When Xu Chun saw who had arrived, he couldn't help frowning slightly. What was Jiang Xiuyan doing here?
"Who's that...?" Luo Yao murmured under her breath, a complicated look in her eyes.
"Just pretend you didn't see him." Xu Chun glanced at his watch, thinking the driver should be here soon.
"Mr. Xu."
Today, Xu Chun had finally seen what it meant to be shameless. Even after Xu Chun had ignored him so pointedly, Jiang Xiuyan still came over.
"What is it?" His tone was rather cold.
Jiang Xiuyan smiled. "I wanted to apologize to you for what happened last time, Mr. Xu, and invite you to a meal."
"I was drunk then and talking nonsense. Please don't take it to heart."
Xu Chun found him rather amusing. He smiled. "I think you really have too much time on your hands." Instead of attending to such a large company, he kept showing up to bother Xu Chun every few days. Did he really think that would win Xu Chun over?
Jiang Xiuyan pressed his lips together slightly and said nothing.
He no longer knew what he was feeling. Ever since he learned that Xie Jianyuan had actually fallen for Xu Chun, he had been living in a daze, with the matter constantly on his mind.
He felt that heaven must be playing a joke on him to treat him this way.
His feelings for Xu Chun were complicated. At first, he had only been drawn to Xu Chun because his face resembled Xie Jianyuan's, and he had wanted to get close to him. But after getting to know him, he discovered that his personality was completely different from Xie Jianyuan's.
That hadn't stopped him from wanting to treat Xu Chun as a substitute, but he hadn't expected Xie Jianyuan to know Xu Chun and fall for him. It caused him great pain.
His reasons for approaching Xu Chun again were no longer so simple.
"I want to talk to you." Jiang Xiuyan pressed his lips together and stubbornly repeated himself.
Xu Chun frowned slightly. This couldn't go on. Jiang Xiuyan kept popping up to bother him, so he might as well cut through the mess and deal with everything once and for all, so Jiang Xiuyan would stop pestering him.
"Where?" The street really wasn't the place to talk about this.
Seeing him relent, Jiang Xiuyan hurriedly said, afraid he would change his mind, "It's nearby. We can get there in a little over twenty minutes."
Xu Chun gave a hum of acknowledgment, then told Luo Yao to let Sister Su know before getting into the car.
After they got in, the atmosphere was silent. Xu Chun kept looking at his watch, impatient at how much time had been taken up today. But when he thought about how much more peace he would have afterward, he felt it was worth it.
"You got into my car just like that. Aren't you afraid I'll kidnap you and do something to you?" Jiang Xiuyan couldn't help breaking the silence.
Xu Chun said evenly, "If you wanted to kidnap me, there are countless ways you could do it, but you wouldn't choose such a stupid one." Getting him into his car in full view of everyone.
Jiang Xiuyan smiled. Wanting to get closer to Xu Chun, he made a joke to ease the atmosphere.
"I thought you were going to say you trusted my character."
Xu Chun's eyes widened slightly. He turned to look at him, seemingly somewhat incredulous. After a long moment, he slowly said, "Character?"
"?" Jiang Xiuyan didn't understand at first.
As though he had heard a hilarious joke, Xu Chun couldn't help laughing. "You're really funny."
Jiang Xiuyan froze for a moment, then understood what he meant. His expression soured.
After they reached their destination, Xu Chun got out of the car. Before him stood a four-story European-style building, surrounded by extensive greenery. There was even a riding ground and a golf course.
Xu Chun knew the place. It was a famously high-end entertainment club in the city, and everyone who came and went was rich or influential—an important figure in their own right.
Xu Chun knew about it because he had come here with Jiang Xiuyan in his previous life, though he felt completely different about it now.
The first-floor lobby housed a café, which was elegantly designed and quiet. Through the glass wall, they could see people playing golf outside.
"Let's get straight to the point," Xu Chun said as soon as he sat down. "Stop bothering me from now on."
Jiang Xiuyan found his words especially grating. "I've always felt you have some misunderstanding about me," he said in a low voice.
Xu Chun smiled, but there wasn't a trace of amusement in his eyes. "I don't think I have any misunderstanding about you. If anything, you have some misunderstanding about yourself."
Jiang Xiuyan's grip tightened slightly around his coffee cup. "What do you mean?"
Xu Chun looked at him, tapped his fingers on the table with measured force, and raised an eyebrow casually.
"Do I have to spell it out? What's with this act of devotion you're putting on for me? What, did looking at my face make you get so caught up in the act that you couldn't control your feelings?" His tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
Jiang Xiuyan's face went pale, and he looked at him in disbelief. "You..."
"Of course I know." Xu Chun interrupted him impatiently. "One look at the way you look at him, and anyone can tell what you're thinking."
Jiang Xiuyan lowered his eyes slightly and said nothing.
Xu Chun looked at him and smiled, then took a small sip of coffee. "But if you really can't bear the loneliness, I do have a good candidate."
Xu Chun thought of Shen Zhu, who would soon be returning to the country, and his lips curved into a mocking smile. "Although his face doesn't look like Xie Jianyuan's, his character is a perfect match for yours, President Jiang."
After a long silence, Jiang Xiuyan said hoarsely, "What kind of person do you take me for?"
Xu Chun looked at him with a smile and said nothing.
Meanwhile, on the golf course, several young men from wealthy families had gathered to chat and laugh.
"Young Master Xie became a big star, and he hasn't come out to hang out with us for quite a while."
Wei Jiahe snorted. "Forget hanging out with you guys. Xie Jianyuan rarely even hangs out with me now."
"What happened? Come on, tell us. Could it be that Young Master Xie has fallen for some actress in the industry?" From Wei Jiahe's tone, everyone knew something was going on.
The man at the center of the discussion was idly playing with his golf club. He cursed at them with a laugh. "Get lost. Stop making things up."