"Wow, just looking at those muscles makes me salivate..."
"Look at this one, he has an excellent body, a perfect six-pack. If he were in front of me right now, believe it or not, I'd lick him right away."
...
At 1:50 pm during the lunch break, Joel took a sip of water, glanced at her colleagues gathered together at the next seat, who occasionally exclaimed and shrieked, and continued to sort out data on her computer screen.
Three days ago, her company, Anshuo Information Company, was acquired by a larger company. The manager instructed everyone to sort out all the client data from the project department before the new boss arrived. Time was of the essence, so Joel had to work overtime to finish it.
"Joel, it's not work time now, stop what you're doing. Come and tell us which of these two guys is better looking?"
The two colleagues kept arguing incessantly. Joel, annoyed by their incessant chatter, reluctantly cast a glance at the side table. However, just one look was enough to make her immediately turn her head away.
While she had grown used to their regular fangirling, the man on the magazine... why was he not wearing anything, even underwear?
Obviously amused by her reaction, her colleague couldn't resist teasing her. "It's just a naked man. What are you shy about? You're 24, and didn't you study abroad in America? Don't tell me you've never seen a man's body."
Joel coughed lightly, unsure of how to respond to this.
As for seeing a man's body, she didn't know if she counts as having seen one or not...
Four years ago, on the night of her high school graduation banquet, a drunken Joel was helped into a hotel suite by a fellow classmate. She didn't quite remember what happened, but her body clearly perceived an odd feeling. Her body ached and felt swollen, and the man who was on top of her was tall and heavy, making it a bit hard for her to breathe.
The next morning, Joel woke up with a massive hangover. She received a call that something happened at home. She didn't even have time to take a glance at the man beside her under the dim light leaking through the curtain. She hastily put on her clothes and left in a rush.
So much so that even today, four years later, she still doesn't know who the man was who took her virginity.
She doesn't know what her son's father looks like.
"Have you seen one or not?" One of her colleagues insisted, as if she had discovered a new land. "Joel, you're not still a virgin, are you?"
The women in the project department have to drink and entertain clients as part of their duties, so they were used to vulgar talk. They tended to be more open about relationships, and to them, being 24 and still a virgin was considered "embarrassing."
Joel avoided her colleague's curious gaze. She was not comfortable with lying, but it was also inappropriate to tell them she has a four-year-old son, as according to her records at work, she was unmarried. She turned her head and continued to type on her keyboard. "You guys can continue, I need to finish sorting out this stuff."
Her evasive attitude only further piqued her colleagues' curiosity. The colleague holding the magazine leaned closer, determined to get some information. "Joel, there's nothing embarrassing about this. Think about it, you have to get married one day, right? And you must do it with your husband after getting married. During that time, you will have to see his body, right? How will you know what's good if you don't see a few examples in magazines first?"