Due to a sentence said by him which was “The taste is quite good”, she felt delighted unexpectedly. Sylvie Mccarthy was really a fool because she would feel delighted just because of a normal sentence!
Marley Hughes looked at her and said indifferently, “You come to the study room later and copy the documents. Do an analysis tonight!”
Sylvie was slightly stunned and then smiled without any expression, “Oh! Alright!”
Marley saw that there was calmness in her clear eyes then he could not bear from becoming angry, “You can go to sleep only after finishing the analysis!”
“Yes!” She could only nod to agree with it. This was the punishment mentioned by him before.
Then, they remained silent and the atmosphere became gloomy. After finishing a bowl of rice, Marley put down his chopsticks and bowl, “Any more rice?”
“Yes!” Sylvie quickly stood up, “Let me serve you!”
When Marley was about to finish his second bowl of rice, Sylvie was full already and she gently put down her chopsticks. “Mr Hughes, I am full already!”
Marley only replied with a “Ya”.
Sylvia tidied the cutlery and went to the kitchen. When she got back, she realized that Marley went missing and there was nothing in the plates on the table. The plates were completely empty. She was slightly stunned and looked everywhere but she did not find any leftovers that were being thrown away. Was it possible that he finished everything?
At that moment, she was shocked because she did not believe it. She tidied up the cutlery and brought them into the kitchen to wash them. After cleaning the table and washing her hands, she went upstairs.
Before she knocked on the door of the study room, the door had been opened from inwards. When Marley, who was carrying a laptop, saw her, he directly handed over it to her.
“You do it in your room and the report is at the desktop. After finishing your analysis, come to see me!”
“Yes!” Sylvie took over and looked into his study room through the door crack. The room was filled with smoke and a pungent smoke smell. He was holding a cigarette in his hand.
“Smoke less!” Without any reason, she said something to care for him.
Marley was going to turn around but he stopped. He looked at her from the side of his eyes and said due to confusion, “Sylvie, it’s none of your business. Do you really think that you are Mrs Hughes? So, do you dare to be fearless in front of me?”
Sylvie was stunned and looked at him who suddenly said something sharp and intense. She also remembered that he suddenly stopped his car and looked at him with his hatred eyes. She looked at him and said, “I have never become fearless and I never want to bother Mr Hughes’s matters. I just want to remind you that smoking is detrimental to health. If you like to smoke, you may do so because no one forces you!”
An analysis report was enough to make Sylvie feel a backache. When she was almost finishing, she stretched herself and looked at the time which was already twelve o’ clock. She was hitting on the keyboard rapidly to enter some professional data. The thing that Marley gave her was an analysis report regarding the financial investment market.
At first, she summed up the effect analysis on both the positive and negative aspects. Then, she summarized and analyzed the influence of foreign banks on Chinese’s monetary policy.
Also, she did the effect analysis of the retail financial market. After finishing, she tidied up all the documents and logged in her QQ account habitually. Surprisingly, she saw Sunshine who was online. Sylvie felt delighted and opened the conversation box hurriedly. Then, she typed out a few words and sent them over.
Asia River: Sunshine, are you there? Why haven’t you slept since it is too late?
Night: Ah! Sylvie, you are here too. So coincidence! Same as you who haven’t slept, right?
Asia River: I am still working and just finished my work. I am planning to sleep later and log in unintentionally then discover you here. How are you lately?
Night: Quite good!
Asia River: It seems like you are not that well. Do you face something that makes you unhappy?
Night: I just discovered that I am going the wrong way in the pathway of my life. I suddenly realize that the one that I hated the most previously is not the most hateful thing. Also, the one that I used to like the most is not my favourite anymore! Sylvie, do you have this kind of feeling?
Asia River: I don’t know. I only know that once I decide on something, I will not regret it at all. No matter how the outcome is, there shouldn’t be any regrets. Sunshine, do you know that if you are changing or the other ones else? Or, is everyone changing?
Night: I hope that someone understands me. But, there is loneliness in reality. Perhaps, I am changing. Perhaps, everyone is changing!
Asia River: Haha, you can become a sorrowful prince now and go to write a love poem. What’s the big deal? There isn’t any big deal in our life and you can’t change anything even though you think much about it. It will only increase your sadness.
Night: Isn’t your husband angry that you stay up too late?
Asia River: Then what about you? Isn’t your wife angry?
While remaining silent, she also sent a smiley face emoji.
Night: I don’t care if she is angry. But, I don’t think that she would be angry either.
Asia River: He has a girlfriend who is staying with him for many years and will not bother me forever. Sunshine, would men marry a woman even though they do not love the person? Men are always more rational than women but I am always a fool. I still think that it is worth it!
Night: Sylvia, doesn’t he love you? Then, why do both of you get married?
Asia River: Perhaps the reason is the same as yours.
Night: You love him!
Asia River: Let me quote a saying from Amy Cheung Siu Han, “The furthest distance in this world is neither the distance between life and death nor the distance between different corners in the world. It is that I am standing in front of you but you do not know that I love you.” Sunshine, this sentence is so imaginary and beautiful, right?
Night: Let me use her saying as well to tell you, “Sometimes, disappointment is a kind of happiness because you will feel disappointed once you have the expectation. Then, expectation comes from love so even though you feel disappointed, it is considered as happiness but a little painful.”
Asia River: Life is not only about love and there are many other things as well.
Night: Sylvia, leave the man if he doesn’t love you!
Asia River: I will. I will leave him in one day but just not now.
Night: Sylvia, look for a man who treats you sincerely and loves you wholeheartedly. Although we have never met each other before, I believe that you are a gentle and kind girl. You deserve a better person!
Asia River: If the umbrella does not suit me on a rainy day, I would prefer to be drenched in the rain instead of holding it!
Night: You are really a stubborn girl. It will be hard for you.
Asia River: Sometimes, hardship is some kind of happiness.
Night: With a serious infatuation, your heart will be in trouble too.
Asia River: If the butterfly can’t fly across the ocean, there will be courage and impulse at that instance. So, what I am doing is just paying off my debt in my heart and it has totally nothing to do with others. Don’t worry about me. I am fine, really!
Night: I truly want to meet up with you to look at what kind of woman you are.
Asia River: It’s better not to be met. It is because you might realize that the one chatting with you at the other side of your computer is a very ugly person, or even a hairy ape man.
Night: Haha, it’s a painful and joyful moment to chat with you. You are a contradictory woman.
Asia River: You are also a contradictory man. Sunshine, it’s too late and I need to leave. Rest early for you too!
Night: Alright, goodnight! Take care!
After going offline, Sylvia smiled bitterly and sighed deeply. She opened the document and went to Marley’s study room with her laptop. When she came to the door, she knocked on the door three times.
There was a deep voice of a man coming from the room, “Come in!”
Sylvia pushed the door and entered. The room was still filled with smoke and Marley was sitting on an executive chair behind the study table. The cigarette held by his hand was like just being ignited because he only smoked it for once.
He leaned against the executive chair and showed an exhausted look. The light from the lamp on the study table was shining on his face and his loneliness was being portrayed. It was totally different compared to the usual Marley who did not have any expressions all the time. He appeared to be lost. When he saw her, there was a slight sense of anxiety in his eyes but he recovered from it immediately.
“Mr Hughes, the report is out!” Sylvia handed over the laptop to him.
He sat straight and took over the laptop to look at it attentively.
Sylvia who was standing at his opposite was looking at him while he was staring at the screen and looking at it word by word.
After a long time, he raised his head and asked, “Do you think that Hughes Group should not enter the retail industry?”
“Yes!”
“What are your reasons?”
“Hughes Group is mainly dealing with the development of real estate and the construction of roads as well as bridges. Currently, the company is under an unstable condition and the financial efficiency worldwide is decreasing. Although the total sales of retail goods increased by 9. 7% compared to last year, the gross profit margin of retail shops in department stores showed an overall decrease. It has decreased from 12. 9% in the previous year to 12% in this year. This percentage is far below the 30% of those developed countries. When the profit growth of enterprises is far lower than the sales growth, the methods for reduction of loss are ineffective too. Meanwhile, there is excessive competition in this industry because too many enterprises are entering into this market. So, I think that it is not a good time to enter!”
“Sylvia, do you like to do business?” He suddenly asked.
Sylvia was stunned and did not understand the reason that made him ask this question. She slightly smiled and shook her head, “I don’t like to! Business is an economic activity to achieve the distribution of goods and it is mainly worked with the exchange of currency. When you are doing a business, your aim will be maintaining profit only all the time. But sometimes, there are some things in life that can’t be measured by currency. Compared to intellectual work, I would rather do physical labor sometimes. Occasionally, ignorance brings more happiness. You might be happier for being ignorant.”
“Then, would it be better to become a pig?” He raised his eyebrows.
“If it is possible, how is that unhappy? It is a joy for being worriless!”
“Pigs are not happy for sure!”
“What you said is right too. Perhaps it knows that it will be in the slaughterhouse one day, so it will cherish every day to enjoy eating and sleeping. When it is lazy, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t feel pain, fear or despair. But, it at least knows that nothing can be done!”
She looked him silently, so did he.
They looked at each other for a few seconds and there was a strange feeling being expressed in Marley’s eyes. Suddenly, he closed the laptop and stood up then said, “Your report is quite good and this laptop is for you to work at home. Let’s go. Go to sleep!”
After taking a shower, Sylvia was lying on her bed and the door was opened suddenly.
With only a bathrobe wrapped around his waist, Marley, whose hair was still dripping with water, suddenly pushed the door and entered. At that moment, Sylvia was completely shocked.
“You…” She shouted softly and realized that her voice was hoarse until she was almost unable to produce any sound.
Marley looked at her with his cold eyes and switched off the lights then walked near to the bed.
Sylvia was astonished to the extent that she could not move her body. She could only look at him walking towards her and lifting the blanket to get on the bed.
Did he want to sleep together?
Sylvia looked at him who was lying beside her and did not know what she should say at that moment. She started to feel panic and anxiety arose suddenly.
“Sleep!” He said with a deep voice.
“…” Sylvia felt that her face was stiff in an instant.
She was truly afraid so she quickly switched off the bedside lamp. In the dark, she felt that she was experiencing a dream. Since he hated her so much, why would he come to sleep together with her?