Main Story Ch. 2-13 - The Time in Between (时间针脚) | Light and Night 光与夜之恋
In the Previous Chapter... (Read here)
I raised my head at a loss, suddenly I could feel a strong force quickly pulling me over into a tight embrace!
Disclaimer: I have not been using 'Evan' in previous chapters until here because I wanted to give the context where MC didn't know Lu Chen is the Evan that have hired her into Warson until the end of this chapter.
Lu Chen: Be careful!
The floor of the elevator suddenly tilted, followed by a powerful force that pushed us back to the wall. Lu Chen raised an arm to support on the wall, and securely holding me with another arm.
The sounds of the metal collisions are getting louder, the elevator that has originally stopped is now crashing downwards again! The loud sounds are now echoing louder and louder in my ears, the only thing in my vision is only the rapidly changing numbers in red on the display. While things are spinning around, the weightless feelings of oppression is shrouding me tightly. I closed my eyes in fear, my heart almost felt like it has stopped for a moment.
There's only one thing in my mind: I don't want my life to end just like this!
Lu Chen: Hold me tight.
The arm around my waist now tightened even more, even the palm that's holding onto my head patted me a few times, full of intentions of consolation. The elevator is cold and dark, but his embrace was broad and warm, allowing my heart that was beating rapidly to gradually calm down.
Lu Chen: Don't be afraid.
In the darkness, Lu Chen stared closely at the display that is rapidly changing with a frown. A clear scarlet color flows from his eyes. As the scarlet disappeared from his eyes, the elevator's movements were stuck three times consecutively, then came to a halt.
Ba-dump, ba-dump... The sounds of the calm and hasty heartbeats weaved together, echoing within this tight space.
Lu Chen: It's alright now.
I dare not to be certain that the elevator will crash down again, that my body tensed so much that I dare not to relax for a single moment. At the next moment, a dim light shines on the elevator door from the phone, shaking a little.
Lu Chen: Is this better this way?
You: Yeah...
Still a little shocked, I kept grabbing onto his sleeves, nervously nodding to him.
Lu Chen: Don't be afraid. We'll be able to get out soon, trust me.
He placed the phone into my hand. When I placed my hand into the pocket and take it out again, there are now two pen caps in my palm.
Lu Chen placed the pen caps in both of his index fingers and crossed his hands together. The light on the elevator door now has a shadow of a rabbit. The rabbit trembled a little, as if it was suddenly shocked, then lying on the ground, and both of its ears are now drooping by its side.
You: This is a rabbit in shock.
Lu Chen: Yes, it is quite similar to how you looked just now.
He looked at me, a mischievous smile appeared from his gaze.
Unwilling to admit to it, I straightened the two pen caps, the shadow rabbit on the wall suddenly looked a lot more energetic.
You: This is actually me.
Lu Chen: Then, why are you always confounded every time I see you?
I opened my mouth, but I realized that I couldn't refute. The last time I met him, I was escaping from danger in panic, and this time it's the elevator incident, and I even crumpled onto his clothes so much that it's now wrinkled. In the end, I still needed him to console me.
You: Next time, I will not be this confounded.
Lu Chen: Oh?
You: I'm usually pretty brave, just that I didn't expect this accident to happen so sudden.
Lu Chen: It doesn't matter whether you're brave or timid, you've performed very well just now.
His smile is full of affirmation, that I have now subconsciously threw the fear and panic to the back of my head.
You: We're trapped here for so long, will it affect your work? You're supposed to prepare for the handover ceremony right? But you've disappeared for this long.
Lu Chen nodded, looking very troubled.
You: If the CEO is angry, I will be your witness that we were both stuck in the elevator together.
Lu Chen: You... are you acquainted with the CEO?
You: I don't know him, but I have heard that he's a kind gentleman, and there's no temper from him. He's also very hardworking, arriving the office earlier than anyone else, and only finishes work during midnight. But it's just a rumor, so it probably sounded exaggerated.
The smile in Lu Chens' gaze has deepened.
You: Mm... Are there more?
You: Also, I think he's like a Doraemon, but of course this is just my personal imagination. I heard that he could even pull out band-aids and painkilling sprays from his pocket during midnight.
Lu Chen seemed to be amused by what I've said, and laughed sullenly.
"Ding--"
The top light suddenly flashed, and returned to normal. The sounds of floor arrival have followed suit.
You: We're saved?
The elevator door slowly opens, a man with a burly figure came into sight. His eyes widened when he saw us.
??: ... ...!
Lu Chen: I'm sorry, I have some important things to handle next, can I request Zhou Yan to send you over?
You: No need, you guys get busy, I can go back myself.
Lu Chen nodded, and no longer said anything. I waved at him, and ran all the way to the receptionist.
In order to prevent the same incident to happen again, I have reported about the faulty elevator to HR.
The time in the afternoon passed very quickly, the handover ceremony is going to start soon. By the time I entered the venue, it's already crowded. The media have already set up their "pike cannons", wanting to be the first to capture the looks of the new CEO in Warson.
Hao Shuai: The seats at the back are empty, let's go there! If we're sleeping at the last row nobody will catch us!
Li Manman: That isn't nice to do isn't it.
Quiff-haired boy: What time does this meeting end? It's affecting my work.
Mao Ge: Do you think there are people who care about you? Being all pretentious.
Zheng Lin: No we can't, the HR has arranged the areas for each group. We're sitting in front.
Mao Ge: It's great to sit in the front row! I wanted to see the true face of the CEO.
Everyone followed Zheng Lin's lead and sat down. Very quickly, the event has started. After the host has adjusted the microphone and made a simple opening, he raised an arm to make a welcoming gesture.
Host: Next, allow us to invite Warson's newly-appointed CEO, Evan Lu to give his speech.
Evan? The scrawled signature on my offer letter from Warson flashed before my eyes.
Lu Chen: Good afternoon everyone, thank you for taking your time to attend this ceremony today despite your busy schedule. I am Lu Chen, and I will be taking over the CEO's position in Warson.
I thought I've heard wrongly, and dumbfoundedly raised my head.
Everything around me seemed to have turned into a void, the only thing that is clear to my eyes now are the spotlight on the stage, and the man that's standing in the middle of the light. The man that helped me out in the coffee shop, the person that consoled me in the elevator, the images of him are now overlapping with the man on the stage at this very moment.
How could it be him...?
But now that I've think of it properly, it's because he's the new CEO of Warson, that he will appear around the venue, that he'll tell me that he's preparing for the handover ceremony.
Turns out that everything is actually like this.
I absentmindedly looked at Lu Chen, the pair of calm and bright eyes looked through the crowd towards me, as if we had tacit. It's just like the warm light that brightens up in the dark elevator.
Even until the ceremony ends, I am still at the shock despite everyone else have already left. At this moment, a cup of coffee appeared before me.
You: ...... This is?
Zhou Yan: I am President Lu's assistant Zhou Yan, sorry to have put you through this shock, this is something from President Lu.
Without allowing me to refuse, he shoved the cup to me, and disappeared in the seas of people. The cup has a familiar logo on it, it's the coffee shop that Lu Chen and I have met. Like a inadvertent reminder, regardless his identity, the moments we spent in the past will not change.
You: Thank you, Doraemon.
