The Ceo Of The Company Next Door Seems To Have A Crush On Me Chapter 8

Picking Up and Going Home

Yan Xucheng took this interview quite seriously, even preparing a set of attire that was understated and sophisticated yet full of substance—a black suit.

His smooth, long hair was completely pulled back and tied into a low ponytail that was neither too high nor too low, including the stray hairs at his temples and forehead. His superior, sculpted features were fully displayed. To enhance his academic aura, he even pulled out his rarely-used half-rimmed glasses, making him look exactly like a highly educated intellectual with outstanding looks.

Following the instructions in the email, he pressed the button for the eleventh floor. The elevator doors slowly closed before him, and the lush green evergreen tree at the entrance disappeared from his sight.

It was 9:15 AM, just past the normal start of the workday but not yet the busiest time. Few people were moving around here, so besides him, the only other person in the elevator was a tall, stern-faced man who looked to be in his early thirties. Yan Xucheng only reached the tip of the man’s nose.

The man wasn’t wearing a white coat, but his suit and leather shoes didn’t suggest he was ill. Could he be a patient’s family member?

Yan Xucheng secretly compared his looks with the other man’s. Both had typical strong, striking features, but the other man’s presence was too powerful; few people would notice his appearance at first glance. This was the opposite of Yan Xucheng. Yan Xucheng loved to smile and wasn’t aggressive, so people’s first impression was always focused on his dazzling face.

After one glance, Yan Xucheng retracted his gaze and looked straight ahead. It was impolite to stare at a stranger.

The eleventh floor arrived. There were still more than ten minutes until their scheduled time, so an assistant led him to a reception room to wait.

…

Lu Zhijian was having afternoon tea, holding a copy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. His finger gently traced a line on the page—”This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.”

No one knew what he was thinking at the moment. Perhaps the afternoon sun in England was too warm, giving him the illusion of being embraced.

He vaguely closed his eyes.

“Buzz—”

!

Lu Zhijian snapped his eyes open. The sound of his phone vibrating on the glass table startled him. It seemed next time he should just set it to Do Not Disturb.

He opened his phone; it was a text message from the airline.

Time to pack and prepare to go back. Fortunately, he didn’t have much stuff. He only needed to…

Suddenly, Lu Zhijian remembered Yan Xucheng mentioning at the dinner table that he was robbed while preparing gifts for family and friends.

Should he also bring something back?

Lu Zhijian didn’t have this habit. He had traveled for business to various places before but never thought about bringing back souvenirs. Judging by Yan Xucheng’s reaction, preparing gifts seemed like a very normal thing, something everyone did.

If that was the case, Lu Zhijian closed the book, then he would go pick out some gifts. But first, he had to think about who to buy them for. His parents definitely needed something, and his sister, too. Hmm… he wasn’t sure if he should buy gifts for friends. He had never given gifts to people on arbitrary days; it always felt strange.

Sitting directly opposite Yan Xucheng was the man he had encountered in the elevator. Now, he was wearing a white coat. To his left sat the Vice President responsible for interviewing Yan Xucheng. As for the person to his right, dressed in a business suit… wasn’t that his new good friend from yesterday, the Little Sweet Pea of Jiangcheng—Yao Xingyu!

All these thoughts flashed through Yan Xucheng’s mind in an instant. He quickly composed himself and sat down in the chair reserved for him.

“Mr. Yan, please briefly introduce yourself again.”

“I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Clinical Medicine at Jing University School of Medicine, and my Ph.D. in Medicine at Kimberly University in Country E. I have published as the sole author in…”

Yan Xucheng felt little pressure. Not only did he have high academic qualifications, but he also had work experience at Jing University Third Hospital. Moreover, he had already received the offer; coming here was just to meet in person and sign the contract. This interview was merely a formality, a final confirmation that the person online was the same as the person in front of them.

The Dean, sitting in the middle, didn’t speak the entire time, and Yao Xingyu, who seemed to be the Dean’s secretary, also remained quiet.

To Yan Xucheng’s surprise, after he signed the contract, the quiet Dean Yao slowly spoke: “What a coincidence, I also completed my degree in Business Administration at Jing University.”

Yan Xucheng suddenly understood and followed up on the Dean’s comment: “So you’re a senior!”

Yao Xingyu, behind him, had a slightly strange expression, but it was too complex for Yan Xucheng to decipher. His gaze shifted from Yao Xingyu to Yao Shengchen. Yao Shengchen didn’t intend to keep him guessing: “Strictly speaking, I should be your junior. I’m one year younger than you, 27 this year.”

Yao Xingyu quietly added, “He minored across schools and only went to Jing University in his sophomore year, so his enrollment was later.”

“Ah, I see. Then Dean, you should go back to Jing University when you have time. I went back a few days ago, and Jing University has changed quite a bit.” Even Yan Xucheng couldn’t smoothly call the Dean “junior,” despite his gentle demeanor and strong presence. He even felt that Yao Shengchen should be the same generation as his father. Although he did nothing, just standing there made people dare not act presumptuously.

Wait, if that was the case, wasn’t this the same as his grandfather?

Hiss~ Super seniority!

Dean Yao must have been excited to meet an alumnus. He didn’t intend to reminisce with Yan Xucheng for long, which made Yan Xucheng feel relieved.

Yao Shengchen looked at Yao Xingyu: “Go see Dr. Yan out.”

“Okay.”

Closing the door to the Dean’s office, Yao Xingyu turned to Yan Xucheng: “Want to see the hospital’s small garden? The air is nice. We can walk around, and then we can have lunch together.”

“Sounds great,” Yan Xucheng had nothing else to do back at the hotel. His flight was booked for tomorrow, and he had originally planned to just lounge around. Having company was certainly better, but, “Don’t you need to work?”

It was ten o’clock now. Did that mean Yao Xingyu was going to disappear from his post after only an hour of work?

Even slacking off shouldn’t be done like this… Was it really okay?

“No problem,” Yao Xingyu explained to him, “I’m not a hospital staff member; I’m his private secretary. I’m paid separately. If anything comes up, the Dean will message me. Usually, the Dean doesn’t need me.”

This job was very idle when it was quiet, and very busy when it was hectic. Yao Xingyu’s only relief was that Yao Shengchen was very independent.

Yan Xucheng’s eyes lit up as he listened to him describe his job. “A job where you can slack off whenever you want is really great.”

It was as wonderful as his student days. If he wanted to attend class, he could listen obediently. If he didn’t want to listen, he could quietly play. If he didn’t want to play quietly, he could skip class with Jiang Mingyi and go out. He truly missed it—those wonderful student days.

Jiang Mingyi had been relatively free these past few days, working from home. So, when Yan Xucheng returned to the Jingji, he made three phone calls to drag Jiang Mingyi out of the house to pick him up at the airport: “The airport is so big, with people coming and going, and no one waiting for me, only the cold wind blowing constantly. Just thinking about it makes me feel so pitiful. Can you bear to leave me there alone?”

Yan Xucheng blocked Jiang Mingyi’s immediate refusal: “I knew you couldn’t bear it! You’re so kind. I’ll bring you a gift!”

When he got off the plane, Yan Xucheng still felt a little uneasy. After blocking Jiang Mingyi’s words yesterday, he hadn’t contacted her again and hadn’t gotten her confirmation.

He recalled something Jiang Mingyi had complained about a long time ago. Jiang Mingyi’s mother-in-law once ordered Jiang Mingyi to pick her up, then immediately hung up on her. Jiang Mingyi didn’t indulge her at all and went to a meeting at the film set the next day. Her mother-in-law was stubborn and stood at the airport for three hours, only to be taken to the hospital afterward for catching a cold.

Yan Xucheng scanned the crowd, feeling increasingly disheartened, until he spotted a familiar head. His eyes instantly brightened. He smoothly moved to the side of that round head, reached out, and patted her on the crown. Jiang Mingyi looked up: “You’re here so fast?”

Yan Xucheng checked his watch: “It’s exactly on time, where did ‘so fast’ come from?”

Jiang Mingyi looked at her phone: “Ah, it seems so. I was too engrossed in playing and didn’t notice.”

“What do you mean ‘it seems so,’ you should say ‘it is’.”

“What kind of problem did you pick up after going to Jiangcheng? Why are you picking fights? Huh?” As she spoke, she raised her hand, threatening Yan Xucheng with her eyes.

Yan Xucheng didn’t argue with the physically strong; he listened to whoever had the stronger grip. So, he obediently lowered his head: “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Mingyi finally noticed the wire-rimmed glasses on Yan Xucheng’s face. “What is this?”

Yan Xucheng saw that she had finally noticed his new look, suppressed the corner of his mouth, and pushed up his glasses. “The legendary most authoritative and most refined scoundrel glasses—wire-rimmed glasses~

How about it? Doesn’t it look very elite, super reliable, and highly persuasive?”

Jiang Mingyi rested her chin on her hand and examined him carefully: “It is, indeed. Clothes make the man. You actually have such an elite day.”

One day later, this airport welcomed another flight arriving from Country E. Lu Zhijian only got up after most people had left.

Most people walked ahead of Lu Zhijian, forming a slightly crowded group that included a senior tour group. The tour guide kept talking to maintain order. The guide’s voice was quite loud, and when the wind carried it to Lu Zhijian’s ears, it was somewhat distorted. This sound made Lu Zhijian uncomfortable. He silently sighed and slowed his pace.

Lu Zhijian had been walking in the middle-to-back section, but slowing down immediately put him at the very back. There was a considerable distance between people, and this density of the crowd made Lu Zhijian feel at ease.

He hadn’t notified anyone of his return. Lu Ming hadn’t asked for his specific flight time, so Lu Zhijian hadn’t told him. Anyway, he didn’t have much luggage, only one carry-on suitcase; the rest was checked in.

However, Lu Zhijian didn’t want to retrieve his checked luggage today. The long flight had exhausted him. All he wanted now was to go home, sleep, and rest well. He would have his assistant pick up the remaining items tomorrow.

There were many taxis waiting for business at the airport exit. Finding transportation home was simple. The driver was a warm middle-aged man. Although he was shorter than Lu Zhijian, he still insisted on helping him put the suitcase into the trunk.

Lu Zhijian tried to refuse: “No need, I can do it myself…”

However, the driver was overly enthusiastic, and Lu Zhijian couldn’t resist with all his might, so he let the driver do it.

The driver got into the car, asked where he was going, then skillfully adjusted the sign in front of the car to the red “Occupied,” and started the engine.

The airport was built in the suburbs, and the road was desolate. Buildings only gradually appeared further ahead. The taxi was stopped at the entrance of the residential area. Lu Zhijian rolled down the window. The security guard saw Lu Zhijian’s face and greeted him: “Mr. Lu is back?”

Lu Zhijian didn’t know how to respond, so he could only repeat his words: “Yes, I’m back.”

The car stopped downstairs. The driver, without a word, got out again to help Lu Zhijian take the suitcase out. Lu Zhijian had lost all strength and means to resist, his hands awkwardly suspended in the air. He only sighed in relief when he got his suitcase back, feeling less awkward: “Thank you.”

“No need, no need.” The driver drove off to pick up his next fare.

Lu Zhijian was about to head inside when a white, unidentified object suddenly darted out from somewhere.