The Ceo Of The Company Next Door Seems To Have A Crush On Me Chapter 11

Quail Soup and the Psychology Department

Yan Zhu’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

Lu Zhijian knew he was Yan Zhu’s friend, and no matter what happened, he should stand by Yan Zhu’s side. Because his ex-wife had Yan Xucheng, if he didn’t stand with Yan Zhu, he would be completely isolated and helpless.

But Lu Zhijian’s morals would not allow him to watch an innocent woman be implicitly accused, slandered, and suggested to have an improper relationship with other men, especially when that man was her husband. That was wrong.

Lu Zhijian looked seriously at Yan Zhu: “Regardless, you cannot say such things without any evidence. You have gone too far. I think you need to calm down.”

Interrupted like this, the fire in Yan Zhu’s heart was doused with a bucket of ice water, instantly cooling down. He immediately realized the problem and stammered an explanation: “I just, spoke without thinking, I’m sorry, Mingyi. I didn’t mean that, I was just too angry, I…”

Afterward, Lu Zhijian reverted to his original state, silent as a vase. He emptied his mind. The apologies, conversations, and arguments at the table entered his left ear and exited his right ear without even passing through his brain.

Lu Zhijian could feel Yan Xucheng’s occasional glances. He wasn’t sure if Yan Xucheng recognized him or was simply looking at him because of what he had just said.

No one touched the dishes on the table. The two people opposite, one the main attacker and the other the support, launched a fierce offensive. Yan Zhu on the left had to contend with two mouths, completely overwhelmed.

Just then, a bowl of Lily and Solomon’s Seal Quail Soup was placed in front of Lu Zhijian. The broth was clear. It was actually lunchtime, but the other three were too emotional to have an appetite. Lu Zhijian, unable to join the fray, served himself a bowl.

Yan Xucheng, who had been secretly observing Lu Zhijian, couldn’t help but twitch his mouth when he saw Lu Zhijian drinking the soup as if no one else was there. He then turned his body as if he hadn’t seen anything.

Originally, Yan Xucheng had been somewhat annoyed with Lu Zhijian because of Yan Zhu, but Lu Zhijian’s righteous defense just now showed that he was fundamentally a kind person who enjoyed helping others. Now, seeing him quietly drinking soup alone, Yan Xucheng felt a bit of sympathy.

He probably didn’t know much of the inside story. When the old grievances were being brought up just now, Lu Zhijian looked utterly bewildered, showing he didn’t know about the battle between the Yan family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It was quite pitiful that he was inexplicably dragged into this matter.

All the mistakes, a thousand of them, belonged to Yan Zhu!

Lu Zhijian wasn’t clear on the specifics of what happened next, only feeling a gust of wind beside him. When he looked over, Yan Zhu had already stood up, his right hand clenched into a fist, heading toward Yan Xucheng—

Jiang Mingyi reacted quickly and intercepted him. The hand gripping his wrist felt like an iron arm, making it impossible to move even slightly. Yan Zhu felt a sharp pain in his wrist, which was likely already bruising.

Her eyebrows furrowed: “You want to use force?!”

Relying on the reaction speed and experience gained from years of being targeted, Yan Xucheng had slipped behind Jiang Mingyi like a nimble loach the moment the fist came toward him. Seeing the danger contained, he poked his head out from behind Jiang Mingyi: “He did want to use force! Jiang Jiang, he tried to hit me! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I’d be on the floor right now!”

Jiang Mingyi said to Yan Zhu: “Exactly! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, he would be on the floor right now!”

Yan Xucheng continued to fan the flames: “You absolutely cannot reconcile with him. If he dares to use force against me in front of so many people now, he’ll dare to use force against you at home. Ah, I know, maybe he’s wanted to use force for a long time, but he’s been holding back because he can’t beat you!”

Yan Zhu felt wronged. He would never hit his wife. His target the entire time was this troublemaker, Yan Xucheng, who couldn’t stand to see him do well: “I didn’t!”

Saying this, Yan Zhu looked hopefully at Lu Zhijian, who was standing awkwardly to the side. Now Lu Zhijian was finally useful. Among all his friends, Lu Zhijian was the most capable, and the only one who might be able to contend with Jiang Mingyi: “Zhijian!”

Well, Lu Zhijian knew why Yan Zhu was calling him.

But…

Yan Xucheng was watching him from behind Jiang Mingyi…

He decided he couldn’t let the stalemate continue. He awkwardly tried to persuade them: “Ms. Jiang, how about—you let go first?”

As he spoke, he met Yan Xucheng’s gaze and reached out, attempting to separate the two of them. Yan Xucheng looked at his hand again, making Lu Zhijian’s movements even stiffer: “Let’s talk things out calmly.” He glanced at the expressions of the two people opposite and tentatively added—

“Okay?”

This move was a lucky shot, as both Jiang Mingyi and Yan Xucheng responded better to softness than to hardness.

Yan Xucheng safely returned the cup he was holding to the table.

The meeting concluded without major incident, with Yan Zhu agreeing to sign the divorce agreement.

As they pushed the door open, they saw the gentle-looking owner pacing in the corridor with several tall, strong waiters. Lu Zhijian glanced at Jiang Mingyi and Yan Xucheng, said nothing, and quietly trailed behind the three.

As they were about to part at the entrance, Lu Zhijian hesitated, wanting to speak, but finally stopped. Although he had resolved to exchange contact information with Yan Xucheng the next time he saw him, this occasion, especially after they had nearly come to blows, was inappropriate.

Forget it, wait for the next time.

For Jiang Mingyi, a huge weight had been lifted today. Yan Zhu had been dragging his feet and refusing to sign. If he had continued, Jiang Mingyi would have had to file for divorce through litigation, which would have dragged on for a long time. She wanted to start her new life sooner.

It was already past two o’clock. They had been busy arguing and hadn’t eaten. Now that the emotions had subsided, her stomach started rumbling.

Jiang Mingyi turned her head toward Yan Xucheng like a rusty robot, with a creaking sound: “Are you hungry?”

Yan Xucheng rubbed his empty stomach: “Starving—I’m so hungry my Adonis Belt is about to show.”

Jiang Mingyi didn’t believe him: “How can you starve out your abs?”

Yan Xucheng, seeing that his friend was unaware of this piece of knowledge, proudly explained: “Actually, as long as you’re thin enough, your abs will show with just a little bit of exercise.”

“Really?!”

“Of course. Remember that guy in our class, Zhuang Ge?”

“I remember, I remember.”

“Let me tell you, that day…”

They circled around and returned to Yilu Fanxiang after Yan Zhu and Lu Zhijian had left the area. As soon as they entered, they met Nan Xing’s curious eyes: “How did it go? How did it go? I was waiting outside for you to smash a cup as a signal, but nothing happened. Did you settle it?”

“Settled! Waiter, bring up the good wine and food. This old man is starving,” Jiang Mingyi exaggerated.

Nan Xing told the kitchen to start cooking. It was past the lunch rush, and there were few people left in the restaurant. Nan Xing hadn’t eaten either, as he had been waiting outside for support during the noon hour, so he planned to join them at the table later.

Seeing that Jiang Mingyi didn’t mind him talking to Nan Xing, Yan Xucheng spilled the beans: “Actually, I had already picked up the cup just now, and I was about to smash it on the floor. If it hadn’t been for Lu… cough, Yan Zhu’s friend being a reasonable person.”

Lu Zhijian’s name twisted in his mouth and didn’t come out.

Yan Xucheng didn’t know why, but perhaps because he changed the subject quickly, or because the two girls were more understanding, neither of them asked why Yan Xucheng had stumbled over his words.

Nan Xing, however, remembered something and casually chatted: “I saw when they cleared the table, you guys didn’t eat anything, only drank a few sips of soup.”

Yan Xucheng’s heart inexplicably tightened again. It was strange. They had only met once before, making today their second encounter, yet whenever he talked about Lu Zhijian with Jiang Mingyi, he felt the same panic as being caught in an early romance.

Jiang Mingyi didn’t notice anything amiss. She had been focused on Yan Zhu, only giving Lu Zhijian a little attention when he spoke. She hadn’t paid attention to whether anyone had touched the food: “After all, everyone was arguing so intensely, we weren’t in the mood to eat.”

Yan Xucheng breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up, only to meet Nan Xing’s smiling eyes head-on. He quickly picked up the teapot from the table, poured himself a cup of water, and buried his head in the teacup, remaining motionless.

Such sudden awkwardness and tension.

Just signing the divorce agreement wasn’t enough; they still needed to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to complete the formalities. But in this era where everything required a numbered ticket, they had to queue up to grab a number, meaning they would have to wait for an unknown amount of time. Jiang Mingyi hadn’t even finalized her divorce yet, and Yan Xucheng was due to report for work.

Qishan Private Hospital mainly served High-Net-Worth Individuals, and most of the cases were for recuperation. A surgeon like Yan Xucheng didn’t have too much work, at least compared to his previous workplace.

Yan Xucheng leaned back comfortably in the soft, supportive chair. The early spring sunlight streamed through the window, warming him. The strong winds characteristic of spring in the Jingji were blocked by the thick glass.

At times like this, he was grateful that he hadn’t been lazy during his student days. Not only had he followed his mentor into the operating room many times, but he also had several practical experiences. He hadn’t slacked off while working at Jing University Third Hospital either. Otherwise, how could he have this good life now?

Effort truly paid off.

The time he had scheduled with Dr. Fang was approaching, so Yan Xucheng got up to find him to get the treatment file for a previous patient.

This patient, Xu Songmian, was a seventeen-year-old boy whom Yan Xucheng had received yesterday.

Perhaps because of long-term depression, he didn’t like to eat. Although he was seventeen, he looked only fourteen or fifteen. The day before yesterday, his nanny found him self-harming in his room, with a long, deep cut on his arm. Fortunately, it hadn’t hit a vital spot. He was rushed to the hospital, and Yan Xucheng stitched him up with eight stitches.

Today, Yan Xucheng was going to discuss the subsequent medication with Dr. Fang. Treating the mind and treating the body had to go hand in hand.

As soon as he went upstairs, Yan Xucheng saw a somewhat familiar figure in the corridor. He looked at the sign hanging on the wall—”Psychology Department.”