Chapter 67 Traveling Together
The man's hot breath brushed against her neck, as if kissing her lips through the air.
Jiang Xia trembled as his slightly rough fingertips traced back and forth on the back of his neck, barely daring to breathe.
"Hmm..." he hummed softly.
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhou paused abruptly, then his breathing became heavy, and he tightened his grip even more.
Jiang Xia was a little scared, but he was still holding a large bouquet of roses in his hands. This bouquet was a size larger than the ones Wu Zhou had given him before, and he had to squeeze it tightly to hold it.
So much so that he didn't know how to properly push Wu Zhou away.
"Jiang Xia... think about it carefully."
Wu Zhou's voice was restrained as his lips landed on the red mark. Why wasn't it him who left the kiss mark?
He had fantasized more than once about leaving his mark on Jiangxia's fair skin...
Jiang Xia's lips trembled slightly. Wu Zhou didn't think his hesitation was a mistake; he just couldn't wait any longer.
During the fourteen years that Jiang Xia and Wu Ming were on good terms, his hesitation and overthinking gave him the opportunity to make an attack, but the opportunity was fleeting.
Wu Ming will always be a thorn in his side.
Wu Zhou's voice was hoarse, filled with a unique masculine pheromone: "Then can you tell me why you let him kiss you?"
Jiang Xia lowered his eyes, staring blankly at Wu Zhou's tie, and finally said softly, "I was a little drunk at the time..."
The next moment, Jiang Xia felt a lightness in his body as Wu Zhou lifted him up in his arms. Jiang Xia opened his eyes wide and looked at him: "Your hands..."
Wu Zhou murmured, "It's nothing."
He held Jiang Xia like a child, and kissed her passionately.
Their lips rubbed together, exchanging warmth.
Jiang Xia twisted her body, and he followed suit; Jiang Xia opened her mouth, and he kissed and teased Jiang Xia's lower lip.
The man passionately pried open Jiang Xia's teeth, their tongues entwining, sending a tingling sensation through Jiang Xia's body.
Wu Zhou, panting heavily, said, "Jiang Xia, don't push me away... don't push away happiness. You can choose between me and Zhan Lintian."
Just don't choose Wu Ming.
He didn't belittle Zhan Lintian; he just wanted Jiang Xia to look at him more. The reason was simple: he disliked Zhan Lintian, but he couldn't force Jiang Xia to dislike him or even join him in insulting him.
Zhan Lintian did not harm Jiangxia's interests.
Jiang Xia was lifted a little higher by him, and looked down at his high nose bridge: "You don't dislike President Zhan?"
Wu Zhou said calmly, "How annoying."
"It's hard to tell..."
“Because I don’t need you to hate me along with me, there’s no need to show it and make things difficult for you.” Wu Zhou looked into his eyes and said, word by word, “Jiang Xia, I’m not like Wu Ming.”
Jiang Xia's heart was pounding, and he suddenly slumped his shoulders, as if all his spirit had dissipated at that moment, and he just wanted to find a soft place to lean on.
Finally, he bent over and rested his forehead on Mr. Wu's shoulder.
Jiang Xia's voice was hoarse: "Why do you always manage to speak to my heart?"
Wu Zhou carried him to the bedside and had Jiang Xia straddle his lap, maintaining the previous position.
He stroked Jiang Xia's back: "Jiang Xia, it's not your fault that you're so thoughtful."
Jiang Xia chuckled, but didn't look up: "Wu Ming said you're a rigid, inflexible STEM guy..."
"You're the only one I can understand." Wu Zhou hugged him tightly.
Jiang Xia released the rose from his hand, and it fell to the ground. Wu Zhou felt a chill in his heart.
"you……"
The next moment, Jiang Xia hugged him tightly, her voice muffled: "These years, I have suffered a lot."
Wu Ming not only doesn't introduce himself to his friends, but he also often speaks ill of others, hoping that he can share the same hatred as Wu Ming.
When they were young, Jiang Xia had also been angry and complained along with him; but after actually meeting the "rich second generation" who was described as heinous, she found that he was completely different from what she had imagined.
Wu Ming described the other party as vain, boastful, and a womanizer.
However, when Jiang Xia first met the rich second-generation named "Xie Shinuan," the other party was calm, at ease, and adept at social maneuvering.
Xie Shinuan took the initiative to tell her how to leave the maze-like nightclub and helped her scold the drunk guys who were trying to steal from her.
When I first met the other person, I was a senior in college. Half a year later, after I graduated, I ran into the other person again.
The other person sighed helplessly and asked, "Why do you hate me so much?"
He was too young then and just wanted to stay away from her.
After many years of confusion, he finally realized after entering society why he disliked Xie Shinuan.
One can hate Xie Shinuan from a legal standpoint because of his heinous crimes; or one can dislike him because he has harmed others and is morally corrupt...
But how could you express hostility towards another person just because Wu Ming doesn't like him, and then have it discovered by others?
He was in great pain, feeling as if he had become a vengeful person by following Wu Ming.
Later, Jiang Xia didn't know if Xie Shinuan had long forgotten him, but at one of his birthday parties, Wu Ming prepared a gift for him.
Wu Ming didn't care and asked Jiang Xia to help him with the packaging.
When Jiangxia was packing the package, she put a red and white striped triangular scarf inside and wrote a greeting card on it.
It was probably by chance that Wu Ming had complained about Xie Shinuan's white coat and how she couldn't find a matching item... Jiang Xia saw this scarf while on a business trip and thought it would go well with it, so she bought it.
He just didn't know what would happen next.
Jiang Xia spoke softly.
Wu Zhou replied, "I know Xie Shinuan, I'll go ask her for you."
Jiang Xia gripped his coat tightly and pressed her face against his shoulder: "Thank you..."
Jiang Xia gripped his suit jacket tightly. Why couldn't this person be his own brother, but Wu Ming's brother?
Why wasn't it Wu Zhou who went to Duliang back then...?
After Jiang Xia calmed down, Wu Zhou whispered, "Jiang Xia, who do you hope I am to you?"
This statement perfectly captures what Jiang Xia was thinking.
He hesitated for a long time before saying in a low voice, "I used to envy Wu Ming for having such an outstanding older brother, someone I could follow in his footsteps."
Wu Zhou sighed and gently patted Jiang Xia's shoulder...
Wu Zhou changed the subject: "Shall we go take some photos?"
"Photograph?"
Wu Zhou pointed to the roses: "You can take photos in the snow to remember the occasion. Memories fade with time, but photos and videos don't..."
As a result, a set of snow photos appeared in Jiang Xia's WeChat Moments that day—Wu Ming was among those whose contacts he had blocked.
He thought Wu Ming wouldn't know.
But... far away in the foggy country, late at night, the assistant went downstairs to boil water and was startled by Wu Ming on the sofa.
The lights were off, but the dim light from the television shone on his face, and the red roses on the screen made his eyes appear even redder and more swollen.
The assistant asked suspiciously, "Second Young Master?"
What's wrong with you so late at night? Are the side effects of the medication that severe?
Or did you take too much medicine and get dizzy?
Wu Ming took out his phone and shoved it in front of his assistant: "Is this a rose?"
Jiang Xia posted two pictures on his WeChat Moments. The first was a group photo with the main competition slope, and the second was a close-up of himself. The wind had blown his hair into a mess and half of the flowers were showing. It was probably a candid shot. Jiang Xia was slightly bowing his head and smiling as he dodged the wind.
The assistant hesitated before asking, "What's wrong? Maybe it was a gift from your boyfriend?"
"Something's not right!" Wu Ming suddenly stood up and paced back and forth. "I asked my older brother to help me deliver flowers, why did he deliver roses instead? Could it be that he found out I like Jiang Xia?"
The assistant muttered, "I don't think so. If he didn't want you to be with Mr. Jiang, why would he send you flowers? He would definitely be very angry."
Wu Ming's eyes lit up: "That makes sense... but it's not quite right either."
The assistant yawned. What could be wrong?
Wu Ming hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Jiang Xia had blocked him from seeing this post on WeChat Moments; he saw it using a secondary account that Jiang Xia was unaware of.
He once used Jiang Xia's phone to add a secondary account and then changed the nickname to a non-existent name.
Jiangxia has so many contacts that even if something seems off, she'll immediately wonder if she's forgotten to remember them.
Therefore, Wu Ming is now unable to call and question Jiang Xia, lest his alternate account be exposed.
But he shamelessly contacted his older brother.
Wu Zhou retorted, "What I send is none of your business. Just stay put in the Fog Kingdom."
Wu Ming guessed anxiously, but his assistant reassured him: "Perhaps they want you to focus on your treatment and studies, and return to China after you've settled the engagement. Mr. Wu will help you keep Jiang Xia in check for now."
Wu Ming felt uneasy, but there was nothing he could do, so he could only guess at the best possible outcome.
Jiang Xia had someone send the bouquet of roses and tulips back to Mengcheng, as he planned to visit Haijiang County on Sunday and buy some local specialties to take back with him.
Wu Zhou didn't go back either, but drove him to Haijiang County. Since the competition was over, there was no shortage of accommodation.
Wu Zhou was finally free from having to share a small bed with him.
Wu Zhou, Jiang Xia, and their accompanying assistants and driver had just arrived at the hotel when Zhan Lintian sent a message.
Zhan Lintian forwarded him a video, which was a live screen recording of Jiang Xia helping the champion translate.
The champion's popularity brought Jiangxia a lot of exposure as well.
The organizers were very considerate; in the official videos, they credited the staff members who appeared on camera, indicating that the success of the event was inseparable from everyone's joint efforts.
Jiang Xia clicked on it and saw that although his face wasn't shown, his name was still listed.
Some people in the comments section of the video were curious about what he looked like, while those who were at the scene said that his voice and appearance matched perfectly.
Someone dug up a photo of Jiang Xia working at the Canton Fair two years ago. The photo was taken from a distance and her appearance was not clearly visible, but she had a slim waist and long legs.
Mr. Zhan sent a message: "The response is good. It seems that you will still be invited to translate for the upcoming events. Congratulations. Can I treat you to dinner when you get back?"
Jiang Xia politely declined.
But Zhan Lintian countered, "Are you back in Mengcheng now? Are you short on time? What local specialties would you like to try? I can arrange it for you."
Jiang Xia assumed he was sending an assistant over, but it was too cold to bother anyone else.
I live in the county town, so I can buy whatever I want to eat.
Jiang Xia refused again.
He's going downstairs to that time-honored shop to buy local specialties. He's already called ahead to pre-order ten sets, and he can just pick them up himself.
It was cold outside, so Jiang Xia changed out of his coat and into a thick, long down jacket, wrapped a scarf around his neck and put on gloves. As soon as he opened the door, he found Wu Zhou waiting at the door.
There is absolutely no possibility of anyone going out alone to buy local specialties.
Jiang Xia's face was mostly covered by a blue scarf, with only her eyes showing. She looked her up and down and asked, "Aren't you cold?"
Wu Zhou simply wore a short black down jacket over his clothes.
Wu Zhou said in a low voice, "It's not cold."
Jiang Xia hummed in agreement but didn't say anything, letting Wu Zhou follow him.
As night fell, the streets of Haijiang were frozen over. Jiang Xia hadn't changed his shoes, so they were slippery, and he walked carefully.
He originally planned to take a taxi, but then he wanted to experience the local customs and culture...
Halfway there, he regretted it.
Fortunately, the county town was not large, and the hotel was not far from the specialty shops. As Jiangxia approached, he spotted a tall man in the crowd from afar.
He couldn't see clearly at night, but when he got closer, he saw Zhan Lintian queuing up to buy local specialties.
He was dressed casually, and his leather boots had thick, serrated soles that provided excellent slip resistance.
Both sides were very conspicuous in the crowd, so Zhan Lintian saw Jiang Xia, who was wrapped up tightly, and Wu Zhou, who was calm but whose resentment could not be contained.
Zhan Lintian had just finished buying local specialties when he strode over, took Jiang Xia's hand for support, and said, "Be careful, it's slippery."
Jiang Xia nodded softly, unsure of what to say, and could only give a soft "hmm".
Jiang Xia instinctively wanted to get away from them, so she pointed to the store and said, "I'm going to pick up the gift box I ordered."
As he spoke, he carefully and quickly moved away.
Seeing this, Wu Zhou and Zhan Lintian could only follow behind him, quickly lending a hand if he was about to fall.
A note from the author:
Wu Zhou/Zhan Lintian: What can I do if my wife wants to walk by herself? I can only follow behind and keep an eye on her.
It's Rabbit's birthday right after midnight!
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