July 2018.

No matter what time of year, the capital is always bustling. The night fades and the morning glow is brighter than gold, awakening the vitality of this ancient city. The Western-style breakfast in the coffee shop is simple and elegant, and the roadside stalls are full of aroma. The sense of luxury of the metropolis blends with the atmosphere of the city, outlining a thriving scene.

As soon as the alarm clock rang for the first time, the young woman scrambled to her feet. She meditated with her eyes closed for a moment, then did a few simple stretches on the bed, then opened the mobile app and listened to the English news.

She put her phone in her pocket and washed it, and after washing, she made herself a simple vegetable salad, whole wheat bread with avocado, plus a cup of sugar-free black coffee, a very healthy and low-fat breakfast.

The cosmetics on the table are all first-line brands, and she got an elegant commuter outfit in ten minutes. She wore a white shirt, a black A-line skirt, and a typical white-collar outfit, but she was in good shape, and this dress made her temperament even more outstanding. She put the work card into her bag, and the big words "Geng Xiaoqing" on the work card were very eye-catching.

After all these years, she is completely living the life of her dreams, she works hard, has a cheerful personality, never promiscuous, and must be home before ten o'clock in the evening. She cherishes herself, has good living habits, has a perfect figure, a good face, and has a large number of loyal suitors.

In short, she looks like a well-born girl, who has been well educated since she was a child and well protected by her family, so that she can achieve this slim appearance.

After getting out of the subway station, she bought another cup of iced American, hurriedly walked to the office building, and looked from a distance, a proper picture of a white-collar beauty going to work. For other girls, they may stick coffee on their faces, with the sunlight spilling around them, take a beautiful selfie, and post a circle of friends, "It's another day full of vitality, and I have to work hard today!"

But Geng Xiaoqing doesn't post selfies, to be exact, she doesn't post any moments. For everyone who added her WeChat, she had to explain again: "It's not that I blocked you, but that I really don't post on Moments, and treat me as an old man in the last century." ”

Such a beautiful woman is unusually low-key on social networks, which can be regarded as another kind of maverick. When she was in college, Renren was not in decline, and everyone around her was having fun. Geng Xiaoqing's college roommate often reminisces about the past on Renren.com, and struggles to find former classmates on it, Geng Xiaoqing has always disdained it, if no classmates look for her, it is exactly what she wants.

Or maybe from a long time ago, she decided to say goodbye to her former self completely. The dilapidated urban village, the third-rate high school she once attended, and none of the classmates she looked at, these are the pasts she wants to erase with all her might. After seven years away from her hometown, she finally got her wish, had a tall circle of friends, and lived a lonely and proud life. To her former classmates, she is a hidden legend.

Geng Xiaoqing's only contact with the past is a QQ account that has been used for more than ten years, but she has been invisible, and she ignores other people's messages to her. When she was abroad, her number was stolen twice, and she was so anxious that she struggled to find it. As soon as she logged in, she checked to see if there were any new messages, but she didn't.

Even now, Geng Xiaoqing is still used to watching QQ, she is eagerly waiting for a person's news, but for seven years, he has never replied to her.

This QQ number was applied for by him for her, and it has been more than ten years, even if the sea is dry and the rocks are rotten, she is reluctant to change it.

is as arrogant as her, and after he left the port city with cruel words, she also gambled with him. But in less than a month, she inquired about him from various sources. It was as if he had made a complete goodbye to the past, not contacting old friends, and never returning to Hong Kong City.

It seems that he hasn't let go of those things back then, Geng Xiaoqing thought of a hundred reasons to forget him, and he had to force himself to find a hundred and one reasons to find him.

She never talked to anyone about it, and she missed him so much.

Geng Xiaoqing's work unit is the head office of Bank K, and most of her colleagues are graduate students who graduated from top universities. She has been back in Beijing for less than a month, and her internship has not yet ended. Even though she was confident in herself, she was always a little nervous.

Today, the director of the Policy Research Center returned from abroad, and Geng Xiaoqing was able to meet the rumored iceberg beauty. In this state-owned enterprise, everyone is paid about the same salary, and their lives are stable and decent, so most of the other departments are happy and have harmonious interpersonal relationships. But this Director Gu is silent and meticulous in his work, often making his subordinates feel uneasy.

Director Gu's name is Gu Leming, who is about forty-five or sixteen years old, has not gotten married, and has no plans to get married. Hearing that she was coming back, several interns put down their work and hurriedly cleaned up the surroundings, wanting to leave a good impression on the director with a neat appearance.

Geng Xiaoqing is still working in his seat, sorting out yesterday's meeting materials. Other colleagues whispered complaints about her, but she was unmoved. When Gu Leming got out of the elevator, she leisurely picked up a kettle and watered the begonia flowers on the windowsill.

Sure enough, Gu Leming didn't stop for the other interns, but he saw Geng Xiaoqing taking care of the flowers and plants at a glance. The sun shone on her delicate figure, she was bathed in brilliant sunshine, and the atmosphere was quiet and beautiful. In a busy situation, she is the most calm.

Geng Xiaoqing stopped the work in his hand in a timely manner, and greeted the leader without humility or arrogance. Gu Leming showed a little approval: "You have always taken care of these pots of flowers?"

Geng Xiaoqing was ashamed: "Yes." ”

Taking care of these flowers and plants is Gu Leming's only pleasure, and she will show an extraordinarily gentle smile when dealing with flowers and plants. Geng Xiaoqing saw all this, and she knew that Director Gu liked plants very much, so even if no one instructed her, she took care of them very carefully.

"Very well kept. ”

"You've won a prize. Geng Xiaoqing smiled slightly: "When I was studying in Japan, I learned flower arrangement. ”

"No wonder, these flowers have some layering. Gu Leming nodded approvingly again: "Anyone can clean it, but not everyone can arrange flowers." ”

The interns were embarrassed to stay where they were.

After cleaning, they went to the bathroom to wash their hands and angrily denounced Geng Xiaoqing. They are all graduates of prestigious schools, and they are all riding the wind and waves in the praise, why were they compared to Geng Xiaoqing?

Geng Xiaoqing listened to the door for a long time before he walked in, and several colleagues were almost scared out of heart disease by her. She didn't care about other people's comments at all, she smiled, "I've never cleaned." ”

“......”

"I won't clean it in the future. ”

“......”

"The director is right, everyone can clean it, but not everyone can do it. ”

In Geng Xiaoqing's opinion, these proud sons of heaven who have been smooth sailing all the way are a little ridiculously simple, and whenever they pretend to be modest but proudly list the achievements they have made and the places they have been, she always smiles slightly. Although they have lived a colorful life since childhood, their lives are pale compared to her.

Gu Leming took an afternoon to interview each intern individually. No matter how good the interns have been, they are still very reserved when facing their bosses in the workplace, pay special attention to their words and deeds, and try to be "steady and generous". Geng Xiaoqing is the same, but she is used to seeing big scenes and can handle them easily.

Gu Leming looked through her resume and said, "Before joining our bank, did you intern in Hong Kong?"

"Yes. ”

"The salary there should be much higher than here, and there is a good chance that you will stay there, why did you come back?"

Geng Xiaoqing replied truthfully: "The person I like is here, and it is absolutely impossible for him to go to Hong Kong, so I decided to go back to the mainland to find a job." ”

Gu Leming looked at her information seriously and said: "The first score in the written test, and the first in the interview, although I haven't met you directly, these results are enough to prove your excellence." ”

"You've won a prize. ”

Gu Leming smiled slightly: "Your working hours in Hong Kong are until the end of May, and the written test of our bank is scheduled for the beginning of June, so you don't have a long time to review!"

"To be exact, it's about half a month. ”

Gu Leming raised his head, and his lips didn't close because he was surprised. There is no doubt about the difficulty of the head office exam, she has only been preparing for half a month? If she is not bragging, then she is really smart. And she writes all her desires and ambitions on her face, and it doesn't look like a lie.

Gu Leming put down the information and said, "In a routine conversation, I always want to listen to your plan for work. Tell me, what are your thoughts on the future?"

"Get promoted, get a raise, and be at the top of the pyramid for the same batch of interns in the shortest possible time. ”

“......”

She's really different.

Gu Leming made a joke: "Since this is the case, then a private company should be a more suitable place for you." As far as I know, the big companies in the South have recruited a lot of people in your school, and their salaries are very attractive. ”

Geng Xiaoqing shook his head: "No, private companies are still unstable. I thought about it before, but after my junior year, I changed my mind. Maybe the income here is not so high, but at least it is an iron rice bowl in the eyes of the older generation - or even a golden rice bowl. Its advantages will be very obvious after the age of thirty, which is incomparable to other enterprises. And for me, a stable working environment stimulates my enthusiasm for my work. For the future, we need to take a long-term view in order to have leisure and enjoy better scenery. ”

......

Gu Leming opened his mouth involuntarily. Geng Xiaoqing's peers are probably rebelling against her parents' teachings about "iron rice bowls" and the like, but she does the opposite. She was only twenty-five years old, but her mental age was probably forty or fifty.

Gu Leming joked again: "Since you are pursuing stability, why don't you take the civil service examination? According to your ability, you can apply for very popular positions and obtain a higher social status." ”

Geng Xiaoqing secretly clenched her fists, she couldn't tell her the real reason, her father had been in prison, and she was not eligible to take the civil service exam.

Soon, Geng Xiaoqing found his composure again: "Each has its own benefits, but I like this job, it is stable and free." ”

Gu Leming didn't have any doubts, but nodded approvingly, and asked again, "Then why did you come to this department?"

"This is the core of the head office!" Geng Xiaoqing blinked slyly: "And I really want to work under your hands." ”

"Why?"

"Because you are the person who cherishes talents the most in this unit. Geng Xiaoqing said with rare sincerity: "The newcomers who have been promoted the fastest in the past two years have all gone out from you. Switching to other departments is unlikely. ”

Gu Leming stared into Geng Xiaoqing's eyes, and finally found a trace of sincerity in it. She involuntarily sat up straight, vaguely feeling that she had met a good subordinate and at the same time, a strong opponent.

However, after living for so many years, Gu Leming has already seen all kinds of people, and she asked calmly: "Have you read "The Great Gatsby"?"