Chapter 40 Chapter 40 If I Want to Kiss You Now
When Song Zhihan returned home after making the call, he saw such a strange scene. Lin Jie and Meng Xingyu were sitting opposite each other, and there was a hidden collision in the air.
"Why are you here? Didn't you go home?" She pulled out a chair and sat down next to Lin Jie, her voice full of surprise.
"I had a last-minute appointment with a client here, but he stood me up." Lin Jie's face flushed calmly as he told the lie, acting so naturally, as if there really was such a client who didn't keep his promise.
Song Zhihan nodded and said nothing more. In fact, it would be much easier with Lin Jie around. At least Meng Xingyu would take the presence of a third person into consideration and stop talking about getting back together.
A dinner party with three people is always more restrained than one with two, at least that's what Meng Xingyi thinks. But when he sees the relaxation emanating from Lin Jie, he inexplicably feels that he is the only one who is restrained.
Song Zhihan explained the phone call to Meng Xingyu: "Bincheng has cooperated with a sister I know. I just asked her to help find out. I sent her your phone number to see if I can connect with Bincheng through this relationship."
Meng Xingyu was overjoyed, his gratitude overflowing with words. He glanced at Lin Jie from the corner of his eye and deliberately made his words vague, "Thank you, Zhihan. I just mentioned it casually, but you took it so seriously."
Song Zhihan smiled and didn't care much: "It's okay, it's just a small favor. Whether it succeeds or not depends on you."
Meng Xingyu thought he would see Lin Jie's concerned expression, but he didn't expect him to be unmoved. He was just concentrating on picking bones from the fish, as if he didn't understand his hidden meaning at all.
He didn't quite understand Lin Jie's reaction and quietly lowered his eyes.
The piece of fish meat with the bones removed was placed intact on Song Zhihan's plate.
Before tasting it, she asked, "Is it delicious? I've never ordered this dish before."
"It's okay. The ingredients are quite fresh, and they don't have the sharp taste of braised dishes."
Song Zhihan picked up a small piece, tasted it, and wrinkled his nose: "Don't give me any more, it's not tasty, not as good as Aunt Zhong's."
Lin Jie let out a soft laugh and used his chopsticks to pick up the remaining fish she had piled beside him. He then put it into his mouth and savored it carefully. "I think it's okay, a bit sweet."
As he said this, he suddenly raised his eyelashes and looked at Meng Xingyu, and a faint smile appeared on his expressionless face.
In Meng Xingyu's eyes, it was a provocation.
What is he doing? Is it the intimacy between him and Song Zhihan?
Meng Xingyu was angry, but more than anger he felt helpless. He knew that he probably had no chance of winning.
Song Zhihan is a very polite person. When faced with something handed to her by others, even if she doesn't like it, she will give them face and finish it all. But she is not like this with Lin Jie. She does not hide her likes and dislikes at all.
More importantly...
Meng Xingyu glanced at the serving chopsticks that had never been touched, and he had the answer in his mind.
No one was deliberately gossiping, and the meal went smoothly, not to mention the attentive service of Lin Jie. Regardless of what the two of them thought, Song Zhihan was enjoying his meal.
Outside the door, Lin Jie went to drive his car, and Song Zhihan said goodbye to Meng Xingyu at the door. He was going back to Yanbei in the afternoon and had changed his schedule at the last minute.
"Zhihan, whenever you come to Yanbei, you must let me know. I will always receive my friends with the highest standards." Meng Xingyu stood in front of the car with a smile on his face.
This smile made Song Zhihan feel dazed for a moment, transported back to the morning of their first meeting. The sun was shining brightly, and she was dragging her suitcase when she was knocked over by two white classmates who were playing and chasing each other. Her luggage was scattered all over the floor. It was Meng Xingyu, who picked up the copy of "I and the Earthen Altar" she had left in the suitcase and handed it to her.
"Classmate, are you okay?"
His smile was particularly warm in the sunshine.
Song Zhihan smiled sincerely: "Thank you, Xingyu."
Meng Xingyu's eyes passed through Song Zhihan and saw Lin Jie sitting in the car not far away, staring at them motionlessly.
He suddenly smiled mischievously, like a mischievous child. He stretched out his arms and hugged Song Zhihan.
Before Song Zhihan could exclaim, she heard his gentle farewell in her ear.
"Zhihan, I wish you happiness."
Song Zhihan raised his hand and gently hugged him back.
A hug that fades away as soon as it touches is a farewell to the past.
Watching his car go away, Song Zhihan saw another black car speeding in front of him. The window was rolled down, revealing Lin Jie's profile. He sat upright, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, with the corners of his lips pressed down.
"Get in the car, let's go back to the company."
This meal took up all of my lunch break, so it was time to go back to work.
Song Zhihan yawned loudly, tears in his eyes.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Song Zhihan yawned again and felt sleepy. She wanted to lean against the window and take a nap for a while, but the phone rang again. The caller ID showed that it was Meng Xingyu.
She could only answer the call again, using one hand to answer the call and the other hand to pick at her nails, sitting with her legs spread out.
Lin Jie was driving seriously, and the sounds from the side penetrated into his ears.
"Yeah, yes, our company has worked with them before... Mia, my mom's assistant. You should have met her... Yes, yes, when we graduated..."
I couldn't hear what Meng Xingyu was saying, but when Song Zhihan mentioned graduation, it was not difficult to tell that it was another story that only they knew.
Lin Jie's eyebrows twitched and his eyes were fixed on the tail of the car in front.
Perhaps Meng Xingyu said something again, Song Zhihan was laughing, very happily, without any trace of the sleepiness he had just felt.
Reason told Lin Jie that their topic was normal and not at all romantic, but his emotions still prompted him to keep thinking about it.
Think about your first love and the years they spent together.
He was consumed by unspeakable jealousy and frustration.
Their chat finally came to an end, and the conversation stopped with Song Zhihan's last sentence: "Okay, then tell me in advance next time you come."
Still want more.
The call was hung up, and the car stopped on the side of the road with the hazard lights on. Lin Jie unbuckled his seat belt with a hasty and rough movement.
Song Zhihan looked at him in confusion: "Why..."
Before he could finish his question, Lin Jie interrupted him forcefully. A silent storm and a bottomless abyss were brewing in his eyes.
"Song Zhihan, if I say I want to kiss you now, will you think I'm crazy?"
A clear sentence entered my ears, completely rational and completely calm.
Song Zhihan's scalp tingled, and he clutched the seatbelt on his chest tightly: "I..."
Once again, he was interrupted by Lin Jie. He had never been so anxious before.
"I know, I'm crazy."
He was crazy, mad with jealousy. He allowed himself to be overly intimate with Song Zhihan in front of Meng Xingyu, allowed himself to run wild on the road of jealousy, and even allowed himself to ask that offensive question.
Everything should be paused.
He got out of the driver's seat and left the car to Song Zhihan: "You drive back, I'll calm down."
The figure in the rearview mirror was getting farther and farther away. He was resolute and upright, and every step he took was filled with forbearance.
Song Zhihan sat quietly, waiting for the drum-like heartbeat to gradually subside.
...
As the New Year is approaching, Song Zhihan decided not to go to Zhong Xiumen's house before the New Year and wait until after the New Year.
After that day, she rarely saw Lin Jie again. He seemed to have suddenly disappeared from her world. Only at the weekly meetings on Mondays could she see half of his shadow in the conference room.
Song Zhihan guessed that he would most likely not go to Aunt Zhong again. Lin Jie was facing up to his feelings, reshaping them, and steering them in the right direction.
In fact, this is a good thing. It can nip the budding feelings in the bud and let them remain silent forever. It is good for everyone.
The next time I ran into him was at the company's annual meeting.
On the day of the Little New Year, Mengying Company held its annual meeting on the top floor of the most luxurious hotel in the city. In fact, it was also a celebration party. Looking back on the past year, Lingdong brought them too many surprises and achievements. Mengying jumped from a small follower in the industry to an important production company.
Song Zhihan and Becca sat together. Cheng Yang was the host today and was responsible for too many things. At this moment, he was walking around the venue holding up her skirt.
"How's the script for the movie going? Will it officially start work after the New Year?" Koike was also sitting nearby, his face full of concern.
"Almost. The main plot has been decided. What remains are some small details that will take time to complete."
Xiaochi nodded, then looked worried again: "I have to talk to Mr. Lin about this after the New Year. The screenwriter team needs to recruit new people. I'm still a little overwhelmed."
Song Zhihan and Becca looked at each other and did not continue the topic.
A few people nearby were discussing the program, and Xiaore from the publicity team spewed out a series of words like announcing the dishes.
"Xiao Zhu plays the erhu, James sings, Feifei and the others at the front desk dance, Song Zhihan..."
She flipped to the second page. "Song Zhihan playing the piano... so boring, so boring. Why is it like a cultural performance? Aren't there any funny performances like those videos people make online? Honestly, I want to see Mr. Lin dance in a frog costume!"
Anyway, what's wrong with talking nonsense while no one is around?
Xiao Chi raised his eyebrows when he heard Song Zhihan's name: "Zhihan, please give our screenwriter team leader some face."
Song Zhihan smiled awkwardly. In fact, it was because there were too few people who signed up, so Cheng Yang forced her up like a conscript.
But Xiaore said Lin Jie was wearing a frog costume...Ahaha, I really can't imagine it.
She turned her eyes, looking for Lin Jie in the crowded conference hall.
Finally, in the corner next to the stage, I saw a few people standing and chatting, James, A Kuan, the modeling team leader, and Lin Jie.
The heating in the venue was turned on high. Lin Jie took off his coat, revealing the shirt and vest underneath. His slightly tightened waist outlined his broad shoulders and narrow back. His long legs and black shoes with red soles showed his maturity.
Song Zhihan's gaze froze, with mixed feelings.
Lin Jie seemed to notice something, and turned his head slightly to meet Song Zhihan's eyes.
Song Zhihan was stunned for a moment, smiled at him, then turned around and talked to Becca as usual.
But Lin Jie's eyes refused to withdraw even a little bit. He looked at her white long dress and loose black hair, the strong contrast of black and white, but what was more striking was her cheek.
Lin Jie's eyes swept over the program list that had just been sent to the group, and he was distracted by the conversation.
"Linjie?" James called him again.
"Hmm?" Lin Jie came back to his senses, retracted his gaze, and answered his question: "I won't participate. Apart from my good grades, I don't have any special talents."
James just invited him to sing together tonight to inject some energy into the upcoming New Year.
Ah Kuan raised his hand: "I'll testify! When we went karaoke in college, he never joined us. Can you imagine how perverted people who work in bars can be?"
While in college, Lin Jie took on many part-time jobs, including but not limited to tutoring, translation, and helping with coding....
James smiled a little narrowly: "In that case, then there will be no time for romance."
Lin Jie smiled faintly and said nothing. He thought that he was really not qualified to talk about these things at that time.
Ah Kuan had become his spokesperson: "What the hell is there to talk to? He has a stinky and cold face. No girl would dare to talk to him. Anyway, from the time I've known him till now, I've never seen him get close to anyone of the opposite sex."
James pressed the issue, "Why not take advantage of this great opportunity today to show your presence in front of everyone? Our company doesn't object to office romances."
He was such a gossip. Lin Jie was helpless: "Do you think there are any female colleagues in our company who dare to date me?"
It’s good enough that I didn’t scold him to his face.
The two of them fell silent. James cleverly changed the subject and waved to Cheng Yang, who was not far away: "Cheng Yang, get started as soon as you're ready!"
Cheng Yang gave him a big OK sign.
All meals at the annual meeting were buffet style. There were no large, fixed tables, but instead smaller ones, allowing for individual socializing. So, when everyone was about to perform, a large group gathered around the performer, with the stage as the focal point.
Cheng Yang started the speech with some experienced witty remarks, and then invited James, the hands-off boss, to give a speech. It was called a speech, but it was just a polite remark. Fortunately, he was always casual, so he didn't make everyone feel awkward and restrained.
Then, Cheng Yang pretended to be mysterious and searched the crowd with his eyes: "Next... guess who it is...?"
The lighting technician, who had already coordinated the scene with her, directed all the beams of light onto Lin Jie's head. The white light shone on him, and even the dust in the air stopped falling. Everything was silent. Lin Jie twitched the corners of his lips, and then burst into cheers.
He emerged from the crowd to thunderous applause. Over the past year, Lin Jie had brought them so many opportunities and honors that he had long been admired by everyone.
James cleaned his ears, feeling more stressed, but more than that, he was proud to have such a partner.
Cheng Yang handed him the microphone, stood aside, and left the stage to Lin Jie.
Lin Jie stood in the middle of the crowd. His height advantage allowed him to see everyone's face clearly. He scanned them one by one and finally calmed down.
Usually a serious person, he softened his tone today: "When we magnify the telescope several times, we can see that the bright stars are composed of a group of dazzling stars. In the past six months or so, you have given me so many surprises, and you have also brought so many surprises to Lingdong. I am proud to have such a group of colleagues. I am Lin Jie, and in the new year, I still look forward to creating more miracles with you all. Thank you."
The people in the modeling group were the first to applaud, and then led everyone else. Song Zhihan was also infected, and her eyes were suddenly wrapped in warmth. She clapped her hands and saw him through the crowd. Everything that happened in the past was replayed in her mind like an old movie.
Cold rebukes, words of defense, and sincere praise. Since reuniting with Lin Jie, she has experienced too many things she could never have imagined.
In the new year, she and Lin Jie will have a new relationship and new identities, but life goes on. No matter what identities they have in common, the experience of working together will be deeply engraved in their minds forever.
Xiao Zhu is a genius. He looks like a science and engineering guy, but he plays the erhu very well. He played a song about horse racing to liven up the atmosphere of the whole audience. Ba Zhuang, who is from the Mongolian ethnic group, even took advantage of the scene to dance.
Unfortunately, Song Zhihan was not lucky enough to enjoy it. She was tuning the piano in another place and it would be her turn soon.
Unfortunately, the lid, which had been adjusted correctly, failed to lift. Song Zhihan tightened her wrists and tried to lift it, but to no avail. She bent down dejectedly.
Her high spirits were therefore somewhat dampened, and this 20x5 year simply refused to let her go.
The partition was suddenly raised, Song Zhihan looked up and saw Lin Jie.
He was still wearing only his undershirt, and his tall figure cast a slender shadow on the ground.
"This partition... seems to be broken, it must be kept open..." Song Zhihan was a little embarrassed, and two blushes appeared on his anxious face.
Lin Jie nodded, holding on with his hands. "I know. Let's do this for a while. I'll help you hold on. The light shouldn't reach me."
Song Zhihan nodded, looking at the black and white piano keys. Suddenly, he remembered something and smiled faintly at him: "The last time I played the piano in front of so many people was ten years ago, at the school celebration of my freshman year of high school. I played Liszt's Dream of Love."
Lin Jie glanced at the music sheet on the board and saw the three familiar words. His heart ached. He said, "What a pity! I didn't get to listen to the music properly back then."
Song Zhihan lowered her head and adjusted her skirt. As the melodious sound of horse racing came to an end, the performance here was about to begin.
When he raised his head again, Song Zhihan showed a bright smile: "Lin Jie, please."
The room fell into darkness, and the beam of light only hit Song Zhihan. Her white dress was like the moon, her black hair was like a waterfall, and the sound of the piano was lingering in her ears, refreshing her heart.
Song Zhihan still had a faint smile on her face as her fingertips moved across the black and white piano keys. The light shining on her profile made her look exceptionally beautiful.
Opposite the light is darkness. Lin Jiexin stood there with his tall body languidly. His fingers turned white from exerting force. In the darkness where no one knew, his eyes greedily lingered on every corner of her body.
He had heard this piece of music more than once, and amidst the noisy background noise, he could only hear this piece of music.
The performance won praise from everyone. Zhai Akuan applauded and muttered to himself, "Why do I feel like I've heard this before?"
No one heard, no one answered, everyone was immersed in happiness.
After all the performances, it was the final lucky draw session. James was very generous and left no prizes empty. The smallest prize was worth a thousand yuan, which made the already joyful atmosphere explode again.
There were many people participating in the lottery and many people winning prizes. Everyone took their tickets to redeem their prizes. Only Cheng Yang, the host, was completely free.
She was talking nonsense next to Song Zhihan, and complained to them about how boring James's performance was. After talking for a long time, in the end, the three girls who met by chance started talking about each other.
Song Zhihan said: "The happiest thing for me this year is meeting you two and participating in the development of Lingdong."
Becca and Cheng Yang also felt that intelligence tied them together, and they also developed a great friendship as they spent time together day after day, which is worth celebrating.
Cheng Yang picked up the wine glass: "Come, let's toast to a better tomorrow! Oh, Song Zhihan, drink water instead of wine, don't try to show off."
Song Zhihan was called out individually. She picked up the wine glass and smiled a little embarrassedly: "I'll take a sip, okay?"
She took only a tiny sip, and her breath tasted of alcohol, but she was far from drunk.
She sat there and watched everyone claim their prizes. She also went up with her lottery ticket. The gift she won was one thousand yuan in cash, which was very practical and much better than some fancy things. Song Zhihan threw the money contentedly to show off to Cheng Yang.
When they were returning, the wine glass was knocked over by someone and was empty. Cheng Yang was the first to suspect Song Zhihan: "Did you drink it secretly? Where's the wine in it?"
She didn't keep an eye on him for a moment, so how could she let Song Zhihan get into such a disaster?
Song Zhihan was stunned, then he started to play around and pretended to be drunk: "You don't let me drink, but I will drink anyway!"
Taking advantage of his drunkenness, he felt justified in ravaging Cheng Yang's face. Oh, Becca wasn't spared either.
Cheng Yang kept saying "it's over" and fanned Song Zhihan to cool her down.
Song Zhihan took this opportunity to act like a rogue, demanding to eat nuts and peeled fruits, causing trouble for these two people.
She kept pretending until the show was over.
A group of people were leaving in a bustling atmosphere. The huge elevator was packed. Becca squeezed in last, "I'm leaving first. My mom is urging me to leave!"
Cheng Yang supported Song Zhihan and waved to her. At the end, he did not forget to fiddle with Song Zhihan's paws and waved to her.
James was laughing as he watched from the side. Cheng Yang glared at him: "What are you laughing at!"
The holiday was about to begin, and she became bolder and began to look down on the capitalists.
James looked at her curves wrapped in the dress and her smudged lipstick, feeling anxious under the influence of alcohol. He suddenly said, "Cheng Yang, the hotel manager just said there's a problem with our drink list. Come with me to check it."
Cheng Yang was very annoyed: "No, you are right."
James advised her: "Go ahead, I can't do it, and this is all depending on you."
Cheng Yang was the type who would rather be soft than hard. James's show of weakness made her relax, but when she looked at Song Zhihan, she hesitated again: "But she..."
Song Zhihan knew he couldn't pretend anymore, but thinking about how he had been pretending for so long tonight, if he told Cheng Yang now, he would inevitably get a beating. He squinted his eyes quietly: "I'm fine! I'm not drunk! Nothing's wrong!"
Drunk and sober, he successfully made Cheng Yang laugh.
Lin Jie sighed, stepped forward, took her shoulders, and said to Cheng Yang, "You go, I'll take her back."
Thinking that her driver was downstairs, and the person being picked up was Lin Jie, Cheng Yang felt relieved: "Her driver is waiting downstairs, the license plate number is 669. Mr. Lin, just take Song Zhihan to the car. Thank you for your help."
Lin Jie calmly pulled Song Zhihan onto himself and said okay.
She and James left in a quarrel.
Song Zhihan leaned on his shoulder, not daring to speak. If she had known it would be like this, she wouldn't have dared to pretend to be drunk even if she had a hundred guts. But now, she had to continue acting.
The elevator arrived, the doors opened, and it was empty.
Lin Jie helped Song Zhihan in and pressed the button.
He put his arm around Song Zhihan's shoulders, his eyes stayed on her, and his tone became very soft.
"Song Zhihan, you play the piano very well. After so many years, your skills are even better than before."
He seemed to be talking to himself, without needing any response.
But Song Zhihan had already heard it. She lowered her head and opened her eyes, with hesitation and pain flashing in them.
At the school anniversary ten years ago, Lin Jie was also there, but he was in some corner that she couldn't see.
The surging emotions rose all the way to his throat and then to his eyes. Song Zhihan was completely enveloped by indescribable emotions.
She hesitated and hesitated again, and finally closed her eyes, telling herself that this was the last time.
She put on a carefree smile, emerged from Lin Jie's arms, looked at him, and said in a drunken tone, "Lin Jie, actually, the happiest thing this year is meeting you again and completing this fantastic Lingdong project with you! I'm so happy."
Her eyes were as bright as ever, and her white dress and black hair looked no different from when she was sixteen. Lin Jie seemed to see that always bright girl again, and suppressing his shyness, he told him that he liked her.
He was trapped by memories and controlled by emotions. He reached out his hand, held her cheek, and slowly, slowly moved closer to her.
His tone was so soft that it was almost a whisper, and it seemed like he was expressing his true feelings.
"Zhihan, I'm sorry, this is the last time."
The moment he finished speaking, he bent forward and kissed Song Zhihan on the lips. The kiss was very gentle, wrapping around the soft lips and licking them bit by bit, not daring to offend in the slightest, with cherishment and restraint.
Through the reflective metal wall panels behind him, Song Zhihan saw his astonished self and their current intimate entangled posture.
This could never happen to a brother and sister.
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Author's words: Zhihan: A woman is three-quarters drunk, and she will act until your heart breaks [glasses]
Okay, we'll reveal the truth soon.
PS: My dear friends, please give me some advance payment for "Don't Pull My Swimming Trunks" because I'm updating today. Thank you all, bow [heart]
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