Chapter 49 Wu Zhou

His appearance was so sudden that Jiang Xia was momentarily stunned. She stared blankly at the man in front of her and exclaimed incredulously, "President Wu?"

Wu Zhou gave a soft "hmm," his tone barely perceptible: "It's getting cold, go home early."

While the two were talking, the others, being perceptive, smiled and said goodbye, saying they were leaving: "Goodbye, Mr. Wu and Team Leader Jiang. There are many people, so we won't trouble you to see us off. We've already called a car."

A girl waved her phone to indicate that the car was almost there.

Everyone left first, laughing and joking, leaving General Manager Wu to Team Leader Jiang, making sure to give him some space.

In no time, the surroundings were empty.

After they had walked a distance, a colleague whispered as they walked, "Does General Manager Wu know Team Leader Jiang?"

Another person replied, "They should know each other, right? Isn't Team Leader Jiang good friends with Second Young Master Wu?"

"I've never heard of this before... I'm leaving."

"..."

The restaurant entrance.

Jiang Xia avoided Wu Zhou's gaze and spoke softly, "Did Mr. Wu come by on his way?"

“No,” the man’s voice was hoarse and low, falling into Jiang Xia’s ear: “It’s not on my way. Wu Ming found out the address of your dinner party, so I wanted to come and see you. I’m sorry.”

"Wu Ming?" Jiang Xia clenched his fists, his palms aching.

In the past, if Wu Ming found out that I went out at night, he would call me frantically to ask about my whereabouts, and I had to report my whereabouts every half hour.

Jiang Xia chuckled and replied, "It's not Mr. Wu's fault."

Wu Zhou stood at the windy spot, turning sideways to shield Jiang Xia from the cold wind.

His voice carried on the wind to Jiang Xia's ears: "Neither he nor Xie Xingzhang wanted to get married, so they could only send Wu Ming abroad to study for a master's degree, and then use the excuse of breaking up in a long-distance relationship to cancel the marriage in public, thus saving face for themselves and both families."

"The wedding was originally scheduled for next summer, so he has to make a decision by the end of this month to go abroad to improve his language skills, complete his preparatory course as soon as possible, and then finalize his study abroad arrangements by August or September next year."

"Time is very tight," Wu Zhou explained carefully.

If Wu Ming's family hadn't wanted him to study abroad for a long time, it would never have been possible to complete the task in such a short time.

Jiang Xia was in a daze, thinking of the bright and flamboyant Miss Xie at the engagement banquet a few days ago. They were so happy and loving at the wedding, but then...

Jiang Xia asked, "If Wu Ming doesn't go, can't the marriage be called off directly?"

Wu Zhou bluntly stated, "We need to find a respectable reason, and I also hope he goes abroad."

Jiang Xia said softly, "Mr. Wu, let me call Wu Ming. Maybe I can persuade him."

However, people still come and go at the main entrance, so it's really not a place to talk.

Wu Zhou said softly, "Let's get in the car."

Jiang Xia nodded after a moment of silence.

Jiang Xia sat in the passenger seat, but Wu Zhou did not get in the car. He was in the distance, and Jiang Xia could only vaguely see a dark figure.

The call was answered as soon as I dialed it.

Wu Ming's voice was trembling with tears, filled with helplessness: "Jiang Xia, have you agreed to study abroad with me? I can help you apply to top universities."

Jiang Xia listened to him talk for a long time without responding, and even Wu Ming, who was usually oblivious, noticed something was wrong.

"Jiang Xia, why aren't you saying anything?"

Jiang Xia said softly, "Wu Ming, sometimes I'm silent because I find that after swallowing the harsh words, I have nothing left to say."

Wu Ming stopped breathing.

"I have a good job now, and I'm not used to life abroad."

Finally, I wish you success in your studies.

“I understand…” Wu Ming finally realized that things were no longer changing according to his wishes.

He dared not hang up the phone, afraid that if he did so too decisively, there would be no room for maneuver between them.

Jiang Xia leaned against the car and asked softly, "Where are you going to study abroad? Your English isn't very good..."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before Wu Ming murmured, "In Fog Country... in China, the only thing I can't let go of is you."

Jiang Xia closed his eyes and said, "Thank you. I'll hang up now."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Ming buried his head in his hands and sobbed. Why had things turned out this way? Fortunately, his family had already taken care of his studies abroad.

It's November now. I'll come back for the Lunar New Year, and then go back next year when school starts. I'll work hard to get through my preparatory studies...

But Zhan Lintian is indeed a strange person, so I need to have someone keep an eye on him.

For a time, no one had any friends who could rival Zhan Lintian, and no one dared to offend him.

After thinking it over, Wu Ming dialed his older brother's number.

He said directly, "I agree to study abroad."

Wu Zhou hummed in agreement, seeing through his thoughts: "What are the conditions?"

He didn't believe that Wu Ming, a child who had grown up in a privileged environment, could agree to this without any benefit to him.

Wu Ming was caught red-handed and embarrassed. He almost shouted, "Big brother, I need you to keep an eye on Jiang Xia for me. Zhan Lintian is a strange person. Jiang Xia is not... not gay."

Wu Zhou's voice was deep: "I know he isn't."

Wu Ming took a deep breath: "If you agree, I'll go abroad. My flight is the day after tomorrow, right?"

"Hmm." Wu Zhou didn't say anything more.

This time, Wu Ming was the one who hung up the phone.

He put away his phone, walked to the passenger seat, and gently knocked on the window.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me and see the river view?"

Get off at Jiangxia.

Wu Zhou led him back into the private room.

The private room is new, but this time the view is even better; the balcony is a semi-circular glass platform extending outwards.

Jiang Xia was a little scared and dared not put his foot down.

Wu Zhou asked, "Do you dare?"

Jiang Xia took a step back, feeling a little dizzy: "Excuse me."

He was terrified of places that didn't seem safe.

It's too dangerous; he can't afford the consequences if something happens.

In fact, Wu Ming used to often invite me to play, but not to gatherings with friends. Instead, he would invite me to activities like bungee jumping, skydiving, cliff swings, snow mountain climbing, and hiking in uninhabited areas.

Jiang Xia accompanied him on a mountain climb, watching Wu Ming walk to the edge of a cliff in a photograph. One step forward and there was a sheer drop; he was standing shoulder to shoulder with death.

He crouched in a safe area, so terrified he could barely breathe. He even thought that if Wu Ming were to slip and fall, he would rather die with him than endure the torment that followed.

He was so scared he could barely breathe, but Wu Ming grinned at the passersby, showing off his white teeth and making a peace sign. Afterwards, he even asked him if the photo looked good and expressed his hope that they could take a photo together next time.

He couldn't accept something so terrifying.

Later, he stopped going on trips with Wu Ming, because he was indeed too busy and didn't have the time.

Wu Zhou walked to the window and looked at the glass platform outside.

"If you're scared, I can stay indoors with you. There's no need to go out and experience it."

Jiang Xia breathed a sigh of relief, put his hands behind his back, and smiled to ease the tense atmosphere: "But is it okay to take pictures here? I'd like to keep them as a souvenir."

Wu Zhou nodded and said, "I'll take the picture for you."

"What?"

As Wu Zhou took out his phone, Jiang Xia could only stand stiffly by the window. After standing there for less than two seconds, she asked in a low voice, "Are you done taking the picture?"

Or how about we make a peace sign?

Wu Zhou looked at Jiang Xia's stiff face in the camera lens and suddenly reached out to stroke the hair on Jiang Xia's cheek.

Jiang Xia instinctively tilted her head and gently grasped his hands.

With a click, in the shot, Jiang Xia, like a kitten resting its head on his hand, looked at him somewhat blankly.

Wu Zhou chuckled.

Jiang Xia narrowed his eyes. Was he teasing him?

At this moment, the waiter brought hot tea and pastries, and Jiang Xia could only remain silent.

Jiang Xia hadn't eaten much during the team building activity, but now, looking at all those plates of food, he suddenly felt a bit hungry.

He really wanted to tell General Manager Wu and General Manager Zhan not to feed him as soon as they saw him.

If this continues, I'll gain a few pounds sooner or later.

This morning, Zhan Lintian even acted like a scoundrel, pinching his own waist and saying he'd lost a bit of weight.

But he couldn't just sit there without eating. Jiang Xia didn't know what he was talking about with Wu Zhou, so he could only drink tea silently and occasionally taste a piece of pastry.

Not long after, a slightly overweight man came in. He looked to be in his thirties or forties and had a potbelly. However, he was very kind and extended his hand as soon as he came in: "Oh, Wu Zhou, you're here. Why didn't you let me know in advance? I came here specially."

Wu Zhou shook hands with him: "I came here temporarily."

Jiang Xia got up and wiped his fingers.

Zhao Sucheng looked at him beside him. He was unfamiliar with the face, but extremely handsome, with a slight smile on his lips.

He was puzzled and couldn't remember, so he could only ask Wu Zhou in a low voice, "Who is this?"

“Jiang Xia, he is mine…” Wu Zhou paused, lowered his voice, and hesitated for a moment. Zhao Sucheng was a shrewd person. Regardless of whether President Wu was thinking about how to phrase it, the other party could have remained silent. So he held Jiang Xia’s right hand with both of his hands.

“I understand. I heard from the person in charge that they said it would be an honor to have a dinner party here. It would be an honor to have such a wonderful place here.”

Jiang Xia was so flustered by his enthusiasm that he stumbled along. He felt ashamed; Jiang Xia was so warm-hearted.

Zhao Sucheng handed over his business card: "From now on, just mention my name, and I'll make sure you get all the latest and best deals."

Zhao Sucheng was a very sociable person. He could talk a lot about this pot of hot tea, praising it to the skies. Jiang Xia was amused by him and felt very happy.

Wu Zhou stood to the side, watching Jiang Xia's smiling profile.

Time passed by unnoticed, and an hour later, the two were about to leave.

Zhao Sucheng saw them to the door, clapping his hands and saying, "Actually, I wasn't planning on coming with Wu Zhou. Hey, we're all friends, what's there to see? But when the person in charge told me he brought a companion, I thought he brought his girlfriend."

"As soon as I received the news, I drove over because I had to see what kind of stunning beauty she was."

He made a joking remark, and what he said was exactly right; Jiang Xia pursed his lips.

Wu Zhou led Jiang Xia away: "Let's go."

Wu Zhou was driving, and Jiang Xia secretly took out his phone to check messages. Zhan Lintian had sent a few messages, but most of them were from Wu Ming.

He still didn't want to go abroad, but he really had no choice.

Jiang Xia set his WeChat account to "Do Not Disturb".

It's really annoying...

Wu Zhou quickly took him to his apartment building.

Jiang Xia said thank you.

But Wu Zhou didn't open the car door immediately. Looking at the smile in his eyes, Wu Zhou said, "Zhao Sucheng is a very enthusiastic person. I think you would have a great time chatting with him, so I called him in advance."

Wu Zhou lowered his voice: "Jiang Xia, I want you to be happy."

Jiang Xia replied, "I'm very happy tonight."

Wu Zhou removed his seatbelt, approached Jiang Xia, and said, "No, Jiang Xia, the underlying tone in your eyes is very sad."

Jiang Xia's nose stung, and she turned her head away, no longer looking at him.

Wu Zhou was driving a small car today, and the interior space was not as large as Zhan Zong's G-Class. In the cramped space, the other party took up a lot of space, and Jiang Xia could feel his aura pressing down on him layer by layer.

He moved closer to Jiang Xia and asked, "Do you remember what I said before?"

He said forcefully, "Jiang Xia, I told you, I want to kiss you..."

Wu Zhou traced his eyebrows and eyes, his deep gaze falling on the dark red mole on his face.

Jiang Xia looked at the man so close to her and said softly, "But I'm a man, and I'm not young anymore."

Wu Zhou told him, "Jiang Xia, these aren't words of refusal, they're words of agreement. If you dislike me, you should say you won't let me kiss you."

Jiang Xia realized what was happening and felt his whole body burning up.

Isn't he young? He's only twenty-six or twenty-seven. He's certainly lost the naivety and confusion he had when he first entered society. His eyes and brows have gained a mature charm, and his long eyelashes tremble slightly when he blinks.

Actually, his first encounter with Jiang Xia stemmed from a photo posted by Wu Ming during their high school years.

Although Jiang Xia still has some baby fat in the photo, you can still see the delicate features in her eyes and brows.

Especially when he lowers his eyes and looks sideways, his eyes seem to be brewing a storm, stirring people's hearts.

Wu Zhou's Adam's apple bobbed as he said earnestly, "Jiang Xia, if I were to kiss you now, I would kiss you slowly first, and then wait until you're out of breath and slightly open your mouth..."

His voice was much hoarse: "And then..."

He deliberately stopped, leaving room for the gorge to contemplate.

Jiang Xia's face grew increasingly red.

Wu Zhou confessed: "Jiang Xia, I like you. I have waited for you for many years. There are some problems between you and Wu Ming."

The man pressed the tip of his nose against his cheek and then gently rubbed it.

Jiang Xia's heart was pounding so hard it was almost out of control. The two of them were whispering sweet nothings in the car, and despite it being a cold winter day, he felt sweat on his back.

Their breaths mingled.

Wu Zhou looked at Jiang Xia's lips; their color was rather light, making one want to kiss them.

He lowered his head and approached.

Jiang Xia suddenly gripped his arm tightly, sobbing, "Ugh... Wu Zhou!"

Hmm...

.

A note from the author:

When Wu Ming returned to China, Jiang Xia already had two husbands.

While Wu Ming was abroad, the two of them became much more aggressive.

Zhan Lintian and Wu Zhou really enjoyed feeding Jiang Xia. Every time they met, they would stuff him with food, mainly because they felt that Jiang Xia could get a little fatter and more radiant from the inside out.

They both genuinely felt that Wu Ming had taken very bad care of his wife.

At that time, Zhan Lintian liked to pinch Jiang Xia's thigh with one hand, and the soft flesh of his thigh would be squeezed out slightly between his well-defined fingers.

Wu Zhou, on the other hand, liked to touch Jiangxia's waist.

If Jiang Xia had met those two during his student days, they probably would have pretended to taste Jiang Xia's chili sauce when they saw him only taking rice and then dipping it in chili sauce as a side dish. After taking the food away, they would have stuffed the beautifully presented bento box into Jiang Xia's hands and said they wanted to exchange it with him.

Jiangxia could only awkwardly eat the two incredibly delicious bento boxes.

The first kiss was from Mr. Wu, but the French kiss was from Mr. Zhan. Mr. Zhan is more likely to reward himself.