Chapter 45 is gone

Wu Zhou approached and lowered his voice: "Jiang Xia, if you need it, I can give you the health report tonight."

His voice was hoarse, as if he were speaking close to Jiang Xia's ear. Perhaps it was because of the intense sunlight today, but Jiang Xia's cheeks instantly felt hot.

He took a step back, reacted quickly, and coughed lightly: "I don't need..."

Wu Zhou then said, "But Jiang Xia, I think you'll need it."

Jiang Xia clutched the garbage bag tightly, walked briskly, and laughed as he went: "Haha, no need, no need, Mr. Wu, don't joke with me."

Wu Zhou followed closely behind. He had intended to take the garbage bag, but Jiang Xia held on very tightly, so he didn't insist.

After throwing away their trash, the two walked back. Halfway there, Jiang Xia saw him pass by his black minivan and still follow closely behind him.

Jiang Xia asked in a low voice, "Is Mr. Wu free today?"

Wu Zhou replied, "I have a meeting this afternoon, but I'm free now."

He wouldn't leave, and Jiang Xia didn't know how to get him to leave.

It seems inappropriate to directly kick them out...

Jiang Xia and he walked towards home, and Wu Zhou casually asked, "Why is Zhan Lintian here today too?"

Wu Zhou pointed out: "Is it because of what happened last night? Do you want to seek his opinion?"

Jiang Xia glanced to the side and hummed in agreement.

Wu Zhou stared at the faint blush on his neck and narrowed his eyes: "I understand, you can think about it slowly."

Jiang Xia took a deep breath and, seeing that he was getting closer and closer to the residential building, suddenly stopped.

Avoidance is not the best way to solve problems.

Wu Zhou then stopped and followed his rhythm.

The two people stood facing each other not far from the entrance of the stairwell.

Jiang Xia stared directly at the man in front of her. She herself had never dared to observe him closely before. Now, as she carefully traced his eyebrows and eyes, Wu Zhou had completely shed his childishness.

Jiang Xia lowered his eyes to look at the ground, then calmly asked, "Mr. Wu, may I ask you something? I might have a few questions."

Wu Zhou nodded.

Jiang Xia pondered for a moment, looked at him, and asked, "Mr. Wu, which poet's description of emotions best resonates with your state of mind?"

Jiang Xia asked the question tactfully. If Wu Ming had answered, the other party might have just scratched his head, racked his brains, and then changed the subject, asking him to say something simpler and not to be too complicated.

Wu Ming was never a top student.

In high school, Jiang Xia often tutored him and explained problems to him, but he would often fall asleep on the table while listening.

Fortunately, both of them later attended universities in Montreal, and the campuses were not far apart.

Wu Zhou is a typical STEM student, and Jiang Xia suddenly became a little curious.

He wanted to know Wu Zhou's opinion.

Wu Zhou narrowed his eyes. Jiang Xia's unspoken question was: why would she like him...?

Before long, Mr. Wu had an answer in his mind, took a step forward, and approached Jiangxia.

"Some people say love is sex, marriage, or a kiss at six in the morning, but do you know what I think? I think love is the hand that wants to touch but then pulls back."

Wu Zhou stopped two steps away from him.

Jiang Xia looked at him in astonishment; these words did not match President Wu's actions.

He is Wu Ming's older brother. They share the same parents. Wu Ming frequents brothels and casually throws his heart away, but Wu Zhou says, "Love is the hand that wants to touch but then pulls back."

Salinger's quote is often cited; a former colleague of Jiang Xia had this quote as his social media signature.

Jiang Xia tried to discern something from President Wu's eyes, but the other man's gaze was so intense that Jiang Xia's cheeks burned, which startled her awake.

“You are…” Jiang Xia murmured.

Mr. Wu did not answer his own question; he was summarizing.

Jiang Xia stared at him blankly: President Wu wouldn't know that he once liked Wu Ming, would he?

Jiang Xia felt dizzy. Why did President Zhan see it at a glance, and then President Wu saw it at a glance too? Was his affection that obvious?!

He felt embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed.

Wu Zhou asked in a low voice, "Jiang Xia, are you satisfied with my answer?"

Jiang Xia couldn't expose the truth, so he could only say, "Mr. Wu is absolutely right, let's go up first."

Unexpectedly, Wu Zhou quickly followed behind him and apologized in a low voice: "I'm sorry."

He wanted to gently squeeze Jiang Xia's wrist to stop him from going upstairs—Zhan Lintian and Wu Ming were still at home, and it wasn't convenient to talk to them.

Wu Zhou finally managed to grab him, using some force to hold his palm tightly.

Jiang Xia was scalded by the heat of his palm. The heat felt like a red-hot needle piercing his veins, spreading along his entire body, and rising all the way up until his heart became burning hot.

Wu Zhou felt the veins throbbing beneath Jiang Xia's fragile skin, and seeing the panic in Jiang Xia's eyes, who was usually calm and gentle, he felt a pang of pity.

He didn't mean it... he just wanted to say that he understood Jiang Xia's unrequited love over the years and that he always wanted to avoid disturbing Wu Ming's happy and fulfilling life.

Just like I can understand the words he once wrote.

Wu Zhou said softly, "I'm not very good at describing things, so it might sound a bit... old-fashioned."

"Jiang Xia, I apologize to you."

Jiang Xia couldn't tell him he was joking, just as he had done with General Manager Zhan, because he had phrased it so tactfully...

But this person kept chasing after him to apologize.

"Mr. Wu, you..." This was the first time Jiang Xia had ever been so overtly shown affection by someone else.

Jiang Xia tried to pull her hand away, but the man's grip was very strong.

Wu Zhou appears to be taciturn, but he is more aggressive than he imagined.

"What are you apologizing for?"

Wu Ming's voice suddenly rang out, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere between the two.

He strode downstairs with a grin, asking as he ran, "What happened?"

He waited upstairs for a long time but couldn't see you, so he came downstairs and said, "Jiang Xia, I've been waiting for you upstairs for a long time but I haven't seen you, so I came down to look for you."

Zhan Lintian followed behind him, shrugged at Wu Zhou and Jiang Xia to indicate that he hadn't been able to stop them.

If he doesn't come back soon, Wu Ming will start frantically calling and messaging Jiang Xia.

Let him come down then.

Wu Zhou released Jiang Xia's wrist without making a sound.

Jiang Xia waved his hand and explained, "It's just a misunderstanding."

Wu Ming ran over quickly, put his hand on Jiang Xia's shoulder, and naturally widened the distance between him and his older brother.

Jiang Xia never wanted to be associated with his elder brother.

So he pulled the person across the gorge and shielded them behind him.

Jiang Xia had just steadied himself when General Manager Zhan pulled him behind him.

Jiang Xia swayed behind Zhan Lintian again.

Zhan Lintian turned around, patted his shoulder reassuringly, and silently examined his face.

The blush on Jiang Xia's face had faded, and her lips were no longer swollen.

Therefore, Mr. Wu was probably not apologizing for his relationship with Jiangxia.

He was still a little worried: "Are you alright?"

Jiang Xia shook her head to comfort him, "It's alright."

Suddenly, Wu Ming's voice rose: "My reluctance to get married has nothing to do with Jiang Xia. Brother, don't take your anger out on him, otherwise why would you apologize to him?"

Wu Zhou chuckled: "Is this the only answer you can think of?"

Wu Ming argued: "Apart from this, there's nothing else!"

Wu Zhou sneered, watching him put on his own show: "Then I can have a good chat with you about Miss Xie's matter."

Wu Ming suddenly lost all strength; his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

All his courage vanished instantly upon hearing those words.

The eldest brother held leverage over his own weaknesses.

He was grateful to Wu Zhou, but also wary of him.

Wu Ming wanted to urge Wu Zhou to leave, so he forced a smile and said, "Brother, aren't you going on a date with your wife? Aren't you going to get in the car and leave?"

Wu Zhou lowered his voice: "That's why I came to ask you to leave together. I want the driver to take me away."

Wu Ming replied matter-of-factly, "No, I can't leave now. I still have things to discuss with Jiang Xia!"

Wu Zhou wasn't buying it and said in a low voice, "You can call tonight."

Wu Ming looked helplessly at Jiangxia.

Jiang Xia definitely can't help me; how could my elder brother possibly listen to me?

Jiang Xia could only smile and agree: "I'm free tonight. Call me anytime you want, I'll answer."

Wu Ming looked at him with some grievance, and finally left helplessly.

Zhan Lintian watched the two brothers get into the car and leave, then casually put his hand on Jiang Xia's shoulder and leaned towards Jiang Xia: "Ah, finally it's just the two of us."

The two went upstairs, and Zhan Lintian asked calmly, "What did President Wu just say?"

Jiang Xia avoided the topic of health certificates and only mentioned what Wu Zhou had just said.

Back in the room, Zhan Lintian sat on the sofa. As soon as Jiang Xia sat down, Zhan Lintian put his arm around Jiang Xia and pulled her closer.

He laughed and said, "I'm perfectly healthy, I'm definitely not sick, why are you hiding from me?"

Jiang Xia's face bumped into his chest. When she looked up, Zhan Lintian immediately spoke, diverting her attention: "Are you afraid of him or afraid of him kissing you?"

He held up his finger to explain: "Being afraid of him means you hate him as a person. Being afraid of him kissing you means you don't hate him as a person, but you can't accept the act of kissing."

Jiang Xia lowered his eyes: "I understand."

Zhan Lintian raised an eyebrow. "Smart. Judging from this situation, when Jiang Xia and Wu Ming sometimes talk, do they ever feel like they're talking to a brick wall?"

As he pondered, his fingers unconsciously reached out to touch something.

My fingertips brushed against his cheek...so soft...

His voice was hoarse: "Jiang Xia, my opinion is that if you don't like him, you should clearly refuse him."

Jiang Xia looked at him closely, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Zhan Lintian could see that his lips were slightly parted, probably because he had been pursing them, and his lips were always moist, with a faint hint of crimson inside.

If I were to kiss him, would he refuse? Or would he half-heartedly go along with it, just like in my dream... At first, his hands were pushing against my chest, but after being kissed until they softened, he would put his hands on my shoulders, awkwardly and trying hard to please me.

Zhan Lintian called out his name: "Jiang Xia...you..."

Wu Ming's phone rang at an inopportune moment, and he sent a WeChat message.

He can only call in the evening to have a detailed talk and apologize, but he could send a WeChat voice message beforehand.

Wu Ming's first voice message: "Jiang Xia, has Zhan Lintian left yet?"

He was restless in the back seat, tossing and turning, staring intently at his phone screen.

Soon, Jiang Xia sent a two-second voice message.

Wu Ming happily clicked on the app, but Zhan Lintian's voice came through: "He's gone."

Jiang Xia, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but lower his head and chuckle softly.

.

A note from the author:

Jiang Xia couldn't really understand why Wu Ming could come to him so openly, but he was certain that Wu Ming was shameless.

It's no longer a matter of liking or disliking.

After disinfecting the tableware, Jiangxia chose to throw it away.

Wenqing Jiangjiang is a bit of a germaphobe, both mentally and physically.