Chapter 38 Meeting "What? You haven't seen me for a day, are you worried I've run away?..."
The 1.9-meter-tall man was leaning weakly on her shoulder, and Qiao Yunzheng felt both helpless and annoyed.
She nudged him, her tone less than friendly: "Should I call 120 for you?"
"No need," Wen Hong said, looking aggrieved and weak. "Just help me over there to recover."
Qiao Yunzheng had no choice but to do as he was told, putting one of his arms on her shoulder and struggling to help him to where her car was parked.
Then, she turned back, took a tripod from the trunk of Wen Hong's car, set it up, and placed it about several dozen meters behind the car. She then took out her phone and took several photos from different angles of the part of the car that collided with the wall.
Wen Hong leaned against the hood of Qiao Yunzheng's car, his eyes fixed on the busy girl coming and going, and he couldn't help but raise his lips in a smile.
After finishing all that, Qiao Yunzheng returned and sent the photos she had taken to Wen Hong: "Contact the traffic police and your insurance company!"
Wen Hong responded and obediently opened the mobile app.
Because it was a one-way collision with few injuries, the responsibility was clearly defined, and the process was expedited. All that was needed was to upload the relevant information and photos to the corresponding app.
After completing a series of procedures, Qiao Yunzheng and Wen Hong returned to the car together.
She didn't start the car immediately, only realizing later that her legs were still a little weak.
She turned her head to look at the man sitting in the passenger seat, her anger still barely subsided: "Your behavior today was extremely dangerous and naive. As a lawyer, you should understand this simple truth better than I do, right?"
Wen Hong is tall and has long legs, so when she was squeezed into the passenger seat, she looked rather pitiful for some reason.
He glanced to the side, meeting her burning gaze. Without a trace of reflection, he replied matter-of-factly, "For me, your ignoring me is far more dangerous than this."
He so casually shifted the blame back onto her.
Qiao Yunzheng forced herself to suppress her agitation and patiently guided her step by step: "There are many ways to solve a problem."
"I have no choice," Wen Hong said, her voice tinged with helplessness and grievance. "You don't answer my calls, and when I try to reach you, you don't wait for me..."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "I can't exactly rear-end you or stop you, can I? I'd rather crash into myself."
As she spoke, something flickered in Wen Hong's eyes: "It turns out that even when you're angry, you still care about me..."
Despite nearly getting injured, Wen Hong seemed to be in a great mood, like a child who had just eaten his favorite candy.
So, he went so far as to injure himself just to get me to pay attention to him?
Qiao Yunzheng moved her lips but didn't say anything, though her heart was filled with complex emotions.
She started the car, turned around, and drove towards the city center.
Wen Hong rested her elbow on the half-open car window, propped her head up with the back of her hand, and looked at Qiao Yunzheng from the side.
Thinking about what happened yesterday, I asked her, "Did you call me last night because you wanted to tell me something?"
Qiao Yunzheng looked straight ahead, pretending not to notice his gaze.
Before she saw Wen Hong at the Wen Group building, she was indeed eager to tell Wen Hong about her discoveries and conjectures. After all, there weren't many people in this world whom she could trust wholeheartedly, and Wen Hong was one of them.
This trust was so strong that she overlooked his possible stance and instinctively felt that he would definitely stand by her side and be her solid support.
However, she saw him in the Wen family's conference room, and saw him sitting at the conference table with his father, exchanging a secret that she was not allowed to know.
At that moment, Qiao Yunzheng felt like a clown who couldn't see reality.
What makes her think that if one day she and the Wen family were on opposite sides, Wen Hong would definitely choose her?
She was no longer an innocent little girl; she couldn't take such a risky gamble.
The trees along the roadside are lush and green, gradually passing by as the car moves forward, forming lines of light and shadow that seem to stretch endlessly.
Qiao Yunzheng didn't answer his question immediately, but instead threw the same question back at him: "What were you doing last night when you didn't answer the phone for so long? Shouldn't you tell me?"
Wen Hong stiffened, recalling the series of events from yesterday, and frowned almost imperceptibly.
He hesitated for only a fraction of a second before choosing to keep it a secret.
Seeing her displeased expression, he reached out and pinched her puffed-up cheek: "What? You've been away for a day and you're worried I'll run away? Don't worry, I wouldn't dare."
But his attempt at lighthearted banter had no effect.
Qiao Yunzheng remained serious: "If Wen Lu really doesn't want to talk about it, there's no need to force him."
Every time she addressed him formally as "Wen Lu," her cold and aloof demeanor always made Wen Hong feel uneasy.
He sighed helplessly and simply said, "Ah Zheng, all you need to know is that whatever I do, even if I keep it from you, is only for your own good."
Hearing this tired excuse, Qiao Yunzheng couldn't help but chuckle softly: "What a coincidence, my parents both like to say that too. My dad tells my mom and me that he did it for our own good, and then, after he left, he left behind a huge mess and us, who didn't understand anything; my mom says it was all for my own good, and she even advised me to give up Qiao's Group and live what she considered a perfect life of being a good wife and mother, following a set path..."
She paused, then turned to look at him: "Wen Hong, are you sure that what you call 'for my own good' is what I want?"
For the first time, Wen Hong was speechless after being confronted by her. He clenched the flesh on both sides of his cheeks and finally gave in: "Wait a little longer, just a little while. Once I'm sure, I'll tell you, okay?"
The car has arrived near the Joe's Building.
Qiao Yunzheng watched the countdown timer on the traffic light ahead, but didn't reply.
Wen Hong assumed that this meant she had tacitly agreed.
A group of high school students in school uniforms walked by on the sidewalk, their smiles bright and cheerful.
He glanced at it, then turned back to Qiao Yunzheng and said, "Ah Zheng, if you have time this weekend, come home with me?"
They had already agreed that he would take her to meet his family and formally tell them that she was the girl he had loved for a long time and wanted to spend his life with.
Before Qiao Yunzheng could reply, her phone beeped with a new message notification.
She picked it up and glanced at it; it was a location sent by Ms. Yao Jing.
She had already arranged to meet the man named Jiang Qi on Saturday.
Qiao Yunzheng glanced at it quickly and then swiftly turned off her phone.
Wen Hong's words were interrupted by a sudden voice. Seeing that she had put down her phone, she added, "Miao Miao is back from her holiday. She misses you a lot and keeps talking about you."
"Let's talk about it later!"
As the red light countdown ended, Qiao Yunzheng slowly started the car.
She didn't look at Wen Hong, preoccupied with Jiang Qi's matter, and replied somewhat absentmindedly, "I have something to do this weekend."
-
The meeting with Jiang Qi was arranged at a rather stylish coffee shop.
Because Yao Jing and her roommates hadn't seen each other for a long time, she went to the appointment with Qiao Yunzheng.
When Qiao Yunzheng and her mother arrived, Jiang Qi and her son had already been waiting for a while.
The two mothers embraced warmly as soon as they met, while Qiao Yunzheng stood obediently to the side.
Jiang Qi looked much more refreshed than in the photos, wearing a clean white T-shirt and jeans, without any of the stereotypical image of a "successful person".
He was the first to extend his hand to Qiao Yunzheng: "I am Jiang Qi. I often hear my mother mention you and Auntie."
Qiao Yunzheng politely shook hands with him, stealing a glance at the boyish man in front of her. She never imagined that he was actually in the business of high-end private affairs.
After the two mothers finished exchanging pleasantries, the four of them finally sat down.
Jiang Qi's mother looked at Qiao Yunzheng with undisguised amazement and said to Yao Jing, "I've always heard you say how capable your darling is, but I never imagined she'd be so beautiful too!"
Yao Jing felt a little embarrassed by what she said, but she didn't refuse. She then turned her gaze to Jiang Qi and praised him to the skies.
After the two young people listened silently to their elders' mutual flattery for nearly half an hour, Jiang Qi's mother took the initiative to move things forward: "Jing, we haven't seen each other for so long, let's go upstairs together, have a heart-to-heart talk, and let the young people learn more about each other."
Yao Jing understood immediately. She glanced at Qiao Yunzheng, secretly squeezed her hand, stood up, and smiled in agreement.
Although Qiao Yunzheng had never been on a blind date, she often heard Su Ran complain about it and knew that this was roughly the process.
He knew what the elders were planning, but she had another plan in mind, wondering how to tell Jiang Qi later.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Qi spoke first.
"I hope my mother didn't scare you. That's just how she is; she's overly eager when it comes to my marriage. Don't take it to heart."
He smiled helplessly, rubbed his hands together, and looked earnest.
His words directly revealed the purpose of the trip, which actually made the two of them less awkward.
Qiao Yunzheng couldn't help but smile as well: "Actually, it's alright."
The two chatted idly, completely unaware that they were being watched by eyes from the other side of the coffee shop.
Wen Miao returned to Kunming for summer vacation and happened to have a small gathering with her childhood friend in this coffee shop.
When her childhood friend saw Wen Miao staring intently at what was behind her, she felt a chill and followed her gaze.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Wen Miao tugged at her arm: "Hey, move aside, you're blocking my view."
My childhood friend was a little puzzled: "What's so interesting about that? Haven't you ever seen people going on blind dates?"
Wen Miao's eyes widened suddenly, his gaze slowly shifting to her face: "What? A blind date?"
“Yeah!” My childhood friend had a knowing look on his face. “Two women went out just now. They were probably the parents who came with them. They were just going through the motions, introducing the young people and then leaving them some time alone to see if they clicked. That’s how blind dates are.”
"However, those two are quite a good match. The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful, a perfect couple, a talented man and a beautiful woman, really great, they'll probably get together." My childhood friend was still chattering on and on, expressing his high opinion.
Wen Miao paused for a long time before blinking once. After a while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "You don't know anything."
Author's note: Thank you so much "Sunshine" for the nutrient solution! Love you, sending you lots of love!
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