Chapter 3 Friendship "My time is limited, only three months..."

If it were anyone else, Qiao Yunzheng would probably have already launched a full-scale counterattack, called for help, and called the police. But this person is Wen Hong, so she's not surprised. It would be a miracle if he sat down and calmly chatted with her.

Qiao Yunzheng was frantically trying to think of something to say to calm the madwoman down when Wen Hong suddenly released her.

After the sudden exhaustion, I belatedly felt the soreness in my arms.

She cursed him silently in her heart to vent her anger, and pulled her collar up slightly to cover the place where the Wen dog had bitten her.

Wen Hong had already stopped paying attention to her.

He straightened up, smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt that had been pulled, and then walked away nonchalantly.

The intense and violent emotions left no trace on his face, as if the scene just now was merely a hallucination imagined by Qiao Yunzheng alone.

He wore a nonchalant smile and greeted her as if she were a regular customer: "Miss Qiao, you've come from afar, please have a seat."

"Would you like something to drink?" He had already walked to the glass cabinet on the side of the office. "Water? Tea? Or coffee?"

Qiao Yunzheng was still caught up in the intense emotions she had just experienced.

Her chest was still heaving, and the strong scent of that person still dominated her senses. Even the spot where he had bitten her felt like a million ants were crawling on it.

She immediately abandoned the idea of ​​asking him to act as the agent for the Qiao family business. At this moment, she only wanted to extricate herself from this somewhat absurd reunion.

She wasn't in the mood for small talk and casually made up an excuse: "No need. I'm sorry, Attorney Wen, I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to attend to..."

"That's coffee then," Wen Hong said calmly, as if he hadn't heard her.

Qiao Yunzheng opened her mouth, but it was like punching cotton; she received no response whatsoever.

She fully expected him to simply make her a cup of coffee, but to her surprise, Wen Hong leisurely rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, then opened the second glass cabinet and took out coffee beans. Then, he turned on the grinder and poured the beans in.

Qiao Yunzheng's eyes twitched; she didn't want to stay with him for even a second longer.

She politely declined again, saying, "No need to trouble yourself, Attorney Wen."

The sound of the grinder whirring filled the quiet room, and she didn't know if he genuinely hadn't heard her or what. He remained with his back to her, focused intently on his work, showing no reaction to her words.

Only when the cup of coffee, emitting a rich aroma, was placed on the table in front of her did Wen Hong look up at her, his expression unreadable: "Try it, how is my cooking compared to five years ago?"

She hadn't expected him to suddenly bring up what happened five years ago.

Qiao Yunzheng pursed her lips, unable to guess his intentions, and could only pick up her coffee cup and take a small sip.

The temperature was just right when it entered her mouth. Unlike the milk coffee that the counter had given her, this one had a familiar taste. It didn't have any added sugar or milk; it was a rich, bitter flavor.

She couldn't help but frown.

I'm already starting to feel a little out of sorts.

During their first encounter at the bar, after finishing her drink, she collapsed onto her back in a sprawling position, her consciousness hazy, only remembering Wen Hong's panicked face.

When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.

Wen Hong stood by her side and gave her a thumbs up: "I take back what I just said. You're allergic to alcohol and still dare to drink. You're not a good girl, you're this."

Although he said that, he meticulously remembered all her habits during the days they spent together.

Because she is allergic to dairy products, she can easily develop rashes from allergies, so Wen Hong never gives her food from outside and always cooks it for her herself.

Unlike her father, who strictly controlled her, he allowed her to indulge and experiment, but he was also meticulous about things that endangered her health.

Qiao Yunzheng's eyes stung slightly from the steam of the coffee. She blinked gently and swallowed the familiar taste in her throat.

She is not nearly as delicate as she used to be.

Wen Hong was unaware of the complex emotions she was experiencing. He sat down in the office chair opposite her.

He seemed to have had enough of stalling and finally decided to steer the conversation to the main point: "I think it's necessary to remind Miss Qiao that, not to mention the whole country, but at least in the Kunming area, if you want to successfully resolve the problems of the Qiao Group, Junyu is your only choice."

Seemingly having grasped her weakness, Wen Hong chuckled, "So, Miss Qiao, do you have any urgent business now?"

So, he did hear it.

The Qiao family's affairs were a major worry for her; whenever they were brought up, they would hit her sore spot precisely.

Qiao Yunzheng's lips tightened, and she remained silent for a moment.

Qiao Yunzheng deflated like a balloon that had been pricked by a needle.

Yes, compared to protecting the Qiao family, what do my impulsive actions and ridiculous pride amount to?

Once the thoughts in one's mind waver, it's like a building collapsing in an instant.

Qiao Yunzheng lowered her head, her fingers tightening around the cup.

Wen Hong looked at her calmly and continued to deliver a precise blow: "And in Junyu, the only person who can ensure your safety is me, Wen Hong."

Qiao Yunzheng couldn't find the words to refute.

In a daze, she seemed to see her father's loving eyes again before he died: "From now on, our A-Zheng is probably going to suffer."

Qiao Yunzheng made her decision, took a deep breath, and looked up at Wen Hong.

She poured all her acting skills into this moment; even if it was stiff and awkward, it didn't matter. She gave the person opposite her, whose face was full of malice, her brightest smile: "Now, it doesn't seem so urgent anymore."

Clearly not expecting her to react this way, Wen Hong was visibly taken aback.

Qiao Yunzheng pressed on, mimicking his polite yet distant manner, saying, "I've come to Junyu several times but haven't seen Attorney Wen, so I mistakenly thought that Attorney Wen wasn't interested in Qiao's business. I didn't expect that I was wrong."

Wen Hong raised her eyebrows, clearly unconvinced by her veiled accusation: "I've never really liked insincere clients."

"Hmm?" Qiao Yunzheng laughed in exasperation. She had come three times already, how much more sincere did she have to be?

Wen Hong ignored her, twirling her phone absently in her hand: "It's said that I wasn't Miss Qiao's first choice; you initially set your sights on our lawyer, Song Nanchen?"

Qiao Yunzheng opened her mouth, not expecting that this was what he cared about. But, as a boss, was this reasonable? What she didn't expect was that Wen Hong would say something even more shameless, albeit casually:

"Or does Miss Qiao think I'm inferior to Song Nanchen?"

Qiao Yunzheng opened her mouth, unsure how to respond.

Her silence seemed to fuel Wen Hong's dissatisfaction. With a "smack," he slammed his phone face down on the table: "So, Miss Qiao likes this one?"

Qiao Yunzheng's brow twitched twice. The anger she had just suppressed flared up again from his questioning, so she blurted out, "Attorney Song is indeed quite good."

The room was completely silent.

Wen Hong was clearly surprised that she would admit it so directly. After a moment of silence, she suddenly chuckled softly and said, "That's a pity. In some aspects, Attorney Song is not as good as me!"

Qiao Yunzheng took a deep breath, trying to ignore his unreasonable nagging, and gave a nonchalant smile: "Does Attorney Wen think that my coming to Junyu to wait for you for three consecutive days is not enough to show my sincerity?"

Wen Hong turned around and tapped the phone on the table with his fingertip: "I've been waiting for Miss Qiao's call for a long time, but I haven't received any news. It's really a waste of a lot of time." He glanced at her and then said matter-of-factly, "So, in this way, it's fair and just to make Miss Qiao make a couple more trips?"

What a fair and just statement!

Qiao Yunzheng slightly curled her lips. This cunning and meticulous nature was even more so than Wen Hong's five years ago.

She didn't intend to waste any more words arguing with him about trivial matters, so she lowered her eyes and dryly echoed, "Attorney Wen is right."

Her obedient reaction seemed to finally improve Wen Hong's mood; the gloom in her eyes dissipated, and she even smiled a little.

He pushed the phone towards her: "Add me!"

It's his WeChat friend QR code.

The QR code still showed the familiar profile picture and name in the upper left corner, but Qiao Yunzheng had deleted all of Wen Hong's contact information when they separated five years ago.

She felt a little awkward and slowly took out her phone.

Unlock, open the app, scan the QR code.

With a crisp "beep" sound, the screen jumps to the friend's chat window.

Surprisingly, no friend verification was required; we were added just like that.

Qiao Yunzheng suddenly remembered the gossip the receptionist had told her yesterday, and couldn't help but look up and glance at Wen Hong a few more times.

Wen Hong seemed unaware of anything amiss, casually putting her phone away without even glancing at it.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and Wen Hong was acting in a very businesslike manner. However, Qiao Yunzheng felt that given her relationship with Wen Hong, she didn't deserve any special care from him.

"So, Attorney Wen has taken on the Qiao family's case?"

Sure enough, Wen Hong stared at her for a while, then smiled nonchalantly: "Not really sure."

Qiao Yunzheng's good temper was finally worn down by him. She suddenly stood up and said, "Attorney Wen, do you think this is funny?"

Faced with her loss of composure, Wen Hong remained unmoved, still swaying slightly. Even when sitting and looking up at her, he still maintained an arrogant and disdainful attitude: "As you know, Junyu's business is very busy. If we make a normal appointment, I don't know if Miss Qiao can wait until then."

Qiao Yunzheng's palms slowly tightened.

She knew, of course, that Wen Hong wasn't lying. Without her father, the Qiao family was like a pile of loose sand, with her uncles fighting each other bloodily. Although she was the nominal successor, her status as a woman rendered her ineffective as a figurehead. The Qiao family of today didn't even need any sophisticated tricks; a mere gust of wind could probably blow it apart.

Wen Hong kept a close eye on her expression. Seeing her brows furrowed and her teeth almost biting her already pale lips until they bled, Wen Hong felt inexplicably irritated.

mutual affection?

Qiao Yunzheng smiled bitterly to herself; she and Wen Hong had no affection for each other whatsoever.

Her separation from Wen Hong was even more sudden than their meeting, and it didn't end well. Qiao Yunzheng knew that the relationship that had only lasted a few months was not enough to offset their past affection.

Knowing that Wen Hong had other plans, Qiao Yunzheng had no way out.

She clenched her fist, trying to soften her tone as much as possible: "Wen Hong, what do you want?"

This was the first time since they met that Qiao Yunzheng had called his name calmly. Wen Hong was even momentarily dazed, as if time had stood still five years ago, when that quiet girl shyly held his hand and softly called him, "Wen Hong."

Wen Hong abruptly looked away, no longer staring at her.

Seeing her sad, he felt no pleasure in revenge.

But so what? Wen Hong has always been vengeful, even if that person is Qiao Yunzheng.

He gave a slight smirk and said in a very casual tone, "I don't have much time, only three months."

He emphasized the words "three months".

Qiao Yunzheng, of course, understood his unspoken meaning.

Wen Hong continued unhurriedly: "Spend three months with me, and I'll help you clean up the mess at the Qiao family."

Three months.

Just as she had said to him five years ago.

A note from the author:

Not a single drop left today (slowly lies down)