Chapter 43 Have you taken a liking to me?
Freshmen have to attend early morning reading sessions. The next day, Jiang Meng went to the software engineering class as soon as possible and found that Chu Xinkai was doing well. She breathed a sigh of relief and returned to her office to prepare for punishment. Telecom fraud is becoming increasingly rampant, and such incidents frequently occur on campus. Jiang Meng had vaguely heard that a counselor had been publicly criticized at a meeting because too many of her students had been scammed. Fortunately, the Youth League Committee teacher didn't make things difficult for her. She gave her a perfunctory ideological education and then let her go.
Peace was restored, and Jiang Meng returned to her workstation. Her only worry was whether she could get Chu Xinkai's money back. She'd heard that in this situation, it was generally hopeless. If all else failed, she'd just consider it a lesson learned. After all, it wasn't a huge sum of money; if she'd been swindled out of millions, she'd jump off a building with Chu Xinkai.
Jiang Meng was thinking about this when she noticed that Xie Zhuo had sent her a message.
That morning, Jiang Meng sent a message to Xie Zhuo, whom she hadn't contacted in a long time: "Excuse me, how did you manage to win over your girlfriend?"
Xie Zhuo only replied to her now: "Are you going to pursue someone?"
Jiang Meng: "Not really, it's just about building relationships first, for long-term development."
Xie Zhuo: "Who is this person?"
Jiang Meng: "It's all done in secrecy. I'll tell you once I get my hands on it!"
Xie Zhuo: "I used a dog."
Jiang Meng was shocked: "Be her dog? You're really willing to go that far?"
Jiang Meng: "I'm not really good at that. I have a pretty strong sense of pride."
Xie Zhuo: "?"
Xie Zhuo: "[Image]"
Xie Zhuo: "Pet Temptation"
Jiang Meng clicked on the photo and took a look.
Oh... I mean his Border Collie.
Xie Zhuo sent a meme of a green frog pointing at its own head, implying "there's something wrong with you here."
After Jiang Meng found out what had happened, she sent Xie Zhu a voice message: "No, I can't raise a dog. It's exhausting every day. I can barely walk myself."
She had just put down her phone when Liang Shanshan poked her head out from behind the computer and asked, "What are you tired about? Don't you play ball every day?"
"Was that playing ball? I was just..." Jiang Meng didn't finish her sentence.
"Was it there because of the handsome guys on the court?"
Jiang Meng smiled and raised her eyebrows: "I see through it, but I won't say it."
Liang Shanshan asked her, "Are you still planning to get a dog?"
Jiang Meng said, "Huh? I don't keep dogs."
"Lulu's baby is almost a month old, should I save one for you?"
After being reminded, Jiang Meng remembered that she had reserved a kitten from Liang Shanshan, but the kitten had just been born and was still nursing and dependent on its mother. She said she would take it back in a while.
Jiang Meng had considered keeping a cat before, but that was when she was in college. Back then, the dormitory was inconvenient, and it wouldn't be convenient to keep a cat in her hometown. Ye Zhaoxu didn't like cats and wouldn't allow her to keep one.
When this was brought up, she immediately said, "Yes, I want it."
Before getting a cat, Jiang Meng did thorough research and preparation, and bought a Chinchilla kitten from Liang Shanshan. The kitten was of excellent quality.
Xiao Jin became familiar with Jiang Meng within a day of coming to the house. He hid in a corner for an afternoon and would crawl out to sleep with her at night.
Jiang Meng, who is obsessed with petting cats, has almost forgotten about men. She only has a short attention span for sports and no longer goes to the court after work. Instead, she goes home and plays with her cats. In just a few days, her house is full of cat toys.
Xiao Jin has a great personality; she's affectionate but not naughty. She sleeps next to her and is quite bold, always jumping around, which makes her small living space feel much more lively.
Jiang Meng repeatedly exclaimed to Liang Shanshan: "What an amazing cat! What an amazing cat!"
In the sweltering heat of summer, Jiang Meng would go to work during the day but still keep the air conditioning on so that Xiao Jin could stay comfortably at home. She couldn't let her child suffer no matter what.
The holiday begins at the end of June.
Before the holiday, Ye Zhaoxu asked her if she was going back home.
Jiang Meng said back, but...
As she pondered this, her gaze fell upon the kitten devouring its food, and an idea struck her. What a coincidence! The opportunity had arrived.
Jiang Meng found Xie Zhuo's chat window and sent him a thumbs-up emoji with satisfaction: "Thank you, strategist."
-
The next news about Chen Jizhou came from afar one evening when Jiang Meng checked the group messages after work and saw that Xu Fang had sent a video. The screen below the video was full of "So handsome!" He guessed that the group had gone out to play again, and the video he had filmed was of Chen Jizhou surfing.
Jiang Meng took off her shoes and bag while eagerly opening the video.
The afternoon sky was clear, making the sea exceptionally bright and sparkling, a deep blue, with waves surging and rolling in one after another.
Because the shooting distance was relatively far, the scene appeared grand and spectacular.
Chen Jizhou stood on the surfboard and glided down from a great height at high speed. The seawater surged repeatedly, but he was in complete control and did not feel threatened. He could maintain his balance and control his direction with ease.
Towering waves piled up behind him, the top layer coming in with such force that from a distance it was impossible to distinguish whether they were ocean waves or mountains. Neither the crests of the waves nor the snow could submerge him or catch up with him.
He sped downhill, effortless and graceful, his rises and falls powerful and exhilarating.
The insignificance and powerlessness of humanity in the face of the ocean are reversed in this instant. Because someone is conquering this sea with ultimate vitality.
No matter how fierce the waves are, they are only supporting him.
The sea wanted to capture him, but he cleverly escaped.
Jiang Meng was terrified just looking at it.
As the waves receded, he returned to shore with his surfboard, his white T-shirt half-soaked. In the salty sea breeze, he drifted with the wind, which blew against his back.
Chen Jizhou's sunglasses were firmly on, and he raised his chin at the camera, giving Xu Fang behind the lens a smug smile: "How about it?"
Although Chen Jizhou is good at sports, he is not omnipotent. For example, surfing has always been his weakness. He tried surfing in the Maldives a few times before, but it was not very successful. Because he has not yet mastered this sport, he is always itching to try it again.
Now, it's truly omnipotent.
Having finally accomplished a remarkable feat, his triumphant smile was one of great joy and triumph.
Across the screen, Jiang Meng smiled at him from a different time and space.
You'll never die, Chen Jizhou!
I can't imagine how anyone can live such a carefree and passionate life.
Jiang Meng was so excited watching the video that she didn't want to go to work tomorrow. But then again, if she were actually asked to step on it, she probably wouldn't dare to move an inch.
Well, some freedoms are something people deserve.
After working for a while, Jiang Meng found him in the evening: "Chen Jizhou."
About five minutes later, Chen Jizhou replied: "Jiang Meng".
Jiang Meng: "Are you busy?"
Chen Jizhou: "Not busy."
Jiang Meng: "Can we video chat?"
Chen Jizhou: "? What is it?"
...How vigilant!
Jiang Meng: "Just to bother you"
After a while, Chen Jizhou said, "Wait a minute."
A dozen seconds later, the camera on the other side turned on; he was using a computer.
His camera is very clear, professional, and positioned correctly. It's most likely that he uses it for working and online meetings.
Chen Jizhou took off his gaming headset, which had lost power, and put it around his neck. He then used the computer's built-in audio function to video chat with her.
Jiang Meng: "Were you there just now?"
"Playing video games."
Is it okay to quit halfway through?
Chen Jizhou twisted the mineral water bottle, took a sip slowly, and had the leisurely air of someone who had been busy for a while. "I'm AFK waiting for you to bother me."
...It has profound meaning, absolutely profound meaning.
He sat in an ergonomic chair, his knuckles supporting his temples, black headphones hanging around his neck, wearing a loose white short-sleeved shirt. He wasn't sitting very formally; he was probably casually crossing his legs, gently rocking the chair from side to side, and glancing at the camera.
Jiang Meng, trying to make conversation, asked him, "Is your gaming monitor pretty big?"
"right."
"Does it look big to you?"
He said, "Yeah, one of its heads is twice the size of mine."
"..."
Jiang Meng punched the camera twice.
Of course, the other person was completely unharmed, and when she removed her fist, she found that he had a smile on his lips.
Chen Jizhou spoke up: "Speak, what is it?"
Jiang Meng asked him, "Did you go surfing?"
"Um."
Why didn't you take me with you?
"Such a dangerous project, you don't need to get involved in every little thing that gets exciting," Chen Jizhou raised an eyebrow. "You watched the video?"
"I saw it."
He smiled slightly and asked her, "Is he handsome?"
Jiang Meng praised excitedly, "Handsome! The most handsome man in the world! I declare you the most handsome guy in my eyes! Do you know who the most handsome guy is? Leonardo DiCaprio! You're even more handsome than him. It's a pity you didn't go into movies, so not many people know you."
Chen Jizhou chuckled, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, seemingly amused by her, yet he said dismissively, "Overpraising her makes it sound like flattery. Can't you be a little more serious?"
How serious? Do I have to write him an 800-word essay? Jiang Meng couldn't take it anymore. She frowned and whispered, "Can you stop being so narcissistic? You're asking for it."
Chen Jizhou said arrogantly, "The conditions are what they are, it's hard to pretend to be modest, okay?"
Jiang Meng sighed, thinking, if it weren't for this face that's used for committing evil deeds, who could possibly tolerate him?
Jiang Meng said earnestly, "However, I suggest that you try to avoid these kinds of adventure activities in the future. Your mother will be worried sick if she finds out."
He didn't take it seriously: "Then I won't tell her."
"What if, I mean, what if, you get married and start a family? Your wife and children will be very worried."
Chen Jizhou rested his chin on his fingers, then rocked the chair, seriously contemplating for a few seconds.
"Having a family and not having a family are different. I'm a grown man, I should at least have this much sense of responsibility."
He leaned back comfortably in his chair and spoke slowly and deliberately, "A person is still free from all ties."
Jiang Meng paused for a moment and said, "Don't be too carefree."
She looked down and touched the sleeping baby on her lap, then whispered, "I'll be very worried about you too."
The computer's built-in microphone wasn't very good, and she was mumbling and couldn't speak clearly, so he didn't hear her. He tilted his head slightly and asked, "What did you say?"
Jiang Meng thought he was doing it on purpose, so she gritted her teeth and raised her voice: "I said! I'll be very worried about you too! Do you hear me!!!"
Meanwhile, Little Gold bristled and flew away.
On the other end, Chen Jizhou frowned, hissed softly, and rubbed his ears...
After a while, he looked at the camera and slowly smiled, "I heard you. From now on, cherish your life."
Jiang Meng rested her chin on her hand and coaxed the cat back to its senses: "That's good. You were being very unladylike just now. Please forget about it."
He suppressed a laugh, letting out a soft "hmm" from his throat, and then asked her, "Can you tell me now? What's wrong?"
Jiang Meng's anger, which had just subsided, flared up again: "Can't I contact you if I don't need anything?!"
Chen Jizhou lowered his head slightly, slowly rubbing his ear canal. After a few seconds, he nodded and replied helplessly, "Yes."
Then, there was silence from both ends.
After a moment, Jiang Meng spoke up: "My summer vacation is coming soon."
Chen Jizhou asked, "How should we arrange it?"
"I plan to go back to Pingjiang to see my mother."
He thought for a moment and said, "Could you please visit my grandfather when you have time? I haven't been back for a long time."
Jiang Meng nodded: "Yes, yes, Auntie said so, I will definitely go."
After she finished speaking, she added, "Oh, by the way, there's something I need to ask you for a favor."
Now we're finally getting down to business.
Chen Jizhou nodded: "Go on."
"I……"
Jiang Meng stroked Xiao Jin's long, soft fur and wondered if he wouldn't believe her if she said she bought the cat. Why did she specifically choose this time, wanting to get a cat so suddenly, only to go back for summer vacation afterward, and then buy a cat just to send to him? Wasn't that a bit too deliberate?
Jiang Meng cleared her throat and started making things up: "I found a kitten downstairs the other day. I'm afraid there won't be anyone to take care of it if I go back. Could you take it in for a few days? It's just been weaned, so it's still quite fragile."
Chen Jizhou asked in surprise: "A cat?"
"Yes, it's very well-behaved and doesn't scratch or claw randomly. If it does scratch or claw randomly and breaks something, I can pay for it. You can just spend some time with it and feed it. If you leave it with me, I'm afraid you won't have time to come over."
He thought for a moment and said seriously, "I need to ask the hotel if they can raise them."
Jiang Meng: "Sure, you can stay for a year, I've already inquired about it."
...That's a well-intentioned approach.
I've already inquired about that.
They came for him?
Chen Jizhou thought for a few seconds. He figured she probably didn't have anyone she could rely on. After all, scooping cat litter wasn't an easy job, and Chen Jizhou really liked cats. He nodded generously and said, "Okay, bring it over."
He looked up and saw someone across from him smiling brightly.
Jiang Meng was thinking that if something unexpected happened to Chen Jizhou, or if her plan was foiled, her only option was to send Xiao Jin back to her parents' home, Liang Shanshan's, place for a few days. In any case, she couldn't let her cat suffer.
Jiang Meng went to find Chen Jizhou on the day she left Yunzhou.
She had a train ticket for around 10 a.m., so she could make it to his place in time, but it was a bit early. When she knocked on the door, Chen Jizhou thought it was the cleaning lady coming over. He was wondering why she was there so early when he opened the door and saw Jiang Meng standing there. She had a toothbrush in her mouth and was still wearing her pajamas. Her sleepy eyes slowly woke up.
He said, "So early? Leaving in the morning?"
"right."
Chen Jizhou left the door open and let her in.
He went back and washed up for about half a minute. After wiping his wet face, he came out and Jiang Meng had already taken the kitten out of the carrier.
Chen Jizhou looked at the cat, then at Jiang Meng, and said slowly and deliberately, his face showing surprise: "This is the cat you picked up?"
Chen Jizhou looked at her incredulously: "You mean, you picked up a cat worth four or five thousand? Is that reasonable? Can I keep it? I won't become a defendant, will I?"
Jiang Meng didn't notice the shock in his eyes at all. She held the kitten up to him and said with a smile, "Isn't it cute? This breed is called Chinchilla. Her name is Xiao Jin, a name I came up with on the spot. It's also a lucky name, and she's a girl."
Chen Jizhou took the cat into his hands.
He didn't ask too many questions. He looked at the kitten, which was only slightly bigger than his hand, scratched its chin, and touched its forehead. The kitten immediately became so comfortable that it couldn't tell which way was which. It nestled comfortably in his hand and meowed a few times.
As Jiang Meng watched him pet the cat, something caught her eye. Having met in Yunzhou for so long, this was the first time she'd seriously examined Chen Jizhou's hands, and she noticed a mark on his finger. Remembering Yan Yuqing's comment about his tattoo, Jiang Meng stepped forward, pinched the knuckle of his ring finger, and tilted her head to look at the inside of the finger: "A rose? Why did you get this tattoo?"
Chen Jizhou paused in his action of petting the kitten.
He didn't intend to deliberately hide anything; hiding things would make him seem unnatural. Since she had already seen it, he simply showed it to her naturally and said in a low voice, "I just picked it randomly."
"Why is it blue?"
Chen Jizhou glanced at her: "Aren't all tattoos blue?"
"Oh, right," Jiang Meng said, still curious, and then asked, "Then why is it in this location?"
He said, "It's hidden, and it's easy to wash."
"You're still planning to take a shower?"
"It's hard to say."
Jiang Meng understood that for someone like him, nothing was essential or necessary to keep. Maybe in a couple of years he wouldn't want to continue in this line of work, or if his career didn't go well, his mother would drag him back to pursue a career in government.
She nodded thoughtfully and with unwavering conviction.
Jiang Meng brought a lot of cat stuff, including toys and cat food. She gave him some instructions, and before leaving, Chen Jizhou asked if she wanted him to give her some. Jiang Meng said that her colleague's car was waiting downstairs. After she finished speaking, she smiled and said to him, "Because I know you like kittens, and our Xiao Jin is especially well-behaved and adorable, I'm sure you'll like it, so I won't mistreat it. Thank you for your help this time, I'll treat you to a meal next time."
Chen Jizhou nodded and said politely, "Come back soon."
Jiang Meng walked forward with her hands behind her back, thinking with great joy: Do you want me to come back soon, or do you want me to come back soon on behalf of the kitten?
However, she didn't ask aloud; it would be too blunt. She just kept it to herself and let it be.
Jiang Meng raised her eyebrows and skipped out with a cheerful step.
Chen Jizhou wasn't particularly excited.
He sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, and the kitten lay on his lap, looking very affectionate and not afraid of strangers at all. He knew this kind of cat; it was greedy, would follow whoever fed it, and didn't care about moving to a new home or anything like that, showing no signs of discomfort.
Chen Jizhou watched with amusement as it lay on his lap. Noticing he was being stared at, Xiao Jin looked up at him, their eyes meeting in a staring contest.
Little Jin meowed once, and Chen Jizhou meowed once.
Xiao Jin quieted down.
Chen Jizhou meowed once, and Xiao Jin meowed again.
The two of them talked back and forth for quite a while.
Chen Jizhou still couldn't quite understand it. She had picked up a cat worth five thousand yuan—whether she had actually picked it up was questionable, but most likely not. Her behavior was strange, and she didn't tell the truth.
They insisted on having their children fostered by him.
What do you mean, Jiang Meng?
He pinched the cat by the scruff of its neck, brought the little creature to his eyes, and then held it by its front paws, examining it closely. Slowly, his gaze deepened, and Chen Jizhou stared at the cat in his hands, muttering to himself, "It's taken a liking to me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com