A Round Trip to Love 1: LONG WAY HOME

Chapter Thirty Five

Ding Ding suffered another lecture from Zhu Sha.

" The Boss had a few extra words with you and your head has swelled so much you might just float to the clouds! Look at our Yi Chen, so humble, unlike you! Born to always be an insignificant character, first to stick out and first to die, two legs stepping on two boats, you will never have any hopes of being one of a kind !"

Ding Ding had a perpetual look of delight on his face while being scolded, he loved to be abused by Zhu Sha, even an egoistic man would turn into a slut under the hands of the woman he loves.

After the berating, he went about in a jubilant mood to buy a yogurt for Queen Zhu Sha. Without the supervisor around, everyone tucked into their individual spaces to count sheep, no one was interested in the little office drama.

Zhu Sha along with her branded dress came and sat next to me in my corner: " Yi Chen, accompany me to have ice cream fondue after work."

I did not raise my head: " Please spare me, and spare Ding Ding."

" Ding Ding has not an ounce of ambition, you are much better."

That is because I am not enamoured of women.

" Why hasn't he made any progress? He has been chasing after you for so long, the number of books he has read on understanding women could fill an entire book shelf, he should be more of an expert than a specialist now." I am fully aware that Zhu Sha is not attracted to me, only looking down on Ding Ding being as tasteless as chicken ribs used to make chicken stock, hoping for something more interesting.

" His tricks are limited to sending flowers and dinner treats, nothing extraordinary."

" To be so persistent in performing these two tasks are already very admirable, what more do you expect ?" Humans are never contented. "Do you want him to commit murder and arson for you, or shoot a satellite into space ?"

Zhu Sha still looks disgruntled: " Simply agreeing to date him is so dull, no one to compete with me, to be in such a relationship really does not feel like much of an accomplishment."

I learned that the value of a man is determined by how many competitors he can command.

" Our department has more males than females, should we get a guy to compete against you for Ding Ding ?" She was in a reverie. " Speaking of which, it isn't like there is no one in this company, the sweet-looking girl in sales department asked me about Ding Ding recently."

" Which one ?" Zhu Sha recovered her spirits instantaneously.

" What's her name now, it's Moustache's junior sister, anyway the one who came to look for Moustache the other time and had a nice long chat with Ding Ding."

" You mean the one who looks like a female fox ?" It is impossible to tell if the current expression on Zhu Sha is one of nervousness or anticipation. " Her eyes look a bit spastic, with single eyelids no less."

........ Pigs will fly when she can describe other women as pretty.

I allowed her to sit there on my folder getting excited for some inexplicable reason.

Ding Ding returned with two cups of yogurt to find his status miraculously elevated. Zhu Sha took over the yogurt and made her first move, saying to him out of the blue: " Let's watch a movie tonight."

Poor Ding Ding rubbed his hands in elation, he would not have refuted it if someone told him the sun had risen from the north, south, east and west all together. It had always been him chasing after Zhu Sha, begging, inviting, offering, finally the tide has turned.

For the next few days, Ding Ding was as happy as an immortal, and uncharacteristically well-tempered. I really envy his simple man's bessing: " The two of you better not burn the bridge that brought you across the river, flying away as a pair and leave me hanging on a tree."

Ding Ding gave one of his signature smirk: " That's right, Yi Chen, you might be young, but surely you are at an age where you want to be in love? Why is there no hint of that so far ?"

This kid is such a busybody.

" I am afraid of being dumped." It came out in a joking manner, but it is the truth.

" You are afraid of getting in a car accident why do you travel on the road everyday ?"

" If you die in a car accident, your misery ends there, to be abandoned, what you go through is worse than death............"

" Seeing you carrying yourself with such composure, I did not expect you to be so pessimistic !" Ding Ding rolled his eyes scornfully at me: " If I am half as cynical as you, I would not be able to touch even the corner of Zhu Sha's clothes now."

"Opportunity comes to those who are ready for it, happiness comes to those who seek it." This fellow had a sudden streak of poetic inspiration, and was so proud of it.

" Ding Ding.......... " I hesitated, " If you had a past lover...... who have left you, if she comes back now to confess to you, would you accept her ?"

" Do you love her ?"

I nodded my head.

" That settles it. Nothing much more to discuss about. Mutual love, what's there not to accept."

" There was indeed a period of time she did not love me anymore."

" And you take this to heart, and hold a petty grievance about it ?"

" It is not about being petty, I am just worried that she will get tired of me again."

" I really don't understand your rationale." Ding Ding shaked his head. "Why make a simple matter so complicated? In love with each other, then be with each other."

" As simple as that ?"

" If not, then? How complex do you want it to be ?" Ding Ding gave me an exasperated look, "This EQ level of yours, trust me to treat you as my strategist in the past, taking your advice on courting Zhu Sha. It is no wonder it took me this long to catch her."

This ungrateful thing..............

Ding Ding's rhetoric did not convince me fully.

As for Lu Feng, I want to take another gamble.

Using all my remaining courage and luck to place a final wager.

Will you be able to give me happiness? When I have stake my all on one throw?