Chapter 28 Approaching

The warmth of the man's hand traveled to Jiang Xia's hand, burning him.

"sit."

With a gentle pull from Wu Zhou, Jiang Xia sat down, following his lead.

As soon as the host, Ying Hua, saw Jiang Xia find a seat, he waved from afar and said in a loud voice, "I was hoping you would sit next to me, but since President Wu has already 'snatched' what he wanted, I won't compete with him for it."

Jiang Xia waved to him, disagreeing with Young Master Ying's choice of words, but unable to refute them.

Ying Hua chuckled and said, "Eat and drink as you please, don't be shy. We're all pretty easygoing."

After saying that, he turned around and went to check on the chicken wings he had just grilled.

As soon as he left, the surroundings became lively, but Jiang Xia felt extremely uncomfortable, simply because he was sitting next to General Manager Wu. The two were very close, and the space was cramped; he didn't know what to say to break the awkward atmosphere.

He stole a glance at Wu Zhou, only to suddenly meet the man's gaze—the man was looking at him directly and without any attempt to hide it.

Jiang Xia quickly looked away and stopped looking at him.

He coughed lightly, and could clearly feel Mr. Wu's gaze fixed on his face.

It seemed that in Wu Zhou's eyes, direct staring between men was nothing out of the ordinary.

Just like before in the Fog Kingdom, when he helped Zhan Lintian, he didn't hesitate to grab Zhan Lintian's wrist and take him away from the chaotic place.

Wu Zhou suddenly asked in a low voice, "Did you drive here yourself?"

Jiang Xia nodded. This place is quite remote, and taxis can only reach the public area at the foot of the mountain. If you want to go up the mountain, you have to inform the Ying family in advance.

Walking several extra steps is too much trouble; it's much more convenient to drive yourself, and it's also easier to leave after the party.

The wind ruffled Jiang Xia's hair, and the smoke from the barbecue grill was also blown towards the group of people facing the sea.

"Cough cough, I choked to death."

"With this strong wind, are we grilling a barbecue, or are we being roasted by the smoke?"

Wu Zhou looked at Jiang Xia and finally spoke: "The wind is getting stronger and it's getting colder."

He raised his voice and asked Yinghua, "The wind is getting stronger tonight, do you have any camping barriers?"

Yinghua turned around and instructed the waiter, "Yes, go to the warehouse and bring me my three-sided enclosure."

"Yes, young master."

The wind is blowing from the opposite side right now; if we put up a fence, we won't be able to see the good view.

However, late at night, without the viewing lights on, you can only see a small area in front of you on the opposite lawn and sea view.

As soon as the three-sided enclosure was set up, Jiang Xia instantly felt his body temperature rise, and with the stove fire burning brighter and brighter, his cheeks also became warm.

Wu Zhou leaned slightly closer to him and asked in a low voice, "Are you still cold?"

"I'm not cold anymore, thank you."

"Hmm." Wu Zhou's voice was very low, so as not to disturb the others who were busy trying to salvage the chicken wings that were about to burn.

Jiang Xia took a sip of hot tea, wanting to break the awkward atmosphere with President Wu, but didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, Zhan Lintian walked over at that moment with a skewer of pork belly that wasn't burnt, and sat down casually on the right side of the river gorge.

With General Manager Zhan sitting there, with Wu Zhou on the left and Zhan Lintian on the right, blocking the wind from both sides, and a small barbecue grill in front of him, it was truly no longer cold.

Zhan Lintian forgot to add salt to the pork belly in his hand, so he went to get a dish of dipping sauce: "Eat up, I grilled it."

Jiang Xia said thank you, took a small bite—it was delicious, the saltiness was just right, and it wasn't spicy...

There were only two slices of grilled meat on each skewer, and Jiang Xia quickly finished eating and put down the skewer.

Seeing this, Zhan Lintian said, "I'll go get some more."

He got up and went to the barbecue grill. He saw that he had only made ten skewers of chicken legs. He burned five of them in one go. Even after he salvaged them, the outside was still burnt. The fire was too big.

Several people sat around the barbecue grill. Zhan Lintian couldn't bear to watch any longer.

When the aunt brought over another plate of new ingredients, everyone was eager to try grilling again, but he said, "I'll do it. We've been waiting forever to get a hot meal."

Someone retorted, "I haven't done barbecue myself in a long time, and I don't know anything about the heat of charcoal. Let me try a few skewers."

Despite saying that, everyone still tactfully made way for Zhan Lintian.

Jiang Xia thought to himself that General Manager Zhan was a really good cook and he also loved cooking. Last time at his own home, he insisted on cooking.

When he went to the country on a business trip last time, he felt that the food there was not too bad, but many of the ingredients he was used to could not be bought there, so he had to go to the Chinese supermarket. But it was not easy to go out and buy them.

Zhan Lintian was in charge of the "main dishes," while the others were responsible for putting the vegetables and other skewers over to bask in his fire and sprinkle his seasonings.

Jiangxia also placed a string of steamed buns.

"You like this?" Zhan Lintian saw a pile of meat skewers and a skewer of grilled mantou among the vegetarian skewers. He turned his head and saw Jiang Xia smiling at him.

"This is delicious, and it leaves a sweet aftertaste." Starch and digestive enzymes make the mouth feel sweet, and Jiang Xia likes that subtle sweetness.

He liked that subtle sweetness.

Zhan Lintian unconsciously looked at his lips. After eating... would his moist mouth still have a delicious sweet taste?

If I kiss him, will I taste the sweetness in his mouth and on his lips?

"Then I'll grill you a few more skewers." Zhan Lintian took another handful.

Then several hands suddenly reached out from the side, each holding a skewer of grilled meat.

His friends didn't hold back and asked him, "Grill a few more skewers for me too. Hey, Mr. Zhan brought his friends today, let's get some of their money."

Although everyone was curious about how Jiang Xia got involved with Zhan Lintian, since Zhan Lintian had made his stance clear, no one would delve too deeply into it.

After the barbecue was prepared, everyone sat down and chatted.

Ying Hua leaned back lazily, holding a bottle of beer, and asked Zhan Lintian, who had many sources of information, "Why didn't Li Hua and Xie Yunyun come? They're quite the party animals."

"They went to the other side of the sea to play a few rounds," Zhan Lintian replied casually.

"Never mind them, come on, drink! Ever since we went gambling a few times with Wu Ming and his group earlier this year, a little gambling is harmless fun, but they've become addicted."

Jiang Xia suddenly heard Wu Ming's name and looked up at Ying Hua.

Only then did I realize that when President Zhan mentioned the other side of the sea, he was referring to a decadent city known for its casinos.

He prefers things that are almost certain to win to bets where the odds are unknown.

Jiang Xia frowned, his feelings toward Wu Ming becoming increasingly complex; the more he learned about him, the more he loathed him.

But reason tells me that for the wealthy, gambling away fortunes at casinos is just a pastime in their daily lives.

Fortunately, no one talked about it anymore after that.

Seeing that the time was right, Jiang Xia took out the fermented mushrooms he had brought.

"These are local wines that I collected during my field research trip in the first half of the year. They have a rather unique flavor. I asked Mr. Zhan about them, and everyone here has a lot of insight into wines, so I'm sharing them here for everyone to appreciate."

Everyone took turns pouring some to taste.

Ying Hua asked curiously, "I remember this. You gave Wu Ming a white wax ornament as a gift for his birthday party last time. Was it also from your field research?"

"I glanced at it from afar and it looked very detailed. I wanted to take a closer look, but he wouldn't let me."

Jiang Xia didn't say that he had been preparing for more than half a year, but it doesn't matter if others guess your things and they are wrong. There's no need to specifically refute or correct them.

Everyone is savoring it right now.

Some people say, "I quite like this flavor."

After finishing his drink, Zhan Lintian commented, "The taste is very strong."

It's meant to be drunk for entertainment; whether it tastes good or not is secondary.

Jiangxia wasn't very good at tasting wine; he could only drink beer, so he couldn't tell what the sentence meant.

Jiang Xia was a little nervous, but to his surprise, President Zhan suddenly patted him on the shoulder and moved closer to him, saying, "It tastes pretty good."

Jiang Xia felt a weight on his shoulder and his body swayed; he quickly steadied himself.

The man's breath fell on his neck, making him feel uncomfortable. He couldn't dodge, as Wu Zhou was right next to him.

Why don't President Zhan and President Wu maintain any social distancing...?

At that moment, Ying Hua was in a good mood. He poured a glass of wine and handed it to Jiang Xia, saying in a familiar tone, "Jiang Xia, aren't you going to drink? This is your wine. Come on, have a taste."

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed Wu Zhou, who whispered, "He can't drink, I'll drink for him."

“He can drink a little,” Ying Hua said matter-of-factly. “I saw him with his group when they went to the Miao village to drink the welcoming wine.”

Jiang Xia appeared on television because of her good looks and elegant demeanor.

Jiang Xia didn't know how he saw it.

Fortunately, Wu Zhou had already drunk the small cup of wine quickly, and Ying Hua didn't say anything, remembering that Wu Zhou had a younger brother.

"Hey Wu Zhou, you're here. Why didn't your younger brother come along? He's getting engaged soon, and he's been sneaking out a lot lately, thinking he can have some fun before the wedding."

Wu Zhou took another small sip: "Whatever."

Jiang Xia reminded him, "Mr. Wu, this wine has a strong aftereffect."

Wu Zhou then put down his cup: "I understand."

Fortunately, there wasn't much wine left in the cup; it was empty by now.

Jiang Xia was worried that he would feel uncomfortable drinking on an empty stomach, so she handed him the food after the skewers were ready.

"Mr. Wu, eating something is good for your stomach."

"Thank you." Wu Zhou accepted it.

After everyone had eaten together and gotten to know each other, Yinghua arranged a meeting time with him, promising to send him the overseas contractor's information and project materials at that time.

This translation will involve some proper nouns, so Jiang Xia needs to look them up beforehand.

Jiangxia drank hot tea and ate barbecue. Feeling a bit sleepy, he sat on a camping chair and looked at the few people in front of him.

This kind of life is comfortable and pleasant, chatting with friends late at night.

It wasn't the extravagant, decadent place I had imagined; it was more like a casual gathering of friends.

As for Wu Ming... perhaps he is still resting at home.

Just like in recent years, while Wu Ming is out socializing, he will quietly eat and rest at home.

But Jiang Xia guessed wrong.

A little while later, Wu Ming sent him a message.

"Jiang Xia, do you want to come out and have some fun?"

"Images & Images"

The picture shows Wu Ming and his friends playing billiards.

It's rare for me to make an appointment with myself.

Jiang Xia lowered his eyes, perhaps because he had upset Jiang Xia by sending back that pile of things.

However, he had already formed a team to play billiards, and it would be most awkward for him to go there at the last minute, like an intruder who suddenly barged into their world of friendship.

So he didn't reply, afraid to open the message input field, lest Wu Ming see the words "typing..."

He's going to pretend to be asleep.

Jiang Xia checked the time: 8:45. Hmm, it seems normal for him to be asleep around this time.

He didn't want to lie, and he was genuinely tired; it was time for him to rest.

Wu Ming didn't see a reply, so he sent a few more messages.

My older brother was unusually absent tonight. My aunt said he went out to dinner with friends, so I seized the opportunity to sneak out.

He held his phone and looked at the page. Jiang Xia didn't like posting on WeChat Moments, and when she did, it was only visible for three days.

Now that he's not returning, it's as if their communication channels have been suddenly cut off.

Wu Ming stared blankly at the screen.

Someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Wu Ming, it's your turn."

Wu Ming was startled, then picked up his cue stick, agreed, and thought to himself that he should go to Jiang Xia's house later.

Winter is coming, so I'll bring him some nourishing supplements.

He didn't know what Jiang Xia wanted to eat, so he simply ordered a little bit of everything.

Jiang Xia, who had already drunk a lot of tea and eaten a lot, didn't want to eat anything. After a while, he got up and asked the waiter to take him to the restroom.

Wu Zhou, however, took it personally and said, "Come with me."

Jiangxia followed closely behind.

Zhan Lintian looked at their backs, shook his beer, and silently took a sip.

In the restroom, Jiang Xia had just finished washing her hands when Wu Zhou approached and asked in a low voice, "Did you have fun tonight?"

Jiang Xia smiled at him and said, "I'm very happy. Everyone is very friendly."

Wu Zhou stepped forward, while Jiang Xia stepped back, leaning against the sink with one hand and looking up at him.

Wu Zhou noticed that his collar was a little disheveled, reached out and gently straightened it for him, and whispered, "As long as you're happy."

Jiang Xia was held in front of him, struggled slightly for a moment, and whispered, "Mr. Wu, you're drunk."

It was very quiet here, so quiet that Wu Zhou's voice was hoarse, but Jiang Xia could hear it clearly.

"I know what I'm doing."

.

A note from the author:

Zhan Lintian: I must shatter Jiang Xia's illusions about Wu Ming completely.

Wu Zhou: Well done.