"The dishes have passed the warming period. Do you want to reheat them up?" The emotionless mechanical electronic voice sounded again. Gu Sijiu shifted in her somewhat stiff seat, kicked off her high heels, and slowly walked to the table. The dishes under the insulated cover had been heated several times, the steak had lost its freshly cooked tenderness, and the side dishes had faded in color after sitting for a few hours.
It was 11 o'clock, and there was just an hour left in the day. Gu Sijiu took the dishes out from under the insulated cover and walked to the trash can. After hesitating for a moment, she placed them back and pressed the reheat button again. The insulated cover received the command and began its fifth round of reheating for the evening. Gu Sijiu stood by the table, watching for a while, then lifted her head to look at herself in the mirror.
Her delicate makeup had smudged a bit after a few hours, and even her dress had developed some unflattering wrinkles from sitting for too long. Gu Sijiu took off her dress and changed into comfortable loungewear. She took out makeup remover pads and slowly removed her makeup, washing her face before returning to the sofa.
As she waited for time to pass, watching the clock approach 11:30, Gu Sijiu picked up her communicator again, found Song Jinzhi's name, and connected the call. She had expected this time to be like the previous ones, with no one answering, but this time, the other end picked up. The sudden surprise left Gu Sijiu speechless for a moment. She greeted with a hoarse voice, realizing her throat was dry and scratchy from not drinking water all night. She cleared her throat and continued speaking.
"Wooden Face, are you still busy?" Gu Sijiu's gaze was fixed on the cake on the table. She tried to keep her tone light and calm, just like usual, but when her eyes landed on the cream on the cake, which had started to lose its shape from sitting out for too long, her eyes turned slightly red.
"Sorry, I've been in a meeting and didn't see your messages. What's wrong? I won't be coming back tonight." Song Jinzhi stood by the window, speaking softly into the empty office. After she spoke, she noticed that the communicator remained quiet for a long time, only the faint sound of breathing could be heard.
"Gu Sijiu? Are you still there?"
"Hmm... I'm here. I see, you're busy. Well then, I'm tired and going to bed to sleep now." Gu Sijiu replied, actually yawning, with tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. She raised her hand to wipe them away, feeling that her yawn had been too big, almost causing her to cry.
"Mm, Goodnight." After saying this, Song Jinzhi hung up first. The dark screen reflected Gu Sijiu's red eyes, she stared at it for a moment before tossing the communicator onto the sofa beside her. She took the dishes off the table from under the warming cover, the reheating was still ongoing, but Gu Sijiu had suddenly interrupted it. She knew these dishes wouldn't be eaten by the person they were waiting for, from the very beginning, they wouldn't wait.
Gu Sijiu's mind was clear. She had some guesses about the outcome of tonight in the absence of contact from Song Jinzhi. She knew that even if Song Jinzhi was busy, she wouldn't be too occupied to answer the phone, especially not deliberately choosing not to come back on this particular evening. Had she caused her any trouble? Here was a person celebrating a birthday, yet she had to hide at the company to work late to avoid Gu Sijiu. It seemed that Song Jinzhi was the one suffering more.
Gu Sijiu reached for the dish, forgetting that it had just been reheated. The hot plate touched her hand, and she quickly pulled back, but her hands were still burned red, the searing pain spreading from her fingertips to her heart. She covered her hands, choking back a sob, but quickly swallowed it down. She found some oven mitts and dumped all the dishes into the trash can. The table was soon cleared, leaving only the now unappealing cake in the center.
The cake emitted a faint, pleasant aroma. Gu Sijiu knew that Song Jinzhi didn't like overly sweet things, the cream and the cake itself were made with half the sugar, and beneath the cake was a slightly salty cheesecake crust. This kind of cake wouldn't be too sweet, perfectly balanced by the salty flavor. Gu Sijiu looked at the whole cake, took a small bite with her fork, pressed her lips together, and lightly bit her trembling lower lip.
"Song Jinzhi, happy birthday. It's a pity that you won't be able to taste this delicious cake." Gu Sijiu packed the cake into a nearby box and placed it next to the trash can. After tidying everything up, she took her prepared confession letter and gift back to her room, opening the storage compartment under her bed to place them inside.
Gu Sijiu thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but after a busy and waiting-filled day, she was too exhausted. She lay down on the bed and soon fell into a deep sleep. After she drifted off, the room finally welcomed another occupant in the early morning. Song Jinzhi returned, dragging her weary body back home, looking haggard after a night without rest, her steps a bit unsteady.
As she pushed the door open and walked into the room, the living room was very quiet. She assumed Gu Sijiu must still be asleep. She had expected this, which is why she chose to return at this hour. Song Jinzhi didn't turn on the main lights, she only switched on a small light in the kitchen, which allowed her to see the discarded dishes in the trash can and the box sitting beside it.
Looking at the box, Song Jinzhi could tell it was something meant to be thrown away, but she was curious about what was inside. She bent down and slowly opened the box, a faint scent of cream wafting out, revealing a somewhat deformed cake inside.
The meticulously crafted decorations on the cake were no longer recognizable, but some remaining patterns were enough to show how carefully the cake had been made. Song Jinzhi could tell that Gu Sijiu had made it by hand. This person had subtly asked her a few days ago if she liked overly sweet cakes, all for yesterday...
Song Jinzhi stood in the kitchen, imagining how Gu Sijiu had busied herself with a light smile, preparing these dishes and the cake in the kitchen, waiting for her. From anticipation to disappointment, Song Jinzhi's guilt and self-blame magnified infinitely. She squatted down, picked up the fork from the box, and gently picked up a piece of cake, putting it into her mouth.
Her body trembled as she almost had to exert all her strength to suppress the urge to cry. She swallowed too quickly, causing the cake to get stuck in her throat, prompting a sudden coughing fit. Afraid of waking Gu Sijiu, she didn't dare cough too loudly. She struggled to hold it back, her face turning red from the effort. The tears she had been holding back finally found a legitimate outlet at that moment.
The cake hadn't gone bad. Although she didn't know what it originally tasted like, Song Jinzhi could clearly sense that the flavor of this cake perfectly suited her preferences, showing just how much care and patience Gu Sijiu had put into making it. Given Song Jinzhi's identity, she would never eat something meant to be thrown away in such a manner.
But the cake in the box wasn't trash. It was more than just a cake, it was a heartfelt gesture that she had personally rejected. Crouched by the trash can, Song Jinzhi knelt on the floor, covering her mouth to muffle her sobs. She cried like a helpless and disheveled child, but without the loudness of a child. Her suppressed crying wasn't an outlet, it was a form of self-punishment.
After a long time, Song Jinzhi wiped her tear-blurred eyes and stood up again. She restored the cake to its original shape and went upstairs to gather some of her clothes and personal items before carefully taking her suitcase and leaving.
Gu Sijiu was awakened at noon by hunger pangs in her abdomen. She got out of bed, lacking the motivation to cook, and simply opened two nutritional supplements to take. Although the supplements weren't exactly tasty, they were the quickest solution to her hunger at that moment. She had asked the army for a half-day off, deciding to go over in the afternoon. Shan Ni'er had hurriedly asked if something was wrong, and Gu Sijiu smiled, saying it was nothing. After all, a broken heart wasn't a physical or internal injury, right?
She sat in front of the sofa, tuned into her favorite channel, playing her usual TV show. However, Gu Sijiu's gaze was fixed absentmindedly on the communicator. Suddenly, the name "Song Jinzhi" appeared on the screen, and Gu Sijiu subconsciously thought to answer it. After hesitating for a moment, she forced herself to wait for 5 seconds before picking up. This time, Gu Sijiu didn't speak first.
"Gu Sijiu, there is some urgent business at the company. I have to travel to the Moon for a while, so I won't be back for a few days." Song Jinzhi calmly informed Gu Sijiu of her travel plans. She stood at the boarding gate of the shuttle, waiting for Gu Sijiu's response. She admitted that going on the trip was true, but this time it wasn't something that only she could handle. By suggesting the trip to the moon, Song Jinzhi also wanted to cool down the relationship between her and Gu Sijiu. The prolonged silence on the other end made Song Jinzhi feel a bit anxious, she gripped the communicator tightly, and despite not facing Gu Sijiu, beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
"Okay, I understand." After a 30-second silence, Gu Sijiu suddenly spoke and then ended the call. She didn't want to hear what else Song Jinzhi had to say, nor did she want to give herself the opportunity to say anything.
There was no need for it, neither for herself nor for Song Jinzhi.
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Author B: Ms. Gu, aged 49, is not a 'licking dog'. She is a dignified little princess with high IQ and EQ. She has long seen through Wooden Face's schemes, and Song Wooden Face's "wife-chasing cremation package" is about to be delivered.
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