The smell of alcohol was strong in the whole room, and Qiao An and Shen Cheng talked a lot.
Although Shen Cheng usually did not drink much, but his drinking capacity was amazing, even with that whole bottle of wine finished, he was still very sober, except for the bloodshot red eyes, one could not see any abnormality. As for whether the eyes were red because of drinking or because of something else, Qiao An did not pursue it.
......
The hand pointed to nine o'clock, and there was some movement in the ground floor parlour.
Shen Cheng glanced at the drunken Qiao An on the carpet, stood up and walked outside, opened the door, took two steps forward to the staircase railing, and could see the full view of the parlour.
"Mr Ji..."
A woman's voice came from below in a low voice. Shen Cheng leaned over the railing and saw her clearly, it was Ji Yuansheng's secretary Linda, a Chinese woman, shrewd and capable.
Ji Yuansheng sat on the sofa and said, "Linda, you can go back."
Linda brought him the sobriety soup, kindly saying, "You've had a lot to drink today, if you don't have the soup you'll be uncomfortable tomorrow."
Ji Yuansheng was a little tipsy.
After handing him the soup, Linda took off his jacket and saw him rubbing his brow with a headache, so she came over and said, "Let me help you."
Ji Yuansheng subconsciously waved his hand and tried to stop her.
"Don't stop it, there will be no one at night, the young masters are all asleep." Linda whispered, "Your usual headache must be coming back, I'll help you to relieve it, you've had too much wine today, I'll talk to the housekeeper later and add the medicine packet Dr Wang prescribed to your bath."
She was really meticulous and had thought of everything.
Ji Yuan Sheng had some concerns, but after some persuasion from Linda he gradually stopped resisting and relaxed, his bedroom had a direct access lift, and Linda used the stairs to walk down after she had set the man up, around the corner on the first floor, she saw Shen Cheng leaning against the railing.
Blushing, she immediately said respectfully, "Young master."
Shen Cheng had been standing there for who knows how long, and Linda discovered with some panic that from Shen Cheng's angle, he was able to see the scene inside the parlour perfectly, whereas because of the angle, she had just been completely unable to spot Shen Cheng from downstairs.
......
Thinking of this, Linda's face turned white.
Shen Cheng lightly opened his thin lips: "It's so late, you haven't gone back yet."
Linda: "I'll go back soon."
The teenager leaning against the staircase banister had a lazy posture, he hadn't changed out of his suit, his tie was pulled back recklessly, his slender legs were folded and leaning, he smelled a little of alcohol, but those eyes were clear: "Is my father settled in?"
Linda's heart tightened: "Yes."
Shen Cheng hooked his lips, "It’s hard work."
......
It was obviously three simple words, but it made Linda have a very subtle sense of urgency, if it was just a suspicion before, then now she could be sure that just now Shen Cheng must have seen it, and based on these two years of getting along, Shen Cheng was extremely smart, there was no tricks to play in front of him.
Linda blushed blue and white and said in a cry, "Young master, me and sir, I am his secretary and my duty is to look after him."
"Hmm.”
Shen Cheng nodded, but didn’t say anything, as if he didn’t see through Linda’s mind.
A layer of sweat broke out on Linda's forehead, not knowing what to say down the road, she was ready to turn around and go downstairs, but then, she heard a voice from behind her say, "Linda."
Linda's footsteps stalled.
"My father has been tired of working very hard all these years, and there is a definite lack of someone around." Shen Cheng's voice was hoarse, not much harsher, but more or less with a taste that brooked no argument: "If you are sincere in your treatment of him and want to stay by his side to look after him, I have no objection, and I believe my father will not treat you badly either, after all you are also considered to have paid for the fruits of your labour."
Linda's eyes widened slightly and her body stiffened.
"Likewise." Shen Cheng squared his body slightly and stood up a little straighter, reining in some of his previous scattering and a rare solemnity: "If you’re not thinking right and trying to get some kind of sneaky idea..."
Linda turned around and met Shen Cheng's dark, deep eyes, the corners of his mouth hooked into a cold smile, causing a chill to rise up behind one's back for no apparent reason: "There is also a price to pay, what do you say?"
......
The next day
The first week after the parent-teacher conference, Jian Shiwu's grades hadn't fallen to the point of failing because of Shen Cheng's remedial tutoring, but they were also in jeopardy, and it was a good thing that the public service film also took into account the fact that the students had to go to school. They would only start filming during the winter break.
As a result, Jian Shiwu still had plenty of time to study.
This year's winter break came earlier than usual, If one counts the days, there will be less than a month before the winter vacation.
...
In the recent months Jian’s father has been running business all over the place, and it was hard to come home without looking tired and busy, and the rare chats at the dinner table were just talking to each other about their recent situation.
Jian Zicheng said, "Our family's company will be listed at the end of the year if there are no accidents."
Zhen Meili was very happy to hear that, "So soon."
"The market is good this year." Jian Zicheng smiled and was proud: "Also thanks to the help of the Ji family, everything is going quite smoothly."
The couple were both very happy and were about to speak when they heard the sound of a spoon hitting the rim of a bowl.
Zhen Meili turned around curiously, "What are you doing?"
Jian Zicheng looked at the child cheerfully: "I'm so stupid, when my company goes public, I'll give you, mother and son, a bigger house!"
"......"
Jian Shiwu tried to pull out a smile, but couldn’t.
In the previous life, the opportunity for their family company to go bankrupt was because of the listing, but in the previous life that was after he and Shen Cheng got married, they got married early as soon as they graduated but but even if it was four or five years later, he was only a sophomore in high school now, so it cam too early
"Dad."
As soon as he spoke out, his parents both looked towards him.
Jian Shiwu tilted his face up and spoke somewhat hesitantly, "Does our family's company have to go public, isn’t it okay if it doesn't?"
In fact, he didn't know the details of the company's capital problems that year, but he knew that his parents were tricked by someone, and the other party intended to set a trap for their family, and it was a targeted kind. At that time, several shareholders temporarily revolted, the company had a hostile takeover, and he accidentally learned that the person behind the pressure to acquire them may be Shen Cheng.
Jian Zicheng's face changed as he said, "Shisu, what are you saying!"
Zhen Mei Li also didn’t expect her son, who had always been understanding, to say such things: "Jian, it’s good that the family company is listed, you’re a child, don’t talk nonsense."
......
Jiam Shiwu had a soup spoon in his hand and was a little hesitant: "What I’m saying is that we need to think more about such a big thing."
"When our family business gets bigger, going public is a good thing, and is the route to take for sure." Jian Zicheng only thought the child did not understand: "Don’t worry, this is something that has always been under consideration, also this is the road that a company must take, dad knows that these two years he neglected to accompany you but don’t sorry, by the New Year this year, I will definitely be at home with you."
Jiam Shiwu still wanted to say, "Dad, you’ll have to think about it again, I think..."
Zhen Meili glowered at him.
Jian Shiwu saw his mother's somewhat reproachful gaze, he knew that no one would listen to anything he said now, and if he stood up and said that his company would be screwed after it went public, not only would he not be appreciated, he might even get a beating from his dad.
That meal, he was anxious.
To his surprise, Zhen Meili found him after the meal.
Sitting at the desk, Jian Shiwu called out nicely, "Mom."
Zhen Meili said, "Jian, what happened to you at the dinner table today, you’ve never said much about Dad’s business before."
Jian Shiwu choked in his throat.
In the end, it was her child and Zhen Meili was sensitive to the fact that that something was wrong, and instead of just blaming him, she was a little patient and talked to him.
Jian Shiwu's hand on his lap curled up, hesitating in his heart and not knowing how to speak, all kinds of images of his past life came to mind, the corpse in the morgue, the strange eyes of everyone at the funeral, Shen Cheng’s heartless expression, one after another pressed into his heart, he lowered his head, and even his body was shaking uncontrollably: "I..."
Zhen Meilie wrinkled her brow.
Jane Shiwu's face gradually became miserable white, he didn't know how to speak when suddenly, his body warmed up, when he looked up again, Zhen Meili had gently wrapped her arms around him, it had been years since she had hugged him again, but the action didn't seem rusty, instead it was natural.
"Jian ......"
Zhen Mei Li's body has a faint fragrance, giving a feeling of stability in the heart: "You..if you encounter any things you can't solve on your own just talk to mommy okay, some things just need to be solved by adults, you haven't entered society yet and don't have the ability to solve things independently, mommy and daddy are not ashamed to help you deal with it. "
Jian Shiwu wrapped his arms around Zhen Meili’s waist, his nostrils were full of his mother's smell, warm and nostalgic, he drifted back to the day of the car accident. He spent a whole afternoon in the morgue guarding the cold corpse, not even daring to lift the white cloth, he was so scared he was shaking.
Jian’s eyes were red as he said, trembling, "Mum, it's not that I don't want Dad's company to go public, it's not that I don't want to our family to get better..."
Zhen Meilie sighed slightly in her heart as she whispered, "Mom knows."
"I..."
Jian Shiwu finally thought of a more reasonable-sounding way to say it, "I had a dream that our family company had problems with the new product we were working on after it went public, and the company was facing bankruptcy due to a lack of liquidity, and you went to talk to the person in charge and had a car accident on the way, and Dad lost his..."
There was a dead silence in the room.
Zhen Mei Li was also stunned by these words, she wanted to say that the child was joking, but when she met Jian Shiwu's eyes, she saw deep fear and insistent seriousness under his eyes, at this moment, she understood that Jiam Shiwu was serious, not joking around, and his fear was bone-deep.
It was just a dream.
The words couldn't be spoken so unthinkingly by Zhen Meili anymore.
"Jian... "Zhen Meili held Jian Shiwu's hand as she whispered, "I know what you’re saying."
Jian Shiwu looked up.
Zhen Mei Li smiled: "Whether this dream is true or not, after the listing, your dad and I will carefully and seriously consider everything. The control and assessment of the product will also be stricter, thank you for the reminder, in the future mum will also be more careful driving and will not act rashly."
She didn't bother to deny it outright, nor did she say those nebulous consolation words, but was seriously responding to the child’s words.
Jian’s eyes were red and he choked a little: "Mum..."
Zhen Meilie smiled and stroked his head: "So don’t worry about it, okay, if God told you to have a dream, it’s just a different way to remind us of it, to show that fate shouldn’t be in the balance, even if it’s something in the future, as long as it hasn’t happened yet, there will be variables, right?"
One word woke up the dreamer.
Jian Shiwu had been a little too scared before, but now that he had quietened down, he only felt that her mother was right.
While it was true that the events of his previous life were frighteningly vivid, the age then and now were not right, and the circumstances were very different, which meant that everything he had done in this life was not for nothing, that everything had changed, and that it was also possible that it was going in a good direction?
Jian Shiwu sniffled, feeling much better, and nodded, "Got it."
Zhen Meili smiled and wiped his face with a piece of paper: "You're such a big boy, and you're still crying. Telling it out makes people laugh. After getting married and being bullied by Shen Cheng, will you have to go back to your parents' home?"
Jian Shiwu became irritated: "Mom!"
"Okay, okay, okay, I won't go back."
"You..Shen Cheng and I are friends, what marriage?"
"Yes, yes, friends, mum is joking!"
"......"
Day Two
Today was a rare rest day, Ji Yuansheng was taking Shen Cheng to Disneyland, and Jian Shiwu, Lui Heng, Qiao An and Annie were invited to go, they bought VIP tickets, basically they didn’t have to queue much to get in, they were dressed more casually.
When they went in, Lui Heng pointed to a stall not far away: "Mickey muffins, can we buy this and eat it?"
Jian could smell it: "It smells good..."
Lui Heng egged him on, "Right right, let's go and get some to try."
"Oh..."
Jian saw that there was a shop not far away that sold candy gourds, and they were in the shape of rice gourds, nice and sweet, he was a bit hesitant, "That one is also delicious, I like..."
Lui Heng pulled him along and said, "Hurry up, our next project will start soon, we don't have time to queue up at the candy cane, the muffin side is less crowded, so let’s buy it first and hurry to the next project."
Jian was pulled along by him and went to the muffin side before he had time to react.
The amusement park was bustling with people, the sweet small pastries were fluffy and delicious, and Qiao An was waiting with Shen Cheng and Uncle Ji at a gazebo not far away.
Jiqn Shiwu and Lui Heng returned with a few muffins.
Lui Heng distributed them to everyone: "You all have a taste, they’re delicious."
Qiao An also bought fries and burgers from the front of the queue: "Thanks, eat up, we'll go back to the front later to see the floats."
Jian Shiwu sat down and noticed something, he looked around and asked softly, "Where's Shen Cheng..."
Qiao An took a bite of the burger in his mouth and replied, "He was supposed to accompany me to get a burger just now, but for some reason, he insisted on getting a candy cane when we passed by the candy cane shop, so I went to get a burger by myself... strange, doesn't he not have a sweet tooth?"
Jian was stunned.
Just as he was wandering, Shen Cheng came back, he was wearing a rather casual loose white jumper today, with a black hat on his head, the simple style of his clothes had an inexplicable premium feel. The teenager was holding two candy canes in his hands, and when he returned to the gazebo he handed them to Jian Shiwu.
Jian Shiwu took them dumbly: "Did you buy them?"
Shen Cheng looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Or did I grab them?"
"......"
Jian Shiwu choked, he held the candy gourd, smelling the clear aroma of sugar, this aroma seemed to follow the air all the way to his heart sweet, last night he was still worried about the company at home so much that he couldn't sleep, but today here, seeing his friends around him, there was something that made him inexplicably relieved.
This life was really different from the previous one, ah. At least in his previous life, Shen Cheng would never have bought him a candy cane.
With sweetness in his heart, Jian Shiwu asked softly, "How did you know I wanted to eat this?"
When he asked this question he regretted it a little.
What if Shen Cheng just wanted to eat it himself, then wouldn't he be making a fool of himself by asking.
However, a low male voice came to his ears, and he heard Shen Cheng say, "Is there any need to know?"
Jian Shiwu was slightly surprised and looked up at him curiously.
Shen Cheng's handsome face was close at hand, then a faint smile hooked up on his face, the teenager's thin lips lightly opened, he raised his eyebrows, his tone teasing but also serious in general: "Don’t all children like to eat this."
Jian Shiwu's fair face was tinged with a touch of scarlet, he retorted: "No!"
Shen Cheng spoke softly, "Then don’t you want it?"
"...Want."
After a simple meal, they then realised that the water bought wasn’t enough to for everyone drink, Jian Shiwu was satisfied with the sugar gourd and he volunteered, "I'll go and buy it."
Next to him, Shen Cheng stood up, "I'll accompany you."
Jian Shiwu nodded, "Okay!"
Seeing the two of them get up, the others got up too, especially Annie who had just been sitting in the gazebo and would now also want to go for a stroll.
Lui He g and Qiao An also said, "Come on let's go together."
Seeing that everyone wanted to go, Jian didn't refuse, as the amusement park was crowded with people anyway.
As they passed a shop, Jian saw ice cream for sale in the vending machine, he had just finished eating the sweet kind of candyfloss, and his sweet tooth was on the rise, and it just so happened that Shen Cheng was close by, so he asked in a soft voice, "Shen Cheng, I want to go buy ice cream, do you eat ice cream?"
Shen Cheng did not hesitate as he did not eat dessert: "No."
"...Okay then."
Lui Heng’s eyes were sharper, he saw a sign below, so he said, "Brother Shi, their ice cream is half price for the second one for couples hey, it's not cost-effective for him to buy it alone."
Jian Shiwu was surprised and didn’t expect it to be like this.
Annie heard, and a smile spread across the girl's beautiful face as she stepped forward and said, "That's okay, I'll go eat with Shiwu then?"
Lui Heng pointed to the sign and said, "It also requires couples to be there for a group photo."
The crowd looked over and noticed that the little couples taking pictures over there were all doing some intimate actions, including but not limited to hugging and kissing, which made people blush from afar.
Jian hesitated: "That's not very nice, I'd rather buy a single’s copy for the full amount."
Annie was much more open-minded and said, "It's just a hug, it's not a big deal, and you can save half the extra money to buy a candy cane!"
Jian thought about it and agreed.
As she said that, the smile on Annie's face deepened, and with a meaningful sideways glance at Shen Cheng, whose face was a little green, she said, "Actually, coincidentally, it actually happens that I also wanted to eat ice cream, some people don't have a sweet tooth, and its also something that can't be helped."