Two-sided
16
The place for dinner in the evening was chosen by Feng Longlu.
She had been with Zhao Xingcan for a long time, and inevitably she was influenced by him. She developed the habit of being picky about food and learned to distinguish what was delicious and what was unpalatable.
The restaurant I found on Fenglong Road today is a typical example of a restaurant that is expensive and tastes bad.
Lin Ju originally wanted to eat and drink for free, but after taking a few bites, she put down her chopsticks.
She looked around and saw that everyone was chatting and drinking. She found herself quite amused. After all, who would come to such an occasion for a proper meal? Only she was the one who didn't fit in.
Zhao Xingcan noticed her, put his hand on her shoulder, tilted his head and asked in her ear, "Is the food not to your liking?"
She leaned her head against Zhao Xingcan's arm, shook her head without saying a word.
During these days, when the two of them had nothing to do, they would sit side by side on the sofa and watch a movie. Like this, Zhao Xingcan's hand fell on her shoulder, and she tilted her head slightly, leaning on Zhao Xingcan's arm.
This was a very common action between them, but in the eyes of others, it was as if they had seen a divine book and they stared at it with wide eyes.
Especially Feng Longlu, who had never seen Zhao Xingcan like this before, couldn't help but be shocked.
Zhao Xingcan noticed their gazes, but he remained as if no one was around and whispered to Lin Ju.
Because Feng Longlu had agreed to bring his family to this meal, almost all the men were accompanied by women, and it was particularly pleasing to the eye to see them gathered around the table.
There are exceptions. Mr. Zheng looked at Zhang Mao. This was the person he had specifically mentioned as a target before, but he didn't expect that Zhang Mao's company had strong technical capabilities and was a leader in the country in the field of artificial intelligence. Not only did he fail to damage Zhang Mao's company, but he almost got himself into a big pit.
Feng Longlu was a double-faced person. Seeing that he was not going well on his side, he turned to Zhang Mao.
Zhang Mao wore glasses and looked like a typical tech geek. It was his first time attending a dinner like this, and even as a newcomer in the industry, he was genuinely nervous.
After drinking most of the wine, Mr. Zheng, still drunk, deliberately asked, "Zhang Mao, didn't our Mr. Feng say he would bring a female companion? Why are you alone? Aren't you giving Mr. Feng face?"
Feng Longlu was drinking and almost choked. He looked over with a frown.
Zhang Mao pushed his glasses up, his face a little blank, pursed his lips and said, "I don't have a girlfriend."
When he said this, everyone in the room laughed. Mr. Zheng even said, "This girlfriend doesn't mean a female companion. Who would bring a girlfriend here?"
Feng Longlu was laughing, but after hearing what he said, he stopped laughing.
Subconsciously, he turned his gaze towards Zhao Xingcan, and saw Lin Ju standing up beside Zhao Xingcan and about to walk out.
His heart skipped a beat, unsure of how much Lin Ju meant to Zhao Xingcan.
The next second, Zhao Xingcan stood up and grabbed Lin Ju's hand.
Zhao Xingcan held Lin Ju's hand and glanced at everyone, "I forgot to introduce you, this is my girlfriend." Then he glanced at Mr. Zheng, not even bothering to call him by his name, but by his ranking in the Zheng family, "Zheng San, this is the second time."
The voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was a clear warning.
There won't be a next time.
Lin Ju already felt uncomfortable listening to these men teasing women, and Mr. Zheng was indifferent and talked about everything.
And she didn't know if the meal was incompatible with her, but after just taking a sip of the soup, she felt a slight itch on her arms and neck as well.
When the dish was brought to her, she took a closer look and found that there were a few pieces of chicken in the soup.
Lin Ju felt something was wrong and scratched his arms a few times, and suddenly a large red rash appeared on his skin.
She stood up without thinking much, but she didn't expect that this action would make Zhao Xingcan think that she was angry because she heard what General Zheng said.
What she didn't expect was that Zhao Xingcan said in front of everyone that she was his girlfriend.
Lin Ju blinked, looked at Zhao Xingcan, and waved her hand gently.
Zhao Xingcan turned his head and his eyes fell on her. His brows immediately frowned and his expression changed.
He saw the rash on her arms and neck.
Lin Ju subconsciously stretched out his hand to block it, turned his head, took a step back, and said in a low voice, "I'm fine, I can go to the hospital by myself."
Zhao Xingcan didn't answer. Lin Ju deliberately didn't look at him, but she heard him say to Feng Longlu and the others, "I have something else to do. You guys eat first."
After saying that, Lin Ju felt a warmth on her shoulders, and she saw the coat on her shoulders.
On the way to the hospital, Lin Ju's rash had spread to her face. Her once-snow-white complexion was now covered in red, and incredibly itchy. She couldn't help but reach out to scratch, but Zhao Xingcan gripped her wrist tightly.
"Don't scratch it, it'll leave scars. We'll be at the hospital soon. Be good."
Lin Ju listened to the tone that sounded like coaxing a child, pursed her lips, lowered her head, and nudged his shoulder with her head, "But I'm itchy."
"Where does it itch? Let me blow on it for you." Zhao Xingcan gently lifted her chin, and a cool breeze blew across her itchy face.
Lin Ju looked at him with wide eyes and said sullenly, "I'm not beautiful now."
Her voice sounded aggrieved, but Zhao Xingcan smiled unkindly, "Yeah, like a little cat."
"Then you're going to dislike me."
"I won't dislike my girlfriend."
Lin Ju's brows were furrowed, as was her nose. Her face was covered in red spots, and the corners of her eyes were red. She spoke very slowly and in a low voice, "Are you serious?"
Zhao Xingcan was silent for a moment. The light in the car flickered, and the lights flashed across his face. Under Lin Ju's expectant gaze, he lowered his eyelids and said, "Yes, I am sincere to you."
In the eyes of most men, this kind of meaningless promise is as simple as asking "Have you eaten?"
Lin Ju didn't dare to take it seriously, but no matter what, hearing it was better than not hearing it, which made people feel more at ease.
She didn't delve into it any further, shrugged her shoulders, and leaned into Zhao Xingcan's arms.
When I arrived at the hospital, I underwent a series of examinations.
The doctor concluded that it was an allergy to chicken.
It was a mild allergy, and after taking medicine, Lin Ju felt the itchiness gone.
"I thought you didn't like chicken, but I didn't expect you were allergic to it." After walking out of the hospital gate, Zhao Xingcan looked at the medical report with a hint of surprise. "When did you discover this?"
Lin Ju put on a mask. Her face was very small, and the mask given by the hospital was a bit big, so almost her entire face was hidden under the blue mask.
"I remember when I was a child, my parents took me to KFC. After eating, I vomited and had diarrhea and went straight to the hospital." Lin Ju tilted her head and recalled. She will always remember that it was raining that day. She had rashes all over her body and was lying on a chair in the emergency room of the hospital. The chair was cold and the air around her was also cold, while her parents stood by and quarreled, blaming each other.
The relationship between her parents became bad from that time on, and it was only natural that they ended up getting divorced.
She sighed slightly, grabbed Zhao Xingcan's hand and shook it, "Zhao Xingcan, I didn't eat enough for dinner, and now I'm so hungry."
Zhao Xingcan's eyes were filled with smiles, like ripples on water. He said, "What a coincidence! I'm not full either, but the doctor said you can't eat spicy food. How about some porridge?"
"It's all right. I'm not as picky about food as you." After saying that, she poked Zhao Xingcan's waist with her hand. She could clearly feel his abdominal muscles, which were quite hard. She turned around and jumped down a flight of stairs and walked towards the car.
Zhao Xingcan caught up with her, put his arm around her waist and tickled her.
"Who's picky about food?" He hugged her from behind and whispered a threat in her ear.
Lin Ju was ticklish and twisted away.
Zhao Xingcan was afraid that she would be reckless and hit the top of the car door, so he quickly walked over, opened the door, and blocked the roof with his hand.
They had fish porridge. The business was very good. Since they came at the last minute and there were no private rooms available, they sat in the hall.
Lin Ju took off her mask, and the bright white light from the store fell on her face. A large area of the dense red rash had disappeared.
It wasn't very itchy, but it was still uncomfortable, and Lin Ju couldn't help but reach out. At this time, Zhao Xingcan always grabbed her slender wrist before her.
"Hey, you might as well tie my hands." Lin Ju sighed.
Zhao Xingcan raised his eyebrows and said, "Okay, I'll take you home, tie you up, and not let you go anywhere."
"That's not what I meant." Lin Ju lowered his head, his earlobes burning.
The fish porridge was quite delicious, and because she was hungry, Lin Ju drank a bowl and then had another.
Her stomach was full of porridge, and she felt like a kettle, gurgling when she shook it.
Zhao Xingcan looked at her. At this time, Lin Ju could not be considered pretty. Her makeup was wiped off. She had just applied medicine. The white ointment covered her cheeks and the tip of her nose. Her hair was tied loosely. She was leaning lazily on the chair with a silly look on her face.
But for some reason, he thought Lin Ju was quite cute like this.
Like a kitten he raised when he was a child, it was cute when lying flat on its back after eating, cute when rolling on its back, and cute when its fur fell all over the floor. No matter what, it was a delight to watch.
He couldn't help but feel like teasing her, so he raised his hand and hooked his fingers.
Lin Ju was obedient and leaned over eagerly, "What?"
He lifted Lin Ju's chin with his fingers and scratched it gently, then leaned over, tilted his head, and kissed her moist, red lips.
A smell of fish.
It really is a kitten.
When Feng Longlu called, they had already returned to Bandao Villa. Lin Ju had taken her medicine and gone to sleep in her room. Zhao Xingcan had finished his shower and was leaning on the balcony smoking.
He glanced at the phone, answered it, and listened.
Feng Longlu and he smiled for a while, Zhao Xingcan leaned his elbows on the railing, and the smoke drifted away with the wind.
He listened for a while, then spoke slowly, "What exactly did Zhang Mao do when you told me about him last time?"
They were introduced during the meal, but Zhao Xingcan was busy flirting with Lin Ju at the time and definitely didn't hear.
"It's mainly about artificial intelligence. Isn't that really popular lately?"
Zhao Xingcan couldn't deny that the group had recently been discussing the decision to establish a new company, specifically to enter the field of artificial intelligence. He pinched his cigarette between his fingers, staring at the orange sparks. "Is this the person the third son of the Zheng family wants to deal with?"
"Hey, Zheng San wants to buy Zhang Mao's company, but the other party is not happy about it."
"He has a really big appetite." Everyone in the circle knew how deep the Zheng family was. With three sons in total, it was like nine sons competing for the throne. He chuckled and said, "Find a day to ask Zhang Mao to come out."
Later, there was no need for Feng Longlu to make an appointment, as Lin Ju met Zhang Mao when she went to the hospital for a follow-up visit.
People were lining up to pay fees. Their right hands were in plaster, their faces were bruised and swollen, and they were limping while holding a pile of materials.
Lin Ju came out of the clinic and saw him again, standing in the corner, with materials dropped on the ground. He staggered and bent down to pick them up.
She remembered how this man had been deliberately harassed by the man called Mr. Zheng at the last dinner. Seeing him in the same situation again, she walked over to help pick up the hospital bills on the ground and handed them to him.
Zhang Mao took it and thanked her repeatedly. The moment he looked up, he saw Lin Ju's face and was stunned. "Ms. Lin."
Lin Ju picked up the last receipt and handed it to him, "Mr. Zhang, what happened to your injuries?"
"Thank you. Just call me Zhang Mao." Zhang Mao sighed, his bruised face full of worry. "Don't mention it. A few days ago, I was in the company garage. I just got out of the car and someone hit me on the back of the head with a stick. There were three or four of them beating me up. My hand was broken."
"There's actually such a thing. Have you called the police?"
"I reported it, but the police said that the surveillance camera was blind spot and they couldn't see who did it." Zhang Mao lowered his head and smiled slightly sadly, "Actually, I know who it is even without seeing it."
Lin Ju tilted her head, and just at this moment, Zhao Xingcan came in from outside after finishing his cigarette and saw them.
He walked to Lin Ju's side, put his hand on her shoulder, lowered his head and asked, "What did the doctor say?"
When Zhao Xingcan approached, Lin Ju heard his voice and raised her head slightly. "The doctor said I'm almost well now and don't need to take medicine anymore."
Zhao Xingcan raised one eyebrow and said, "Not bad, I'll take you to eat something delicious later."
"Before dinner, accompany me to my warehouse. I need to get a few things."
"Okay." Zhao Xingcan said and glanced at Zhang Mao.
Zhang Mao immediately tensed up, but because his face was covered with wounds, he couldn't help but grimace.
"I originally wanted to ask Feng Longlu to make an appointment with you, but I didn't expect to see you here." Zhao Xingcan took out a business card.
Zhang Mao wanted to take it with both hands, but he had a broken hand, so he could only apologize and take it with his left hand.
Before Zhao Xingcan left with Lin Ju, he said to Zhang Mao, "Call the higher-ups and make an appointment with my secretary. I want to discuss cooperation with you."
It was a bit like accidentally picking up a lottery ticket and winning the first prize. He was so excited that he couldn't speak. He took a deep breath and looked like he was about to cry.
The Zheng family had taken a fancy to his company's core technology and wanted to acquire it at a low price. For the past six months, they had been suppressing him in various ways. He was just a startup, and although he had won many awards, he was also not well-known both domestically and internationally.
But in the end, it is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. How can it compete with the huge capital of the Zheng family?
Originally, their company was on the verge of being acquired by the Zheng family at a low price, but now, the olive branch extended by Zhao Xingcan gave him hope again.
Moreover, Zhao Xingcan was talking about cooperation.
That night, Zhang Mao received a call from the police, saying that there was a surveillance camera in the basement. Through this surveillance camera, they identified the suspects who beat him. There were three people in total, and they also gave out the mastermind behind the incident.
Zheng Wei, the third son of the Zheng family.
The fact that Zheng Wei was arrested on suspicion of assault caused a sensation in their circle.
More importantly, he completely lost his qualifications in the Zheng family's battle for the throne.
Feng Longlu told Zhao Xingcan this as gossip, his face beaming with joy. "I heard that Zheng San had his leg broken in there. He's having a terrible time. He's lost several teeth and can barely speak properly. Zheng's third concubine is trying to commit suicide in the house every day."
Zhao Xingcan was not surprised to hear this. He leaned back on the sofa, holding his cell phone and selecting the tableware that Lin Ju had given him.
The girl said that the tableware in the house was too expensive and luxurious. She felt uneasy using it because she was always afraid of accidentally breaking it. She bought some cheap ones to use casually. Now she was asking Zhao Xingcan which color he liked best.
Zhao Xing ran for the white one, and Lin Ju put a string of periods on his head.
[White is not a good option, it's too monotonous. Let's buy pink. Pink is so pretty.]
Zhao Xingcan had no choice but to imitate Lin Ju and send a string of periods.
What do you mean, you don't want to?
[Of course not, I just thought... should I use pink too?]
"Why not? You won't use the same color as me?"
Zhao Xingcan tapped the screen with his finger and made a cute dazed expression.
[No, I'd love to.]
"Are you listening to me?" Feng Longlu walked in front of him, feeling powerless and ignored, and couldn't help complaining.
Zhao Xingcan finally opened his eyes and put down his phone. His distinct black and white eyes were calm and cold. "He couldn't talk to begin with, and now he doesn't have to."
He thought of the day he met Zhang Mao in the hospital. On the way back in the car, Lin Ju said that he was a good man who helped in times of need.
At that time, he just thought it was the funniest joke he had ever heard in his life.
People have many sides, and he is just good at showing his good side to Lin Ju.
In fact, Zhao Xingcan has never been a good person.
He is a man who will kill without mercy.
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