Shen Su agreed readily this time. His past experience with Feng Feng taught him not to push his luck on this matter. Regardless, Feng Feng acknowledging their relationship on her social media was already a pleasant surprise. He could only take things one step at a time.
After changing the subject, Shen Su smiled and confirmed with Feng Feng again, "Can I call you my girlfriend now?"
Feng Feng put down her coffee cup and said indifferently, "As you wish."
This statement made the smile on Shen Su's face even more pronounced, like an impatient young man.
After dinner, it was almost time for the game to start. Feng Feng and Shen Su entered through the designated gate for their section. Inside, they found that the VIP seats were occupied by club members and die-hard fans, all wearing team jerseys. Feng Feng and Shen Su stood out amongst this crowd, but these people likely guessed they were tourists. One enthusiastic old man, with a charming Spanish accent, spoke to them in English, asking where they were from. His accent was so endearing that even Feng Feng couldn't help but laugh.
After a few minutes of conversation, the players entered the field for warm-ups, and the vast stadium began to roar. Hearing the thunderous cheers, Feng Feng finally understood what it meant to be in "Europe's largest stadium." Visiting an empty stadium and watching a packed match from the stands were entirely different experiences.
Sitting amidst the cheering crowd, Feng Feng couldn't help but be swept up by the atmosphere while watching the game. She found herself getting excited with the home team fans of Camp Nou. When Barcelona scored, Feng Feng even stood up and applauded, much to Shen Su's surprise.
Amidst his surprise, Shen Su didn't forget to capture the moment with his phone. This time, he recorded a video, which perfectly captured Feng Feng's excited reaction as she stood up, pumped her fist, and applauded. Later, after the game ended, Shen Su cropped a screenshot and posted an update on his social media:
"Never thought I'd see this in my lifetime."
When the game ended, it was already past five in the morning in China. Not many people were online on social media, but there were still those at Jinhe and the institute who worked through the night. Seeing such gossip after a night of work invigorated them, and they immediately forwarded it to the gossip group.
Although everyone was already aware of Shen Su and Feng Feng's relationship, they were happy to see them show affection on social media. After all, Shen Su had never posted on social media so frequently before; two posts a day. University students in relationships might not even be this active.
Because of Shen Su's two posts, the gossip group started a new discussion: who was pursuing whom between Shen Su and Feng Feng?
Most people believed Shen Su was the one actively pursuing Feng Feng. After all, his frequent displays of affection seemed like someone who had finally won someone over and was showing off the results to the world. However, some believed Feng Feng had pursued Shen Su first, but her high-level tactics had completely tamed him. For the gossiping colleagues, the specific outcome wasn't important; the discussion itself provided entertainment.
Feng Feng and Shen Su concluded their trip in Seville, their final destination, and then flew back to Nanjiang. After a weekend of rest at home, Feng Feng returned to work at the institute.
Early Monday morning, as soon as Feng Feng appeared at the institute, she could feel her colleagues looking at her with extremely gossipy eyes. Everyone was smiling meaningfully. Feng Feng had anticipated this outcome when she posted on social media earlier. Fortunately, her psychological resilience was good, and she wasn't affected by these matters, quickly getting to work.
There was a meeting that morning. After the meeting, Feng Feng was called to the office by the institute's top leader, Director Chen. As soon as Feng Feng entered, Director Chen got straight to the point, asking about her and Shen Su: "Do you have some personal connections with President Shen?"
"Boyfriend and girlfriend." Since their relationship was already public, Feng Feng didn't beat around the bush. "We just started dating recently. You can rest assured, work is work, and I won't let this affect our cooperation."
In their line of work, relationships within the same company weren't frowned upon. However, personal connections with people from cooperating companies could inevitably lead to suspicion and gossip. This was why Feng Feng had been reluctant to let others know about her relationship with Shen Su. Therefore, she understood why Director Chen had called her. "If you're not at ease, I can hand over matters concerning Jinhe to other colleagues in the future, and I'll take on projects from other companies instead."
When she decided to make her relationship public on social media, Feng Feng had already considered this possibility. For her, as long as she was still at the institute, it didn't make much difference which company's project she worked on.
After hearing Feng Feng's words, Director Chen smiled. His usually stern face showed a hint of amiability. "No need to be so nervous. You've been at the institute for so many years, and I trust your professionalism. You can continue to handle the Jinhe cases."
"Actually, I called you here just to confirm if you and President Shen are really together," Director Chen said. "Very good, very well-matched."
Director Chen suddenly adopted a tone like an elder, which left Feng Feng flustered. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. Finally, she could only say "Thank you." Later, Director Chen asked a few more questions before letting Feng Feng go.
By the time Feng Feng left Director Chen's office, it was already lunchtime. She put down her things and went to the company cafeteria for lunch.
During lunch, Feng Feng received a WeChat message from Shen Su. He said he would come to the institute in the afternoon and pick her up for dinner in the evening.
After replying to Shen Su's message, Feng Feng looked up and realized that Li Wen had somehow sat down opposite her and was now looking at her with a smile. Feng Feng put down her phone and greeted Li Wen.
Li Wen smiled and chatted with Feng Feng, "I saw the photos President Shen posted on his social media. Did you have a good time on your trip?"
Li Wen's question was skillful, gossipy yet natural, and didn't make her uncomfortable. Feng Feng had actually guessed that Li Wen was dying to ask about what happened at Times Square. She poked at her salad and nodded, "It was good. These cities are more interesting than America."
Li Wen said, "I was genuinely surprised to see photos of you on President Shen's social media. You two hid it so well; I never would have guessed before."
Feng Feng replied, "Because we really weren't together before. It's just a recent thing."
Li Wen nodded. "I see. But congratulations nonetheless. President Shen used to post on social media every day showing off your affection; it made me envious."
Feng Feng: "Thank you. If you're envious, then hurry up."
Li Wen actually had many more gossip questions he wanted to ask, such as finding out who pursued whom between them. However, he felt that Feng Feng answering his previous questions was already a miracle.
However, from Feng Feng's tone, he could tell that she was very serious about this relationship. Li Wen felt that he would win his bet with his colleagues.