Reaching consensus
After chatting with Fang Xue for a while, Chu Sinian went into the villa to find Ning Zicheng to fulfill his promise.
Ning Zicheng was chatting and laughing with people in the crowd. He was dressed simply and cleanly today, and looked refreshing and capable, like a typical young master.
Chu Sinian walked over slowly, and Ning Zicheng immediately noticed him.
Because the crowd's gaze began to shift to the right.
Ning Zicheng walked over and introduced them with a smile: "This is a student from the Department of Astronomy, named Chu Sinian."
Chu Sinian had no intention of talking to them, but the crowd had already focused on them. Out of courtesy, he exchanged a few perfunctory words before pulling Ning Zicheng away.
Ning Zicheng smiled helplessly, knowing why he was pulling her along, and took a few big steps ahead of him. "Your special dishes and wine are ready. They're in the kitchen. I'll take you there."
There are three kitchens in the manor, and all three were used to prepare today's meals. Ning Zicheng prepared a special meal for Chu Sinian in the sous-chef's kitchen.
Ning Zicheng took the dishes prepared by the private chef and carried them to the living room for Chu Sinian, and also took Louis XIII with her.
"Enjoy your meal, I'll go chat with them over there for a bit."
Chu Sinian didn't try to keep him. He agreed as he picked up the dishes and wine and sat down in a small corner.
On the intricately patterned wooden stool, Chu Sinian placed the plate on his lap, picked up the utensils placed to the side, and slowly began to savor the food.
Ning Zicheng had specially invited an Italian private chef for him, and it was truly excellent. The pasta was silky smooth and delicious, the lamb chops were tender and flavorful, and with a sip of wine, tonight was definitely worth it.
Chu Sinian thought for a moment and took a swig of wine.
It tasted exactly as he had imagined; it was still delicious, yet somewhat bland after trying so many famous wines.
Chu Sinian's location was secluded, blocked by a large pillar engraved with ancient paintings, which blocked the light from the interior space, making it dim yet full of a sense of security.
Just then, I heard the sound of unhurried footsteps, like boots treading on the ground.
Chu Sinian hid the wine under the chair, then looked up, but there was no one in front of him.
His gaze swept across the main hall, and all he could see was a figure walking away into the night, wearing straight black suit trousers and half a black Chelsea boot.
Chu Sinian frowned in confusion, wanting to continue tracking the object, but the pillar completely blocked his view. He didn't look again, but instead finished satisfying his hunger and accomplished the purpose of his visit today.
He hid the wine behind a pillar and stepped out of the hall.
As night deepened, the lights and laughter became the stage for a performance. He quickly spotted a unique target among the casual crowd.
Zhao Jiechao is bragging.
He stood on the steps, holding a glass of wine, looking like a conductor, as if the world was at his feet. He was clearly drunk.
Chu Sinian walked over, echoing his previous statement, "Indeed, financial development is not as good as before, and the economy has become depressed."
Zhao Jiechao immediately located the source of the words in the crowd. "Brother, we think alike." He walked down the steps and went to Chu Sinian's side. "Chu Xialang, the financial tycoon of Dong'an, has fallen. When the rabbit dies, the monkeys scatter. Who can hold on now?"
Chu Sinian: "It seems you have a lot of insight into economics. May I ask which department you are from?"
"I majored in computer science, and my family works in the finance industry, so I naturally picked it up from a young age."
"Are you Zhao Jiechao, classmate?"
"Yes, yes! How did you know?"
"I heard you're in the computer science department; you have a bright future ahead of you."
Zhao Jiechao said, "That's alright."
Chu Sinian pressed his advantage, "I also heard that you had some unpleasantness with someone in the department?"
Zhao Jiechao's relaxed expression vanished instantly, and he glared at Chu Sinian. "No."
Chu Sinian said, "Actually, I also dislike Chen Chi. I feel he's too..." He didn't finish his sentence, but just shook his head to himself.
Zhao Jiechao snorted and gestured for Chu Sinian to follow him. The two then left the previously hidden corner.
Zhao Jiechao asked with an unfriendly expression, "How did Chen Chi offend you?"
Chu Sinian sighed and fabricated a story about Chen Chi humiliating him, which Zhao Jiechao listened to with great interest, gradually going from doubt to empathy to anger.
"Chen Chi is just no good!"
Chu Sinian asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Jiechao then told Chu Sinian about everything he had experienced since joining the team, down to the smallest detail.
Zhao Jiechao was not originally selected, but because his father's AI computing power was beneficial to a project that Chen Chi was innovating, he brought him into the team.
It was just a bargaining chip; Chen Chi probably didn't expect this person to be so difficult to deal with.
Since he wasn't selected to join the team, his skills were naturally far inferior to the others, but no one criticized him. This was because Chen Chi always treated them all equally, showing no disdain for them.
He usually sets aside time to give them targeted training, and each time he leaves them some tasks to complete.
This really highlighted his skill level. Although no one on the team had any complaints about Zhao Jiechao, he secretly felt jealous and wanted to compete with everyone.
The coach who assigned the task naturally became the target of his tantrums.
Zhao Jiechao considered himself extraordinary. He worked overtime to write algorithms and modify programs, and then handed the results to Chen Chi, asking him to choose his work to participate in the competition.
Chen Chi bluntly said, "Your stuff is no different from shit."
And so the feud began.
As for Zhao Jiechao's claim of working day and night to revise the algorithm to satisfy Chen Chi, Chu Sinian thought that Chen Chi probably didn't take it seriously at all and even found it a nuisance.
Having understood the whole story, Chu Sinian found it amusing.
He asked, "What are your plans next?"
Zhao Jiechao glanced at him, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face. "Anyway, I won't let him get away with this. He's been messing with me for so long, and now he's kicking me out of the finals."
"Let me know if anything happens, count me in. I've disliked him for a long time."
The two reached a "consensus".
By the time the party ended, it was already 1 a.m.
As soon as Ning Zicheng finished her social engagement, she immediately went to find Chu Sinian. Seeing that he was still there, she felt relieved and went over to ask, "I just saw you with Zhao Jiechao. What did he want with you?"
Chu Sinian glanced at him indifferently, "I was the one who contacted him."
"Damn it," Ning Zicheng looked him around, "You didn't fall for that pretty boy, did you?"
Chu Sinian kicked him directly, "Speak like a human being."
“I asked him about what happened next, and he didn’t seem like the type to let it go.”
“He’s definitely not. I’ve met him briefly, and he’s incredibly petty; if you offend him, he’ll hold a grudge for life.”
Chu Sinian said, "He wants to take revenge on Chen Chi."
"Really? I guessed it, but it's none of our business." Ning Zicheng looked at the aunt who was cleaning up the mess. "Chen Chi looks violent, the kind of violent that's hidden."
Why do you say that?
"Don't you remember how he dragged Zhao Jiechao that day? He pulled him so hard he couldn't resist at all."
“These are two different things.” Chu Sinian didn’t talk to him about it anymore and walked straight towards the villa gate. “I’ll stay here tonight.”
He remembered something, turned to look at him, and said, "You still owe me a bottle of Louis XIII. Remember to take it to the guest room."
Ning Zicheng punched him through the air.
Having received two bottles of foreign liquor, Chu Sinian adhered to his consistent principle of "live for today." He drank until the sun rose, watching the dawn gradually expand and dissipate before finally closing the curtains and collapsing onto the soft bed.
Ning Zicheng woke up at noon.
It was Saturday, a rare day without classes. He went downstairs for lunch, crossed the living room to the hallway, saw the closed door, and knocked. "Are you awake?"
There was no response; they're probably asleep.
Ning Zicheng then started eating with the aunt, and also asked her to make a bowl of hangover soup. Two bottles of strong liquor with an alcohol content of over 40 degrees would make anyone collapse.
It will probably be a long time before he wakes up.
Ning Zicheng kept waiting, sitting and standing, until he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Anyone, whether a cow or a horse, would be paralyzed, let alone Chu Sinian, whose health was as poor as Liu's.
Ning Zicheng immediately rushed over and knocked on the door. One knock, two knocks, and the increasingly frequent "bangs" could elicit the slightest response.
"Auntie! The keys!"
The aunt quickly grabbed the room key, and Ning Zicheng kicked open the door with trembling hands. She rushed in and saw Chu Sinian lying on the bed, pale-faced, wearing only a thin shirt and trousers.
Ning Zicheng's head buzzed for a moment, "Auntie, call the doctor, quick, quick!"
He went over and laid Chu Sinian flat on the bed, covered him with a blanket, and checked his breathing from time to time. "I'm so tired, I'm so tired. If I bring you wine again next time, I'll die."
Ning Zicheng called an ambulance again, and it was a matter of which side would arrive at this godforsaken suburb first.
In the end, it was a private doctor who lived nearby who came.
He performed a preliminary examination, gave Chu Sinian an IV drip, and only when he saw Chu's complexion gradually improve did Ning Zicheng finally feel relieved.
He saw the doctor off, then stood by the bedside, glaring at him with exasperation. "Damn it! If you hadn't stayed at my place yesterday, you might have died of a sudden accident in your own room. Keep acting up, keep acting up!"
Ning Zicheng rambled on for a long time, then took a sip of water and continued rambling.
It wasn't until after four o'clock in the afternoon that Chu Sinian finally woke up.
The first thing he felt when he opened his eyes was a headache, a pain as if his head had been forcibly split open, and a lingering burning pain in his throat. This feeling was strangely familiar.
He turned around and saw Ning Zicheng's angry face and the IV drip in her hand, and only then did he slowly realize what was happening.
Chu Sinian turned his head back, withdrew his hand, and lay down comfortably. "There are still a few bottles of IV fluid left."
Ning Zicheng pointed coldly to the side, "Three bottles."
That means we'll have to wait three hours.
Ning Zicheng gestured for the aunt to help him up. Chu Sinian realized her action and sat up on his own. "Where's my phone?"
Ning Zicheng tossed it to him, "Are you going to contact Yu Shi?"
Chu Sinian looked up at him, "Why do you think that way?"
Ning Zicheng carefully observed his expression. "They got back together. The two of them got back together."
Chu Sinian nodded, showing no surprise.
"You weren't drowning your sorrows in alcohol because of him?"
Seeing Ning Zicheng's undisguised surprise and confusion, Chu Sinian realized just how deep Ning Zicheng's misunderstanding of them really was.
Chu Sinian didn't have the energy to explain, and Ning Zicheng would definitely dig deep if he asked, but he didn't have the patience to tell her everything.
"It's all the same; wanting to drink and getting drunk don't conflict."
Ning Zicheng naturally misinterpreted it as the latter, and he no longer had the energy to condemn him. "Fine, take good care of yourself. Let me tell you, I'll be watching you every step of the way from now on. Let's see what kind of trouble you can cause."
Chu Sinian smiled and said, "I'm just a little tipsy, it's not like my life is in danger. You're making a mountain out of a molehill."
Ning Zicheng glared at him fiercely.
As Ning Zicheng had predicted, the following weekend saw them watching closely, strictly controlling everything from alcohol to carbonated drinks and even coffee.
Chu Sinian felt as if he had returned to his childhood when he was unable to take care of himself.
During the last dinner on Sunday, as Ning Zicheng once again slapped his hand away from grinding coffee beans and served chicken soup, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you know what you look like right now?"
Ning Zicheng retorted irritably, "What do you mean?"
"Wife."
Ning Zicheng broke down.
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