The Ceo Of The Company Next Door Seems To Have A Crush On Me Chapter 9

Tofu Pudding and Aromatic Journey

Lu Zhijian squatted down, a slight curve on his lips, and reached out to stroke the cat’s fluffy body. “Douhua (Tofu Pudding).”

The little cat named Douhua stretched its soft body under his hand, rubbing against him and purring. Lu Zhijian gently squeezed its paws and smoothed its fur. “How about I give you a bath and brush your fur later?”

Douhua seemed to understand his words, flicking its tail and meowing a few times before turning and walking away, as if bumping into Lu Zhijian had been merely an accident. Lu Zhijian remained squatting, watching Douhua walk away step by step. Douhua reached a corner, meowed at Lu Zhijian, then leaped, disappearing from his sight.

Lu Zhijian stood up and clapped his hands. He felt a lingering residue of fine dust and hair fibers from Douhua on his fingers that he couldn’t shake off. He urgently wanted to go home and wash his hands.

The elevator chimed as it reached the sixteenth floor, and the doors slowly opened.

The elevator was situated between two apartments, so Lu Zhijian clearly saw the wide-open door of the other unit. A man with shoulder-length blonde hair, a red-skinned pencil tucked behind his ear, was just stepping out. He greeted Lu Zhijian.

What a social butterfly, Lu Zhijian thought. Shouldn’t a qualified neighbor pretend not to see the other person?

But he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t seen him, so he simply nodded. He wasn’t good at interacting with neighbors and couldn’t think of anything to say. Fortunately, his door was right next to them. He opened the door and slipped inside. As the latch clicked shut, Lu Zhijian let out a sigh of relief, like a rabbit finally returning to its burrow, temporarily safe from predators.

The apartment had excellent soundproofing, and the neighbors were careful with their renovations, so there was no noise to disturb Lu Zhijian’s rest.

Before coming home, he had specifically hired a cleaning company to tidy up, so the house was very clean and dust-free. Lu Zhijian hung his coat on the rack and went to the balcony to check on his succulents.

Succulents are very drought-resistant plants; they won’t easily die even if left alone. Moreover, he had specifically asked his parents to water them before he left, so they were all growing well. The smaller ones stood neatly in a row on the wooden flower stand, while the larger ones were placed on the floor. The entire balcony looked like a giant palette, or the sky at sunset, filled with every imaginable color, vibrant and dazzling.

Only after seeing that all the succulents were alive and well did Lu Zhijian pick up a larger pot of Guanghan Palace from the floor and place it on the bedside table in the bedroom, and the largest Orange Dream Dew in the study… To make watering easier, Lu Zhijian had gathered them all on the balcony before he left. Now he had to return them to their original spots one by one.

After placing them, he started cleaning the bedroom. He had specifically instructed the cleaners not to touch the bedroom, so a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the desk.

Dusting, changing the sheets, changing the curtains, mopping the floor… Only after the bedroom was spotless did Lu Zhijian find a set of loungewear and head for a shower.

The water streamed down from above, tracing a path over Lu Zhijian’s neck and back, making him feel ticklish. Steam blurred his vision and mind. His eyes were hazy, and the thick water vapor resembled pigeon feathers…

When he emerged after drying his hair, it was sunset outside. The orange-yellow light spilled into the house but didn’t provide much illumination. The areas near the window were covered in a thick filter, making them unclear, while the areas further from the window were plunged into darkness. Lu Zhijian turned on the bedroom light, but the lamp couldn’t overcome the dense orange-red. So, Lu Zhijian drew the newly hung curtains.

He squinted. His body, accustomed to Country F time, desperately wanted to sleep. But before sleeping, he forced himself to find his phone, which he had left by the entrance. Several people were asking if he had arrived in Jingji. He replied to each one, then dragged his exhausted body to plug in his phone and collapsed onto the bed, pulling the covers over himself to sleep.

As for the suitcase by the door, that would have to wait until tomorrow.

…

Yan Xucheng had been preparing for this day for a long time.

Jiang Mingyi waited for Yan Xucheng at the coffee shop across from “Aromatic Journey.” This way, Yan Xucheng could easily find her, and she could keep an eye on the restaurant’s situation.

“Aromatic Journey” was a restaurant opened by one of their high school classmates. She had already booked a private room and given them a heads-up, striving for absolute certainty. During a divorce, one had to be extremely careful, or they might fall into a trap. Since divorce was so difficult now, she couldn’t gamble on Yan Zhu’s character, so the home-field advantage was especially important.

“Why isn’t he here yet?” Jiang Mingyi craned her neck, anxious. “He always drops the ball at the critical moment!”

In the distance, a tall figure in a dark gray overcoat slowly approached. The crowd moved south, but he alone walked north, against the flow. Every movement seemed to slow down time around him.

Jiang Mingyi’s heart leaped with joy. She quickly paid the bill, pushed open the coffee shop door, and stepped out. It was indeed Yan Xucheng!

Yan Xucheng was expressionless at the moment, his upturned eyes exuding an aura of “do not approach.” His red lips were tightly pursed, a rare splash of color on his person.

“Hiss—” Jiang Mingyi slapped his shoulder. “I didn’t expect you to look so put-together when you clean up.”

Anyone who saw him would think he was cold, beautiful, and hard to approach, as if he naturally existed on a different plane from normal people. Not bad, not bad. Although he was essentially a paper tiger, a paper tiger was still a tiger. Besides, she had dragged Yan Xucheng here to hold the fort and argue; he didn’t need to physically fight. Whether he was paper or not didn’t matter.

Jiang Mingyi suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, where are your elite glasses?”

She felt the glasses were the essence; Yan Xucheng truly looked different when he wore them.

Yan Xucheng had wanted to wear them, but, “I’m afraid if a fight breaks out, they’ll get smashed. Then the broken glass shards will be punched into my eyes by his fist, and my eyes will go splash, splash, splash~”

“Don’t worry, with me here, when have I ever let you get hurt?” Jiang Mingyi tugged on his sleeve, emphasizing again, “Hold back your laughter! Make sure you hold it back, got it?”

Yan Xucheng glanced at her faintly, nodding slightly. His voice was steady, surprisingly reliable. “Don’t worry. As long as I don’t look at you, I can hold it back.”

Jiang Mingyi cooperated by standing slightly behind Yan Xucheng, just in case he suddenly burst out laughing.

“Right, has Yan Zhu arrived?”

“Not yet.” Jiang Mingyi shook her head. She had been watching the door. No one had entered. “And Nanxing hasn’t notified me. Let’s go in first.”

Nanxing was their high school classmate and the owner of Aromatic Journey. Upon learning that Jiang Mingyi was meeting her ex-husband to discuss divorce, Nanxing immediately got involved, even reinforcing the soundproofing of the private room.

It wasn’t mealtime yet, and there were only a few people in the restaurant. Behind the counter, a woman with her hair tied up with a hairpin was wiping the table for the fifteenth time. Seeing them enter, her eyes lit up. “You’re finally here. I’ve been here since morning.”

She looked at Yan Xucheng’s cold and severe demeanor, like the winter wind in Jingji, and couldn’t help but take a step back and exclaim, “That’s really good, wow. I didn’t expect it. That aura must be six feet tall.”

Yan Xucheng felt smug. “Not bad, right?”

But Nanxing immediately told him, “Don’t talk.”

“Wow—” She circled Yan Xucheng again.

Yan Xucheng spotted the Key Point. “Why aren’t you wearing high heels today?”

Nanxing usually wore high heels with her qipao, but today she was wearing simple flats.

Nanxing replied, “Flats are easier to move around in.”

Watching this scene, a wave suddenly surged in Jiang Mingyi’s heart. This was her own business, yet everyone who knew about her divorce was doing their best to help her…

Yan Xucheng was the first to notice her unusual state. “What’s wrong? You’re not going to cry from being touched, are you? Don’t worry, there will be plenty more things to touch you in the future.”

Jiang Mingyi was afraid of ruining her makeup, so she only pulled a tissue from the nearby box and gently dabbed the corner of her eye. “What are you talking about? I’m just surprised. I came here to discuss divorce, but the two of you are acting like I’m going to war.”

Yan Xucheng didn’t speak, exchanging a look with Nanxing. Weren’t they afraid a fight would break out?

Unfortunately, Jiang Mingyi didn’t yet understand their good intentions.

Nanxing quickly ushered them upstairs. “Come on, come on, don’t stand here. Let’s go into the private room first.”

Shortly after, two tall men also appeared at the entrance of Aromatic Journey.