Chapter 22 Three People
Mr. Zhan rolled up his sleeves to prepare to scrape the fish scales, while simultaneously and deftly placing the pot on the stove to preheat it.
Jiang Xia stood at the kitchen doorway holding her child. Upon seeing this, she took a few steps back to avoid being bothered by the cooking fumes.
The five-year-old girl was well-cared for; he had to use his waist and abdomen to support her in his arms, otherwise he would get a little tired after holding her for a long time.
In the kitchen, Zhan Lintian saw this scene while washing the pots. Jiang Xia was holding the chubby little girl, and perhaps because she was about to exert force, she was looking at him with her eyes slightly wide open.
Jiang Xia lifted the child up a bit, adjusting the angle to save some effort.
Looking at Jiang Xia, Zhan Lin felt sorry for him.
Did I bully him too much?
He walked over and took his niece from Jiang Xia's arms: "Take out a few picture books and read them with her. She really likes picture books."
Jiang Xia felt a lightness in his arms and quickly followed his steps: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Zhan. The kitchen is smoky, so I'll..."
Zhan Lintian stopped, turned around, bent down slightly, and leaned close to Jiang Xia's face, teasingly asking, "You don't trust my cooking skills?"
He was relaxed and showed no airs of being CEO James.
Jiang Xia looked at President Zhan, who was standing close at hand, and felt an overwhelming sense of mature and serious authority emanating from him.
The man in front of me had striking features, and the closer I got, the stronger the sense of oppression he exuded from his defined contours and deep-set eyes.
He quickly shook his head, knowing he couldn't worry about Zhan Lintian's cooking skills; Wu Guoliuzi's culinary skills were highly regarded.
Zhan Lintian chuckled and teased, "Or are you just used to Wu Ming's cooking? Afraid you won't like mine?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia smiled wryly and helplessly waved his hand, trying to argue, "He can't cook, I'm the one who does all the cooking."
Wu Ming is a complete novice in the kitchen.
His high school grades were average, so the Wu family planned to send him abroad to study. But he asked, "Even if we bring a nanny, can we still buy ingredients from China?"
Many people have their own eating habits, and no matter how well the ingredients are prepared, it may not be the taste they prefer!
Just like egg tarts, Wu Ming loves to eat them, but Jiang Xia can only eat half a piece each time.
Delicious doesn't mean you like it. In the end, the old patriarch of the Wu family couldn't bear to see his little grandson suffer, so he dropped the matter.
As Jiang Xia was thinking, Zhan Lintian stretched out his finger and waved it in front of his eyes.
"I remember Wu Zhou is also a good cook. To be honest, he likes you, so you're in for a treat. He'll definitely cook for you."
Zhan Lintian narrowed his eyes, and Jiang Xia's cheeks flushed red instantly, with a faint blush spreading to her earlobes and neck.
"Mr. Zhan, I'd better read a picture book to Wenwen first!"
"Okay." Zhan Lintian agreed, but kept staring at his face, noticing the pale pink on his cheeks.
He's so thin-skinned; even when others like him, he feels embarrassed.
No wonder Wu Zhou didn't play a straight shot.
After that, when Wu Zhou kissed him, would Jiang Xia be so shy that he would push him away and have to rely on Wu Zhou to forcefully hold him down so that they could finish their kiss?
Wu Zhou would guide Jiang Xia to open his mouth so that he could taste the moist tongue inside.
Zhan Lintian coughed suddenly. What was he thinking?!
Just then, Jiang Xia placed a milk candy-shaped cushion on his lap, allowing the child to sit on the soft seat.
Jiang Xia opened the picture book, coughed softly, and softened his voice.
Zhan Lintian saw that the picture book in Jiang Xia's hand was "Guess How Much I Love You," a very famous picture book.
Jiang Xia lowered his head, the light from above falling on his hair. His pale hand pointed to the first page of the picture book, and he read softly, "It's time for the little chestnut rabbit to go to bed."
"But he held on tightly to the big maroon rabbit's long ears."
He wants the big rabbit to listen to him carefully.
Jiang Xia paused, her eyelids half-closed, and said, "Guess how much I love you."
Wenwen had heard this many times at home, and felt a little disappointed: "But my mom and dad didn't come home."
Jiang Xia ruffled her hair: "The big rabbit doesn't necessarily represent Mom and Dad, it could also be..."
As he spoke, he glanced at President Zhan, who was looking at the recipe in the kitchen, and whispered, "It's your uncle, or maybe Uncle Jiang."
"Just like you like Uncle Jiang, Uncle Jiang likes you too."
Wenwen puffed out her cheeks and whispered, "But Uncle's voice isn't as nice as Uncle Jiang's..."
Jiang Xia gently rubbed his head: "You just don't like a certain sound. You can still dislike it. It doesn't mean you don't like your uncle, right?"
The little girl lowered her head and softly hummed in agreement.
Jiang Xia lowered her eyes to look at the picture book. This was the second time she had opened this picture book. The last time was a year ago when Wu Ming came here to eat out of boredom and curled up on the sofa to play games.
Jiang Xia didn't like games; he often sat next to him reading.
Wu Ming was focused on the game, but occasionally he would take a moment to check on him, playfully teasing him and asking, "What are you looking at?"
“Guess how much I love you.” Wu Ming leaned closer and read the book title aloud.
Jiang Xia was stunned for a moment, thinking he had confessed, but then she saw Wu Ming's ordinary expression. So Jiang Xia imitated him and read the book title again, her voice soft: "Guess how much I love you, a very famous book."
It was a very common scene, but now when I think about it, it seems... inexplicably ridiculous.
Jiang Xia murmured, "Guess how much I love you..."
There were signs all over his house that Wu Ming had forcibly broken into.
Just like reading, he forcefully intruded into his barren life, like a ray of sunshine piercing through the gloom.
Wu Ming's slippers were in the shoe cabinet by the door, and his winter coat from last year was still in the wardrobe. Wu Ming couldn't remember it, but Jiang Xia had arranged the clothes neatly.
He plans to take some time to tidy up his things, either throwing them away or returning them... they're just too annoying to look at.
The most straightforward way for Jiangxia to deal with troublesome matters is to ignore them and not think about them.
Wenwen twisted her waist, and Jiang Xia adjusted her posture to make her more comfortable.
By the time he finished reading a picture book to the children, the house was already filled with a delicious aroma. The range hood was only so powerful that it couldn't remove the smell in time when stir-frying.
Jiang Xia looked up at General Manager Zhan in the kitchen, who was slightly sweating. The man was very strong and managed to flip the large Zhangqiu iron wok.
When he exerted force, the muscles in his arms became particularly prominent, and his palms gripped the pot handle tightly, which shocked Jiang Xia.
No wonder he could carry his niece Wenwen with one arm. Jiang Xia silently envied him and thought that after the project was over for a while, he would get a gym membership and start working out.
Jiang Xia's thoughts were wandering when the doorbell rang, bringing him back to reality.
Mr. Zhan was in the kitchen, Wenwen was on the sofa, and Jiang Xia had no other friends in Wucheng besides Wu Ming. He hadn't ordered any takeout, so he couldn't figure out who was knocking on the door.
But he still got up to check, and then he saw Wu Zhou outside the door. Jiang Xia instinctively opened the door: "President Wu."
Wu Zhou had just finished get off work and was still wearing his suit. Assistant Xie did not come upstairs.
Jiang Xia wasn't sure if Assistant Xie was downstairs or if General Manager Wu had driven over alone.
Wu Zhou picked up the gift bag in his hand, and Jiang Xia looked at the contents inside and thought they looked like food.
Wu Zhou asked in a low voice, "Do you have any plans for tonight?"
Jiang Xia was stunned, unsure how to answer.
Then Wu Zhou's gaze passed over Jiang Xia's shoulder and landed on the little girl on the sofa—yes, Zhan Lintian's niece.
Looking up again, Zhan Lintian, who was in the kitchen, put down his spatula and came out to greet him: "Hi, Wu Zhou, it's been a long time since I've seen you, you busy man."
Wu Zhou narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on the two of them, and asked Jiang Xia in a low voice, "Is it convenient for me to go in?"
Jiang Xia stepped aside to let him in.
It wasn't until he walked in that Jiang Xia suddenly realized how small the apartment he was renting was. The two of them were tall and big, and when they stood in the living room, they felt that a lot of the light was blocked.
I was afraid of bumping into them when I passed by them.
Zhan Lintian pondered, "Don't you have a meeting tonight?"
"It's been postponed."
Wu Zhou's answer was concise.
Zhan Lintian let out a long "Oh," and said, "Jiang Xia invited you, right? Sit down and have dinner with us."
As a guest, he was unaware of the situation and naturally put himself in that situation.
Although Zhan Lintian also felt that Jiang Xia was not lacking in emotional intelligence, he could not turn away guests for Jiang Xia. He knew Wu Zhou, and Wu Zhou's emotional intelligence was not too low. Upon hearing this, he would definitely have to communicate with Jiang Xia.
If things don't look right, Mr. Wu will leave on his own.
The master, Jiang Xia, hesitated, opening his mouth but not speaking. The two men in front of him were friends, so they were chatting happily, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise. He could only silently hug Wenwen.
So Wu Zhou turned around and saw Jiang Xia sitting on the sofa, holding a little girl in his arms.
Both pairs of eyes were staring at him.
Wu Zhou said in a low voice, "Okay."
.
A note from the author:
Zhan Lintian: [Glasses] I knew he would like Jiang Xia. I'm so smart.
Wu Zhou (just entered): Angry.
Wu Zhou (after entering): Although something felt off, Zhan Lintian seemed to be on my side.
*
Picture book related content: [Guess How Much I Love You].
[Sprinkling flowers]
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