Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 154: Discovery

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Even though Lu Qiao admired Tai Fei, he was also a little afraid of him. He was the only person Lu Qiao knows that would dare argue and slam the door in front of his boss! After the incident at work, Lu Qiao labeled Tao Fei as a troublemaker and as a result, he maintained a respectable attitude and distance towards him.

The day when everyone paired up and Tao Fei picked him was shocking to Lu Qiao. Even though it was just a game and nothing was meant by it, everyone knew Tao Fei was very popular among the female staff at the company, so why didn’t he pick one of them? And besides, he and Tao Fei weren’t on good terms like Gu Yu was with Zhang Siyi. What reason did he have to pick himself? Does that mean Tao Fei is gay?

In order to confirm his suspicion, for two days, Lu Qiao observed Tao Fei closely and carefully. On one hand, Lu Qiao was relieved to find no special treatment from Tao Fei and in fact, like the air you cannot see, he treated Lu Qiao as though he wasn’t present. On the other hand, he also felt lost and depressed at being so disregarded.

He hated people who thought they were above him. It wasn’t until this moment when Tao Fei asked him to help with his suitcase that he called out his name.

Although there was no expression on his face, Lu Qiao extended a helping hand without complaint. He didn’t understand why, as if he had the honor of helping a great beauty, he felt the excitement in his heart. Anyway, at least Tao Fei isn’t ignoring him now.

During the process of boarding and taking a seat on the airplane, Lu Qiao looked all around him in a very animated fashion. When Tao Fei saw him exploring every possible nook and cranny like a child, he couldn’t help but ask: “Do you want to sit at the window seat?”

Lu Qiao happily replied: “Yes, can we switch?”

Tao Fei took the initiative to stand up and change seats with him. Lu Qiao looked at Tao Fei with adoration and sighed in his heart. The beauty is a good person.

After the plane took off, Lu Qiao continued to marvel at his surroundings. He frequently took out his phone to take pictures.

Tao Fei laughed: “What are you? A country-bumpkin on his first plane ride?”

Lu Qiao: “……”

As someone that is from the country side, Lu Qiao’s self-esteem was very strong. Even though Tao Fei wasn’t wrong, he still felt angry at his remark. He felt like Tao Fei was looking down on him.

Seeing the change in Lu Qiao face, Tao Fei opened his eyes in surprise: “Really? This is the first time on an airplane?”

Irritated, Lu Qiao snapped: “Yes! I’m a redneck that hasn’t ever been on a plane before!”

Tao Fei didn’t think it was possible: “How long have you worked in the company? Haven’t you ever been on a business trip?”

Since he was never involved with the main feature of a project that he was assigned to work on, Lu Qiao didn’t know if his luck was poor, or he simply didn’t have the ability to work on high-profile plans. Since Lu Qiao wasn’t very good at communicating his thoughts clearly and since he didn’t like to travel, he had indicated thus to Gu Yu. As a result, Gu Yu rarely gave him the opportunity to go on business trips.

Lu Qiao frowned. “One and a half years.”

Tao Fei asked again: “Where is your hometown?”

Losing patience, Lu Qiao frowned deeper and replied: “Mianyang, Sichuan.”

Tao Fei: “Mianyang isn’t such a small town that you can call yourself a redneck. Don’t be stupid.”

Fuck! A few minutes ago, Lu Qiao thought Tai Fei was a good person, but now, he wanted to kick him!

He took a deep breath and explained: “My hometown is not in the city, but in Pingwu county. In 2008 there was an earthquake in Sichuan and our hometown collapsed. Some of my family died in the quake and the remaining members moved into the city.”

Tao Fei was silent for a moment: “Oh…”

Although Lu Qiao thought the more common reply was ‘sorry,’ he thought his explanation was enough to end their conversation. Unexpectedly, Tao Fei continued bombarding him with questions: “Haicheng is far from Mianyang. Why don’t you fly home during the holidays?”

Lu Qiao: “……” -Why didn’t he know beforehand that Tao Fei can be so annoying!? Can he change partners!?

Watching Lu Qiao with his head slightly skewed, Tao Fei blinked with his beautiful long eyelashes as if to urge Lu Qiao to answer his questions.

Without enthusiasm, Lu Qiao said: “I take the train!”

Tao Fei: “How long does it take to go by train?”

Lu Qiao snarled: “Thirty hours!”

Feeling perplexed, Tao Fei continued to drill him: “That’s too long! Why not take a plane?”

Lu Qiao was about to explode: “Because the train ticket is cheap!!! “

Having asked enough, Tao Fei nodded and said: “Oh.” He took out his blindfold and put it on: I’m going to sleep. Wake me up when we get there.”

Lu Qiao: “%¥#……” Ah, fuck!

After that, Lu Qiao looked out of the window at the clear expanse of blue sky and fluffy clouds below feeling depressed. His soaring mood and excitement for being on a plane for the first time was completely ruined.

While recalling his two decades of life experiences, Lu Qiao tapped the window feeling his self-esteem evaporate. From his youthful days living in the countryside, to family disaster and then moving to a city, and then moving to an even bigger city for a job, he felt like his life was full of suffering.

It wasn’t until now that he could sit down with his colleagues for a cup of coffee feeling like his life was much better than it had been in the past. However, with Tao Fei’s few careless remarks, Lu Qiao felt like all of his blood, sweat and tears amounted to nothing. He was only a country-bumpkin. Why was the world so unfair?

Some people were born rich, like Zhang Siyi. With excellent resources and environment, they experienced a lifetime of success and ease. In contrast, others were born with nothing but shackles to weigh them down on a road of hardships for a lifetime.

was he envious? Yes, he was! Not only is he envious, but he is also very jealous! Even though these thoughts pervade his heart and mind, he wasn’t a wicked person to act on them.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Lu Qiao buried his self-pity and withdrew his negative thoughts.

Even though everyone was talking quietly, with almost thirty people from the same company, the volume in the cabin was a louder. Even so, Tao Fei fell asleep and Lu Qiao felt left-out.

Sitting behind Lu Qiao, Gu Yu and Zhang Siyi were also talking quietly. Sometimes, bouts of laughter issued forth. Lu Qiao felt strange at hearing Gu Yu’s laughter for the first time; so gentle and sweet.

Quietly, Lu Qiao peeked through the gap between the seat and the wall of the plane. He saw Gu Yu and Zhang Siyi very close together looking through a travel magazine. Gu Yu held the book while Zhang Siyi leaned over, practically onto Gu Yu’s shoulder.

Not hearing what was said, he only witnessed Gu Yu turn to look at Zhang Siyi with an indescribable tenderness written all over his facial features while Zhang Siyi grinned foolishly.

His heart jerked and goose bumps rose. Lu Qiao quickly withdrew his site and sat back in his seat. He had always thought there was something a little strange between them, but he couldn’t say what it was exactly. Maybe, the Boss’s attitude towards Zhang Siyi was more special?

Yes. At least, Gu Yu would never have smiled at him like that. It was too nauseating. When Lu Qiao calmed down, he started feeling as though he had taken the wrong medicine. His thoughts jumped to the wrong conclusion because of his previous feelings of anger. Clearly, they didn’t do anything wrong, so why did their expressions make such a huge impact on Lu Qiao?

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Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 153: The Uniform

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Since the trip was a company sponsored event, Gu Yu wanted to uphold the company’s expectations as the team leader. He wasn’t particularly happy about their protests, but he also couldn’t ignore them. In the end he made a compromise: “The company shirts must be worn on the first day of travel and on the last day of departure. During the week, you may wear your own clothes.”

In fact, for male colleagues, there wasn’t an issue. Since it was the summertime, it was normal for them to wear a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Whether the shirt has the company’s logo printed on it or something else, it made no difference. Zhang Siyi thought the company shirt was rather nice. When he got home, he tried it on with Gu Yu. With matching shirts, Zhang Siyi felt like a young couple from a television drama.

Having won the prize in the photography competition last year, Zhang Siyi was the official photographer for the trip and the task wasn’t any easier than Gu Yu’s.

In anticipation of the trip, the people’s excitement grew and finally, the day of travel arrived. At eight in the morning on June twentieth, a total of twenty-eight people from both the architectural design department and the landscape planning and design team gathered at the Haicheng International Airport.

Zhang Siyi and Gu Yu took the subway together to the airport and since they were both wearing the company uniform, they received many sideways glances along the way to the airport.

Before their arrival, there was already a group of colleagues at the airport waiting for the remaining people to show up. Several female colleagues gathered around to gossip and guess what Director Gu would wear today. As the team leader, would he be like a tour guide and carry a small flag to raise with a megaphone to speak through? Thinking about the possibility, the girls laughed.

The laughter was short lived however, as Zhang Siyi and Gu Yu appeared together. Instead, the girls hung their mouths wide open, gawking at the two approaching men.

Even though Gu Yu was wearing the company shirt, he didn’t look anything like a tour guide. Besides the company shirt, he wore a lightweight outer layer, like a windbreaker, and a pair of black jeans and black sneakers. He made the most mundane article of clothing look like a famous fashion brand. Wearing a pair of sunglasses, his handsome features and graceful strides were accentuated further.

Like young school girls, some of them covered their faces and silently screamed. Having such an unobtainable and eye-catching boss to gaze at everyday was worth any bitter feelings they had.

Of course, the most critical point isn’t Gu Yu himself, it is the fact that Zhang Siyi and Gu Yu appeared together. Slightly staggered, Gu Yu dragged his suitcase behind him at arms-length and gave the impression that he was directly holding Zhang Siyi’s hand.

Moreover, the two of them were smiling and chatting with one another. Although there was some distance between them, the sweet atmosphere between them was tangible as if there was an invisible thread that tightly bound them together.

With his camera hanging loosely around his neck, Zhang Siyi looked like a small youthful student standing next to Gu Yu.

Teasing, Bi Lele smiled and said: “The game hasn’t even started and yet, the atmosphere between the two of you is better than a real couple!”

The surrounding people chuckled at Bi Lele’s joke. Only Zhang Siyi and Gu Yu themselves knew that they are true lovers!

One after another, more people in the company arrived and by eight-forty, everyone going on the trip was present except for one person: Tao Fei. The group was feeling more and more anxious at his absence and because it was nearing the time to board the plane, some people were ready to leave him behind. Since Zhang Siyi had traveled with him before, he was familiar with Tao Fei’s last-minute behavior and he remained calm.

Since everyone had decided to participate in the couples’ game, when they depart, the players would pair up according to their assigned partners. Without him, one of the pairings would be incomplete. Watching Tao Fei arrive at the airport, no one said anything to rebuke him for his tardiness. His beauty was unmatched and having an enchanting figure in the group was also a bonus. (=_=)

Tao Fei hadn’t noticed it, but Lu Qiao had walked in behind him like an obedient child. When he realized who was behind him, his eyes twitched. From the start, Tao Fei had no interest in playing the couples game, but he went along with it anyway. He didn’t expect Lu Qiao, with his little white arms and thin legs to follow along so easily.

Tao Fei turned to look behind and saw Ji Feiyu holding Du Rui’s hand. When they made eye contact, Ji Feiyu winked and gave him a victory gesture.

Tao Fei suddenly felt a little irritated at being manipulated by the situation that Ji Feiyu created in order to flirt with the girl Ji Feiyu liked.

“Hey!” Tao Fei called out to Lu Qiao: “Come here.”

Lu Qiao: “…ah?”

Tao Fei pushed his suitcase to him and said: “Help me pull it.”

“Oh…….” Lu Qiao obediently took the bag and followed him carefully.

Tao Fei raised his eyebrow in surprise. – So obedient? Just like a personal assistant.

Lu Qiao thought Tao Fei had a reason he requested help, but he only saw Tao Fei reach for his phone from his pocket. He followed him all the while Tao Fei played on his mobile phone……

Well, at first glance, Tao Fei was just like a young master. Lu Qiao wasn’t surprised at his behavior.

Since both Zhang Siyi and Lu Qiao have it in their personality to want to please the person they admire and respect, they have a similar character trait. As long as they recognize the other person’s strength, they are happy to do the extra things requested of them.

That said, in fact, at first as did Zhang Siyi, Lu Qiao disliked Tao Fei very much. First of all, he didn’t like Tao Fei appearance. With his long hair and beautiful features, he seems neither male nor female; just like a demon. Second, without background, Lu Qiao had worked very hard step by step on his own to get to the position he is in now at the company. Being alongside so many capable people made him feel proud at his achievement. Therefore, he hated unfair competition.

Tao Fei appearance at the company gave Lu Qiao the most negative feeling. From the very first moment at the company, it was clear he had a special relationship with Director Gu. His antics had continuously broken the normally harmonious atmosphere of the team. At the beginning, Lu Qiao noticed that even the most liked member of their group, Zhang Siyi, didn’t get along with him either.

Three months later, Lu Qiao was the most surprised at how well Tao Fei integrated himself into the group. He not only won the bid for a commercial high-rise building; he also won the bid on the hotel project that he worked on with Zhang Siyi. As a result, he became close friends with Zhang Siyi as well as gaining the trust of everyone else in the department.

Even Lu Qiao was swayed by Tao Fei’s diligent work. In particular, he admired Tao Fei when he was seriously working at his desk with his hair tied up. The concentrated expression that Tao Fei exhibited while leaning over his desk made Lu Qiao feel like he was watching a genderless celestial being hard at work.

In addition, Lu Qiao gradually realized Tao Fei also had we he thought of as ‘the-beauty-disease.’ Namely, Tao Fei was a bit self-centered and narcissistic. However, while his flaws weren’t hidden, his professional strength outshined them all.

Like Zhang Siyi’s sunny and convivial nature, Tao Fei self-confidence is something that was inborn. Because this quality is something Lu Qiao thinks he lacks, now, he also admired Tao Fei……

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Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 152: Exclusive

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Gu Yu statement caused Zhang Siyi to feel momentarily scared. When did he say something so horrible? Under Zhang Siyi’s strong pull, Gu Yu quickly put down the pen. He didn’t want the ink brush to stain something else. Zhang Siyi turned him around and facing Gu Yu, he hugged him in an embrace.

Feeling resentful, Gu Yu wanted to remain silent, however, as soon as he saw Zhang Siyi face, he couldn’t help himself from speaking out: “I thought you wanted to play games. So, go play!”

Zhang Siyi stared at him: “How can I play when you are like this!?”

Coldly, Gu Yu replied: “I’m sorry to bother you.”

Zhang Siyi could feel his anger rising. – I hate it when he gets jealous!

He didn’t want to continue arguing with Gu Yu and as a result, he simply stared at him instead. Not knowing what to do next, Zhang Siyi held him tighter. In the end, Gu Yu relaxed. In a way, without arguing, his goal was achieved.

Slowly Gu Yu admitted: “You haven’t played the violin for me in a long time.”

Zhang Siyi’s mouth twitched… He really was jealous!

It was too late to savor the feeling as Gu Yu quickly pressed on: “Well, if you remember, you said you only play the violin for people that you like… It turns out again, that your ‘like’ isn’t serious.”

Hearing the accusations of seemingly trivial matters made Zhang Siyi heart stop.

Continuing his explanation, Gu Yu said in a soft tone like a lost child: “It seems like I have misunderstood. I thought hearing you play the violin was exclusively mine.”

Zhang Siyi completely abandoned any resistance: “I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong!”

He didn’t think that his off-handed remark would make Gu Yu think so much. Since he was most afraid of letting Gu Yu down, he could care less about the details and other things.

Shit! Since he said it, he has to adhere to his statement. In the future, he will only be able to play the violin for Gu Yu alone!

“I was just saying it!” Zhang Siyi held Gu Yu face in his hands and kissed him lightly all over his face while apologizing: “I’m sorry. I will only play for you in the future. Don’t be angry.”

Gu Yu wasn’t sure: “Only for me?”

Zhang Siyi held up his right hand and in a hurry said: “Really! I swear! Just for you!”

Finally, Gu Yu’s eyes softened. He raised his hands and caressed Zhang Siyi’s face then gently kissed him back.

He is addicted to taste of being loved by the person you love. Both sweet and sour, straight to the heart and deeply etched into your bones. This is love. It simply makes people act foolishly.

Laying down on the bed, the two continued to hold each other for a while. Gu Yu asked: “What game did you just play?”

Zhang Siyi quickly grabbed he iPad and returned to show Gu Yu: “It’s really fun. You should try it and see.”

Zhang Siyi started the simplest song to let Gu Yu get a feel for the game. The tempo is very slow and the drop-down icon is also slow. Primary school students may find it more difficult, but Gu Yu does not.

Gu Yu doesn’t seem to be interested in the game. As he pressed the required buttons he asked: “Is this not the same as the typing game that was popular in the early years when computers first came out?”

Zhang Siyi: “It’s not the same. That older game was to help you learn the letters of a keyboard. You need to listen to the beat and press keys in this one.”

At the end of a piece of music, Gu Yu looked at his own achievements; only an A. The accuracy rate was less than 95%. Gu Yu immediately raised an eyebrow.

Although he did not participate, he heard Gu Yao marveling at Zhang Siyi’s ability to achieve an A+ every time. The current best results are indeed Zhang Siyi’s.

Next to him, Zhang Siyi gloated and said: “Ha-ha, I am still awesome!”

Gu Yu wasn’t happy and requested another slightly more difficult song. This time since he missed two, the score was even worse at a B. He took a look at the highest record; still Zhang Siyi’s.

In disbelief, Gu Yu asked: “Do you always score an A+?”

Zhang Siyi: “Of course! Level three songs are so simple. I can play the first five levels at an A+”

Gu Yu: “…”

Zhang Si Yi picked a new track of the highest level he can play at present and personally demonstrated it for Gu Yu to see.

Gu Yu watched as his nimble fingers quickly press the correct keys on the screen with accuracy and again, he reached an A+ with a score of 99.3%!

Gu Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief. There seems to be more to it.

Zhang Siyi pushed the iPad to him and let him try the same level on his own. Since it was Gu Yu first attempt at playing and because of the difficulty, he couldn’t keep up with the rhythm and missed many keys.

Next to him, Zhang Siyi urged: “Move faster! Get with the beat! Ah, missed again.”

The final result came out; not even a B……

Gu Yu was silent. Zhang Siyi was silent.

Gu Yu’s silence is an accident. This game is not as simple as he thought. He was depressed at the gap between his own ability and Zhang Siyi’s.

Zhang Siyi is silent. He can’t understand why Gu Yu can’t get the simple rhythm and missed so much. He suspects that Gu Yu was deliberately losing!

With a newfound appreciation, Gu Yu seriously tried the game again. He also told Zhang Siyi to shut-up and stop distracting him. However, even with his determination, his score wasn’t much better than before.

Looking at Gu Yu’s puzzled expression of disbelief, Zhang Siyi tried to muffle a laugh, but instead a ‘pfft’ slipped out.

With a dark expression Gu Yu asked: “Tell me honestly. Have you ever played this game before?”

Zhang Siyi hurriedly said: “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m playing this game for the first time!”

Gu Yu wondered and questioned: “But how can you play so well when you don’t know how to play a piano?”

Zhang Siyi didn’t understand why Gu Yu was having a hard time. It was frustrating and he didn’t know how to explain how simply it was for him…. Suddenly, with a burst of wisdom Zhang Siyi spoke out: “I know!”

Gu Yu looked at him and flatly responded: “What do you know?”

Zhang Siyi rubbed his chin: “This may be some kind of latent talent. Just like why academics are so easy for you, this game is easy for me. You mentioned before in middle school you watched others struggle to pass exams while you passed with flying colors without effort…… Do you think they’re mentally retarded?

Gu Yu narrowed his eyes: “So, you think I’m mentally retarded now?”

Zhang Siyi mouth twitched: “I don’t mean that!”

Watching Gu Yu, Zhang Siyi had a bad feeling… If Gu Yu can’t beat his game, will he be angry at him?

“Hey! What are you doing? …Shit!   You really can’t play such a simple game…… Ah, ha-ha-ha-ha, don’t tickle me, Ha-ha-ha…. Uh, Hm, Mnm….”

……

After washing her face, Gu Yao went back to her room to sleep. In the hallway, she heard the familiar sound of music coming from her brother’s room. It piqued her interest, so she crept to their door and eavesdropped on them… Hey, isn’t this the same game they were just playing?

Then she heard Zhang Siyi giving out pointers: “Faster! Follow the rhythm.……”

Gu Yao jaw dropped. The more she stood there listening, the more irritated she felt. Who was the one that was opposed to them playing!? Yet now, he and Zhang Siyi were hiding in his bedroom playing! Too much!

When she heard Zhang Siyi explain to her brother why he played badly, Gu Yao almost laughed out loud! In the next moment, the music stopped and the sounds coming from the room seem a little strange…. Is he tickling Siyi? Hmm? It doesn’t seem right.…… Ah! She realized and reacted. Her face turned bright red and she felt embarrassed standing out in the hallway listening.  Oh, my god, she’s still a baby. My brothers are out of line! (&////&)

The next morning, Zhang Siyi ate Gu Yu’s breakfast and went out to the hotel to pick up his father and mother. Since Gu Yao rarely visited, she wasn’t in a hurry to leave. She was playing with Townhouse when she heard violin music in the direction of the sofa, she asked: “What are you listening to?” She curiously crept over and saw her brother watching a video on his mobile phone. The violin music was coming from the mobile phone.

Gu Yao craned her neck and took a peek. The person on the video…. Isn’t that Zhang Siyi? She also noticed the location of the video was this very living room. She saw Zhang Siyi focus on playing the music while wearing a white tux. Listening to the song, she watched him play a classical piece in a fast-paced rock style.

From the bottom of her heart and eyes sparkling, Gu Yao blurted out: “Wow! So awesome! He is so handsome!” 

Letting her only see part of the video, Gu Yu suddenly put the phone away.

“Hey! Why did you stop it?  I haven’t finished watching it yet!” Seeing the excitement suddenly came to an abrupt end, she complained. Clutching her brother’s shoulder, she tried to grab the phone away from him.

Gu Yu glanced at her sideways: “What do you think? Good, right?”

Gu Yao desperately nodded: “It’s very good, but I haven’t finished listening to it yet!”

Gu Yu put his mobile phone away and stood up, unmoved: “Your brother-in-law said he would only play the violin for me to listen to. Stop pestering him to play the violin for you. It was enough for you to see that short video clip.”

Gu Yao: “…” Bastard brother! He had his wife shun the younger sister. She really was there just to buy food!

Leaning on her, Townhouse let out a gentle ‘oowoo’ as if to tell her: “Sister, you still have me!”

When Zhang Siyi returned to the villa with his mother and father, Gu Yu drove them to the most famous spots in Haicheng. They also passed by Zhang Siyi’s workplace and learned a little about his company and job. At noon, they ate lunch at a restaurant outside. Soon, his parents needed to catch the train back to Ningcheng. Now that they know their son is following such a good boss, they could leave feeling at ease and assured about Zhang Siyi’s future.

After Zhang Siyi’s parents left, Gu Yu drove his sister back to school and also gave her a lot of fried fish for her to enjoy with her roommates.

After the weekend passed, it was time to work.  At the company the next day, in an effort to unify the travelers, everyone that was going on the trip had a package waiting for them that included their travel visa as well as a company t-shirt and travel cap. The company employees were in a festive mood.

However, the uniform dress code made the girl colleague a little bit depressed because the straight t-shirt was rather unattractive.

Someone protested: “The t-shirt is so ugly. Do I have to wear it?”

With a rare opportunity to travel out of the country, naturally one wants to take beautiful photos. How frustrating would it be if during the whole trip, only the company t-shirt was worn!?

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