lovey-dovey in the office.

He lost control of his emotions and blurted out a curse word on the spot.

He was very unhappy, extremely unhappy.

As he inhaled and exhaled the smoke, his mood gradually calmed down.

He wondered why he was reacting so strongly. Did he like Yang Shanshan?

It's hard to say whether he likes or dislikes women; to him, women are all prey.

He enjoys this hunting game; the satisfaction of dealing with attractive prey and finally capturing them brings him great satisfaction.

And now, the prey that he had been eyeing for so long has suddenly been snatched away by someone else.

The intense sense of frustration left him feeling lost and helpless.

From childhood to adulthood, he would leave his toys, which he was tired of playing with, in the storage room, but if other children found them and started playing with them, he would insist on taking them back.

Even if we snatch it back, he won't care to play with it; he probably won't even touch it again.

He silently smoked a few cigarettes, glanced at the time, and returned to the office area.

Seeing Wenjie sitting in his seat lost in thought, he changed his mind slightly and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Wenjie replied dismissively.

Bai Yu sat back down at his desk and started playing on the computer. Actually, he was just restless, opening web pages, closing them, opening them again, and closing them again…

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

……

Wenjie didn't have a good afternoon either.

Emotions are something that can cause trouble, so he tries to keep himself busy so he won't overthink things.

In one afternoon, he finished all the work he had missed over the past few days.

Bai Yu watched Wenjie spinning like a top, busy in the office area, the archives, and up and down the stairs, and a mocking smile appeared on his face: The power of love is truly great!

Seeing that Wenjie had finally sat down after a busy afternoon, Bai Yu tossed him the materials he had collected:

"You're working so hard, could you help me write this report too?"

"..."

Wenjie didn't say anything, but silently accepted it.

Time flies when you're busy, and before you know it, it's time to get off work.

Wenjie hurried home, and when he passed the park near his neighborhood, he still took the shortcut.

In the park, there were elderly men and women taking a stroll after their meal, elderly women dancing to music, children playing marbles on the ground, and students doing their homework on stone tables and stools...

An old man wearing a straw hat and a tank top walked towards us.

He was carrying a teacup in one hand and an old-fashioned radio slung at his waist, which seemed to be playing his favorite Peking Opera.

He couldn't help but hum along with the radio, and when he got really into it, he started gesturing in the air with his hands.

When he walked up to Wenjie, he flicked his pinky finger and bumped into Wenjie's arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the old man apologized repeatedly.

"It's alright!" Wenjie smiled at the old man.

The two passed each other and walked towards each other.

Wenjie walked towards home, while the old man followed the path in the park to its end and turned into a thicket of bushes.

I found a flat rock, sat down, and took out my Bluetooth earphones from my pocket and put them on.

He skillfully pressed a button on the radio, shut his mouth and stopped humming Peking Opera, instead listening attentively.

(End of this chapter)