The Ceo Of The Company Next Door Seems To Have A Crush On Me Chapter 1

Shoulder Throw and Signature Dish

“Ding-a-ling.”

The door of the dark green perfume shop was pushed open. The movement startled the brass bell hanging on the doorframe, which dutifully reminded its owner of someone entering or exiting.

A long-haired Eastern man in dark clothes appeared behind the door. He wore a vermillion tassel earring on his right ear, fulfilling all the beautiful fantasies Westerners held about the distant East.

At this moment, his smoky-blue eyes were filled with exhilaration. The picturesque figure instantly possessed boundless vitality.

“That’s right, I’m telling you, you have to show their family a little color, let them know who the Big and Small Joker are! Always humming and hawing, a blind person hearing it would think you keep two cows that go to the fields every day without being fed! I’m telling you—”

The final “telling” was infinitely drawn out in the foreign wind, vaguely drifting into Jiang Mingyi’s ears.

Jiang Mingyi had no idea what was happening on the other side, so she could only shout at the top of her lungs: “Yanyan, Yanyan? Yanyan—Yanyan!”

While she was shouting here, Yan Xucheng, half a globe away, was desperately chasing a man in a gray tracksuit: “You stop right there!”

The robber looked like he was born for this line of work. His legs were long, and his hands were large. He snatched phones, necklaces, watches, and other items from almost everyone he passed, clutching all the loot tightly in his hands.

More and more people chased after him, cursing and shouting.

Hearing the chaotic shouts, Yan Xucheng remembered he wasn’t in the country and quickly switched his language system: “Stop! Don’t move!”

A large group of people chased the robber around a corner. Yan Xucheng’s physical fitness was average; his university Physical Fitness Tests were usually passed with the instructor turning a blind eye. Now, he was almost out of breath.

Suddenly, he saw a fellow Huaguo native walking toward them: “Buddy! Block him!”

Lu Zhijian was walking along when he saw a crowd running toward him. Just as he was about to step aside, he heard the familiar language. Before he could react, his coat hem flew up. The stiff fabric of his overcoat rubbed against the cold air, making a sound like a swan flapping its wings. In the blink of an eye, the foreign man running at the front was lying on the ground.

With a loud “boom,” everyone crowded forward to retrieve their belongings. A white girl whose left earlobe was gushing blood rushed up, snatched back her sapphire earring, and, still feeling unsatisfied, stomped hard on the fallen robber twice with her stiletto heel before coldly snorting and walking away.

Although there was a lot of scattered stuff, thanks to Jiang Mingyi still mindlessly shouting “Yanyan” like an AI, Yan Xucheng quickly found his phone.

He immediately brought the phone to his ear, stepping out of the crowd as he spoke: “I’m here, I’m here. Things are a bit complicated, I’ll tell you later.”

He hung up the phone and looked at Lu Zhijian beside him, gratefully saying, “Thanks, buddy, you were a huge help. If it weren’t for you today, my phone would definitely be gone. Let me treat you to a meal.”

Lu Zhijian was uncomfortable being too close to strangers. He stepped aside, “No need, I just happened to be passing by.”

Yan Xucheng was immersed in the joy of recovering his lost item and didn’t notice the awkwardness of his fellow countryman, taking it only as a habitual refusal. He stepped forward, enthusiastically saying, “How can there be no need? You’re too modest! Speaking of which, your skills are really good.”

As he spoke, he gestured animatedly: “You took down that robber in one move, clean and sharp. I didn’t even see it clearly. You’re really amazing. When something happens, it’s our compatriots who are reliable. If you ask me, the public security abroad is too poor…”

Lu Zhijian was not good at dealing with such enthusiastic and overly familiar people. Listening to the non-stop praise, he didn’t know what to do. Just as he was about to offer a few humble words, Yan Xucheng changed the subject to talk about public security. It was impolite to interrupt, so Lu Zhijian could only listen quietly.

Only after expressing enough of his inner feelings did Yan Xucheng suddenly remember something. He slapped his forehead and extended a hand: “I’ve been talking for ages and haven’t introduced myself yet. Hello, my name is Yan Xucheng, a Jingji Native.”

Now it was finally Lu Zhijian’s turn. He shook Yan Xucheng’s hand: “My name is Lu Zhijian.”

Yan Xucheng held Lu Zhijian’s hand without any reserve: “Oh—Lu Zhijian, which Lu, which Zhi, which Jian?”

In contrast, Lu Zhijian looked a little flustered: “Lu from road, Zhi from know, Jian from admonition.”

The classical poetry he had memorized ten years ago came in handy at this moment. A line of poetry suddenly popped into Yan Xucheng’s mind: “Is it ‘Realize the past cannot be retrieved, know the future can still be pursued’?”

Lu Zhijian smiled: “It doesn’t have such a profound meaning. My parents just hoped I could humbly listen to others’ suggestions.”

“Meaning is given by people, after all. Your name has a very profound meaning,” Yan Xucheng’s smoky-blue eyes were full of sincerity: “Your parents must be very proud of you. You are as humble as your name, and you are especially warm-hearted and willing to help others.”

Lu Zhijian didn’t know what to say again. Everyone he had met since childhood was relatively quiet. People in his circle usually hid three meanings in one sentence. Few people praised others as directly as Yan Xucheng.

“I know a particularly good restaurant. Would you like to go?”

“Good.” As soon as there was a pause for him to speak, Lu Zhijian quickly agreed, lest he miss his chance again.

Yan Xucheng originally thought he would refuse, as he looked a bit shy, but he didn’t expect such a straightforward agreement. He was immediately overjoyed and was about to lead the way: “Then let’s go.”

Meeting Yan Xucheng’s smiling face, Lu Zhijian realized what he had just said, “No, sorry, I—”

Yan Xucheng looked at him doubtfully. His smoky-blue eyes were like a mountain shrouded in thin mist after a rain shower, which reminded Lu Zhijian of the mountains and rivers of his hometown: “What’s wrong? Do you have something else to do?”

The refusal was on the tip of his tongue, but somehow he couldn’t say it. He took a breath, “Nothing, let’s go.”

“Okay!”

Lu Zhijian walked with Yan Xucheng on the roadside in the foreign land. The iron-gray weather vane turned slightly north with the wind for a moment, then turned back, the slightly rusted central axis squeaking.

Lu Zhijian glanced at the pigeon curiously cooing on the weather vane. He never imagined he would be eating with a stranger he had just met an hour ago.

Yan Xucheng was not as reserved or awkward as he was. He was very comfortable, friendly, and casual, “Are you here for travel?”

“Yes.” Realizing his answer was too simple and seemed distant and resistant, he tried hard to find something to say from his distracted mind, “I heard the atmosphere in Country F is very relaxed, so I wanted to come out and unwind.”

Yan Xucheng remembered his own work and nodded repeatedly, looking deeply convinced: “Isn’t that the truth? When I went for my internship before, I was immediately scared off. My department was extremely busy, from eight in the morning until nine at night every day. Sometimes I even had to work night shifts. Oh my goodness, my head felt like it was going to explode the next day!”

Lu Zhijian preferred listening over expressing himself. He mostly played the role of a listener among his friends. Many people liked talking to him because he listened very seriously.

His brown eyes focused on Yan Xucheng, a faint smile on his face. His eyes would occasionally widen slightly when Yan Xucheng became emotional. To an outsider, they looked like old friends.

“And then I chose to pursue further studies,” Yan Xucheng concluded his brief work history with his long academic history.

Lu Zhijian had been listening the whole way and was no longer nervous. This was the first time he had become familiar with someone so quickly. They passed a fountain square full of pigeons. There were old people wearing iron-gray hats sitting on chairs feeding the pigeons in the square, which reminded Lu Zhijian of the weather vane just now.

“So…”

He only managed to utter a barely perceptible syllable before being interrupted by Yan Xucheng’s excited voice. Yan Xucheng excitedly pointed ahead, his smooth black long hair lifting as he suddenly turned his head to look at Lu Zhijian, then falling back due to gravity, leaving an invisible arc in the air, like a butterfly’s first wing flap.

“Look! We’re here!”

Lu Zhijian skillfully swallowed his words, felt Yan Xucheng’s joy, and showed a light smile: “Then let’s go.”

“Okay.” Yan Xucheng’s voice somehow softened, the trailing sound like a leisurely cloud. An unknown excitement returned to Yan Xucheng’s body, and pure happiness once again occupied all his emotions.

Perhaps his fringe was a bit long and was blown into his eyes by the wind; he blinked.

Perhaps hanging a bell on the doorframe was a local characteristic, as this shop also had one. When the door opened, it made a crisp “ding-a-ling.”

The bell sound was clear and crisp, like a summer breeze in the noisy restaurant. Far from being lost in the crowd, it easily summoned the shop owner from behind the counter.

The owner was a slightly plump middle-aged woman with a very approachable appearance, always wearing a happy smile. A pile of small receipts on the counter was neatly sorted into categories. There were many things, but it didn’t look messy.

Seeing the familiar figure, she walked directly out of the counter and gave Yan Xucheng a big hug: “Hi, Yan, long time no see. You haven’t been here for a while. Matthew developed a new dish a few days ago, you must try it.”

Yan Xucheng winked his right eye at her, “Matthew’s new dish can wait for next time. Today I brought a new guest, so let’s stick to the traditional signature dish.”

Margot then noticed the unfamiliar face behind Yan Xucheng and smiled warmly at Lu Zhijian: “Matthew’s cooking won’t disappoint you, I promise. You’ll fall in love with this place after you eat here.”

Lu Zhijian nodded politely: “I look forward to it, Madam.”

Just then, a customer stood at the front desk and called out to her: “Margot? I want to order!”

Margot looked at them apologetically, her blue eyes so lively they seemed to speak. Just by looking at her eyes, it was hard to tell she already had a lovely grandson: “I’m sorry, dear, I’m a bit busy and can’t entertain you. I’ve kept the window seat over there for you.”

Yan Xucheng had been here many times, and their friendship didn’t require attention to such details: “It’s okay, you go ahead. I’ll take care of myself.”

“That’s good.” She said to Lu Zhijian, “I hope you have a pleasant time here.”

Then she turned around with full vigor, marching aggressively toward the front desk: “I really don’t know why you’re in such a hurry, can’t you see I’m busy…”

Yan Xucheng led Lu Zhijian through the dining guests, “I don’t recommend trying Matthew’s new dishes. He always likes to make some very bold innovations… but everything on their menu is delicious, I promise!”

He even held up three fingers to vouch for his credibility.

“Okay.” Watching Yan Xucheng try to restrain his bright smile to look serious and reliable, Lu Zhijian didn’t know why he suddenly felt very happy. Perhaps staying with positive people influenced him too.

“Then let’s go.”