316 A mission
An Xiulan was lying on her bed, munching on snacks as she was staring at the laptop in front of her.
“You look like shit, ” An Xiulan said as her call got commented.
Song Xueyun narrowed her eyes and did a sarcastic haha. “I can’t believe that you are at your house.”
An Xiulan grinned. “Come back, I will save you a space on my bed.”
“For your kind information, I have a boyfriend, ” Song Xueyun said with an eye roll. “I can’t cheat on him with you.”
An Xiulan lightly hit her heart and dramatically said, “Oh yunyun, you break my heart. How can you say no to my love?”
“Drama queen, ” Song Xueyun muttered.
“You are still dating that douchebag, “An Xiulan asked, raising her brow.
“Jack is not a douchebag, “Song Xueyun immediately said.
“Okay. When are you getting married?” An Xiulan asked her friend.
“Why would I get married?” Song Xueyun asked with furrowed brows. “And who will I get married to?”
“Girlie, you just said you are saying Mr Douce Jack, ” An Xiulan said. “Now you are asking who you will get married with. You have been dating him for many months now. I can’t understand you. Why even date him in the first place?”
“He is handsome. He is successful. He understands my career goals. Our parents set us on a blind date. My parents like him. What’s the harm in dating him?” Song Xueyun asked her, “I am twenty-five. I don’t have a stupid childhood crush on anyone and I realized that to spend a life together, you have to choose a person who has all the aforementioned things. Jack is a little workaholic but so am I.”
An Xiulan sighed as she looked at her friend. “Do you like him?”
“He is good, ” Song Xueyun said with a frown.
“If you guys broke now, will you be sad?” An Xiulan asked.
“Why would I be? We broke up because we are not compatible together. Instead of harming each other, a break-up will be good, ” Song Xueyun replied.
“You are too practical, ” An Xiulan groaned. “Yunyun, I’m not asking you to be hopeless romantic but what’s the harm in looking out for options? Wait, are you even physically attracted to this Jack guy?”
Song Xueyun gave her a look.
“I’m being serious, ” An Xiulan said.
“No need for relationship advice from Miss Eternal Single, “Song Xueyun commented.
“Gosh, it’s not my fault. I haven’t found a guy that I can like, ” An Xiulan groaned.
“What’s there not to be liked in Li Sicheng?” Song Xueyun asked. That boy was good for her friend but this smart girl was so stupid when it came to matters of love.
“Are you taking Yaoyao’s place now?” An Xiulan asked. “She is obsessed with playing cupid for me and Sicheng. We are just friends.”
“Does it mean you dislike Li Sicheng?” Song Xueyun questioned.
“Of course not, ” She quickly answered. Why would she dislike Li Sicheng? He was such a cool kid to be around. He was smart, funny and cute. Who wouldn’t like him? They always hang out together after work. He was such a great friend to her. How could she even dislike him?
“Do you know he likes you?” Song Xueyun questioned.
“Who?” An Xiulan pretended to be oblivious.
“You are such a bish, ” Song Xueyun said, gaping at her. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”
An Xiulam tried to be nonchalant. “What’s there to do about it? So, what if I know something? I’m so likeable that no one could help but like me even more. But it doesn’t mean that I like them in the same way. Do you know being oblivious has its own merits? I don’t have to face things that I don’t want to. I play to be ignorant and oblivious that I can’t deal with a certain issue. If I acknowledge his feelings, it will cause a rift in our friendship. Isn’t it better to let him know that nothing of that sort is possible between us?”
“This is why I can’t argue with you, ” Song Xueyun mumbled. “Why do you have to be so intelligent?”
“Are you perhaps talking about yourself?” An Xiulan blinked her eyes at him in a very innocent manner.
“My dear Xiulan, intelligence comes in many shapes and forms, ” Song Xueyun said like a wise woman. “You are emotionally intelligent like any of us. We scored high in academics but failed to score high in life. I work in a big firm but suck at life. But you are just prospering.”
“I sacrificed a lot for the life I have, ” An Xiulan said. “I worked too hard for it. I sacrificed my sleep, time and family to get where I’m today. Although I’m prospering, nothing in my life screams rainbows and sunshine. I have my struggles just like the rest of you.”
Song Xueyun nodded. “You are right. I’m just being bitter because my life sucks.”
“How are your parents?” An Xiulan questioned after a while.
“They are great, ” Song Xueyun said. “You know they are travelling all over the world. She was in Spain last time I talked to them.”
Mr Song and Mrs Song had faced a lot of hardship. All the things that they didn’t get to do in their youth, they were doing it now. Mrs Song fell ill in her golden years and she spent years in and out of hospital. She was of the view that she didn’t know when she would fall sick again. So, she decided to make the best of her memories.
When Song Xueyun got a good job, she made her father retire early from his job. She could afford to sponsor them and that’s what she had been doing ever since she found a nice paying job. Although her coworkers were mean, and her bosses assholes but the paycheck that she received every month was enough to make her continue work all day and night.
That one golden smile on her parent’s lips was worth everything.
“Have you ever thought of changing company?” An Xiulan asked a while later.
“Why would I?” Song Xueyun asked. “I’m happy with my salary and benefits.”
“Do you know Li Sicheng’s company is expanding to China?” An Xiulan questioned.
Song Xueyun’s eyes twinkled. “Really? I have heard a lot of things about the company. I always ask him who the mysterious CEO of the company is. But he has his lips sealed.”
“Why don’t you apply for it and find out who the boss is?” An Xiulan innocently asked. Since all of them were playing cupid in her life, couldn’t she do the same? She suppressed the mischievous grin from spreading on her lips.
“Why?” Song Xueyun asked.
“They are hiring staff, ” An Xiulan said. “Li Sicheng is conducting lots of interviews. Just try once. He said the environment of his company is quite good. You will get rid of your mean boss and the promotion that they give to that undeserving candidate. You worked so hard for it but they gave it to someone else because they thought you were too young for it. You can kick them in the groin and walk away from them.”
“I wish that it was this easy, “Song Xueyun sighed.
“What are you afraid of?” An Xiulan questioned. “My mantra of life is if something makes you miserable, you drop them and walk away. Find something that makes you happy.”
“You make it sound so easy, ” Song Xueyun smiled. “I will send my resume. Who knows if I will be selected?”
“What’s the harm in trying out once?” An Xiulan asked.
Song Xueyun nodded her head. “You are right.”
They disconnected the call after that. She sighed and looked at the blank screen and a smile tugged at her lips.
She called her partner in crime. “Mr Secret Superstar, we have a mission.”
The next moment, she heard a loud sound of a gunshot. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped beating. “Zixin. Zixin, are you okay?”
She looked at the watch on her hand that was still working which meant his heart was beating.
“Calm down, will you?” She heard his voice. “I’m practising.”
She heaved a sigh of relief. “You stupid boy, you scared me. Who does that?”
“I’m sorry. I was coming out of practice but I forgot that others are still in practice, “Han Zixin said. ” It’s so much noise in here. Why don’t I call you later?”
“Okay, ” An Xiulan said.
As the call disconnected, Han Zixin heaved out a sigh and gestured to his team to raid the empty warehouse as two of the drug dealers were down. When they were arrested, his team seized the drugs and the warehouse.
“Leader, the mission accomplished, “A SWAT ranger said.
“Now call the police, ” Han Zixin said. He was a secret cover officer. He couldn’t come in front of the police as he had the role of deputy chief to play. Once his mission of wiping out the drug mafia was completed, he would join his SWAT team again. Every few months he would be transferred to carry out secret missions in the guise of misbehaviour or something similar.