Unexpected Encounters

As the workday wound down, Liu Wei made her way to the parking lot, her thoughts still preoccupied with the housing situation. She spotted Chen Wei leaning against his car, chatting on the phone. A hopeful smile crossed her face, and she quickened her pace, eager to speak with him.

However, just as she was about to reach him, her colleague Xing Ming emerged from the building. With a bright smile, Xing Ming rushed over and enveloped Chen Wei in a warm hug, calling him "darling." Liu Wei's heart sank at the sight. She hesitated for a moment, her feelings of disappointment sharp but fleeting. Taking a deep breath, she decided to walk forward, not letting her emotions get the best of her.

As Liu Wei turned to head towards her own car, she noticed Zhang Yan walking towards her, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. He approached her with an air of casual confidence.

"Excuse me," Zhang Yan said, his voice smooth. "Do you have a lighter?"

Liu Wei, still stinging from the earlier encounter, gave him a curt glance. "Sorry, I don't smoke," she replied coolly, her tone edged with a hint of disdain. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Later that night, Liu Wei was jolted by another call from her landlord, who reiterated the urgency of moving out by the next day. Frustrated and feeling the weight of the situation, Liu Wei immediately called Lin Mei for help.

"I need to sort this out tonight," Liu Wei said. "Can you help me find a place?"

Lin Mei reassured her that she was on it, and Liu Wei, feeling somewhat relieved, decided to head to the grocery store to pick up a few things. As she walked through the aisles, her thoughts turned to her earlier encounter with Zhang Yan. She spotted a display of smoking buds and a lighter and picked them up, her curiosity piqued. "How did Zhang Yan know I smoke?" she wondered to herself.

With a sense of unease and a bit of irritation, Liu Wei bought the items and made her way back home. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts about her housing predicament, her colleagues, and the unexpected twists her day had taken.

As she entered her apartment, the reality of the looming deadline and the complexities of her interactions weighed heavily on her. With a sigh, she settled in for the night, hoping for some clarity and a solution to her mounting problems.