C7 Maybe Your Soulmate Is Here

News of my involvement in solving the breach had already reached the higher management.

People were talking. Whispers followed me as I walked. Some congratulated me. Others looked at me differently now. But there was one person who said nothing. Ben.

In his office, behind closed doors, his expression was dark. His fists slammed onto the desk, scattering papers across the surface. “Brat…” he muttered through clenched teeth.

“You competed against me for a girl and I won. How many more lessons do you want?” His breathing grew heavier. “And now you want to take my father’s attention too?” His eyes burned with anger. “I will make sure he hates you.”

His assistant stood nearby, frozen in fear as he vented his frustration, Slapping her a few times. When he was finally done, he threw a card onto the table. A credit card. “Keep your mouth shut,” he said coldly. $200,000.

Meanwhile, I sat in the vehicle still trying to process everything. I couldn’t believe the team manager was actually treating us to lunch.

I quickly took out my phone and called Chris. “Brother, I’m sorry,” I said. “I won’t be eating with you today. I solved a major case and the team manager is taking us all out.”

There was a short pause. Then Chris laughed proudly. “That’s my brother! Go enjoy yourself. You deserve it. Don’t worry about me, I’m a lone wolf anyway.” We both laughed before ending the call.

For the first time in a long while, I felt something close to happiness.

During lunch, I sat near the team manager. He even allowed me to choose whatever I wanted from the menu. My hands were slightly shaking.

It was the first time in my life I had ever been treated like this at work. Josh noticed and smiled. “Take your time, nerd. You did well today.” Around the table, conversations flowed freely.

Some colleagues already started seeing me differently. Others looked at me with silent envy. At one point, someone suddenly asked, “Hey nerd, do you have a girlfriend?” It was Bright the talkative one.

Another colleague leaned in. “Is it true that IT guys love their computers more than relationships?” Alex joined in as well, curious. The table became lively with questions.

I took a deep breath and answered honestly. “No,” I said to Bright. “I don’t have a girlfriend. My love life has been complicated and I’m still trying to figure it out.”

Then I turned to Alex. “It’s not that we love computers more than people. It’s just that in IT, we have to make sure systems are always working and secure.”

I paused for a moment. “But having someone who makes you see the world differently… that’s important too. Sometimes those small moments become memories that last forever.”

For a brief moment, my thoughts drifted back to Samantha. I quickly turned my head away. No one noticed.

Josh clapped his hands lightly. “Very good answer, kid. I’m starting to like you more. Keep working hard the future is bright.” The table erupted in laughter again.

As I looked around, my eyes landed on someone sitting quietly at the corner of the table.

A young woman. She wasn’t loud like the others. She didn’t laugh much. But there was something about her presence calm, gentle, almost distant.

She was beautiful. When I looked at her, she looked back at me. For a brief moment, our eyes met. Then she quickly looked away, slightly shy. My heart skipped for a second. Before I could think further, Josh called my name again.

I snapped out of it and nodded quickly. But my mind was no longer in the conversation.

I found myself comparing something without meaning to. Samantha’s smile… her face when she was younger… the memories we shared… And this girl sitting across the table.

I shook the thought away immediately. I didn’t even know who she was. Who exactly was she? But now was not the time to find those answers.

Soon lunch was over, and everyone returned to their departments. As we walked back to the office, my thoughts kept drifting toward the quiet girl from lunch. Who was she? I shook my head again.

Why was I even thinking about her? I was still trying to recover from Samantha. The last thing I needed was another broken heart. We walked through the corridors, several employees greeted us.

To my surprise, some of the women greeted me shyly. Team Manager Josh immediately noticed.

He chuckled and nudged my shoulder. "Nerd, you're becoming famous." I laughed. "Famous for solving one problem?" "You'd be surprised," Josh replied. "Success attracts attention. Give it a few weeks and half the company will know your name."

The team laughed. Josh then added jokingly, "Who knows? Maybe your soulmate is somewhere in this company."

The word soulmate immediately reminded me of Samantha. Sooner or later she would become Ben's wife. Sooner or later she would be helping him run this company. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Thankfully, work kept me busy.

By the afternoon, everyone had returned to their screens and the office once again became quiet except for the sounds of keyboards and occasional conversations.

When work finally ended, Chris was waiting for me outside. The moment he saw me, he grinned. “Brother, brother tell me, how was your lunch." I laughed. "It was good. I got to choose whatever food I wanted."

Chris burst out laughing. "Listen to yourself. Anyone else would brag about solving a security breach but you're excited about choosing your own food." "Food is important, brother." We both laughed.

While we were talking, a young woman slowly approached us.

She seemed nervous. Very nervous. It looked like she had spent several minutes building up courage before walking over. "Hi..." she said softly. We greeted her politely. She looked directly at me. "I was wondering if maybe we could connect on Weibo?"

Before I could answer, Chris stepped forward dramatically. "Sorry," he said. "My brother doesn't need any more friends. I'm already his only friend."

I stared at him. The girl stared at him. For a moment there was complete silence. Then she forced a small smile. “Oh... alright." She turned around and walked away.

I could swear her eyes looked watery as she left. I felt slightly bad. But at the same time, I wasn't looking for new friendships. Not yet.

The people closest to me had been Chris, Samantha and Ben. One remained. One disappeared. And one betrayed me.

Building new friendships wasn't something I was eager to do. Maybe one day. Just not now.

Chris crossed his arms proudly. "There. Problem solved." I laughed. "Brother, I didn't know that after only five days I would become this famous." "You have no idea." We both laughed.

I remembered something. Earlier, during lunch, Chris had called himself a lone wolf.