Chapter 3
Jian Sheng hadn't thought of that; she'd almost forgotten the fabricated line. Thinking of the girl from earlier, she said, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
She didn't know how much determination Chen Zhoujing had made, but she felt that the two of them should keep their distance under these circumstances.
Her refusal had become a habit in Chen Zhoujing's eyes. He paused for a few seconds, raised his eyebrows and said seriously, "After dropping my sister off, there's a meeting going on there this afternoon, and I thought you'd be going on the way anyway."
"If you..."
Jian Sheng blinked. It was her younger sister. She spoke first, "Let's go, old classmate."
"Since it's on my way, then thank you for your help."
Jian Sheng's heart was pounding, completely forgetting that Chen Zhoujing knew the location of her bookstore.
Chen Zhou was stunned. He raised his hand and pinched the back of his neck twice before slowly following after him.
There was nothing going on at the bookstore. Jian Sheng was not easily fooled, so she pretended to be idly working on the computer at the counter for a while. In reality, she was just constantly right-clicking and refreshing the page. Luckily, he didn't come over. After waiting for a while, Jian Sheng went to the bar and made two lattes. Since she hadn't seen him for so long, she didn't know what he liked to drink, so she made the coffee that they both liked five years ago.
Jian Sheng took the plate over, and Chen Zhoujing, that tall guy, stood up immediately. The next second, the plate in Jian Sheng's hand was taken away.
Jian Sheng blinked and slowly walked over.
"Your father." Chen Zhou's eyes were filled with complex emotions, and he didn't finish his sentence.
He said in a simple voice, "He's dead. He drowned in the river. He was found five days ago."
Her words were brief and devoid of warmth, as if she were recounting a social news story from a third-person perspective.
Chen Zhou was taken aback and just stared at her face without saying a word for a long time.
Having not seen each other for a long time, hidden emotions were about to burst forth in their hearts, and those unknown questions slowly sank into silence, with neither of them breaking the silence first.
Finally, Chen Zhou glanced away and saw that Jian Sheng had changed a lot. Just as Li Zhun had said, she had started to love life and would actively attend art exhibitions and various banquets that were beneficial to her work.
She is facing life positively.
But his life was like stagnant water; he was more like a fish in a tank, unable to swim out or die.
"Please accept my condolences," he said simply.
“It’s all in the past.” Jian raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for the wreath, but you didn’t have to send one.”
She sensed Chen Zhou's unusual emotions and couldn't help but say, "What happened back then wasn't your fault. If it weren't for you, I would have died. You helped me, and I should thank you."
When she said thank you, some misunderstandings had actually been cleared up. But for Chen Zhoujing, that shadow had accompanied him for so long that it had almost become a demon, impossible to shake off, and it dealt him a heavy blow when he was at his lowest point.
After a long while, Chen Zhou raised his head, smiled, and said something unrelated to the topic: "Your hair has grown long."
Jian Sheng was slightly taken aback. He looked down at his own hair, which had been long for a long time and he was used to it. He almost forgot that he had never seen himself with long hair before: "Yeah, I haven't cut it short since graduation. It's always been this long."
"You look to be in very good condition," Chen Zhoujing added.
"It's alright." Jian Sheng hesitated for a moment, "Then... welcome back to China."
There's a saying that growing up is a bittersweet experience. For those who have experienced low points, the pain is hard to overcome, but once overcome, their lives are filled with only gains, and even the pain they endured becomes a kind of gain.
Humans need to constantly struggle with themselves and find new life within their shackles.
These words are very suitable for Jian Sheng now, but to Chen Zhoujing, they seem like empty words spoken from a position of privilege.
But Jian Sheng had no idea what had happened to him in the years since he went abroad, nor did he know about the changes in his state of mind. However, his current silent demeanor was different from the reunion that Jian Sheng had imagined.
The two exchanged some casual words, mostly Jian Sheng asking him about his life abroad. Chen Zhoujing became very quiet, only speaking occasionally in response to Jian Sheng's questions.
This state is like a reversal of roles compared to before. The old Chen Zhoujing was a chatterbox, always talking non-stop from morning till night in front of Jian Sheng. If it weren't for Chen Zhoujing during that dark period, Jian Sheng would really have died.
She was very grateful to Chen Zhoujing.
If we set aside family ties and ethics, Chen Zhoujing is her top priority.
And now...
My phone rang. I glanced at it briefly; it was a message from THalia.
An electronic invitation.
The banquet to be held tomorrow night at the Huaiyang Binya Hotel is an international art exchange event.
This was the first time Jian Sheng had received such a professional invitation, and she was somewhat surprised. She immediately sent a thank you message to THalia, who replied quickly.
THalia: It was that business partner who introduced you to them.
The pupil constricts slightly.
"Something you need to take care of?"
Chen Zhoujing, sitting opposite, suddenly spoke, his tone very flat.
Chen Zhoujing doesn't seem very happy right now.
Jian put down his phone, looked up and shook his head: "Nothing's wrong."
"What are you doing?"
She had a vague guess in her mind, but dared not be sure. Chen Zhoujing put down the coffee she had just sipped and leaned back in her chair: "It's a small business, nothing to brag about."
"Those who deal with large sums of money also engage in cross-border investment. It was by chance that they chose this path." Back then, when he went abroad, he was unfamiliar with the place and almost died at the airport, but Li Jing managed to bring him back.
Later, he studied and worked at the same time. After graduation, he worked in financial investment in New York. Li Jing accompanied him throughout his career, from his time as an investment assistant at a junior institution to his time as an investor participating in projects on his own, and now.
Two newcomers with Asian features navigated the investment market, breaking down social barriers and building their own circle.
Jian Sheng nodded; she didn't know anything about this area.
Because of her afternoon classes, she had to go to the art studio early, so their reunion and conversation came to an end. She had intended to add him on WeChat, but Chen Zhoujing left in a hurry.
It wasn't until after he left that Jian Sheng snapped out of his nervousness, the pressure in his chest growing stronger and stronger.
She thought the two of them would not have any further communication until the banquet at the Binya Hotel.
Jian Sheng was brought there by THalia. When they arrived, there were many well-dressed business people and many successful women who were dressed elegantly and spoke with grace. They were all smiling and chatting over champagne.
As a newcomer, this was Jian Sheng's first time entering such a large banquet. She possessed the signature features of an oriental beauty, wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress. She remained calm and composed amidst the crowd, attracting the attention of many present.
Although Thalia had met her many times, she felt that she was a bland person with no outstanding personality traits, except that she was an exceptionally talented painter, a rare find. However, she disliked her personality, finding it cold and impersonal, like a finely prepared low-fat meal that was too bland and salty for her to handle.
She seemed different tonight. Thalia hadn't known her much, and this was the first time she'd seen her so full of vitality, so vibrant and beautiful.
"People still need to go to places where they can find nourishment; that saying on the internet is definitely true," she murmured.
“That business partner is in the VIP room inside. There are a few collectors who like your kind of work. They flew back from abroad specifically to attend this banquet, so you have to seize the opportunity,” Thalia said casually, taking Jian Sheng’s hand.
She wore a dark green dress, her legs were long and her waist was slim. The red on her lips didn't seem out of place compared to her strong aura; in fact, it looked surprisingly good.
The two walked through the crowd, politely declining those who came to offer pleasantries, and went straight to the innermost VIP room.
Jian Sheng felt inexplicably nervous. The strong intuition that came with seeing Chen Zhoujing resolved all the questions he had had about him over the past two days.
They're still connected, from an accident during their student days to their work later in life.
Chen Zhoujing was wearing a dark, custom-made suit. The suit accentuated his tall and slender figure, making his strong and well-built physique look almost perfect. He held up a cup in one hand, revealing an expensive watch on his wrist. The veins on the watch were clearly visible on the back of his hand, showing that his arms were slender yet powerful.
The aura he exuded was completely opposite to his usual lifeless demeanor; it was more of a cold indifference and professionalism that kept people at a distance.
Jian Sheng felt a tightness in her chest. Li Zhun had told her that this business partner had appeared within the last two years, which meant that Chen Zhoujing had been keeping an eye on her activities.
He smiled and whispered something in the ears of the two collectors. They stood up and looked in their direction.
Jian Sheng glanced away, avoiding looking at Chen Zhoujing. She suppressed her inner turmoil and was pulled forward by THalia.
THalia didn't know what the past was between the two of them. She held Jian Sheng's hand and spoke to her in a way that was obviously biased towards her, praising her from childhood to the present. She also introduced Jian Sheng to one of the Indonesian collectors in fluent English.
This Indonesian collector system has always favored emerging artists with talent, emphasizing the artistic conception conveyed by their works.
He prefers the expressive style of these contemporary spiritual painters, which embodies "solitude, the soul of the work, and a communion with nature," and Jian Sheng's works happen to suit his taste.
Jian Sheng expressed his gratitude to THalia for her hard work and said that she had not disappointed her and had gained a lot of goodwill. He briefly introduced his creative motivation and his understanding of the artistic conception of the painting to the Indonesian collector and another collector from New York. In the end, he successfully obtained their business cards and contact information.
Chen Zhou's gaze remained fixed on Jian Sheng. He leaned back on the sofa, listening to her speak eloquently, her confidence in her field radiating light.
His hands unconsciously clenched into fists on the sofa.
This was the first time he had ever seen such a simplified pronunciation.
Fortunately, she did not give up her painting career because of Jian Zihua.
The banquet ended around 11 p.m. Thalia's family had already gone home, while Jian Sheng was surrounded by several collectors. It wasn't until almost midnight that she walked out of the Binya Hotel in her high heels.
Inside the glass revolving door, gold light shimmered, and the light shone out, falling on Jian Sheng's feet. She looked at the tall buildings not far away outside the welcoming driveway and sniffed.
The lights on the floors never go out, and the constant honking of cars on the street reminds everyone of the long hours of work in this fast-paced society.
Time slips away in the midst of busyness, and even those who reunite cannot maintain the same level of companionship as they did during their student days.
Suddenly, a light rain began to fall outside the driveway. Jian sighed, picked up her phone in her high heels, and prepared to look for a ride-hailing app.
drop--
With a honk, a black Bentayga slowly drove up the driveway. After the car came to a stop, a figure got out of the driver's seat and walked towards Jian Sheng.
Chen Zhoujing rushed back immediately after dropping off his friend at the hotel.
He approached slowly, smoothed down his clothes, and cleared his throat to hide the dust of his journey.
"Go back?" Chen Zhou looked at Jian Sheng from a meter away, and spoke after a few seconds.
Those eyes held a turbulent undercurrent.
Jian Sheng's gaze froze for a moment, not expecting Chen Zhoujing to return. She nodded and got into the passenger seat.
She was a little reserved, sitting in her seat, thinking about finding a topic to talk about, but suddenly felt it was unnecessary. The drizzle was falling on the windshield of the car, and the shimmering light reflected the glow of the distant neon lights, making the two figures blurry inside the car.
After dropping her off, Chen Zhou leaned against the car door, lit a cigarette, and raindrops fell on his hair, cheeks, shoulders, and leather shoes.
The sweltering air was thick with the smell of dampness mixed with the stench of smoke, lingering around his nose and causing a tightness and discomfort in his chest.
A mixture of feelings.
His youthful memories gradually eroded his spirit.
If Li Jing hadn't blocked that knife, if he hadn't gone mad... if he hadn't lost control of himself, he wouldn't have waited five years.
Five years is too long, long enough that he has once again picked up that youthful entanglement of wanting to get close yet fearing being pushed away.
He smoked one cigarette after another until the lights on the sixth floor went out.
*
"You shameless bastard, you son of a bitch, I raised you with all my might just so you could seduce men, is that it?"
"I fucking regret having you. What kind of person are you to challenge me?"
"Why didn't that bitch Zhou Yilian take you with her when she died? What a waste of my money."
Bang--
The beer bottle shattered on the ground, and the sharp, piercing sound assaulted Jian Sheng's ears, stimulating her brain. She instinctively covered her head to block out the inappropriate intrusion from the outside world.
The figures in her vision were chaotic, her ears were ringing, and she couldn't make out any specific sounds. Jian Sheng huddled in a corner, behind her a wall covered in moss and various stains, and the air was filled with the stench of a nearby garbage can. Apart from her clothes, there wasn't a single clean spot on her body.
Bruises of varying sizes and cracked skin.
"Get up, I'm telling you to get up." The man's voice was rough but deep. Passersby seemed to be used to it, and it didn't attract many people, only a few people who were nearby joined in the fun.
Jian Sheng was too weak to speak and kept trying to dart into the corner next to the trash can. This was the best she could do to avoid the man's beating, and even the filthy garbage dump became her only tool for protection.
The neighbors around pointed and whispered, but no one stepped forward.
"Who was that guy just now? Did you do something dirty with him? I've been watching him for a long time. Does he come to see you every day before school and after school, and come back late every night? Your poor grades are all because you're too young to be studying properly and dating!"
Bang--
Another bottle was knocked, and the crowd became noisy. Suddenly, a figure appeared in Jian Sheng's line of sight.
"don't want!"
When Jian Sheng woke up, he sat up abruptly in bed, his head covered in sweat that slid down his cheeks.
I dreamt about it again.
Jian Zihua—I dreamt of Jian Zihua again.
She slumped on the bed, like a body without a soul, her eyes vacant, until she finally felt sleepy at four in the morning.
Fortunately, this dream was different.
She dreamt of the past, of the person who pulled her back from the brink of death...
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