Chapter 26
"Strange, why can't I get through to Sister Jiawei on the phone?" Zheng Juyong sat in the passenger seat, holding the business card printed with Arabic characters, and had already made two calls in a row.
"You have a sister Jiawei?" Qiao Qi looked in the rearview mirror, turned the steering wheel quickly, and parked the car neatly in the parking space.
"She's a good friend invited by Sister Guanguan. She can speak Arabic."
"Arabic? That's pretty impressive! With so many amazing sisters around you, shouldn't I feel a sense of crisis?" Qiao Qi pulled out the car keys and looked around outside the car. She found that the environment here was a bit too empty, and she did feel a sense of crisis.
"Well... you're the best! Your first time here, and you dared to drive for over an hour in the middle of the night." Zheng Juyong opened the car door first, then looked back to see her still watching from inside. Remembering the day he first arrived at the dormitory, he teased her with a smile, "If it were me, I should have taken you to the Burj Al Arab first, but you insisted on coming. Don't you regret it now?"
"I always have to come over to see your little nest as a sister and brother to feel at ease!" Qiao Qi knew that he was deliberately teasing her, and glared back at him without mercy.
"Okay, okay, Sister Qiao Qi, please get out of the car!" He walked around to the driver's seat and opened the door for her like a gentleman.
As soon as Qiao Qi jumped out of the car under his protection, she was met with a few barking dogs. "Ugh!" Qiao Qi was frightened and leaned closer to his chest. "Where did the dogs come from?"
"Don't be afraid, they usually gather under the streetlight over there at this time. It's okay, with them wandering around, it's actually safer here." He knew every stray dog in the area by name, and he wasn't as worried as he was when he first arrived. On many sleepless nights, he would even count the dogs outside by sound to see if they were all there. If a dog was left alone and his barking went unanswered, he would feel sad for it for a while.
"But they are all stray dogs without chains, and there is no one to take care of them here!" Qiao Qi was still a little uneasy as he had just arrived.
"Yes, I've seen it several times. Some kind-hearted people gave them dog food! It's just that there are not many residents here, so there is never enough food. Some male dogs often have to go out to find food. In fact, animals are the same as us humans." Zheng Juyong talked to himself and misunderstood what she meant.
"Hey, stop looking at them and go upstairs quickly!" Qiao Qi hid beside him, stamped her feet anxiously, and pulled him to walk faster.
He had originally wanted to find the one that had just given birth and introduce it to Qiao Qi, but he had to give up. Walking up the stairs, he felt sorry for her suffering: "There's no elevator here, aren't you tired?"
Qiao Qi stopped talking and said, "You carry me?"
Zheng Juyong had been running around the exhibition for half a day and was actually tired, but now was his time to show off, so he took the initiative to squat down on the stairwell. After Qiao Qi crouched down, she patted his shoulder without any hesitation, like kicking a horse in the stomach.
Qiao Qi's warm breath reminded him of their lovemaking in the afternoon. He had important things to do tonight, so he couldn't be distracted. He hesitated and discussed, "Well! I'm coming back tonight to prepare some materials, so I might have to work until very late. There aren't any hotels nearby..."
Qiao Qi tilted her head and burrowed behind his ear: "Zheng Juyong, do you really not want to live with me?"
"But didn't you always..." After that intimate moment at noon, bringing up her previous avoidance of him now seemed rather inconsiderate. Zheng Juyong thought for a moment and changed his perspective. "It's Sister Guan Guan. She doesn't like others using her bed... I didn't know you were coming, and I didn't change clothes in advance."
"I haven't even gone in yet, and you're thinking about how to get rid of me? Could it be that there's really something in there that you haven't had time to clean up, and you're afraid that I'll see it?" Qiao Qi pulled his other ear.
"Ha, then you may be disappointed." Zheng Juyong shook his head with a smile and rubbed her palm away. Qiao Qi only needed a small action to torture his will.
Even after entering the house, Qiao Qi still clung to his back, directing him around and looking around: "How can such a small room fit so many beds? Even university dormitories are more spacious than yours!"
He carried her out of the bedroom and placed Qiao Qi on the sofa. "When I first came here, I wasn't used to it either. But then I realized that I was basically out and about during the day, and this place was just for a place to sleep at night, so I really didn't need a big house."
Qiao Qi touched the sofa cushion and said with disdain, "Ugh, this cushion is too rough!"
"Oh, this is a second-hand sofa. The cushions don't come with it. When we move, I won't feel bad about throwing it away." He hadn't lived here long, but he knew the comings and goings of every item by heart. He trotted back to the bedroom to retrieve his pillow and handed it to Qiao Qi, "You can use this as a cushion."
"Just one? I want another to lean on from behind." Qiao Qi stuffed the pillow under his butt, feeling quite satisfied.
Zheng Juyong didn't dare to take Guan Ying's pillow and scratched his arm. "There aren't many pillows. Wait, I'll get the quilt and ball it up."
"Forget it, forget it, I'll just sit for a while and leave soon!" Qiao Qi waved his hand.
Hearing her say this, Zheng Juyong felt reluctant but also a little lucky, so he went to the kitchen to boil some water and prepare to make a pot of tea for Qiao Qi.
"Sister Guan Guan really doesn't live here?" Qiao Qi found the note left by Guan Ying on the coffee table at some point and asked him again while standing at the kitchen door.
Zheng Juyong adjusted his glasses and said, "Ahem! Now that you've seen it with your own eyes, you should believe it! As soon as she sold that batch of goods, she moved in with her boyfriend. Ahem! Ahem!"
God knows, the first time he lied to Qiao Qi was because of Guan Ying. As if he had done something wrong, his trachea was shaking and he started coughing violently.
Qiao Qi silently moved the piece of paper in front of her mouth and nose: "You two have been living together for a few nights, but I don't think you would dare to do anything to let me down! Humph... I'm so worried about you, just be happy!" After that, she turned around and went back to the living room, rustling around, and it sounded like she was flipping through the scattered documents on the coffee table.
Zheng Juyong stood by the sink, rinsing her teacup, pondering what she had just said: Qiao Qi had indeed been very nervous about his relationship with Guan Ying recently! She had been cold to him for many days because of this, and then she had suddenly sneaked off to Dubai, even skipping rest to accompany him to the exhibition. Even though she was clearly exhausted tonight, she still insisted on going back to the dormitory with him. Looking back, all this felt too much like a surprise inspection... When did Qiao Qi start to change all these things?
As he rinsed the teacup, he suddenly remembered: Kung Fu Tea! That night, he'd called back home about the workers' situation, desperately seeking Guan Ying's help. He'd been unable to ask about what had happened between the two of them at the club. Now that he thought about it, Guan Ying must have said something to Qiao Qi, which was why she was so nervous.
He came out with hot water and a cup of tea and looked at Qiao Qi seriously: "Qi Qi, shall we talk?"
Seeing his serious expression, Qiao Qi wondered inwardly, "Are you not in a hurry to get things done? Just chat, what are you talking about?"
He had already made up his mind to work all night, but before doing anything, he had to dispel Qiao Qi's suspicion of him. This matter was equally important to him: "About my parents, and Sister Guan... Guan Ying."
He made it so grand that she almost thought he couldn't stand the pressure and had other thoughts on his mind.
Qiao Qi put down the boring documents in her hand, took the teacup, blew on the hot air, frowned and took a sip: "I know our marriage puts a lot of pressure on you, so didn't I come here to accompany you?"
"No, no, no, I don't feel any pressure. It seems like you're the one feeling pressured right now. So I don't understand why?"
He actually said there was no pressure? Could it be that she was the only one who was anxious to marry him? Qiao Qi was stunned and said unhappily, "Why? Of course it's our marriage!"
Zheng Juyong adjusted his glasses and said, "Qiqi, I don't want our marriage to change you. Don't you think you've become a little different from who you used to be?"
"Have I changed? How have I changed?!"
"In the past, you wouldn't give up your music and work for anyone or anything. You were very real and never compromised yourself to accommodate anyone. And you were very brave and never hesitated or worried about gains and losses. In short, I never thought of changing you. I promised you this when I proposed to you. You can still be yourself in the future."
Qiao Qi's words became more and more distorted as she listened, and she simply put down her teacup. "You mean, I came all the way to Dubai to see you without telling Sister Ling, and that made you very unhappy? Now you think I'm putting pressure on you?"
The two people's thoughts are completely different.
"Of course not!" Zheng Juyong wished he could grow a few more mouths. "I just hope you don't have so much pressure! My parents are just worried about the steel plant. As long as this business trip is successful, they know I can take over the steel plant without Guan Ying, and they'll naturally be relieved. As for Guan Ying, she already has a boyfriend, so you don't have to worry!"
He was trying to relieve her of her burden, but it sounded like he was lecturing her, as if there were nothing wrong with his parents and Guan Ying, and only Qiao Qi had problems. How could she tolerate that? The pillow under her butt became increasingly uncomfortable the longer she sat. Qiao Qi couldn't hold it in any longer, so she simply stood up and vented her heart out: "How can I not be worried! Guan Ying told me herself that she wants to marry you!!"
Zheng Juyong sat there in a daze, his ears buzzing. The entire room was filled with the echoes of Qiao Qi's last words: "She wants to marry you!"
He didn't dare look up at Qiao Qi. When he lowered his head to avoid her, his glasses slipped down his nose. He knew Guan Ying must have said something! But when he really heard these words, he found it incredible. The breath he held in his chest rushed up to his trachea, causing him to cough a series of times: "Cough cough cough!"
"Zheng Juyong, honestly, you're not cut out for business. I went to the exhibition with you today, and you didn't prepare anything at all. How long would it take for me to convince your parents? Guan Ying is right. As long as she gets a marriage certificate with you, all problems will be solved. The steel mill will be relieved, your parents will be relieved, and you will be relieved too! You can't do anything, so you simply don't have to feel any pressure. You think this is a good idea, right? You don't want to change, you just want to be with me like before, so why did you propose to me? You regret it, but I can't. I can only marry you now, and as soon as possible. There's only one solution left, and that's a child!"
Zheng Juyong's eyes widened, he looked up, and asked in disbelief, "Child?"
Qiao Qi spread his hands and said, "If you can really negotiate an order, I won't have to do this. But do you think you can?"
Every word she said showed her dislike for me as usual, but she also said that she still wanted to marry me, and to do it quickly, she could even have a child first?
Zheng Juyong took off his glasses and rubbed his hazy eyes. He could not see clearly. He could not see Guan Ying clearly, nor Qiao Qi clearly, and even less could he see himself clearly.
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