When A Snail Falls In Love

Yao Meng & Shu Hang Short Story Part 2.1

When men's feelings towards women are concerned, even though a man may have seen a woman only once, as long as an impression has been formed, it becomes very easy to turn obsessive.

The feelings Shu Hang had for Yao Meng were somewhat complicated.

The first glimpse of her graceful form had left a favourable impression on him. However, when he found out about her situation, found out that she had once been enthralled by that man's charms, found out that he had kept her captive and captivated for several months, and then, found out that the man had finally been shot dead in her arms . . . how should he express his thoughts and emotions? No one close to Shu Hang had ever encountered such a situation.

Inexplicably, he felt both oppressed and distressed on her behalf.

Two months later, Shu Hang once again visited Lin City and met Yao Meng. This time, it was in his capacity as a business partner.

He had originally intended to shift the focus of his undertakings to the southwest, and Yao Meng was now the owner of the strongest corporation in Lin City. Interaction between them was unavoidable.

On the day of their reunion, Yao Meng was looking through several statistical reports in the company's top-floor office. The secretary came in to report, "President Yao, President Shu from Beijing has arrived."

Yao Meng nodded, and felt a faint sense of delight.

It had nothing to do with love. It would definitely move you to have such a man pursuing you, caring about you, and teasing you during the most difficult time of your life. Although she had rejected him, they could still be friends.

After a while, a tall, clean-cut man walked unhurriedly into the room while hiding a smile. The secretary at the door had previously received flowers on Yao Meng's behalf on countless occasions*, and thus a fleeting smile appeared on his face. Yao Meng smiled politely at Shu Hang and said, "President Shu, please sit."

*到手软 (dào shǒu ruǎn) – to do a manual task until one's hands are limp with exhaustion

Courtesy and alienation are as different as chalk and cheese*.

*泾渭分明 (Jīng Wèi fēn míng) – as the rivers Jing and Wei separate clearly

Shu Hang's initial plan to adopt a formal 'I am here to negotiate a major project' tone failed as he laughed suddenly. He raised his eyebrows, and spoke as if in disbelief. "What did you call me? President Shu? Have we grown so distant after not seeing each other for just two months? Yao Meng, just call me 'Ah Hang'."

Yao Meng had thought that they had turned the page on what had happened between them. When she heard his words, she looked up into his eyes, which bore an expression which was like a smile, yet not quite a smile. For a brief moment, she had no idea how to reply. Shu Hang then brought out a sheaf of plans from his briefcase and casually handed them to her, saying, "Come on, let's get to business. There's no rush to talk about private matters."

Yao Meng: " . . ."

Some people are born to bring happiness to others.

Such as Shu Hang.

Yao Meng had never met a company boss and scion of a top party official who was like Shu Hang. All day long, he was slovenly, while his mouth could spout nonsense like none other. There was nothing proper about him at all. Whether it was a business meeting, or a business lunch, he was capable of making people rock back and forth in laughter.

However, he was completely clear and logical when it came to real work. Yao Meng had learned how to conduct business only from Lin Qingyan, and had just started to figure it out, when it all came to an abrupt end. Moreover, Shu Hang's business style was different from Lin Qingyan's. He was not as ruthless as Lin Qingyan, but was even more cunning. Sometimes, when he came up with fresh ideas, Yao Meng would find herself dumbfounded and entirely at a loss for words. And, at other times, she was completely unable to follow his strategies for arbitrage trading.