Chapter 38
Liang Shi was exhausted after a long day. She finally had a moment to check her phone and ask Emily how her day in Shanghai was going. Emily immediately sent her her location. She was already in Beijing!
After chatting for a few more minutes, she learned that it was her male colleague from the Beijing branch who had asked him to come over. Liang Shi laughed at her for being so fickle, actually flying all the way there for a guy to hook up! Emily said that it's not easy to meet a handsome man, so she should seize the opportunity.
When Liang Shi put down his phone, he recalled that last night, she was willing to take him upstairs entirely because of Li Junqian's face and his physique.
No woman can resist making love with a handsome man in bed, right?
The phone rang again, and Liang Shi's bad thoughts finally cleared up. It was Yuan An calling, saying that he and Meng Zhilei had arrived two days early and were taking a flight tomorrow afternoon. He wondered if she would be free to pick them up at the airport.
Her friend was coming from afar, and although it was ahead of schedule, she definitely had to go! She agreed on the spot, but when the next day came, Liang Shi planned to ask for leave in the afternoon. There was a problem on set, and she couldn't leave for a while. While waiting for the elevator, Liang Shi anxiously checked her watch. There was still an hour before the plane landed, and she was afraid she wouldn't make it.
As the elevator doors opened, Liang Shi walked in with her head down, almost bumping into a man in a gray-blue shirt. She looked up and recognized him immediately – wasn't this the man who had stayed at her house until the early hours of the morning a couple of days ago?
Li Junqian had one hand in his pocket and the other hand instinctively supported her arm. Fortunately, there was no one else in the elevator. Liang Shi steadied her high heels and kept a little distance from Li Junqian.
When Liang Shi woke up that day, she pretended to be asleep. Li Junqian woke up earlier, kissed her on the cheek, and said he had to go back and change his clothes. Liang Shi didn't respond, pretending not to hear.
Seeing each other again now, for some reason, felt a little awkward. After all, it was her first time doing *that* in a public restroom. The two of them now act all respectable, but that night they were practically insane…
"What's the matter that's so urgent?"
Liang Shi was about to say it was nothing when he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have said he was willing to help that day...
Liang Shi noticed that he seemed relaxed and ready to go out. If he were going on a business trip, his assistant would definitely be with him. Now that he was alone, he probably wasn't doing anything important.
"Mr. Li, are you taking the afternoon off?"
A hint of surprise flashed in the man's eyes, and there was even a smile in them. Liang Shi knew that beneath the man's gentlemanly exterior lay the heart of a beast.
"Don't get me wrong, I just wanted to ask if Mr. Li has time to drive to Hongqiao Airport?"
"To Emily?"
Liang Shi shrugged: "Emliy is already in Beijing, Yuan An is here, he'll be there in an hour. I have to rush to the filming location now, something went wrong. If you're not available, Mr. Li, then I..."
Send me the flight number. Call me if you need anything.
"Thank you then."
Liang Shi was very polite, but the man next to her suddenly laughed. She ignored him, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, she ran out without caring how high her heels were.
With the filming issue resolved, Liang Shi took out his phone. Yuan An had sent him many messages, saying that he had gotten off the plane and successfully met up with Li Junqian. It was probably when they were sitting in his Cullinan that Yuan An asked him what Li Junqian did and how he was so rich.
That was the end of it. Liang Shi glanced at the time; it was already six o'clock, and they could have dinner together.
As luck would have it, Yuan An called her via WeChat.
"Hey, Yuan An!"
"Liang Shi, are you off work yet? We're at a restaurant on the Bund, waiting for you to come eat together! I'll send you the location!"
When Liang Shi saw the restaurant's location, he knew Li Junqian was there. Could it be that this guy spent the whole afternoon with Yuan An and the others?
When she arrived, she didn't see Li Junqian in the private room, but there was indeed a used set of bowls and chopsticks on the table.
"Liang Shi, we've been waiting for you. Jun-ge is on the outside terrace taking a call. It's been a long time since he's come. You look even more beautiful."
Liang Shi chuckled and glared at him: "Sister Meng is still here. By the way, congratulations! When are you having the banquet?"
Yuan An glanced at Meng Zhilei, and the two smiled at each other: "The wedding will be in June. It's a simple affair, but you must come."
Liang Shi looked at their tightly clasped hands and felt extremely envious.
"I will definitely go."
Yuan An pointed to the terrace, and Liang Shi turned his head to look. He saw Li Junqian's back. His back was really broad. When he wasn't wearing clothes, his back muscles were not only good-looking, but also very nice to touch.
"You and Jun-ge haven't gotten back together yet?"
Liang Shi frowned slightly: "What did he say to you?"
"He didn't say much, but he did say he was your boss. No wonder he's so rich, Cullinan, I'm so lucky to have ridden in one!"
Liang Shi wondered why Li Junqian had "bought off" Yuan An, calling him "Brother Jun" repeatedly.
"Don't get things backwards. You're incredibly lucky to have married Sister Meng! Also, don't mess with me and him later. We're just normal superiors and subordinates now. I happen to have something to do today, so I asked him to pick you up."
Yuan An was about to ask why when the terrace door was pushed open from the outside in, and a gust of cool wind swept in. Liang Shi's legs, which were wearing high heels, were a little cold, so she changed her position.
"Brother Jun, are you done on the phone? Come and sit down. Liang Shi is here, let's have a toast with tea instead of wine! Thank you so much, Brother Jun, for picking us up this afternoon, arranging accommodations for us, taking us for a stroll along the Bund, and treating us to dinner. We are so grateful!"
Liang Shi thought Yuan An was too fierce, but unexpectedly Li Junqian was very accommodating and picked up a glass. Liang Shi couldn't refuse. The four glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound. The slightly cool orange juice tasted quite good.
After all, she had asked him for a favor, so it wouldn't be right not to say hello now: "Mr. Li, thank you for taking care of Yuan An and Sister Meng today!"
Li Junqian was dressed more casually than usual today, and from her angle, he looked exceptionally young, not at all like a man in his thirties.
"It's only right, after all, I played a part in getting them together. The portions here are small, you can ask for more if you're not satisfied."
Yuan An was probably too happy and ate a lot. Liang Shi suddenly felt her eyes getting hot. She was so happy. She knew that Yuan An had truly 'come back to life' this time. He was no longer alone. His inferiority and loneliness had been healed by a girl.
"If I could drink, I would definitely have a bottle with Brother Jun. If it weren't for you, Leilei and I would probably have missed each other, and my life probably wouldn't have gotten out of this rut. Brother Jun, when I get married, you must be my witness."
Li Junqian doesn't like to make promises lightly. For him, everything is planned out in a clear way. Making promises too hastily and then failing to keep them will break his promise and ruin him. This applies to both work and interpersonal relationships.
He remained reserved: "If conditions permit, I will definitely make it there."
Yuan An pulled Meng Zhilei to toast him together: "Brother Jun, when I first met you, my intuition was that you were a very difficult person to get along with, but I deeply remembered what you said that day: it's better to try bravely than to be conflicted and fall into depravity. Leilei and I thank you!"
Liang Shi couldn't eat anymore. What happened? What inspiring words did Li Junqian say that made Yuan An admire her so much? But then again, Li Junqian is very good at encouraging people, otherwise she wouldn't have gotten to where she is today.
Marry called to ask if it was convenient for her to talk on the phone about work tomorrow. Liang Shi told them and went out. She talked to Marry for more than ten minutes at the end of the corridor, then hung up and went to the restroom.
When she came out after washing her hands, she was surprised to find Li Junqian waiting for her at the door.
"What's up?"
Li Junqian pointed to her eyes and said, "I saw you were about to cry, so I came to see if you were crying."
Liang Shi was surprised by his insight, but his face remained cold: "Why would I cry during a happy time? Don't flatter yourself. But I still want to thank you for the arrangements today. I'll pay you back later."
With Michelin-starred restaurants and five-star hotels, Liang Shi didn't want to owe him anything.
"It's nothing, you know I won't accept it."
Liang Shi didn't want to waste any more time with him, and knew he meant what he said: "Then thank you, Mr. Li. By the way, I'll take the afternoon off tomorrow and go shopping with them."
Li Junqian paused, and Liang Shi thought he was not going to agree: "I will take care of everything at the company tomorrow morning, and in the afternoon..."
"Frankl has a meeting tomorrow morning and takes a flight to Paris in the afternoon. He'll return to the company before he leaves. My personal suggestion is that you have a face-to-face meeting with him before he leaves to discuss the matter of the deputy general manager of the Hong Kong branch. I'll arrange things for Yuan An and the others."
Liang Shi had originally planned to have a private chat with Gu Feng in his office before the holiday, but she didn't expect him to be going to Paris, which was probably related to the Hong Kong branch. If she didn't bring it up, her chances would become smaller and smaller.
Li Junqian is a very meticulous person.
"Thank you for reminding me. I'll talk to Frankl tomorrow. As for Yuan An and the others, I'll trouble you for another day."
After she finished speaking, her feet, which had been standing for a long time in high heels, started to hurt. She moved slightly and lost her balance. Fortunately, Li Junqian caught her quickly, otherwise she might have fallen flat on her face.
"Wear high heels less often in the future."
High heels are a woman's weapon. Liang Shi laughed at him for not understanding: "High heels are the only way to project an aura in a professional outfit. If you were to wear a suit with sneakers, would you think it would look good?"
Li Junqian liked Liang Shi's quick wit; this was her most authentic self: "I'll try it next time. Here, take this."
Liang Shi saw him take a piece of candy out of his pocket and found it very strange: "What is this?"
"sugar."
Liang Shi doesn't like sweets: "Keep it for yourself."
After saying that, he silently thought to himself, "How inexplicable!"
After dinner, Yuan An suggested taking a walk on the Bund. Although they had been there in the afternoon, the night view was very different from the daytime view. Liang Shi had never walked on the Bund before and usually just passed by it, so this was a rare opportunity and he didn't refuse.
The restaurant was very close to the Bund, only a ten-minute walk away. Meng Zhilei pushed Yuan An slowly along the Bund, and Liang Shi followed behind them, unconsciously smiling. Having escaped from the clutches of death and emerged from a lonely and dark world, Yuan An was remarkable, but even more remarkable was Meng Zhilei, who redeemed Yuan An.
"Meng is a good girl. To be honest, if that earthquake hadn't happened back then, Yuan An would almost certainly have been my first love. I'm so glad they're together, and I hope they can stay together forever."
Li Junqian looked at the people in front of him, then turned his gaze to Liang Shi's face. His eyes were filled with longing—was it for love? Or for marriage?
He held up the candy from his pocket again in front of her: "These are wedding candies from Yuan An."
No wonder.
Liang Shi took the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. It was very sweet.
"You've had many girlfriends, but you're my first love. It's amazing. I never thought that the first one I'd date would be someone as high-quality as you."
The lights across the Bund are beautiful, but the current environment is dim, and all you can hear is the sound of the Huangpu River waves.
Suddenly, he grabbed my right hand: "What are you doing? Are you having another episode? Let go!"
There are plenty of couples holding hands on both sides, so it's not surprising to see them showing affection in public, especially in such an open city. Liang Shi was trapped in the railing and in his arms: "Don't go crazy again!"
"You promised me six months, and there are still four months left. Liang Shi, I want to be your first love for life."
Liang Shi was completely taken aback by his sudden confession. A cool breeze brought her back to her senses: "You should know that life is full of variables. You never know where the next earthquake will happen! And you should also remember that we are just superiors and subordinates!"
Someone gave an irrelevant answer: "I only had one wedding candy, and you ate it."
Liang Shi shoved him in retaliation: "So what?"
In the darkness, she felt him drawing ever closer: "Let's share the joy and eat together."
"Hmm..."
This is terrible! Liang Shi was still in a daze, her hand gripping his clothes, when she suddenly felt something hard. She reached into his pocket and found a piece of candy.
"You're lying to me? What is this?"
Li Junqian reached out and took the candy away, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth: "This is double happiness, you are sweeter than candy."
Who taught this man to say sweet nothings?! Liang Shi quickly pushed him away and ran ahead to find Yuan An and the others. If she didn't avoid them, she would fall for them again!
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