Chapter 666: This Is Your Girlfriend
s.h.i.+ Mengwan believed that even if she had met him, she wouldn’t be able to get along with him. However, because of mother s.h.i.+’s att.i.tude, she would just meet him. She would just treat it as letting her mother rest a.s.sured.
“Of course, it’s just a meeting. It’s not like I’m asking you to get married right away. There’s no such thing.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s lips moved, but she didn’t say the rest of her words. She didn’t want to say it anymore. Forget it, she’ll just treat it as an additional life experience.
Otherwise, speaking of which, she hadn’t even gone on a blind date before. Thinking of it this way, she wasn’t that conflicted anymore.
..
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t expect that mother s.h.i.+ would be so anxious. She actually asked that man to come to her house the next day, which was the first day of the New Year, to also to meet her at the same time.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan feelt helpless and speechless. It was just that it was the New Year. If he really came, she would be too embarra.s.sed to kick him out.
She thought about it and really didn’t like this kind of atmosphere. She used the excuse of going to her former cla.s.smate’s house to pay a new year visit and avoided it.
It was one thing to agree to a blind date, but if she really had to meet her blind date like this, she would feel that it was too rushed. She wasn’t prepared at all.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan really didn’t have many cla.s.smates in town. There were only two former middle school cla.s.smates. She went to a small town for high school. At that time, she had just returned home and felt uncomfortable staying at home. Later, she was admitted to the neighboring small town for high school.
She hid at the home of her cla.s.smates, but discovered that her previous two cla.s.smates had already gotten married and had children. They were clearly about the same age as her.
One of the female cla.s.smates kept asking her when she planned to get married?
News of her had spread throughout the town by now. Father s.h.i.+ was very capable when he was young. Mother s.h.i.+ was also a famous tailor in the local area. The couple had long built a three-and-a-half-story small building in the town. They could be considered the first batch of people to get rich.
The s.h.i.+ family was so famous that many people had heard about the argument between s.h.i.+ Mengwan and Grandma s.h.i.+ the other day.
Half of the people thought that s.h.i.+ Mengwan was really impressive, while the other half thought that s.h.i.+ Mengwan was dreaming. Who would be willing to become their son-in-law? Why would the child’s surname be after her?
s.h.i.+ Mengwan couldn’t hear the discussions of those people and didn’t know that she had become the female lead of the rumors.
When she heard her cla.s.smates ask her when she would get married, she first thought of Zhan Haoze, and then she thought of the blind date that was coming today. She shook her head and didn’t answer the other party’s question, but she couldn’t stay any longer.
She went to two more houses to pay new year’s greetings, and at the end of the conversation, they all asked similar questions. s.h.i.+ Mengwan lost her patience and slowly headed home.
When she returned home, the guest had already left. There was a complicated expression in mother s.h.i.+’s eyes, but she didn’t blame her much.
She probably knew that her daughter was feeling conflicted in her heart. When she came back that year, her daughter ran outside every day, wholeheartedly looking for that Dear Brother.
Putting aside the fact that she wouldn’t be able to find him under such circ.u.mstances, even if she did find him, mother s.h.i.+ wouldn’t agree to s.h.i.+ Mengwan being with that boy.
She heard that he didn’t go to school and didn’t have a proper background. She didn’t know what he was doing outside every day.
However, after so many years, even if her daughter didn’t mention it, she probably still remembered him in her heart.
“Wanwan.” Mother s.h.i.+ really wanted to persuade her. “I’ve seen the person who came today. He’s quite a nice person. He’s the third son in his family. This is a gift left behind by the other party. He knows you’re not at home, so he didn’t say anything. He just said that he’ll meet you again after he goes to Lin City.”
“Oh.”
Mother s.h.i.+ took out her phone and sent a phone number to s.h.i.+ Mengwan. “This is the other party’s number. He said he’ll contact you when he goes back to Lin City. Don’t blame me for giving him his number. Also, he said that his Wechat number is the same. He said that if you’re willing, he’ll let you add him on Wechat first. You guys can perhaps have a little chat first?”
“Mom.” s.h.i.+ Mengwan was a little impatient. When she met her mother’s gaze, she forced herself to be patient and memorize the number.
“Okay, I got it.”
“In my eyes, Xiao Qi looks really nice. Think about it.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was very serious about her suggestion. s.h.i.+ Mengwan couldn’t refuse her mother’s good intentions, so she copied down the other party’s cell phone number.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t stay at home for long. After staying for three days, she returned to Lin City. First of all, she still wanted to return to the studio to finish the rest of her work. Second of all, she still wanted to visit Xiang Caiping.
Xiang Caiping was still hospitalized during the New Year. The first thing she did when she returned to Lin City was to visit Xiang Caiping.
She was in good spirits and didn’t seem to be affected by the injury at all. Moreover, she saw that Su Qingsang and Xiang Caiping had a very good relations.h.i.+p. She also took good care of her. She was really happy for Su Qingsang.
After having Xiang Caiping, Su Qingsang was finally no longer a child without a mother.
After coming out of the hospital, she saw that the weather was good. s.h.i.+ Mengwan unexpectedly received a call from Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi was the blind date guy. s.h.i.+ Mengwan held the phone. The other party’s voice sounded very gentle.
“Miss s.h.i.+, our company hasn’t started work yet. I heard that you’ve already come to Lin City. When do you think it’s convenient for you to come out and meet these for the next two days?”
The other party went straight to the point and didn’t beat around the bush. s.h.i.+ Mengwan thought about it and agreed to the other party’s request for a meeting.
The time was set for tonight. Xiao Qi sensibly booked the location of dinner at a western restaurant that had just opened.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan looked at the address and found that it was very close to where she lived. Her mother might have told Xiao Qi where she lived, but no matter what, if the other party had deliberately inquired about it, he was being considerate.
She didn’t feel conflicted at first, but now, she was relieved.
It was still early, so s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t go home to change. She went to the studio to make a plan for the new year and revised her previous draft.
When she was done, she realized that it was less than fifteen minutes till dinner.
She hurried to the restaurant and realized that she was still late.
She took out her phone and was about to make a call, but Xiao Qi’s GPS and photo were on it.
The location was from the restaurant he was in and he told her that he had arrived. The photo was the restaurant’s signboard, followed by Xiao Qi’s location and a selfie.
This was the first time s.h.i.+ Mengwan had seen this man. He looked civilized and gentle. He seemed to be a very good-natured person.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan looked at the time. He had arrived a full fifteen minutes earlier than her. She was a little embarra.s.sed. She hurriedly entered the restaurant and found her seat.
Xiao Qi was already sitting in his seat. He was holding his phone in his hand. The moment he saw s.h.i.+ Mengwan, he stood up. He sized up s.h.i.+ Mengwan, and there was an obvious flash of surprise in his eyes.
“I was just wondering if the photo I posted was too ugly, so you were so scared that you didn’t want to show up.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan giggled. This Xiao Qi was quite interesting.
“How could that be? You should be thinking, is it possible that because the photo you posted was too handsome, I felt inferior and didn’t dare to show up?”
This time, it was Xiao Qi’s turn to smile. He extended his hand towards s.h.i.+ Mengwan. “h.e.l.lo, I’m Xiao Qi.”
“h.e.l.lo, I’m s.h.i.+ Mengwan.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan smiled and extended her hand towards him. Perhaps this man wasn’t that repulsive.
He walked out from his seat and pulled a chair for s.h.i.+ Mengwan. He returned to his seat and sat down. He poured s.h.i.+ Mengwan a gla.s.s of lemonade on the table.
“Sorry, I haven’t ordered yet. I don’t know what you like to eat, so I could only wait for you to come.”
“It’s okay. I’m not picky.”
What s.h.i.+ Mengwan said was true. After more than a year of vagabond life, she really didn’t like any food. Except for a few things that she didn’t like, she really ate whatever she had.
Xiao Qi called the waiter over and asked s.h.i.+ Mengwan for her opinion. He ordered two identical steaks for the two of them.
“What do you want to drink, Miss s.h.i.+?” As he spoke, he smiled first. “If you like to drink, you can also have a bottle. But I see that you drove here, so it’s better to have a beverage.”
“I’ll drink fruit juice.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan felt that this Xiao Qi was really a good person. He was very thoughtful.
Xiao Qi finished ordering and returned the menu to the waiter. After the waiter left, he smiled. “Alright, even if you want to drink today, I won’t order.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know how much you can drink. I’m afraid you’ll think that I intentionally forced you to drink. When that happens, I won’t be able to explain it clearly.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan really smiled this time. “I really can’t drink well.”
More importantly, it was really inappropriate for them to be alone now.
Xiao Qi nodded and looked at s.h.i.+ Mengwan. Suddenly, he said seriously, “I’m sorry. Did I scare you by showing up so abruptly?”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was a little embarra.s.sed. Just as she was about to explain, Xiao Qi raised his hand. “I was too rash. At that time, my mom asked me to go and take a look. I didn’t think much of it. I didn’t expect to cause you trouble and make you return to Lin City so early.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” s.h.i.+ Mengwan shook her head. “I came back because of something else.”
“That’s good.” Xiao Qi looked at her and confirmed that she really wasn’t angry. “I’ve heard about your situation. Let me tell you about my situation.”
“I’m 29 years old this year. I’m currently working in a technology company. I’m currently a research and development manager.”
At this point, he paused. “Of course, this achievement is nothing compared to setting up a studio at such a young age.”
“There’s no such thing. “s.h.i.+ Mengwan shook her head. “I was just lucky.”
She meant what she said. She had set up her own studio not long after graduating. In addition to her own hard work, she had also received help from her own teacher and Su Qingsang.
However, Xiao Qi was already a manager at such a young age, so he had to have relied on himself.
“Are we complimenting each other?” Xiao Qi’s teasing words made s.h.i.+ Mengwan laugh, and she stopped arguing.
“I’m the third child in my family. My eldest brother and second brother are already married and have children. I’m the only one who’s still single in my family.”
After saying this, Xiao Qi picked up the cup in front of him and took a sip of water.
“My parents have always wanted me to get married, but I’ve never had such thoughts before. “On one hand, I still want to work hard in our company. On the other hand, I once had a girlfriend. Because it was a long-distance relations.h.i.+p, the distance and time made it impossible for us to continue, so I really didn’t have such thoughts before.”
“I know that Miss s.h.i.+ is an independent woman, but I think that for a blind date like this, if it’s possible, it’s better to explain everything clearly. What do you think?”
“You’re right.” s.h.i.+ Mengwan nodded. “You’re still thinking about your ex-girlfriend, so –”
“No.” Xiao Qi waved his hand. “That part is already in the past. I’m telling you this because I’m serious and want to start a new relations.h.i.+p. So, I’m dating you on the premise of marriage. As for the conditions that your family put forward, I don’t disagree. Both my brothers have sons. My parents have already said that I only need to live a happy life on my own.”
Xiao Qi’s voice was neither fast nor slow, and his tone was steady as usual.
He was honest, and he explained his situation clearly the moment he arrived. s.h.i.+ Mengwan looked at him and found it difficult to speak.
“Miss s.h.i.+, do you not believe that I can do it?” Xiao Qi put down the cup in his hand. “Don’t worry. Since I’ve agreed, I won’t go back on my word.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan bit her lips, and a trace of hesitation flashed across her face. “I mean your situation, I basically understand. But I might have to tell you about my situation.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m 26 years old this year, and I have my own studio.” s.h.i.+ Mengwan thought to herself, what should she say next? “Before I –”
“Eh? Mr. Zhan?”
Xiao Qi made a sound of surprise, and his voice interrupted s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s words. That “Mr. Zhan” made s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s heart skip a beat. The moment Xiao Qi stood up, she turned around and looked behind her —
When she saw who it was, s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s heart skipped a beat.
“Mr. Zhan.” Xiao Qi walked out from his seat and greeted Zhan Haoze. “What a coincidence. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
“En. Manager Xiao is here too? It’s indeed a coincidence.” Zhan Haoze’s voice was indifferent. He glanced at Xiao Qi and his gaze seemed to sweep over s.h.i.+ Mengwan without leaving any trace. “Having dinner with your girlfriend?”
“Not yet.” Xiao Qi, who had been speaking confidently just a moment ago, smiled a little bashfully. “But I hope she will be in the future.”
As he spoke, he glanced at s.h.i.+ Mengwan. “Mengwan, this is our company’s Zhan Haoze, Mr. Zhan. Mr. Zhan, this is my friend s.h.i.+ Mengwan.”
“h.e.l.lo, Miss s.h.i.+.”
Zhan Haoze looked at s.h.i.+ Mengwan and extended his hand to her first. Her heart beating very fast, s.h.i.+ Mengwan sat there.
She used all of her restraint to prevent herself from revealing any clues. When she met Xiao Qi’s gaze, she forced herself to stand up and extended her hand to Zhan Haoze.
“h.e.l.lo, Mr. Zhan.”
She felt Zhan Haoze’s hand pinch her hand so hard that she was in pain.
Fortunately, he let go very quickly. s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s hand hurt. She quietly put her hand on her body, gently clenched her fist, and then relaxed.
Xiao Qi didn’t notice her small movements, but Zhan Haoze did. His gaze swept over the two of them.
“Are you two on a date?”
His pitch-black eyes didn’t show any emotion at the moment. His voice was also faint, but s.h.i.+ Mengwan could hear a storm brewing in his voice.
“Yeah,” Xiao Qi admitted openly. He looked at Zhan Haoze and asked, “Is Mr. Zhan alone? Do you want to join us?”
This sudden invitation made s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s eyes widen as she looked at Xiao Qi. Had he gone crazy?
“No, your girlfriend will be unhappy.”
Zhan Haoze’s voice was still aloof, but Xiao Qi suddenly remembered that he was on a blind date with s.h.i.+ Mengwan. How could he ask his boss to sit down on a blind date?
“Then…”
“I have an appointment with a friend. I’ll go and see if he’s here.”
“Then you go ahead.”
Zhan Haoze slightly nodded and glanced at s.h.i.+ Mengwan. Finally, his gaze returned to Xiao Qi. “Put today’s expenses on my account.”
“There’s no need, President Zhan. How could I do that?”
“It’s okay.” After Zhan Haoze said this, he turned to leave. He didn’t look at s.h.i.+ Mengwan anymore.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan felt her legs go weak. After Zhan Haoze left, she sat down on the chair, and her face was a little pale.
“Mengwan?” Xiao Qi called her and smiled first. “I’m sorry. I called you by your name without your consent. I mainly thought it was weird to call you Miss s.h.i.+.”
“It’s okay.” s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t take this matter to heart. “We’re all young people. There’s no need to be so fussy.”
“Then you can call me by my name too.”
“Okay.” s.h.i.+ Mengwan answered carelessly, picked up the water on the table, and drank it in one gulp. However, she felt that the turmoil in her heart didn’t subside. Instead, it was growing more and more.
“I’m sorry. I just invited Mr. Zhan to have dinner with me like that. Don’t mind me. I really admire him.”
Xiao Qi’s eyes lit up. s.h.i.+ Mengwan had been entangled with Zhan Haoze until now. She always knew that his current achievements might not be low, but she really didn’t know what he did..,
“You said he’s your boss? He looks quite young.”
“Yeah, our boss isn’t even 30 this year. He was very capable. When he was in university, he invested in a software. That software earned him his first pot of money. No, in fact, he heard that he earned his first pot of money by investing in a fund. Later, he invested in our company’s first software. No one wanted that software at that time, but he had an eye for vc investing and bought it at a high price. His story of starting a business was a legend in Lin City.”
“Is that so?” s.h.i.+ Mengwan poured herself a gla.s.s of water and drank it to cover up her loss of composure. “I really couldn’t tell.”
“Yeah, he not only invests in technology companies, but also some new energy industries, but what’s more laudable is probably his devotion.”
“Devotion?” s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t seem to understand. She looked at Xiao Qi. “What do you mean by that?”
“Have you heard of the Chen Family? Although they weren’t as powerful as the Li family and the Su family in Lin City, Xiao Qi had heard of the Chen family. But the Chen family wasn’t ordinary either. It was said that President Zhan owed the young madam of the Chen family a favor. So, for so many years, he had been guarding Miss Chen. If nothing unexpected happened, they would be engaged this year.”
Xiao Qi looked in the direction where Zhan Haoze had disappeared in. “Did you know? Mr. Zhan has a company under his name, but he still works at the Chen Corporation. Doesn’t that mean that he values relations.h.i.+ps?”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan couldn’t tell how she felt. She bit her lip and not letting her emotions show, she clenched her fists under the table.
“Then he really values relations.h.i.+ps.”
Her voice was very soft and sounded like a sigh.
Xiao Qi looked at her and suddenly felt a little embarra.s.sed. “You probably don’t like listening to this, right? I’m just too happy to see President Zhan. After all, it’s not every day that we run into him.”
“It’s okay.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan shook her head. Xiao Qi wanted to say something, but the waiter had already started serving food.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was silent as she held the knife and fork.
She had never asked Zhan Haoze what he was doing all these years. What was he doing? She used to think that even if she asked, Zhan Haoze might not say anything.
Later, she didn’t want to ask anymore. If one day he was willing, he would tell her.
But she had never thought that one day she would get all the information about him through other people’s mouths.
She thought of what Xiao Qi had said just now. Was he infatuated with Miss Chen? Perhaps he really was.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t know how the food tasted during this meal. Xiao Qi said something in the middle, but she only answered a few random sentences.
It lasted until her cell phone rang. It was mother s.h.i.+, who was worried, so she called to remind her to remember to meet Xiao Qi.
After hanging up the phone, s.h.i.+ Mengwan breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t see Zhan Haoze again.
Her att.i.tude finally returned to normal when she faced Xiao Qi.
“Do you have any plans later, Mengwan?”
“No.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan only remembered that she actually wanted to go home to rest after she finished answering.
“Since that’s the case, why don’t we go watch a movie?”
Xiao Qi said tentatively, “During the New Year, there are a few movies that look good. Why don’t we go watch them?”
“Sure.”
Since she had already said it, s.h.i.+ Mengwan had no reason to refuse. Moreover, it had indeed been a long time since she went to watch a movie.
In the past, when Su Qingsang was free, she would follow Su Qingsang to watch a movie. However, Xiang Caiping had been in a car accident recently, so Su Qingsang wasn’t in the mood to go out for a party.
“Then let’s go watch a movie.”Xiao Qi looked very happy. It was obvious that he was satisfied with today’s blind date. “Let’s go.”
Xiao Qi brought s.h.i.+ Mengwan outside. When they were about to pay the bill, they were told that Zhan Haoze had already paid for it.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t even see when he left. Her heart raced again. What did Zhan Haoze mean?
She told herself that this might be because Xiao Qi was his subordinate, but deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case. However, she could only force herself to s.h.i.+ft her attention away from Zhan Haoze and focus on Xiao Qi instead.
Xiao Qi chose this restaurant because there was a cinema nearby.
He suggested that they ate too much at night, so they might as well walk there. s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t object. When they arrived at the movie theater, Xiao Qi asked s.h.i.+ Mengwan which movie she wanted.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t know either. She saw so many people at the movie theater, and it was the new year, so the movie theater was full. “I’m afraid we can’t get tickets, right?”
At this moment, Xiao Qi took out his phone and waved it in front of her. “I’ve already bought them.”
He said that he was worried that s.h.i.+ Mengwan wouldn’t be able to choose, so he even bought all the tickets for the four movies that were showing at this time.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan looked at Xiao Qi. She didn’t know what to feel in her heart. This person really put in a lot of effort.
In the end, the two of them picked a war movie that had a pretty good ratings and went to watch it.
The movie was a little noisy. From the beginning to the end, there were gunshots. Xiao Qi was very engrossed in watching it. s.h.i.+ Mengwan was a little absent-minded, but she could only let herself be engrossed in the movie.
Unexpectedly, halfway through the movie, her right hand was held by someone.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was shocked and quickly turned her head. She found that Zhan Haoze had arrived at some unknown time and was sitting on her right. His hand was tightly holding her hand.