My girlfriend is from the future!

It's Friday again. Although there's still some time before the Spring Festival, the atmosphere in the company and the topics of conversation among colleagues have quietly become somewhat impatient.

Anyway, employees at "Future Production" never have to take compensatory leave or make up for lost time during holidays. They just take their time off as usual, and they never resort to the kind of half-hearted approach of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Moreover, for the Spring Festival, which is the most important holiday for Chinese people, the company usually gives employees a week off in advance and they don't return to work until after the Lantern Festival. If it falls on a weekend, they can get two more days off. That's almost a month off. If there is any urgent work that requires them to come back, the overtime pay is three times the usual rate.

This is one of the advantages of a small team with high revenue: flexible management. Most importantly, the boss, He Tianran, is a good person who firmly believes in what Steve Jobs said when he founded Pixar Animation Studios—

To gain an artist's loyalty, you must first feed them; to keep an artist's inspiration flowing, you must first keep them idle.

Of course, it's still business after all, and such good things are only for those who are truly capable. Nowadays, "Future Production" no longer recruits externally, but only through internal referrals, and there are no plans to expand its staff. If it weren't for the constant influx of business from Shan Hai, He Tianran would only need to keep about ten core members around him as a director's studio.

"Hey Hui Zi, what are your plans for the New Year?"

In the afternoon, feeling bored, Yao Qingtao took her coffee and went to Yu Hui's workstation.

The video footage was playing in the afterglow of the setting sun. I pressed the pause button and decisively said:
"Working overtime, or... going on a trip or something, I haven't decided yet."

"Going on a trip during the Chinese New Year?"

"Yes, it's less crowded and more convenient. You don't have to queue anywhere you go. It's great."

"You're bringing your parents along?"

Yao Qingtao took a sip of coffee, and Yu Hui shook his head:
"Why bring anything? They'd be too busy complaining about me at home."

"That's true. You locals see your parents every day, so you probably don't feel it. When I go back to the Northeast, my mom's patience is only enough to keep her polite to me for two days."

Yu Hui gave a wry smile and remained silent, but Yao Qingtao seemed unconcerned, engrossed in her own little scheme, and suggested:
"Hey Huizi...would you like to come back to Northeast China with me for Chinese New Year? Harbin?"

"Huh? Is this...is this appropriate?"

Yao Qingtao nodded vigorously:
“Perfect, perfect. Winters are fun where I live. You can stay at my place then, with your own bedroom. My mom will cook whatever you want for you every day, and you won’t have to spend any money. Isn’t that great?”

“No…” Yu Hui looked at Yao Qingtao, who was being very attentive, and blinked twice. “I feel like… something’s not quite right.”

Yao Qingtao was embarrassed, then put on a stern face and scolded, "What's wrong with that? Why are you so suspicious? Have I ever been mean to you? Don't you ever think about who's keeping you company and helping you deal with those clients when you're shooting commercials?"

"Yes, that's right, Sister Peach, our friendship is truly unbreakable, but... uh, it's that simple... right? I went to Harbin for the Chinese New Year and stayed at my aunt and uncle's house, nothing else?"

Yu Hui carefully chose his words, and Yao Qingtao, trying to cover up her misunderstanding, took another sip of coffee. "By the way... could you do me a small favor?"

Now, Yu Hui felt relieved. "Hey, Sister Tao, just tell me what's wrong. If it's in Hong Kong, I'll take care of it for you after get off work today. I don't need to make you travel all the way to the Northeast!"

When the topic turned to specifics, Yao Qingtao became somewhat hesitant, first stating a number:
"Hui Zi, you know, right? Your older sister will be 28 after the New Year..."

"Yeah, I know, you're three years older than me."

"Tsk~ You don't need to emphasize your age, why bother remembering that useless thing! Boys and girls are different!"

"Oh...you continue."

Yao Qingtao put down her cup, pulled up an empty chair and sat down next to Yu Hui, finding it difficult to speak:
"Um... these past two years, my family has been pressuring me a bit, so... I was thinking of asking you for a favor, like... pretending to be my boyfriend and coming back to Northeast China with me to help me deal with my parents. I'll cover your food and lodging..."

This usually carefree northern woman lowered her head and mumbled her words. Not hearing a response from the other person, she cautiously raised her eyes and saw Yu Hui's mouth half-open, his eyes glazed over. After two seconds, he finally uttered:
"Clam……?"

Yao Qingtao's initially shy expression immediately collapsed. Just as she was about to lash out, she saw Yu Hui prop himself up on the armrests of his chair, half-standing and half-sitting, and scan the rest of the company. Seeing that no one was looking in their direction, he sat down again and pressed on with his question:

"Sister Peach, what number am I?"

"What number? I'm... I only asked you because you didn't have any plans for the New Year! You're the first person to know about this!"

"what……"

Yu Hui scratched his head; this was indeed a bit sudden…

"What are you 'ah'ing about? You're a grown man, can't you be a little more straightforward?! If you can help, then help; if you can't, then forget it. Do you think I'm going to hold you back? Never mind, forget I said anything."

She had finally mustered the courage to say this, and now seeing the other person's hesitation, Yao Qingtao was furious. She decided to throw caution to the wind, picked up her cup, and prepared to flee.

"Afterglow".

Just as Yao Qingtao was about to get up, they heard a woman's voice from beside them. When they turned around, they saw that it was Yu Naoqiu.

Now Yu Naoqiu no longer needs to be notified by the front desk to enter the company. However, He Tianran usually has to deal with official business, so before going to see a man, she would ask other employees whether He Tianran is meeting with guests or in a meeting.

"He Tianran is not here; he went out an hour ago."

Yao Qingtao responded rather irritably. Perhaps due to a woman's sensitivity, she had always kept her distance from Yu Naoqiu.

Although Yu Naoqiu didn't know why the other party had such an attitude, he still said:

“I’m not here to find the natural one, I’m here to find him.”

The woman pointed to the afterglow.

Upon hearing this, Yao Qingtao, who had just gotten up from her seat, immediately sat back down. She first glanced at Yu Hui's embarrassed expression, then looked Yu Naoqiu up and down. The bag Yu Naoqiu was carrying was a Hermes, her trench coat was a current Gucci item, and the dress she wore underneath looked somewhat like Prada or Miu Miu—she wasn't sure, since one brand was a main line and the other a sub-brand. She couldn't tell which shoes Yu Naoqiu was wearing, but they were likely made of calfskin. Based on this, she conservatively estimated Yu Naoqiu's fighting power to be around 100,000, while she herself, rounded up, only had 1,000. Being three years older than Yu Hui, she was three hundred less…

However, poverty does not diminish one's spirit; Northeasterners can never lose their momentum, no, their character, no matter where they go!
"What are you looking for Yu Hui to do?"

Yao Qingtao's words were delivered haltingly, causing Yu Naoqiu to pause for a moment before observing their expressions and guessing:
"You two... are you a couple?"

"I……"

"So what if it is? Why do you want to talk to him? Do you need some space?"

Before Yu Hui could finish speaking, Yao Qingtao interrupted him, even letting out a rare glimpse of her Northeastern accent.

Yu Hui stared wide-eyed at Yao Qingtao, completely dumbfounded. Yu Naoqiu, seeing their startled reactions, smiled and shook his head.

"No need. I just went back to the clinic to pick up some things and stopped by to see Tianran. Since he's not here, I'll tell you, Yu Hui, that you don't need to come next month. There are too many customers, so it's not very convenient."

Yao Qingtao looked at Yu Hui, puzzled. The man nodded with a wry smile. After receiving this response, Yu Naoqiu turned and left without lingering.

"What does that mean, lady?"

"Ah... well, I booked a therapy session for someone next month, but they're busy right now, haha~"

Yu Hui made up a reason on the spot, but what Yu Naoqiu really meant was his father's birthday next month. However, as an illegitimate child, it was inconvenient for him to appear on such an occasion.

"Psychological counseling? Are you gay? Deeply closeted?"

"Huh? No no no no, I didn't mean it. I just wanted to relieve some stress. Oh, Sister Peach, don't tease me."

Yu Hui, who was feeling somewhat bitter, was suddenly left speechless by Yao Qingtao's question, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Oh, that's good. I've seen you inseparable from Director He all the time. He's already had several girlfriends, and you're still single... Heh~ I'm leaving."

“Hey, Sister Tao, please sit down…” Yu Hui grabbed Yao Qingtao’s shoulder, and at that touch, the woman’s eyes flashed, and her previous coyness vanished instantly:
"What...are you doing?"

"Oh... I..." The man rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a car key, and gestured with it: "This, because Director He was planning to change cars recently, so he gave me his X5..."

"Yeah, I know. And then what?"

Yu Hui held the car keys in his hand, looked into Yao Qingtao's eyes, and said earnestly:

"Peach, I... I was thinking that since the company is on holiday for Chinese New Year, I'd like to drive around a bit, and then you told me about this... My initial hesitation wasn't because I wanted to reject you, but... it was because I was thinking about how to plan my days off from the company, which is a week early, and how to drive from the port city to Harbin. It's quite a long trip, and since it's your boyfriend... I'm pretending to be your boyfriend, and it wouldn't be good to go empty-handed during the New Year. Driving there would be easier, wouldn't it? What do you think?"

As winter sets in, Yao Qingtao's face, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, slowly ripens into the color of a summer peach.

"You...you, you're a grown man, you should make the decision yourself. Why are you telling me this? I'll do anything..."

"So... that's the decision?"

“…Yeah.”

Yu Hui put away the key, looked at Yao Qingtao's rare shy expression, and couldn't help but smile.

"What...what are you laughing at?!"

……

……

"What are you laughing at? You've been laughing ever since I walked in and sat down."

At the same time, in Jiang Xixi's home.

He Tianran looked at the smiling girl who opened the door for him and asked, puzzled.

"Of course it's good news! It's just... I've talked to my advisor, and after the New Year holiday, I'll be going back to Beijing to continue my studies!"

Jiang Xixi sat on the sofa, holding a Psyduck plush toy in her arms, and said with a relieved expression.

"Oh...that's really good news. Have you decided?"

Jiang Xixi initially dropped out of school and ran away to Hong Kong because her career plans conflicted with her interests. These past few months, whether it was a rebellion or a catharsis, at least gave her enough time to think about her future. And now, she seems to have made a decision.

The little girl nodded. "Yes, once I made the decision, it felt like a burden had suddenly been lifted off my shoulders."

"How did you come to this conclusion?"

"Actually, I've always had the answer in my heart, it's just that... it's just that I can't accept it yet."

"now what?"

"Brother He..."

"Ok?"

"Could you... use a different personality to talk to me? The way you're talking makes me feel like I'm talking to my dad."

Feeling a little awkward after being teased like that by the little girl, He Tianran scratched his face.

"To be honest, my 'teenage' personality hasn't appeared for a while now."

"'He'... he's disappeared?" Jiang Xixi's expression showed a hint of nervousness.

He Tianran waved his hand and explained, "No, I can feel that 'he' is still there, but... he's not as active as before. Ever since that incident at your house, it seems to have been quite a blow to 'him.' Recently, some things have happened that we can all let go of and understand. So you can think of it as 'my' mental illness gradually healing."

"Then... will I be able to see 'him' one more time?"

"I don't know either..."

"So how do you usually switch personalities?"

"Tch, tch what? Oh, I roughly know that when certain things happen, my other personality will want to jump out and take control of the body... just like when other personalities don't want to deal with work or interpersonal relationships, 'I' will jump out."

He Tianran gave a brief description, and Jiang Xixi touched her fair chin upon hearing it.

"So... he only appears when he encounters something he likes?"

"That's roughly how it should be understood."

Jiang Xixi immediately released the doll in her arms and asked:

"So, the fact that he would always show up whenever I let 'him' log in before means he likes me?"

"..."

The little girl's sudden direct attack left He Tianran both amused and exasperated, and he answered flawlessly:
You could also interpret it as, "He likes playing games."

"Tch~ What an annoying adult~"

Jiang Xixi rolled her eyes and sank into the back of the sofa. Her legs, which were originally crossed, were now draped over each other on the sofa, and one of her fair little feet was dangling in front of He Tianran.

Faced with this situation, the man felt a jolt in his heart, followed by a palpitation. Noticing this unusual reaction, even the "writer" currently in control of his body was startled, and involuntarily cried out in his mind:

"Seriously, buddy? We're all grown men, not some lolicon! Can't you even handle this little situation?"

No one answered his heart.

"Oh right, I know how to awaken your 'teenager' personality!"

"what?"

"Wait a minute!"

Still struggling with his inner self, He Tianran hastily responded, only to see Jiang Xixi leap off the sofa like a rabbit and dart into the bedroom. With a series of rummaging sounds, she returned to the man in less than half a minute, each hand holding two items...

Black or white?

She spread her arms wide, and two pairs of soft, smooth stockings, shimmering with a subtle sheen, cascaded down like a waterfall…

He Tianran stared wide-eyed, his Adam's apple bobbing...

"Black..." He was about to speak, his gaze fixed on the black stockings, but his head involuntarily tilted to the side: "White..."

"Tell me, black or white?"

"Damn it..." He Tianran buried his head, closed his eyes, pointed at the white stockings with one hand, and helplessly covered his face with the other, saying, "'He' likes white ones." (End of this chapter)