Chapter 9: Nine Heartbeats "Who are you chasing?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone, but Xu Youjing didn't think there was anything wrong.
There was no one on the other end saying, "Hang up."
Wen Huai did as she was told and put the phone back in its place. The fingertips of the hand hidden under her arm touched each other, exactly the same three fingers she had when she held the phone.
The car stopped at the same spot as last time. Wen Huai unbuckled his seat belt and said consciously, "Thank you, Mr. Xu, for bringing me back. I'm very sorry for delaying your trip."
She said sincerely again: "I will remember everything that happened tonight. It will definitely not happen again next time."
There was no response. She was in a dilemma whether to go down or not.
She tightened her fingers on the door handle and heard a sound neither loud nor soft next to her ear.
"Do you usually talk to people like this?"
She was confused for a moment, then relaxed and sat back in her original position.
Today seemed to be a bad day. Ever since she met him yesterday, she had been full of flaws in front of him, leaving a bad impression. Even at the end of today, she still made him unhappy.
Her heart seemed to be filled with self-blame, regret, and guilt. She suddenly felt a pain in her nose and didn't know what to do.
Wringing her hands together, she said through a nasal voice, "I'm sorry."
The man looked at her with complicated eyes and suddenly called her.
She looked over, her cheeks heating up as she was forced to bear his gaze.
Lowering her eyelids, she looked at the stalls inlaid with diamonds of various colors. The colorful look did not seem tacky to her at all.
The faint aroma of black bamboo lingered at the tip of my nose. Perhaps because I was sitting in the passenger seat this time, the scent was even more distinct. In the darkness of the night, it was like the bright moon hanging high overhead, quietly seeping into my heart.
It was already nine o'clock in the evening, and the neighborhood was peaceful and quiet, even inside the car. This was their first time together without anyone else since their marriage, and Wen Huai felt a voice in her heart reminding her to say something. But with him looking at her, her tongue froze and her throat muffled. She didn't know what to say. After a long moment of searching her mind, she said, "Mr. Xu, there are a lot of cars tonight. Please drive slowly."
“…”
The strange atmosphere ignited, and Wen Huai was so embarrassed that he wanted to bite his tongue off. He wanted to say something to make amends, but a light laugh passed by.
Xu Youjing casually leaned on the armrest, with his shirt sleeves half-rolled up, revealing half of his forearm. His lean muscles were brimming with blue veins, full of strength.
This is treating him as a driver.
Now he looks a bit like a child.
He suddenly said, "You are much more reserved now than when you were a child."
When Wen Huai was in junior high school, she was left unattended after school, so her father, a high school teacher, asked her to do her homework in his office. It was there that she met Xu Youjing.
She was eating, and Xu Youjing took advantage of the fact that Wen's father was away in a meeting to tease her and asked her if she could share a beef ball with him.
At that time, Wen Huai's eyes were timid. Although he was reluctant, he still handed over the last beef ball and said consciously, "You're welcome."
At that time, he thought that the daughter of the serious Teacher Wen was actually very outgoing.
Wen Huai also remembered it and felt a little embarrassed. Taking a deep breath, she simply decided to settle the relationship between the two of them, as if to draw a clear line between herself and her own thoughts.
"Mr. Xu, you used to be my father's student, and back then I was just a child and said whatever I wanted. But now you're my boss, and speaking to a boss naturally requires clarity and directness to improve efficiency. I might not have done a good job today, but Mr. Xu, please believe me. I will actively adjust and quickly cooperate with all your work at Peak. I will definitely not delay the work progress."
She thought that she had done something wrong today that had caused his dissatisfaction. Just as she was about to say something else, she heard him speak.
"Very good." Without any hesitation.
Wen Huai finally looked up and found that he was looking at her.
"You're right, boss."
The man's eyelashes were like crow feathers, and his dark pupils clearly reflected the sitting woman. He reminded her, "But you forgot, our relationship is not just boss and subordinate."
"yes."
How could she forget?
"It's up to you during work hours. In private, you don't have to be so polite."
Looking away, he said with a slightly impatient tone: "It's tiring to listen to."
Wen Huai nodded: "Okay, I understand."
"Um."
The conversation ended, and she opened the door and got out of the car in one go. I watched the car leave from the roadside, the night wind blowing over me, and my hands and feet suddenly felt cold.
I looked up for the moon, but after a while I realized it was cloudy and there was no moon. I searched for a few more seconds before turning back.
...
In the middle of the noisy and rushing road, the man in the car held the steering wheel with one hand, recalling what he heard outside the bathroom tonight, with a thick mist of impatience between his brows.
Xu Youjing parked the car on the side of the road, took out his phone, found Jiang Han, and typed: [Buy me a pair of wedding rings.]
Jiang Han: [Is this for Secretary Wen?]
The man frowned even deeper: [? ]
Jiang retracted the letter and resent it: [I will choose according to your and my wife's sizes.]
Two seconds later:
J: [Yeah.]
Jiang Han breathed a sigh of relief.
Although I didn't attend the banquet tonight, I felt like I was involved throughout it.
He scrolled up the chat history.
20:20
Xu Youjing sent two company names.
J: [Check whether there is any cooperation with these two companies. If there is, it has stopped.]
Jiang Han: [Okay.]
Further up, it says: "J withdraws a message"
Jiang Han saw the content of the message: his boss asked him to check Everflow's CEO Su's information. Somehow, the message was withdrawn, so he didn't say anything more.
His girlfriend asked him to take a photo and was about to put away her phone when a new message popped up.
It was a voice message from Xu Youjing.
He clicked it, understood it instantly, and felt a chill on his back.
"There won't be a next time."
-
At the door of Bustin's premium box, two disciples bowed and opened the gilded door behind them.
Inside the spacious and dimly lit room, multicolored lights flickered on the ceiling, illuminating the sofas and dance floor with irregular patterns as bodies swayed to the music.
Xu Youjing frowned, not expecting it to be so noisy.
Without thinking, he just walked away. Fortunately, Xi Guan, who came down to get the wine, saw him.
"Brother Jing! Why are you leaving right after you arrived? Everyone is waiting for you."
Xu Youjing frowned, "Noisy."
"Oh, they're having a blast." He gestured to the DJ, and the music in the private room immediately dropped a notch. He said, "Brother Chi and the others are waiting for you upstairs. These are Nandi's friends, and I don't know them either."
Without saying a word, I followed him upstairs.
The curving, off-white, European-style black-and-gold staircase stretched to a seemingly endless end. The gemstones embedded in the delicate paintings on the walls, even under the dim wall lamps, shone brightly. As the light at the end lit up, the soft music from the rooftop above felt far more soothing, in stark contrast to the bustle downstairs.
Exquisite leather shoes stepped on the Hermes sheepskin carpet, and a tall figure appeared at the door. Seven or eight people on the rooftop had already noticed him and stopped talking to tease him for being late.
Nandi was even more unrestrained and pointed out directly: "Where are you sending someone? You're here so soon."
Xu Youjing took the champagne and sat in the empty seat.
Xi Guan said, "Brother Jing didn't tell me, so why would he tell you?"
Nandi sat up straighter when he saw this. "No way, Jing, are you really in trouble? Who is it? Introduce us to each other and help you check it out."
The man leaning against the tasseled cushion looked up and chuckled, "You? You can't even control yourself."
Everyone present knew what it meant, and they joked that Nandy had been dumped by his girlfriend, yet he still had time to help others check things out.
Nandy was not annoyed. He had always been a playboy. He gulped down a glass of wine and picked up the microphone to sing a song.
Every note was out of tune, and the noise filled his eardrums. He frowned and planned to finish his drink and leave.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he raised the wine glass, his palm felt empty and the glass was snatched away.
He took the glass and sat down beside him, drinking it all in one gulp.
Xu Youjing said in a bad tone: "I don't have arms."
Gu Kuangchi wiped the water stains from the corner of his lips, and raised his peach blossom eyes lazily, "You are so harsh in speaking. Who has offended you?"
He didn't answer and looked into the distance.
Gu Kuangchi smiled and comforted him: "Nandi is heartbroken, and it's understandable that he sings to vent his feelings. Have you never been heartbroken before?"
Xu Youjing glanced at him: "You have it?"
Gu Kuangchi choked and asked for a new cup, shaking his head: "This pot is not open."
Nandy's singing was so unbearable that within less than a minute someone covered her mouth, pushed her away from the microphone, and dragged her to sit on the sofa.
Xi Guan consoled him, "What's the big deal, Nandi? You've been heartbroken for so long and haven't gotten over it yet. Why don't you do something else to distract yourself?"
Nandi was devastated. "It's no use! I've been traveling around the world for the past six months, flying to over 30 countries, and haven't slept a wink in 24 hours, but every time I close my eyes, I see her! Fuck!"
This time he was really drunk to say such things. On other days, such words of regret would never come out of Nandi's mouth.
Xu Youjing and Gu Kuangchi looked at each other in silence.
Xi Guan made a move: "Then go find her directly."
Gu Kuangchi quickly answered: "This trick won't work."
Xi Guan: "Why?"
Xu Youjing and Gu Kuangchi said in unison: "It's so important to save face."
Nandi: “…”
He stood up suddenly, trembling so much that he needed help from the people around him to keep steady. He asked with a thick tongue, "Ah Jing, do you remember the last time someone was heartbroken and couldn't get over it, and how did they get married in the end? I remember he even had a child."
Xi Guan said, "You can't learn that. He's a prodigal son who, after learning from his mistakes, took over the family company, got married with his partner, and had children. You can't even recite the multiplication table, let alone manage the company. Uncle Nan won't even let you through the door."
There was a burst of laughter. Xu Youjing was not interested and was bored browsing his circle of friends. Finally, he opened Wen Huai's chat box by some unknown force.
Nandi didn't care. He insisted on calling his father and asking him to come to the company tomorrow.
Someone else suggested arranging a beautiful secretary directly to take advantage of the situation.
A word of advice awakened the dreamer. Nandy paused with his phone in hand and said, "I remembered someone. I added him on WeChat before. Let me look for him."
Xi Guan helped him: "Let me take a look too, to see which beautiful lady can catch the eye of our discerning Master Nan."
"This one is absolutely beautiful, to the point where you'll be completely captivated at first sight." Nan Guan thought carefully, finally comparing the blurry face in his memory with his ex-girlfriend's. He closed his eyes and said, "She is the most attractive woman I have ever seen. Just meeting her once makes me unable to forget her."
As soon as these words were spoken, the curiosity of several people was aroused, and they all started talking about who it was.
Nan Guan opened his eyes in a daze, and after a while he finally found her in the list of thousands of people.
"Look, even the profile picture is so unique, pure white."
Xi Guan was the first to take the phone. Before she could even read the note, she heard the drunken man loudly read out her name.
"Wen Zhun! I want to chase you!"
Gu Kuangchi's eyelids twitched and he looked at the person next to him.
The man's eyes, fixed on a horizontal line in Wen Huai's circle of friends, darkened. He slid his fingertips back to the chat page and stared at the pure white avatar.
Xi Guan next to him corrected him: "What Wen Zhun? You are illiterate. That is Wen Huai."
"Oh, 'Huai', why is it called this name? It wouldn't sound as good as 'Zhun'." Nandi muttered, not noticing the air pressure that had dropped somewhere.
Gu Kuangchi moved a little further away, holding up his chin to hold back his laughter.
When the friends were discussing who Wen Huai was, on the rooftop, amidst the low-volume background music, a very low voice rang out, freezing their ears.
"Who are you chasing?"
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