Stars Fall Into The Sea, Love Never Fades Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Loss of control in the workplace and the protection of the soul

Ah Zhi was late for the project review meeting in the afternoon.

He originally set an alarm for two o’clock, but because he lost control of his mood while looking through Qi’s belongings in the morning, he cried himself to sleep.It was already half past three when I woke up, and the meeting had already started for an hour and a half.He washed up in a hurry, didn’t even eat breakfast or lunch, grabbed his briefcase and rushed to the company.

When he walked into the conference room, everyone’s eyes were focused on him.The department manager looked livid, and the customers looked displeased.Manager Ah’s secretary was standing at the door. When he saw him coming in, he quickly handed over a document and whispered: “Mr. Ah, this is the focus of the discussion just now. The client is already a little impatient.”

Azhi nodded, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.He walked to the main seat and sat down, picking up the documents and browsing them quickly, trying to keep up with the rhythm of the meeting.But his mind was filled with the contents of Qi’s diary, and those desperate words were like needles, pricking him uneasily.

“Mr. Ah, what do you think of the budget plan for this project?” the customer representative asked, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Ah Zhi raised his head, his eyes a little blank.He didn’t hear what they were saying just now, and he didn’t know how to respond.

There was silence in the conference room. Everyone looked at him with surprise and doubt in their eyes.The department manager quickly smoothed things over: “Mr. Li, I’m really sorry. Mr. Ah is feeling a little unwell today and may not be in a good state. How about we take a ten-minute break first to let Mr. Ah relax?”

The customer representative frowned and said nothing, acquiescing.

Azhi stood up and walked out of the conference room as if running away.He leaned against the wall of the corridor, breathing heavily, his heart pounding.He knew how bad his performance was just now. Not only did he lose his face, it might also affect the cooperation of the project.

The familiar smell of cedar was around him, as if Qi was beside him, looking at him worriedly.

“Qi, am I useless?” He whispered, with a hint of self-denial in his voice, “I can’t even do my job well, and I can’t even control my emotions. You always said that I was very powerful and could do anything in the past, but now, I can’t even do the most basic things.”

There was no response in the air, but Ah Zhi could feel that the smell of cedar seemed to be stronger, as if Qi was comforting him.He stretched out his hand, wanting to touch the void around him, but he only touched the cold wall.

Ten minutes later, the meeting resumed.Ah Zhi forced himself to concentrate and tried to listen to everyone’s discussion, but Qi’s shadow still flashed in his mind from time to time.He remembered that Qi always prepared coffee and snacks for her when he was working overtime, reminding him “don’t be too tired, pay attention to rest”; he remembered that when he encountered difficulties, Qi held his hand and said, “Azhi, you can do it, I believe in you.”

Those warm memories were like a force that supported him to barely finish the meeting.Although the customer was still a little dissatisfied, he finally agreed to continue cooperation, but asked him to submit a revised plan before next week.

After the meeting, the department manager walked up to him and hesitated to speak: “Mr. Ah, have you been under too much pressure recently? If you really can’t bear it, please take a few days off to rest. Your health is important.”

Ah Zhi shook his head: “I’m fine, thank you for your concern. I will submit next week’s plan on time.”

Back in the office, Ah Zhi sat at his desk, looking at the files on the desktop, but he no longer had the time to deal with them.He felt a deep fatigue, not only physical, but also psychological.He felt as if his soul had been taken away, leaving only an empty shell, living numbly in this world.

He picked up his phone, clicked on the dialog box with Qi, and looked at the last message Qi sent, tears welling up again.His fingers trembled as he typed the next line: “Qi, I miss you so much, I really miss you. I really don’t know what I would do without you.”

A message indicating successful sending popped up, but he knew that Qi would never reply to this message.

In the evening, Ah Zhi finished handling some urgent work at hand and prepared to go home.As soon as he walked out of the office, he saw the secretary standing at the door with a thermos bucket in his hand.

“Mr. Boss, this is the porridge made by my mother. You haven’t eaten anything today, so you must be hungry. You can take it and eat it on the way.” The secretary said with a hint of concern in his tone.

Ah Zhi was stunned for a moment, and a warm current surged in his heart.He didn’t expect that when he was at his most vulnerable, it was his secretary who gave him a touch of warmth.

“Thank you.” He took the thermos bucket, his voice a little hoarse.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Ah. You should also pay more attention to your health and don’t be too tired.” After the secretary finished speaking, he turned and left.

Ah Zhi took the thermos bucket and walked to the parking lot.After getting into the car, he opened the thermos bucket and a strong aroma of porridge came out.It’s millet porridge, boiled very soft, with a few red dates added to it. It’s a taste he used to like very much.

He scooped up a spoonful of porridge and put it into his mouth. The warm porridge slid down his throat, slightly alleviating his hunger and fatigue.He remembered that in the past, Qi often cooked millet porridge for him, saying, “Millet porridge nourishes the stomach. You are busy at work, so you should take good care of your stomach.”

At that time, he always found Qi nagging him, but now, no one would cook porridge for him anymore, and no one would care about him like this anymore.

The tears fell into the thermos bucket and were mixed with the porridge.Ah Zhi was crying and drinking porridge with big mouthfuls, as if he wanted to swallow all his thoughts and regrets into his stomach.

Qi’s soul was sitting in the passenger seat, looking at him, feeling extremely distressed.He wanted to hug Ah Zhi and tell her “Don’t be sad, I’m always by your side”, but he couldn’t do anything.He could only look at Ah Zhi, watching him being swallowed up by regret and longing.

Halfway through the car, it suddenly started raining heavily.Heavy raindrops hit the car window, making a crackling sound, and the vision became blurry.Ah Zhi slowed down and drove carefully.

At this moment, a truck suddenly rushed out from the side and hit his car directly.Ah Zhi turned pale with fright and subconsciously turned the steering wheel.The car lost control and hit the guardrail on the side of the road.

With a loud “bang”, the car hit the guardrail, and the airbag popped out, protecting Ah Zhi’s body.His forehead hit the steering wheel, a sharp pain came, and his vision went dark for a moment.

The second before he lost consciousness, he felt a strong smell of cedar wrapping around him, as if Qi was by his side, protecting him with all his strength.He seemed to hear Qi’s voice, with a hint of anxiety and worry: “Azhi, don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

When he woke up again, he was already lying on the hospital bed.His forehead was wrapped with thick gauze, and there were many abrasions on his body, which were aching.The nurse saw him waking up and came over quickly: “Sir, are you awake? How do you feel? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Ah Zhi shook his head, his voice hoarse: “I’m fine, thank you.”

He looked around and saw that the ward was empty except for him.The familiar smell of cedar was still around him, stronger than ever, as if Qi had always been by his side and never left.

“Qi, you saved me, right?” He said softly, his eyes full of gratitude, “Thank you, Qi. Thank you for always staying with me and protecting me.”

There was no response in the air, but Ah Zhi could feel that the smell of cedar seemed to carry a gentle smile, as if Qi was saying “you’re welcome” to him.

He knew that Qi was always by his side, within three meters, guarding him.No matter what danger he encounters, Qi will protect him in his own way.This protection across life and death became his courage and strength to survive.