Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

At 7:30 p.m., Han Fei returned to the Chuangzhi Commercial Building, carrying two portions of Shancheng Zasu Mian (a type of noodle dish) that he had packed from Lao Chen Ji.

The noodle soup was emitting a unique, complex aroma that Han Fei could smell even through two layers of plastic bags.

It is said that the soup base of this noodle shop is made with a very mysterious blend of more than a dozen rare plants, and the secret is never revealed to outsiders. This is why, even though Lao Chen Ji is located deep in a small alley and its storefront is only three steps wide, Han Fei queued for half an hour to buy some.

Han Fei remembers that this shop closed down in 2006 because the owner's son refused to take over, and the craft was lost. Being able to eat this again now is a small blessing of being reborn.

Han Fei stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the eighth floor.

This afternoon he went to a meeting at the publishing house, where the editorial department reported to him that they had received 87 manuscripts so far. After screening, 52 of them met the publication criteria, which pleased him.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened with a creak. He stepped into the corridor; the lights in all the companies in the Innovation Building were off, except for the shops, restaurants, and common office areas.

Han Fei pushed open the glass door to the office area and saw the back of a petite woman collecting trash from Wen Jie's workstation into a bin. Everyone else in the office area had left. Wen Jie wasn't there either, but his computer screen was still lit.

"Hello," Han Fei said, stepping forward.

Perhaps it was because of the woman's slender neck and elegant movements that Han Fei felt she must be very beautiful before she even turned around. Once she turned around, Han Fei was even more certain of this feeling.

Although her fluffy French shoulder-length curly hair and fair, sculpted face make her look as sweet and fresh as a doll, she also exudes a gentle and quiet temperament.

She looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a brown short-sleeved shirt and light-colored jeans, with a blue diamond necklace around her neck.

"Hello, I..." She pointed behind her, "I'm helping my brother pack his things."

Her voice was calm, deep, and gentle, leaving Han Fei wondering whether it was her natural voice or something she had learned. He knew that some women did this, changing their voices like changing clothes—one voice for home, one for creating first impressions and socializing, and one for intimate moments at night.

"Oh? You're Wenjie's older sister?"

"Yeah, he called to say he was working overtime here, and I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd drop by and see what was going on."

"I see. I'm Wen Jie's..." Han Fei said with a smile, searching for the right words, "I'm the one who invited Wen Jie to work here. My name is Han Fei."

The two were of vastly different heights, and the woman had to crane her neck to see Han Fei clearly.

A look of sudden realization slowly spread across her face: "You're Xiao Jie's boss. He told me about you yesterday."

Han Fei smiled slightly: "I wouldn't call him a boss. To me, Wen Jie is more like a business partner. And him?"

"I went to the front desk to report it."

Han Fei suddenly felt that she might not have any other voice, only this warm and deep voice.

"Have you eaten?" Han Fei asked.

The woman nodded: "I've already eaten."

Han Fei placed the plastic bag on the table and saw a black shoulder bag, a university music textbook, and a folder next to Wen Jie's computer. At the same time, Han Fei learned that her name was Wen Shuyan.

"Have a seat." Han Fei pushed a chair towards her and sat down in another chair himself. "Are you a music teacher?"

"Yes, I'm still an intern."

"Is it about teaching students how to produce different sounds using their voices?"

"No, that's not it," Wen Shuyan said with a smile. "I teach music theory. Do you like listening to music?"

Han Fei nodded: "It's alright, but I only listen to pop music."

Wen Shuyan turned her head and looked Han Fei up and down: "So, which singer do you like the most?"

"Uh, there are many. For example... Jay Chou."

"Oh? I like it too."

Have you ever been to one of his concerts?

"Not even once. I was still in school when he came here to hold a concert."

Han Fei rubbed his chin and looked at Wen Shuyan: "Has Jay Chou ever held a concert in Shanghai?"

"Yes, many times. We'll be holding another one this October."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, it's a world tour performance, in the biggest stadium."

Han Fei nodded slowly.

Just then, footsteps sounded, and the two turned around.

"Fei-ge is here," Wen Jie said, sniffing the air. "What smells so good? I'm starving."

Han Fei picked up the plastic bag and shook it in the air.

"You guys should eat quickly." Wen Shuyan stood up, picked up her textbooks, slung her purse over her shoulder, and said, "I have to go back too."

"Leaving so soon, sis?"

"Okay, go eat quickly." Wen Shuyan said softly as she passed Wen Jie, then turned and waved to Han Fei, "I'm leaving."

"Goodbye," Han Fei said.

It was past 8 p.m., and the lights in the corridor were turned off one by one. The aroma of mixed noodles filled the entire office area.

"Any progress?" Han Fei asked, looking at Wen Jie. Wen Jie was using an inelegant but efficient method to stuff noodles covered in chili oil from a cardboard bowl into his mouth.

Wen Jie answered, still eating noodles, "Yeah, the development environment and local server are all set up. The database structure is basically done too. I even found a ready-made webpage template and changed the logo to Qingniao Reading, so that's the basic framework. I looked at the API documentation for the SP side; there aren't many parameters, mainly phone number verification and billing code. After I finish eating, I'll write a simple integration module and simulate a request to test it out."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Wen Jie stretched out his arms and raised them high above his head; the cardboard bowl in front of him was now upside down.

"No big deal!" Wen Jie said, burping. "This noodle soup tastes really good, much better than those two lousy burgers I had for lunch. Hey, by the way, what did you and my sister talk about?"

"What else can we talk about?" Han Fei laughed a few times, "Let's talk about the funniest things you did when you were a kid."

"Huh?" Wen Jie's eyes widened. "She told you about how I confessed to my English teacher when I was in elementary school?"

Han Fei coughed a few times, trying his best to keep a straight face and not show any expression. He thought to himself, no wonder some people are geniuses in a certain field, but they can't even do the most basic self-care.

"It seems that God is fair," he said.

"What do you mean?"

Han Fei didn't answer, but patted Wen Jie's arm: "I might not have time to pick you up and drop you off at get off work every day in the future, so you can come by yourself, right?"

"Of course, I should be the one coming to work."