A small candy

Chapter 57: Extra 4: The aftereffect of aged vinegar is too strong

The night sky outside the window was bright with a moon and sparse stars, a cool breeze howled, and the temperature inside was just right. Jian Ling occupied a corner of Cheng Zhixu's study, organizing materials at the newly added desk, while Cheng Zhixu worked at his original desk.

The two of them didn't disturb each other, and the atmosphere was very quiet. There was only the occasional rustling of papers and the clicking of keyboards, which was as beautiful as a painting.

The cell phone ringing at this time seemed very abrupt. Jian Ling put down the stack of documents she had just sorted out and picked up the cell phone on the table.

Cheng Zhixu was interrupted by the noise and stopped what he was doing. He picked up the cold coffee beside him, took a sip, and looked up at her.

An unfamiliar number called. Jian Ling stared at the screen and hesitated for a moment before answering the phone. A deliberately lowered male voice came from the other end: "Guess who I am."

Jian Ling's brows relaxed, apparently she had guessed what the other party had said the moment he finished speaking. She supported her cheek with her free hand, rolled her eyes, and deliberately said that she couldn't guess.

The person on the other end was really angry. His voice returned to normal and he spoke very unstandard Mandarin. Whenever he encountered a difficult word, he would directly replace it with Italian. His speech was a nonsensical mess.

But Jian Ling understood and finally found an opportunity to mock him: "Cheng Yan, you at least finished junior high school in China, how come your Mandarin is so bad?"

Cheng Yan: "You guessed it was me!"

"Come on, I'm not stupid, how could I not recognize your voice?" Jian Ling glanced at the phone screen and frowned, "Did you change your phone number? I don't have any notes here."

"It has been changed a long time ago! I told you about it in an email, but you forgot." Cheng Yan was a little depressed.

Jian Ling apologized repeatedly, and then heard Cheng Yan say that he would be coming to China in a few days on business and might be away for a while. Finally, he said seriously, "You're right, I do need a translator, so why not you?"

"I can't." Jian Ling refused directly. "I can pick you up at the airport and welcome you home, but I can't be your translator. I'm busy with work and don't have time."

Cheng Yan immediately said, "That's what you said. Come pick me up at the airport."

"A word is as good as a promise." Jian Ling was straightforward and never procrastinated. She made the decision immediately. "Hurry up and send me the flight information."

While Jian Ling was on the phone, her hands would make other small movements, sometimes resting her chin on her hand, sometimes picking at the edges of the documents on the desk, causing the brand new A4 paper to curl and become frayed. Just as she was about to switch papers and continue playing, she felt a sudden puff of heat by her ear. Jian Ling shook her shoulders and glanced sideways. Cheng Zhixu had come over, one hand resting on the back of the chair behind her, the other supporting the edge of the desk, his fingers stretched out, slender and white, too beautiful to be real.

She was concentrating on making a phone call, her eyes were always down, and she didn't notice him approaching.

Cheng Zhixu frowned, and waited until she hung up before he withdrew his hand from the edge of the table. He leaned sideways against the table and looked down at her condescendingly: "Who needs you to pick them up at the airport and give them a warm welcome? Didn't you say you've been busy with work lately?"

She was so busy that she didn't even have time to get the marriage certificate, but she did have time to pick up other men at the airport and treat other men to dinner - when he first came over, he vaguely heard a few blurry words, it was definitely a man's voice.

Jian Ling tilted her neck to look at the man whose legs were taller than the table. She reached out to hug him and said in a coquettish tone, "A friend I haven't seen for a long time is coming back in a few days. As the host, shouldn't I entertain him?"

Cheng Zhixu raised his eyebrows noncommittally and simply asked, "Which friend?"

"You wouldn't recognize him even if I told you." Jian Ling explained, "He was my elementary and middle school classmate. He later settled abroad with his parents. I guess he came back this time for work. I didn't ask around."

Cheng Zhixu pinched her chin with his fingers, rubbing it a few times, recalling and thinking, and finally asked her hesitantly: "Is it the Italian one? The childhood sweetheart?"

Jian Ling took a deep breath in surprise. She didn't remember ever mentioning the name "Cheng Yan" to him. "Do you know him?"

It was indeed him. Cheng Zhixu snorted inwardly.

"Before meeting the Italian client, one night, you, Ye Guizhou, and I were having dinner together. We talked about why you could speak Italian, and your uncle explained it to us." Cheng Zhixu pondered for a moment, his fingers sliding from her jaw to her cheek. The skin beneath his hands was so smooth that he couldn't let go. He said solemnly, "He said that when you were little, you had a friend who was Chinese in Italian. You were very close, childhood sweethearts, and he later returned to Italy after finishing junior high school in China. You still keep in touch."

Cheng Zhixu had an excellent memory and remembered Ye Guizhou's original words clearly, word for word.

Jian Ling exclaimed "Ah" and remembered this.

"But I remember I said at that time that we were not childhood sweethearts." Jian Ling's memory was not too bad. When he brought back her memories, she associated them with more scenes.

She still remembered herself at that time, still secretly liking Cheng Zhixu but not daring to say it out loud, fearing that he would misunderstand something, so she quickly explained that she and Cheng Yan were not in that kind of relationship.

Cheng Zhixu nodded slightly. He had indeed said that, but...

"You blushed at that time." "I'm... I'm not shy, I'm just afraid that you will think too much." Jian Ling tends to speak incoherently when she is excited, which makes her seem guilty, but she is not guilty at all.

While she was gesturing randomly, Cheng Zhixu leaned over and sealed her lips. The rest of the work was unnecessary. Jian Ling fell to the bed in a daze. She always felt like something was shaking in front of her eyes, but she couldn't see clearly.

-

Later, Jian Ling couldn't help but complain in her heart. Cheng Zhixu was indeed old, and the aftereffect of his jealousy was too strong. She was almost killed by his jealousy. That night, she hardly slept well.

But she had already promised Cheng Yan to pick him up at the airport, so it would be bad to go back on her word.

On March 3, Jian Ling took half a day off to go to Beijing Capital International Airport to pick someone up. The airport lobby was bustling with people, and there was someone holding a sign that read "Welcome Mr. So-and-so." It was probably someone picking up a client.

Jian Ling stood at the railing, occasionally standing on tiptoe to peer around. She glanced at the sign a few more times. The exaggerated, brightly colored font really stood out in the crowd. If she had known earlier, she would have used this tactic.

Just as I was distracted, someone tapped my shoulder gently, and then a broken Chinese voice rang out above my head: "Where are you looking? Should I pick you up at the airport, or should you?"

Jian Ling turned her head, and a magnified face suddenly appeared before her. He had narrow, thin, single eyelids, pupils a beautiful brown, as clear and moist as glass, and a high nose bridge. Just like when she had seen him two years ago, his skin was fair and clean, and he was wearing a casual suit with an off-white wool coat over it.

If he wore sunglasses, passersby would definitely mistake him for a big star in the entertainment industry. In fact, she said that even without sunglasses, Cheng Yan looked like a certain Korean star.

His outfit also has a celebrity street style feel.

Cheng Yan smiled widely, opened his arms and hugged her, saying, "I'm back."

Before Jian Ling could react, he hugged her tightly. She was stunned for a moment. When she came to her senses and wanted to push him away, Cheng Yan just let go of her hand.

"Welcome." Jian Ling was frightened by his enthusiasm. She curled her lips and pulled him out of the crowd. "Let's go."

Cheng Yan pushed the luggage cart with two large silver suitcases on it with one hand. His other hand naturally wrapped around Jian Ling's shoulders to prevent passers-by from bumping into her. He then accused her in Italian: "You liar! You said you were going to Italy, why didn't you come to see me?"

"Talk nicely and don't touch me." Jian Ling bowed, escaped from his arms, stood one step away from him, and replied in Italian, "I would like to go, but it's not that I'm too busy with work and can't spare the time."

Cheng Yan looked at his arm hanging in the air. After a few seconds, he held the armrest of the luggage cart as if nothing had happened and strode forward. A strange feeling surged in his heart.

-

After Jian Ling dropped him off at the hotel, she took a taxi home. On the way back, she bought some cooked food from her favorite delicatessen. When she entered the house, she saw Cheng Zhixu sitting on the sofa, in the same exact position as the night she came home late, like an old monk in meditation, holding a book in his hands.

The book wasn't the original English edition, but a magazine. Hearing the sound of a door opening and closing, Cheng Zhixu looked up from his financial magazine and asked, "You're back so early, aren't you going to give him a welcome?"

"Cheng Yan is a little tired today. We agreed to have dinner together another day." Jian Ling smiled, with tiny stars twinkling in her eyes. She put down the takeaway box in her hand, rushed over and hugged his neck, saying in a tender voice, "Boss Cheng, are you unhappy? If you are unhappy, we can go together."

Cheng Zhixu said coldly, "There's nothing to be unhappy about."

Jian Ling: “Oh——”

The next morning, Jian Ling saw a bunch of gorgeous champagne roses at her workstation. Dewdrops rolled across the soft petals, sending bursts of fragrance. Jian Ling took the bag from her arm and placed it on the table, her mind a little confused.

Cheng Zhixu gave her roses again? They just said goodbye in the elevator, and he hadn't mentioned it to her?

Dai Wangchu flicked the rose petals with his fingers, and chuckled softly, "Wow, Mr. Cheng is so romantic. We meet every day and he still secretly sends flowers."

The other girls in the office also looked at her with envy.

Based on her past experience, Jian Ling searched among the densely packed flowers and finally found a card. It was handwritten in Italian, with a smooth, slanted font that looked like it had been printed. It was beautiful. The translation meant: To the beautiful Miss Jian, I wish you happiness every day!
Signed: Missing you Cheng Yan

Jian Ling stared at the words on the card, and a question popped up in her head: What's going on?
　In fact, our boss Cheng has never concealed his care and love for Princess Lingling since he confessed his love. Woohoo, today is another day of crying for beautiful love.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)