Chapter 24
Li Jun moved back to Zhao Jiaren's place. The villa was still brightly lit, and several younger relatives who were on winter vacation were having a great time playing Go in the living room. Zhou Meng was leading the game. Although she was a college student, she still fantasized about being the leader of the kids.
When Zhou Meng saw him return, she dropped the chess piece and leaned over to smell his clothes: "Cousin, you're back so early?"
Li Junqian frowned: "Like a puppy?"
Zhou Meng chuckled: "I received a red envelope from my aunt, so of course I have to do things for her. There's no perfume smell, no suspicious hair, but there's the smell of smoke. You're back so early again, looks like there aren't any girls at the card game tonight?"
Li Junqian laughed: "If I had known you had this skill, I should have had your mother send you to police academy back then."
Zhou Meng rolled her eyes at him: "You're so boring, I'm going to continue playing Gomoku."
When Li Junqian went upstairs, he received a WeChat call. He thought it was Liang Shi, but when he got back to his room, he saw the caller ID. It was an unfamiliar WeChat account with no contact name. He usually saved contacts, but he didn't remember this person.
He hesitated for two seconds before answering.
"Hey handsome, Happy Chinese New Year! Do you still remember me?"
The voice sounded familiar. Li Junqian remembered who the voice belonged to and frowned slightly: "I remember we've already settled our score."
Zhou Mengmeng laughed heartily: "So you still remember me. That makes things easier. I'm going back to Shanghai the day after tomorrow. Could you please pick me up at the airport? I'll send you my flight information later."
Li Junqian, who was unbuttoning the top button of his collar with one hand, heard her inexplicable remark, assumed it was a wrong number, hung up immediately, threw his phone on the bed, and went into the bathroom.
After he finished showering, he received more than a dozen WeChat calls. He originally wanted to block or delete them, but suddenly the other party sent a text message, which put Li Junqian in a dilemma.
Zhou Mengmeng: How can you be so heartless? Didn't you tell your aunt that you wanted to go on a date with me? My mom already told me that I rearranged my travel schedule so that you could pick me up from the airport, and you still hung up on me?
Li Junqian closed his eyes, recalling what his mother had said that evening, and realized that he had actually already met the Zhou family girl...
The WeChat call came in again. Li Junqian went to the bedroom balcony, the cold wind making him sober up. He answered, "Are you Zhou Mengmeng?"
Zhou Mengmeng was taken aback: "So you don't know who I am?"
I don't have a strong impression of you.
Zhou Mengmeng's anger level soared tonight: "Not memorable? You spilled coffee on me and you're not memorable? Let's not talk about that for now. By the way, why did you lie to me last time?"
Li Junqian had long forgotten what they had said before: "Hmm?"
"You said you have a girlfriend, it seems you were lying, otherwise why would you agree to a blind date?"
When Li Junqian thought of Liang, he wondered if she was asleep.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Did I hit the nail on the head?"
Looking at the swaying tree shadows, Li Junqian said, "Since you're my blind date, I'll make it clear tonight that I'm not interested in you. You can continue your trip."
Zhou Mengmeng was putting on a face mask in front of the mirror when she got furious. She ripped the mask off and threw it into the trash can: "Li Junqian, who do you think you are? Let me tell you, I've taken a liking to you, and I'm going to go on a blind date with you. I'm young and beautiful, what reason do you have not to be interested? Come on, tell me!"
Li Junqian chuckled: "Are you sure?"
Zhou Mengmeng chuckled: "I have tons of guys chasing after me, but this is the first time I've met a man like you. You're not playing hard to get, are you, trying to attract me in return?"
There's a generation gap every three years, and Li Junqian feels that this gap is too big; most people simply can't understand her thought process.
"First, I like mature and confident women. Second, you're too young, and there's too much of an age gap between us. Third, your name sounds too much like my cousin's."
Zhou Mengmeng frowned. What kind of lame excuse was that?
"I'm twenty-three, and you're thirty-three. Although there's a ten-year age gap, you look young, so the age difference isn't noticeable. Besides, how do you know your taste won't change if you don't try a cute and lively girl like me? I'm curious, what's your cousin's name?"
Li Junqian didn't want to waste any more words with her, so he said he was sleepy and turned off his phone.
He just hadn't expected Mengmeng to be so clever this week, a real expert at tattling and whining. Since his grandfather had spoken, Li Junqian had no choice but to go to the airport to pick her up.
Liang Shi had a lot of luggage, so she slowly pushed the luggage cart out. She was wearing sunglasses and thought she was seeing things. The person standing at the gate waiting was actually Li Junqian!
How could he have known he was coming back today?
She turned to the side, turned on her phone, and in the few seconds it took for it to boot up, Liang Shi saw a woman with long, wavy hair wearing a pink Maxmara teddy bear coat push her suitcase and run over to hug Li Junqian's arm...
The intimacy between them made Liang Shi frown.
She turned on her phone and opened WeChat. Her chat with Li Junqian was still up from last night when he asked her when she would be back.
She looked up and saw Li Junqian gentlemanly helping the woman carry her suitcase; he didn't even let go of her...
Liang Shi was certain that this woman was not a family member. In his family, the only girl of that age was Zhou Meng, who did not look like this.
It doesn't matter anymore; she's never really understood Li Junqian. But men are all pretty much the same. One day he could spend a fortune on her, and the next he could do this or that for another woman.
Li Junqian tried to shake Zhou Mengmeng off with his hand, but failed: "Let go."
Zhou Mengmeng clung to him like a koala: "Handsome, are you wearing cologne? It smells nice! What brand is it? Is it from your company? Can you send me some sometime?"
The airport was crowded, not a good place for an overreaction. If there were no one around, he probably wouldn't have cared about her gender and would have just tackled her to the ground. He only used force when they reached the parking lot.
Zhou Mengmeng didn't expect him to be so ruthless, crashing directly into his Mercedes. Luckily, she was wearing thick winter clothes, so she tidied her hair and glared at him: "Everyone says you're a true gentleman, but I feel like people have misunderstood you. Are you sure you want to treat a girl like this?"
Li Junqian ignored her, opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, rolled down the window, and said in a cold tone, "Put your luggage in the trunk yourself."
The girl's complaints and personal attacks were gradually shut out by his rolled-up car window. Li Junqian leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed, feeling a headache coming on.
The sound of the passenger door slamming shut echoed in my ears, followed by a mocking female voice: "You're supposed to be a young master, yet you only drive a Mercedes?"
Li Junqian started the car, ignoring the fact that it was in the underground parking garage, and suddenly accelerated and turned the steering wheel, instantly startling Zhou Mengmeng: "Are you crazy? I haven't even fastened my seatbelt yet!"
"address."
Zhou Mengmeng fastened her seatbelt and said the name of a bar: "This bar was really popular before I went abroad to study. I haven't been back to Shanghai in a long time, and the timing is perfect. Let's go and have some fun together?"
"Not interested. Where would you like to stay?"
To be honest, Zhou Mengmeng actually quite liked Li Junqian's personality; at least he seemed genuine. Frankly, she wasn't a fan of gentlemen. Who would like a conventional, obedient boy?
"Want to grab a drink? As for where to go, I'll go wherever you take me after we finish. Or maybe your place?"
Li Junqian smiled: "Gubei No. 1".
Zhou Mengmeng rolled her eyes, feeling bored: "You already know, why are you asking me?"
This house was bought for her by her father as a graduation gift. She hadn't returned for two years after graduation, and the house had been under renovation for two years. Now it was time for her to come back and inherit this mansion.
The journey was quite long, and Zhou Mengmeng tried to start countless conversations, but they all came to nothing; the man completely ignored her.
Zhou Mengmeng is trending: "I have a great figure, a beautiful face, and money. I'm asking you, why are you treating me like this?"
The car stopped, and while waiting at a red light, Li Junqian touched the car logo in the center of the steering wheel: "You think it's cheap? As far as I know, you graduated and stayed in Australia to eat, drink, and have fun without earning a single penny. You even used your parents' money to pay off a gambling boyfriend's debt of ten million Australian dollars? The ridiculous thing is that in the end, he wasn't grateful to you at all. He even wanted to bleed you dry. You finally saw through this man and used your parents' connections to get him imprisoned before returning to China."
"You...investigated me?"
Li Junqian shrugged: "I happen to have a friend in Australia, so I don't need to bother investigating your 'high-profile' affairs."
Zhou Mengmeng felt a pang of guilt, then retorted confidently, "I didn't break the law. If I didn't help him pay back the money, I might be dead. Young people make mistakes all the time, I swear, I don't spend much money! I'm easy to take care of, handsome!"
The car came to a smooth stop in front of Gubei No. 1 in Minhang District: "We've arrived, get out."
Zhou Mengmeng was exhausted today and didn't want to bother with him. The key issue was that he knew about her embarrassing affair, and she really didn't want to be with this man for the time being.
"So heartless? Why don't you come up and have a seat?"
Li Junqian ignored her words: "Besides, I admire independent and confident women, including those who are financially independent. Get out of the car."
Feeling slighted like this, Zhou Mengmeng's temper flared up: "I came back to China to start a business! Don't look down on me! I've never been treated like this before! Li Junqian, watch out, I'll report you!"
Li Junqian, too lazy to listen to her nonsense, helped her fasten the seatbelt: "You can try it."
Zhou Mengmeng knew this man was cunning, but she didn't expect him to be so formidable. She thought she should act like Goujian, enduring hardship and biding her time, because winning over this kind of man was not something that could be accomplished overnight.
She needed to think things through, so she immediately put on a smile, said sweetly, "See you next time," got off the bus, and got her luggage.
Li Junqian drove his car to a car wash because Zhou Mengmeng's perfume made him uncomfortable.
………
Liang Shi has been back for two days and has been staying at home. When he saw on WeChat Moments that Zhou Yun had returned from Guizhou, he immediately sent her a message to ask if she would be home that night.
The latter didn't reply to her until very late, probably because he was whispering sweet nothings to Gu Feng. Since she couldn't sleep anyway, she took a taxi to find Zhou Yun and shared the spicy food and sausages that Yuan An's girlfriend had made with her friends who also love spicy food.
Zhou Yun naturally reciprocated with gifts of her own homemade crispy pork cracklings and preserved meats, which Liang Shi took home.
Gu Feng left Zhou Yun's house before she arrived that night, but their private 'deal' couldn't be kept secret after all. It's her fault; she forgot to tell Zhou Yun.
The next day, when Liang Shi went downstairs to take out the trash, he saw Li Junqian standing at the entrance of his building, holding a bag in one hand and making a phone call in the other.
Sure enough, back in Shanghai, she returned to her elite style, her brown coat looking incredibly sophisticated. She walked past him, ignoring him, when suddenly a gust of wind blew, and Liang Shi clearly caught the familiar scent of his perfume.
That perfume, which she named "Remembrance".
She returned after taking out the trash, and Li Junqian, who had finished his phone call, stood beside her, asking, "Xiaoshi, why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"
Liang Shi sneered: "President Li is a very busy person, how could I dare to trouble you? Since you're here, let's be frank. We're not a good match, so don't come looking for me anymore. Once we start working, we'll just be ordinary superiors and subordinates. You can pursue your love life, and I'll live mine."
He still vividly remembers what happened a few days ago. There was clearly affection and passion between them, so why is the situation like this now?
"You can trust me, Xiaoshi. Give each other a chance."
Liang Shi thought of the scene at the airport that day and felt it was ironic: "It's quite cold. If there's nothing else, you should go back."
The elevator doors opened, and Liang Shi had just taken a step when his wrist was grabbed and he was pulled out of the elevator: "Xiao Shi, we made a bet on New Year's Day."
This man has a really good memory. Liang Shi pulled away from his warm hand and said, "Tell me, I will do my best."
Li Junqian raised his hand and touched her forehead, but she recoiled: "Xiaoshi, don't frown. This isn't about asking you to get back together with me."
Liang Shi saw him take two ticket-like things out of his pocket and hand them to her; she recognized the English on them.
"You don't mean you want me to go to the game with you, do you?"
He smiled at her and said, "Frankl said you play tennis very well. I had someone buy the tickets; it would be a waste not to go."
Tickets to the Australian Open men's singles final... this year, her favorite player, Novak Djokovic, is in it. Ugh, this is tough.
I have to go to work the day after tomorrow.
Li Junqian shrugged: "As your direct supervisor, I don't think this is a problem."
Liang Shi understood what she meant; she insisted on going to the game with him.
"Thank you, boss. It's a bit cold, may I go upstairs?"
Seeing that her nose was a little red from the cold, Li Junqian felt a pang of sympathy and handed her the bag he was carrying: "I bought some rice cakes on the way."
Li Junqian is truly responsive to every request! Liang Shi liked Zhou Yun's post on WeChat Moments this afternoon, and then came over tonight with 'Shanghai-style glutinous rice balls'.
She followed up: "When are you going?"
Li Junqian glanced at his watch: "Tomorrow."
Liang Shi nodded: "It's the height of summer over there, Li Junqian, this whole commotion you've caused makes me have to rummage through my closets to find some clothes!"
The culprit, surprisingly cheerful, said, "Shall I go up and help you flip it over?"
Liang Shi rolled his eyes and said, "No need, you go about your business."
...
While packing his luggage, Liang Shi couldn't stop thinking about the woman at the airport. It was like a thorn in his side. Was she the backup plan that Li Junqian had found after their breakup had dragged on for so long? Or was she the backup plan that was just to relieve his boredom?
After all, she knew her place; without status or background, she could never enter his home. But based on her limited understanding of Li Junqian, she knew this man wouldn't stoop so low as to marry someone of equal social standing and then make her his mistress.
After all, this man had told her to trust him and that he could marry her.
She just couldn't understand it. But since she had finally made it to Melbourne, she couldn't let it go to waste. Lying in bed, she scrolled through her contacts and found a former colleague from Paris. They chatted for half an hour. Women, you know, tend to get carried away when they're chatting and forget the main point. By the time the call ended, Liang Shi hadn't managed to get any travel recommendations for Melbourne.
As luck would have it, shortly after ending the call, I received a call from Gu Feng.
Liang Shi wasn't sure if this was a work call or a personal call.
"Frankl, Happy New Year."
Gu Feng had gone to great lengths to get someone to buy him a ticket to the Australian Open men's singles final, but before it even reached his hands, Li Junqian snatched it away. He made several phone calls before finally figuring out who Li Junqian was taking to Australia, but he wasn't surprised.
"Suzie, as Karsten's good friend, I want to ask you, what is the current situation between you and him? I know the general outline of your relationship."
Is it really that direct?
We broke up.
"He went to Wenchuan to see you during the Spring Festival. Shouldn't he have shown some appreciation? Are you still not willing to get back together with him?"
Liang Shi frowned. How did this guy know everything?
"Tsk, Li Junqian is so open-minded, he even updates you guys on his love life in real time?"
Gu Feng was startled. He had made the call on a whim. If Li Junqian found out, he would probably have to be his boxing sparring partner again.
Gu Feng smiled awkwardly: "I was just concerned about him. He's not getting any younger, and he's a well-known eligible bachelor in the industry. Um, I heard he invited you to Australia to watch a football game?"
"Well, I'll have to go back to work a few days later, Mr. Gu. If you don't approve my leave, I definitely won't go."
Gu Feng is certainly not stupid!
"Such a great match, of course I have to go. But if I may ask, since you don't want to continue with her, why did you go to Melbourne with him?"
Liang Shi had been asking herself this question in her heart, but people always want the answer they want. Now that this question had been seen through by discerning people, she felt a little guilty.
I clearly wanted to be decisive and efficient, but I also didn't want all the sand between my fingers to slip away.
Gu Feng understood from her silence that she was probably not being honest. He hoped his good brother could find someone he loved, so he sighed and decided to help Li Junqian one more time.
This trip to Melbourne was probably his friend's all-out effort.
“Suzie, the company's decision to allow office romances wasn't actually something I initiated by going to headquarters. Karsten convinced me, and I also lobbied headquarters for a long time on Helen's behalf. At the time, I thought he was doing it for my happiness, but I never imagined it was for you. Suzie, since he asked me to do this, it means he wants to make your relationship public.”
Liang Shi couldn't believe it was Li Junqian who had done this.
She questioned, "You're not just making this up, are you?"
Gu Feng snorted: "Suzie, I would never lie to you about something like this. If you don't believe me, you can ask Karsten. Also, I have to apologize to you about the time I asked you to go to Shenzhen to accept the award for me last time."
"Mr. Gu, this has nothing to do with you. I just had bad luck in choosing the wrong person."
"That man, Karsten asked me to investigate him. On the day you died, I was in the Maldives. Karsten called me in a panic. He was supposed to be in Fujian, but I later found out that he went to the OEM factory in Dongguan that day, and even went to Shenzhen to look for you later."
Liang Shi listened and dared not think about it any further; Li Junqian had actually gone to such great lengths for her.
“Suzie, Karsten has never cared about a woman like this before. You are the first. I’m not saying this because I want you to accept him. I just want you to think carefully about your relationship. To be honest, about what happened in Shenzhen, Li Shizi even invited me to box, using it as an opportunity to get revenge. From now on, I won’t dare to let you do things for me.”
Liang Shi pursed his lips: "Frankl, thank you for telling me all this. I will consider it. But it's not really up to me. Love is simple, but it becomes complicated when other things are added to it."
Gu Feng understood what she meant, sighed, and decided to say one more thing: "Suzie, this is between the two of you, but I have to remind you that Karsten's grandfather is already arranging blind dates for him. Besides, I think that sometimes love requires taking a gamble; trying it out might not be a bad thing. After all, people always want to spend their lives with the one they love. I won't say any more. Have a pleasant trip to Melbourne."
After the phone call ended, Liang Shi was still reeling from the words "arranged a blind date for him." So that girl was his blind date? And with all that intimacy, was she someone he was considering?
While lying in bed, Liang Shi unconsciously made a phone call to Li Junqian. Only when she heard a pleasant voice on the other end of the line did she realize that her actions had outweighed her thoughts.
She wanted to ask him if it was his idea to abolish the company's rule, but when she actually heard his voice, she lost the courage to ask.
They were deeply in love back then, but now he's going on blind dates. What's the point of asking about these rules? The answer doesn't matter anymore.
"When you are little, speak."
Liang Shi pulled the blanket tighter around himself: "Li Junqian, what time is it tomorrow?"
In the end, I asked a trivial question.
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