Zhang Chaohe picked a company that had the most interactions with Gain Capital's official Weibo account and said, "My family is in the real estate business."
Fei's boyfriend raised an eyebrow: "What a coincidence! I work in construction engineering. Do you work in that field? Perhaps our two families have even collaborated before."
Zhang Chaohe looked him over carefully and said bluntly, "I don't think so."
After all, he had never seen this person at any gathering in the industry.
Fei Jie's boyfriend smugly put his arm around her, thinking to himself that this guy was pretty smart, knowing not to act all high and mighty. He then pulled out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Chaohe with one hand: "Alright, here's my business card. I look forward to having the opportunity to work with Mr. Zhang in the future."
"If there are any new policy trends, I will let Mr. Zhang know. Feifei's senior is someone I often mention, and I will definitely take care of him if I can."
Zhang Chaohe had rarely met such a warm and frank CEO, and he sincerely said, "Thank you."
Fei Jie's side had won back a point and were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Just then, the waiters started serving the dishes, and Fei Jie's boyfriend sat comfortably in the main seat, letting this guy surnamed Zhang busily arrange the dishes. He even thoughtfully placed the extra spicy dishes in front of him to avoid hurting the voices of the three Peking Opera actors at the table.
Fei's boyfriend nodded in satisfaction and elegantly helped his girlfriend clear away the chopsticks. Besides clearing the table and preparing for the meal, Xiaoru had been secretly watching Cheng Jixue's boyfriend—shouldn't he take off his mask now that they were eating? Why was he still hiding it?
Could it be that she's only good-looking and has no other redeeming qualities, and is too ugly to show her face to anyone?
Zhang Chaohe finally got through the grueling wait for his meal. He had just been outwitting his old classmates, Cheng Jixue and the others, who clearly had ill intentions. It had been incredibly mentally taxing, and he desperately needed something good to eat to replenish his energy.
He naturally took off his mask, intending to pick up a grilled oyster to try and see what kind of oyster dared to sell him for thirty yuan a piece—but then he heard a crisp "snap" from across the table!
Xiaoru slammed her chopsticks down on the table.
She stammered, "You...you're not...Zhang..."
Fei's boyfriend had just put a piece of fish fin meat on Fei's plate, and upon hearing this, he casually looked up—
"Snap."
"Mr. Zhang... Mr. Zhang..."
Zhang Chaohe raised an eyebrow, appearing nonchalant on the surface but inwardly laughing wildly: "Why aren't you eating? Don't you like the food?"
Such a surprise, you even dropped your chopsticks?
The three shook their heads violently, each picking up their chopsticks and pretending to eat diligently, their smirks tinged with a hint of fear... Why is Cheng Jixue's boyfriend CEO Zhang?!
Are office romances all the rage these days?
Faye's boyfriend was suffocating. Recalling his confident remarks just now, such as "there's a chance to collaborate" and "I'll definitely take care of you if I can"—I'm disgusted!!
He cautiously pushed the bamboo shoot fish toward Mr. Zhang, saying, "Mr. Zhang, please try this fish."
Then he noticed that the fish, lying in the soup with its eyes rolled back, suddenly had a huge hole in its belly.
Oh, I just pinched it.
His heart was as still as water.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhang was happily messaging Cheng Jixue: "Why aren't they saying anything? Is the food too delicious for them to notice?"
Cheng Jixue was also infected by his simple, silly joy, and quickly typed: "Thank you, President Zhang, for standing up for me >v<"
Zhang Chaohe was doing it on purpose, of course. He looked at the three people surrounding Cheng Jixue as if he were seeing vicious dogs bullying stray cats on the street, and he was very angry.
Although he had his back to Cheng Jixue and his expression was not visible.
After all, if we had seen that, things might have taken a completely different turn.
Xiaoru's face turned green, but Fei Jie was alright. After all, she had years of experience as a green tea bitch. Although her expression was a little stiff, her overall demeanor was still intact. She tried to smooth things over for the group of friends' aggressive behavior: "I didn't expect that Senior Brother and Xiao Zhang would be a couple. It seems that we won't have to worry about resources in the future. Look at me, I was just worried about Senior Brother!"
"I never thought the Qiuyue couple was real!" Xiaoru exclaimed with a smile. "Congratulations to my senior brother for finding such an excellent husband!"
Zhang Chaohe, playing along, immediately grasped Cheng Jixue's hand and said tenderly, "I should be grateful to have such an excellent lover as Xiao Cheng."
Cheng Jixue's heart suddenly pounded uncontrollably.
He and Zhang Chaohe locked eyes. Zhang Chaohe's deep eyes, under the dazzling lights of the food stall, held a unique kind of affection, as if they could drag a sailor into a whirlpool in the deep sea.
Calm and serene, it wraps lies into sweet traps.
It was as if he truly loved him deeply.
Cheng Jixue unconsciously tightened his grip—he laughed, then gently pulled, closing the distance between himself and Zhang Chaohe.
Those gentle, smiling eyes sparkled with a mischievous, adoring light, like a little fox. Cheng Jixue stood so close to him, so intimately: "Thank you."
In an instant, Zhang Chaohe felt a chill run down his spine. He stared blankly as Cheng Jixue suddenly approached and then abruptly moved away, seemingly without intention, like a light leaf falling onto the water and then being blown away by the wind.
If the other person wasn't Cheng Jixue, if he wasn't that destined unlucky cannon fodder, if he could have a different identity and not be called Zhang Chaohe—
Perhaps, in the brief moment Cheng Jixue got close, he would have kissed the other's soft, smiling lips.
The next second, reason returned, and Zhang Chaohe suddenly sobered up. It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He suddenly realized a very real problem... Oh no!
Cheng Jixue had a moment of fun being a drama queen, but if these people were to expose this online, what kind of reputation would she have?
If Second Master Ji sees this, he won't even be allowed to pick a car he likes to get beaten up!
And... what the hell was I thinking just now?!
This isn't spring at all—Zhang Chaohe, you beast! Don't try to kiss everyone you see!
Zhang Chaohe's face immediately darkened, and his gaze turned icy as he looked at the people across the table.
Xiaoru was slightly frightened... She didn't understand why the atmosphere had been so sweet and intimate just moments before, but the temperature had suddenly plummeted to below zero, as if it had jumped off a building.
With a soft thud, Mr. Zhang put down his chopsticks, the porcelain clanging sharply like a death knell. He slowly toyed with the cup on the table, his voice cold and ruthless, devoid of any warmth: "My relationship with him must be kept completely a secret. If I hear even a whisper of it..."
He didn't bother threatening the two girls at all. Instead, he pulled out the business card that Sister Fei's boyfriend had just handed him: "Zhongchong Construction, Mr. Xie?"
President Xie forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Yes, yes, yes."
"If I hear any rumors about this, you should find another job."
Hearing this, President Xie breathed a sigh of relief and quickly assured him, "Don't worry, President Zhang, I will definitely keep those two in check!"
Mr. Zhang smiled gently—though he looked menacing, at least he expressed friendliness: "Let's eat."
Everyone immediately picked up their chopsticks and buried their heads in their food, wishing they could disappear from the table at the speed of light. Sister Fei was even more regretful. If she hadn't seen Cheng Jixue all alone and had the thought of mocking her... would she have been spared such humiliation?
Cheng Jixue instinctively tried to pick up the dishes that were placed far away for Zhang Chaohe, but she sensed the stiffness in Zhang Chaohe's movements.
He looked at Zhang Chaohe probingly—the other man didn't dare to look him in the eye, his gaze slightly evasive, and he whispered, "It's okay, I can do it myself."
“Uh…” Cheng Jixue quietly curled the corners of his lips. He was like a student who had received an admission notice, or an astronomer who had suddenly discovered a new celestial body… He was willing to use all the most beautiful words to describe his feelings at this moment.
He saw the regret and trepidation that followed his attraction in Zhang Chaohe's eyes.
If his recent research on geese has been somewhat successful...
Zhang Chaohe seemed to be genuinely a little bit moved by him.
The three of them felt extremely uncomfortable during the meal, their faces almost frozen from smiling. Zhang Chaohe also felt guilty for his audacious thought and, slightly embarrassed and angry, decided to take his anger out on his junior sisters, Cheng Jixue and the others.
Those who offend our friends will be punished, no matter how far away they are!
He asked considerately, "I heard from you that you came to G City to visit your teacher, right?"
Mr. Xie nodded: "Yes, yes!"
Zhang Chaohe gave a knowing look: "Have you all been accommodated? Perhaps I should have my secretary make arrangements. Since Xiao Cheng is going with you tomorrow, let's stay somewhere nearby so we can visit our mentor together."
Xiaoru and Fei exchanged a glance: Why is Cheng Jixue still haunting us? Could it be that even visiting our mentor will be outdone by him?
Instead of pressuring the girl, Zhang Chaohe smiled warmly and pressured President Xie, saying, "President Xie wouldn't refuse to give me this face, would he?"
The standard, stiff smile he learned from Cheng Jixue didn't soothe their emotions at all; instead, it seemed to frighten them even more... President Xie dared not offend him and immediately agreed: "Thank you so much, President Zhang. If you have time to visit H City, please let me do my part as a host!"
Zhang Chaohe sneaked out to call Assistant Chen. Assistant Chen, who had been lost in thought and looking worried, jumped up immediately when he saw that his boss, Zhang, had actually had a change of heart and called his lonely assistant.
However, the brat made an outrageous request without any restraint: "I ran into a few of Cheng Jixue's old classmates, the kind whose relationship is really superficial. Assistant Chen, can you quickly arrange some afternoon activities to intimidate them?"
"I want someone who's arrogant and domineering, the kind that looks like a domineering CEO!"
Assistant Chen: The requirements can be less specific, but they can't be so abstract either.
He asked nervously, "Then, what do you mean by... an event that looks like it belongs to a domineering CEO?"
Zhang Chaohe thought to himself, "How could I possibly understand the life of a domineering CEO? I've been working diligently ever since I transmigrated into this book, and I'm still shocked by the 298 yuan bamboo shoot fish when I order a dish. Your creativity is something else!"
He said in a deep voice, "Keep it up!"
Then he quickly hung up the phone.
Assistant Chen: Day N of thinking about resigning.
Assistant Chen: Could my boss have really been infected by geese?
Cheng Jixue was pulled out to listen to his phone call, and she kept wanting to laugh.
Especially when he realized that Zhang Chaohe was not a seamless steel plate—his current mood could probably be described as a general amnesty.
If Ji Boyang were here, he might even dare to extort a little more pocket money.
He looked at Zhang Chaohe with a smile, his eyes unconsciously gazing at him, looking both beautiful and charming: "Mr. Zhang, you've gone to so much trouble for me."
Zhang Chaohe picked a very Liangshan hero-like phrase from his meager literary lexicon to retort, trying to portray the incident as a pure display of brotherly friendship: "It was just a matter of helping those in need!"
“However…” Zhang Chaohe thought for a moment, his expression turning disgusted: “Your junior sister Feifei, she’s such a green tea b*tch!”
Zhang Chaohe thought to himself, "This woman is suffocating me with her teasing. She's so sarcastic and affected, she practically wants to put her boyfriend up to Cheng Jixue's face to see how much of a pampered wife she is."
Cheng Jixue: I dare not utter a sound.
Cheng Jixue: If this doesn't count as love.
⚹
Under the instructions of Vice President Jiang, Assistant Chen arranged a yacht party, a revolving restaurant dinner, and other activities commonly seen in TV dramas featuring domineering CEOs.
Zhang Chaohe was just teasing them casually, but Xiaoru and Sister Fei were filled with apprehension.
Seeing that General Manager Xie was racking his brains to get close to General Manager Zhang, Xiao Ru secretly pulled Sister Fei aside: "Did he complain to General Manager Zhang?"
Fei Jie also looked serious: "That happened so long ago... He probably wouldn't have told President Zhang, would he? Doesn't a man feel ashamed to be ostracized by a group of girls?"
Xiaoru was extremely anxious: "Why is President Zhang targeting us like this?"
Sister Fei stared at the three men on the deck for a while, then gritted her teeth and said, "What are we afraid of? We didn't spread rumors or bully anyone. It was just that it was inconvenient for him to join in when the girls were playing together. It wasn't isolation!"
Xiaoru nodded: "Yes, it's just inconvenient!"
Outstanding people are more likely to be ostracized, especially someone who is oblivious to all advances and seems like a snowflake living in a legend—a member of the opposite sex.
Every praise from the teacher for Qian Dan's superior conditions during teaching, and her consistent first place in all competitions and assessments... Cheng Jixue was like an insurmountable mountain, forever standing in their way.