【039】 “Old Man” is a good nickname

After approaching, Xi Lang introduced the two parties.

Han Lin, Zhang Muheng and Li Ruicheng knew that the person introduced to them by Xi Lang must be someone Xi Lang valued very much, so they were all very polite to Gu Juan.

Han Lin then introduced the girl next to him, with short hair that reached her ears, as his girlfriend, Zhao Keke. Li Ruicheng didn't introduce the woman next to him, and Gu Juan guessed that she wasn't Han Lin's girlfriend, but at most, his lover. However, he felt that this woman looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

Han Lin and the other two left a phone number for Gu Juan, telling him that if he encountered any trouble and couldn't find Xi Lang, he could contact them.

Only Cao Jie acted cold and indifferent. Even Gu Juan, with his low emotional intelligence, could tell Cao Jie disliked him. But he insisted on being polite to Cao Jie, secretly pleased to see Cao Jie smiling back despite being clearly upset.

"I'm going to try fishing over there." Gu Juan figured they'd have a lot to talk about, so he picked up a fishing rod and sat down on a small bench nearby. A gentle breeze blew across the lake, bringing a refreshing feeling.

"Third brother, who is he? I've never seen you care so much about someone." Han Lin and the others could hear the sourness in Cao Jie's words.

Xi Lang said calmly, "Cao Jie, you're not a child anymore. Worry more about your own affairs."

Cao Jie's face turned pale, and he pretended to be calm, "I know, Third Brother."

Zhang Muheng smoothed things over, "Xiao Jie is also concerned about you. By the way, when are you returning to the imperial capital? Are you planning to stay in Congzhou forever?"

Xi Lang said, "I won't be leaving in the short term."

Next, the few of them kept chatting about each other's recent situation.

After the topic came to an end, Zhang Muheng quietly gestured to Xi Lang to go over and have a private chat.

Li Ruicheng saw this and shouted, "Brother Mu Heng, it's okay, just tell me directly. Even if you pulled Xi Lang aside so we wouldn't hear, Han Lin and I know you want to know how Xi Lang maintains his appearance."

After saying that, he and Han Lin laughed out loud together.

Cao Jie chuckled awkwardly, envious of the intimacy between the four of them. It seemed like he just couldn't fit in no matter what he did.

Zhang Muheng was so angry that he almost fell backwards. He rushed over to hit Li Ruicheng, "Why are you so mean-spirited?"

"Isn't it?" Li Ruicheng laughed as he hid behind Han Lin. "Xi Lang, you should give Brother Mu Heng a way out and take the initiative to tell him how to maintain his appearance. Poor Brother Mu Heng is almost 40 and still doesn't have a steady girlfriend."

Han Lin helped Li Ruicheng stop Zhang Muheng and even cheered, "Come chase me, come chase me..."

Zhao Keke was laughing so hard that she was shaking.

"You two just wait for me!" Zhang Muheng chased for a long time but failed to catch up. He glared at Han Lin and Li Ruicheng fiercely, coughed lightly, and looked at Xi Lang.

Xi Lang raised an eyebrow. "How do you maintain your health? Eat more fruit? Stay in a good mood?"

The reason why Zhang Muheng felt that Xi Lang looked "young" was not because Xi Lang's face was really young, but because his spirit was stronger than before, and his body had absorbed some spiritual energy to a greater or lesser extent, which made people feel that he had become younger.

There is also the nourishment of love. Han Lin and Li Ruicheng winked at each other, their eyes showing this meaning.

"Should we continue fishing?" Xi Lang glanced at the buckets filled with only a few small fish. "If I remember correctly, someone said we have to prepare our own lunch today."

Han Lin looked up at the sky, "I guess that's not what I said."

Li Ruicheng also made an excuse, "It's all because the wind was so strong just now."

Xi Lang walked to Gu Juan and looked at his bucket, which was also empty.

"Are there really fish in this lake? I doubt it." Gu Juan turned his head and asked him, yawning.

"Be patient and you will catch something." Xi Lang took the fishing rod and chose a seat far away from him to avoid disturbing each other.

Zhang Muheng and the other two also took their positions and began to fish seriously.

Cao Jie didn't fish, but squatted beside Xi Lang and talked to him in a low voice. His expression was gentle, his eyes were always on Xi Lang's face, and there was a smile on his lips, which seemed to make him look very intimate with Xi Lang.

Gu Juan watched, feeling a surge of unease. Suddenly, he noticed the float bobbing up and down. He hurriedly lifted the rod, but his hand sank. His consciousness spread into the water, revealing a carp weighing over three pounds on the hook. With a surge of joy, he hurried his movements, but the retractable fishing rod suddenly became stuck and wouldn't retract.

He quickly called out to Xi Lang, "Old man, I caught a big fish, come and help me!"

Old man? Han Lin, Zhang Muheng, and Li Ruicheng looked at each other, then simultaneously glanced at Xi Lang, all trying to hold back their laughter.

Xi Lang walked over quickly, grabbed the fishing rod, and asked uncertainly, "What did you call me just now?"

"Old man!" Gu Juan blurted out, "Uh... Let's talk about it later. Hurry up, the fish will run away if you delay any longer!"

Xi Lang's hand moved somehow, and the fishing rod retracted. With a swing in the air, the big fish on the hook fell accurately into the bucket, splashing water.

Han Lin and others came over to take a look.

"Wow, this one is quite big!"

Before Gu Juan could slip away, Xi Lang grabbed his wrist and said with a half-smile, "Now, can you tell me?"

Gu Juan crossed his arms, now confident and righteous, "Isn't it right for me to call you that? Look at you, you always like to preach, and you used to dress very conservatively. In the mornings, you practice Tai Chi with the old men in the neighborhood, and you pay attention to health preservation like the elderly. Even your hobbies - playing chess and fishing - are the same as those of old men. What else can you be but an old man?"

There was a smile on his eyebrows, eyes and lips. Xi Lang felt happy when he saw it and could not bring himself to say any words of blame.

Cao Jie looked at them coldly, then suddenly stood up and several people looked at him.

"Brother Mu Heng, let's divide the work. You guys will be in charge of fishing, and I'll go pick vegetables in the garden."

After saying this, he strode away.

"There are eight or nine of us in total. One fish might not be enough. Should we fish for a while longer?" Zhang Muheng asked for others' opinions.

He seemed unconcerned about Cao Jie's departure. Neither did Han Lin and Li Ruicheng.

"Let's fish for a while longer. I heard there are gold and silver scale koi here." Li Ruicheng was very interested.

Han Lin said, "Go fishing. If you catch something, I'll give you a coin."

"roll!"

Gu Juan thought to himself that the relationship between these people and Cao Jie didn't seem to be as close as he thought.

Sorry, I went to the park with the kids today and just got back. Mmmmm.