Chapter 23: 21

It only took one night for Xu Xingxing to understand the desire a man had to win and the strength he would exert for it.

The following day, Xu Xingxing arranged a meeting with Chen Wanwan to settle the matter of her shop. Chen Wanwan and her husband were waiting in their car for her at the gate of their community, and Chen Wanwan walked towards her with a smile when she arrived. 

She looked down at the two boxes of candies in Xu Xingxing’s hand, frowned, and asked, “Why are you buying so many candies? Your teeth don’t hurt anymore?”

Looking down at the fruit candies in each box, Xu Xingxing’s heart was warmed, and she just grinned while replying, “I can’t control it.”

Chen Wanwan laughed and said, “Hey, how old are you? You are not as good as my Kangkang.”

When Chen Wanwan mentioned her son, Xu Xingxing smiled happily and admitted, “Yes,” while thinking internally—‘I’m really not a good girl.’

Although Huai Jing had bitten her in a lot of places last night to teach her a lesson,  fortunately, they were all places that could be covered, so Xu Xingxing was not afraid of others seeing them. She pursed her lips, opened the door, and got into their car.

After Xu Xingxing got in the car, she greeted Zhan Liangting and said, “I’m sorry to trouble you.”

“I recommend that you rent the place for a few more years. Firstly, the rent is a favourable amount, and secondly, this place is very popular, so you will make a sufficient profit from that shop,” Zhan Liangting advised her.

On hearing Zhan Liangting’s words, Xu Xingxing did not hesitate and nodded. “Okay.”

Chen Wanwan was overjoyed when Xu Xingxing said that she would rent the store for a few more years, which meant that she would stay in Xiacheng for a longer period. This encouraged Chen Wanwan and she declared, “By the way, I also want to find a husband from Xiacheng for Xingxing, so that she can settle down here itself.”

After saying this, Chen Wanwan slapped her husband’s shoulder and urged him, “Old Zhan, hurry up and see if there are any young talents in your unit, then check whether they are suitable for our Xingxing.”

Zhan Liangting gave her a helpless smile and replied, “Most of the people in our unit are already married and have already established families.”

“What use are you of?” Chen Wanwan pinched Zhan Liangting’s ear and tugged at it.

Zhan Liangting was not annoyed by his wife’s action, and said with a smile, “I have given you a home.”

Chen Wanwan blushed, slapped him lightly, and wanted to curse, but stopped herself.

This back-and-forth conversation between the couple made Xu Xingxing’s lips curl up. She looked down at the two boxes of candy in her hand and packed them into her bag.

Since Zhan Liangting had almost finished negotiating most of the contract, the signing went very smoothly. As for the interior decor of the shop, Zhan Liangting had also found a construction team, and they would start working the next day itself. The rest of the work was the recruitment and training of store managers, which Xu Xingxing would do by herself.

In the future, she would also be a small boss who pays other people’s wages, and this made Xu Xingxing feel a sense of accomplishment in her heart.

After finishing their work, the group headed toward Chen Wanwan’s house.

Chen Wanwan’s family lived near Zhan Liangting’s workplace. There were a lot of people living in this community. When the car drove in, they met many acquaintances, and Chen Wanwan greeted them one by one.

After parking the car, they got off and got on the elevator together. As soon as the elevator arrived at the floor of Chen Wanwan’s house, and they got off, a little boy with big eyes opened the door of an apartment and ran towards them, calling out ‘Aunt Xingxing’,  and then pounced on Xu Xingxing.

Xu Xingxing opened her arms with a smile and embraced the milky-scented little boy.

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At the door, Zhan Liangting’s father and mother, who had followed behind Zhan Jiakang, also smiled when they saw Xu Xingxing.

“Aunt Xingxing, I missed you so much,” Kangkang said childishly, hugging Xu Xingxing’s neck with a smile.

“Auntie missed you too.” Xu Xingxing’s tone was gentle. 

Looking at Xu Xingxing’s expression, Chen Wanwan felt sore when she thought about her infertility. She glared at Zhan Jiakang and said, “Why did I ever wish for a son? After seeing such a beautiful aunt, you don’t even want your parents now.”

Xu Xingxing smiled softly after hearing her friend’s words.

Kangkang turned his head and looked at Chen Wanwan. Although her words were childish, her tone was quite serious.

“I can see mom every day. I haven’t seen Auntie Xingxing for a long time, so I will hug her first.”

Warmed by Kangkang’s words, Xu Xingxing tightened her arms around Zhan Jiakang, picked him up and walked to Chen Wanwan’s house while saying, “Auntie will come here often to see our Kangkang, ok?”

When Kangkang heard this, he immediately became happy. He wrapped his arms around Xu Xingxing’s neck again and buried his face in her neck.

Holding the little boy in her arms, Xu Xingxing’s heart seemed to be filled with love, though at the same time, it felt as if a piece had been dug away too.

Chen Wanwan’s apartment had three bedrooms and two living rooms. The big sun outside shone in through the balcony, covering the whole home in a layer of gentle warmth.

Zhan Liangting’s father and mother were natives of Xiacheng, and both of them worked as teachers. They were gentle and treated Chen Wanwan well.

As soon as Chen Wanwan entered the door, she hugged her mother-in-law and asked with a smile, “Mom, did you make the squirrel mandarin fish?”

“Yes, I specially prepared it for Xingxing,” she smiled and replied.

Xu Xingxing, who was currently living away from her family and home, was touched by these words. “Thank you, Auntie,” she said with a grateful smile.

“You’re welcome.” Zhan Liangting’s mother smiled kindly, and said, “Go wash your hands and come to eat.”

After hearing his grandmother telling them to wash their hands to eat, Kangkang pulled Xu Xingxing towards the sink to wash their hands together while giggling. 

After patiently washing Kangkang’s hands, the two held hands and went to the dining table, which was full of home-cooked meals. Several people sat around and handed each other bowls and chopsticks. It was very happy and lively.

While tasting the excellent fish dish, Xu Xingxing unconsciously remembered Huai Jing.

The meal was delicious, and Xu Xingxing was stuffed to the brim by the end of it. After the meal, Kangkang led Xu Xingxing to his toy room, while Chen Wanwan handed Zhan Liangting the task of washing the dishes.

Xu Xingxing sat on the carpet holding a little turtle that Kangkang had given her, while he held a dinosaur in his hand, and spoke while imitating the dinosaur’s voice, “I am a big dinosaur…”

Xu Xingxing thought that as Kangkang was playing the part of a dinosaur, he would want to eat the little turtle, but Kangkang placed the dinosaur in front of the little turtle, blocking anything on front it, saying, “I’m a big dinosaur, and I want to protect Aunt Xingxing, the little turtle.”

As the little boy’s voice echoed in the room, Xu Xingxing’s heart filled with sweetness. She watched Kangkang smile at her, and her eyes started to itch a little, so she rubbed her red eyes and said, “Thank you, Kangkang.” 

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They played for a while, and after Xu Xingxing checked the time, she realised it was time for her to leave. At this, Kangkang’s face fell down. Originally, Chen Wanwan wanted to take her home, but Xu Xingxing said that she would just take a taxi. Finally, the family sent her downstairs.

As Xu Xingxing was about to leave, Kangkang reluctantly returned to Chen Wanwan’s arms and said, “Aunt Xingxing, come again to play with me, okay?” 

Chen Wanwan looked at her son’s appearance and joked with a smile, “Do you think Aunt Xingxing has a gentle temper and is easy to bully? That’s why you like her so much?”

“No, Aunt Xingxing is easy to bully, so I have to protect her even more,” sobbed Kangkang, startling the two women.

Xu Xingxing’s lips twitched, and she said, “Thank you, dear Kangkang.”

Chen Wanwan hugged her son, looked at her friend, and said, “Don’t worry, Aunt Xingxing will be protected in the future.”

“Really?” Kangkang looked up at Xu Xingxing with his big eyes.

Xu Xingxing was taken aback by the question, but she smiled, nodded, and said, “Really.”

……………..

After returning home, Xu Xingxing sat on the sofa with her laptop. She wanted to post job advertisements to recruit people for her shop online. As soon as she sat on the sofa, Mimi jumped up on it too. After petting for a while, he wriggled his way into her arms and had to be hugged by Xu Xingxing as she started to work.

Mimi was dissatisfied when it saw Xu Xingxing typing on the keyboard, so it stretched out its paw and hit the keyboard twice.

Xu Xingxing smiled and lowered her head, putting her chin on top of its head, then stretched out her hand, and scratched its neck. “I’m going to earn more money to buy small dried fish for you.” 

As Xu Xingxing scratched Mimi’s neck, Mimi didn’t make a fuss again and lay on its master’s body with peace of mind.

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After posting the job offer on several recruitment websites, Xu Xingxing stretched her body and got ready to cook. Just as she was about to get up, her phone vibrated, Xu Xingxing swiped on the screen of the phone. Huai Jing had sent her a message—

It was a location.

[Xiacheng Jinyue Arena.]

Then came another message—

[Huai: Bring me a summary of the materials for the meeting in Wencheng.]

Xu Xingxing: “…”

The materials from the Wencheng meeting had already been delivered to IO and could be accessed via the company’s internal website. Most importantly, Huai Jing didn’t need to read such details, right?

The time was now half past five, Xu Xingxing glanced out the window to notice the sky outside was gradually getting darker. She turned on the computer again and downloaded a copy of the Wencheng conference materials, then went into the bedroom to change her clothes. Before going out, Xu Xingxing refilled Mimi’s food bowl with some cat food.

Jinyue Arena was a very low-key private arena. Xu Xingxing got off the taxi and looked up to see an LED sign that said “Jinyue”. The entrance was not big, and the hall was lit with lights, with quite a bit of staff inside.

As soon as Xu Xingxing entered the door, someone greeted her, and then the person asked, “Did Young Master Huai ask you to come?”

Xu Xingxing nodded and said, “Yes.”

The person said, “Come with me.”

Both of them got on the elevator together, and when they reached the second floor, the elevator door opened, and Xu Xingxing heard the sound of basketball shoes rubbing against the court floor. She looked up and walked along the small corridor.

When she got to the door, the staff person opened it for her.

The man who had called her here was wearing a red basketball uniform, which made his complexion appear even fairer. He was dribbling the ball in his hand, and someone intercepted him from the front. He made a feint, slapped the basketball with his hand and pointed it at the basket, then jumped forward.

With a “bang”, the ball fell into and out of the basketball net.

Holding the basketball in his hand, Huai Jing shook his body slightly, and after jumping a little, he high-fived the people around him. Then he lifted his jersey to wipe off his sweat, revealing his tight and beautiful six-pack abs. Just as he was about to catch the ball again, he raised his eyes to look outside the court, and met Xu Xingxing’s gaze. He threw the ball aside and ran towards her.

“Did you bring the information?” Huai Jing asked in a deep voice while looking at Xu Xingxing’s blushing face. 

“Yeah.” Xu Xingxing returned to her senses and handed over the information in her hand.

Huai Jing was speechless but took the documents with lowered eyes, with his hair slightly damp, and his light brown eyes particularly bright.

He opened the document and was just going through it when the door at the back of the basketball court suddenly opened, and a person came in.

“Huai Jing.”

When he heard someone calling him, he looked to see a person coming towards him. That person then high-fived Huai Jing and smiled.

“Oh, you came!” Huai Jing said.

When Xu Xingxing heard the voice of the visitor, she could not believe her ears and turned around quickly to see whether she was hallucinating. 

‘Xu Zhixin?’ Xu Xingxing couldn’t believe her eyes at this time. ‘How could he…’

Xu Zhixin also seemed to have noticed Xu Xingxing, but he seemed to find it a little strange, so he asked Huai Jing, “Who is this?”

“Company employee, who is bringing me some information,” Huai Jing said, shaking the document in his hand.

“Are you working even after you asked me to play basketball?” Xu Zhixin pretended to be dissatisfied.

“It will be finished soon.” Huai Jing said, “Go and change first.”

“Okay.” Xu Zhixin smiled, and before leaving, he smiled at Xu Xingxing.

Xu Xingxing smiled while looking at Xu Zhixin’s back, still feeling like she was dreaming. She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Huai Jing, who was reading the materials in front of her.

The man in front of her closed the documents in his hand, raised his eyes and glanced at her casually. The corner of his right lip was raised in a frivolous manner.

“How about it? An idol gathering prepared especially for you.” 

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