Chapter 40 Returning the Umbrella No wonder I felt she looked familiar that day.
After a long time, they met again.
But they had both matured too much. She was no longer the quiet little girl who looked up to him and could not be found in the crowd. She stood in front of him in a well-fitting mint green Rachel dress.
Time flies, and no one can reconcile the past with the present.
Secret love is always a one-man show. Didn't she understand this many years ago?
Bo Xia was distracted for a moment, but finally came to her senses with a throbbing heart and responded to him with a smile, unlike many years ago when she didn't even dare to glance at him.
If the seventeen-year-old Bo Xia saw this, would she be relieved that in these ten years she had finally grown into the calm and composed person she had always wanted to be.
She stretched out her slender hand and shook his gently, feeling his warmth through her skin, and then naturally let go: "I've heard a lot about you."
Jin Yunyan's narrow eyes held a hint of amusement, and he quickly looked away from her. He had heard so many polite words that he naturally didn't take them to heart.
He had guessed correctly; Bo Xia's words were indeed polite. She hadn't heard from him in so long, how could she have heard of his great name?
It was Meng Xubai who later introduced her, saying that Mr. Jin, who came from a wealthy family, chose to start his own business instead of inheriting the family business, which led to the establishment of Wansheng. Bo Xia usually dealt with real estate companies and had only a vague understanding of Wansheng Technology.
A fleeting rain fell in the dry and hot night in Beijing.
After Bo Xia finished, she trotted on her high heels to catch up with the car. A few steps away, Jin Yunyan was on the phone. The person on the other end asked him, "Where's the umbrella in my Rolls-Royce? Did you take it?"
Jin Yunyan seemed to have just remembered this. The damp rainy day and the disheveled girl's profile popped up in his mind. His voice was a little nonchalant: "I saw a girl on the street without an umbrella, so I gave her one."
As for why he handed her an umbrella, perhaps he felt it was unnecessary, or perhaps he felt pity for her and was kind. Jin Yunyan didn't think too much about it when he handed it to her, but later he thought that there was something possessed about it.
But many choices in life are so magical. A small butterfly flapping its wings can easily stir up a huge storm and quietly change many trajectories.
"Jin Yunyan," the man across from him rarely called him by his full name, convinced his friend was seeking revenge, gnashing his teeth. "Isn't it just that I stole a bottle of wine from your house last time? Why are you making such a fuss about it?"
He raised an eyebrow and nonchalantly played with the silver lighter in his hand: "You also know that you are in the wrong?"
Sheng Chi opened his lips, but in the end he didn't mention it again.
The driver was just about to start the car when he saw through the mirror a little girl catching up from behind. He stepped on the brakes and saw the woman standing in front of the back seat knocking on the window.
The backseat window slowly fell down, revealing the handsome profile of the man. The warmth in his eyes faded away silently, and he turned his head slightly to ask her what was wrong with an inquiring look.
Bo Xia leaned over, the necklace hanging down from her chest with a hint of warmth. Her eyes were clear and transparent, as if without any impurities. "Mr. Jin, is it convenient for me to arrange a time to treat you to dinner another day?"
Having heard such invitations so many times, Jin Yunyan did not refuse them in person.
The assistant beside her also thought that she was one of the people who were trying to flirt with the boss, so he skillfully handed her his business card and asked her to contact him.
The woman lowered her eyes and responded with a gentle smile on her lips.
A gust of wind blew over, the air mingled with the faint fragrance of her hair. When he looked up again, the car window had slowly risen, completely blocking his face. At that time, he would never take this episode to heart, and as usual, asked his assistant to find an excuse to get him out of the date.
The black car shuttled through the night. When it arrived at the destination, Jin Yunyan lowered his eyelids and slowly lit a cigarette, his slender fingers resting on the car window. He heard Song Cen, who was about to get out of the car, asked him in a rare gossipy way: "What kind of girls do you like? If I were to say, the girl just now was not bad, graceful and elegant..."
The smoke blocked the man's teasing eyes, and he said calmly, "If you like, you can pursue her."
"What does it have to do with me..." The assistant complained as he got out of the car, "I can't get away from being alone with you. Everyone's attention is on you. Mr. Jin, remember to compensate me for my mental damages..."
The rest of the words were lost in the wind and could not be heard clearly.
The city is still brightly lit late at night.
Bo Xia returned to her rental house, exhausted as usual. She looked at the house she had just picked up to stay in, and had become accustomed to its poor conditions.
She lifted her foot, slipped off her high heels, and then, unsure of what to do, walked to the entrance mirror and examined herself. It was already late, and her makeup hadn't smudged, but blended seamlessly into her skin. She saw her still-delicate features, and her eyes had lessened their fear. She imagined how her past self would feel if she saw her now.
Finally, she couldn't help but open the computer and browse the information related to Jin Yunyan. In the past ten years, she only vaguely heard that he majored in management and biology at a top university after the college entrance examination. It was said that he later decided to continue his studies abroad. She didn't know when he returned to China.
In the few years between their paths, he had already founded Wansheng Technology through his own efforts and became a frequent guest in financial magazines. His company mainly focuses on the medical field, specializing in the development of artificial intelligence such as hospital rehabilitation and surgical robots.
It turns out this is what he's always wanted to do.
Her mouse hovered over a blurry photo on the Internet.
Bo Xia admitted that even though they hadn't seen each other for so many years, he realized that the person who had made him fall in love at the age of seventeen still fell in love with him when they met again, as if it was an uncontrollable instinctive reaction.
But it seemed like she had lost a lot of obsession with not getting what she wanted, and became much calmer.
During the years when he was away, she began to learn to accept herself, otherwise she would not have walked up to him and asked to treat him to a meal.
She still thinks of that bitter secret love, but begins to feel that regret is also another kind of perfection.
But only she knows how difficult her life has been over the years.
Bo Xia turned off the computer, picked up her pajamas and went to wash up, only to find that there was a problem with the bathroom water pipe. She frowned, but because it was too late, she had to make do with it.
The next day, she contacted the landlord, but he refused to pay for the repairs. Her years of experience had made her more composed, and she no longer needed to mentally encourage herself every time she said something she dared not.
She told the landlord that it was clearly written in the contract that it was the landlord's responsibility, but the landlord said it was just a few dollars and he should pay for living in the house.
Admittedly, her salary in Beijing was not low and she had some savings, so repairing it at her own expense was not a big deal, and it would save her time communicating with him.
But if she wanted to survive in this world, she had to learn to stand up straight and not be taken advantage of or bullied. She would just let it go. Just like when she returned to Nan'an and thought of compromising, she was subjected to even greater oppression.
How could she go back to being the weak and cowardly person she once was?
"Why don't you come and pay if you don't have much money?" Bo Xia's voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "If you can't solve it, I won't give up. If it gets out, people will think you're bullying a little girl like me..."
When her colleagues asked her what was wrong at her workstation, she smiled and said, "I'm arguing with the landlord."
After learning what happened, my colleague threw up his hands and said, "Just be thankful that there is someone to argue with. If you can't find the landlord, there's no one to argue with."
If you want to survive in this world, you have to have some rogue qualities.
Unfortunately, the matter was not resolved in the end. The landlord dragged his feet and said he was not at home. When Meng Xubai knew about this, he asked her to stay in his vacant house for two days, but she refused, saying it was inappropriate.
"It'll be empty even if you don't move in." Meng Xubai joked, "Why are you always being so polite to me? Are you afraid I'll exploit you at work?"
She followed his words: "I'm really scared. You'd better spare me if you're busy these two days."
“…It really is.”
She always drew too clear a line in the sand, as if afraid others would go too far. Meng Xubai felt a little helpless, but Bo Xia didn't let their relationship become too distant. She tilted her head, her soft hair falling on her chest. "But if you really want to help me, please come with me."
Meng Xubai thought she couldn't solve the problem alone and needed to bring someone to help, but who knew that Bo Xia drove his car to take him over and let her stand behind him as a background wall to intimidate the landlord and leave him with nowhere to hide.
The maintenance problem is solved.
Before leaving, Meng Xubai glanced at her house. It was remote and the conditions were average. It couldn't compare to his, a local with a well-off family. Sometimes he couldn't understand, or even bewildered, how someone could be so stubborn, even when all the benefits were in front of her, but she wouldn't accept them.
What's the matter? Does she have a habit of enduring hardships?
Bo Xia didn't, she just understood that free things often cost more.
Meng Xubai leaned against the car and looked at her for a long moment, then shook his head. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't be Bo Xia. She saw him off. Meng Xubai said, "Is it possible that I'm just a decoration? Nothing else?" She hadn't told him that he worked out regularly, so she brought him in as a bodyguard to keep things moving.
"How could that be? Didn't you see that the man was suppressed by you just now? If you weren't there, I wouldn't have to waste my energy throwing a tantrum. I have to protect my voice."
Meng Xubai couldn't imagine her throwing a tantrum, so before getting in the car, he asked her to remember to pay him the appearance fee some other day.
She agreed.
It was a week later that Bo Xia remembered the umbrella. On Friday, she called Song Cen to make an appointment. The other party seemed to be checking the schedule and told her after a while that Mr. Jin was not available that week.
She felt a little disappointed, but she didn't think it was a big deal. After all, those youthful loves were too far away from her, so far away that she no longer pursued them and consumed her energy. She nodded: "Then would it be convenient for me to go to your company?"
"Uh..." The voice on the other end of the phone was a little embarrassed, thinking she had ulterior motives. "Of course, you can, but Mr. Jin is not in the company today. He's on a business trip."
"Okay, I'll come find you."
"Looking for me?"
Thinking she had some free time that evening, she decided to use this time to schedule a dinner date with Meng Xubai. Bo Xia glanced at her watch and asked Meng Xubai to give her a ride. She was quite good at taking advantage of such small favours. Meng Xubai refused to get in the car, saying, "Why don't you give me some money for the fare first?"
Seeing that Bo Xiazhen was planning to transfer money to him, Meng Xubai admitted defeat: "Okay, fasten your seat belt."
He was defeated by this ancestor.
There was some traffic on the road, but fortunately I wasn't late in the end.
"I'm looking for your president's assistant."
"Okay, Miss. Please wait a moment."
When Song Cen came down, he saw the woman on the sofa with her slender legs crossed and a calm face. Seeing him coming, she put down the coffee in her hand.
Bo Xia stood up, not understanding the conflict on his face, unaware that he had already prepared himself for her. Song Cen thought she was using the excuse of coming here to get some information about Jin Yunyan, or perhaps had some other ulterior motive. Unexpectedly, Bo Xia said, "Please return this umbrella to Mr. Jin, and thank him for me."
"Ah...Okay."
Song Cen was obviously a little surprised, but still took the umbrella.
Thinking of the call from Mr. Jin that day, he couldn't help but think, it can't be such a coincidence.
From a distance, a tall, mature man stood at the doorway, waiting for Bo Xia. It looked like they had a close relationship. Song Cen took the umbrella and placed the items in the top-floor office.
Jin Yunyan also saw the umbrella after finishing overtime. He felt that it looked familiar. Noticing his eyes fell on the umbrella, Song Cen explained: "It was sent by Miss Bo who said she would treat you to dinner that day. She said she wanted to thank you."
Several lights in the distance had gone out. After Jin Yunyan sat down, he suddenly thought of something.
No wonder I always felt that she looked familiar that day.
Song Cen suppressed a smile and said, "She seemed to simply want to thank you, and she didn't mean anything else. I saw her leave the company with President Meng. The two of them looked like a couple."
Jin Yunyan took off his glasses, his features becoming more distinct, his expression obscured by the dim light. People were strange at times, and this, in turn, aroused a certain curiosity about her, causing him to recall the scene of that day.
The way she looked at him seemed very subtle, as if she was hiding a story. However, he was unwilling to think deeply or explore it. Over the years, so many people had come and gone in his world, but no one had ever truly stayed in his heart.
Jin Yunyan lowered his eyelids, chuckled softly, and after a long while, he said lightly: "I understand."
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