Partners

Xiang Kun was busy until after 1 a. m., still helping guests who would arrive that night to adjust their hotel rooms.

Before they knew it, now, whenever either party has a problem with the wedding preparations, except for those that require confirmation from Chang Bin or his parents, they directly ask Xiang Kun first. This is because he not only remembers the wedding process and every detail very clearly, but he has also built a relevant cognitive model in his mind, knowing what both sets of parents want, what areas need special attention, and what hasn't been settled yet. He frequently brings these up with Chang Bin, and then personally goes to check and confirm. Gradually, all parties have come to accept him as Chang Bin's representative in communication.

In the middle of the night, Wang Han told Chang Bin that her brother had previously praised Xiang Kun, who was busy running around, saying that the young man from the wedding planning company was very capable, clear-headed, and hardworking, and that they could consider poaching him from their company.

Actually, Xiang Kun didn't initially intend to take on so much responsibility; he was simply responsible for picking up guests and running errands, since he had never been married and wasn't an elder in Chang Bin's family.

The problem is that nowadays, when it comes to something, he either doesn't care or participate, or once he starts participating, he can't help but build various cognitive models based on the information he gets. Then, considering the overall picture and pondering the details, he will subconsciously come up with some solutions and arrange the most efficient execution order.

If he himself doesn't care about this matter, then he may think about it, but he probably won't offer any opinions or take the lead.

But he couldn't possibly ignore Chang Bin's wedding, so when he saw some details that weren't handled well or some arrangements that had problems, he couldn't help but point them out. After he pointed them out so many times, everyone listened to his explanations and found that they made sense. "This young man is quite capable," they thought. In addition, the bride and groom also agreed with his judgment, so everyone naturally let him make the decisions.

Whether it's the wedding planning company, relatives and friends who helped out, or guests who came from out of town to attend the wedding, he could recognize everyone he met and call them by name, which made everyone feel that he was more and more reliable.

He was busy, but this level of exertion was nothing to him. Chang Bin, Zi Cheng, Tang Baona, and others were more worried, afraid that he couldn't handle it alone. He couldn't tell them that he didn't need sleep or had a strong recovery ability, but his direct display of mental strength was enough to dispel some of their doubts.

The next morning, Xiang Kun arrived early again to coordinate with the wedding company and arrange the decoration of the wedding car and the preparation of the bouquet.

During this process, he took a moment to casually sense the various objects he had established a "Super-Sensory Link" with, and discovered that the "bones" left in the Qinling Uninhabited Zone had left the mountains and were now on the highway.

These people have been walking in the mountains for a really long time.

But thinking about it, it's understandable. Unlike Xiang Kun, they don't need supplies or rest and can easily traverse all terrains. They are quite numerous and carry a lot of equipment and items brought from the mountains, so their speed is already considered fast.

Xiang Kun sensed the "Rabbit Woodcarving" again and could feel emotions of "relief" and "relief". Although those who entered the Qinling Uninhabited Zone had realized that the "Rabbit Woodcarving" would affect their dreams while they were sleeping, and thus kept their distance after falling asleep, they obviously could not realize that the "Rabbit Woodcarving" could also collect their emotions when they were awake.

It seems that the "Rabbit Woodcarving" puts a lot of psychological pressure on those who enter the Qinling Uninhabited Zone. Once they leave the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, they actually feel like they have "escaped from the brink of death."

Xiang Kun stopped sensing and waited to see where the "bones" with whom he had established Super-Sensory Link had been sent.

If it's sent to Qicheng City, that would be best. He's already "familiarized" the area there, and he has a plan for how to get in. At that time, the person behind "Shenxing Technology," whether it's Lu Cheng'an or the "Mr. Liang" that Mi Qiao mentioned, might very well come in person.

With his multiple senses, he could definitely detect the appearance of vampires or Mutated Creature in advance.

If it weren't sent to Qicheng City, that would be fine too, as it would allow Xiang Kun to discover another secret research center related to "Shenxing Technology".

Chang Bin got up early in the morning, changed his clothes, and got ready. When he got to the wedding car, Xiang Kun quickly told him some things to pay attention to, the next steps, the expected time, and so on.

After Xiang Kun finished explaining, Chang Bin glanced at him with a somewhat complicated expression and said in a low voice, "Thanks, brother."

"Since we're brothers, don't be shy." Xiang Kun patted his shoulder and sat in the passenger seat.

He knew that Chang Bin, besides being grateful, also had considerable doubts or even surprise. In the past, running errands was fine, and greeting familiar classmates was barely manageable. But to frequently meet strangers, socialize with people he was meeting for the first time, coordinate various details, and discuss and negotiate problems with unfamiliar people was harder than running a marathon. It wasn't that he was unwilling to help, but rather that he didn't think he could do it well. So, initially, Chang Bin's "tasks" for him were simply picking up familiar university classmates and driving them to deliver things.

Fortunately, Xiang Kun had already shown his changes frequently over the past few months, especially on Christmas Eve at Tang Baona's house, where Chang Bin witnessed his improved social skills. So the current changes are not too abrupt.

When picking up the bride, Wang Han didn't put out any particularly difficult games. He handed out red envelopes, played a few small games, and soon the bride was picked up and taken to the bridal chamber.

As the best man, Xiang Kun naturally stayed with the group throughout the entire process, constantly thinking about potential problems that might arise in the upcoming procedures, any details that hadn't been prepared for, how to deal with unexpected situations, and what contingency plans were in place.

In Xiang Kun's mind, getting married felt like escorting a VIP to an event, simultaneously putting him in the roles of security supervisor and event director.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Although I had prepared countless contingency plans in my mind, nothing unexpected happened.

As the wedding march played, Chang Bin and Wang Han, both dressed in formal attire, entered together.

Accompanied by the emcee's deliberately sentimental narration, Xiang Kun sensed that many of the female guests attending the wedding had tears in their eyes and were on the verge of crying.

Tang Baona's sister, Tang Baoting, who was also a bridesmaid following behind the bride, was also quite emotional, with tears in her eyes. Firstly, she and Wang Han were old classmates and best friends for many years, and secondly, she herself was already discussing her wedding date, so she felt a deep sense of empathy.

In comparison, Tang Baona is much better off. According to her, she has attended countless weddings and served as a bridesmaid countless times, so she is already very experienced and adept at it.

Xiang Kun has attended quite a few weddings, but when he saw other people's weddings before, only one word flashed through his mind—tiring.

There's another word—troublesome.

Back then, he often thought that if he got married, he would try to keep it as simple as possible, provided the woman agreed. Of course, the most likely outcome was that these things wouldn't be up to him to decide, and would be arranged by his parents.

This time, however, it was the first time Xiang Kun felt a slight sense of envy and regret.

It wasn't because it was his good friend Chang Bin getting married, nor because he had been busy with the wedding preparations, but because he knew that he might never have a normal wedding like this in his life.

Humans are always most attached to what they can't have.

The wedding continued, and Xiang Kun maintained his "monitoring" of the main venue. While this might seem pointless—he'd attended countless weddings before without incident—this observation and information gathering had become instinctive. He could use it to refine his understanding of the guests; who knows, it might come in handy later?

After the newlyweds entered, the guests quickly began discussing the three bridesmaids who had accompanied the bride, as all three were fresh-faced and very beautiful.

Of course, the most enthusiastic discussion was among single men, who were thinking about how to ask the bride or groom to help them find a partner.

Even their university classmates at the same table were having a lively discussion.

However, Zicheng waved his hand rather domineeringly. "You don't need to think about it, those three are already taken! The tallest one is the bride's classmate, her boyfriend is sitting over there, see him? Yes, the most handsome one is him, take out your mirrors and look at yourselves, see if you can compare. The one with chestnut hair behind her is also the bride's classmate, she also has a boyfriend, and it's said that her boyfriend is an active-duty military officer, the kind of elite soldier."

"What about that cute girl with glasses in the back? She looks like she just graduated from university, and she probably already has a boyfriend?" Peng Xiao asked this question.

Zi Cheng chuckled and said, "I already told you that all three of you are already taken, and this one is no exception! Besides, you all know her boyfriend."

"You're not saying it was you, are you...?" Peng Xiao said with a look of disgust.

"Go away, I'm talking about Xiang Kun! This girl belongs to Xiang Kun!" Zi Cheng said smugly.

While accompanying Chang Bin in toasting, Xiang Kun overheard these words from afar and felt somewhat helpless. He hadn't mentioned Tang Baona to Zi Cheng, so it must have been Chang Bin who told him.

Among his friends who knew Tang Baona, it seemed that they all assumed that Tang Baona and he were boyfriend and girlfriend, or that they would be together sooner or later. According to his observation, even Tang Baona's sister, her future brother-in-law, and Yang Zhen'er thought so.

This doesn't seem like a good idea...

Xiang Kun was conflicted. He used to be able to tell himself that he and Tang Baona were just ordinary friends, just like his interactions with Yang Zhen'er and Xia Libing. And that was indeed the case; their relationship had always remained that of friends.

However, if this goes on for too long and the people around her start to have misunderstandings about it, that might not be good for Tang Baona.

Fortunately, after the New Year, he probably won't be staying in this city for most of the time, and then the opinions of those around him will naturally change.

To Xiang Kun's surprise, more guests were discussing him than the bridesmaids.

"Xiang Kun has really changed a lot. I didn't even recognize him when I saw him before." This was a female classmate.

"Yeah, he's bald now and his body's gotten stronger. I feel like he's even grown taller. He used to be about the same height as me, but now he seems a little taller. I wonder if it's because he's more upright after working out." This was a classmate from the dorm next door with whom they used to play games.

"It's not just his appearance; his entire demeanor and personality have changed. If he didn't say he was Xiang Kun, I probably wouldn't have recognized him even if I spent a whole day with him." These were Xie Jun's words.

"Yeah, Xiang Kun used to be very introverted. He didn't talk much during class activities. The only time he came to our class reunion a few years ago, he only talked to Liu Chuang, Chang Bin, and our old teacher. He seemed very unsociable and aloof. But now... you guys must have seen how he treats guests. Even I, who's been in sales for five years, am impressed!" another male classmate exclaimed.

"Hasn't Xiang Kun always worked at an internet company? If I remember correctly, he's always done technical work. How could things have changed so much?" the female classmate who spoke first asked curiously.

Former squad leader Tan Lulu explained, "Xiang Kun's previous company closed down, and now he's taking on jobs on his own."

"You take on jobs yourself? You work alone, taking on outsourced work?" someone asked.

Zi Cheng spoke up again, "Xiang Kun isn't your average outsourcing partner. See that short-haired beauty sitting at the main table over there? That's Zhang Hongpu's granddaughter. If you haven't heard of Zhang Hongpu, you should have heard of these companies, right?" He mentioned five well-known companies, then continued, "These are all companies under the Zhang family. This Miss Zhang herself manages a large national chain. Even she had to go to great lengths to persuade Xiang Kun to cooperate with Xiang Kun! She came to Chang Bin's wedding, but her real target was Xiang Kun!"

Zhang Qian did indeed attend the wedding today. We bumped into each other at the tailor shop earlier, then had dinner and drinks together. Wang Han also chatted with her quite happily afterward, and they exchanged contact information. He probably invited her to the wedding as well, and she readily agreed without any hesitation.

"You're kidding me. Is she really the eldest daughter of the Zhang family that you described, a powerful businesswoman who runs her own company? If she wants to discuss cooperation, she should send her company's team and professionals. Why would she lower herself and personally take action? Unless she has her eye on Xiang Kun!" Peng Xiao said with disbelief.

But a male classmate who hadn't said much spoke up at this moment, "What Liu Chuang said is probably true. I knew that Ms. Zhang before; she is indeed Zhang Hongpu's granddaughter, and she does manage a sizable company now. I greeted her outside the hotel before coming in, but while I remembered her, she didn't remember me. However, after I said I was the groom's college classmate, she immediately asked me if I knew Xiang Kun, and then told me that Xiang Kun is now her business partner."

Upon hearing this, Zicheng immediately said smugly, "See? I wasn't lying!"

Hearing these conversations from afar, Xiang Kun couldn't help but want to cover his face, but he noticed that at the same time, Zhang Qian and Wang Han's brother were also talking about topics related to him.

"My brother-in-law's bald classmate is a real talent. He can tell you everything needed for the wedding, the entire process, and all the guests, and he arranges everything perfectly. My parents admire him very much. If they had another daughter, they would probably want him as their son-in-law. I've been telling my sister that we should poach him to work in management at our company," Wang Han's brother said to Zhang Qian with a smile.

Zhang Qian laughed and said, "How about we make a bet? If you can get Xiang Kun to work for your company, I won't need to have the company hold a meeting to discuss that supply agreement you mentioned before. I can just approve it now, and then have both teams work out the details later."

Wang Han's brother was taken aback, then quickly shook his head. "No betting, no betting."

This time it was Zhang Qian's turn to be puzzled. "Why? I haven't even said what you'll have to pay if you lose!"

Wang Han's brother said quietly, "I know your brother, Zhang Chu..."

Zhang Qian suddenly realized. "This guy has probably said a lot of bad things about me, right? Let me guess, cunning, treacherous, and with a heart of stone?"

"Hehe." Wang Han's brother avoided the question and instead asked, "Mr. Zhang seems quite interested in my brother-in-law's classmate?"

"We're partners now," Zhang Qian said.

Hearing this, Xiang Kun felt somewhat helpless. Why was Zhang Qian going around telling everyone that she was his business partner? They only had one project together! It was just a client and a service provider relationship; she shouldn't be acting like a business partner.