Coffee, milk tea, desserts—although they're said to be essentials for workers to survive.

But more often than not, they are just excuses for slacking off and exchanging information.

Nowadays, there are few in the company who still have these two needs.

Until Nan Zhubin and Xia Tian finished discussing their respective plans, no one else came to the break room.

Meanwhile, in the employee cafeteria, which sustains actual livelihood, it's a different scene.

Chen Lizhou carried his tray, his eyes scanning the crowd.

There were just too many people in sight.

Perhaps the high-pressure work environment led to a rebound; those who usually preferred ordering takeout and eating in the lounge were also carrying trays and weaving through here. People from different departments, in various colored uniforms, queued up for food while the chatter and clattering of trays mixed together.

The scene might give the impression of a company thriving and employees united in a booming environment.

To be honest, even Chen Lizhou, who had worked at the company for countless years, rarely witnessed such scenes.

In fact, Chen Lizhou hadn't been to the cafeteria in a long time. He came today for a special arrangement.

Chen Lizhou got three dishes and a soup and randomly chose a place to sit. Because the cafeteria was too crowded, some employees couldn't find a spot and needed to share tables; occasionally, people passed by Chen Lizhou, whispering without stopping.

Not long after.

"Mr. Chen, sorry I'm late."

A young man approached with a tray. His face bore a hint of freshness and nervousness typical of someone new to the workplace, along with a trace of innocence that he hadn't yet shed since leaving the Ivory Tower.

"There was a lot of work this morning, and being unfamiliar, I worked a little overtime... really sorry."

Chen Lizhou looked up to observe the young man; the other had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and compared to his own tray, the young man's was much simpler, but at least it had the basic setup of one meat, one vegetable, and one staple.

After setting the tray down, the young man didn't sit but stood awkwardly in place.

"It's alright, have a seat." Chen Lizhou said.

The young man sat down gratefully, but he didn't touch his utensils; instead, he kept adjusting his ill-fitting suit jacket, fidgeting with the collar and cuffs of his shirt, and the badge on his chest that read [Shen Xuecheng].

This was also the first time Chen Lizhou met the young man, but they had exchanged some emails before.

This was the student from Su Fangfang's first batch back in her hometown, the one she worried about the most.

Under Chen Lizhou's gaze, Shen Xuecheng completed an entire examination of his appearance, and with nothing left to busy his hands with, he couldn't alleviate his awkwardness any longer.

He hesitated before speaking, "Mr. Chen, why aren't you eating?"

"Waiting for you," Chen Lizhou succinctly replied.

Shen Xuecheng froze, his hand reaching for the chopsticks stiffened instantly.

He discreetly tucked his hands under the table to tidy the hem of his clothes, and as if making small talk, said, "Sorry, Mr. Chen, I really should take the time to visit you at home, or at least meet you at a restaurant after work..."

"There's no need for such words; I was the one who chose to meet in the cafeteria."

Chen Lizhou's voice was calm, "My home is a bit messy, plus I have a daughter, which is inconvenient."

"As for after work—you just joined the company, during the probation period you'll definitely have to work overtime, our schedules won't align."

These were very real reasons.

In fact, Chen Lizhou had another consideration, which was that during lunch break at the employee cafeteria, it wouldn't take up much time.

Meeting his wife's former student was something Chen Lizhou initially wanted to avoid; this meeting happened under Nan Zhubin's guidance, even encouragement, suppressing his instincts to avoid it.

Deep down, Chen Lizhou still resisted this meeting.

Shen Xuecheng paused, then realized: "Sorry, Mr. Chen, I didn't consider your situation..."

His hands under the table rubbed his thighs continuously, feeling more nervous than during his initial company interview.

Seeing that Chen Lizhou didn't seem keen to talk, Shen Xuecheng proactively said, "Actually... I arranged for today not with any special intent, it's just that during our emails I didn't dare say much. I just wanted to express my condolences... and ask how things have been recently..."

"Also about Yanyan... Teacher Su mentioned her before, but I never got to meet her. I wanted to ask how she's doing..."

Shen Xuecheng grew increasingly embarrassed as he spoke.

...

Chen Lizhou looked at this young man before him, who could practically be called a "child."

As a technical sales director, he had dealt with all sorts of clients and various scheming individuals.

Especially during the time of his wife's passing, he received condolences from all over. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

This young man before him had gone to the trouble of arranging this meeting, only to fumble through such awkward words—Chen Lizhou understood that if he didn't respond, the young man probably wouldn't have anything more to say.

But there was one thing.

The clumsy choice of words felt genuine.

Had it been shortly after his wife's passing, Chen Lizhou might have simply nodded in gratitude and not engaged further.

But now, with so much time having passed, someone still reached out through such a convoluted method to convey these clumsy words.