The Ceo Of The Company Next Door Seems To Have A Crush On Me Chapter 2

A small round table was set in the center of the floor-to-ceiling window. Sitting here, one could see the pigeons hopping in the fountain plaza and the bronze fountain sculpture. The sculpture was of a maiden holding a water bottle, seemingly dancing gracefully. Lu Zhijian could see the maiden’s flying braids and fluttering skirt.

“Ah, the fountain isn’t running. It’s a bit cold now. When it gets warmer, you can see the water flowing out of the maiden’s water bottle.”

Yan Xucheng rested his chin on his hand, a few strands of his smooth long hair falling disobediently. The vibrant red rose on the table bloomed perfectly beside his hand.

“Oh, right.” Yan Xucheng suddenly sat up straight, looking earnestly at Lu Zhijian. “What were you about to say just now?”

“What?” Lu Zhijian looked confused. Had he said anything just now?

Yan Xucheng provided the specific time and place: “Just now, when we found this restaurant, I think I interrupted you. I’m sorry, what were you going to say?”

This made Lu Zhijian remember. He had planned to swallow the matter and not mention it again, but he hadn’t expected Yan Xucheng to notice and specifically ask. Being cared for like this would make anyone happy. Lu Zhijian smiled awkwardly: “It wasn’t anything important. I was just a little curious, are you here to study?”

“I am here to study, but not here,” he said mysteriously, pointing south. “I study across the street.”

“I was an exchange student for a year during university, and I stayed with their family then. Although I wasn’t studying abroad in Country F, it’s close enough that I occasionally come back to visit.”

After a brief chat, the dishes were served. Yan Xucheng gestured to him: “Hurry and try it.”

He lowered his head, and a strand of hair fell down. “Tsk.”

Yan Xucheng patted the pocket of his coat on the chair. “Hmm? Where did it go?”

“What are you looking for?”

Yan Xucheng unfolded the coat and checked every pocket. “My hair tie. I think I lost it on the way.”

Lu Zhijian was helpless to assist. He just watched Yan Xucheng search for the hair tie, feeling a bit awkward.

Fortunately, Yan Xucheng found his own solution. He untied the rose-printed silk scarf wrapped around his left hand, revealing his pearly white wrist. With one hand, he gathered his smooth dark hair and easily tied it behind his head with the silk scarf, exposing his clean forehead. Finally, he adjusted the knot of the scarf: “All set!”

The sunlight was perfect, shining on Yan Xucheng and turning his stray hairs a golden chestnut color.

Lu Zhijian actually disliked eating with others. He always felt a lot of pressure. People formed dinner parties with all sorts of intentions; it felt less like eating and more like moving the game of strategy to a different location, requiring constant vigilance against the other party. Every meal left him feeling stifled, like an overinflated balloon that felt ready to burst at any second, yet frustratingly stuck at the critical point.

But today was different. He looked up at Yan Xucheng, who was drinking the Green Grape Wine Margot had just brought. Noticing Lu Zhijian’s gaze, he tilted his head and looked back, his smoky-blue eyes large and round.

So Lu Zhijian gave him a slightly shy smile.

Yan Xucheng was a very friendly person, and Lu Zhijian felt comfortable being with him. His long-suppressed mind finally welcomed a warm current that melted directly into his heart.

So when Yan Xucheng asked him how it was, he gave the highest praise without hesitation: “This is the best meal I’ve had here.”

Hearing his words, Yan Xucheng’s expression instantly became proud, as if he had cooked the meal himself: “Hmph, I told you you wouldn’t be disappointed, didn’t I?”

They finished eating and walked out of the restaurant. Yan Xucheng waved to him: “Goodbye, and thank you for helping me get my phone back today.”

Lu Zhijian waved back. He suddenly remembered they hadn’t exchanged contact information. He instinctively reached out to call Yan Xucheng back, but found he had already walked some distance. Lu Zhijian opened his mouth, but while he hesitated, Yan Xucheng’s figure disappeared around the corner. He slowly lowered his hand, forcing a smile.

He left a quiet “Goodbye” in the early spring wind.

He hoped they could meet again.

After Yan Xucheng left, he didn’t wander around much but went straight back to the hotel to make a call.

Jiang Mingyi had been restless during the two hours he was eating. The waiting time felt incredibly long until a familiar name popped up on the screen. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly pressed the answer button, tentatively calling out, “Yanyan?”

Yan Xucheng recounted everything that had just happened to Jiang Mingyi, complete with dialogue and gestures, trying to make her feel like she was there. He also enthusiastically praised Lu Zhijian’s skills, “And then we finished eating and went our separate ways.”

Jiang Mingyi listened to the whole story and suddenly noticed a Key Point: “You didn’t exchange contact information? It sounded like you two hit it off pretty well.”

“Oh, come on,” Yan Xucheng was exhausted from all the acting. He plopped himself onto the soft sofa with a “duang.” “While it sounded good to you, I think he’s quite the introvert, and he also seems bad at refusing people. If I had asked abruptly, it probably would have made him awkward.”

Although Yan Xucheng seemed carefree, he was actually a very thoughtful person.

He flipped over on the sofa, his voice slightly muffled, idly picking at the raised pattern on the sofa cushion where Jiang Mingyi couldn’t see him: “We just met by chance; there’s no need to force a reunion.”

Yan Xucheng didn’t need comforting. He quickly remembered the exciting thing he wanted to talk about. He sat up in a perfect Sit-up, making anyone watching exclaim over his good core: “Right, you still haven’t told me about your mother-in-law!”

“Oh, my mother-in-law.” At the mention of the word mother-in-law, Jiang Mingyi rolled her eyes decisively. She casually grabbed the highly stuffed, soft, and springy throw pillow next to her. “It’s actually not that important—”

“Huh? Then what is important? Wait, is there anything more important than dealing with an evil mother-in-law that you need to tell me?” Yan Xucheng suddenly felt a sense of great responsibility.

Jiang Mingyi didn’t tell him directly. Instead, she uncharacteristically stammered: “When are you coming back?”

Yan Xucheng was displeased: “Didn’t I tell you already? The day after tomorrow. Why do you keep forgetting what I say?”

“No, I was just confirming. I’ll tell you something when you get back.”

“What is it?” Yan Xucheng’s curiosity was piqued.

Unfortunately, Jiang Mingyi didn’t plan to tell him now. She changed the subject: “Let’s talk about the nice guy you met today first. You said he was super handsome?”

“Yes, yes, yes, he’s incredibly good-looking, especially in that coat, so refined,” Yan Xucheng tried to find a suitable word to describe Lu Zhijian. He clapped his hands. “Composed! Do you understand? Like an autumn pond.”

His description was a bit abstract. Jiang Mingyi half-understood, rubbing her forehead: “Ah, um…”

Yan Xucheng elaborated: “It’s like a clear pool of water. In autumn, the water is cool, and when yellow leaves fall on it, they create shallow ripples. Then the pool water carries the fallen leaves and sends them to the shore.”

When Lu Zhijian, standing on the street corner, entered Yan Xucheng’s sight, this scene inexplicably appeared in his mind. It was strange, but Yan Xucheng felt that no description was more fitting for Lu Zhijian than a composed autumn pond.

Jiang Mingyi was a writer, and moreover, she had grown up with Yan Xucheng, so their thought processes were highly aligned. She imagined the scene based on Yan Xucheng’s description and finally offered her assessment: “Then he must be quite suitable for summer.”

Yan Xucheng immediately understood her point: “Hahahaha, because he’s cool?”

“Exactly. Cool but not icy. Isn’t that just right?”

The person Yan Xucheng and Jiang Mingyi were discussing wasn’t asleep either. He was engaging in a routine activity—nighttime emo.

Lu Zhijian always carried a lot on his mind. It seemed like everything caused him considerable trouble. The more he tried to ignore things, the more his mind would replay the scenarios.

He sat in the bathtub, his mind uncontrollably replaying everything that happened today.

Eating and getting acquainted with Yan Xucheng was not his intention. Without that robber, they would have been two completely parallel lines. But they intersected, and Lu Zhijian instinctively didn’t want to part. He hated separation. At his worst, he had actively isolated himself from the outside world, avoiding forming connections with others so he wouldn’t feel sad when they parted.

Lu Zhijian was a man of few words; today, he had been quite talkative with Yan Xucheng. They had exchanged names, learned about each other’s general circumstances, and had a pleasant conversation. In Lu Zhijian’s mind, they were friends.

Perhaps.

After all, they hadn’t exchanged contact information…

Why?

Had he done something to make Yan Xucheng uncomfortable?

No, probably not… Assuming not, then why did Yan Xucheng leave without looking back?

The logic didn’t hold up, so something must have happened. Where did he go wrong that made someone dislike him?

Lu Zhijian recalled the various voices, big and small, from his past life.

“…just too introverted.”

“Quiet…”

“Silent… always by himself…”

It wasn’t until his hands were wrinkled from the water that Lu Zhijian managed to rein in his wandering thoughts. He turned on the shower to rinse off the soap. In the luxurious, empty room, the only sound was the water hitting his skin.

This singular sound also made Lu Zhijian uncomfortable. He could only focus his senses on the water flowing over his body. The water traced over his collarbone, then across his Adonis Belt, flowing from his muscular thighs to the floor, but it couldn’t wash away Lu Zhijian’s gloomy mood.

The indoor temperature was high. Lu Zhijian simply draped a silk robe over himself and walked to the tightly closed floor-to-ceiling window without even drying the water on his calves. He was unhappy. In fact, he hadn’t been happy for a while, but now he was even more unhappy. It wasn’t just because of the fleeting encounter with Yan Xucheng; many, many other things made him unhappy. All the issues piled up, like the thick clouds gathering in the night sky now.

It was still very cold. If it were summer, he could go out onto the open balcony, where perfectly placed flowers would be arranged. The tightly closed window now also made Lu Zhijian unhappy.

There was no wind during the day, but it picked up at night. That was good, though; the night wind blew away the clouds near the moon. The moon hung high in the sky, neither bright nor large, looking much the same as always, as if it were eternally fixed in those few forms.

There was nothing much to see, Lu Zhijian thought.

His mind began to conjure images of the maiden holding the water bottle, the rose blooming in the glass vase, the brightly colored young man across the street, and his clear, smoky-blue eyes.

Maybe… I should go find him?