The Ceo Of The Company Next Door Seems To Have A Crush On Me Chapter 7

Little Sweet Pea and the Rose

Yan Xucheng deliberately glanced around. Besides the receptionist at the front desk, only the two of them were left in the entire spacious lobby. He crossed his arms and took a step back, distancing himself further from this strange person. His smoky-teal eyes were full of mockery as he scoffed in a voice only they could hear, “What are you trying to pull?”

“You!” The person stomped his foot. The thick sunglasses on his face couldn’t hide his burning gaze. Perhaps he had never been spoken to like this before. He snatched off his sunglasses with a snap, revealing a pair of eyes blazing with anger.

“You what, you? If you’re going to sneak around, then hide your tail properly. Don’t cover your head only to expose your butt. If your stomach is bothering you, turn right outside; there’s a hospital nearby. Don’t stand here farting and polluting the air.” Yan Xucheng cut him off before he could speak, refusing to listen.

The elevator arrived just then. Yan Xucheng ignored him completely, walking in with his head held high, leaving the strange person outside, unable to decide whether to enter or leave. He stomped his foot and remained in place to wait for the next elevator.

Standing in the mirror-like elevator, Yan Xucheng let out a satisfying sigh. Looking at his reflection, he felt as if he had become even better looking. Sure enough, venting your anger immediately and taking revenge right away is good for the body.

He found his room, opened the door with the key card, and before even closing it, he eagerly called Jiang Mingyi: “Jiang Jiang, you won’t believe what kind of person I ran into today…”

Indeed, what makes living a sharp-tongued life even happier is sharing that sharp-tongued life with your best friend.

After gossiping with Jiang Mingyi, he focused on preparing for tomorrow’s interview. Originally, the Vice President was supposed to interview him, but unexpectedly, the President, who was supposedly busy, suddenly became available and would be sitting in on the interview. Although the job was already a sure thing, the sudden appearance of the President gave him the feeling of being randomly called upon by a teacher during his student days.

Even if he knew the material by heart, he would still be nervous when called up. To soothe his anxious heart, he could only review his prepared documents again.

The hotel’s restaurant was famous, so Yan Xucheng didn’t bother looking for another place and went downstairs for dinner. Yan Xucheng looked at the menu: “Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice…”

“Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice…”

Two voices overlapped. Yan Xucheng looked over curiously. It was a young man with curly, sheep-like hair. He looked very cute, like a little honey bear. Meeting the little bear’s gaze, he waved, and the little bear waved back with a sweet smile. Yan Xucheng instantly felt struck—so cute!

Are all Jiangcheng Natives this adorable?

That makes sense. Jiangcheng is in the south, so it should be a breeding ground for these cute little sweet peas.

Seeing the little bear respond to him, Yan Xucheng’s desire not to eat alone stirred again. He tentatively asked, “Want to join me?”

This was an outgoing little bear, who seemed slightly disbelieving that Yan Xucheng was calling him. He pointed to himself: “Me?”

Yan Xucheng nodded: “Mhm, mhm.”

The little bear happily scooted over and told the waiter, “Please bring my meal here later, thank you.” Then he introduced himself to Yan Xucheng: “My name is Yao Xingyu, as in ‘The wind blows down, stars like rain’ (a line from a poem).”

Even his name sounded nice. Yan Xucheng proactively shook his hand: “Yan Xucheng. You look so cute. Are all people from Jiangcheng this cute?”

Yao Xingyu, rarely praised so sincerely, immediately blushed: “It’s… it’s not as exaggerated as you say. I feel like my appearance is quite common.”

Yao Xingyu could tell the other person was genuinely praising him, which made him feel embarrassed. Yan Xucheng clearly looked better—magnificent and refined, with a face like flawless jade. Especially when he smiled, his smoky-teal eyes seemed to reflect the night sky and the scenery of Jiangcheng. Wait, Yan Xucheng? Why did that name sound familiar…

Hearing Yao Xingyu’s words, Yan Xucheng was the first to disagree: “Then you’re the cutest among the cute.”

Yao Xingyu laughed softly at his earnestness. Compared to himself, he thought Yan Xucheng was the cuter one. From the outside, he looked like a mature beauty, but the moment he spoke, he sounded like an adorable youth. Meeting a stranger for the first time, he showed such great goodwill, like a child who hadn’t experienced the harshness of the world.

Yao Xingyu suddenly noticed a flash of light on Yan Xucheng’s ear: “Are you wearing an earring?”

“Yes!” Yan Xucheng was completely unguarded, perhaps because his world wasn’t dangerous and was full of harmony and love. He turned his head and even brushed aside the stray hair near his neck, fully exposing his pearly white neck to Yao Xingyu, making it easier to see the intricately crafted six-pointed star stud in his left ear.

The fragmented diamonds refracted the restaurant lights. Yao Xingyu could only find one word to describe the scene: “Dazzling.”

Yan Xucheng carried a hint of pride, seemingly caring about the other’s opinion but confident in his own appearance and taste. “Looks good, right?”

“It looks so good. It suits you perfectly.”

When two outgoing people got together, there was never a dull moment. After dinner, they smoothly exchanged contact information. They even made plans for Yao Xingyu to show Yan Xucheng around the next time he visited Jiangcheng.

Yan Xucheng had gained another friend. Making friends was just that simple.

…

Lu Zhijian looked at the flashing name on his phone screen with a headache. He didn’t want to answer. If he did, he would have to speak, and he preferred staying quietly alone in one place rather than talking. But he couldn’t ignore it. The constantly repeating music snippet made his heart tighten in waves, causing an inexplicable panic.

His finger hovered over the green button. After a moment of silence, he finally pressed it. The call timer started. He pursed his lips: “Dad.”

Then he waited quietly for the person on the other end to speak. He truly didn’t know what to say.

Lu Ming also didn’t know why, but usually fine, he became tongue-tied when facing this son, unable to think of any topic: “I heard you’re planning to return to the country?”

“Mhm.” The father and son fell into silence again. Lu Zhijian suddenly realized he had been too brief. He paused and added, “Yes, I’ve been out for too long, it’s time to go back. Also, a friend has something they need my help with.”

He didn’t specify which friend or what the favor was, and Lu Ming didn’t press for details. “Then when you return, let’s have a good drink together, father and son.”

Lu Zhijian frowned almost imperceptibly. Unfortunately, they weren’t on a video call, so Lu Ming couldn’t see it. He paused, then softly said, “Alright.”

Lu Ming noticed Lu Zhijian’s hesitation but didn’t take it seriously; Lu Zhijian was often like this, and Lu Ming was used to hearing it. He was happy to hear his agreement: “Then Dad will prepare the good wine I’ve been saving for you.”

In truth, he didn’t like drinking, not any kind of alcohol. He preferred juice and tea. But Lu Zhijian said nothing. “Mhm.”

The call fell silent again. Lu Zhijian wanted to find something interesting to share with Lu Ming. He recalled the events of the past few days.

Since parting ways with Yan Xucheng, he had stayed in that small plaza for several more days, sitting there all day long, just like the bronze maiden statue, from sunrise to sunset. He had experienced five sunrises in total. The table by the window had held irises, lilies, and daisies, but the red rose had never reappeared.

Finally, one night, he mustered the courage to walk up to the counter of that shop. The woman named Margot was busy as usual until a shadow fell over her. She looked up: “Hello—oh? I remember you. You seem to be a friend of Yan’s.”

Lu Zhijian wasn’t sure if they counted as friends, but probably not, since Yan Xucheng had left without even giving him contact information.

But Yan Xucheng wasn’t here now, and he didn’t know what term to use to summarize their relationship, so he could only accept the title of ‘friend.’ He nodded: “It’s me, ma’am. The rose you placed on the table that day was very beautiful. I wanted to ask… where did you buy it?”

Fortunately, Lu Zhijian was tall, 191 centimeters, and the short Aunt Margot couldn’t see the redness on his ears. Margot was happy to talk about flowers and eager to bring more business to her friend: “It’s from Doloros Florist on the next street. Their sign has a large, prominent lily of the valley; you’ll recognize it right away.”

Lu Zhijian revealed his true purpose: “Thank you. Do they still sell roses now? I see there’s a bouquet of chamomile on that table.”

Margot didn’t think much of it. “Of course they do. I only put roses on that table when Yan comes. Now that he’s gone home, I haven’t put any out.”

It was true. Yan Xucheng had returned to the country.

Lu Zhijian was the kind of person who never showed what he was thinking on his face. Hearing this, he merely nodded: “Thank you. I’ll be going now.”

He hurriedly pushed open the door. The bell on the door rang crisply, then the door closed, isolating all the lively hustle and bustle of the room behind him. He walked alone into the silent street.

The sun had completely set, leaving a unique layer of blue in the sky—the legendary blue hour. But Lu Zhijian was in no mood to appreciate it. His mood always dipped when the sun set, and today was no different. He walked faster and faster, as if trying to leave the sunset behind.

Halfway through the call, he had zoned out again. Lu Zhijian felt a little flustered: “I…”

Lu Ming was already used to it and didn’t say anything: “If you’re tired, get some rest early. Dad has some things to deal with here. Shall we hang up?”

Lu Zhijian breathed a sigh of relief, his tone noticeably lighter: “Okay.”

Lu Ming was worried that he was returning because he felt awkward refusing a friend’s request or felt bad about letting him manage the company for so long. He added a final instruction: “If you want to play around for a few more days, that’s fine. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Call me if you have any problems.”

Lu Zhijian’s response was surprisingly prompt: “No need. There’s nothing fun here anyway.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

That day, after leaving the restaurant, he looked around. There wasn’t a single familiar face. The unfamiliar streets brought him only a deep sense of loneliness.