provocative
On the opening day of the restored cultural relics exhibition, the scene was incredibly lively, with gongs and drums, firecrackers, red flags waving, and crowds of people. It was truly amazing.
Zhou Jingxing got up early to shower and change, put on a handsome suit, combed his hair like an adult, and went to the exhibition hall in high spirits.
Currently, only the outer perimeter of the exhibition hall is open; the core area will only be open after the leaders come to cut the ribbon.
"Jingxing, over here!"
It was Sun Qian and Zhang Jin. Sun Qian was dressed in a beautiful evening gown today, which made her look out of place with Zhang Jin, who was dressed casually. The two seemed to be on different levels.
Upon seeing the handsome and energetic Zhou Jingxing, Sun Qian couldn't help but complain to Zhang Jin, "Look at Jingxing and then look at you! I told you to dress more smartly today, and look at you! Dressed like this, anyone who didn't know better would think you were a newly hired cleaner in the exhibition hall!"
Zhang Jin didn't care at all. "What's wrong with cleaning? Without cleaners, where would our beautiful city be? Besides, Zhou Jingxing is the peacock showing off his mating skills today. How could I steal his thunder?"
Sun Qian bluntly pointed out, "Even if you dress up carefully, you can't steal it, thank you."
Zhang Jin pretended not to hear and asked Zhou Jingxing, "Where's Chen Zhou? We've been here for ages and haven't seen him yet." Zhou Jingxing glanced at his phone and replied, "He just told me he's directing things from the back." His pride was practically overflowing. "There's so much to do today, he has to keep an eye on everything."
Zhang Jin casually remarked, "Are you that busy?"
Zhou Jingxing got excited. "Chen Zhou is the curator, responsible for the planning, setup, and coordination of the entire exhibition. As a curator, Chen Zhou has a lot of work to do and it's very hard, but fortunately he's very capable, so he can handle it all. Chen Zhou is a curator, while you're just an ordinary person who doesn't understand art, so it's normal that you don't understand how hard he works."
Sun Qian laughed uncontrollably, while Zhang Jin was speechless. Dude, your tone is way too over the top. You're already acting like a doting wife!
When Chen Zhou walked over, this was the scene he saw. He smiled and asked, "What are you talking about? Qianqian is laughing so happily."
Zhou Jingxing recalled his words, unsure if Shen Zhou had heard him, and felt a little embarrassed. Zhang Jin, as always, was quick to speak, "He's laughing at his wife's love-struck brain."
Chen Zhou looked at Zhou Jingxing teasingly, his tone intimate, "They must be laughing at you, right?"
Zhou Jingxing forcefully changed the subject, "When does the ribbon-cutting ceremony start? I heard that high-ranking city leaders are coming today. Does your company have good resources?"
Seeing this, Shen Zhou didn't expose him, and continued, "Our company has recently had a deep collaboration with the city's cultural and tourism department, which is why we were able to invite that leader. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will start in about an hour. There's a tea break area over there; you can go sit down and rest for a while."
Zhou Jingxing looked at him, "I'm not tired. Do you need my help? Just let me know if you need anything." Shen Zhou smiled, looking very relaxed, "Everything is arranged. We're just waiting for the leaders to arrive."
Sun Qian was very perceptive. "Why don't you come with us to take a break? How about Teacher Shen also goes to check out the work in the tea break area?"
Chen Zhou then went to the tea break area with them. The four of them sat together and chatted for a while. The righteous couple pretended to be very interested in the potted plants in the distance and got up to leave Zhou and Chen some space to be alone.
Zhou Jingxing looked at Shen Zhou's slender fingers casually placed on the high table and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. His relationship with Shen Zhou had grown closer day by day during this period. Although Shen Zhou had been busy with his projects, he always made time to chat with Zhou Jingxing, sometimes via text message, sometimes via voice call.
One night they talked so late that Chen Zhou fell asleep while talking. Zhou Jingxing listened to the even, soft breathing on the other end of the phone and felt a long-lost sense of happiness. He thought, if only Chen Zhou could always be in my life.
"What are you thinking about?" Chen Zhou asked him.
Immersed in sweet memories, Zhou Jingxing answered without hesitation, "Thinking of you." He paused for a moment, then realized what he meant, "I meant thinking of the exhibition. You're really amazing, you always have an endless stream of inspiration. The last glass exhibition was magnificent, and this exhibition of restored cultural relics is also very insightful. I'm already looking forward to your next exhibition."
Shen Zhou smiled slightly. "You're praising me too much. The success of an exhibition is the result of the hard work of all the staff behind it. I'm just a very insignificant part of it."
At this point, someone chimed in, "That's true. The exhibition relies on every worker who works silently behind the scenes. We curators are just taking advantage of our position to bring attention to the event on their behalf."
Who is this guy, speaking so rudely? Zhou Jingxing turned around and saw it was Kyle, still with his familiar sarcastic tone.
With a smile, Chen Zhou greeted the pot-bellied older man next to Kyle, "Hello, Mr. Zhang." He then turned to Kyle, "Kyle, it's been a long time. You're still as talkative as ever."
"General Manager Zhang?" Zhou Jingxing immediately understood who this old man was. He looked at Kyle with complicated emotions. This guy was really ruthless. He was willing to do anything to get ahead!
"Hmm." Mr. Zhang snorted in response to Shen Zhou. Kyle, with a fake smile, said to Shen Zhou, "Congratulations, Shen Zhou. It must have been quite an achievement to organize such a large exhibition." Mr. Zhang was clearly impatient with their socializing. He left after saying, "I'm going to talk to a client."
Kyle continued, "When the online controversy was raging a while ago, several company leaders stepped in to vouch for you, which allowed the exhibition to proceed as planned." He added meaningfully, "I heard that General Manager Gao even gave up a senior management position in a branch office because of you? You must have quite the charm."
Hearing this blatant slander, Zhou Jingxing was enraged. He stepped forward to argue with him, but Shen Zhou grabbed his arm.
Chen Zhou smiled and said to Kyle, "How can that compare to you? Everyone knows that President Zhang almost drank himself into a stomach hemorrhage the other day trying to get resources for your exhibition. Kyle, you should cherish this opportunity; true friends are hard to find."
Kyle had clearly honed his ninjutsu even further; instead of being angry, he smiled at Zhou Jingxing and asked, "Teacher Zhou, aren't you curious? How did Shen Zhou achieve such a position in the company at such a young age?"
Zhou Jingxing glanced at him. "Of course it's because he's talented, capable, reliable, and hardworking. Unlike some people who are incredibly incompetent yet claim to be underappreciated, ultimately only able to get promoted through nepotism, which is quite pathetic."
Kyle's expression changed, and he scoffed, "If we're talking about nepotism, who can compare to our great artist Shen? Ever since you joined the company, President Gao has treated you differently, hasn't he? Over the years, he's given you so many resources, both openly and secretly. Do you dare say you two have no connection?"
"Of course we're related. Mr. Gao is my boss and my mentor. I dare to call him 'teacher' openly in front of his wife. Do you dare? Do you dare to appear in front of any of Mr. Zhang's family members?"
Chen Zhou smiled knowingly, “President Zhang’s wife is a teacher at my alma mater, so she can be considered my teacher as well. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her. I should visit her more often and have a chat with her.”
Kyle finally changed his expression. "So you really do look down on my low education level. What are you showing off in front of me for? What makes you better than me? I hate your condescending, condescending attitude. You're so hypocritical!"
Zhou Jingxing said coldly, "He's not hypocritical, but you're truly evil. I really pity you. You've never experienced anything beautiful in your life, have you? Like a rat in a gutter, you only know how to be jealous of others' light in a corner."
Kyle finally couldn't hold back any longer; his face flushed red with anger. "What did you say?!"
Zhou Jingxing looked at him calmly and said, "You should pay attention to this. You don't seem like a real person. Why don't you take some rat poison? If you die, you're a rat; if you don't die, you're a rat spirit."
Kyle charged at Zhou Jingxing, ready to attack, but Shen Zhou blocked him, grabbing Kyle's arm. Shen Zhou said sternly, "Even on an occasion like today, President Zhang is giving me some face. If you dare cause trouble here, you'll be dealt with by the higher-ups!"
Kyle glanced around and saw that people were already staring at their corner with surprise. He knew that what Shen Zhou said was true, and no matter how angry he was, he didn't dare to move.
Shen Zhou coldly told him, "Your numerous interpretations of me don't constitute even a fraction of who I am, but they reveal the whole truth about yourself. I advise you to be careful." After saying that, he released Kyle's arm and said to Zhou Jingxing, "Let's go see where Qianqian and the others have gone."
Kyle watched the two figures walk away and couldn't help but sneer, "You think you've definitely won? The exhibition hasn't even started yet. The higher you climb, the harder you fall. I'll be waiting to see!"
This building provides shelter from the wind.
Zhou Jingxing didn't even bother to roll his eyes at him and followed Chen Zhou out. Once outside the exhibition hall, Zhou Jingxing glanced at Chen Zhou and was surprised to find him looking serious and preoccupied.
Zhou Jingxing awkwardly comforted him, "What's wrong? Is it because of what that bastard said? He's talking nonsense, don't take it to heart."
"No, he's not talking nonsense. There must be a reason why President Zhang suddenly appeared here today! They've made their move, but at which stage could it be..." Shen Zhou frowned as he pondered.
Zhou Jingxing was completely bewildered. "Huh?"
Chen Zhou looked at him anxiously and said, "Mr. Zhang, who is behind Kyle, has been clashing with Mr. Gao lately. This exhibition was only able to be held because of Mr. Gao's guarantee. I'm afraid that Mr. Zhang has sabotaged it behind the scenes. The leaders who will cut the ribbon are already on their way. There's not much time left. I have to go and verify some things. Jingxing, I can't go with you."
Zhou Jingxing took the initiative to grasp Shen Zhou's hand. His hand was warm and strong, which greatly soothed Shen Zhou's emotions.
"Don't worry, I'm here with you. I'll share any difficulties with you and help you solve them. Please don't refuse me, okay?"
Shen Zhou looked into his eyes, which held a tenderness and sincerity that could intoxicate anyone, and he couldn't help but nod, "Okay."
However, at that moment, something unexpected happened; they both heard a noise coming from not far away.
The woman's deliberately raised voice made every word clear to their ears, "What kind of bullshit exhibition is this! It cost my son his life! My poor child, harmed by that heartless boss, today I'm here to get justice for you!"
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