Chapter 17 "Does it really have to be now...?"
"Does it have to be now? Can't we go later?"
"Okay, I'll be right there."
After saying that, Xiang Zhinan hung up the phone.
Xiang Zhinan looked at the two of them and said, "My house is in the renovation stage, and the designer, who was supposed to take the 12 o'clock flight, arrived early. I have to go there now." He shifted his gaze to Huang Shiyu's face, and Huang Shiyu was also looking at him. Her pupils were as clear as a spring. Meeting those eyes, Xiang Zhinan felt guilty, and his expression and tone were full of apology: "Let Xingzhou take you there. I'm really sorry about today. I promised you everything."
Huang Shiyu smiled slightly: "It's nothing, you go ahead and do your work. I can go by myself. I should thank you for today. I'll treat you to a meal when you have time another day."
She pulled out that same set of classic quotes that she used on everyone.
Outside the old alley, a long wind blew, and the sun shone brightly on everything. The temperature was not as cold as in the stairwell. Li Xingzhou stood next to Huang Shiyu. His black knee-length coat made him look tall and slender. A few strands of hair on his forehead were blown by the wind, slightly covering his long eyebrows that reached his temples. His face was expressionless before, but now it was cold and somewhat indifferent.
His aloof and stern demeanor made him resemble a nobleman who had mistakenly wandered into a slum.
Xiang Zhinan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll send you a message then. You can't take forever to reply, you're such a busy person."
"Yes, definitely," Huang Shiyu said.
As they were talking, Xiang Zhinan received another phone call urging him to leave. Before leaving, he left Li Xingzhou with a reminder: "Remember to make sure you get him safely!"
Watching Xiang Zhinan get into the car, Huang Shiyu was about to take her luggage and flag down a taxi to Lu Xiao's house. She hadn't taken Xiang Zhinan's words to heart, and she guessed Li Xingzhou hadn't either.
Li Xingzhou's appearance today was enough to surprise her, and she especially wanted to escape. She had previously refused Li Xingzhou's help to move her luggage because she didn't want him to see the environment where she lived.
Now, even her last shred of self-respect has vanished in front of Li Xingzhou.
So, she now has only one urgent thought: to escape the scene immediately!
However, Li Xingzhou, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke, his words slow and tinged with a faint sense of emotion.
"You do this to everyone."
The wind rustled all around. Huang Shiyu turned her head and met Li Xingzhou's amorous peach blossom eyes. In the light and shadow, he stood a few steps away from her, handsome, but with an overly cold expression.
"Are you in the wholesale business?" he asked again.
I vaguely remember that in the past, it was very, very difficult to have a meal with you.
Li Xingzhou's words, which he blurted out, were probably a little sour even to himself.
Huang Shiyu said with some helplessness, "They helped you, isn't it normal to treat them to a meal? Isn't this the most basic reciprocal interaction in interpersonal relationships?"
She also wanted to say that this is such a wonderful traditional culture that enhances friendship, how come you treat it like Pinduoduo?
A taxi appeared not far ahead. Huang Shiyu, whose eyes were usually severely astigmatic, surprisingly had sharp eyes and caught sight of the word "vacant." Without waiting for Li Xingzhou's response, he said, "You don't need to listen to what Xiang Zhinan said. I can go by myself. It's not far. You go and do your thing."
Li Xingzhou didn't respond, and Huang Shiyu didn't bother to pay attention either. She waited for the car to come while looking at the scenery of the old alley.
Think about it, she has been in Shanghai for seven years. Many people who have been in Shanghai for two or three years without any luck will choose to leave Shanghai and find their own new world.
Where will her new world be in the future?
A long silence.
Li Xingzhou slowly uttered three words, pulling Huang Shiyu, whose thoughts had drifted far away, back to reality.
"Today."
"Huh?" She didn't understand.
"You've always wanted to treat me to dinner, so here's your chance today," Li Xingzhou said matter-of-factly.
"What do you want to eat? Do you have any dietary restrictions?" Her tone was a little stiff, as if she hadn't expected Li Xingzhou to be so unpredictable, completely depending on his mood.
Huang Shiyu watched helplessly as the empty car drove past her, thinking: "If only this car had come sooner."
"I just got back to Shanghai and I don't know what good restaurants are around here. Can you recommend some?" Li Xingzhou noticed all of her little gestures and expressions.
Huang Shiyu's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
This stumped her. She's usually busy with work, sometimes eating three meals a day, and in her spare time she's active on various forums. If you asked her to name some good places to eat in Shanghai, she couldn't come up with a single word.
She only remembered that he had said last time that he didn't like German food, so she decisively ruled out this option.
After thinking for a while and failing to find a suitable place, she simply gave up, took out her phone, and opened the app that Lu Xiao had installed for her last time. Lu Xiao said that young people nowadays like to use this app to find places to explore when they go out.
Huang Shiyu glanced at him, looked down at the various pictures, and began to list the dishes: "How about Korean BBQ?"
Li Xingzhou also came closer, lowered his head, and looked at the restaurants on the app with her, frowning: "You'll get tired of it after a few bites."
She picked and chose for a while, then stopped and asked, "Do you want Sichuan food? You can handle spicy food, right?"
"Don't you know whether I can eat spicy food or not? I have a stomach problem." Li Xingzhou's tone was somewhat sarcastic.
She really didn't know that Li Xingzhou had a stomach problem; during the few meals they ate together when they were in school, there were no spicy dishes.
Huang Shiyu swiped the screen a few more times and asked, "How about pork tripe and chicken soup hot pot? It's good for your stomach."
She originally wanted to suggest having congee hot pot, but then she remembered that she couldn't drink congee because of her stomach problems, but she could eat some alkaline foods.
The two were very close, only a fist's distance apart, and even the air seemed thin. The scent of tea and orange perfume brushed past their noses, sweet yet bitter, the scent of Li Xingzhou's perfume.
Her body initially wanted to react by taking a few steps back, but seeing Li Xingzhou intently staring at her phone, she immediately gave up.
They were just looking at the restaurant; if she had actually done that, I can't imagine how awkward the situation would have been.
But in the instant she lowered her head, she didn't see the fleeting smile that crept onto Li Xingzhou's lips.
After a long pause, Li Xingzhou asked, "Are these all your favorite foods?"
Huang Shiyu shook her head slightly: "No, I saw that the rating on the software was very high."
"He's quite honest," Li Xingzhou thought to himself.
"Don't you have any restaurants you like? Don't you know my tastes are similar to yours? It's been so many years, I've forgotten them all." As she spoke, her tone couldn't help but become sarcastic again.
Huang Shiyu didn't take his teasing to heart. "I usually eat at the company or at roadside stalls."
"It's unhealthy and too greasy," he commented.
Huang Shiyu patiently asked, "So, what would you like to eat?"
He replied, "Either is fine."
She had never seen such a difficult person to please. He was even more difficult to please than before, and now he really acted like a young master.
Perhaps seeing Huang Shiyu's volcanic expression, Li Xingzhou surprisingly took pity on him and relented.
"Eat that."
Are you sure?
"Um."
"Are you sure?" Huang Shiyu thought he was joking and asked again.
Li Xingzhou stopped responding to her, snatched the suitcase from her hand, and walked forward. Huang Shiyu had no choice but to follow.
Traffic was heavy on the road. Under the sun, plane tree leaves fluttered down the street, swirling in the air and landing on Huang Shiyu's head. She gently brushed them aside, and the leaves rolled into a ball with the wind, clinging to the breeze and floating lightly on Xiang Zhinan's car window.
Behind the glass car window, in the driver's seat, Xiang Zhinan had just finished a cross-border chat with her sister. Her right hand was on the steering wheel, and her eyes were fixed on the falling leaves outside the glass window, clearly deep in thought.
The cars in front hadn't moved, and under the blazing sun, they looked like shiny loaches.
It's rush hour now, and traffic jams are a common occurrence.
Xiang Zhinan's mind doesn't usually work very hard, and it's slow at times like this. He's eager to find out what the underlying tension between the two is.
But he had no clue.
He couldn't help but recall how attentive Li Xingzhou had been yesterday when he learned he was going to help his goddess move her luggage.
"Remember to show off your boyfriend skills in front of your goddess tomorrow. Show them off to the fullest, like carrying the refrigerator and the TV together if you can carry them," Li Xingzhou said.
Xiang Zhinan thought he made sense; he might not have much else, but he had plenty of strength.
"Is it possible?"
"Absolutely, what else?"
"And also, take me with you." Li Xingzhou's voice was persuasive. "Think about it, why do girls like to bring their best friends when they go on blind dates or go out to eat with their boyfriends? Isn't it to help them screen potential partners? In a critical moment, they are a lifesaver."
That concludes the recollection.
The car in front started moving, and the drivers were all quite quiet, their bright eyes fixed on the vehicles moving through the congested area.
Xiang Zhinan started his car, and without thinking about it anymore, his car soon joined the moving traffic, driving from day to night.
A black sedan was parked in front of a luxuriously decorated mansion, with small osmanthus trees planted on both sides, blooming sparsely.
As soon as Song Chaoye got out of the car, he smelled a strong fragrance of osmanthus, which was refreshing and invigorating. The fatigue on his face from being busy with social engagements also dissipated a little.
At this moment, a slight smile appeared on his lips, clearly indicating that he was in a good mood.
How could it not be good? They acquired Speed Technology without lifting a finger and even got to collaborate with a well-known gaming tycoon group. Anyone would be happy.
He followed the waiter through the garden full of spring colors, the flowers in the house burning like fire under the sun, until he reached the door. The waiter gently opened the door, and before he got close, he caught a glimpse of a slender figure out of the corner of his eye.
Song Chaoye walked inside, bypassing the screen used for concealment. After seeing the figure clearly, his eyes narrowed slightly, but quickly returned to normal. However, the faint smile on his lips disappeared completely.
Sam slowly raised his eyelids, still wearing that frozen smile on his lips: "I apologize for asking someone to invite President Song to come despite his busy schedule."
A note from the author:
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My friend asked me to create a Weibo account, so I did! My Weibo name is: Jinjiang Li Tianjiao
Could you please bookmark my author page? I would be extremely grateful!
Did some of you think the game was over? Hahaha, actually it's not over yet, the real show is just beginning!
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