Chapter 31

There was a short-haired woman in her thirties sitting in the box. She stood up to greet the visitor and exchanged a hug with Lu Yanqing.

She seemed to be very familiar with Cheng Lan, like a real brother and sister. She patted Cheng Lan on the back and joked, "Xiao Lan, you look much more handsome with black hair than with white hair."

Cheng Lan greeted her with a smile: "Sister Xiaomin, long time no see."

Xia Lanzheng followed at the end, and Lu Yanqing introduced her, "Zhengzheng, this is my sister Lu Yanmin."

"Sister Xiaomin," Xia Lanzheng followed Cheng Lan and called out, "My name is Xia Lanzheng."

Lu Yanmin smiled at him. She looked similar to Lu Yanqing, but her smile was completely different.

"I know. I heard Lu Yanqing mention it." Lu Yanmin stretched out his right hand. "Zheng Zheng."

Xia Lanzheng also extended her hand. Lu Yanmin stared at his palm for two seconds before shaking it back. The other person's palm tightened, and the smile on his face inadvertently deepened.

Xia Lanzheng frowned and pulled her hand away, and Lu Yanmin finally came to his senses and let go.

Just then, there was a knock on the door behind me, and someone pushed the door open and walked in: "What are you all standing there for? Are you waiting for me?"

Xia Lanzheng turned around immediately when she heard the voice: "Brother!"

The atmosphere was so weird, Chu Linchuan appeared at the right time.

Chu Linchuan raised his eyebrows: "I heard it, don't be so loud."

He had just come from the company, wearing a suit and tie, and holding a gift bag. After sitting down, he handed the bag to Lu Yanqing, saying it was a gift he had prepared.

"Come here to block the traffic?" Lu Yanqing accepted it generously.

"No," Chu Linchuan glanced at Xia Lanzheng, "I was delayed a bit."

Lu Yanmin took off his coat: "What's going on? Work?"

Chu Linchuan took a sip of lemonade: "Secret."

"Pfft," Cheng Lan laughed and imitated his tone, "Secret."

The other person who laughed out loud was Xia Lanzheng, who was sitting next to Chu Linchuan, with Cheng Lan on the other side.

When he smiled, everyone looked over.

Cheng Lan put his arm around his shoulders and said, "Just tell me, your brother is a bit pretentious sometimes."

Xia Lanzheng knew he was joking, but he didn't dare to follow suit: "Let go, let go."

He slapped Cheng Lan's hand away, then took a sip of lemonade. He put down the cup, and then Chu Linchuan slowly said, "This is my cup."

"..." Xia Lanzheng took a deep breath, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Chu Linchuan chuckled and didn't reply. While chatting with Lu Yanmin, he handed over a box from under the table.

Xia Lanzheng stared at the thing without taking it. She shook her knees and touched Chu Linchuan's thigh.

What are you doing?

At the dinner table, Lu Yanmin said, "Lin Chuan, did the last project go smoothly? I didn't follow up on the subsequent progress, but I heard from my subordinates that it was pretty good."

"Thanks to the overseas market you provided," Chu Linchuan smiled flawlessly and stuffed the box into Xia Lanzheng's hands. "It went very smoothly."

This group of workaholics got together and started talking about the company until the sommelier came in and the topic changed.

Xia Lanzheng was secretly reporting back to Chu Linchuan.

"X: Did you prepare this in advance?"

"Chu Linchuan (evil version): I asked my assistant to buy it at the last minute."

Xia Lanzheng understood. No wonder Chu Linchuan came last.

"X: Brother, thank you, you are so kind. Thank you also to the assistant brother."

Chu Linchuan sent a message at the same time: Stupid.

"X withdrew a message."

"X: Thank you, Assistant."

The sommelier left and silence returned to the box.

Lu Yanmin shook his wine glass and said to Xia Lanzheng, "Zhengzheng, are you recording a show with Xiao Lan today?"

"Yes," Xia Lanzheng said, having changed back into her regular clothes, but still wearing her makeup. When she smiled, the pearlescent sequins on her eyelids flashed twice. "I recorded an escape room."

Lu Yanqing asked, "Did the recording go smoothly?"

Chu Linchuan poured Xia Lanzheng a glass of water.

"It was pretty good," Xia Lanzheng suddenly felt like she was being interviewed, "but in the end, we lost."

Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, Cheng Lan snorted twice: "I don't think it's good, Brother Chu, that Ning Xiyuan in our company...hiss."

Xia Lanzheng pinched him hard. These words sounded like a complaint and should not be said at Lu Yanqing's birthday party.

After a few seconds of silence, Chu Linchuan and Lu Yanqing spoke at the same time, saying exactly the same thing: "What's wrong?"

Although Lu Yanmin didn't respond, he kept looking at Xia Lanzheng opposite him.

This time, Cheng Lan endured the pain and finished speaking: "That person is quite boring."

In the next five minutes, after listening to Cheng Lan's description, Xia Lanzheng was surprised that so many things happened during the period when the program was just divided into groups.

It was probably because Ning Xiyuan's intention to hype up the couple was too obvious, and Cheng Lan reminded him several times.

Cheng Lan was indignant and talked about Xia Lanzheng's final arrest: "I heard a loud commotion in the back. It was because of the magazine incident last time. Is it that serious?"

Xia Lanzheng's teeth ached when she heard this, and she quickly stopped him: "It's not that exaggerated..."

Chu Linchuan listened in silence, and only then took off his glasses and wiped them a few times.

Almost instantly, the air pressure beside Xia Lanzheng dropped, as if a huge ice sculpture was standing there.

The name Ning Xiyuan was actually not unfamiliar. Xia Lanzheng realized belatedly that she had seen him several times in the original book.

This person originally wanted to cause trouble for Song Xinghuai, but although he failed, it was eventually revealed that he had an immoral private life, leaving a mess for Xingpai to deal with.

Chu Linchuan worked overtime for a week for this.

"Xia Lanzheng," Chu Linchuan was silent for a long time, then turned around and asked with a smile, "Why didn't you tell me you were bullied?"

“…”

Xia Lanzheng knew he was angry when she heard his fake smile: "I didn't think of it for a moment."

Lu Yanqing spoke at the right moment: "Hasn't that matter been resolved before?"

Xia Lanzheng was surprised again, and Lu Yanmin also turned to look at his brother.

Lu Yanqing was talking about the magazine shoot. How did he know about it?

"Before?" Chu Linchuan narrowed his eyes and caught sight of Xia Lanzheng's slightly uneasy expression. "How's your shoulder?"

"It's nothing," Xia Lanzheng said honestly, "I applied the plaster Cheng Lan gave me."

Chu Linchuan put on his glasses and suppressed the displeasure on his face.

He asked why Xia Lanzheng smelled like herbs. If Cheng Lan hadn't been unable to hold back, he would never have spoken a word in his life.

Chu Linchuan took a sip of lemonade and swallowed it, then changed the subject and said, "Didn't you prepare a gift?"

Xia Lanzheng then remembered the square box in her hand. She coughed, stood up, and handed it to Lu Yanqing: "Happy birthday."

Lu Yanqing reached out to take it, his fingertips touching Xia Lanzheng's finger bones, and quickly moved away: "Thank you."

He guessed that Chu Linchuan had helped prepare it, but he didn't expose it.

Lu Yanmin suddenly came over, not minding the excitement: "Why don't you open it and take a look?"

Lu Yanqing asked Xia Lanzheng what she meant: "Is it okay?"

Chu Linchuan is reliable and the gifts he chooses will definitely not go wrong.

So Xia Lanzheng said without hesitation: "Of course."

Chu Linchuan sat there without changing his posture, but Cheng Lan leaned over with a curious look on his face.

Half a minute later, Lu Yanqing opened the box, and for some reason, his expression froze.

"What...what's wrong?" Xia Lanzheng met his gaze.

Lu Yanmin couldn't help but curl his lips.

Lu Yanqing looked at him for a few seconds and suddenly smiled, then picked up the things inside in full view of everyone.

A pink floral tie.

Xia Lanzheng swallowed and subconsciously looked at Chu Linchuan. Chu Linchuan sat up a little straighter and slowly picked up his phone.

"It looks good," Lu Yanmin said jokingly, "it's boring to wear this suit all day."

Cheng Lan followed suit: "Brother Lu, wear this to the meeting tomorrow. If anyone asks, just say you're the birthday boy."

Xia Lanzheng's eyes grew increasingly numb. Lu Yanqing put the tie back, but his eyes never left her. "Thank you. It really... suits me."

Xia Lanzheng thought, how could that be possible? This doesn't seem appropriate at all!

He stood up suddenly, and his movement was so violent that he almost bumped into the chair. Chu Linchuan reached out to hold him up.

"Brother Lu, as long as you like it, I'm going to go to the bathroom."

Everyone watched Xia Lanzheng walk out of the box. Chu Linchuan remained calm and sent a message to his assistant under the table.

"Chu Linchuan: Did you pick pink?"

"Assistant: Hmm? Mr. Chu, is that inappropriate?"

"Chu Linchuan:."

"Chu Linchuan: Where is the right place?"

"Assistant: Yesterday I saw Mr. Liu with a flowered one. He spent a long time choosing this one."

He received Xia Lanzheng's message half an hour ago. He was in such a hurry at the time that he only had time to tell his assistant that it was a birthday present.

The assistant obviously misunderstood and thought it was to be given to the most recent partner, and the dates just happened to coincide.

Chu Linchuan turned off his phone, raised his head, and frowned. Lu Yanqing and Lu Yanmin, who were sitting across from him, looked toward the door, whispered something, and their expressions quickly became complicated.

As soon as Chu Linchuan entered the box, he noticed something strange. Lu Yanmin and Xia Lanzheng had clearly never seen him before, but they were paying too much attention to him.

Why?

Cheng Lan was still playing with the Jade Rabbit chopstick holder on the table. He suddenly answered a phone call, stood up and said, "I'm going out to answer the phone and will be back soon."

Outside the box, at the other end of the corridor.

Xia Lanzheng walked faster and faster, the draft hitting her cheeks, and the heat didn't subside. He went to the bathroom to wash his face, and something flashed before his eyes. It turned out to be the eyeshadow he hadn't removed properly.

I tried to wipe it off for a long time, but the sequins wouldn't come off. My eyes turned red and I felt like I was about to have an allergy.

Xia Lanzheng didn't dare to move her face anymore. Thinking that the time was almost up, she turned around and walked towards the box.

The private rooms in this hotel were far apart, so Xia Lanzheng quickened his pace. Just as he was almost there, a door suddenly opened from the inside, almost hitting him in the face.

He took a step back, and the next second he saw who was coming, and his feet suddenly froze.

The man turned around and was also startled when he saw him: "Zheng Zheng?"

Su Cheng appeared in front of her in formal attire, and Xia Lanzheng was caught off guard, like stepping on a stone while running.

Su Cheng stepped forward: "Zheng Zheng, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

"What a coincidence," Xia Lanzheng said, standing against the wall with nowhere to retreat. "Are you eating here too?"

He hasn't replied to Su Cheng's messages recently and hasn't answered any voice calls.

In fact, he is no longer angry, but he just hasn't figured out what to do.

It's a pity to lose a friend.

"Forget it, don't apologize to me," Xia Lanzheng breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm not angry."

Su Cheng suddenly raised his head. Xia Lanzheng's face was illuminated by the light, and the red at the corners of her eyes was very eye-catching.

"What's wrong with you?" Su Cheng asked, "Are you crying?"

"without……"

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure strode closer. Two seconds later, before Xia Lanzheng could stop him, Cheng Lan took a quick step forward and grabbed Su Cheng by the back of his collar.

"Who are you?"

After Cheng Lan finished speaking, he saw Xia Lanzheng's red eyes, and he applied force with his fingertips, his tone full of anger: "Zhengzheng, did he bully you?"

*

Xia Lanzheng: “…”

Bully?

What exactly did Cheng Lan misunderstand?

Cheng Lan was muscular, so Su Cheng was no match for him. But when he was grabbed, he walked steadily and stood there motionless.

There was a lot of noise in the box next door, and outside the door, a tense atmosphere filled the air.

Looking at the current situation, a fight would break out if anyone blinked an eye.

Xia Lanzheng subconsciously looked towards the other end of the corridor, hoping to see Chu Linchuan.

Chu Linchuan’s identity as a supporting male role is reassuring.

What's more, he always appears in times of chaos, like a stabilizing force.

Cheng Lan didn't get an answer, so he spoke again: "Xia Lanzheng, did he bully you?"

Idiot. A look of disdain flashed across Su Cheng’s face, and he was about to punch Cheng Lan.

"No!" Xia Lanzheng was horrified. She grabbed Su Cheng's raised fist and raised her voice, "Cheng Lan, let go!"

Cheng Lan couldn't believe it and confirmed several times that Xia Lanzheng was indeed calling his name.

The hand holding Su Cheng was warm. Cheng Lan stood there, suddenly feeling dizzy, and turned his head to curse.

——Xia Lanzheng once again stood against him.

Even though he was standing up for him, he didn't hesitate.

Why?

Who is this man? Is he so important to Xia Lanzheng?

Su Cheng glanced at Cheng Lan, whose face was ashen, and clenched his fists behind his back, asking as if no one else was around: "Zheng Zheng, is he your friend?"

Xia Lanzheng's heart skipped a beat. Su Cheng was not a good-tempered person, and there was no benefit in Cheng Lan having a conflict with him.

He hurriedly explained: "Don't get me wrong, we are friends, all friends."

For some reason, Cheng Lan suddenly fell silent, his eyes as dark as a shadow cast on the ground.

Xia Lanzheng rubbed her eye sockets vigorously, as if to prove it to him: "Cheng Lan, your eyes were pierced by me——"

"I am your friend," Cheng Lan's cold voice rang out the next second, "Xia Lanzheng, I am your friend too."

Su Cheng adjusted his collar while meeting Cheng Lan's gaze.

Xia Lanzheng's long curly hair swayed in front of her eyes for a moment, then she leaned over to comfort the wheat-skinned man.

"Why are you angry? Su Chengzhen didn't do anything. He is also my friend."

Cheng Lan snorted lightly and chewed the word "friend" over and over again, but still felt uncomfortable.

Su Cheng's hand stretched out from behind Xia Lanzheng, as if to shake hands with Cheng Lan and make peace. "Hello, my name is Su Cheng."

Xia Lanzheng blinked at Cheng Lan, signaling him to respond.

But then, there was a "pop".

Cheng Lan gritted his teeth and slapped the hand in front of him away.

The sound was not loud, but it reached Xia Lanzheng's ears clearly, as if it hit his face.

Su Cheng seemed to have expected this. He slowly withdrew his hand and wiped it on his clothes.

The sound of fabric rubbing against each other brought Xia Lanzheng back to his senses. He seemed to see the unreasonable Cheng Lan again, just like when they first met.

In addition to feeling confused, Xia Lanzheng experienced an unprecedented anger in Cheng Lan's fluctuating emotions.

This was the Cheng Lan he remembered: emotional, irrational, and—

"childish."

Xia Lanzheng was stunned for a moment, then realized that the voice came from Su Cheng's mouth.

Su Cheng smiled, folded his arms across his chest, and looked nonchalantly at the blushing man, repeating, "How childish."

Before Xia Lanzheng could stop him, Cheng Lan frowned and took a step forward. "What did you say?"

Su Cheng ignored him and said to Xia Lanzheng, "Zhengzheng, it's okay, don't be angry."

"I'm not angry..." Xia Lanzheng saw a few bulging veins on the back of Cheng Lan's hand from the corner of her eye. She turned around and hugged him, "Cheng Lan, don't be willful! Don't be impulsive. Let's talk it over!"

Seeing Xia Lanzheng's hand tightly gripping Cheng Lan's arm, Su Cheng's face darkened from behind.

The sound of a cell phone ringing cut through the gloomy air.

Cheng Lan took a deep breath and answered the phone. On the other end of the phone, the delivery man was urging him to go to the door to pick up the cake. Cheng Lan said "hmm", but Xia Lanzheng's voice kept echoing in his mind.

Don't be impulsive or willful.

After hanging up the phone, he saw Su Cheng's expression clearly from a step away. He looked so relaxed and at ease that it was disgusting.

He wanted to pry Xia Lanzheng's chin open and make him look back.

His so-called friends have no good intentions at all.

Anger swept over Cheng Lan, mixed with an indescribable emotion.

"Let go," Cheng Lan swallowed, his voice a little hoarse, trying hard to suppress something, "You talk to your friends, I'll go over first."

Xia Lanzheng was gently pushed away by Cheng Lan, wondering what on earth he was talking about.

It's time to stop being childishly possessive of your friends.

"Are you okay?" Xia Lanzheng ignored Cheng Lan and turned around to ask, "Is your hand okay?"

Su Cheng shook his head, not caring about the previous episode at all: "Zheng Zheng, I'm almost done with the last painting. Next time you come to the studio, I'll show it to you."

Xia Lanzheng didn't notice Su Cheng's emotions and forced a smile: "I'm sorry, Cheng Lan didn't mean any harm."

Su Cheng looked at him for a while, changed his stance, and stretched out his hand to him.

Xia Lanzheng subconsciously tilted his head back, but Su Cheng just helped him tuck his hair behind his ears.

"No need to apologize on his behalf," Su Cheng smiled, but his tone was a little cold. "I'll go back first, Zheng Zheng, see you next time."

*

After Cheng Lan and Xia Lanzheng came back, the atmosphere became very strange, and the three people who stayed in the box exchanged glances.

Xia Lanzheng remained silent, and the chatterbox Cheng Lan was equally silent. The distance between the two chairs widened, as if neither wanted to be next to the other.

Everyone sang a birthday song for Lu Yanqing and ended the party.

After they left the hotel, Cheng Lan took the initiative to get into Lu Yanqing's car. He rolled down the window and waved to Chu Linchuan, only glancing silently at Xia Lanzheng.

On the other side, Li Pingan chattered non-stop: "How was it, young master? Was it fun? Was it scary? I love that show so much. I watched the whole last season!"

"Well, it's okay." Xia Lanzheng looked listless and answered this question no matter what was asked.

Chu Linchuan knocked on the driver's seat: "Li Ping'an."

Li Ping'an then looked in the rearview mirror and saw Lin Chuan's expression clearly. He immediately understood and raised the middle baffle.

The scenery outside the window kept changing, and in Xia Lanzheng's eyes it looked like a book that was constantly turning pages.

He heard Chu Linchuan ask, "Did you have a fight with Cheng Lan?"

Before he could answer, someone tugged at the tip of his ear. Chu Linchuan seemed to be fiddling with Bao Bao's ear, scratching it with his fingertips.

Xia Lanzheng covered her ears with her hands: "There was no quarrel, he was just throwing a tantrum."

Chu Linchuan found it funny: "He's throwing a tantrum? Aren't you throwing a tantrum too?"

"I didn't," Xia Lanzheng said angrily, "It's not the same thing."

"What's going on?" Chu Linchuan asked casually with his hands on his thighs.

The car was driving smoothly on the road, and Chu Linchuan's voice was unexpectedly soft, like the moonlight shining through the roof.

Xia Lanzheng muttered, "Cheng Lan is so weird."

Chu Linchuan clasped his hands together, took a look, and motioned Xia Lanzheng to continue.

"He doesn't like me being around other people,"

At this moment, Xia Lanzheng saw the rising baffle and was distracted to think that luxury cars really had this function.

Chu Linchuan didn't rush to respond. Xia Lanzheng thought for a moment and then said, "He doesn't seem to understand that friends can have other friends."

His emotions finally showed up on his cheeks, and the corners of his mouth straightened, like a steamed bun just out of the pot.

Chu Linchuan repeated what he said: "Do you think he treats you as a friend?"

"Hmm?" Xia Lanzheng opened her mouth, seemingly not understanding what he meant. "Isn't it?"

Chu Linchuan smiled vaguely and said ambiguously, "Yes."

Li Ping'an parked the car outside the villa. Before leaving, he looked back anxiously. Seeing that Chu Linchuan and Xia Lanzheng were normal, he drove away.

Xia Lanzheng suddenly heard Chu Linchuan ask, "Do you still want to plant trees?"

On the lawn not far away, there were many flowers and plants that Xia Lanzheng couldn't name. He loved flowers, and he loved anything that had vitality.

Bloom and bear fruit, and wither naturally, and your life will be full of hope.

The aunt at home told him that all the plants in the field in the corner were planted by Chu Linchuan.

Xia Lanzheng cast her gaze towards the empty space: "Why did that tree die before?"

Trees are different from flowers and plants, so how can trees die?

Chu Linchuan put his hands in his pockets and stopped to say, "After you left, the tree died."

Xia Lanzheng continued: "I'm leaving..."

He suddenly stopped and looked at Chu Linchuan in disbelief.

Meeting Chu Linchuan's gaze, the eyes behind the lenses were extremely sharp, sweeping across his face inch by inch, with a scrutinizing look.

Xia Lanzheng felt that he was seen through. There was no longer a lens between him and Chu Linchuan. The words were clear and straightforward.

The word "leave" has a deeper meaning.

The hot night wind blew Xia Lanzheng's hair, but it felt like countless pairs of cool hands caressing his back.

During the dozens of seconds of silent eye contact, Xia Lanzheng's suspicions were confirmed.

——Chu Linchuan noticed his brief departure, and also noticed his sudden return.

Chu Linchuan's face got closer and closer, and Xia Lanzheng's hands hanging by her legs began to tremble, and then were held tightly.

A strong palm wrapped around his trembling, Chu Linchuan smiled and hugged him tightly in his arms, gently patting his back.

"Okay Zheng Zheng."

Xia Lanzheng heard his deep and powerful voice.

"Don't be angry."