Damn, are these two formidable figures going out for a sparring match? Xu Zhengyang didn't even bother to greet Li Bingjie and hurriedly followed them out.
But the two of them were already sitting on the brown wooden chairs placed on the steps to the right of the door.
Li Chengzong sat closest to the door, upright and composed, his eyes sharp as lightning. Chen Chaojiang sat a meter to his right, elbows on the armrests, a dagger in one hand and a piece of wood in the other, intently continuing to carve his classical beauty, as if there were no dangerous people around him and as if nothing had happened.
Xu Zhengyang turned and went back into the house, feeling very frustrated. He then sat down at the round table, sighed, and said, "Look at this mess!"
Li Bingjie ignored him, gently got up, walked slowly to the counter, and looked at the jade and antiques displayed in the glass case, as well as the porcelain and other items displayed on the antique shelves inside.
“Zhengyang…” Yao Chushun walked up to Xu Zhengyang, his forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat, and said softly, “Please, could you please not let your classmate and her bodyguard come to the store in the future? It would be better if they could come to your house as guests…”
"Why?" Xu Zhengyang asked, puzzled.
"Why don't you just not let Chaojiang come, or have him go upstairs?" Yao Chushun wiped his sweat and said in a low voice, "The two of them don't like each other and are both wary of each other... Well, if the two bodyguards have a disagreement or accidentally misunderstand each other and start fighting in our store, wouldn't they smash the counter to pieces?"
Xu Zhengyang scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "No way."
Yao Chushun said helplessly, "Alright, you stay here. I'm going upstairs. I was thinking of discussing something with you, but never mind, we'll talk about it later." After saying that, Yao Chushun turned and walked upstairs, thinking to himself that there are all kinds of birds in a big forest. Xu Zhengyang is an oddball, and the friends he makes are all strange... He never expected that in the eyes of many people, he, this Master Gu, is also an oddball, a wonderful person.
Inside the counter, Jin Qiming discovered that the stunningly beautiful girl, just as he had guessed, didn't seem to care much about Xu Zhengyang, treating him with indifference. Seeing Li Bingjie strolling slowly around the counter, seemingly looking at the antiques underneath, Jin Qiming quickly stood up and went over, smiling as he would when treating customers, intending to introduce some items. However, he found himself unable to speak, or rather, he didn't know what to say to such an extraordinary person.
Xu Zhengyang, feeling rather bored after sitting for a while, got up and walked over to Li Bingjie, jokingly asking, "What do you want to buy? Let me be clear, I'm a shrewd businessman; I won't give friends discounts, and I might even charge more..."
Unfortunately, Li Bingjie ignored him completely.
Jin Qiming finally realized something was wrong. Could this woman be mute?
Li Bingjie walked very slowly, her fair and flawless hands gently resting on the counter, moving little by little with each step.
Finally, Li Bingjie paused slightly, her cool and indifferent gaze seemingly fixed on a jade bracelet under the glass counter.
The jade bracelet was entirely emerald green, crystal clear, and exquisitely crafted.
Seeing Xu Zhengyang's signal, Jin Qiming smiled and introduced, "This jade bracelet was worn by princesses of the early Qing Dynasty. The jade material and craftsmanship are both top-notch. As a collectible, it definitely has great potential for appreciation. Currently, the price... oh, I guess if you like it, you'll want to buy it. This jade bracelet feels warm and smooth on the wrist, noble and elegant, especially complementing your temperament..." Jin Qiming paused slightly, then, ignoring Li Bingjie's expression, smiled apologetically and said, "It should be said that this jade bracelet's value is further enhanced by its presence on your wrist..."
Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but laugh out loud. Well, Jin Qiming really has a silver tongue. No wonder he honed it over the years by running a jade and antique shop with Jin Er.
Li Bingjie didn't speak, but instead turned around and gave Xu Zhengyang a light and indifferent look.
"Come on, take it out," Xu Zhengyang said with a smile and a wave.
Jin Qiming quickly opened the counter, carefully took out the jade bracelet, and handed it to Xu Zhengyang.
Xu Zhengyang, however, was not as cautious as Jin Qiming. Instead, he held it in his left hand and handed it to Li Bingjie, saying, "Try it on."
Li Bingjie paused slightly, then gazed at Xu Zhengyang's smiling face with a cool and indifferent expression. She gently raised her flawless white hand, but did not take the jade bracelet Xu Zhengyang offered. Instead, it hovered in mid-air, her eyes still fixed on Xu Zhengyang, as if waiting for something.
"Ahem..." Xu Zhengyang coughed awkwardly twice, lowered his head to avoid Li Bingjie's gaze, gritted his teeth, and thought, "Damn it, what's there for a grown man to be embarrassed about?" He then raised his head, looked at Li Bingjie, raised his right hand, grasped Li Bingjie's smooth and warm wrist, and gently slipped the jade bracelet onto her hand, then slid it down to her wrist.
Soon, Xu Zhengyang released his grip and praised with a hint of nervousness, "Beautiful, really beautiful."
Li Bingjie lowered her head, a rare, almost imperceptible blush appearing on her fair face. Looking at the crystal-clear jade bracelet on her left wrist, feeling its cool, smooth texture, she slowly raised her head. Her clear, indifferent eyes met Xu Zhengyang's slightly embarrassed gaze. Suddenly, her lips parted slightly, and she softly uttered two words: "Thank you."
"You're welcome, you're too kind! Haha." Xu Zhengyang said with a laugh, trying to cover up his embarrassment.
Unexpectedly, after thanking her, Li Bingjie softly said, "I will come again."
Then, Li Bingjie turned around and walked out of the store.
"Boss..." Jin Qiming wanted to remind someone of something, but he swallowed the words that were about to come out.
Xu Zhengyang stared blankly as Li Bingjie walked away gently. Suddenly, he realized that something seemed off about this meeting with her. Hmm, before, when she came to his house, she would come and go as she pleased, leaving the house feeling empty, as if she had never been there at all. But this time, she came without bringing anything, but when she left… she took a jade bracelet with her.
"Really, they're not going to pay?" Xu Zhengyang muttered to himself, then walked out, feeling a pang of regret as he thought, "120,000 yuan! That jade bracelet is worth 120,000 yuan!"
Upon seeing Li Bingjie emerge, Li Chengzong immediately stood up, his burly frame completely blocking Chen Chaojiang and Li Bingjie. He followed Li Bingjie down the steps to the car, opened the door, and waited until she was inside before closing it. Only then did a relieved smile appear on his face. He had noticed a new emerald green jade bracelet on Li Bingjie's wrist and had approached Xu Zhengyang with a smile, asking, "Zhengyang, how much was the jade bracelet?"
"Well, it's for Bingjie, I won't mention money," Xu Zhengyang said, forcing a smile.
"120,000." Chen Chaojiang suddenly looked up and said coldly.
Li Chengzong didn't look at Chen Chaojiang, but smiled and said to Xu Zhengyang, "I'll bring the check over later."
"Really, it's not necessary," Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and smiled.
"Hmm?" Li Chengzong looked slightly surprised and asked, "You know?"
"What?" Xu Zhengyang was also surprised.
“Today is Miss’s birthday,” Li Chengzong sighed.
Xu Zhengyang was taken aback. So she came here to ask for a birthday present? But then he thought that Li Bingjie wasn't that kind of person, so he smiled and said, "That's perfect, what a coincidence. Consider it my birthday present to Bingjie."
"Thank you." Li Chengzhong's tone was sincere and serious, with a hint of bitterness in it.
Xu Zhengyang didn't say anything, just smiled and waved his hand.
"Goodbye." Li Chengzong turned and walked towards the car.
"goodbye."
Watching the Audi A8 drive north out of the antique market gate, Xu Zhengyang pursed his lips, looked at Chen Chaojiang with a bitter face, and sighed, "We've lost a lot of money."
Chen Chaojiang ignored him and continued carving the locust wood knot with his head down.
Feeling bored, Xu Zhengyang turned around and prepared to go back into the shop to tell Yao Chushun that he would go to the bank later to transfer the money for the jade bracelet to the shop's account.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped into the store, Chen Chaojiang lowered his head and said out of the blue, "Li Bingjie doesn't care how much the bracelet is worth; what she cares about is that you gave it to her."
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang turned to look at Chen Chaojiang, paused for a moment, then chuckled and teased, "When did you learn so much?"
Chen Chaojiang turned his head and said seriously, "She's probably got a crush on you."
"Alright, I'll take your good wishes. This little mud crab of mine will finally climb to a higher position." Xu Zhengyang laughed heartily, but suddenly felt a mix of anticipation and hesitation.
Xu Zhengyang's phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw it was an unfamiliar number. After answering, he said, "Hello, who is it?"
"Zhengyang, the gatekeeper at Jinghui Logistics Company won't let us in!" Zhang Hao said with a wry smile. "I'm calling you from a public phone on the street."
"What?" Xu Zhengyang was taken aback, then said, "You didn't call Zhan Xiaohui?"
“Well, you know how it is, we can’t just call them like that.” Zhang Hao sighed and said, “Zhengyang, don’t make things difficult for yourself. How about we don’t come to work for such a big company?”
Xu Zhengyang said, "You guys wait there." After saying that, Xu Zhengyang hung up the phone and then dialed Zhan Xiaohui's cell phone. It was answered quickly, and Zhan Xiaohui's voice came through: "Sir, where are you? I've been waiting for you at the company."
"I won't go," Xu Zhengyang said calmly. "Zhang Hao and the others are already outside your company gate, but the gatekeeper won't let them in. Could you please say hello? Thank you for your help."
"Oh? Okay, okay, I'll take care of it right away. Sir, please don't say such polite things to me in the future, it will shorten your lifespan," Zhan Xiaohui said hurriedly.
"Okay." Xu Zhengyang hung up.
In front of a small shop on Fuming Road, Zhang Hao, Cao Gangchuan, and Liu Bin stood by the roadside with wry smiles, wondering what was going on. They had been so happy to have found decent jobs, but now they couldn't even get in the door. "Should we just go back?" they thought.
Just as they were hesitating, a black Passat sedan drove out of the gate of Jinghui Logistics, stopped briefly at the gate, and then drove towards them.
The Passat stopped beside the three men, the door opened, and a young man who looked to be only twenty-five or twenty-six years old jumped out and asked, "Are you... oh no, Manager Xu, Xu Zhengyang's friends?"
"Ah, yes, yes." The three nodded, slightly surprised. Manager Xu?
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were coming. Why didn't you call me? Come on, get in the car." The young man opened the car door and invited the three of them in, introducing himself as he did so: "My name is Zhan Xiaohui, I'm a friend of Manager Xu, and currently I'm in charge of Jinghui Logistics..."
All three of them were stunned. Zhan Xiaohui, wasn't he the boss of Jinghui Logistics that Zhengyang had mentioned?
So young... and with such an enthusiastic attitude, even speaking of Zhengyang with such humility... Just think of how the gatekeeper stopped them at the entrance and wouldn't let them in, and now the big boss is personally driving them in.
For a moment, the three of them were truly bewildered.
At the entrance of Jinghui Logistics in the distance, Deng Wenjing's father and several Jinghui Logistics drivers stared in astonishment at the scene unfolding in front of the convenience store. They were the ones who had stopped these three young people from entering. They came up looking for Zhan Xiaohui, claiming they were there to work at Jinghui Logistics—were they kidding? Was Jinghui Logistics short-staffed? Even if they were, they wouldn't need people like them. But… why was Xiaohui personally driving to pick them up?
Volume Three, Judge, Chapter 116, Tianbaozhai, is finished.
Winter has arrived in the blink of an eye. The weather has turned from cool to cold, and the temperature has dropped below zero...
Every morning, a thin layer of frost would cover the walls and trees; the foggy weather was also becoming more frequent, making travel inconvenient most of the time. So Xu Zhengyang spent 200,000 yuan to buy a two-bedroom apartment of more than 80 square meters near the antique market, and spent most of his time living in Fuhe City.
Chen Chaojiang naturally moved to Fuhe City with him.
What annoyed and frustrated Xu Zhengyang was that this seemingly frail but muscular man, after moving to Fuhe City with him, became even more thoroughly committed to his duties as a bodyguard. He was so dedicated that every morning before dawn, when he went for his run and boxing practice, he would drag Xu Zhengyang out of his warm bed to run and exercise with him. His reason was simple: "I have to protect you. This is Fuhe City, not our village, not your home, so I can't be too far away from you."
Xu Zhengyang was furious: "After I get married, will you also hide outside the door and eavesdrop every day?"
"That's for the future. You're not married yet," Chen Chaojiang said matter-of-factly.
"I'm not going..."
Chen Chaojiang said coldly, "I have to go, because I'm going."
“Then you shouldn’t go, because I’m not going.” Xu Zhengyang glared.
"no……"
"Damn it, I'm the boss!" Xu Zhengyang said angrily, "A good night's sleep is priceless, you know that? Watch out, or I'll dock your pay!"
Chen Chaojiang said, "My job is to protect you. If I don't exercise, my physical fitness will decline, and then I won't be fit to do this job, and you won't need to deduct my salary."
"I told you when I hired you, I'm not hiring you as a bodyguard, I'm hiring you to watch the shop!"
“But the reason I later gave you a raise was because I felt that I was worth five thousand yuan as a bodyguard.” Chen Chaojiang said very seriously, “I should be a bodyguard for five thousand yuan.”
Xu Zhengyang retorted, "Then I'll fire you from your bodyguard position and reduce your salary..."
"You won't."
"Why?"
"You and I are brothers."
Xu Zhengyang was defeated...
So, in this early winter, every morning in Fuyang Park, Fuxing District, Fuhe City, two slender young men would run around the artificial hill and small lake a few times. What was noticeable was that one of them had a pale, almost white complexion and always carried a bulging backpack; the other's complexion wasn't so pale, or to put it politely, his skin tone was...healthy.
It was only when Xu Zhengyang started exercising with Chen Chaojiang in the mornings that he finally realized Chen Chaojiang's abnormality had reached an astonishing level. After running, this guy would use a large tree as a target, punching, kicking, and even ramming it with his bare hands. It was truly baffling what this muscular man's skin was made of; how did he never get any scratches or abrasions? After being fined 5,000 yuan by the park management for tearing the bark of an ancient tree, Xu Zhengyang had no choice but to buy a set of leather targets for exercise. He made Chen Chaojiang take them to the park every day, tie them to a tree, and let him go on his rampage. Hmm, one set every seven days, 280 yuan a set…
Chen Chaojiang insisted on paying for everything himself, while Xu Zhengyang had already planned to give him a larger bonus at the end of the month.
As the saying goes, "It becomes a habit," and soon Xu Zhengyang no longer needed Chen Chaojiang to drag him out of bed every morning. He would wake up from his sweet dreams on his own around five o'clock every morning.
I guess habits are something that apply to everyone?
Ever since Li Bingjie received a jade bracelet worth 120,000 yuan at Gu Xiang Xuan on her birthday, which caused Xu Zhengyang considerable distress, and he left with the promise, "I'll come again," he truly kept his word and returned. In fact, he came almost every day, except on foggy days. However, Li Bingjie's time at Gu Xiang Xuan was always very short and precise; she arrived promptly at nine o'clock, sat quietly and aloof for half an hour, reading a book. Occasionally, she would listen to Xu Zhengyang ramble on about nonsensical things, and then leave.
Xu Zhengyang didn't seem as troubled by this as he was by morning exercise from the beginning; instead, he welcomed it, prioritizing romance over friendship.
Well, I wouldn't say I like it, but I wouldn't say I hate it either.
It's that light, indifferent feeling.
The thing that Yao Chushun was worried about did not happen. Although Li Chengzong and Chen Chaojiang still did not communicate verbally and still had cold expressions when facing each other, at least the strong hostility and vigilance they had at the beginning were gone.