Chapter 23 Feeling Sleepy
Jiang Xia didn't mind people coming to visit, but the person who happened to be visiting was Mr. Wu, whom he was somewhat afraid of.
Jiang Xia stood up and said gently, "It's an honor for my humble abode that President Zhan and President Wu have come together. The room is small, please excuse the inconvenience."
This place may be small, but it has everything you need. There are no messy things around it; it's clean and tidy, small yet cozy.
Wu Zhou looked at the coffee table, where an open children's picture book was placed.
Wu Zhou turned around, looked into Jiang Xia's eyes, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Sorry to bother you."
Jiang Xia quickly waved his hand, saying, "Not at all, not at all, you're very welcome."
Seeing Wu Zhou politely apologize for the inconvenience but show no sign of leaving, Zhan Lintian wondered if he was worried about not keeping an eye on Jiangxia.
For protection against thieves?
Zhan Lintian thought to himself, "Is this guy guarding against me?"
It's like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a kind heart. Zhan Lintian narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself that he had helped him many times in private.
Soon, Jiang Xia set up the dining table and chairs. The little girl wanted to eat by herself without her uncle feeding her, because her uncle always forced her to eat a lot of things she didn't like, and he fed her very quickly.
She couldn't fit it in her lower abdomen.
If Uncle Jiang feeds you, that's fine.
But Jiang Xia didn't understand what she meant. He picked her up and put her on a stool, then squatted down to be at eye level with her: "Wenwen is so great."
"You can eat by yourself now." Jiang Xia said gently, "Uncle will get you a bowl and spoon right away."
There were plenty of plates at home, but only three rice bowls and four pairs of chopsticks.
There was a set of unused bowls and chopsticks, but they belonged to Wu Ming.
Wu Ming was out causing trouble and might have caught some infectious disease, so Jiang Xia didn't dare take out that set of bowls and chopsticks to use.
All told, with four people, we need four sets of bowls and plates, plus an extra set of serving chopsticks, so we don't have enough tableware at home.
He took the trench coat off the floor-standing coat rack and put it on while saying, "Mr. Wu, Mr. Zhan, I'm going downstairs to buy tableware. They sell it at the fruit stand downstairs."
Wu Zhou followed and said, "Together."
Zhan Lintian stayed inside; he had to look after his niece.
He watched their retreating figures, thoughtfully stroking his chin, and murmured, "I knew I wasn't mistaken."
*
The stairwell was narrow, and with the river gorge ahead, I walked briskly down the stairs. As I descended, a few strands of my unkempt hair swayed gently on my head.
Wu Zhou walked behind, his gaze following the strand of hair, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
"Mr. Wu, did Assistant Xie drive you here?"
"No, I drove here myself."
"Okay, if you're driving later, then we won't order any drinks tonight."
Wu Zhou hummed in agreement.
As soon as she stepped out of the building, the wind howled. Jiang Xia wrapped her coat slightly, not wanting to appear too timid in front of General Manager Wu.
Seeing that he was trying to hold on, Wu Zhou moved to his right and blocked most of the wind for him.
Mengcheng is located by the river and the sea, with high air humidity. Jiangxia's residence is right next to a river, and there are many strong winds in autumn and winter. At this time, the perceived temperature is lower, and people feel more uncomfortable.
The old lady also moved her fruit stall to the corner of the wall to avoid the wind, where it was a little distance from the building below.
Jiang Xia quickly rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, his voice carried away by the wind, "Mr. Wu, let me go buy it. It's too windy tonight."
Looking at his face, which was even paler from the cold, Wu Zhou said softly, "It's alright, let's go."
Jiangxia could only follow.
Once people get busy, it's hard for them to wallow in melancholy.
Every time Jiang Xia thinks of Wu Ming, she's about to feel sad, but then she looks up and sees the serious-looking President Wu. Then she remembers that President Zhan is still waiting for dinner at her house, and she can't say the wrong thing during that meal...
He didn't have time to think about Wu Ming at all.
The two people walked quickly closer.
Jiang Xia bent down and raised her voice: "Grandma, give me five sets of disposable tableware, the kind that are individually sealed!"
"So many?" The elderly woman looked up and saw a strange man standing to the left of Jiang Xia. The man had a serious expression, but his eyes were fixed on Jiang Xia.
The old lady exclaimed in surprise and asked happily, "Why did you invite so many friends to dinner today?"
Jiang Xia smiled, shielding her face from the wind with her hand, and replied, "Yes."
The old woman handed him several sets of bowls and chopsticks: "It's lively, so bring your friends home more often. Do you need some fruit?"
Jiang Xia took the plastic bag, picked up the bananas, and said, "Yes, please weigh them and also weigh some pomegranates for me."
The old lady didn't have a wide variety of items, but they were inexpensive and she was very kind.
Jiang Xia quickly paid and then walked back with Mr. Wu.
This time, Mr. Wu changed direction, but still managed to block most of the wind for him.
Jiang Xia looked up at the man beside her, then lowered her head in embarrassment, her lips trembling as she softly said, "Thank you."
Wu Zhou replied, "No need to thank me. Wu Ming said you are prone to feeling cold, so don't catch a cold."
Jiang Xia looked at him: "That was back when we were in school, how did you know about it, Mr. Wu?"
Wu Zhou paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "When Wu Ming was in school, he would contact me occasionally, and he would almost always talk about you."
Jiang Xia, curious, smiled and pressed for more information, trying to learn about his younger self from others.
He misses those wonderful times, the age when he didn't have to think about anything, and having friends around was the greatest happiness.
What will he say about me?
Tell me some funny stories about the two of you.
The two had reached the stairwell in just a few dozen meters, before they could even discuss the details. Jiang Xia chuckled and didn't press the matter further, thus ending the conversation.
Wu Zhou lowered his eyes, concealing his emotions in the dimly lit hallway.
Wu Ming once said that he met a very good friend named Jiang Xia, who was a boy.
She is good at studying, tall, and good-looking. She is usually very clean, rarely speaks, and has a very pleasant voice.
During the ten-minute break between classes, they would lie together on the school lawn and look at the sky; after school in the afternoon and before evening self-study, the two of them would huddle in a room in the teachers' dormitory building to review together.
Wu Ming didn't like studying, but Jiang Xia was doing his problems seriously, so he could only bite his pen and do them together in frustration. Then, when he got tired, he would droop his head and fall asleep.
Jiangxia would wash the clothes very clean, and after they dried, they would have a pleasant, fresh fragrance.
Wu Ming would always bury his head in his neck and sniff around.
Wu Zhou knew about the existence of Jiangxia long ago.
Junior high, high school, university...
When we first met, Jiang Xia was a freshman in college. He was tall and handsome, with bright eyes that radiated longing and ambition for the big city.
Wu Zhou looked at Jiang Xia, who had become increasingly mature, always wearing a polite smile and trying not to form deep friendships with others.
The more isolated a person is, the less they know how to handle interactions with others, and they can only use smiles as a shield.
Wu Zhou's throat moved slightly. If he were to do something bad, Jiang Xia would be caught off guard.
Knowing the hardships Jiangxia had endured along the way, she couldn't bear to see him suffer like that.
So he didn't say anything more and followed them inside.
The room was warm, and Jiang Xia shivered as soon as he entered. He quickly set out the bowls and chopsticks.
When it was time to actually eat, Jiang Xia looked at the people in front of him and suddenly thought that this was not bad. Inviting friends over for a meal when there was nothing else to do.
The lonely room suddenly felt more lively.
Zhan Lintian served him some food: "Steamed fish is one of my specialties, have a try."
He is very confident.
Wu Zhou nodded in agreement. After all, Zhan Lintian was studying abroad to enhance his resume and better inherit the family business. He didn't feel any pressure, so he cared more about his appetite than his studies.
Wu and Zhou had both heard of it.
Jiang Xia took a bite and was pleasantly surprised with each bite, so he couldn't help but pick up another piece.
As he ate, he remarked that, given the recent food standards, no matter how bitter he felt inside, his complexion was still incredibly good.
Wu Ming certainly couldn't see that she was feeling sad for him.
Jiang Xia originally planned to cook a bowl of vegetarian noodles tonight, eat it, and then go to sleep with these emotions still lingering.
Half an hour later... he felt that he would be too full if he ate any more.
He seemed to be dizzy from carbon monoxide poisoning; his eyelids were drooping, and he really wanted to lie down and sleep. He usually controls his diet, but tonight he ate a lot of meat and fish, which was so delicious that he accidentally ate two bowls of rice.
The little girl was sleepy too.
He had intended to see them downstairs while he packed his things, but Zhan Lintian asked him to carry his sleepy niece while he and Wu Zhou quickly put the dishes into the dishwasher—a machine installed by the landlord that Jiang Xia rarely used.
I used it tonight.
The group of people were very hygienic while eating, so the table and floor were very clean, making the after-sales work easy.
Wu Zhou intentionally went into the kitchen with Zhan Lintian to talk about why Zhan Lintian had appeared.
Mr. Zhan answered all questions without reservation, and specifically added information about Wenwen, Jiangxia, and the toys.
Wu Zhou's brows stopped furrowing.
Zhan Lintian leaned against the kitchen counter with one hand and teased, "Wu Zhou, why do I feel like you're always around Jiang Xia?"
"The second phase of the project we worked on last time is almost finished. We flew to the Fog Country one after another. I didn't expect that Jiang Xia would also be on a business trip in the Fog Country."
“If you hadn’t suddenly come to inspect the project, I might not have known Jiang Xia.”
Wu Zhou said in a low voice, "Really? That's quite a coincidence."
Seeing that he wasn't in a good mood, Zhan Lintian didn't say anything more.
When I left, the two people on the sofa were already asleep.
"So fast?" Zhan Lintian asked curiously.
Wu Zhou explained, "He ate too much rice. Wu Ming said he hasn't been feeling well lately and tends to feel sleepy after meals."
Zhan Lintian picked up his niece Wenwen and, without leaving, stared at him with great interest.
Wu Zhou narrowed his eyes, then made no attempt to hide it, stepped forward, bent down, and lifted Jiang Xia into his arms.
Jiang Xia was lighter than he had imagined. He picked her up easily, very close enough that he could smell the faint scent of detergent residue on her body.
A note from the author:
Our CEO Zhan has a really good eye [okay].
The reason why Mr. Zhan hasn't realized it yet is actually quite simple. He's still following the traditional path of not knowing someone, knowing someone, becoming friends, becoming good friends, developing feelings beyond friendship, and then discovering that his feelings for Jiang Xia are love, possessiveness.
Mr. Wu has already completed the process, and even skipped a few steps.
[OK]
To reach the Yangtze River Gorge, you must play a straight shot.
Otherwise, Jiang Xia would think: Does he like me? What if he doesn't? I'll be embarrassed. If he really likes me, he should just say so. If he doesn't say so, then he probably just wants to be friends with me. [glasses]
This is mainly due to the mistakes made by Wu Ming.
Wu Ming later said: Jiang Xia, let's fall in love [bursting into tears]
Jiang Xia: What are you saying? We're best friends for life! [Okay]
Congratulations to Mr. Wu on temporarily winning the heart of his beloved. Why only temporarily? Because he still has to put her down.
Jiang Xia is no longer bothered by Wu Ming's mess.
Now, it's Wu Ming's turn to suffer in the shadows.
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