Chapter 7 Compassion

A man calmly watching another man eat is a very strange sight.

Jiang Xia didn't dare to look up and pick up any food, only rummaging through the nearest plate of stir-fried mushrooms.

If he were a mushroom, he could squeeze into a crevice, close his eyes peacefully, and not have to think about anything.

Zhan Lintian narrowed his eyes. Jiang Xia, who had been quite proactive in front of him yesterday, seemed to want to disappear into the ground in front of Wu Zhou.

Did Wu Zhou scare him before?

Jiang Xia was so tense that he didn't notice Zhan Lintian's arrival.

At this moment, Zhan Lintian was not in a hurry to step forward.

He first took out his phone and asked others about the two people. After opening WeChat, he accepted Jiang Xia's friend request.

Zhan Lintian sent a message saying "Hello," but unfortunately Jiang Xia was trapped by Wu Zhou and couldn't find time to check his phone.

He took the opportunity to ask his gossip-loving friend, "Tiger, I have a question for you. Jiang Xia and Wu Zhou seem to have a good relationship?"

My friend is still in China, and there's a time difference between us. It's late at night there, but I still replied immediately.

"Oh my, when did Mr. Zhan start taking a liking to asking questions?"

“You’ve come to the right person. Jiang Xia is Wu Ming’s friend. Wu Zhou… I’ve never heard of any relationship between them.”

Zhan Lintian listened to three sentences of nonsense.

He replied, "I ran into the river gorge by chance."

A friend asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Didn't you go abroad to look at projects?"

He and Wu Zhou have a Sunac project here, currently in its second phase. He came here as one of the investors to inspect the work and arranged to have a meal with Wu Zhou here.

Zhan Lintian gave a simple explanation.

He arrived two hours early for the 2 PM appointment, only to witness the scene before him.

My friend said, "Hey, what a coincidence, what a coincidence!"

Seeing that he genuinely didn't know the relationship between Wu Zhou and Jiang Xia, Zhan Lintian said, "Let's make an appointment when I get back to China. I'm busy with things, so I'll log off now."

He walked over to the two people who were eating.

At this moment, Jiang Xia lowered his head, and Wu Zhou could only see the small whorl of hair on the top of his head.

Jiangxia's hair is very black, the kind that every time she goes to get a haircut, the hairdresser can't help but ask if she has dyed it black.

Wu Zhou first met him when Jiangxia was a freshman.

He came to Mengcheng to find Wu Ming, and also to work to earn money for his college tuition.

Wu Ming didn't arrange a place for Jiang Xia outside. Instead, he took his people directly to the villa where Jiang Xia usually lived. Coincidentally, everyone in the family was there that night, including Wu Zhou, who had been working for an overseas company for many years.

That night, Jiang Xia stood awkwardly in the magnificent villa, carrying a pure black backpack, head down and silent.

Jiang Xia was still very young at that time and did not know how to hide his emotions, so he stood helplessly behind Wu Ming.

Now, after four years at Jiangxia University and five years of work, he has gradually matured. The baby fat on his face has disappeared with the passage of time, and his cheeks have become much thinner than before, making his features more refined.

However, perhaps I scared him at the time, which is why Jiang Xia always resisted having anything to do with me afterward.

Jiang Xia had disguised himself very well at this moment, but his black hair couldn't hide his earlobes, which were slightly red from nervousness.

Wu Zhou's voice was slightly hoarse: "Don't you like these dishes? Wu Ming said you didn't eat well here."

Jiang Xia looked up at the man in front of her, smiled subconsciously, and then denied it: "No, it's quite delicious."

His thoughts were in disarray.

After thinking for a moment, he put down his chopsticks, straightened up, and said, "Mr. Wu, may I ask you something?"

Wu Zhou nodded.

Jiang Xia carefully chose his words, trying to remain calm as he spoke: "Regarding Wu Ming and Miss Xie's matter, I think..."

Before the words were finished, a voice called out from behind, "I didn't expect it to really be you."

Footsteps sounded behind him, the sound of leather shoes hitting the floor tiles was very clear, and then a male hand landed on his shoulder from behind, the knuckles were distinct and the veins on the back of the hand were bulging.

Zhan Lintian bent down, bringing his head close to Jiang Xia's cheek, and said with a smile, "What a coincidence."

Jiang Xia glanced to the side and saw the man standing very close to her.

The two people looked at each other at close range.

Jiang Xia opened his eyes slightly, his pupils trembling. What's President Zhan doing here?

Unlike yesterday's casual attire, Zhan Lintian was dressed in a suit and tie today. The dark suit accentuated his sharp, knife-cut shoulders. When he looked up, his deep eyes held a hint of nonchalant pressure. He lightly tapped the table with his other fist, making a soft thud that seemed to sink the air slightly with his movement.

Jiang Xia snapped out of his daze and was about to speak.

Zhan Lintian suddenly turned his head to look at the opposite side and greeted Wu Zhou: "Hey."

Wu Zhou hummed in agreement.

Zhan Lintian's sudden appearance caught everyone off guard.

Jiang Xia had no choice but to keep quiet for now; with outsiders present, it wasn't the right time for communication.

Unable to fit into their network of relationships, he could only awkwardly shut up.

All he could do was say, "Hello, Mr. Zhan."

Wu Zhou immediately looked at Jiang Xia and asked, "Do you two know each other?"

This time, it was Zhan Lintian who spoke up to explain: "Speaking of which, he did me a big favor yesterday, but it's a pity we have to talk about work today, otherwise I would really like to have a good talk with you."

Zhan Lintian handled the current situation with ease.

He first said to Jiang Xia, "I had a video call with Wenwen last night, and she really liked the toy you picked out for her."

Jiang Xia said, "You're welcome. Mr. Wu, Mr. Zhan, I'm going to the restroom. You two can talk first."

During their conversation, Jiang Xia checked his phone and discovered that Zhan Lintian had just added him as a friend.

That means Zhan Lintian was a guest invited by Wu Zhou.

Ignoring his hunger, Jiang Xia made up an excuse to leave.

He leaned against the bathroom sink, splashing cold water on his face.

Calm down, calm down... I almost spoke up for Wu Ming to Wu Zhou just now.

Fortunately, Zhan Lintian suddenly appeared and interrupted him; otherwise, if Wu Zhou had exposed him, how would he have explained himself?

Jiang Xia rubbed his forehead, water droplets sliding from his fingers to his palm, then down his chin, neck, and onto his collar.

After calming down, many things need to be thought through carefully.

Zhan Lintian kept interrupting, clearly not wanting him and Wu Zhou to continue their conversation...

He leaned against the wall in the corridor, opened CEO Zhan's chat page, typed and deleted, deleted and typed again.

never mind……

Wu Ming and Xie Xingzhang will eventually get married; whether it's sooner or later makes no difference to me.

As the saying goes, it's better to destroy a temple than to break up a marriage. Why make yourself look like a villain?

While he hesitated, Wu Ming called.

Jiang Xia hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

On the phone, Wu Ming's joyful voice came through as he excitedly asked, "Jiang Xia, my dear Jiang Xia, did you manage to find out what my brother was thinking?"

Jiang Xia hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Wu Ming, however, was very confident: "I believe you can do it. My older brother is a man of strong likes and dislikes. Over the years, I have never heard him utter a single word of dissatisfaction about you, so he must have a good impression of you. He has always liked hardworking and ambitious people."

Jiang Xia explained, "I don't know how to say it."

"Please, please, you're my best friend." Wu Ming said on the phone, sending an emoji at the same time.

It was an adorable kitten standing on its hind legs, constantly rubbing its front paws together.

So cute.

Jiang Xia stared at the emoji, her lips moving repeatedly, unable to utter a word of refusal.

Yes, best friends, what's there to be embarrassed to say?

"I can only say I'll try my best."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xia stood there dejectedly. His previous words were a perfunctory response and a rejection.

If he were truly just Wu Ming's friend, he could speak frankly and openly; Wu Ming had the right to do so, the confidence to do so, and no reason to feel guilty.

But not now... He felt guilty.

He dreamed of Wu Ming's earnest confession, and he also fantasized that Wu Ming liked him, that his years of unrequited love had come true, and that the story had a happy ending.

Jiang Xia leaned against the wall, slid down, and braced his legs against the ground to stop the downward trend.

He heard footsteps beside him and turned sharply to the side. The man approached step by step and said, "Did I scare you?"

Zhan Lintian stood in the middle of the corridor, back to the light, his face obscure.

Jiang Xia leaned against the wall. These two were indeed friends. Wu Zhou had just said the same thing.

"No." Jiang Xia finished speaking, then pursed her lips and gently shook her head.

Zhan Lintian walked over and stood in front of him.

He was tall, and looked down directly into Jiang Xia's eyes: "Didn't I scare you? Aren't you afraid that I interrupted you?"

Jiang Xia felt compelled to answer his question, not wanting to offend him: "What you just said was fine."

Zhan Lintian stared into his eyes until Jiang Xia looked away, somewhat embarrassed.

He said, word by word, "But...you like Wu Ming."

This is an affirmative statement, not a question.

Jiang Xia's body trembled violently. She stared intently at the man in front of her, her eyes dry and red. Her lips opened and closed repeatedly, but in the end, she couldn't utter a single word.

His long-hidden thoughts went unnoticed by Wu Ming, with whom he had spent years, but were instead exposed by a "stranger" he had only met once.

He was shocked, but also found it ridiculous.

The tall man in front of him approached step by step, and Jiang Xia instinctively retreated. With each step forward and backward, the outcome of the battle was already decided.

Jiang Xia staggered and grabbed the wall for support.

Zhan Lintian then stopped and kept a certain distance from him.

His second sentence was: "If you had talked to Wu Zhou directly just now, he would have realized that you like Wu Ming."

"You probably don't want to be exposed."

Jiang Xia laughed and denied his statement: "President Zhan is really joking. As Wu Ming's friend, we have a better relationship. I'm really sorry for causing you any misunderstanding."

"And he already has a girlfriend."

Instead of following the lead, Zhan Lintian asked, "So you're not reconciled?"

Jiang Xia looked into his eyes for a long time, and finally gave up and lowered her head. Looking at her shoes, she realized that she had left in a hurry and was thinking about going out with Wu Ming, so she had only changed into a pair of white flat shoes for comfort.

Looking ahead, the brightly colored, pointed leather shoes were approaching.

Her little schemes were laid bare in front of a seasoned businessman.

There is absolutely no privacy.

Jiang Xia changed the subject: "Thank you for helping me just now."

He looked into Jiang Xia's slightly reddened eyes and asked in a low voice, "Jiang Xia, do you need my help? Or do you want to help Wu Ming? Considering how you helped me yesterday."

He's willing to help people as long as Jiang Xia agrees.

Jiang Xia thought for a moment, then nodded and said helplessly, "As his friend, I'll help if I can..."

He paused for a moment: "From a friend's perspective, I hope he can enter the hall of marriage in a more mature manner."

*

Zhan Lintian looked at him for a while, and finally said approvingly, "Okay, let's go."

The two walked side by side toward the restaurant.

With one hand in his pocket, Zhan Lintian explained methodically: "Wu Zhou doesn't like to communicate with others. He does everything in private before making it public. If you want to test his opinion, it's best to gain his favor first."

Jiang Xia nodded.

"If you ask him directly why, he definitely won't answer. It's best to try to get information out of him while you're together."

Zhan Lintian stopped, bent down near Jiang Xia, and snapped his fingers: "Do you need me to teach you how to get information out of you?"

Jiang Xia thought for a moment and said, "Thank you for your guidance."

Zhan Lintian raised an eyebrow, looked at the serious-looking young man in front of him, and gave a polite smile, appearing calm and composed.

His throat tightened. It was just that his background was too poor. If Jiang Xia had been born into any family in Mengcheng, even one of those struggling in a declining industry, he could have defied fate and changed his destiny.

Appearance, emotional intelligence, and a degree from a top university; able to keenly perceive other people's emotions.

Zhan Lintian suddenly wanted a cigarette, but he didn't have one on him. Jiang Xia didn't smell of smoke, so he obviously didn't smoke.

He clenched his fist: "If we're going to try to get information out of you, then we need to have opportunities to spend time together."

"I'll create opportunities for you."

A note from the author:

Rabbit wants to confess that when she was drafting the story, in order to determine who the main character was, she wrote separate scenes between Wu Zhou and Jiang Xia, and between Zhan Lintian and Jiang Xia. [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] After finishing them... she found that she couldn't choose anymore. Every time she clicks on those two chapters, Rabbit can't help but smile, even though they are different kissing scenes.