What Ordinary Friends

A moment later, outside the suite.

Xiang Xiaotian left with her parents, feeling slightly down.

It was so close, the fake almost became real... Could it be that fate, with perfect timing, location, and people, just falls short and it just doesn't work out?

Xiang Detao, on the other hand, was greatly relieved and almost burst into laughter.

"Haha, what a coincidence! You and President Zhang are a match made in heaven, and our two families have truly joined forces!"

So, even after falling out with the Lu family, he still harbored some resentment...

In retrospect, missing out was simply a step towards something better.

Who would have thought that in such a large Hangzhou, the Junlan Hotel and the InterContinental Garden Hotel would have such a connection?

Xiang Xiaotian felt guilty and kept her head down, remaining silent. She dared not tell the truth.

"Hey? Why aren't you saying anything, girl?" Xiang Detao noticed Xiang Xiaotian's expression. "Dad's warning you, you're not allowed to throw a tantrum with President Zhang. You have to behave yourself around him, understand?... Also, you must be a smart woman!"

"What are you saying!" Dong Yaru patted her husband lightly, then pulled Xiang Xiaotian. "What your dad means is that men aren't tamed, they're attracted. Yeah, just be yourself."

Xiang Xiaotian nodded, blinked, and her eyelashes trembled wildly.

"By the way, Xiao Tian, later, please invite Mr. Zhang over as a guest. Our family would like to give him a proper welcome," Xiang Detao carefully instructed.

"Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang is very busy, he might not have time," Xiang Xiaotian whispered.

"What kind of talk is that? This is a family dinner; there's no reason for us not to come." Xiang Detao glanced at Xiang Xiaotian. "After you and President Zhang confirm things, I'll invite all our relatives over for a get-together..."

Xiang Xiaotian's face turned pale, and she dared not utter a sound.

At this moment, she finally understood what it felt like to have gone too far.

··

Inside the suite, Zhang Yang enjoyed the river breeze for a while and finally calmed down.

"The higher-ups are really something."

You can't act between men and women; if you keep acting, you'll get carried away and it'll become real.

If it weren't for that sudden phone call, they might have really taken their fake relationship into real life. After all, they both seemed to be enjoying the feeling and having a good time.

About half an hour later, Xiang Xiaotian called.

"Brother, dear brother, please help me one more time. My dad wants to invite you to dinner, and... and it seems like he'll also be inviting all my distant relatives."

"I told you to be careful, and now look what's happened. You've come up with a lie, and now look how much effort you're going to put into making it work. How are you going to clean up this mess?" Zhang Yang said with amusement.

"How about... how about we do it for real?" Xiang Xiaotian said hesitantly in a low voice.

"I have a girlfriend," Zhang Yang replied evasively upon hearing this.

Despite his superiors' strong stance, once he calmed down and realized Xiang Xiaotian was serious, he became wary.

This is for real; it's not as simple as just rubbing against each other and sleeping on it.

This requires responsibility and a substantial relationship.

Zhang Yang has so many businesses and plenty of carefree days ahead of him; he doesn't want to be tied down by a rich and beautiful woman chasing after him and demanding responsibility.

"You..." Xiang Xiaotian said angrily, "Then why were you touching me so enthusiastically?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to act?" Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"There's no one around, what's the point of acting? I bet you just want my body. Now that you've heard about taking responsibility, you immediately... Humph, men." Xiang Xiaotian muttered.

Zhang Yang didn't say anything, just held the phone.

After a while, the other side also quieted down, with only soft breathing sounds remaining, as if they were both waiting for each other.

"Are you done talking?" Zhang Yang asked.

"I... I acted impulsively just now. I shouldn't have said those things. I was wrong." Xiang Xiaotian quite consciously took the initiative to show weakness.

"Hmm," Zhang Yang hummed in response.

"Brother Zhang, if you don't want to come, then don't come. I'll talk to my dad." Xiang Xiaotian. "You're right. I shouldn't have involved you so deeply. You have your concerns, and besides, I do have to consider how to handle this situation... But..."

Xiang Xiaotian seemed to have suddenly mustered up her courage.

"But I won't give up. Next time, I won't act. I'll stand by your side openly and honestly."

"What kind of courage do you have?" Zhang Yang chuckled in disbelief.

··

In the following period, under Yu Kaili's sweeping reforms, the InterContinental Garden Hotel saw some staff leave and others fill vacancies. The traces left by the previous owner, including some long-standing redundant issues, were all dealt with during this opportunity.

The entire staff and personnel at the hotel have been completely revitalized.

Qu Shanshan was officially promoted to the position of front office manager. In fact, given her abilities, she would have been promoted almost certainly even without Zhang Yang's intervention.

This promotion was somewhat of a natural progression.

Zhang Yang's time in Hangzhou finally became more leisurely.

He stays in the presidential suite every day, watching the waves of the Qiantang River. When he has free time, he goes to see the West Lake and strolls around Peach Blossom Spring. When the mood strikes, he invites Wen Ting from Peach Blossom Spring out for a chat, and then deals with Xiang Xiaotian's burning and ardent affections.

Life naturally became very comfortable.

On this day, by West Lake.

Zhang Yang and Xiang Xiaotian rented a boat and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon on the rippling lake.

"The shimmering water is beautiful on a sunny day, and the misty mountains are enchanting even in the rain."

Zhang Yang rested his head on Xiang Xiaotian's lap, looking at the sky and feeling the small boat rocking gently. A series of poems describing the West Lake flashed through his mind.

It's not that he's trying to sound sophisticated.

Mainly because when I was a copywriter, I did have some knowledge of poetry.

"Brother Zhang, your Chinese is so good!" Xiang Xiaotian smiled and lowered her head, deliberately letting her long hair fall down, which immediately tickled Zhang Yang's face.

Suddenly, Zhang Yang lifted his head from Xiang Xiaotian, white legs and sat up.

"Naughty."

He casually pulled Xiang Xiaotian into his arms and teased her for a while.

Bang!

The not-so-large cruise ship suddenly encountered something.

"We've run into each other!"

Outside, the boatman was shouting loudly.

Curious, Zhang Yang and Xiang Xiaotian looked out together, and not far away, there was another small boat.

On the boat, a boy also poked his head out.

"Chen Zhuo?"

Zhang Yang had sharp eyesight and spotted the people on the small boat at a glance.

The man was none other than his high school classmate, Chen Zhuo, who was now working in Gusu. Unexpectedly, the two met again in this way on a boat on West Lake in Hangzhou.

"Zhang Yang!" Chen Zhuo's eyes widened, as if he recognized him immediately.

"Let's go ashore," Zhang Yang said with a smile and a wave.

A moment later, the two boats docked, and the two boys disembarked together.

"Long time no see! Oh, who is this...?" Chen Zhuo was slightly taken aback, staring blankly at the fair-skinned, beautiful girl who followed Zhang Yang off the boat, looking like a flower of wealth and nobility.

"Oh, this is Xiang Xiaotian, my friend," Zhang Yang introduced briefly.

"Just friends? I think I saw..." Chen Zhuo stammered, because he had just clearly seen Zhang Yang resting his head on someone else's lap.

What ordinary female friend would let you rest your head on her lap?

Xiang Xiaotian smiled slightly, nestled beside Zhang Yang, and simply nodded gently to Chen Zhuo, appearing serene and content.

"By the way, who's this on your boat?" Zhang Yang also noticed the girl on Chen Zhuo's boat.

However, we can only see their backs.

"She's my college classmate, and also my goddess. It was a real struggle for me to get her to come out," Chen Zhuo said in a low voice. "By the way, she's a bit aloof, so please don't mind."

"Cold?" Zhang Yang chuckled.

Honestly, he hadn't seen a girl act cold in front of him for a very, very long time—not a single one.

"Ya Jun, Ya Jun, let me introduce you to a friend." Chen Zhuo poked his head out and called out into the cabin with a big smile.

After a while, a girl finally emerged from the cabin.

As Chen Zhuo said, she had a cold expression and was quite pretty, but that was about it... not that amazing.

The girl came out and was slightly taken aback when she saw Zhang Yang.

"Come, come, Ya Jun, let me introduce you. This is my high school classmate Zhang Yang, and this is his friend." Chen Zhuo introduced with a smile. "Zhang Yang, this is Gu Yajun, my... my classmate."

"Girlfriend is girlfriend, why call her a classmate?" Zhang Yang smiled and nodded in greeting.

He didn't reach out his hand, but he noticed that Gu Yajun seemed to have subconsciously reached out, but then realized what she meant and held back.

"Not yet." Upon hearing Zhang Yang's words, Chen Zhuo stammered, then glanced furtively at Gu Yajun beside him.

"Not yet," Gu Yajun said with a slight smile.

Indeed, she still maintains a cool and proud demeanor.

"It's rare to run into you. Come on, let me find you a place to sit down and have dinner together tonight," Zhang Yang invited.

"Let's go to my place," Xiang Xiaotian said gently, leaning closer. "It's close by and convenient."

"Okay," Zhang Yang nodded in agreement.

A moment later, Chen Zhuo quickly looked at Gu Yajun and asked for her opinion and thoughts.

"Well... okay, I'll go sit down for a bit, but let me make this clear first, I need to go back early tonight, I've made plans to go shopping with my roommates." Gu Yajun nodded reluctantly.

A moment later, the group arrived at Zhang Yang's Cullinan.

"Zhang Yang, I heard from the group that you drive Bentley and a Rolls-Royce. It's true!" Chen Zhuo stood by the car, his face full of admiration.

Although Gu Yajun still tried to maintain her composure and aloof demeanor, it was clear that she couldn't suppress the shock in her eyes.

Obviously, there are no truly arrogant girls in this world.

Pride is just a deliberately disguised shell; sometimes, it's actually quite simple to break it down.

"Get in the car." Zhang Yang smiled and got in with Xiang Xiaotian first.

Outside the car, Gu Yajun revealed an emotion that contradicted her usual image for the first time.

"Chen Zhuo, you actually have a classmate who's doing so well?"

"My classmate is really something... I'll tell you all about him later," Chen Zhuo said, inexplicably proud.

A moment later, they got into the car.

Gu Yajun sat in the back of the car, admiring the incredibly luxurious interior. She sat upright, feeling both restrained and unwilling to appear naive or unsophisticated.

The pride she had struggled to maintain was now in grave danger.

In reality, Zhang Yang and Xiang Xiaotian were chatting and laughing in the front, so they didn't notice Gu Yajun's behavior in the back row.

"Chen Zhuo, how many days are you coming to Hangzhou this time?" Zhang Yang asked, turning slightly to look back.

"I'm going back tomorrow. Gu Yajun has to go to work, and so do I," Chen Zhuo said. "I still envy you, my old classmate... By the way, when are you going to mentor me?"

"Sure, I'd welcome you to work for me," Zhang Yang joked.

If he really wants to come, he has plenty of places to go: Magic City, Hangzhou, or even his hometown of Yinghai.

However, Chen Zhuo has already settled down in Gusu, so that's probably unrealistic.

"Forget it, I'm still a government employee, after all," Chen Zhuo waved his hand and smiled modestly.

The claims of hardship and exhaustion are just his own excuses; in reality, many people envy his current job.

"But old classmate, if you know of any good options, could you introduce Gu Yajun to one? She's not happy with her current job."

"My place?" Zhang Yang smiled. "If you're interested, I can arrange it in Hangzhou, but it won't be exactly relaxing."

There are really no easy jobs at the hotel. Of course, if the boss really wanted to create a cushy job for someone to just coast along, that would be fine, but Gu Yajun is no relation to him, so why bother?

"You can arrange this in Hangzhou too? My old classmate, you're really doing incredibly well!" Upon hearing this, Chen Zhuo was speechless.

"It's alright," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"Ya Jun, you really should consider it. It's always better to have someone take care of you under my old classmate's wing," Chen Zhuo quickly said to Gu Yajun, who was standing beside him.

"We'll see," Gu Yajun said calmly.

Chen Zhuo quickly shut his mouth.

Zhang Yang, who was in front, wasn't surprised to hear this.

People are doing their jobs well; even if they're a little tired, what reason do they have to jump from one pitfall into another unknown?

After all, I didn't promise any high-paying, leisurely job.

So the matter ended there, and nobody took it seriously.

The Cullinan slowly came to a stop in front of the Junlan Hotel.

"We're here. Xiao Tian will be in charge of the food and drinks from now on," Zhang Yang said, getting out of the car with a half-joking expression.

"Huh? How could I possibly accept this?" Chen Zhuo was a little confused, not understanding why the task of entertaining them had fallen to Xiang Xiaotian.

"Don't mention it, this hotel belongs to Xiao Tian's family, so it was she who arranged it," Zhang Yang said.

"Yes, I'll arrange it." Xiang Xiaotian stood next to Zhang Yang with a smile, gently hugging his arm as she spoke.

Gu Yajun, who had always maintained a composed expression, was finally completely moved for the first time.

Such a huge five-star hotel, and it belongs to this girl's family? What has she been so arrogant about all this time? Isn't it ridiculous?

"So that's it, so that's it..." she stammered, unsure how to approach the situation and establish a connection.

On the bus, she thought this girl was merely pretty—yes, prettier than her—but she felt she wasn't bad herself. But now it seems...

The difference between the two is more than just worlds apart.

Xiang Xiaotian glanced at Gu Yajun's expression and immediately understood.

"Ya Jun, right? Come on, let me show you around." She took the initiative to speak, greeting Gu Yajun was still a little dazed.

Gu Yajun was instantly flattered and stepped forward.

Standing there, Chen Zhuo was still processing the news, watching the two figures disappear into the distance.

"Wow, Zhang Yang, what a rich and beautiful girl! How did you manage to win her over? And what about your girlfriend last time..."

"I told you, she's just my friend. Here, have a cigarette." Zhang Yang smiled casually and tossed a cigarette to Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo stood there, stunned, staring at his old classmate.

He's not just handsome, he has an indescribable charm that's overwhelming.