Chapter 44 She is the only soft spot

She's really interested in him?

Chen Jizhou propped his forehead up, thinking aimlessly for a while, not knowing why this strange thought had popped into his head.

However, a conclusion was quickly reached.

"It's only human nature."

He stopped thinking about it, put the cat down, and went to make a phone call.

Chen Jizhou checked with the hotel to see if it was allowed to keep a cat, even though it would only be there for a few days. He didn't like doing things secretly; it was considered rude. The hotel replied that it was possible, but there would be a fee. Anything that could be done for a fee wasn't a problem. The saying "money makes the world go round" was especially true and effective. As long as they paid enough, they could keep a cow.

His breakfast arrived, and Xiao Jin lay on the table to eat with him, sniffing his taco with its little nostrils. It was quite amusing. Chen Jizhou watched it with a smile, and when he rubbed its forehead a couple of times, it made a gurgling sound.

Big eyes, pink nose, and two small triangles for ears, like a princess.

She was like this when she was little.

Beautiful, cute, lively, innocent and carefree, and deeply loved.

He thought unkindly that he really wanted to keep it for himself.

However, Chen Jizhou still holds the same view: although he likes cats and dogs, he has no intention of keeping pets at the moment. Pets are closely connected with home, and he has no fixed abode, wandering wherever he goes. It is impossible to give every cat and dog he likes a home; that would be too restrictive.

Early in the morning, Chen Jizhou received a phone call from Xie Zhuoyuan in Beijing, which was unprecedented for him.

Chen Jizhou answered the call, leisurely sipped his coffee, and then teased, "Finally figured it out, are you planning to come work for me?"

Xie Zhuo said, "Weren't all the positions filled?"

Chen Jizhou sat back on the sofa. As he approached, Xiao Jin followed. Chen Jizhou scratched its chin to make it feel comfortable and carefree. He casually stretched one arm out on the back of the sofa and said in a relaxed tone, "Yeah, we don't need the driving skills anymore, but we still need a driver. Come and drive for me, so I can sleep in a little longer in the morning."

Xie Zhuo's voice was icy: "Why don't you offer ten times the amount to poach me, and I'll do your laundry and cook for you."

Chen Jizhou laughed: "I didn't expect you to have reached the age where you have to bow down for a pittance? Do you dare to do what I say?"

Xie Zhuo: "Get lost."

His tone was calm, and he continued without any hesitation, "Has someone been pursuing you these past few days?"

Chen Jizhou said, "These past few days? When have I ever needed someone to pursue me?"

Xie Zhuo asked meaningfully, "Do you walk dogs for people?"

Chen Jizhou was surprised: "You recently met someone named Springer, you even know that?"

He was referring to Qi Yunqing's dog. He'd never actually walked it, but Chen Jizhou had come over to play with it a few times. Since he didn't keep any pets himself, he just mooched off other people's. Thinking about it that way, being a scumbag was much more fun—no responsibility, just flirting and running away.

Xie Zhuo unexpectedly asked, "Jiang Meng's?"

Chen Jizhou paused for a moment, glanced at Xiao Jin, and said, "She doesn't have a dog, but she has a cat here with me."

Xie Zhuo felt as if a thought in his heart had been confirmed. He had finally gotten to the end of his gossip and said happily, "As expected."

Chen Jizhou smiled and asked casually, "As expected? You also realized she was trying to hook me?"

Xie Zhuo didn't say anything.

He then asked, "What's her mindset?"

“I don’t know, she didn’t say anything, I’m just guessing,” Xie Zhuo said with an air of indifference, but didn’t forget to tease him, “Maybe she was being pressured by her family to find a partner and was acting rashly.”

Chen Jizhou laughed in exasperation: "You might as well say you're indiscriminate in your hunger, or to put it more bluntly—I'll tolerate you because you can't beat me, Xie Zhuo."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Jizhou pondered for a moment. She probably just wanted him to look after the cat, nothing more. Then why lie? And look at that slightly malicious look in her eyes.

Moreover, judging from Xie Zhuo's tone, he seemed to know something, but was unwilling to reveal it.

He wasn't sure.

Chen Jizhou has always been very perceptive of people. Perhaps it was because he attended many banquets and parties as a child, dealing with both businessmen and officials, and having a constant stream of guests at his home. He understood social etiquette and interpersonal relationships earlier than his peers, and was good at reading people's expressions and moods. However, all his judgments failed him when it came to Jiang Meng. He couldn't be objective about her, and she was often confused and didn't follow the proper procedures.

Will Jiang Meng like him?

Eight years ago, he received a clear negative answer.

If he really guesses in this direction, and Jiang Meng becomes interested in him, it might be because she's reached a certain age and is being driven by hormones. She's bored and wants to find someone to play with emotionally, or she might want to find a boyfriend quickly to appease her mother's nagging.

However, even if it's true, there are still different things: liking, being attracted to, and falling in love. In short, it's still impossible to figure out what she's really up to.

Chen Jizhou put down his coffee cup and stared intently at the tattoo on the inside of his finger.

The left ring finger is an important place to wear a wedding ring.

But he won't put on his wedding ring here, so this place is reserved for his blue rose, the first flower he gave her.

Silent love will never slip from your palm again.

He lived with romance, and his memories will live on forever.

On his journey through life, he encountered all sorts of scenery: intense, sharp, vibrant, and somber.

And she is the only softness, in the deepest part.

Lost in thought, my phone displayed a message notification. Xie Zhuo had sent me an emoji: a green frog pointing at its own head, implying "There's something wrong with you," followed by the three words: "They match perfectly."

-

Compared to Yunzhou, Pingjiang seems a bit old.

It was ancient and profound, full of the warmth of everyday life, or perhaps it was the strong sense of familiarity that gave Jiang Meng the illusion that it was very old. She had grown up here in a vivid and colorful way, but now that she had returned, everything had faded away, leaving only a clear sky and light clouds.

The old street was shaded by towering camphor trees, and cicadas chirped incessantly. Many people dressed in Hanfu walked along the road. Jiang Meng weaved through the crowd, carrying large and small gift boxes, and arrived at the faculty and staff residential compound in the South Third District.

When you push open the door to enter the courtyard, a warm breeze blows, frequently lifting a corner of the Xuan paper. Wang Jingbo is spreading out the paper in the courtyard, practicing calligraphy with a cigarette in his mouth, and a piece of emerald green brush rest is placed on the edge of the paper.

"Looking up at the vastness of the universe and down at the abundance of all things—you've been practicing Wang Xizhi's calligraphy all these years?"

Jiang Meng tiptoed over and stood behind him for a while without Wang Jingbo noticing. When he heard her speak, he quickly looked up, took off his reading glasses, and took a step back to peek at her.

He said with great joy, "Let me see, whose daughter has grown so big?"

Jiang Meng smiled and said, "You don't have to say that every time you see me. Didn't I come to see you the year before last? I'm not a child anymore, and I change every year."

“Yeah, I still look like a kid, but I’m getting more and more handsome every year.” Wang Jingbo put out his cigarette, pointed to the table and said, “You’re here, but you brought things with you. Don’t do that next time.”

Jiang Meng said, "I bought it for Chen Jizhou. Since he couldn't come, I should at least show my filial piety."

“Him,” Wang Jingbo stopped laughing, gave a light snort, and put the brush on the brush holder, “If he doesn’t want to come, he doesn’t want to come. It’ll save him from causing me trouble.”

Jiang Meng sensed the old man's insincerity, smiled slightly, and looked at his calligraphy brush, saying, "Please finish writing properly. Such beautiful characters, don't let me ruin them."

Wang Jingbo glanced at his paper and was quite satisfied. He then picked up his pen again and said, "Okay, then sit down for a while. If you feel hot, go inside and turn on the air conditioner. I bought a watermelon. It was just fished out of the well water and is ice-cold. It's on the stove."

Wang Jingbo has been retired for several years, and his energy and spirit are even better than when he was working. He is in good physical condition and has peacefully entered his retirement years, except that he has grown more gray hair.

Jiang Meng was a little hot, but she was too embarrassed to actually go in, so she stood with him for a while and watched him write.

Wang Jingbo chatted with her casually: "I heard from your mother that you're with Zhouzhou now?"

Jiang Meng paused for a moment: "No, we're not together, we're... working in the same place."

"Ah, that's what I meant. How's it going for you? Have you made arrangements with them yet?"

That's a very old-fashioned way of asking the question.

Jiang Meng smiled, then pretended to be annoyed and rubbed her temples: "I get asked everywhere I go. I thought I could escape this ordeal by coming here, but you still ask me. I'm so stressed."

Wang Jingbo, afraid that she would be unhappy, quickly coaxed her, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore. Just come here and find some peace and quiet. Stay a little longer before you leave."

Jiang Meng smiled and said okay.

When Wang Jingbo had only one vertical line left to write, he suddenly had a brilliant idea: "Why don't you write it?"

Jiang Meng waved her hand: "How could I write calligraphy?"

"I taught you this when you were little, have you forgotten?"

Jiang Meng's mouth gaped open in an "Ah" shape. "Really?"

"I was young then, so it's normal that I don't remember. Maybe it was second or third grade."

Jiang Meng's mind raced, and after a while, she finally came up with a clue. A flash of inspiration appeared in her eyes: "Oh, I remember now, it was Chen Jizhou who dragged me to learn it!"

Speaking of Chen Jizhou, the respectful attitude she usually showed to elders vanished, and her smile became much more lively: "His handwriting was incredibly ugly in elementary school! Our Chinese teacher was annoyed just looking at his papers. He wouldn't practice writing in the grid paper properly, saying his handwriting was like scribbles and she couldn't understand his papers at all, so his parents were called in. But he was so shameless, saying that he called it having personality!"

Wang Jingbo smiled and nodded, continuing her words: "Then his mother made him practice calligraphy here with me. He didn't want to learn, he was so stubborn."

Jiang Meng laughed out loud.

Chen Jizhou wasn't good at everything; calligraphy, like the piano, gave him a lot of headaches.

That summer, sitting on this very platform, the stool burning his bottom, he wrote the character "永" (yong) five hundred times, and then he started to feel extremely uncomfortable. But there was no escaping it; as soon as he got up, his mother would push him back down, and under her watchful eye, he wrote "永" three hundred more times, piling up stacks of practice paper.

I don't know what the mystery of this character is, but Jiang Meng had a bit of a competitive spirit among kids at that time. She sat down obediently, looked at him with a smug expression that said, "You can't even write this?" and showed him a perfect "永" in front of his parents.

When Wang Qi saw it, he was even angrier and slapped Jiang Meng's handwriting in front of him: Look at what she wrote.

Chen Jizhou was also furious at her ungrateful behavior, and poked Jiang Meng's face with his finger: "Traitor!"

The playful summer has passed, and looking back, Jiang Meng laughs heartily.

After Wang Jingbo finished writing the last line, he turned on the light to show it to her and said, "The calligraphy you two used to practice is still in my cabinet. Do you want to take a look?"

"He still keeps it? Let me see it, I want to make fun of him."

After Wang Jingbo went inside, Jiang Meng called Chen Jizhou, who answered quite quickly.

She said, "Grandpa is in good health and has a very leisurely life."

Chen Jizhou slowly hummed in agreement, then slowly asked her, "Is this really worth making a phone call for?"

She almost forgot it was work time, and softened her voice: "What's wrong? Are you in a meeting?"

He said, "No, not at all."

She said "oh," and then said, "Let's get down to business: How's Xiao Jin?" It didn't really seem like a serious matter.

Chen Jizhou: "They're so happy they've forgotten all about home."

Jiang Meng laughed and said, "Well, well, you've actually recognized a thief as your father."

"Yeah, why don't you just take care of them here?"

"You've become so familiar with it already?" Jiang Meng seemed even happier. "That's good, that's good. Then I'll visit it regularly."

Her enthusiastic tone was almost as if she was saying, "Let's raise it together."

Chen Jizhou smiled and quietly pointed out, "Her intentions are sinister."