Chapter Text
The reason Ningguang had applied for a job at The Jade Chamber was split into three significant portions— one, unlike all the other companies in the city, this oneʼs name particularly stuck out like a sore thumb. It was not limited to blah-blah-blah incorporative or worse, something that ended with limited, no, the Jade Chamberʼs name had a certain posh ring to it, it was smooth and classy. Many people would find it absurd that she had applied for a job at a place because of its elegant name but to the 27 year old, it made perfect sense.
The second reason was the more than handsome pay she received at the end of each month. Not only was she backpacking across the globe from time to time, but also had more than a sufficient amount to afford her luxurious lifestyle. The designer bags, heels, dresses, well, nothing came for free, right? She had to thank Beidou for putting in a good word for her with the CEO; had it not been for her, Ningguang didnʼt know if she had a chance to strive amidst such elites.
The third reason was her favorite.
And it was not something she had initially thought of when she had applied here as a the HR manager. It came to her in pieces, little by little and then, all at once. She gradually developed this idea, this necessity and gave it the name of her third reason as to why she had joined the company.
And the reason was sitting in front of her, legs crossed, a black Parker pen in between his teeth, glasses resting on the bridge of his nose until—
Ningguang counted to five in her head. It was always five.
He pushed the glasses up with an index finger, the rectangular glass design really complimented him, she would give him that. Men in spectacles wasn't exactly her type but all that previous bravado of hers had been kicked out of the window when she had set her eyes on this man. The usually calm and composed Ningguang lacked the ability to even utter a coherent sentence in this guyʼs presence. Beidou would often pass by her, sigh and shake her head in embarrassment.
Today, he wore a gray suit that clung to his lean frame like second skin. The tie around his neck was black, like always, she noted. And again, as always, his hair dark was disheveled, Ningguangʼs second favorite thing about him.
The first surely had to be his gold eyes. It was a set Ningguang had never seen before. Specks of brown and ash lined his orbs under the gleaming sunlight, framed by long thick, dark lashes. It made her extremely envious that a man had such naturally beautiful lashes whereas she had to add volume to her own with mascara everyday. His hair was trimmed short from the back, but several strands fell over his forehead. He was anything but out of the ordinary but for some damn reason, Ningguang could not find it in herself to look away from him.
6 months working at the Jade Chamber had her crossing and uncrossing her legs whenever he was around her.
The senior marketing manager was beautiful, almost as if he were carved by the gods themselves. He was extremely hardworking, not the one to slack off at the slightest. He was always the last one to walk out of the building, right after Ningguang herself. It was quite reputable in the entire office that the HR and marketing managers worked the hardest out of the lot. They were always the last to leave the office, and the earliest to arrive.
Ningguang could go on and on about Mr. Zhongliʼs mysterious persona combined with how good he looked, but there was a problem.
The man was as aloof as a bard.
Because in the 6 months she had been working here, Ningguang had been simultaneously hitting on him for the past four months or so. Honestly, she had lost count at this point.
The man just could not pick up her hints.
Whether it was her shamelessly ogling her in a meeting of investors, or politely asking him how he would like his coffee because she was running out to get some herself. Of course, she had an assistant for such mediocre tasks but when it was Zhongli, she wanted to savor the tiniest of brush of their fingers when she handed him his cup. She liked how he smiled at her in the aftermath, the soft thank you that left his lips.
He was the reason she zoned out in most board meetings, always she cursing herself later. She took great pity in herself; imagine being the head of HR and not knowing why a human was behaving the way he was supposed to.
Perhaps he was gay?
Ningguang had considered this possibility when Beidou had brought it over at lunch one day, and honestly, the mere idea of it had broken her heart; not because he might be into men, but the fact she had already lost her chance before the game had even begun. After two weeks of mulling over a matter she knew she had no control over, Ningguang had given up on her life as a whole. It may sound absolutely ridiculous upon telling someone, but she had stopped perusing him for an indefinite time. She remembered her grand motherʼs words that day, and she cursed herself for not telling herself sooner.
“All good and handsome men are either married, already in a relationship or gay.”
While she had no issue with his sexual orientation, Ningguang was still bummed—the fact that she was a woman and probably did not even stand a chance as a potential loverʼs position in his eyes.
And then, she heard him talking on the phone in the break room that very day. Maybe the gods above had taken pity on her.
She was preparing her coffee with a slouched face, trying to get by the day when Zhongli had walked into the small room, his amber eyes acknowledging her with a small glint. His phone was wedged between his ear and shoulder while he busied himself tearing the packet of tea with his teeth.
Ningguang closed her eyes, turning around to hide her red face.
Did he do this hot stuff on purpose? She wondered.
Surely, had he considered this a private conversation, he would have not come to the break room designated for the entire floorʼs staff, right? Ningguang assured herself that she was not eavesdropping and that it was okay. She told herself that he would have asked her to leave, but then again, he was too kind to do that. He had even looked at her and smiled.
Oh, that smile. It had her weak in the knees.
And between the knees, too.
So, she had quietly stirred her forgotten cup of coffee, trying to console her already broken heart as she forced herself to not listen to whatever he was saying on the phone.
But it still caught her attention.
“I am sorry for what happened between us, but we can not get back together again. How many times should I tell you this?” Zhongli turned around, had the audacity to look at Ningguang while he conversed with a previous lover, most probably given his words, and mouthing to ask for a spoon.
Too shocked to comprehend, Ningguang stood still, her lips parted until he smiled at her and made a gesture of stirring.
Oh.
She had never fetched a spoon in her life as quick as she had that day.
“Thank you.” His rosy hued lips formed the perfect o at the last word. Ningguang wanted to scream.
“We broke up over eight months ago. It doesn't look nice when you try to shoot your shot every month when you already know what my answer will be.” He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
At this point, Ningguang looked like she was stirring the coffee for too long, but she could not bring herself to look away from the man.
Now that she really paid attention to him, he did not have the usual glow to his face like he always did, or even when he had this morning when they had a meeting. His hair was more disheveled than usual (if that was even possible) and his tie was crooked. It was still crooked in the morning but was not as noticeable as it was now. She wondered if he knew about the last part.
So he had been in a relationship before.
Ningguang felt so dumb.
Of course he had been in a relationship. A man as good looking as Zhongli surely had many women/men swooning after him. She was a victim of his charm after all, and it was not easy to sway such a stoic and poised woman as herself.
The sound of Zhongli speaking had her snapping back to reality.
“Please don't call me again. We ended on good terms, Guizong, and I would like to remember it like that. Thank you.” The business voice made her heart ache for the poor person on the other end of the line, but at the same time, it made her heart tighten. If only, she could have a relationship, too.
And then, the most unexpected of the unexpected happened. Zhongli turned to Ningguang, a soft smile playing on his features. For a second she was worried he was going to scold her for eavesdropping because she had heard everything he had said.
Oh dear lord, she was going to get a reality check from her own crush.
All too suddenly, re-arranging the already arranged mugs seemed like the perfect getaway at the moment. So she let Zhongli face her back, murmuring something under her breath and fanning herself.
The next moment, he was standing next to her, too close to her. So close that her shoulder was brushing against his upper forearm. Raising her ruby eyes to meet his golden ones, once again, Ningguang felt the air knock out of her lungs.
Why did he have to be so pretty?
He adorned a boyish grin on his face, something she had never seen on him in all her time working here. It made her heart stop for the second time in a minute.
“I am sorry you had to hear all that.” He sighed, still too close. “It was my ex girlfriend, she uhm-” he looked at a loss of words, scratching his temple, then his chin. “She had some issues.”
Ningguang was tempted to ask why he was telling her all this and that, he really did not have too, but her heart was currently rejoicing the word girlfriend.
So he was into women.
Perhaps, there was still a chance for her?
“You don't have to-” the ashy haired woman forced herself to say something, anything at all. She had been standing like a dummy all this time, after all.
“No, no, it's alright. You heard everything. It's not like it's your fault. You are my good colleague and I wish there may be no misunderstandings between us.” He gave an awkward chuckle, perhaps he too, like Ningguang realized that this was the longest they had conversed with each other.
“Mr. Zhongli, I won't look down on you just because of a personal matter, that is your own choice. I still hold great respect for you..” For the first time that evening, she was talking sensibly. She gave herself a mental pat on the back, a second one after she was able to retrieve another chuckle from his side.
“Thank you, Ms. Ningguang. I appreciate it a lot.” He gave her a single nod, followed by another and then another until he realized what he was doing.
It was the first time Ningguang had laughed in a while, and it was all thanks to the man keeping her up at nights. Funny how he gave her hardship and ease at the same time.
Ningguang noted the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, the way he held a hand to his mouth when he laughed, it was something she had seen a man do, she was in even more awe than before.
“We should get back to work,” it was her who proposed the idea. Zhongli soon followed suit, nodding his approval. They stood in the small cabin, too close yet too far, something left unsaid in the thin chilly December air.
“We should-” he jutted out his thumb in the direction of the door.
“Yes! Yes, I mean,” she noted her enriched enthusiasm for something so mediocre. “I mean, yes, we should go.”
As they broke their distance, Ningguang felt his husky sandalwood scent disappear.
Zhongli was just about to turn the door knob when Ningguang called his name.
“Yes?” Sometimes, she wondered if he was aware of the effect he had on most women in this office, including herself. But a greater part of her told her that he was just an aloof stick.
“Your tie is crooked.” She pointed at his sleek black tie.
Ningguang didn't think men blushed too until she laid eyes on this absolute gem herself.
Pink dusted his face all over the place.
“I am sorry-” and she also wondered if men apologized so much. Now that she gave it some thought, every sentence of his either started with an apology or at least, contained one in the middle. “I am horrible at these things. My niece does this for me at home but she has gone to tend to some matters in the city-” he went on.
And he went on some more...
“I told her to teach me this stuff before she went but the little brat, oh my, please excuse my language-” he breathed quickly, trying to adjust the fabric around his neck while Ningguang merely watched, amused.
And a little more...
“I know I should pay closer attention to these details, but the workload has just been so hectic and I-”
Before she could comprehend what she was doing, Ningguang was already standing in front of him, her heels did no justice whatsoever to his tall frame but she still stood in all her glory.
Zhongli, for the first time that evening, finally shut up.
“Do you want me to help you?” A simple question as it was, it still took him an entire half minute to answer.
He dropped his struggling arms to his side, sighing. “Yes, please.”
Carefully, Ningguang undid the crooked knot before proceeding to tie it properly again. Her fingers brushed against his chest, the skin on his neck, his collarbone and with each touch, she told herself to get a grip or perhaps, she would have him under her body in a second.
When she was done, she smiled at him, pulling herself away.
“Thank you.” He examined the properly knotted tie and then, as if to get one last laugh from her, he added, “It is even better than the mess my niece makes.”
They shared another laugh as they walked out of the office. Her eyes caught Beidouʼs at once who instantly gave her a look that said tell me everything. Well of course, she would share her first perfect interaction of her crush with her best friend later on.
As they gave each other one final look before departing to their respective offices, Ningguang could not help but feel giddy for three reasons; one, that he was into women, and two, she had just talked to him for practically what felt like a lifetime and third, she had touched him up close.
Her teenage was starting to come back to her, only this time, she felt more comfortable in her body and mind. No more of her confused self from earlier.
Maybe this would not be as bad as she had initially thought. Something told her a friendship, more than what mere colleagues had, had already started brewing between them.