Chapter 4

I began to appear regularly in front of Silas.

He would arrive at work half an hour early every day, and three days a week, I would catch the same elevator as him. At that time, the elevator usually had only the two of us.

I didn’t say much, just greeted him, pressed the elevator button, and stood quietly to the side.

Then, without fail, I would go to get a cup of coffee every noon.

At that time, he would usually come for coffee too. I made sure not to run into him in the break room, leaving before he finished, but ensuring he could see me.

Occasionally, I would work overtime, and he would pass by my desk when leaving.

In short, I tried to appear in front of him as much as possible without saying a word to him.

Finally, on the 17th time he saw me working overtime, he paused and walked over to me.

“I’ve noticed you’ve been working overtime a lot lately. Is there a problem you’re dealing with?”

I looked up in feigned surprise, hesitated for a moment, and handed over the documents in my hand.

“I recently took on a new project, but there are some assets in this company that I’m not sure about the risks, so I have to study them more.”

Silas naturally sat down at the desk next to mine:

“Let me take a look.”

He had a faint woody scent, which mixed with the light rose fragrance on me, creating an indescribable intoxication.

“I think this project is feasible. Look at their company’s 2023 report; the financial situation is quite good, and…”

He spoke eloquently, and I nodded earnestly, occasionally raising some highly technical questions. After he answered them one by one, I showed a look of sudden realization.

“Oh, I see. Thank you, I never thought in this direction before.”

“Your professional skills are quite good; it’s just that you lack some work experience. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“Leave work early.” He joked for once.

“Don’t let people think I’m some heartless boss who forces employees to work overtime all the time.”

I nodded, packed up the documents, and went downstairs with him.

As we stepped out, raindrops were blown onto me by the wind, and I hesitated, stepping back.

Silas was about to leave, but seeing I hadn’t moved, he turned back and asked:

“What’s wrong?”

I waved my hand: “It’s nothing, Silas. You go ahead. I… I just remembered I have something to do.”

He didn’t ask further, nodded, and left.

Five minutes later, his car emerged from the underground parking lot, and I was still standing at the company entrance.

Silas rolled down the window: “Didn’t you drive?”

I replied sheepishly: “No, it’s raining, and it’s hard to get a taxi. It’s okay, I’ll wait a bit longer, and one should come.”

He offered:

“Hop in, I’ll give you a ride.”

…

Along the way, I talked quite a bit with Silas. He was somewhat surprised to find that our interests aligned well, even my favorite niche film, “The Holy Mountain,” was his favorite too.

Silas’s initially indifferent attitude gradually became more talkative, and when we reached my home, he didn’t even hit the brakes, continuing to drive past.

I pursed my lips, just about to remind him, but he had already noticed.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking at the navigation.”

After the car stopped, I once again expressed my gratitude for him driving me home.

Silas just nodded, his lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something but swallowed it back.

“What’s wrong, Silas?” I looked at him.

“What perfume are you wearing? It smells nice.” He seemed a bit regretful after speaking, but saying anything more would only make it awkward, so he simply lowered his head and said nothing.

I found it amusing:

“Penhaligon’s Fox. Well, Silas, see you tomorrow.”