Chapter 16 Old News
"So, does this mean you're going to marry Jingjing this time you're back?"
Good wine won't harm your health; once you vomit it out, your stomach will feel much better.
The harsh words were chilling, and she now truly understands how much the past had hurt Chen Jingshu.
Lin Yujing washed her face again, looked up at herself in the mirror, her hair was messy and her face was pale.
At the age of twenty-something, the prime of her life, she squandered it, leaving her eyes dull and lifeless.
Compared to Chen Jingshu at this moment, he is worlds apart, like heaven and earth, like clouds and mud.
My heart trembled with fear at the mere thought of standing face to face with him; even that filled me with loneliness.
But her heart kept beating, and life went on, so she had to pick up the broken glass and grit her teeth and move forward.
Lin Yujing wiped away her tears and came out of the bathroom. Chen Jingshu was standing at the door waiting for her.
In her extreme despair, she didn't even notice him hanging up the phone. Then, looking at her pale and thin face, she still had a look of heartache and despair in her eyes.
But when Lin Yujing looked up, his eyes were filled with cold disdain. He stuffed his backpack and phone into her arms and said coldly, "Let's go."
Lin Yujing quickly understood that this meant he was going to take her away. "President Chen, I can't leave. There are still projects to be done."
Chen Jingshu looked at her, seemingly puzzled, "Are you going back to drink with them?"
She knew from the private room that Wang Hui's hints were quite direct.
They knew the shortcut was right in front of them, but the two were not the loving couple Wang Hui had imagined, nor were they engaging in ambiguous flirting.
They had an unresolved issue, so she had no choice but to seek help from afar.
"That project is very important to me."
"I didn't expect there to be something so important to Miss Lin."
The same sarcastic and cynical tone remained, but with the lingering effects of alcohol, all the grievances suddenly became inescapable.
Her eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she looked up at him, choking back sobs, and asked, "Isn't there anything important to Mr. Chen?"
The air was thick with the silent tension of battle, but Chen Jingshu's expression remained indifferent as he casually replied, "Yes, but she's gone."
With a few words that seemed to deflect a thousand pounds, Lin Yujing quickly succumbed, "I..."
"If you want to go back to drinking with customers, then go ahead." Chen Jingshu ignored her explanation and strode out of the restaurant.
In the private restaurant, on the floor with private rooms, in the corridor where she was all alone, she didn't even need to hide her emotions.
"Don't feel wronged, or that Brother Jing has changed." The voice came from behind her, and she knew who it was without turning around.
"I know I hurt him back then, I'm sorry to him." These words came from the bottom of her heart, because her voice was choked with emotion. "But now, he should be living a good life, at least better than me."
Chu Yan chuckled and shook his head helplessly, "I thought you really felt guilty, but it turns out this is what you think of Brother Jing?"
"Isn't that so?" The unapproachable, future sole heir of the Huaren Group lives on the central axis overlooking the capital. Those weary eyes clearly reveal the composure of someone who has satisfied all desires and desires.
"You chose to leave when Brother Jing was at his most vulnerable. How could you not have guessed what kind of life he would lead afterward?" Chu Yan was both angry and annoyed. "In these seven years, he was prominent in public, but like a stagnant pool in private."
"Do you know that Huaren has a subsidiary near your school? Every time we go there for a meeting, he would rather take an extra half hour to get there than pass by your school. How much of a blow must Lin Yujing have dealt to such a proud person that he would instinctively feel fear and resistance even when he is near your space?"
Lin Yujing could barely hear what was said after that; she only felt her entire brain surrounded by a sharp, piercing scream. But her feet were no longer under her control; she desperately ran towards the spot where Chen Jingshu's figure had disappeared.
Fortunately, as soon as they came out, they saw that Chen Jingshu's car was still there.
His back window was half-rolled down, and although his face was gloomy, his expression softened noticeably.
She was just unsure if he was waiting for her, just as she was unsure if, in his hatred, there was even a trace of love left.
The two remained locked in a stalemate, each holding their own side, like a silent tug-of-war.
Finally, Lin Yujing's phone rang, and as soon as she answered, Zhang Jiale's bright and cheerful voice came through the receiver, "Senior, what do you think about going out for dinner and a movie this afternoon?"
His voice seemed to have a penetrating power, even drawing the attention of Chen Jingshu in the car.
The moment their eyes met, Chu Yan's voice echoed in her mind, and her heart surrendered completely.
"Sorry! I have something very important to do today. You should find someone else to hang out with." Without waiting for Zhang Jiale's reply, Lin Yujing hung up the phone and walked firmly toward Chen Jingshu.
"Mr. Chen, I was still a bit tipsy and spoke rudely. But I sincerely want to discuss the project with you, and I hope you can give me another chance." She used to know best how to soften Chen Jingshu's heart; all she had to do was make her eyes red and wet, like a stray puppy that had been soaked in the rain. Although she wasn't sure if this tactic would still work, she had to give it a try for the sake of the project.
So the moment Chen Jingshu frowned tightly, her heart clenched, and tears welled up in her eyes instantly.
"Let's talk somewhere else. I shouldn't be drinking lately," he said.
As if granted some kind of pardon, Lin Yujing's tears instantly dried up, so quickly that Chen Jingshu was stunned and couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating sneer.
Lin Yujing quickly opened his car door and got in, afraid that he would change his mind again. "President Chen, where should we talk now?"
Chen Jingshu crossed his long legs and patted his knees lightly with his palms. "It's almost lunchtime. Let's talk after we eat."
"Then I'll make the arrangements," Lin Yujing said. "There's a home-style restaurant in Yijing that was opened by Aunt Zhang, who used to sell seafood in Pengzhen. It has a really homey taste. Would you like to try it?"
She didn't know if Chen Jingshu had ever returned to Pengzhen, or if he still wanted to think about Pengzhen, but she couldn't help but use work as an excuse to test him.
"The taste of home?" He stared at her and chuckled. "Sure. After eating too much roast duck and hot pot, seafood is a good alternative."
As expected, Lin Yujing ignored her disappointment and immediately gave Yuan Shu directions.
Finally, the Rolls-Royce with its three license plates, which was anything but understated, stopped in front of a secluded and somewhat dilapidated little restaurant.
“Two years ago, Aunt Zhang’s youngest daughter was admitted to Yijing University, so the whole family came to Yijing to settle down.” Lin Yujing walked ahead and lifted the slightly yellowed leather curtain for him.
Although the interior furnishings were a bit worn, the seafood selection areas neatly arranged on both sides at the entrance were in the familiar style of Penghu shops.
There was a faint, damp, fishy smell in the air, along with the noisy, bustling atmosphere of the marketplace, yet it was strangely comforting.
"Mr. Chen, is it alright?" She was getting his final approval.
"Since we're all here, what's wrong with that?" Perhaps because he was in a familiar and welcoming place, even his noble air seemed to have taken on a touch of everyday life.
At this moment, the proprietress, Aunt Zhang, came out from inside. Upon seeing Lin Yujing, she greeted her warmly, "It's Jingjing! I haven't seen you around lately."
Lin Yujing skillfully picked up the plate and selected seafood. "I've been busy lately with my thesis and commercial papers."
Aunt Zhang looked at her with heartache in her eyes, "The young girl is all alone and always looks so pitiful. She should think more about herself and take care of herself."
Lin Yujing doesn't like to play the victim, but she still subconsciously looked at Chen Jingshu first.
His expression remained unchanged, showing no emotion.
As a businesswoman, Aunt Zhang keenly followed her gaze and only then noticed the person behind her. She exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this Ah Shu!"
When Aunt Zhang warmly took his hand, Chen Jingshu didn't dodge, but he didn't react too intimately either. "Aunt Zhang."
“Oh my god! When your mother passed away and we heard that you had found your biological father, we were all relieved that the poor child still had a home. But we never heard from you again.” Aunt Zhang glanced at Lin Yujing. “Over the years, I’ve always seen Jingjing eating alone with her classmates. I thought that even you had lost contact with her, and I didn’t dare to mention you for fear of upsetting Jingjing.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yujing looked at Chen Jingshu guiltily, and sure enough, he was looking at her with a mocking and amused expression.
His expression seemed to say: Even a heartless person can feel sadness?
"How have you been all these years?" Aunt Zhang was a neighbor who had watched him grow up. When he followed Chen Rongqing back to the Chen family in Yijing, he did not reveal his true identity, so her concern at this moment was not a deliberate pretense.
“These years…” Chen Jingshu opened his mouth as if there was bitterness in his voice, but after he spoke, it all became as light as a boat that had already passed thousands of mountains. “At first, when I went abroad to study, I didn’t keep in touch with China because of the time difference. In the past two years, I have been busy with work after graduating and returning to China, so I haven’t had time to let my elders in Pengzhen know that I’m safe.”
Aunt Zhang sighed repeatedly, feeling both heartache and relief. "Knowing that you're doing well puts our minds at ease. Before your mother passed away, every time we chatted, she would tell us to take care of you in the future. Only later did we realize that it was her dying wish to entrust her child to us."
Lin Yujing couldn't stand these words, so she turned her back and pretended to choose vegetables, unaware of the expression on Chen Jingshu's face at that moment.
"So, does this mean you're going to marry Jingjing this time you're back?" As elders get older, they love to ask about the marriage and childbirth of the younger generation.
"..." Chen Jingshu remained silent, while Lin Yujing, with her back turned, pretended not to hear.
“Your mother was very pleased with Jingjing back then, and she would praise her to everyone she met, saying that the girl was sensible and considerate. When Xiaolin came to Yijing for college, we tried to contact Jingjing to see if she could help take care of her. She has traveled from the North Ring Road to the South to help out quite a few times.”
Chen Jingshu then chuckled, "So enthusiastic."
Lin Yujing bit her lip and hummed in agreement, "Before, Xiaolin followed you around calling you 'brother this' and 'brother that', so it was only right that I helped take care of her."
"That's rare indeed," he replied coldly.
"You brat, you've changed the subject again. When are you planning to marry Jingjing? You can't let things drag on for too long and then you'll get distracted and ruin her life." Aunt Zhang was a straightforward person, and having watched Chen Jingshu grow up, she scolded him as if she were a child herself.
“Auntie, you watched me grow up. Don’t you know if she might have second thoughts?” Facing Aunt Zhang, Chen Jingshu’s voice unconsciously became obedient. He then pointed to her standing to the side, “You should ask her if she might have second thoughts over time.”
Lin Yujing knew that this conflict would fall on her, but the atmosphere was just right, and she didn't want to break it, so she followed Chen Jingshu's lead and said, "We'll have to wait until after I graduate before we talk about marriage."
"Oh dear, I forgot!" Aunt Zhang laughed and clapped her hands. "Xiaolin was saying a while ago that Jingjing was preparing to apply to study for a PhD in the United States. She said a very famous professor was going to take on a last disciple, somewhere in Ohio or some island."
“Ohio State University.” Chen Jingshu’s expression turned cold as he looked at her, his tone carrying a mocking tone that only the two of them could understand. “She has always been smart and knows how to plan a bright future.”
"So it turns out that even without studying acting, Jingjing can still get a doctorate. I just wonder if the five million given by the male lead's mother is enough?" he said in a low voice, his tone even colder.
Lin Yujing's throat seemed to be choked, and even her smile became stiff.
"Hey, you brat." Aunt Zhang thought it was just a young couple flirting, so she slapped him and pushed the two of them towards the private room. "If that's not enough, there's still you! Your wife is in school, and you still have to worry about money!"
Chen Jingshu chuckled again, muttering self-deprecatingly, "My own wife?"
Lin Yujing didn't respond, and the matter was turned over and forgotten, like flipping through a book.
-
Upon arriving at the elegant private room, Aunt Zhang took out the menu and handed it directly to Lin Yujing.
Lin Yujing was responsible for everything from opening the shop to taking promotional photos and making menus.
Others thought she was just being kind, but only she knew that she was taking out her pent-up guilt towards Chen Jingshu on someone he had once been close to.
"Braised sea cucumber, fried crab, seafood porridge, mackerel dumplings," Aunt Zhang read aloud. "Why is this different from what you usually order?"
To save money, she usually eats mostly vegetarian food, and at most, she'll order a serving of mackerel dumplings as her main dish. "These are all things that A-Shu likes to eat."
Aunt Zhang smiled warmly, patted Chen Jingshu, and said, "It's good to have someone who understands you and knows how to take care of you."
"Then let's have another order of braised prawns, she likes them," Chen Jingshu said casually.
“You’ve been apart for too long, Jingjing doesn’t like shrimp.” Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang immediately began to grumble at him indignantly: “I remember very clearly the first time Jingjing came to my restaurant, she took a shrimp, and while she was peeling it, she suddenly started crying, which scared all the other children at the table, who wondered what had happened.”
Meeting his gaze, memories began to flow.
She actually loves eating shrimp, but Chen Xuan and Chen Jingshu always peel them for her; she's the one who reaps the benefits without lifting a finger.
Later, when she was all alone, she realized that peeling shrimp could also be a heartbreaking thing.
"I'm just bad at peeling shrimp, it's not that serious," Lin Yujing explained softly, her eyes involuntarily reddening.
"So delicate?" Chen Jingshu looked at her, a faint, ambiguous smile in his eyes.
Just then, someone outside called the owner to order, and Aunt Zhang left.
The space left for just the two of them was filled with an awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere.
Only after all the dishes were served did we finally feel a little relieved.
A plate of plump, bright red prawns was pushed in front of Lin Yujing. She reached out first and burned herself. But this time, it was only a physical pain; her heart was still warm.
Lin Yujing peeled one and placed it directly into Chen Jingshu's bowl.
He picked up a piece of shrimp with his chopsticks. "Don't you know how to peel shrimp?"
Lin Yujing looked back at him timidly, her expression cautiously trying to please him, "I'm trying to win you over."
Chen Jingshu narrowed his eyes, his shoulders trembling with a casual smile, and then he put the shrimp back into her bowl. "Lin Yujing, all you do is use me as a tool."
The meal wasn't particularly enjoyable, but it wasn't unpleasant either.
Before they left, Aunt Zhang kept telling the two of them to come often.
-
As Chen Jingshu stepped out of the restaurant, his phone rang. He had received an internal message from Huaren: [Headquarters Board Office: All branch presidents are requested to attend the group meeting at 3:00 PM.]
Seeing him stop, Lin Yujing also stopped and asked, "How about we find a coffee shop to discuss the Hundred Schools Alliance project?"
Before Chen Jingshu could speak, a deep, gentle male voice came from behind them, "Jingjing."
Xunyin must be someone who is very close to Lin Yujing.
Chen Jingshu turned around first and saw a group of boys. The one in the lead had a gentle smile and was the source of the voice.
Then, the next moment, he was pushed aside by the boy behind him. "Senior Brother Xu, I told you that was Senior Sister Jingjing!"
Zhang Jiale smiled brightly and strode towards Lin Yujing in a light blue tracksuit.
The combination of brightness and gentleness brightened up what was originally a gloomy afternoon.
"Senior, what are you doing here?" The cheerful little dog ran straight to Lin Yujing's side.
"I must say, Jiale always recognizes Jingjing from a long distance." At that moment, Xu Jibai and a group of boys walked over. "And who is this?"
Lin Yujing glanced at Chen Jingshu, but he hadn't smiled much since they met again, so she couldn't tell his true emotions.
“This is Mr. Chen from JING Capital. We’re here to discuss the upcoming project cooperation in Hoh Xil for the Hundred Schools Alliance.” Lin Yujing first introduced Chen Jingshu, then looked at him and said, “This is Senior Brother Xu Jibai, the student in our alliance responsible for biological and environmental recording. This is Zhang Jiale, who is responsible for biological vital sign recording. And the rest… are all alliance members.”
Lin Yujing looked at Chen Jingshu expectantly, but he didn't make any obvious movements. Instead, Xu Jibai stepped forward and extended his hand first, "Hello, President Chen, I am Xu Jibai, nice to meet you."
Chen Jingshu nodded slightly, with the composure of someone in a superior position, and extended his hand, saying, "Hello."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhang Jiale joined in, his smile bright and genuinely harmless, "Hello, Mr. Chen, I'm Zhang Jiale."
Chen Jingshu slipped one hand into his trouser pocket and suddenly looked Zhang Jiale up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.
He was probably from the North, tall and upright, with the typical intelligent face of a science student, but also with a sunny disposition like a sports student.
"President Chen?" Zhang Jiale held his hand up for a long time, his smile becoming a little stiff.
Then Chen Jingshu slowly extended his hand, "Hello, junior Zhang Jiale?"
The moment they shook hands, Zhang Jiale felt a sharp pain in his palm, and he frowned. "Did President Chen practice martial arts before? His grip is incredibly strong."
From the first time he met Chen Jingshu, Zhang Jiale felt that Chen Jingshu was not easy to get along with.
His face was gloomy and unsmiling, exuding an arrogant and disdainful air, looking down on all living beings.
"Jingjing, how did your conversation with President Chen go?" Xu Jibai asked, interrupting Zhang Jiale's daydreaming.
“We just finished lunch and were looking for a place to talk.” Lin Yujing looked at Chen Jingshu and asked the question that had just been interrupted again, “Mr. Chen, would it be alright if we went to a coffee shop?”
Chen Jingshu seemed thoughtful, and then glanced at Zhang Jiale standing behind her. The little boy's eyes were full of her, staring at her directly and without any attempt to hide it. "Is the information you brought detailed?"
"Detailed!" Lin Yujing nodded eagerly.
Chen Jingshu: "Are they together?"
Lin Yujing: "For me, today is Monday. Senior Brother Xu and the others are going to the Alliance for a group meeting this afternoon."
Zhang Jiale: "Senior, I don't need to go to the league this afternoon, I can keep you company."
Chen Jingshu nodded first, then changed the subject, pointing at Lin Yujing and saying, "You, come with me to JING Capital to talk."
A note from the author:
You're Everywhere
Singer: Young Master Chen
[Pretending not to see][Glancing at you a thousand times out of the corner of my eye][Pretending not to care][Jealousy impossible to hide][Holding the microphone][It's just a bunch of beautiful excuses to bury all your traces; where you've been, only unbearable longing remains.]
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Young Master Chen: Family, does anyone understand?! How come she has so many younger male and female students?!
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