Chapter 42 42 That is Shi Wenjun from Lincheng
Qin Jixiu recalled the two videos Shi Rui had sent him. He turned on the light, sat at the head of the bed, and pressed play. The darting images dazzled him. It was hard to imagine a twenty-four-year-old hopping around in the snow, stepping on rabbits.
In the second video, Shi Rui rubbed the heart in his palm with his red, frozen hands. Off-camera, he said, "I want to give this heart to someone. Guess who it is?"
...It's really hard to guess.
Qin Jixiu exhaled and replayed the video, this time holding the receiver to his ear. Shi Rui's voice sounded different than usual, tender enough to be pierced with water.
Qin Jixiu swallowed and listened to it a few more times.
After an unknown amount of time, his right hand stopped, he leaned over and grabbed a tissue from the bedside table to wipe himself briefly, then went to the bathroom to take a shower.
After being released, he began to think calmly about their relationship.
Does Shi Rui really like him? Or is it because he is rich that she keeps putting up with him, willing to sacrifice herself to win him over?
Even if he was sincere now, would he end up like Ye Bo, taking some money from him and then leaving without a trace? Shi Rui's hometown was in Lincheng. What if he gave up his job at Zhengfeng and went back home? It was definitely possible.
After spending a few months together, Qin Jixiu had to admit that apart from Shi Rui's handsome face, he had many excellent qualities that others did not have. Perhaps his moral standards were really higher than those of normal people, but he didn't dare to bet.
In the past, he also thought Ye Bo was a cute boy.
But what happened later?
Reality slapped him hard in the face.
In the morning, Qin Jixiu went out to meet with the clients here. Passing by the small garden, he deliberately quickened his pace. In his peripheral vision, he saw a red ribbon fluttering on the tree. Shi Rui had tied a bow on that heart last night, leaving a long "tail" as a mark.
The snow has stopped and the sky is starting to clear up.
Qin Jixiu's conversation with the client went smoothly, and at noon, they went out to eat Northeastern cuisine. Everyone at the table enjoyed the conversation, and the client finally invited Qin Jixiu to a cocktail party in the evening.
Qin Jixiu took the invitation letter. It was obvious that the other party was prepared, so he did not refuse.
When he returned to the hotel, the cleaning lady had just finished cleaning his room. Qin Jixiu met the cleaning lady and remembered the things he accidentally left on the bed sheets last night. He felt a little embarrassed.
Shi Rui sent one message after another on his phone. Qin Jixiu read them all but didn't reply. However, just as he returned to his room, Shi Rui called.
When the call was connected, Shi Rui asked on the other end: "Are you back?"
Qin Jixiu was not surprised that he knew. He said "hmm", thought for a moment, and then asked Shi Rui: "Are you feeling better?"
Shi Rui suddenly coughed two or three times. He said, "I took the medicine last night and I feel much better now. The hotel staff sent me cough syrup this morning and even made ginger soup for me."
"Oh," Qin Jixiu responded, "This hotel has always been very humane."
Shi Rui was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Did you see the heart on the tree?"
How could Qin Jixiu not hear the probing tone in the other party's words? He said, "What heart? Oh, I forgot."
As he spoke, Qin Jixiu walked to the window and looked down through it, but he didn't see the red ribbon at first glance. He looked around and finally saw the red on the snow in the small garden that had not yet melted.
I think the heart is slowly melting and shrinking, and the ribbon cannot tie it up. When the north wind blows, it falls from the branch.
Qin Jixiu felt lost for a second.
Before he could wonder why he had this feeling, he heard a harsh sound of metal friction coming from Shi Rui's side, followed by the sound of wind, and then Shi Rui sneezed.
"Is the window open?" Qin Jixiu asked.
"Yeah." Shi Rui spoke with a heavy nasal tone.
"Soaking in a hot spring will cure your cold faster. Why didn't you go with them?"
"No," Shi Rui said, "I'm not used to being stripped naked in front of people."
That’s right, how could a delicate little boy who grew up in the South imagine taking a shirtless hot spring bath with a lot of grown men?
"Why don't you come to my room?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Qin Jixiu wanted to slap himself in the mouth.
Shi Rui slowly said: "I..."
Qin Jixiu interrupted him before he could finish, "I was just kidding. You've caught a cold, so keep warm. Close the window first. Are you going back to Jiangcheng on a sleeper tonight? If you can't hold on, tell me and I'll book a ticket for you."
"No need," Shi Rui said hesitantly, "I have a friend here. I'll have dinner with him before leaving. I've already told Minister Chen that I've changed my high-speed rail ticket, and I'll be going back alone."
Friends? What kind of friend would insist on meeting and having dinner with someone when they were sick? Qin Jixiu resisted the urge to ask. He said, "Okay, then be careful. Call me if you have any questions."
"Can I call you for anything?"
"Of course not."
"oh."
"I've talked for so long, but I haven't heard you coughing again. It seems that the cough syrup is effective." Qin Jixiu said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Rui started coughing.
After coughing, Shi Rui said, "It's quite effective."
"Then talk less, drink more hot water, and get more rest. I have something to do later, so I'll hang up now."
Without waiting for Shi Rui to speak, Qin Jixiu quickly hung up the phone.
He began to think about what to wear to the cocktail party that night, and tried on one outfit after another in front of the full-length mirror. Fortunately, he brought a few extra sets of clothes with him. After such a snowfall, two of his clothes were dirty.
After changing his clothes, he skillfully combed the loose hair on his forehead, styled it, and arranged every detail of his hair to ensure that every strand of hair was exquisite and stylish.
After using the green tea-flavored mouthwash, he picked up a bottle of low-key perfume and sprayed it on his wrists and collar. The man in the mirror was extremely handsome. He dressed himself to his satisfaction before taking his phone and leaving.
Sitting in the special car going to the cocktail party, Qin Jixiu had time to reply to WeChat messages.
Squid: [Image]
Squid: [The matcha cake you love.]
Qin Jixiu's first reaction: [You love to eat.]
My second reaction was, who are you eating with? And why are you ordering desserts? With a girl?
Qin Jixiu typed a few words into the chat box, then deleted them one by one. Shi Rui wasn't related to him, so what business was it for him if he had dinner with someone else?
So he put his phone upside down on the back seat and closed his eyes to rest.
Because the road was difficult to navigate, it took a full hour to reach the hotel. Mr. Cheng, who had lunched with him at noon, and his wife were already waiting at the entrance of the banquet hall. Qin Jixiu handed the invitation to the waiter and reached out to shake hands with Mr. Cheng, who greeted him with a smile.
Mr. Cheng whispered in his ear, "My father is holding a banquet today to find a good husband for my younger sister. I know Mr. Qin has no intention of developing in Yuancheng, so I'd like to ask Mr. Qin to help my younger sister choose a few of the young people who are coming tonight."
Qin Jixiu was slightly surprised and raised his eyebrows: "Okay, if there is a suitable one, I will definitely tell Mr. Cheng."
Qin Jixiu entered calmly. Most of the people in the banquet hall were CEOs whom he had only met once. He raised his hand, stopped a waiter, took a glass of champagne, and strode into the crowd.
Someone recognized him and exchanged a few polite words with each other. After a few people introduced themselves to each other, they knew each other.
When men get together, they can talk about anything. They brag without thinking, because everyone knows what they are talking about and no one will expose them. Qin Jixiu slowly fell silent. Just when he was thinking that the party was boring, he noticed that the people around him suddenly quieted down and looked towards the door.
He took a sip of champagne and saw a man walking towards him from a distance.
The man looked to be in his early fifties, and was in great shape and appearance. One could imagine how eye-catching his appearance and demeanor were when he was young.
He walked straight towards this side.
"Boss Qin," someone said to Qin Jixiu, "That's Boss Shi Wenjun from Lincheng. He's a famous speculator who's profited from many crises. He's now the richest man in Lincheng. Unlike those of us who work in industry and have simple minds, he's a true businessman."
Qin Jixiu declined to comment. Everyone wants to make a lot of money, regardless of status.
Shi Wenjun was about to approach, but the man who had spoken earlier was more flattering than anyone else. He was the first to nod and bow to greet him, and started bragging to Mr. Shi, whom he had never met before.
Shi always looks calm, neither cold nor warm.
At that time, Wen Jun glanced over and nodded at him with a smile. Qin Jixiu then extended his hand towards him: "Mr. Shi, I am Qin Jixiu, from Jiangcheng."
"Jiangcheng? Nice place. And who is Mr. Qin Xiangyuan?"
Qin Jixiu said: "It's my grandfather."
Shi Wenjun tightened his grip and said, "Wang Dong and I had the good fortune to meet a while ago, and he mentioned you to me. Mr. Qin is truly young and promising. If my son had half the courage and drive of Mr. Qin, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
"Mr. Shi, you are too modest."
Shi Wenjun's eyes were sharp. Qin Jixiu knew that he was a business veteran who acted carefully and shrewdly. If he didn't fight, it would be fine. But if there was a conflict of interest, everyone else would become a victim of Shi Wenjun's calculations.
As they talked and laughed, the lights in the banquet hall dimmed.
Shi Wenjun whispered, "I heard that the daughter of the Cheng family is extremely beautiful. I wonder which young man will be lucky enough to hold the hand of the Cheng family's jewel today."
Qin Jixiu smiled.
Shi Wenjun turned around and asked, "Is Mr. Qin interested?"
Qin Jixiu hurriedly said: "I don't have any. I want to build a career first and then start a family. I don't have any plans for this at the moment."
"So why are you here today?"
"I was invited by Mr. Cheng. I didn't know it was such an occasion before."
Shi Wenjun laughed. "You're just like my son. You always say you shouldn't consider your romantic interests first. I finally managed to trick him into coming here, but he insisted on having some cake, and now he's gone off somewhere."
Qin Jixiu found Shi Wenjun's slightly southern accent familiar, so he half-jokingly said, "Really? Maybe he's shy?"
Shi Wenjun laughed heartily: "Who knows? When we meet him later, please help me talk to him. Mr. Cheng runs a restaurant in Yuancheng, and I run a hotel in Lincheng. Our two families are a strong alliance."
As he was speaking, the daughter of the Cheng family, wearing a princess dress, walked down the stairs gracefully.
"Look, it's really beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Qin Jixiu said perfunctorily, "It looks good."
The lights came back on, and Qin Jixiu's attention was drawn to the dessert wall behind the daughter of the Cheng family. He squinted and saw that the dessert shelf was filled with various small cakes, but the most eye-catching one was the matcha cake.
Something flashed through Qin Jixiu's mind, but he didn't catch it.
"Sorry, I have to excuse myself for a moment." Qin Jixiu said, and subconsciously walked towards the target.
He stood in front of a row of desserts, looking at the matcha cake. Suddenly, he took out his cell phone and found the chat history with Shi Rui. He flipped through the picture and compared it with the cake in front of him.
The appearance of the cake and the pattern on the exquisite small plate are surprisingly the same.
Is it a coincidence?
Shi Rui is here too?
Impossible. Shi Rui couldn't possibly know Mr. Cheng.
But Qin Jixiu still turned around and began to look around for the familiar figure.
Suddenly, he saw a figure in the corner who looked very similar to Shi Rui. He was wearing a suit and leather shoes, and was talking to someone in front of him with his head slightly lowered.
Qin Jixiu walked in that direction without thinking.
As he approached, the person with his back to him suddenly stood up straight. Less than two meters away, Qin Jixiu knew without looking at his face that the person in front of him was indeed Shi Rui. His height, build and the curvature of the back of his head all matched.
Qin Jixiu slowly crossed his arms and stood there in silence.
The person who had only the back of his head left to him turned stiffly and met Qin Jixiu's questioning eyes.
Qin Jixiu asked, "Having dinner with friends? In a place like this?" Shi Rui's suit looked expensive; he must have spent a fortune on it. So, was he here to eat, or to become someone's son-in-law?
Shi Rui swallowed nervously and pulled the person behind him to his side.
"I came with him."
Qin Jixiu took a look and found that it was Shi Xi whom he had met at the company that day. So he had misunderstood Shi Rui?
Shi Xi raised his hand cautiously and said, "Hi, Mr. Qin, nice to meet you again."
"What a coincidence." Qin Jixiu curled his lips slightly.
Shi Xi's eyes lit up instantly, but her sight was immediately blocked by a ruthless figure.
Shi Rui asked Qin Jixiu meaningfully, "Do you have any other plans for coming here?"
Qin Jixiu understood what he wanted to ask, and he said, "A beautiful woman should be paired with a talented man. I am just an ordinary man, and I just come here to drink."
Shi Rui breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately felt relieved again because Shi Wenjun had spotted the two brothers and was walking towards them.
Qin Jixiu also discovered that Shi Wenjun was coming towards this corner with a clear goal, but it seemed that he was not coming for him. Then what was he coming for?
At this moment, Shi Rui pulled Shi Xi over and said, "Boss Shi seems to be looking for you? Come over quickly."
Shi Xi pointed at himself: "Huh?"
Shi Rui winked at him, meaning "I'm begging you, damn it."
Shi Xi let out two "ohs" and shouted "honey", followed by an almost inaudible "daddy" as he ran towards Shi Wenjun.
When Shi Wenjun saw him running towards him like a madman from afar, he suddenly didn't want to recognize his son and immediately changed direction.
Qin Jixiu frowned: "Dear?"
Shi Rui gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, my brother likes older girls."
"oh."
Qin Jixiu had thought Shi Wenjun, who kept talking about his son, was a good man who loved his wife and family, but he hadn't expected him to be so kind. His brows furrowed, and he said to Shi Rui, "Come with me."
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The author has something to say: Shi Zong’s reputation has been damaged
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