Chapter 56

Follow the waiter to the designated box.

Lin Jiu walked in and saw that there was no one inside.

She stopped a few steps from the door and sighed, "Looks like we're too early."

Chen Miao was held by her hand and stood half a step behind her. "I told you, there's no need to go out so early."

Lin Jiu turned his head to look at him and said plausibly, "There's no essential difference between using the air conditioner at home and using the air conditioner in a restaurant."

The temperature inside the room is high, not cool.

Chen Miao immediately found fault: "The air conditioning here isn't as good as at home."

"......." Lin Jiu was unable to refute, and did not intend to dwell on this topic.

Since you are here.

She tilted her head to look at the round table, which was surrounded by six chairs with seats spaced widely apart.

After thinking for a few seconds, Lin Jiu pulled Chen Miao to pick a seat at random, took the bag handed to him by Chen Miao, and hung it directly on the chair.

Chen Miao chose a seat to her right and sat down, lowering his head to send messages on his phone.

Lin Jiu felt it was too boring to sit there, so he walked around the box and opened the curtains again.

This is the third floor, so I can't overlook any neon nightscape. Downstairs are some flowers and trees, which, illuminated by the lights, have a unique charm. There is an office building nearby, and most of the windows are lit.

Looking at the figures moving around inside, Lin Jiu turned to Chen Miao and said, "They are so ambitious. They are still working so late."

It's almost 7 o'clock, and no one in the office has left yet.

Chen Miao looked up at her innocent face, was silent for three seconds and said, "Maybe it's just because they haven't finished get off work yet. Many companies don't finish get off work until nine o'clock, and some even later."

Lin Jiu quickly sat down, looked at Chen Miao's profile and asked, "Is it like this in your company? I see you usually come back quite early."

Chen Miao put his phone on the table and looked at her sideways: "I'm the boss. If there's nothing important, I can leave work whenever I want. Besides, I came back early because you were waiting for me at home. I took advantage of the time during the day to deal with the things that needed to be dealt with."

Lin Jiu pursed his lips and felt a little depressed when he thought about his future working life.

I was depressed for less than half a minute when two people pushed the door open and came in.

Her attention was completely drawn to it.

Tang Jili smiled and spoke first, "You came so early?"

He was not dressed so formally this time, wearing a polo shirt, which was quite casual.

There was another person standing next to him, holding the hand he had put in his pocket. The woman was wearing heavy makeup and a tight-fitting dress, revealing a sizzling figure. She also accessorized with small accessories like a necklace and earrings, looking very fashionable.

Chen Miao glanced sideways at Tang Jili and replied calmly, "Yeah."

Lin Jiu originally wanted to get up, but seeing Chen Miao sitting there as steady as a rock, he also sat there steadily, looking at them.

Tang Ji Li looked around, and finally passed behind Chen Miao and Lin Jiu, and sat down in the seat next to Lin Jiu. The woman next to him sat next to him.

After sitting down, Tang Jili didn't say anything, but just glanced at Lin Jiu occasionally.

Lin Jiu didn't look at him, but glanced at the woman next to him.

Tang Jili noticed her gaze and pointed at the person next to him: "Zhou Jing."

His words verified Lin Jiu's guess.

It was indeed the star she had seen on TV.

Although Zhou Jing is not very famous, she is still well-known.

She has watched the TV series starring Zhou Jing.

So, when Zhou Jing walked in, she didn't dare to recognize him and could only glance at him from time to time. It felt like the TV had come into reality.

Zhou Jing stood up and gave Lin Jiu and Chen Miao a standard smile, "I'm Zhou Jing."

Lin Jiu curled his lips and responded politely.

Chen Miao glanced at her, looked away, and looked down at his phone.

After Zhou Jing greeted everyone, he was not idle either. He picked up the tea that the waiter had put on the table and washed the dishes for Tang Jili.

Tang Jili winked at her and said, "Go and ask the waiter to serve the food."

"Okay, I'll go now." Zhou Jing nodded and walked towards the door in her high heels.

"......." Lin Jiu looked at the way these two people get along with each other. They don't look like a couple at all. It feels like a leader and subordinate.

After Zhou Jing left, Tang Jili spoke to Lin Jiu and said, "If I remember correctly, your name is Lin Jiu?"

Lin Jiu didn't expect that he would take the initiative to talk to her.

She opened her eyes slightly, and after a few seconds, she smiled at him implicitly, nodded and said "hmm".

Tang Jili's smile widened as he looked at Chen Miao and said, "I noticed last time that your girlfriend is very shy."

Chen Miao raised his eyebrows, leaned back in his chair idly, and said slowly, "She just doesn't like talking to strangers."

Tang Jili's smile froze for a second, then quickly returned to normal. He looked at Lin Jiu, who was fiddling with his fingers. "I was in a hurry last time, so I'll formally introduce myself. My name is Tang Jili, and I have some media resources. If you need any celebrity autographs or concert information, you can contact me."

Lin Jiu, who was playing the finger-crossing game and twisting his fingers crazily to relieve hand fatigue, said: "..."

She had tried her best to reduce her presence between the two of them.

She paused, then slowly raised her head and politely replied with a twitch of her lips: "Okay, I remember. Your name is Tang Jili."

Tang Jili looked at Chen Miao and said with a smile, "You are right, it was my judgment that was wrong."

Chen Miao's face was indifferent. He knocked on the table with his hand, "Where's your girlfriend? She disappeared? She didn't even come back after serving the dishes."

Tang Jili's eyes narrowed, "He'll probably be back soon."

Not long after, Zhou Jing came back as expected, followed by a string of waiters serving dishes, and the table was full in three minutes.

Lin Jiu finally moved his gaze away from his hands and looked around at the dishes on the table curiously.

It's supposed to be time for dinner at this point.

In order to wait for everyone to arrive, he didn't move for a long time.

Chen Miao methodically cleaned the dishes for her, "They're basically dishes you can eat."

Tang Jili took a sip of water, watching Chen Miao's smooth service movements, and jokingly said, "No wonder you ordered the dishes specifically. I never thought you'd be so considerate in a relationship."

Chen Miao pushed the clean tableware in front of Lin Jiu, raised his eyelids and looked at Tang Jili and asked, "Are you free?"

Tang Jili smiled and shook his head without saying anything.

Lin Jiu took out his cell phone and checked the time. The agreed time had passed.

She was not sure if the other two would come, so she was about to ask Chen Miao when the other two would arrive when they showed up.

There is a big difference in the size of the two people, which gives a strong visual impact.

The boys walked in front and the girls walked behind, with a little distance in between.

As Zheng Qingcheng entered, he clasped his hands together and his powerful voice echoed throughout the private room: "Sorry, sorry, I was late because of traffic. I'll drink three glasses as punishment."

Tang Jili gave him a glare, "You really should punish yourself. You treated me to dinner, yet you showed up late."

The girl walked over to Zheng Qingcheng and explained for him: "It's all my fault. I wasted time getting my hair done."

Her hair was in big, wavy curls, clearly freshly styled, with no stray strands, creating a flowing, fresh look. She wore a simple white sundress, the texture and shape of which were exquisite, making her look like a daughter of a wealthy family. The bag she carried was an internationally renowned luxury brand, its logo captivating.

She casually put her bag on the seat, took a small cup from the table, looked around, and said generously: "I'll have three cups as well, to express my apology."

Tang Jili ordered Zhou Jing: "Go and help, pour them some wine."

Seeing this, Zheng Qingcheng blocked the bottle with his hand, sighed three times, and called out to Zhou Jing, who was about to get up, "No, I can do it myself."

After saying that, he poured himself a drink, drank three cups, and then started pouring wine for the girl next to him.

After finishing her drink, the girl stared at Lin Jiu for a few seconds, "You must be Lin Jiu, right? I finally see the real person." After a pause, she pointed at Zheng Qingcheng with her elbow, "My name is Shi Qian, his fiancée."

Lin Jiu blinked and smiled politely at Shi Qian.

Chen Miao turned the round table, opened a bottle of orange juice, and poured a small glass for Lin Jiu. After doing all this, he glanced at the two people who were still standing there and said softly, "Sit down."

The two of them sat down in response.

After sitting down, Zheng Qingcheng wanted to introduce himself to Lin Jiu, but Chen Miao stopped him directly: "She knows your name."

Zheng Qingcheng took back the words that were about to come out of his mouth with a gloomy look on his face.

Lin Jiu had met Zheng Qingcheng before.

But she was in the car at the time and only took a quick look and knew that he was not thin.

When I actually met him, I found that he was a little chubby. Just looking at his arms, I could guess that he was quite heavy, but he looked quite fair.

After everyone had finally arrived, they started to eat their first bite of dinner.

Lin Jiu supported his head with his hands, watching the round plate on the table turning quietly, occasionally picking up a few pieces with chopsticks.

She seldom touched the food, but her bowl was always full of dishes. As usual, Chen Miao would pick up a lot of dishes for her.

She was eating beef with her head down when Shi Qian suddenly looked at her hand and said, "This bracelet looks familiar."

Hearing this, several eyes focused on her hands. She was in a dilemma, neither moving nor standing still.

Chen Miao glanced at Shi Qian beside him and said calmly, "I gave it to her."

Shi Qian didn't specify anything, but asked, "The one that was auctioned last summer?"

Last year, she saw a bracelet at a large auction. It was half mountain and half water sky blue, which was especially suitable for her age.

She asked someone to take a picture of it, but it was snatched away by someone else and bought for 10 million yuan.

In the following year, she didn't come across a bracelet she liked so much. After being brooding over it for so long, she unexpectedly saw it again.

Chen Miao didn't even put down his chopsticks and nodded readily.

Zheng Qingcheng's eyes turned around like wheels, and he looked at Shi Qian for a few seconds without saying anything.

Tang Jili looked at Chen Miao and said with a smile, "You have good taste. The bracelet was given to the right person. It really looks good on him."

Chen Miao took a bite of crab meat and corrected him, saying, "She's beautiful, so anything goes with her."

Zheng Qingcheng didn't expect to hear such words from Chen Miao, and was stunned with shock.

Zhou Jing was just a spectator, watching silently.

Tang Jili's smile deepened: "You are right."

Shi Qian glanced at Lin Jiu and praised, "Indeed."

Lin Jiu lowered his head silently: "......"

There was silence in the box for a few seconds.

Tang Jili looked at Shi Qian and said, "It's a pity that this bracelet is not meant for you."

Shi Qian forced a smile, her tone a little depressed: "Yes, it's not my thing." She picked up a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp.

Lin Jiu was listening nearby and had already guessed the origin of the matter, but he said nothing.

She looked at Chen Miao next to her. He seemed fine, eating and drinking as usual.

Noticing her gaze, he stared at her for a few seconds and asked, "Do you want me to pick up some food for you?"

“…” Lin Jiu shook his head at him.

She looked away, wanting to see if there was anything else to eat on the table, but her gaze met Zheng Qingcheng's.

Zheng Qingcheng sat opposite her, his eyes often fixed on her, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

She looked away calmly and lowered her head to eat the food in the bowl.

Soon, Zheng Qingcheng remembered something and brought up a topic noisily.

It's about some rich second-generations racing.

The few people present who knew about the situation chatted about it for a while, then the conversation started to drift off and move on to other topics.

Lin Jiu ate while listening to gossip.

-

As the dinner was coming to an end, Lin Jiu went to the bathroom with his bag.

After satisfying her physiological needs, she came out to wash her hands and saw Shi Qian applying her lipstick.

Lin Jiu smiled and nodded. Just as she was about to turn on the water, Shi Qian said to herself in the mirror, "A year ago, I heard Chen Miao had a girlfriend, and he kept it a secret. Everyone was wondering who could have gotten him, and they were curious, wanting to find out but not daring to. I finally met her today... You're different than I imagined."

Lin Jiu squeezed a little hand sanitizer and washed his hands slowly. He looked at her and asked, "What do you imagine it to be like?"

"At least he's the proactive and lively type. After all, it's hard to imagine Chen Miao being proactive." At this point, Shi Qian suddenly smiled. "Chen Miao has a strong family background, and his height, looks, and IQ are all top-notch. He also has a clear understanding of his own strengths. So, when he was in junior high school, he was very arrogant and looked down on everyone. Today, he really shattered my previous perception of him."

Lin Jiu tore off a piece of paper, carefully wiped the remaining moisture from his hands, and asked, "Are you classmates from junior high school?"

"We went to the same junior high school," Shi Qian said. "Chen Miao rarely interacted with people like us. Maybe he looked down on us. He didn't come to most gatherings. He hung out more with Tang Jili and Zheng Qingcheng."

Lin Jiu nodded. This was quite consistent with what Chen Miao said.

The first time she learned about Chen Miao in junior high school from other people, she felt that he was no different from high school.

She said to Shi Qian, "Thank you for telling me this." After that, she took out the lipstick from her bag and carefully applied the lip color in front of the mirror.

Shi Qian looked at Lin Jiu, whose expression remained unchanged as she put on makeup calmly, and was stunned for a moment.

She leaned against the sink and said, "I thought you would give some reaction."

Lin Jiu pursed her lips. After looking at it from many angles, she thought it was perfect. She put the lipstick into her bag and asked, "How should I react?"

Shi Qian: "At least you should feel a little proud."

Lin Jiu smiled, and this time it was not the polite smile he had in the box, but a sincere smile.

"Maybe I've been proud of it before," she said.

Shi Qian didn't expect Lin Jiu to say that. He sounded honest and forthright. She had thought he would be hypocritical and say something like, "There's nothing to be proud of."

Shi Qian looked at her intently for a few seconds: "You are indeed good, no wonder you were able to defeat Chen Miao."

Lin Jiu: “…”

She fixed the bag on her shoulder and raised her legs to go back to the box.

"Wait." Shi Qian suddenly called her, "Can I touch your bracelet?"

Shi Qian was wearing five-centimeter high heels and was a little taller than Lin Jiu.

Lin Jiu looked up and saw the undisguised desire in Shi Qian's eyes.

Looking at the bracelet was no big deal and wouldn't take long. She held out her hand to Shi Qian and said, "Take a look."

Seeing that she agreed, Shi Qian held her hand with one hand and touched the bracelet with the other, then bent down to examine it carefully. "I wanted this bracelet so badly last year, but I couldn't find it. Later, I took the picture to Zheng Qingcheng and asked him to find me a similar one. I looked at many, but I always felt that they were not good enough, like imitations."

Lin Jiu looked at the swirl above her head and said, "What we can't get, we always think is the best."

"That should be the reason." Shi Qian said, "I didn't even touch it, and it was taken away directly. It's a pity."

After watching for a few minutes, Shi Qian was satisfied. "Thank you, I have eliminated a regret."

"You're welcome." Lin Jiu turned around and lowered his head, washed his hands again, and wiped them clean with paper.

Shi Qian looked down at her hands: "......"

Seeing that Lin Jiu had no intention of staying any longer, Shi Qian called her again: "You are quite irritable to me. How about we add each other on WeChat? We may see each other again in the future."

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Jiu nodded: "Okay."

Looking at the white bear avatar on his phone, Lin Jiu suddenly thought of the third woman in the room. Zhou Jing had come to the restroom during the trip, so she didn't come this time.

Lin Jiu asked Shi Qian: "Do you know Zhou Jing?"

"I know her, but we're not close." Shi Qian asked back, "Why? Are you her fan?"

Lin Jiu shook his head and said, "I don't chase stars."

Shi Qian asked again: "Then why did you ask her?"

Lin Jiu said, "I feel like there's something strange about her relationship with Tang Jili."

Shi Qian understood the reason and smiled, "They're not a serious couple, so it seems a little unusual. Tang Jili has been around so many people, and Zhou Jing is just a passing person. You don't need to think too much about it."

-

On the way home.

Lin Jiu buried his body in the passenger seat, thinking about the other two couples at the table.

They all have their differences.

I understand one pair, but there is still one pair I don’t understand.

She had just known Shi Qian for less than half a day, so it was impossible for her to ask her about her affairs directly.

Lin Jiu turned his head and asked Chen Miao, "How come Zheng Qingcheng already has a fiancée so early? The word fiancée is so niche."

Chen Miao looked at the traffic ahead. "His current position is unstable. He should find a fiancée with a similar family background and join forces with her. His father will give him priority and let him manage the company, which will help him move up to a higher level."

Lin Jiu: "It seems that the two of them don't have any feelings for each other, they are quite polite."

You can tell something from the moment you enter the door. Although the two people at the table interact with each other, they are more like ordinary friends, without any ambiguity.

Chen Miao said calmly: "They have no feelings, but they have interests, and that's enough."

Lin Jiu asked again: "Why doesn't Tang Ji Li find a fiancée?" After hearing what Chen Miao said, Tang Ji Li's situation didn't seem too good. Why did he keep changing girlfriends? He didn't seem reliable at all.

Chen Miao: "He has a shallow foundation now, and with his brother holding him back, he needs to hide his edge and be a playboy with no big ambitions. However, if he has to compete with his brother in the future, he will definitely choose a good ally."

"..." Lin Jiu stared at Chen Miao for a few seconds, "You obviously know everything, wouldn't it be a pity if you chose me?"

Chen Miao laughed softly, "I don't like to put myself in a difficult position. I don't want that kind of benefit."

Lin Jiu: “…”

Looking at the street lights outside the window, Lin Jiu recalled the scene in the box today. She asked, "Why did you bring me here for dinner today?"

We didn't talk about anything at the dinner table, it was really quite ordinary.

Showing off your girlfriend is all just bullshit. Zheng Qingcheng might have suggested the dinner, but that wasn't the reason.

Judging from the situation of Tang Jili and Zheng Qingcheng, it doesn't seem like they can show off their girlfriend in front of Chen Miao.

For nearly a year, Chen Miao hadn't allowed her to meet them. This time, he had so easily agreed to bring her over for dinner, which didn't make sense.

Lin Jiu looked at Chen Miao angrily, waiting for his answer.

When they encountered a red light, Chen Miao stepped on the brakes, tilted his head and looked at her with a smile on his lips, his dark eyes slightly shining: "You guessed it yourself, didn't you?"

Lin Jiucai didn't look at him, but crossed his arms and looked at the red light intersection ahead. "I want to hear you say it more."

Chen Miao's hearty, deep voice exploded in her ears: "I want to tell you that I am different from them. They need marriage, but I don't. They don't have the right to choose, but I do."