"What are you doing?" The mouth corners of the girl are slightly curve up, and making a teasing or mocking expression as she asked, "What do you think?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGX0YUNg9X
In an office where everyone wore ties or skirts, a bronzed girl with a huge backpack whom wearing a tight tank top and hot pants stood in front of TinJau. No one could quite associate what kind of relationship these two had.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QpDfl6gpU
But a sharp-eyed female colleague noticed the hickey and bite marks on the girl's neck, and TinJau look like almost exhausted and dispirited. The coworkers immediately understood.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAt8D8ZpqjB
The girl noticed the commotion around her, and TinJau's face turned red as the commotion escalated. She then made a gesture to TinJau which show "Okay, I've had enough fun, I'll let you go now," and waved the envelope file in her hand.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhhOaCxmwR
Inside was the material for TinJau's meeting that day.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5O9J2QBgL
"...I found a business card in the envelope, not sure if it's yours, but I was free and bored, so I decided to come and find out," the girl explained in a coffee shop which far from the office, "Is this document important?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmkzQ8Wg62
"Of course, it's important! It's related to my salary adjustment at the end of the year!" TinJau thought for a moment, then added, "Actually, it's just a show for making my annual performance appraisal look better. You ask if it's useful? I would say it's not completely useless. But not implementing the entire plan wouldn't cause much loss to the company. It's just a minor administrative reform within the company, as it could considered as the scope of business management, which will look good on the annual performance appraisal."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRC2xg6tYXR
"Okay," the girl nodded satisfactorily.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnUfzpN2Pq
"I'm sorry, I couldn’t stop talking about company matters. It's all so boring," TinJau said.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0NS6hz4JE
"No, it's okay. I had once been a white-collar worker before, so I understand what you're saying," the girl replied.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGgWAIWhLo
"Really?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsDaRcexjl
"Yes. I may look younger than my actual age. By the way, how old are you?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpL7u5uc8aQ
"Over twenty-five, under thirty."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oJ0i5L8hH
"Then I might be able to be your older sister."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCythl0fPmr
"Really?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiAtCl5f6T
She chuckled, looking genuinely mature and not joking.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaVfW1KNWa
(If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have thought you were a real "youngster.") TinJau thought to himself.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghDNweMqUV
"I appreciate your honesty just now, it reminds me the 'real you' presented last night. I thought I would hear a bunch of polite empty words," the girl said.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxAOvMInUE
"When facing friends unrelated to work, you can always speak a few words of truth," TinJau replied.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvKDgucC3O
"Sure, sure. You can't tell your boss that everyone's job is fricking boring, right?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2adEwFFpX
"Haha," TinJau thought, trying to change the subject quickly, "By the way, did you just come back from a trip?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XO3a7EP8V
"No, I'm still on my travels. You can tell by the way I'm carrying this backpack everywhere."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PkHfT7x8B
"You're not from here?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5BpRYwhHA
"Yes and no."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03DJuHjUs3
"What do you mean?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKeFRWOxZS
"I was born here and have an ID from here. I left last year and traveled a lot, but now I'm back for some mundane affairs, though I won't stay long."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnqKlWoynY
"You've been traveling for a whole year? Don't you miss home?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWSnJGl4SX
"This is my home!" she said. She is patting the backpack beside her.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY75V2tc85f
"What a big backpack!" TinJau remarked.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdW5XHgzrE
"When you imagine fitting everything from home into it, you'll realize it's never being enough," she replied.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XpsWwxpc3
"I see," TinJau sighed. "You seem to live in a world I can't imagine."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyj9MXqHqv
"Do you envy it?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsX0CcxS3wi
"Are you asking if I want to travel with a backpack like you? No," he said. "But I am curious, don't you have to work?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04Rwsk6hGN
"I'm pretty frugal. When I don't have enough money, I'll do odd jobs. But most of the time, I work just for fun, to experience how locals live."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUz72LuoxhX
"That’s not what I meant. I mean don’t you have a full-time job?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBqrJ2utLY
"Ever heard of 'Unpaid leave'? That's the excuse I used to run away initially."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Hqez9FtMS
"Is that even possible? What kind of company do you work for?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2eBrvLgjJp
"If you want, you can request it from your company too."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik9z0k03c4
"No way! That's not possible."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyM23GebtfA
"Have you tried?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2ZZVfAa9a
"... Never, actually."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduupRVMS1d
"Then why not give it a shot?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKoHl894x6
"Why would I want to take a'Unpaid leave”? How do my parents make a living? Will my girlfriend forgive me? Will there still got a position for me when I return to the company?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AWwflICbR
"But bumming around the world with backpack is your wish."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLn3MQbLQx
TinJau’s heart is trembles.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZkYGvw9PE
"When did I say bumming around with backpack is my wish! I might look like I'm tired, I've had three cups of coffee since morning, I'm completely awake now! What I said was, I 'don't' envy your lifestyle! I'm different from you! I can't let go of many things!"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwf8sqaCpK1
"Why are you going off on me?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhY4jSVlzXP
"I'm not..." TinJau also wondered, why was he losing his temper?
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNjRPs7mIR
"Why are you going off on me? Answer me."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXMbJh93Zi
"... Yes. I admit I envy your life, your freedom," he shook his head and said with a bitter smile. "What kind of woman are you? Why every word you said seems to pierce my heart?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GTCyH99Hh
"Isn't it simple? You just need to get the other person drunk the night before."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFSkFSZ7zM
"Is that what I told you after I got drunk last night?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllswbJEbbs
"Didn't I just tell you? You were snuggled against my chest and burst into tears last night, saying you didn't want to force yourself to work anymore. When would you not have to work for money anymore?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1FLTQJxvF
"That was all just talk in a bad mood, I-"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAbQesmXVg
"Let me finish. After that, I asked you, what would you do with your time if you didn't have to work? Could you guess how you answered?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHOJHM7NOO
"... I said I want to bum around with a backpack?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QMCFsDiBu
"You told me that it was the thing you wanted to do the most since junior high. But when you graduated from high school, you were in a passionate relationship with a girl who still in her second year of high school, so you couldn’t make it in that summer. In the following years, you were either busy with part-time jobs, or spent money to go to Tokyo Disneyland with your girl. You always thought you could hit the road immediately whenever you wanted in the future. However, after entering the workforce, you suddenly realized that the opportunity already gone forever."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWaxivTuBT
"... What else did I told you?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkuquM4meg
"You told me that you weren't trying to be cynical or antisocial person. You knew very well that in this society, everyone is struggling just like you. But your effort will eventually pay off. Not to mention the outcome will beneficial to society or anything like that. At least as an adult, having a place in society and using the money you earn to provide a better life for your family, that's what we called a normal life. You completely agree that all this hard work is worth it, you just feel unwilling."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3sNxbgNMD
"Unwilling?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMFyOCLVFM
"You were unwilling to let yourself bury your desire deep in your heart and spent your whole life to hiding it like this. You said you don’t want to travel with a cane after retirement. How could you wander around with a urine bag stuck in your body?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQU1Z3uNgo
TinJau couldn't help but laugh. "Did I really say that?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wd1jw1Zb7
"Yes. When you said that, we burst out laughing at the same time and sprayed the wine in our mouth on the bartender."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwELEEfppl
"Really?" TinJau laughed heartily for a while. "Oh, I'm sorry, you... you..."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5lWmGOT9B
"You can call me SiuPui."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9s1zKR6i6J
"I'm TinJau."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxX1L8xAYbS
"I know. Actually, we already introduced ourselves last night."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1RPJIKyLe
"Thank you, SiuPui." TinJau snatched the bill and stood up. "You relieved my stress. Just chatting with you make me feel like I've traveled around the world. I have now fulfilled my wishes and I can focus on work again later."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11IoK8LUvF
"Are you trying to deceiving yourself again?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrunZiRCBRH
"What do you want from me? So what if I feel unwilling? It's not like I'm the only one who is feeling unwilling in this world. I daresay that everyone has some regrets from their youth in their heart, but that's reality! The reality is that I just can't leave everything behind and go bumming around with a backpack. Now I have to rush back to the company to sort out the materials for the meeting, then I can present a report at the meeting two hours later. So that I can strive for a five percent salary raise next year!"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSamPnf5FyP
"What time does the meeting start?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhx8XKmIlqD
"In two hours."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7T3oWbDmZT
"If you take a taxi back and forth, you should still be able to make it in time."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpcdp4Q9u9
"What on earth are you planning? Are you trying to sell me some new religion? Or are you going to have ‘second round’ with me?”
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AXmDS9lgG
"TinJau, if I say I have the ability to help you achieve your wish, are you willing to sacrifice these two hours you going to spend on preparing for the meeting?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiGQpZqcnb
"Are you kidding me? Are you the daughter of my boss?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFC7ymYGui
"Technically speaking, pretty close."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEByBBGFMW7
"...I don't understand."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5A22iJEDmW
"Listen, TinJau," SiuPui speaking seriously, "I'm now testing how eager you are to fulfill your wish. Let me put it this way, 'I have the ability to help you fulfill your wish of backpacking around without any worries or constraints.' Are you willing to gamble for my word and go with me now?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefkO5uFTcP
"Now? We set off now?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy74ZkSGhH5
"Of course not," SiuPui said, "We'll go to the branch of 'LV' first to transfer the membership."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmMykM3B4p
After saying that, SiuPui left the coffee shop without looking back, waved for a taxi. As she expected, TinJau opened the car door of the other side and got in the taxi. (“Spending two hours to buy an impossible dream is actually the same as going to see a movie, instead of buying a movie tickets and popcorn, I paying for a round-trip taxi fare. I still could afford put in such level of effort.”) TinJau try to rationalize his behavior in his mind. ("Besides, the materials required for the report were completed three days ago. Further editing would only go as far as checking for typos and the like. Scratch that.")
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFajkoqS9fb
"Oh, by the way, SiuPui. When you mentioned 'LV' earlier, it can’t be that “LV”, right?"
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpakmbvkdII
“Which “LV” are you referring to?” SiuPui asked back.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5AFdAxQYc
“Louis Vuitton!” TinJau seems realized and said , "You're not... asking me to buy you something from LV , as a... as..."
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwMRnYStnM
"As what?" SiuPui asked angrily. TinJau originally wanted to say "as the price for last night," but he instantly realized, if he say it, wouldn’t he treat SiuPui like a prostitute? Once TinJau was glared angrily by SiuPui, he stop talking immediately.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOr1N3HoF4
"What is your understanding of 'Louis Vuitton' then?" SiuPui asked.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQAaaUA94K
"...One of the most luxurious brands in the world? Buying a bag would cost me a whole month's salary... something like that?" TinJau replied.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8xs0nbudM
"After all, that is still something money can buy." SiuPui said.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUJDTlOleD
"Then what did you mean by 'LV' earlier?" TinJau asked.
119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQXxgYSuho
" The ‘LV’ I mean is 'Long Vacation'. Don't you think that, for urbanites, giving themselves a long vacation to fulfill all the wishes that they had always wanted to achieve is the most luxurious thing in the world?" SiuPui said.
ns3.141.24.158da2
