Chapter 20

They had originally agreed to go to the airport together and take the same flight back to Shanghai, but Liang Shi broke his promise to Li Junqian, changed his flight, and returned to Shanghai earlier.

Returning from the warm climate of Shenzhen to the harsh winter of Shanghai left Liang Shi with a solid cold. Gu Feng, unaware of the situation, invited her to play tennis. Liang Shi sent him a picture of herself receiving an IV drip at the hospital, asking if he wanted her to come and take care of him.

Liang Shi didn't have that much influence; she told them to have fun, she could manage on her own. Gu Feng, being a shrewd and understanding boss, gave her another day off to recover, promising to join them next time.

What a great boss in China!

Zhou Yun thanked Li Junqian for finally arriving to save the day. She wasn't very athletic, and she had used up all her energy today.

Gu Feng, holding a tennis racket and resting his hand on the net, looked like a gossip: "I've been back for days and haven't seen you anywhere. Tell me, what's going on between you and Suzie?"

Li Junqian picked up the yellow tennis ball from the ground and tossed it in his hand: "I needed to report my itinerary to you a couple of days ago, over the weekend?"

Gu Feng rolled his eyes: "Fine, I admit I overstepped my bounds. I won't pry into your private schedule. But I do have the right to know about your gossip with Suzie, right? My brother-in-law didn't help out for nothing."

Li Junqian smiled and swung his racket, then tossed the ball up. With a flick of his racket, the ball landed right at Gu Feng's toes.

"Best two out of three games, I'll tell you if I win."

Gu Feng frowned, almost smashing the expensive tennis racket in his hand into his face: "I've heard about your reputation as the president of the university tennis club in France. Even the crazy girls at our school are saying that there's a 'Federer' from China at another school. If you don't want to tell me, just say so. Why do you have to give me a technical crushing victory?"

Li Junqian shrugged: "If you lack self-confidence, there's nothing I can do. Besides, you're the one who messaged me to come over and spar with you. If we're not going to fight, I'm leaving."

This guy's temper is really not something that ordinary people can handle, but everyone has weaknesses. Gu Feng couldn't control him before, but it's different now. He laughed unrestrainedly: "Okay, let's have a competition. I was just on the phone with Suzie and wanted to ask her to come along, but she caught a cold and is in the hospital getting an IV drip."

Li Junqian returned from Shenzhen and texted and called her, but received no response. He even went to her house, but no one answered the doorbell. So, he's been away from home these past few days because he's in the hospital?

There are several hospitals near her home, but he wasn't sure which one it was.

Where is she?

Seeing his anxious look, Gu Feng chuckled: "Why don't you just call her yourself and find out? But you've been back for two or three days now, and you still don't know she's sick? It seems that between you and Suzie, you were the one who pursued her, and then she didn't like you?"

Li Junqian's expression grew increasingly grim, and Gu Feng quickly shut his mouth, even taking a step back. Could Li Junqian have actually guessed right?

His brother is so handsome, how could Suzie not be interested?

Gu Feng proposed, "Best two out of three. If you win, I'll tell you where Suzie is, but at the same time, you have to tell me what's going on between you and her. How about this deal?"

Li Junqian raised his hand and gestured to Zhou Yun: "Helen, could you please help us count?"

After saying that, he turned to Gu Feng and said, "We're in a hurry, just one game, let's finish this quickly."

Gu Feng readily agreed, but he didn't expect that in this rush, he would almost die under his own racket. The tennis ball seemed to have eyes; every shot landed in an extremely tricky spot, either making him embarrass himself and almost causing him to fall, or hitting his leg.

Gu Feng felt he was really going all out for the sake of gossip.

Gu Feng, racket planted firmly on the ground, was exhausted. The man opposite him walked up to him as if nothing had happened: "Which hospital?"

Zhou Yun brought him a bottle of water and patted him on the back. When Li Junqian saw this scene of public displays of affection, his brows furrowed.

"I'm going to get the car. Send me the address via WeChat."

Gu Feng watched his dashing departure and gave him the middle finger. Zhou Yun, seeing his rude gesture, quickly pressed his hand down: "President Li is in such a hurry, it seems Director Liang is special to him. Didn't you always say he's a hopeless case? You should be happy for him finding the girl he loves."

"Honey, hurry up and give me my phone. If I'm late in sending this, Karsten will hold a grudge again. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing, and he'll never forgive a little thing."

Li Junqian drove to the hospital. In the bustling hospital, he asked the nurses passing by and finally found Liang Shi in the infusion room.

The woman was pale and lying quietly on the blue IV chair with her eyes closed. There was still more than half a bottle of saline solution in the tub. Li Junqian took out his phone, zoomed in on the camera until there was only her in the picture, and took a picture.

A girl next to Liang Shi, who was also receiving an IV drip, woke her up. The difference was that the girl had her boyfriend with her. When you're sick and feeling unwell, you really need someone to rely on. Liang Shi envied this girl.

The girl's boyfriend handed her a bag, saying, "A guy just asked me to give this to you. It must be your boyfriend, right? He's tall and handsome. Did you two have a fight? But that guy didn't seem like an unreasonable person; he was very polite."

A man? Tall and handsome? Could it be Li Junqian? But only Gu Feng knows which hospital she's in, and he only told him that not long ago. Could it be that he told Li Junqian?

Liang Shi placed the bag on his lap and flipped it over with one hand. To his surprise, it was a hot water bottle covered with knitted yarn! And it was still warm!

Heaven knows that in this weather, the icy saline solution entering her skin almost froze her hands! Without a second thought, she placed the hot water bottle directly into the palm of the hand receiving the IV, and it instantly warmed up.

Besides the hot water bottle, there was also an insulated box with a label on it.

She could still recognize the handwriting even if it turned to ashes.

It really was him! Liang Shi felt her heart racing. She looked towards the entrance of the infusion room, but the person she was thinking of wasn't there.

Li: I packed a serving of fish porridge. Remember to eat it when your IV drip ends.

This porridge is quite famous, and it's a bit far from the hospital. How did Li Junqian manage to do that?

The nurse came to remove the needle, and Liang Shi finally finished her IV drip. She couldn't wait to open the insulated food container. The fish porridge inside was still warm, and the aroma made the girl next door envious: "Wow, your boyfriend is so thoughtful! My boyfriend is here, but all he does is play games. He never buys me anything to eat. Sigh, it's so unfair!"

Li Junqian was not her boyfriend, but at this moment, Liang Shi did not want to refute it.

"This porridge tastes good. You can eat it with your boyfriend after your IV drip is finished."

Li Junqian deliberately parked his car in a parking space next to the hospital entrance. He stayed in the car for several hours and finally saw Liang Shi come out, holding the pink hot water bottle in both hands. Seeing this, he smiled with relief.

Sick people shouldn't have too much emotional fluctuation. Li Junqian didn't want to appear in front of her now. If he didn't handle his words and tone well and stirred up her emotions, it would end badly and might even worsen her condition.

Seeing her get into a taxi, Li Junqian started his car and followed her.

Halfway there, Gu Feng called and invited him to dinner that night. He initially declined, but Gu Feng insisted that he would wait no matter how late it was and even threatened to come to his house to catch him if he didn't wait. Li Junqian wasn't one to go back on his word, so he decided to clear things up before Gu Feng, that big mouth, started spreading rumors.

After watching Liang Shi safely get out of the car and enter the residential area, Li Junqian drove to the restaurant that Gu Feng had booked. The two men ate together, but neither had much of an appetite, and there was little atmosphere for conversation. After they finished eating, Gu Feng suggested that they go for a drink together, and Li Junqian had no objection.

With all these things happening lately, I really want to have a drink.

The owner of this bar was an old friend of Gu Feng's, and he arranged for them to sit in a secluded spot. Li Junqian only ordered a glass of whiskey.

Gu Feng propped himself up on the back of the chair with one hand, his gossip instincts flaring up: "You didn't find Liang Shi, did you? But your expression doesn't seem like it. Tell me, brother, what's your story?"

This story is neither long nor short.

Gu Feng was shocked after hearing just the beginning.

"Wow, that's explosive! No wonder you didn't object when I brought her in. But she's still a girl, how could you... Brother, you're not like that kind of person to me!"

Li Junqian swirled the glass, causing the ice cubes inside to rattle and make subtle sounds as they collided with the glass.

"I used to treat her like a younger sister, but after not seeing her for several years, she has changed a lot. Some of her qualities attracted me, and I can't deny that I like her a lot, both in life and at work."

This was the first time Gu Feng had heard his good friend talk about his personal feelings. It was so exciting! He was speaking his mind after drinking. Gu Feng insisted on paying for the meal.

Hearing him say that the two of them had a brief relationship and that he was unilaterally dumped later, a big question mark popped into my head: "Your relationship lasted way too long, bro. You're rich, handsome, and tall, there's no reason Suzie would break up with you. Could it be that you..."

As he spoke, his eyes glanced down at Li Junqian's lower abdomen. The latter's face was as serious as could be, and Gu Feng chuckled.

"Don't worry, I'm much better than you."

Pfft, to hear such witty remarks from Li Junqian in his lifetime, Gu Feng laughed instead of getting angry. But how could a man be outdone?

"Tsk tsk tsk, that's impressive. Suzie even went after other men? That Wei from last time? What was it again? But she has no taste, that man wasn't clean."

Upon hearing the name of that man, Li Junqian's eyes flashed with malice, and he only calmed down after taking a sip of wine.

“There was an announcement from Shenzhen a few days ago, you can take a look.”

Gu Feng took out his phone and searched, and sure enough, he found it. He read it through and kept exclaiming "Holy crap!"

"Damn, my brother-in-law's friend said that guy has quite a background. He's really done for this time! It's all your fault! Logically speaking, after you saved Suzie like that, shouldn't she repay you with her body? Why is she still so cold to you?"

This is what gives Li Junqian the biggest headache.

The day before yesterday, he went back to Zhao Jiaren's place. Since his father passed away, Zhao Jiaren had moved in with his maternal grandparents. They rarely ate together, and the atmosphere was harmonious. However, when he mentioned Liang Shi, his mother's expression turned sour.

He only said that it was impossible to allow her to come to his house for New Year's Eve dinner.

Li Junqian is certain that Zhao Jiaren is the point of conflict between him and Liang Shi.

It's rare for a good brother to care so much about and be so serious about a woman, so Gu Feng has to try and bring them together.

"How about I treat Suzie to a meal in a couple of days and ask around for you?"

Li Junqian clinked glasses with him in mid-air: "Whatever you say."

Li Junqian has been handling some matters at the company these past few days. In the middle of the year, the brand department planned to launch a co-branded pressed powder and blush with the Dunhuang Academy. The general plan has been communicated between the two sides, but there are still some flaws. Taking the initiative, Li Junqian plans to personally visit the Dunhuang Academy.

Line is Fanning's makeup brand. Their pressed powder and blush have been selling well year after year and are star products in the makeup industry. This time, they want to collaborate to press pressed powder based on the special murals of Dunhuang and make new blush shades using the special colors from the murals. The idea is great, but it involves a lot of copyright and design schemes, and it really requires him, the decision-maker, to personally negotiate.

Li Junqian never expected that a week after he returned to Shanghai from Dunhuang, the situation would change drastically.

All of Fan Ning's employees were terrified that day, after all, they had never seen the vice president so angry, especially not at the head of the big boss, Gu. Gossip spread like wildfire.

In Gu Feng's office, Zhou Yun placed coffee in front of Li Junqian. Seeing his furrowed brows and serious expression, looking like he was someone to be avoided, she glanced at Gu Feng, who gestured for her to leave quickly to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

The atmosphere was quiet for a while. Gu Feng was especially afraid that his brother would remain silent. He was almost ready to kneel down and admit his mistake.

But ultimately, he didn't do anything wrong! He actually had a pretty good chat with Suzie last night. Who knew that as soon as he got to work today, he would receive a leave request from Suzie, and what's worse, she approved it.

"Although she hasn't been with our group for long, she has generated a lot of revenue for us. I approved her leave because I saw that she has been doing her job perfectly lately... Besides, she's not resigning, so why are you getting angry with me?"

Li Junqian chuckled. Liang Shi had been with Gu Feng since the afternoon yesterday. Why didn't they mention taking a vacation yesterday?

I came to Gu Feng early this morning to ask about his leave. Before I went to the company this afternoon to question him, I called her, but no one answered and her phone was even switched off. I went to her house to ask her why she suddenly asked for leave before the holiday, under the pretext of giving her a gift, but no one answered. I asked the property management, and they said that the homeowner was registered as not being in Shanghai recently.

"Tell me, what happened yesterday?"

Gu Feng recalled what happened yesterday and felt that he was more wronged than Dou E!

"Your Honor, you are my brother. Do you think I would do something so despicable as to break up a brother's marriage?"

Li Junqian laughed: "You're quite like that kind of person."

Gu Feng sighed, "I really didn't do anything! Yesterday afternoon I played tennis with Zhou Yun. You know my girlfriend's physique; she got tired after playing for a short while. I was thinking about how Suzie had been saying she was busy the past few days, so I tried again yesterday. As soon as I mentioned tennis, she came. And let me tell you, Suzie is really good at tennis; her stamina is incredible..."

"Don't change the subject."

Gu Feng: "...You're not happy that I'm praising your woman?"

"Would you be happy if I complimented your woman's figure?"

Gu Feng: "..." You win.

“After playing basketball that day, the three of us ate together. I didn’t tell her at first that I knew about your relationship, but I subtly asked her what she thought of you.”

Li Junqian is usually calm and collected, seemingly indifferent to everything, never competing or vying for anything. But Gu Feng could see the hidden expectation in his eyes regarding this issue.

"Don't worry, Suzie isn't petty. She still raves about your ex-boyfriend even after we broke up. But I think a big part of the reason is that she has to praise you in front of me. After all, we're like brothers. She's a director, she can't afford to offend two bosses... You kicked me? Li Junqian, this is the first time you've been so rude! Something's wrong with you!"

Li Junqian apologized, "I couldn't help it. You're such a chatterbox. Get to the point. I don't want to hear any of that nonsense."

Gu Feng wanted to curse, but knowing he couldn't beat him, he gulped down a mouthful of wine: "She just said you were gentle and refined, decisive and efficient, blah blah blah... basically just praising you. I think she still has feelings for you. For a woman like Suzie, I suggest you change your approach. Buddy, give me some advice?"

What tricks could a guy who's been picking up girls since elementary school have? They're all low-class stuff. Li Junqian finished his drink, got up, and prepared to leave: "Just don't make things worse. I'm leaving."

Gu Feng hadn't finished chatting when he quickly stopped him: "We're brothers, trust me this once. A woman like Suzie, being gentle and refined won't work. You have to... how should I put it, yes, be wild! You have to be a little wild, like forcing yourself on her..."

Those last five words made Li Junqian want to never see him again: "Helen, do you think she'll fall for your act?"

Gu Feng raised his hand to touch his neck and chuckled, "What woman wouldn't fall for my charms? She'd be completely under my thumb, wouldn't she? I'm experienced, I'm not lying, it's been proven true. You should really give it a try, maybe you two will..."

Too lazy to listen any longer, Li Junqian fiddled with his car keys in his pocket and walked out of the bar.