Seven Days Book S5E3｜K’s influence

On the third day, write about a person who has a place in your growth process.
For example, if this person has participated in shaping a part of your life, he will think of it at different stages of your life and tell stories between you.

The first appearance of K in the text I wrote in Matters was in the Seven-Day Book 03 | Random, precipitated , and the first time I participated in the writing of the Seven-Day Book.

Some people you meet in life will inevitably part ways after being together intensively for a period of time. K is the Director I met in my first formal job. She not only taught me a lot in the early days of my career, but also taught me more in our private interviews after she left her job. She also taught me more at the first rock bottom of my life. It gave me important support to stand up. I am very lucky to be able to meet such an outstanding woman who is both a teacher and a friend. She is a special presence after I embark on the journey of life alone. To this day, I still suddenly remember a certain part of our conversation at certain "awakening" moments, something she said, which I personally experienced and understood many years later. Even more fortunately, our friendship continues across continents and time differences.

In September 2017, I wrote the character Liv in my first novella, and the character’s prototype was K. The following is an excerpt from the main parts of the character.

May there always be a lighthouse on our life journey.

...

5

Every working day is full of new ideas. Xiang Wu enjoys the feeling of being exposed to new things and absorbing new knowledge every day. She felt like a bird fluttering its wings for the first time, alone at a completely unfamiliar altitude, wildly embracing everything that came her way. She will start to control the rest of her life on her own.

If life is an adventure, there will be a guide for a long way in the beginning. Of course, we must be grateful to them for keeping us safe and sound when we were ignorant of the world, leaving us with the prerequisites for walking alone in the future. Xiang Wu clearly knows the dividing points between each section of the journey, at least so far, she knows it.

When a person can objectively look at the whole and parts of life, everything becomes easier.

Xiang Wu is dedicated to all the tasks assigned to her. When she encounters something beyond her ability, she goes online to look for the answer. If she really can't find it, she asks her colleagues for advice. She sometimes wonders why none of the stories she heard about the intrigues between colleagues after work happened around her. Colleagues in the company are very friendly to her, and even when assigning tasks to her, they will patiently explain them in detail. Especially her boss Liv, who often calls her into the conference room to give her small lessons, ranging from the basics of web design to how to improve user experience in design, making her often feel like she is still in school.

Xiang Wu lived up to everyone's devotion to her and quickly became an effective assistant in the team. In addition to her own job, she often serves as a temporary translator in work affairs. As long as it is related to text, she is always happy to do it.

Unexpectedly, the internship period ended early. The client's new company needed a Chinese brand name to enter the Chinese market. Foth named Xiang Wu during the project meeting. In the end, the client was satisfied with the results, and Xiang Wu became a regular employee.

Xiang Wu was caught off guard by this. She didn't even dare to call herself a "designer". In a subsequent chat, Liv said something to her: What others call you does not affect how you define yourself. She was enlightened.

6

After becoming a full-time employee, Xiang Wu gradually began to complete projects independently, ranging from small flat brochures to large website page designs with less complex structures. Learning at work is non-stop, and work seems to be endless. Fortunately, the design will not be repeated. She often stayed late at the office alone to make up for the time she was not fully proficient in using work software.

When she realized that her work was on the right track, she realized that she was already a qualified office worker. She was amazed at how quickly time passed in her busy daily life, and she was even more afraid of her dwindling recording time. If the journey after departure leaves no mark, then there is no need to set off.

The increasing proficiency at work saves Xiang Wu more time to think. It is very important to reflect on her. It is a dialogue between her and herself, a baptism of the mind. It is the premise that she does not forget her original intention.

She began to notice things that she had overlooked before.

The company's working hours are from nine in the morning to six in the evening, with an hour's break at noon. On Monday morning, there is a meeting to formulate a work plan for the week, so everyone needs to arrive half an hour early. Every morning, everyone comes to work one after another, says good morning to each other, prepares water or coffee, and starts the day's work. The office is always quiet, everyone is used to wearing headphones, and all work conversations can take place on chat software. Once, Xiang Wu raised his head from behind the computer screen and scanned the entire office. He found that everyone was sitting in front of the computer in almost the same posture, with their eyes fixed on the screen, their hands skillfully operating, and their faces expressionless. The sound of typing the keyboard, clicking the mouse, and the machine heat dissipation from the computer host working for a long time can be clearly heard. It sounds like they are talking, as if they are the only signs of life in the room.

Colleagues arrive at work and leave in almost the same order every day, which often reminds Xiang Wu of the movie "The Truman Show." A life full of inertia makes the smiles and greetings between people seem so step-by-step, and the rules are like invisible machines that cut daily life into squares. Conversations are limited to work and work meals. If you sigh "Today's innocence and beauty", someone will tell you "Today's pollution index is only xx".

I realized that there were people around me who felt the same way as me. It was an unexpected encounter in an alley bar near the company after working late at night. Xiang Wu walked into the bar alone and soon heard someone calling her name. The voice was very familiar. She followed the source of the sound and saw Liv sitting at a small round table in the corner waving to her.

She still remembered what Liv said to her, which made Xiang Wu have an unspeakable feeling for her. Liv is a cool American woman who lives alone on weekdays and never attends company gatherings. I don’t know if it’s because of her height, but she walks very fast, with long steps, and there is wind under her feet. Xiang Wu would occasionally see her smoking alone on the balcony, always looking thoughtful. She has always been grateful to Liv. After coming to the company, she learned all the knowledge about design from her. But on weekdays, they only interacted with each other at work, and because of their superior-subordinate relationship, Xiang Wu never had a chance to express his gratitude.

7

Xiang Wu walked over and sat down at the table, looking a little restrained.

Liv also ordered a bottle of beer for her and asked the waiter to add some snacks.

"Did you just get off work?" Liv's Chinese is fluent.

"Yes, there is a page that I haven't finished yet. I was afraid that it would be too late to finish it tomorrow morning, so I worked overtime for a while."

The waiter brought the food and wine, and Liv pushed the food in front of her, "The burrito here is delicious." After that, she added: "You have to eat on time even if you work hard."

Xiang Wu couldn't help but laugh when he saw her serious expression: "Your Chinese is great."

"Thank you, thank you."

"I have to thank you."

"Is this food? We get AA."

Xiang Wu snorted, thinking that he never noticed how funny she was. "I mean what you taught me, thank you, you are a great coach."

"You're a fast learner. I've never met a web designer who grew up as fast as you."

Xiang Wu was a little embarrassed and took a sip of wine.

"Do you come here often?"

"Come sometimes. There are many people here, so I will be quiet." Liv drank her beer and glanced at the noisy crowd.

The lights in the bar were dim and the music was a bit loud. The candles on the wall swayed in the heat of the store, and the shadows cast on the wall were like the swinging waist of a dancer. Most of the people seemed to have just gotten off work, and some were still wearing work clothes. Their suits and jackets were hung casually on the stools, and their shirts and ties were loose, like ropes that had been finally broken free. Everyone was holding glasses of wine and chatting with friends and strangers, as if they had just slept all day and finally woke up at night.

"This is my first time coming in." Xiang Wu said.

Liv glanced at Xiang Wu, looking like she wanted to say something, but said nothing.

"Beijing's alleys are very interesting, and there are always surprises hidden there. This store is closed during the day, there is no signboard, and you can't tell what it does from the outside."

"Then why did you come here today?" Liv asked.

"I want today to be different."

Liv seemed a little surprised by her answer, then leaned a little closer to her seat, "You know what? I don't usually chat with you because of work, but you are very different from the Chinese people I have met."

"no the same?"

"You know that." Liv winked at her mischievously.

Xiang Wu looked at her in surprise, suddenly feeling that she was the one watching the scenery upstairs.

8

They talked a lot that night, from the noise of the crowd to the dimming of the candlelight, to the small round table filled with wine bottles. Xiang Wu has never drank so much since she graduated, and she has always been sober and not drunk at all. People only get drunk when they drink when they are sad.

On the way to work the next morning, Xiang Wu was thinking about the conversation with Liv last night and wondering how to greet her when he saw her at the company later. She waited at her seat until half past nine, but no one came yet.

Liv's desk is always very clean. It's not that it's clean without dust. It's that except for water cups, paper and pens, there are no other unnecessary items. Xiang Wu looked at her empty seat and had a bad feeling.

When Foth arrived, he called Xiang Wu into the conference room and told her that Liv had resigned. She asked where she had gone, and Foth shook his head and said that he only knew that he had left Beijing.

Xiang Wu walked out of the conference room in a daze, a little unbelievable. She looked towards Liv's seat, looking at the lonely cup that had lost its owner. Is it because you want to leave easily at any time, so you never leave too many belongings behind? She felt a little foggy in front of her eyes, so she walked around her seat and left the office, and got into the bathroom of the office building.

Xiang Wu looked at himself in the mirror. Whenever she encounters something that makes her want to cry, she looks in the mirror. A person can cry as much as he wants, but if there is someone standing opposite and crying similarly, he will not be able to help but stop and comfort the other person. People are always prone to sympathy for the misfortunes of others. She looked at her eyes which were red, and the tip of her nose was also a little red.

Why didn't she tell me yesterday? Are you afraid that I will be sad if I know? Where did she go? Did you go back to the United States or go to another city? But why did you leave so suddenly?

Xiang Wu had countless questions in his mind, but he couldn't find the answers to them. She was gone as if she had never been here. "——No", Xiang Wu shook his head vigorously at himself in the mirror, "She has been here, and everything she taught me is proof."

She thought of Liv's smile last night. She had never seen her smile so heartily.

Xiang Wu was a little absent-minded that whole day, and she couldn't help but look towards Liv's seat. Foth knew her feelings for Liv and told her early in the afternoon that if there was nothing else, she could go back and rest early today. Xiang Wu was very grateful.

9

The city has a special function. It is always able to cleanly erase all the joys and sorrows that happened the day before with its own unchanging rhythm day after day. It is more neat than the transition of a stage play, and it is so ruthless that it can wipe out all the joys and sorrows of the previous day. People also become ruthless.

When Xiang Wu arrived at the company the next day, she found that the silent farewell yesterday seemed to leave no trace. Colleagues came to work in an orderly manner as usual, with the same good morning greetings, the same polite smiles, and the same presence. Start a new day with the sound of computer booting up. No one asked about Liv's departure, and no one mentioned her name, as if she had never worked here. The only difference is that the water glass that was on her desk yesterday was missing today. The table was empty and cold, as if it was already waiting for its unknown owner.

Xiang Wu suddenly understood why Liv left without saying goodbye. So what if we say goodbye? Give each other polite blessings and then never see each other again? Leaving each other's contact information and then saving that number in your phone that you may never think of contacting? Or do you force the other party to touch the tear duct that is no longer sensitive and squeeze out a few drops of sad-looking liquid? Such a farewell is sad, sadder than the farewell itself.

The best goodbyes have been said in the past interactions.

People often regret the past when they break up, but rarely let the other person know their feelings when they have the opportunity to get along. If only separation can make the time together seem precious, then why not get along with this emotion from the beginning.

10

When Xiang Wu is in a daze, he will think of Liv. Thinking of how Liv would help immediately when there were problems with project design in the past, and how she was overly criticized by Foth who was in a bad mood that day for a small mistake at work, Liv took all the responsibility on herself and said, "I asked her to do that. ". Thinking of their last night conversation. "Does Liv understand my feelings for her?" Xiang Wudan asked himself. Liv must have understood how they chatted and laughed that night. Xiang Wuhao was glad that she decided to walk into that bar, as she said herself at the time, it really made that day different. Makes everything different.

From then on she was alone.

Sometimes she wonders about the probability of random encounters between people and how fate is calculated and arranged. Whether you decide to turn at this intersection or the next intersection, the people you will meet are completely different. If you decide whether to strike up a conversation with any one of them, the length of time that person will exist in your life is also different. of. There is only one thing that is certain: there is only a limited period of time for people to be together hand in hand, and with good luck, there are only a limited period of time.

It's like boarding a bus at random. The people on the bus who don't talk to each other are passers-by who pass by each other every day in life. They travel together for a short time but have no communication. If you meet someone who gets off the bus early, you may never meet him again. The car is filled with new passers-by again; those who start chatting in the car are friends who are lucky enough to have met in life, or the topic is speculated on and the journey is extended by stopping again and again, or some time after getting off the car, we are at a new stop. When we got in the car again, we realized, "So you're still here", and we spent a new time together with each other. But in the end, all journeys have an end, and everyone has to get off the bus.

Liv sat with her for a while and then got off. I wonder if they will have the chance to meet again in the future journey.

...

Excerpted from: "The Outsider" — Ceres