Chapter 67: Flirting
It’s cold in January.
The coldest time has arrived, and the snow in Yunzhou falls intermittently.
After finishing her work, Jiang Meng dealt with some student affairs. It was almost six o'clock when she left home. In winter, it gets dark very early, and the young city also became deep and dull. She wrapped her coat tighter and strolled around the back street of the school. The night market there was lively, and the aroma of food was irresistible, making her want to stop and have a big meal. However, after glancing at the time, she was afraid that she would not be able to pick up Boss Chen from get off work in time, so Jiang Meng did not linger.
There were several flower shops by the roadside. Just as Jiang Meng was about to enter, she remembered Chen Jizhou's words, "You don't even need flowers." After hesitating for more than ten seconds, she turned around and left.
The reason was that she had asked him about it in advance, as his birthday was approaching.
Jiang Meng wasn't the type to throw surprises around. She felt birthdays were very important, and she usually had to ask beforehand when buying gifts for people. If she bought something the other person didn't like, the surprise would be ruined, and she'd be grateful if they weren't shocked.
Her thinking wasn't due to romantic oversensitivity, but because she had actually experienced something like this.
Some suitors are really clueless. It's one thing to send her things she's not interested in, but also cheap water bottles, hats that look stupid and silly on her, perfumes that she finds dizzying or hateful... They even know she likes a certain anime and buy her figurines to "cater to her tastes." They have the sincerity, but sending her pictures of a certain couple that breaks up the official pairing is truly unforgivable.
But she couldn't accept it with a sense of reproach. After all, the other party didn't understand, and these things couldn't be returned. Those men were incredibly enthusiastic, and if she took them back, they would just be an eyesore.
Putting herself in Jiang Meng's shoes, she felt that the matter of gifts should be considered carefully.
So I asked Chen Jizhou in advance.
He simply said nonchalantly, "You don't need to buy me gifts or flowers."
Jiang Meng observed his expression. He didn't seem to have any emotion or deeper meaning when he said that. He meant no when he said no, and he didn't mean to tease her.
"Really not going to?"
Chen Jizhou said, "I just received a big gift package and snatched a few from Xie Zhuo. That's enough to keep me happy for a year and a half, and I don't lack anything."
Jiang Meng asked him for confirmation: "You don't want anything?"
He said, "Just keep me company."
"Spending time together is nice. Spending time together is the most enduring expression of love," Jiang Meng smiled with great interest.
"Then I'll pick you up from get off work."
Jiang Meng had visited his company before, when she brought the bracelet, but she hadn't found an opportunity since. Thinking about it, she probably wasn't a very good girlfriend; she didn't even know which floor his company was on.
Fortunately, she knew the way. When Jiang Meng drove there, there was some traffic, and she was an hour late.
The office building was brightly lit late at night. She sent a message to Chen Jizhou, who told her the floor and asked her to come up directly.
He was in his office.
Jiang Meng pushed open the door and saw Chen Jizhou sitting under the dim light. He was wearing a thin shirt in the warm space, leaning back in his chair, flipping through some materials in his hand.
"Hey, you're off work so early? Your place is the quietest in the whole building."
Chen Jizhou was still looking at the A4 paper in his hand, his tone calm: "Our company culture is all about happiness, so I sent them back when it was time."
"Then who will do the work?"
"The boss does it all by himself."
"You're not the only one in the whole company, are you? It's just a makeshift operation."
"And the three you've met before."
Jiang Meng counted on her fingers: "Four more for you."
"Hmm." He said seriously.
Jiang Meng seemed skeptical, but then grinned and said, "Scammer!"
He put the paper down and looked up at her.
Jiang Meng had already run over excitedly and hugged his neck tightly. The impact was a bit strong, so Chen Jizhou caught her around the waist. He heard Jiang Meng ask him, "Working overtime on your birthday?"
"Is today my birthday?"
Chen Jizhou raised an eyebrow meaningfully, pretending not to know, and said in an affected tone, "Why doesn't anyone wish me a happy birthday?"
He took something out of his hand and rummaged around in it a couple of times.
After a while, she said in a relieved tone, "Oh, yes."
"A bunch of female fans."
"Why are they sending emails? They've had a crush on me for years."
"..."
Seeing him lower his eyes, his expression a half-smile illuminated by his phone, Jiang Meng stood up and pulled her clothes tighter: "Let's go."
Chen Jizhou didn't stop her.
But when Jiang Meng arrived at the door, she discovered that this automatic door was a bit unusual.
She looked at the switch, but it didn't work. She then looked for other switches with a displeased expression, but couldn't find any. Instead, she found a password/fingerprint card reader. What was that? Happy Planet?
Jiang Meng pouted and glared at him angrily: "What kind of smart lock is this? How do I open it?"
He was holding his fist against the lower half of his face, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.
She got even angrier: "Don't laugh!"
Chen Jizhou added fuel to the fire, saying from the sidelines, "They're specifically for dealing with jealous people; once they're in, they're not leaving."
Jiang Meng went over aggressively again, stretching out her hand: "Let me see."
"What are you looking at?"
"Look at the fangirls."
"No, there are hardly any women on WeChat." Chen Jizhou chuckled, flicked his wrist, and tossed the phone to her. "Check it out."
Jiang Meng didn't look at it; the phone went black and locked as soon as it reached her.
He tidied up the table briefly, put on his coat, and led her out. The door was opened with a card.
There was really no one outside, Chen Jizhou revealed the truth about working overtime.
"I deliberately stayed late to wait for you to pick me up."
He looked down at her and said, "You're still a step too late. You wanted to show off your wife, but you missed your chance."
Jiang Meng scoffed: "Who doesn't have a wife? Don't be so cocky."
"They don't have any, but I do."
The company is full of young men, and he really managed to find a target group to show off his affection.
There was no one in the elevator. Jiang Meng tiptoed and gently kissed his cheek, softly saying, "Thank you for your hard work."
He casually declared, "What's so hard about going to work? Everyone has to work."
Chen Jizhou is a bit like his father in one respect: he doesn't complain.
He would never tell Jiang Meng a single thing about any of his work troubles.
Perhaps they've processed it themselves, or perhaps even if they're feeling unhappy, they don't want to affect the emotions of others.
However, given his personality of finding joy even in hardship, he's probably just experiencing some kind of discomfort that will resolve itself after watching the movie's opening credits. He seems to possess an innate and highly efficient regulatory mechanism.
Jiang Meng told him not to drive, to enjoy the birthday treatment today, and that she would pick him up tonight and drive him home tomorrow. However, traffic was heavy at night, and she was afraid he would get road rage, so she gave him the driver's seat. If her service wasn't perfect, she could still be considered a thoughtful and good girlfriend.
Chen Jizhou had no objection.
When he got into the car in the underground parking garage, Jiang Meng noticed that his wrist was empty.
He doesn't usually wear accessories; his slender, fair wrists and knuckles are already quite attractive without needing any extra embellishments.
However, when Jiang Meng came, she remembered the time she gave him a gift, so she took the opportunity to ask him, "Did you wear the bracelet I gave you last time?"
Chen Jizhou first pondered for a moment and then uttered a "Hmm?"
Remembering what she had said, he fastened his seatbelt and said slowly, "I asked a fortune teller, and he said I shouldn't wear those things randomly, as they would disrupt my energy field, especially if I was ripped off. If you buy me a thirty-yuan one, I might wear it every day, and I won't feel anxious at all."
She stared in disbelief: "Huh? You still believe in this now?"
"They're extremely superstitious; they even consulted a feng shui master to determine the location of this company."
"No way, you didn't believe in these things before."
His previous demeanor was all about "my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens'," so when did he start burning incense and praying to Buddha?
Chen Jizhou replied lazily, "Not now. I'm obsessed with money now. If I'm going to become rich, of course I need some metaphysical knowledge, but—"
As he spoke, he glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, "I'm a Taoist, so of course I can't wear your Buddhist items."
Jiang Meng was stunned for a few seconds before finally realizing she'd been tricked: "Chen Jizhou, which of your statements is true?!"
He laughed loudly: "Not a single word of it is true."
Chen Jizhou looked at her, his eyes crinkling with a wicked, triumphant smile: "Fool."
Jiang Meng wrinkled her nose, still resentful, and buckled her seatbelt with her head down, muttering, "I need to ask Aunt Wang for advice on how to deal with you. I can't always be at a disadvantage with you."
Chen Jizhou was already invincible: "She didn't have any tricks up her sleeve, so she could only win by force."
"I can do that too."
He couldn't help but laugh, and lowered his head to squeeze her hand: "Are you flirting with me, you little cat paw?"
Chen Jizhou held her fingers and kissed them. Under his loving gaze, Jiang Meng's mood instantly brightened, and the anger on her face softened considerably, turning into shyness when he leaned in. He lowered his eyes and kissed her cheeks, the bridge of her nose, and her lips. The warm, sticky kisses thawed her body and heart.
Car headlights flashed by outside. Even though it was an underground parking lot, Jiang Meng was still mindful of her manners in public. She pushed away the lingering kiss and said, "Let's go home first."
Chen Jizhou drove off and automatically found the direction he wanted to go. It was obviously not the way back to her apartment. Noticing her hesitation, he explained, "Let's go to my place. Your bed is a downer."
Jiang Meng suppressed her joy at not having to do any work, but pretended to be a little disappointed: "Sigh, I was just saying I'd be cooking today."
Chen Jizhou said seriously, "No need, just stay with me, I already said that."
Before the cake arrived, time was filled with a passionate kiss. A blush spread from her cheeks to her neck, reaching every inch of her conquered territory.
As she became more skilled at it, she became more and more adept each time. She was not as quick as him at unbuttoning her clothes. Somehow, without her noticing, her back was touched, and she ended up rubbing against his rough sweater.
Jiang Meng was lifted up and held in his broad shoulders, her long hair falling forward as if imprisoning him. Her lips were moist, and her breath steamed, drowning his reason and spirit, leaving him no escape. Her voice softened a thousand degrees in the night, and she squeezed out a few words with difficulty: "Call me baby."
Chen Jizhou moved his Adam's apple and said in a low voice, "Baby, you're so hot."
"Why is it so hot?"
"..."
Jiang Meng kissed the corner of his lips with satisfaction, but then said with some dissatisfaction, "I don't like this. You're too tall. It's uncomfortable for me to stand on tiptoe."
He pushed her onto the sofa, then knelt down, where he had a good view. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night was deep and shrouded in a cold mist. The enchanting heat caused tiny water droplets to form on the cold windowpane, which, like tiny insects, crawled and slowly dripped down.
"Chen Jizhou".
"……Um."
"Wait a moment."
Although it had happened many times, and her knowledge was quite comprehensive, with nothing new to be found, she could still be considered quite experienced. However, there were still moments when she was so full of herself that she couldn't help but press the pause button. But Chen Jizhou could tell from her expression whether it was unbearable or painful. The difference was huge. The former could be classified as a coquettish act. Although there was some sense of being tormented, it didn't mean she really wanted to separate. She was just one breath away from breaking up.
“No,” he said decisively.
Jiang Meng had lost the ability to control her senses, but her deepest nerves were still taken aback at this moment. Who was it that said so confidently last time that they would definitely listen to her next time?
She protested, "No, you can't do this."
Her wrist, which she tried to push away, was stopped and locked above her head. Chen Jizhou looked down at her and smiled gently: "Can't wait, baby."
————————
This is the content before the proposal.
The bonus episodes are just some everyday moments, the young couple performing skits for everyone. Will you find it boring? Replace "wait" with "stop," and that's it—walking on thin ice.
I've seen all the dishes you ordered; I'll try my best to accommodate you. There will likely be a male protagonist perspective later on. The only unexpected thing is, I'm too tired to write anymore—I need to go home!
I don't know who started this slogan, but I've seen it several times: #TheBestChenJizhouInTheWorld#. Even Mr. Chen saw it and gave it a thumbs up: "Great, keep praising me like that." [Sunglasses]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com