Chapter 39 Some people are best kept in the corner of your eye…
Chen Jizhou asked her what she wanted to eat.
Jiang Meng didn't say anything, letting him choose.
Chen Jizhou's eating habits are quite consistent. He's not interested in Japanese or Korean food, or any kind of cuisine. He doesn't like hot pot or barbecue, and he finds Western food even less interesting. When he goes out to eat with other guys, he usually goes to a clean private restaurant and orders four dishes and a soup. That's his most common eating habit.
Since he couldn't find the food abroad, he improved his culinary skills on his own.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Jiang Meng asked him to order.
Chen Jizhou did order, but she would sigh with regret every time a dish was served.
Steamed eggplant, stir-fried chicken with green peppers, seaweed and egg drop soup, stir-fried beef with yellow peppers, and a dish of vibrant green Shanghai bok choy.
It was all her favorite food.
The restaurant was bustling with activity, and many people were drinking and talking.
Chen Jizhou finally believed that she was really starving. Jiang Meng picked up a small spoon, scooped up a few pieces of chicken, added some rice, and quickly put them into her mouth. Then she showed a satisfied and happy expression.
Jiang Meng didn't eat dinner today. She came over right after get off work, hurriedly brought him a few bites of food, and then looked up as if she wanted to chat with him.
An ideal reunion should be like this: sitting quietly in a warm, welcoming setting, sharing stories of the past. The opening line could be: "How have you been these past few years?"
Chen Jizhou didn't touch his chopsticks; he had probably already eaten. Leaning back on his chair, his posture casual, he offered quiet companionship with an air of calm composure. His body, fresh from his shower, exuded a soft, downy feel, making her feel warm and comforted. Things like the wisps of hair falling across his forehead, his thick eyelashes, and his simple black cotton t-shirt—perhaps from some niche trendy brand, with a logo on the chest she couldn't understand—combined with the fresh, herbal scent of his post-shower fragrance, gave her a rare feeling of intimacy she hadn't experienced in many years. The soft sensation was like sunlight-warmed water washing over her body, even though he didn't say a word.
However, Chen Jizhou didn't ask her how she was doing. When Jiang Meng looked up again, the first thing she heard him say was, "Are you alone now?"
She failed to detect the caution, restraint, and repeated maneuvering beneath his words.
Jiang Meng replied nonchalantly, "Of course, I'm not that much of a jerk, am I? I have a boyfriend, why would I flirt with you?"
Chen Jizhou paused almost imperceptibly.
How does she define the word "flirt"?
After a moment of silence, his voice lowered further, showing a restrained desire to ask but a reluctance to speak. However, his curiosity prevailed over his reluctance, and he still had to ask: "Last time I saw someone call you."
Should I call her?
Jiang Meng thought for a moment; she didn't really have anyone in mind to pursue. After thinking for a while, she finally came up with a clue: "Zhou Xun?"
She waved her hand and said, "My cousin introduced him to me. I don't like him, and I don't even reply to his messages."
"……Um."
Jiang Meng said, "Are you going to teach me how to play ball or not? How can the teacher run away halfway through the lesson?"
The wrinkles around her brows suggested she was quite dissatisfied.
My mind is filled with playing ball, wanting to win, and wanting to study.
He wanted to laugh: "Do you think I'm your teacher and you can just shout like that?"
"Qi Yunqing's teaching is not as good as yours."
Chen Jizhou smiled but didn't say anything. He thought Qi Yunqing was pretty bad and probably had all his attention on watching the pretty girls on the court.
Jiang Meng pressed further, "So, will you still go? I'm waiting for you to start your job."
"Go ahead, why not?"
Her lazy and matter-of-fact tone made her recent struggles seem like a joke.
She said, "But you didn't go last week, and they said you went out to sea."
"They went to catch jellyfish."
Jiang Meng wanted to say, "Oh, I've seen your jellyfish."
She wanted to say, "Then why didn't you take me with you?"
She smiled with relief: "Chen Jizhou, I like you the way you are."
He raised an eyebrow: "What kind of me do you like?"
"Eloquent and persuasive".
"Didn't you used to complain that I was being unreasonable?"
"You know the saying 'familiarity breeds contempt,' right? I actually miss you quite a bit when you're not around."
A genuine smile appeared in Chen Jizhou's eyes.
He had no doubt that she missed him.
He had no doubt whatsoever.
Their friendship is very deep.
Jiang Meng thought of his hotel stay and said, "It's fine if you don't buy a house, but I heard from Su Yu that you often change cars? Is it for novelty?"
Chen Jizhou said, "I'm not going to say anything more. I'm constantly changing jobs." He can't live without a car; he has to buy one before he can go anywhere.
"Can they all be sold in time?"
"Some of them can't be sold and end up stuck with them."
"How was it handled?"
"It was given away."
Jiang Meng's eyes widened in surprise: "You're so rich now?"
"Always been, rich and generous." He smiled, exuding the swagger of a wealthy man. "Is this the first time you've met me?"
Jiang Meng thought of his business in Toronto: "Does that restaurant of yours make money?"
"I didn't make much money, and I even lost a little."
Chen Jizhou pondered for a few seconds, as if calculating the losses he had incurred, but still maintained his calm and confident tone: "But it's alright, within expectations."
She was genuinely surprised, after all, Su Yu had described him as having extraordinary abilities, so it turned out that Chen Jizhou could also be frustrated.
"I thought you were having a super smooth ride, with your little stash of money flowing in."
"Life is like a game of level progression; there's no such thing as a smooth journey."
Of course, his true genius lies in the fact that a small setback is nothing to him, and he can quickly regroup. Chen Jizhou indeed said in a nonchalant tone, "So I don't put all my eggs in one basket."
Jiang Meng smiled: "That's true. If we've taken the wrong path, it's also important to reflect on it positively."
Chen Jizhou spoke casually and dismissively: "If the restaurant isn't doing well, of course it's the chef's fault. What do I have to reflect on?"
Jiang Meng suddenly understood and followed suit: "If the students are causing trouble every day, then of course they have problems with their thinking. What do I have to reflect on?"
She smiled brightly, her features unchanged.
"But I don't see any boss-like qualities in you."
Chen Jizhou chuckled and said, "Switch jobs and become my secretary. I'll show you whether I have the aura of a boss."
Jiang Meng: "That won't do. It's better to have a stable internal constitution. If we end up together, you, as my partner, will be fine, but I, as a nobody, might get fired. The risk is too great."
...No, what kind of dangerous things did she say today?
Chen Jizhou lowered his head and touched the bridge of his nose, feeling a slight flush on his face. He could hide everything in his eyes and expressions, but his body was not good at reacting. He was easily agitated and blushed easily, which he couldn't control at all. He gripped the can of iced cola, quickly took a sip to calm down, and even tugged at his shirt at the chest and shook it a couple of times to cool it down.
Jiang Meng took a moment to realize the ambiguity in her words, and said carelessly, "Sorry, I've been watching too many Korean dramas. The boss and secretary thing makes me think of things like that."
"..."
He said, "You're going on blind dates now?"
"I don't really mean it. It's just that I feel like there's someone suitable I can start dating. I'm different from you. You just fly wherever you want. My mom still hopes that I can settle down and start a family. Now that I have a stable job, she wants me to get moving and find someone to bring home. — Hey, do you think these parents just want to retire and enjoy their old age as soon as possible?"
Although she had posed a question to him, Jiang Meng continued her rambling before Chen Jizhou could answer: "But I haven't met any particularly good ones either. There are some ungrateful men who are really annoying. If they can't have someone they love, they want to destroy them. You know, I'm so beautiful, isn't it normal for men to be drawn to me? Someone actually got angry and said to me, 'Are you some kind of celestial being?' I said, 'Yes, I am a celestial being.'"
Chen Jizhou didn't respond, but listened to her vivid description. He saw her shake her head and laugh as she said she was a celestial being, a soft laugh escaping her throat.
He smiled, which made Jiang Meng even happier, since not everyone could withstand her incessant complaining.
She then asked Chen Jizhou, "You should be single now, right?"
"Um."
"How long have you been single?"
He said something that surprised her, his voice calm: "I've never had a girlfriend."
Jiang Meng bit her chopsticks and quieted down slightly.
However... it wasn't particularly unexpected.
She found it hard to imagine what Chen Jizhou would be like in a relationship; perhaps it was because she had never met someone like him who made it easier for her to project herself onto him.
She said, "Can I ask why?"
Why?
Chen Jizhou lowered his head and said casually, "I don't feel anything for anyone."
"I don't even want to talk to people I don't like. I don't know how to talk to them."
Not long ago, before he returned to China, a girl was pursuing him very passionately.
They say persistence will always pay off.
Chen Jizhou advised her to give up.
He really didn't know how to tell her that he wasn't the kind of person who could be won over just by trying hard.
There is absolutely no chance between him and her.
But the other party persisted relentlessly, believing that persistence would eventually lead to success.
But what's the point of talking if you don't feel anything? You don't want to talk to anyone, you don't want to see anyone. You might as well save your time and enjoy yourself.
Maintaining a relationship is never an easy thing.
You can't just date every single guy you end up with.
Jiang Meng shook her head, sighing like a wise elder, "What a waste of charm, it's really something."
Chen Jizhou didn't say anything, and told her to eat properly.
Only when Jiang Meng lowered her head did he allow himself to indulge his emotions and permit a moment of deep contemplation.
Jiang Meng had no idea that Chen Jizhou had been suffering from insomnia for quite some time, ever since the day he met her. During their first chance encounter in Yunzhou, she wore a green dress, a deeper, more mature shade than this one. Even with his eyes closed, that green hue wouldn't fade; Chen Jizhou couldn't sleep, and he had a slight headache.
From that day on, he had to drink some alcohol before bed. Any kind of alcohol would do, as long as it helped him fall asleep quickly and prevented him from having nightmares.
He's carefree, isn't he? Unrestrained by any constraints, he sets off whenever he wants, stays wherever he pleases, has traveled to over twenty countries, seen countless landscapes, and flies wherever he pleases. But the day he returns to where he started, he willingly becomes a prisoner.
Seeing her makes my heart ache as if it's going to break.
What could possibly upset Chen Jizhou? Even if he did encounter something, he'd watch a movie to process it, and by the time he finished the opening credits, he'd be all better.
He's always been this kind of person; he couldn't be more optimistic.
He was happy even when she wasn't around, but there was an empty space in his heart. It became so empty that he got used to it, his flesh couldn't grow properly, and his blood couldn't flow in. It remained empty like that for many years.
That year, I received a call from Tokyo, Japan.
Early in the morning, he glanced sleepily at the unfamiliar number, not remembering having any friends in Japan, and mumbled, "Hello?"
The other person replied in fluent Chinese: "Are you Chen Jizhou?"
It's difficult to tell if someone is someone you know just by their voice.
Chen Jizhou replied, "Yes, that's me."
"Don't you think you need to strengthen your sense of boundaries?"
His first reaction was bewilderment; had this been a typo?
But the other party accurately stated his name, clearly indicating that they were after him.
Before Chen Jizhou could speak, a cold voice on the other end gave him no chance to interject: "You must have no shortage of girls around you. I don't know if you have a girlfriend right now, but your behavior of crossing the line is very irresponsible to everyone."
"I don't know if it's because her previous boyfriends were too good-natured and no one ever told you these things, or if even if they did, you just didn't take them seriously."
"But I want to make it clear to you now that as Jiang Meng's boyfriend, I am very concerned that she has a male friend like you."
Jiang Meng's boyfriend?
Chen Jizhou frowned. He didn't even know when she got a boyfriend. It was probably the chat partner she had mentioned to him before. He seemed to have heard her talk about him a few times.
It turns out they were already together.
The other person spoke slowly but steadily, with a hint of lecturing him: "Between men and women, the only relationship that can develop is one of growing apart, unless they become husband and wife. No matter how close you were when you were young, you can't lie in the same bed with her and chat now."
"But I can."
"I think, since you two are childhood sweethearts, if she didn't like you before, she probably won't like you in the future either."
He said, "Stop doing things that cause trouble."
This brief pause gave Chen Jizhou a chance to respond: "Do I know you—?"
The call was abruptly ended, and the busy tone sounded like the person on the other end was shouting their victory.
A victory in terms of position.
The call wasn't returned, and Chen Jizhou tacitly accepted this humiliating provocation.
For twenty years, he still hasn't found a position where he can hold her hand.
Friendships that have deteriorated should have been severed long ago.
No matter how close you were when you were little, you can't lie in the same bed and chat with her now. If she didn't like you before, she definitely won't like you in the future.
Love and not love seem to be predetermined.
There are some people who are best left in the corner of your eye.
Later, someone asked him, "Why don't we see you playing with Jiang Meng anymore? You used to be so close and lively together."
Whenever someone asks her, Chen Jizhou always answers that it's his fault.
It was his fault; he hadn't thought about the future.
She didn't like him, but she always meets someone she likes. He never imagined that his passion would become a weapon that hurts.
They will all grow up.
She went to play badminton, and he shouldn't have been there, but he was afraid those people would be rough with her, afraid she would be bullied, afraid she would be embarrassed. So he squeezed out some time to be with her.
The alcohol you drank was completely useless.
Otherwise, you should forcefully stop him, soften your heart towards her again, show her an intimate expression, give her signals to get closer, and make a choice that hurts both of you.
One wrong step leads to another, trapping you in a cycle of pain.
He shouldn't be here, ordering a table full of her favorite dishes and calmly chatting with her.
But he did it anyway.
Since it hurts no matter what, let's make it easier for her.
She'll feel bad if he ignores her.
Chen Jizhou looked at Jiang Meng like this, as if time had passed, yet it was as if they had never experienced a long separation.
Nothing has changed.
Jiang Meng was almost full when she looked at Chen Jizhou and asked him, "What's wrong? Do you want to eat something? Why aren't you picking up your chopsticks?"
He didn't say anything.
He told her with his eyes, "Jiang Meng, I still love you very much."
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