The Ceo Of The Company Next Door Seems To Have A Crush On Me Chapter 3

Roses and Bad Company

Lu Zhijian was out for a change of scenery. He came to Country F simply because the pace of life here was slow. He had no specific travel plans, just going wherever he ended up and staying for as long as he liked.

Perhaps the Pigeon Square was a feature of this city. Lu Zhijian walked past the periphery of the square, and the pigeons near the edge flapped their wings one after another, taking flight and drawing a white curtain across his vision.

The pigeons circled, and a fluffy feather drifted left and right in the air, landing on the shoulder of the bronze maiden statue, gently caressing her cheek. Seeing the familiar statue, Lu Zhijian had a sudden inspiration and turned his head, spotting a window so clean it was reflective. In the center of the window sat a wooden dining table.

However, the brightly blooming roses that had been on the table were gone, replaced by three purple irises in the vase.

It was only morning, but Lu Zhijian felt too lazy to go anywhere else. Anyway, all the scenery looked equally unfamiliar to him. He might as well stay here and feed the pigeons—he hadn’t actually fed pigeons before.

So, Lu Zhijian sat down on a chair directly facing the glass window. Coincidentally, the person sitting on the bench to his front right was the same elderly man with the iron-gray hat he had seen yesterday. The old man was still feeding the pigeons.

That wooden dining table hosted three pairs of guests.

It made sense. Yan Xucheng, studying for his doctorate in another country, wouldn’t visit often. If this table were exclusive to Yan Xucheng, it would mean it was empty almost every day, taking up too much space, which didn’t align with a businessman’s principle of maximizing resource utilization.

Lu Zhijian was also a businessman, but for no reason, he felt a strange irritation. For a moment, he simply couldn’t understand, and this extended to disliking the irises in the vase. Perhaps it was because the red roses looked better. In any case, Lu Zhijian started to dislike irises from this moment on.

He also disliked the light blue glass vase. It held roses yesterday, so why was it holding irises today?

Lu Zhijian felt it was unfair to the roses.

Lu Zhijian had eaten breakfast relatively late and wasn’t hungry, nor did he feel like eating in a crowded place. He simply sat on the bench, propping his head up and watching the pigeons.

The old man with the iron-gray hat crumbled the bread into tiny pieces. Whenever he tossed the crumbs to the pigeons, he would see the Oriental man who always sat on the bench. Dark clouds seemed to surround that man.

He had appeared here for several days in a row. The old man frowned and scattered the bread crumbs. He felt the crumbs had absorbed the damp aura surrounding the man and had become soft and limp.

Meanwhile, Yan Xucheng had already boarded the plane back home.

White clouds instantly turned into mist as they hit the streamlined wing of the plane. Yan Xucheng had specifically bought a window seat, hoping to see the land he had been away from for so long as soon as possible.

But…

The layers of clouds were like the fog on glasses in winter. They didn’t cause complete blindness, but they were extremely annoying. Yan Xucheng almost wanted to climb out and wipe them away like wiping water droplets off glasses.

Since that was impossible, Yan Xucheng took out his usual eye mask from his carry-on bag, closed his eyes, and imagined himself wiping the clouds away.

If he couldn’t achieve it in reality, he chose to triumph in spirit.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the plane will be landing shortly. Please…”

Yan Xucheng was woken by the gentle voice of the flight attendant. He still retained the self-awareness of a student, instinctively straightening his slumped body to show he hadn’t been sleeping. However, the protruding, monstrous eyeballs on his eye mask made his feigned energetic appearance look particularly comical.

Realizing he had already graduated, Yan Xucheng’s back, which had been straighter than a flagpole, suddenly lost its vigor and slumped into the seat. Half-dead, he took off the eye mask and vengefully pinched the eyeball on it. He had to admit, the soft, bouncy eyeball was quite stress-relieving. Realizing his actions looked a bit perverse, he put the eye mask back into his bag.

The plane made a strange noise and began its descent.

Yan Xucheng popped chewing gum into his mouth, mechanically moving his jaw with a look of deep suffering, like a donkey chewing its cud after a meal.

He hated takeoff and landing.

Yan Xucheng was sensitive to pain, and the discomfort caused by the abnormal expansion of his eardrums due to pressure changes during takeoff and landing was even worse for him.

The moment the cabin door opened, Yan Xucheng instantly revived, showing none of his previous listlessness. He grabbed his bag and followed the crowd out. If the sheer number of people hadn’t limited him, he would have practically jumped for joy.

As soon as he landed, a cold wind blew over. Yan Xucheng desperately restrained the urge to hug his shivering body, successfully maintaining his precarious composure.

The long hair tied at the back of Yan Xucheng’s head before he got off the plane was blown wildly in the air by the wind. Fortunately, his long legs weren’t just for show. He strode quickly indoors. Looking back, many people were struggling in the cold wind.

Yan Xucheng felt smug. He had won.

After winning an unknown race, Yan Xucheng was in excellent spirits. When he saw the familiar figure waiting at the exit, his mood reached its peak. His excited voice attracted a lot of attention: “Jiangjiang!”

Jiang Mingyi, whose head was buried in a scarf, was bravely playing on her phone with just her fingertips sticking out. Hearing the familiar voice, she instantly looked up: “Yanyan!”

“Jiangjiang!”

“Yanyan!”

“Jiangjiang!”

“Yanyan!”

The Bad Company duo successfully reunited!

Jiang Mingyi had driven herself. They rushed to the parking lot together. Jiang Mingyi got into the driver’s seat, and Yan Xucheng squeezed himself into the back seat, enjoying the extra-large space all to himself. Only after finding a suitable spot and adjusting himself into a comfortable position did Yan Xucheng remember: “Oh right, what was it you wanted to tell me before?”

Jiang Mingyi looked like she had been waiting for him to ask. She placed both hands on the steering wheel, focusing on driving onto the airport expressway, looking calm and collected: “Ah, nothing much.”

Yan Xucheng fished out a palm-sized, round penguin from the gap in the car seat, swinging it by its yellow feet like a Husky with pent-up energy.

“I plan to get a divorce.”

The penguin flew out and hit the windshield directly. It bounced resiliently and fell onto the floor mat of the passenger seat.

Unfortunately, no one wanted to pick it up right now.

“What did you say?!” Yan Xucheng almost lunged forward. He disliked the man Jiang Mingyi had married.

Jiang Mingyi was thankful he was sitting in the back. If he were in the passenger seat, he might be shaking her shoulder right now, which would be dangerous.

“To be precise, I’ve already found a lawyer…”

Yan Xucheng was shocked: “You’ve even written the divorce contract?”

Jiang Mingyi closed her eyes hard, exasperated: “It’s called an agreement.”

“I haven’t been divorced before. Wait, no,” Yan Xucheng asked seriously, “Are you really sure?”

Jiang Mingyi kept her eyes fixed ahead, not deviating for a moment: “Yes.”

“I support you.” Her composure infected Yan Xucheng, and he settled back down obediently. “What’s my mission? Just tell me.”

He was ready to go through fire and water for his best friend. Even if he had to fight Yan Zhu right now, he would do it without hesitation, without regret, without a word, and with fierce courage!

“He doesn’t want to divorce yet. He wants to talk to me again…”

Yan Xucheng instantly flared up when Yan Zhu was mentioned: “What else does he want to talk about? What’s there to discuss with him?”

This matter, Jiang Mingyi couldn’t easily refuse. After all, she had punched Yan Zhu’s mother and younger sister, and they were still in the hospital. Whether they were truly sick or faking it, they were at least genuinely unconscious when the ambulance took them away.

Plus, she had only brought up the divorce with Yan Zhu last night, which was inevitably too sudden for him. Considering various factors, she still needed to have a proper talk with Yan Zhu. The grip on Jiang Mingyi’s hands gradually tightened, making her bones and veins unusually prominent.

“Jiangjiang?”

The tension in Jiang Mingyi’s hands immediately dissipated. “I want to ask you to come with me…”

To do what? Undoubtedly, to see Yan Zhu.

Yan Xucheng readily agreed: “No problem. Why are you using the word ‘ask’ with me? Given our relationship, how could I stand by when you’re going through something as big as a divorce?”

“Oh, right.” Yan Xucheng suddenly remembered something important. “Do Uncle Jiang and the others know about your divorce?”

“That’s what I need to tell you. They don’t know yet. I’m afraid if the matter gets blown up, it will be harder to divorce, so I haven’t told anyone. Keep your mouth shut, got it? If anything goes wrong, I’ll hold you solely responsible.”

Yan Xucheng nodded, excited and a little smug: “So, only I know you’re getting divorced right now?”

“Besides the lawyer, I’ve only told you.”

Heaven is entrusting a great mission to this man!

Suddenly entrusted with such trust and expectation, Yan Xucheng straightened his back: “I will absolutely not let the organization down!”

He knew it. He, Yan Xucheng, was Jiang Mingyi’s best friend. All those other messy people had to step aside. Only Yan Xucheng was Jiang Mingyi’s Eldest Daughter!

Just knowing wasn’t enough; Yan Xucheng had to confirm again: “Did you only tell me because I’m your best friend?”

“Of course!” Jiang Mingyi affirmed.

The two drove all the way to Redwood Academy.

Redwood Academy was a famous old residential area in the Jingji. To the south were Jing University and Yong University, to the east was Jing Medical University, and to the west were Mei University and Yongjing United University. It was situated right in the middle of various higher education institutions, making it a genuine luxury school district. The residents were mostly professors from key universities and high-ranking civil servants. Yan Xucheng’s and Jiang Mingyi’s parents lived here.

Jiang Mingyi parked the car, and Yan Xucheng went to retrieve the luggage from the trunk. Jiang Mingyi, meanwhile, walked around to the passenger side to pick up the poor penguin that had flown out. Although it looked quite clean, Jiang Mingyi decided to take it home and wash it. Turning around, she saw that the side pocket of Yan Xucheng’s backpack was empty, so she simply stuffed the penguin inside.

Yan Xucheng felt an unfamiliar force on his back and turned to look: “Hey? What did you do to my bag?”

“Nothing, just put something in it. Come on, come on, I’ll help you push the suitcases. My mom and Aunt Lan have been rooted in the kitchen since early this morning. I didn’t even have time for breakfast, I’m starving.” Jiang Mingyi pushed the two suitcases and strode ahead quickly.

Yan Xucheng quickly closed the trunk: “You haven’t locked the car doors yet!”

Jiang Mingyi stopped again to find the car keys and lock the doors. After locking up, she started pushing the suitcases again but tripped over a road barrier. Fortunately, her balance was good. After flailing her limbs for a moment, she stood steady.

“Hahahahaha, serves you right for not watching where you’re going.” Yan Xucheng immediately gloated, but he wasn’t watching his feet either and also tripped.

“Hahahahaha, serves you right for not watching where you’re going!” Now it was Jiang Mingyi’s turn to laugh.

The two stumbled and staggered their way upstairs.

Redwood Academy had two units per floor. On the 16th floor, Yan Xucheng’s home was on the east side, and Jiang Mingyi’s was on the west. Both front doors were open at the moment. Yan Xucheng quietly peered through the door, his smooth long hair hanging in the air like willow branches in spring.

Good. There was only one person in the living room.

Yan Xucheng tiptoed over and naturally sat down beside that person.

Yan Hong had two metal bowls in front of him. One was full of garlic bulbs, and the other contained peeled, plump white garlic cloves. The bulbs were piled high, but the peeled cloves were pitifully few, barely covering the bottom of the bowl.

Feeling someone sit beside him, he naturally reached out his hand: “Old Jiang, why is it taking you so long to fetch something?”

Yan Xucheng placed his hand on top of Yan Hong’s.

Yan Hong turned his head and saw the primly seated Yan Xucheng. He immediately laughed, patting his shoulder: “You little rascal, you’re teasing your dad the moment you get back, huh?”

Yan Xucheng dodged in disgust: “Dad, your hands smell like garlic, don’t just slap me. You’re getting the smell on my clothes.”

“You’re complaining about me now? Aren’t I the one who washes your clothes?” Yan Hong took off the backpack Yan Xucheng was wearing. “Why are you wearing this at home?”

Lan Lan and Shen Heyan, who were busy in the kitchen, also came out: “We were just guessing if you two ran off to play somewhere since you were so late coming back.”

Yan Xucheng stood up to defend himself: “How could we? We’re very law-abiding.”

Jiang Mingyi chimed in: “Exactly, exactly.”

A voice suddenly came from behind: “Exactly what?”