Chapter 50 Old Friends

"Damn! How many cigarettes have you smoked?" Ji An pushed open the office door.

The empty and huge space was filled with smoke. He saw Gu Moyang leaning dejectedly in the boss chair with a gloomy look in his eyes. In front of him was an open laptop. He had drunk half a glass of whiskey and held an unburned cigarette in his hand.

The ashtray on the table was filled with cigarette butts.

Ji An frowned when he saw this, "If you smoke so heavily every day, aren't you afraid of getting lung cancer?"

This is the scene he has seen every time he entered his office for two months.

Gu Moyang's condition seemed to be worse than when he was abroad.

Hidden in the light white smoke, there was a hint of fatigue on his angular face.

When he was abroad, he had a lot of energy.

Now the energy in him seemed to have dissipated, leaving only dejection and loss on the ground.

Gu Moyang didn't smoke when he was in college.

This is a problem I picked up after going abroad.

Nicotine can temporarily paralyze a person's nerves and relieve the worries and pain in his heart when he is idle.

After a while, I became addicted.

Gu Moyang looked up at him and put the cigarette butt in the ashtray.

"What's up?"

"The previous design is ready for implementation. Should we replace all of Heguang's previous VI designs with the current one?"

That is the plan that Jiang Jibai came up with.

Gu Moyang lowered his eyes, the light in his deep eyes dimmed, and he did not speak.

At the beginning, when he first came up with the idea of ​​establishing Heguang, Gu Moyang planned to entrust the brand image design of Heguang to her.

But later because of their breakup, this matter was put on hold.

Replacing the current plan with hers seemed to make everything perfect, but Gu Moyang felt that it was meaningless.

But this kind of peace and light is the complete peace and light.

"Let's change." Gu Moyang took a sip of whiskey, his eyes filled with depression.

Ji An sighed, not knowing how to persuade him to come out.

He knew that Gu Moyang must have expectations and hopes when he returned to China.

Now that hope has been shattered and the pillar that has supported the body for a long time has suddenly collapsed, people will inevitably feel defeated and depressed.

"There's another thing I just heard today. Shi Jie, the owner of Chuxin Design, died of a sudden illness after his company suddenly went bankrupt. He couldn't handle it."

Although Gu Moyang had never told him about the original design, Ji An could guess who did it.

Who else could have this ability except Gu Moyang who goes crazy whenever he gets involved in Jiang Jibai's affairs?

Gu Moyang said "hmm" with a cold look in his eyes, almost confirming Ji An's guess.

If you want to blame someone, blame him for touching someone he shouldn't have touched and trying to exploit her value.

But Ji An understood from the beginning to the end that Shi Jie was just a tool for him to vent his anger.

Because the instigator of this incident was Gu Moyang himself.

"Are you really not going to look for her?" Ji An asked.

When Gu Moyang heard her words, his eyes flickered slightly, then quickly dimmed. He raised his eyes and took a sip of wine, as if mocking himself, "She said...she never wants to see me again."

Seeing his dejected look, Ji An sighed, "It was indeed wrong of you to force her to make the design plan before. How about I ask her out and you give her a proper apology?"

"Forget it." Gu Moyang's eyes were filled with sadness. "Let's not bother her anymore."

—

Lu Chang and Jiang Jibai made a dinner appointment the day before New Year's Eve.

That is December 30th.

Lu Chang complained that she was a busy person. He had been back in Jinghuai for almost half a month before he finally asked her out.

Jiang Jibai smiled. "Compared to Mr. Lu, I can't be called a busy man. Why did Mr. Lu suddenly return to Jinghuai? Is he finally coming back to inherit the family business?"

Lu Chang called the waiter over, a little helpless, "I had almost finished my training at the grassroots level, so the old man called me back."

"Now that I'm back, I'm going to stay in Jinghuai for a long time." Lu Chang said with a smile.

Jiang Jibai heard something hidden in the message.

She smiled politely, "Of course I welcome you, Brother. Welcome home."

"I'd like some seared foie gras, some Australian Black Angus sirloin steak, and a brownie..."

Jiang Jibai glanced at Lu Chang across from him suspiciously, but quickly dispelled his doubts.

She also had Western food outside with Lu Chang and several senior students in the same major as before.

So it shouldn't be surprising that he knew her preferences.

Lu Chang took a sip of the lemon mint water in front of him. "How's work going? Is everything going well? I saw your WeChat Moments post. Are you switching careers to become a freelance illustrator?"

"Not bad, right?" Jiang Jibai suppressed the joy of his small achievement.

"Not bad." Lu Chang smiled. "Junior, you're going to take the illustration world by storm. I've seen your work, it's pretty good!"

"Are you following me too?" Jiang Jibai was surprised and a little shy about being noticed by an acquaintance.

"What do you mean?" Lu Chang gave her a reproachful look. "I followed you as soon as you posted on WeChat Moments. I'm a loyal fan of yours."

"If my company has any needs in this regard in the future, I will come to you." Lu Chang said with a smile.

"Thank you, Senior."

"There's one more thing I've been wanting to tell you in person."

Speaking of this, the curve of Lu Chang's mouth faded and his brows were furrowed.

"I'm sorry about the design company at the beginning. I didn't expect the result to be like that."

Lu Chang was talking about the first job he introduced to Jiang Jibai after graduation.

It was a pretty good-sized design company.

But at that time, the vice president of that company fell in love with her, and this was discovered by his wife. Jiang Jibai was forced to resign and was also burdened with an unclear stigma.

This incident must have caused her considerable harm at the time.

Thinking of the pain he had experienced before, Jiang Jibai clenched the knife and fork in his hand, his eyes drooping, "It's okay, it's all in the past, senior, don't blame yourself."

She forced a smile and said, "If you hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have been able to find a job. I'm so grateful to you, how could I blame you?"

Lu Chang's brows relaxed: "Hearing you say that, I feel much better."

"How have you been these years?" Lu Chang suddenly asked seriously.

Good or not, this is a broad concept. Generally speaking, Jiang Jibai has not had a good life in recent years.

Nothing is going well in my work, career, or love life, and I am often tormented by those terrible memories.

Her life couldn't be any worse than it had been in previous years.

But Jiang Jibai would not tell him this.

She smiled and replied broadly, "It's OK."

After not seeing her for many years, Lu Chang felt that she had changed a lot.

When she smiled in the past, there was light in her eyes, and that light was so bright that it could burn his heart.

Now the radiance in her has been hidden, she smiles less often, and has become more reserved and silent.

For example, her smile just now was not from the heart.

Lu Chang could see the sadness and the lack of light in those beautiful eyes.

Lu Chang withdrew his gaze from her and calmly concealed the sadness in his heart.

After the meal, Jiang Jibai rushed to pay the bill.

She said she wanted to express her gratitude to Lu Chang for his care and concern for her over the years.

Lu Chang couldn't persuade her, so he had to agree with a smile.

Hide the sadness and shame in your heart.

"Let me take you home." Lu Chang picked up the woolen coat that was on the seat next to him and put it on. "It's quite cold outside."

Jiang Jibai tied his scarf and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Okay, thank you first, Senior."

After turning the corner, Jiang Jibai was startled to see the person sitting next to him. It was Ji An.

If Ji An were here...

Jiang Jibai's brain reflexively thought of that name.

But he seemed to be away, and a strange man was sitting opposite Ji An.

But it has nothing to do with her whether he is there or not.

Ji An also saw her, but before he could say hello, Jiang Jibai nodded to him quickly and left with Lu Chang.

"Was that a friend just now?" Lu Chang asked.

"I know him but not very well." Jiang Jibai simply said.

Gu Moyang, who came out of the bathroom, just happened to see two people, one tall and one short, leaving side by side.

Jiang Jibai was wearing a light yellow down jacket and a white scarf. She was very afraid of the cold, so she always dressed in a puffy way when going out in winter. She looked very cute.

They didn't know what they were talking about. When Jiang Jibai looked up at Lu Chang, his brows relaxed and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Gu Moyang's gaze lingered on their backs for a moment, then quickly moved away.

A layer of frost quickly formed in his lowered eyes.