Chapter 56 Unrequited Love
Zhan Lintian answered every question, snuggling close to his neck and whispering, "Yes, I'm here. What's up?"
He was exerting almost all his strength to restrain himself from forcefully pulling Jiang Xia into his arms.
"This is wrong, you're being a..." scoundrel.
Before Jiang Xia could utter the word "rogue," Zhan Lintian swallowed his words, skillfully silencing him.
Jiang Xia's movement of turning her head to avoid him actually helped him adjust his posture.
Zhan Lintian placed his right hand on the back of his head, bringing the two closer together.
In the narrow entrance, when their breaths overlapped, the two of them, like a young couple deeply in love who hadn't seen each other for a day, embraced and kissed affectionately.
Zhan Lintian supported Jiang Xia's knee with one hand, squeezed one leg between his legs, and pressed his lips against Jiang Xia's, his voice hoarse: "Jiang Xia, you're responding to me, you like me too, right?"
Jiang Xia froze abruptly, her back pressed against the shoe cabinet, unable to retreat, so she pushed him away forcefully.
Zhan Lintian bent over, placing his hands on Jiang Xia's waist, holding him tightly in front of him. His voice deepened, "Do you still like Wu Ming? If it were him, would you immediately turn back to him?"
The past fourteen years between Jiang Xia and Wu Ming cannot be completely let go of in a short time.
Zhan Lintian ground his back teeth, his voice growing increasingly hoarse: "If Wu Ming were to kiss you tonight, would you say yes?"
They seemed desperately certain that Jiangxia would agree.
Jiang Xia immediately retorted, "I won't let him kiss me. Who knows if he has any infectious diseases?"
If Wu Ming really kisses him, it will probably escalate to the level of free fighting.
"Would you hit him? Then... Jiang Xia, why don't you hit me?" The man in front of her pressed closer.
Jiang Xia's lips trembled, and his pupils quivered.
Because... because they had been helping him all this time, Jiang Xia had developed feelings for them, so he had to be careful not to push them away too much.
He was grateful to them and did his best to keep the situation under control.
He always considers people's feelings when he does things and can't bear to hurt people too much.
Just like when he pushed Wu Ming away, he still left a place for him as a "friend".
Upon hearing this, Zhan Lintian suddenly grinned contentedly and whispered soothingly, "Yes, he changes people too quickly. I'm different, Jiang Xia, I'm different from him."
He was overjoyed, as if he had been pardoned and as if Jiang Xia had already agreed to his request.
Seeing this, Jiang Xia felt embarrassed and quickly pushed him towards the door. Zhan Lintian didn't insist and obediently let himself be pushed to the door.
Just as Jiang Xia was about to close the door, he stopped it again and earnestly told her, "Jiang Xia, I won't give up. You have to get used to being chased."
"Stop lying to yourself that I'm just a friend you don't understand boundaries with. No, Jiang Xia, I'm pursuing you."
He spoke the last four words clearly and deliberately.
Jiang Xia was burning up, and the fever didn't subside even after General Manager Zhan left.
Zhan Lintian smiled and quickly went downstairs, touching the wound on the corner of his mouth. Jiang Xia was too inexperienced; he probably had never imagined such a thing before, showing both physical and mental immaturity.
As he walked, he slowed his pace. Jiang Xia was now resisting Wu Ming's approach because he was afraid that Wu Ming carried a disease.
Zhan Lintian frowned; he was also afraid that Wu Ming was hiding his illness or getting close to Jiang Xia...
But what if Wu Ming took good safety precautions and didn't get sick?
He took out his phone and made a call.
The other end paused for a moment before answering.
Zhan Lintian cut to the chase: "Wu Zhou, I have a question for you. Has your younger brother had his school entrance physical examination?"
"tomorrow."
"Send me a copy of the results when they come."
On his way home, Wu Zhouzheng asked in a low voice, "Why?"
Zhan Lintian restrained his emotions and said calmly, "Is it not allowed? Mr. Wu, I'd better be careful."
Wu Zhou was silent for a moment, then said, "You're having an affair with him too? Fine, I'll send it to you."
Zhan Lintian chuckled, his tone tinged with a sinister undertone: "Don't be so venomous. For Jiang Xia's sake, you're leaving your brother's side to me? I'll play the villain, how about that?"
"I'll send you the results as soon as they're available."
The two sides finalized the matter in just a few words.
As night deepened, Jiang Xia tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, until finally he sat up abruptly.
He didn't know what to do.
Over the years, he has become adept at resolving the bitterness brought by Wu Ming, but no one has taught him how to face the love of others.
Like a child who doesn't understand what pain is, he only knows that he feels bad, but has no way to deal with it.
Just like when he was a child, he only felt uncomfortable, and it took him a while to realize that the emotion was called sadness.
For so many years, I've been cautious and trembling, taking every step with utmost care.
Jiang Xia lay back down on the bed and searched for information about Wu Zhou and Zhan Lintian.
Information about Wu Zhou is relatively easy to find; he has several major patents that have already been applied and promoted.
There's very little public information about Mr. Zhan, but fortunately, you can find the names of his companies through the app...
"Market value..." It's actually that high.
Being pursued by a wealthy person should be a cause for celebration. They can easily fulfill many of their beloved's past wishes without worrying about the money involved.
They can easily walk away and find a suitable person to marry in the future.
Jiang Xia closed his eyes, but he couldn't...
From childhood, the lives of his elders taught him that most people do not have enough advantages to make their next partner ignore their past.
Jiang Xia wants to fall in love, get married, and spend her life together, not just have a casual fling.
So when he realized that there was almost no chance between him and Wu Ming, he chose to step back and stay within the boundaries of friendship.
He even gave up the possibility of going further earlier than Wu Ming.
He remained completely rational, smiling in the face of Wu Ming's every move.
Jiang Xia pulled the blanket over her head and murmured, "Anyway, there's no way we can get away with it like this..."
So the next day, he adjusted his mindset, washed up early, and took the subway to the company.
His colleagues noticed the bandage on his forehead and expressed their concern.
Jiang Xia remained smiling throughout, and after the group meeting, he carried a stack of documents back to his workstation.
He was preparing to provide trilingual translation for a professional sporting event interview.
Besides Chinese, foreign reporters asked questions in foreign languages, while the contestant only spoke his native language.
And the reporters will definitely ask highly technical questions.
Jiang Xia first looked at the venue. Although it was in Mengcheng, it was in a remote area.
Taking the high-speed train and getting off at one stop, then taking a taxi, is much more convenient than driving yourself.
He bought round-trip tickets, then took out his notebook, put in one earphone, and started listening to audio and taking notes.
"The axle has a flat spin..."
"Two laps is double, three laps is triple, and four laps is quad."
These technical terms are not difficult to handle; the real challenge lies in the slang or colloquialisms used in certain events, which are often difficult to translate quickly and accurately.
If a reporter asks about interesting stories from the athlete's years of skiing, the athlete is very likely to respond using these slang terms.
"Mushroom? Mogul is a transliteration of 'cat jump'..."
A colleague passed by his workstation, swept his hand across the desk, and tossed him a bag of cookies. Jiang Xia leaned back, looked up at the departing colleague, and said, "Thank you."
My colleague gave me an OK sign: "Don't push yourself too hard, you don't look very energetic."
Jiang Xia turned his attention back to the notebook in his hand.
He filled his emotions with work. When the lunch he ordered arrived, Jiang Xia sat down to eat with several colleagues in the break room with his lunchbox.
Everyone was discussing it.
"How about getting a neck and shoulder massage or a foot bath after get off work? Or maybe a head massage? I'm too old for that," someone suggested.
"The one at the intersection? I need to go home, something's come up at home tonight."
“I came across a local group-buying deal for a new store.”
Jiang Xia hadn't participated in their exchange, but the message was forwarded to him. He took out his phone and saw that Wu Ming had sent him 99+ messages. Although he was on Do Not Disturb, the messages still popped up whenever Wu Ming sent a message, unless he blocked him.
Jiang Xia clicked in and took a look; it gave a detailed report on his first day as an international student.
Well, it's not really an international student experience; he's just doing a foundation year...
In the past, when Wu Ming was indulging in a life of pleasure, he almost never told me about it, probably because he himself felt embarrassed to talk about those romantic escapades.
As Jiang Xia prepared to swipe left and clear the messages, he saw that Wu Ming said he had gone for a physical examination today.
Jiang Xia asked curiously, "A physical examination?"
Wu Ming quickly got up from his chair and typed rapidly: "Entrance check, no big deal."
Jiang Xia replied, "Understood."
Seeing his lukewarm reply, Wu Ming felt a void in her heart, but still sent a message: "I bought a gift, I'll send it back to you later~"
Jiang Xia didn't reply because his other colleagues were asking him, "Is Team Leader Jiang reporting to his girlfriend?"
He regretted saying it as soon as it left his mouth, because Jiang Xia's expression was calm, without the slightest bit of joy one would expect when in love.
Unfortunately, Editor-in-Chief Sun came in carrying a thermos: "Who wants to date?"
His gaze swept around, landing on Jiang Xia, who spoke first to avoid omitting his words: "No, everyone was just chatting."
Jiang Xia suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. Looking around, he realized that he was the only single person present.
Most colleagues would avoid discussing other people's private lives, but Editor-in-Chief Sun was getting old and nearing retirement. No longer needing to climb the ranks, he began to care about the love lives of his capable subordinates.
He patted Jiang Xia on the shoulder: "You went out to lunch with someone the other day, what happened? It didn't work out?"
He couldn't understand it. Jiang Xia had good character, good looks, a decent job and salary, and some people were even flirting with him.
It's normal for young people to have feelings of admiration; if he doesn't reciprocate, others naturally won't cross the line.
Jiang Xia maintained her smile: "Editor-in-chief, please stop teasing me."
"I understand, I understand." Editor-in-Chief Sun left with his hands behind his back, somewhat regretfully.
The others teased Jiang Xia, who then made an excuse to leave.
Just before leaving get off work, Jiang Xia received a message from Wu Zhou: "Your car is in the repair shop. Can I come pick you up?"
Jiang Xia was about to say no, but then he realized it was a message Wu Zhou had sent half an hour earlier, and now he added, "I haven't received any messages from you, so I came to your company building first. Have you left yet?"
"..."
Jiang Xia told a little lie: "I've already left. The subway was too crowded, so I didn't see your message."
Words cannot express Wu Zhou's tone.
"knew."
Jiang Xia guessed that he was probably very disappointed, but she... really didn't know how to face him.
Jiang Xia put on a blue down jacket, wrapped a scarf around himself, making himself warm and cozy, and then went downstairs with several colleagues.
Montreal is unusually cold this year, and news reports predicted several blizzards, which are already beginning to materialize.
It will probably be even colder in Fog City. Wu Ming's message said that it gets dark very early there, with long days and short nights.
Jiang Xia stopped thinking about his affairs. After a busy day, before getting on the subway, she planned to find a restaurant nearby to eat something.
Following a post from a colleague, Jiang Xia decided to try the newly opened firewood chicken restaurant nearby.
The group-buying deals only offer meals for two, three, four, and larger groups.
He figured he'd see if there were any single-person meals or smaller set meals when he got to the store, so he decided to eat slowly by himself and didn't make plans with anyone else.
After graduation, I always end up ordering takeout for various reasons.
He had long been used to being alone.
My colleagues casually remarked, "Their portions are huge! Did you make plans with friends?"
Jiang Xia lowered her eyes, looked to the side, and answered with a gentle smile, "Yes."
My colleagues seemed relieved: "After you order the two-person meal, you can also order an extra serving of sweet potato noodles—handmade, super chewy."
Jiang Xia nodded: "Okay."
He lied.
He didn't invite anyone to dine with him, but saying that made him seem less pitiful.
It's not a bad thing to give colleagues the illusion that "he is not alone".
There's no need to show your loneliness to others; it serves no purpose other than to gain sympathy.
When Jiang Xia went down to the first floor, the elevator doors opened, and he immediately noticed that the lobby seemed noisier than usual.
Colleagues asked curiously, "What happened?"
"What are you all talking about while watching the doorway?"
Jiangxia didn't care at first.
This office building houses countless companies; perhaps another company is having an event...
But when he looked up, he stopped in his tracks.
Wu Zhou stood at the door holding a bouquet of roses, looking at his phone.
Those who recognized him covered their mouths, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Mr. Wu is waiting here with roses. Is he going to confess his love?
Jiang Xia stopped walking. Wu Zhou didn't turn around and didn't see him behind him.
A colleague, out of curiosity, went to the front desk to inquire and came back to tell them: "Mr. Wu has been here for an hour and has been waiting for someone."
The receptionist had just pretended to ask him, "Would you like a cup of tea to warm up?" and struck up a conversation with him, only to learn that the person he was waiting for had already left work.
But he didn't leave. He's on the phone now, seemingly not wanting to drive back himself, and is contacting a driver.
"Who on earth scolded General Manager Wu like this?" a colleague whispered.
Only after he finished speaking did he realize his wording was inappropriate, so he lightly patted his mouth and clicked his tongue.
"However, he is quite famous. I thought he was secretly married, but I didn't expect that he really wasn't married."
Jiang Xia took a step back and said, "I remembered I left something behind. I'll go back upstairs. You guys go ahead."
My colleagues waved goodbye.
Jiangxia pressed the elevator button again and waited for the elevator to descend.
He couldn't help but turn around and look at the man outside the door.
It was very windy outside. Wu Zhou was dressed in a suit and looked like he had come straight from get off work; his clothes offered no protection against the wind.
Jiang Xia could imagine how cold it was outside...
Why doesn't he come in?
Although a card is required to enter the lobby, since the receptionist approached him and spoke to him, they were sure they could lead him to a seat in the lobby.
Besides, the security on the first floor isn't as strict.
Jiang Xia clenched his fists. His colleagues gradually walked away into the distance, but Wu Zhou remained standing in the same spot.
He quickly took out his phone and hurriedly sent a message: "I didn't see your message just now, so I won't trouble you to go out of your way to pick me up. You can go straight home."
Wu Zhou's phone beeped, and he saw the message.
Wu Zhou replied with only one word: "Okay".
Wu Zhou was still waiting for the driver, but did not get into the car to wait.
My mind was filled with Wu Ming's ambiguous confession from last night.
He looked down at the roses and couldn't help but wonder: if his younger brother were to confess his love while holding this bouquet, would Jiang Xia immediately agree...?
And now, even the person Jiang Xia hates is Wu Ming, not himself.
Jiang Xia wasn't here, so he couldn't wait for him, but he needed to calm down.
No matter how outstanding he becomes, Jiang Xia will not care about himself; he always maintains sufficient boundaries with those around him.
Calm and restrained, only Wu Ming, taking advantage of Jiang Xia's youth, forcibly entered his barren world and forcibly entangled with him.
Wu Ming always says that Jiang Xia and they are not the same kind of people, so there is no need to introduce them to everyone.
Now, Jiangxia seems to be stuck in his ways, only overlapping with Wu Ming's life trajectory.
Wu Zhou wanted to smoke a cigarette to relieve his depressed mood. He held the cigarette in his mouth and was about to light it when...
Jiang Xia's voice came from behind.
His voice was soft, and he asked with slight concern, "Why don't you go inside? It's too cold outside."
A note from the author:
Please, Jiangxia is still too soft-hearted.
Mr. Wu genuinely believed that he had left, which is why he came out to get some fresh air; otherwise, he wouldn't have publicly confessed his feelings and embarrassed Jiang Xia.
Of course he wasn't cold, it's just that Jiang Xia didn't have as much fire in him, so she thought he was cold.
*
Daily life in a small theater.
Jiang Xia was returning home from a business trip. He was a little tired but not very sleepy. He learned that Wu Zhou would be home in an hour, so he thought he would sit on the sofa and wait.
But as he waited, he drifted off to sleep, and when he woke up again, Wu Zhou was carrying him upstairs to the bedroom.
Why don't you go back to your bedroom?
He rested his head on the other person's shoulder and whispered, "Because I'm waiting for you."
*
Some readers were curious why Jiang Xia agreed to be with two people. The two of them didn't even need Jiang Xia to agree verbally. Real men don't care about verbal promises. Anyway, they gave away their male charms, and Jiang Xia would take responsibility.
Rabbit had also imagined in the drafts box, for example, that the two of them would celebrate Jiang Xia's birthday.
They tricked Jiang Xia into drinking alcohol with a certain alcohol content, and he reluctantly agreed.
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