Chapter 5

Xin Chun turned and left.

Grandpa Zhao looked at Owen. Though mixed-race, he largely looked foreign, tall and broad, with green eyes. Grandpa Zhao stared at him in wonder.

He said, "You're Chunchun's new boss?"

Owen keenly noticed that the pronunciation was off. "Chunchun?"

"Yes, Xin Chun's nickname. His grandfather used to call him that all the time, saying that the more he called him that, the smarter he'd become." Grandpa Zhao smiled. "And Xin Chun really is a smart kid."

Chunchun—so that was how it was written.

Having suddenly learned the young man's nickname, Owen could not help smiling.

But Grandpa Zhao sighed then. "It's a pity Chunchun's grandfather passed away so early. He never got the chance to see this child get married

have children."

"I remember it was right here. His grandfather and I teased him, asking what kind of partner he wanted to find in the future. Once he decided, he had to bring her back for his grandfather to see."

Who would have thought that Xin Chun's grandfather would pass away first? Sigh.

Owen's upturned lips slowly fell. "Then how did Xin Chun answer at the time?"

Grandpa Zhao recalled, "I think he said a baby face, cheerful and fond of smiling. Dimples would make her even cuter."

"The girl should preferably be two or three years younger than him. He'd take care of her, and she didn't need to be too tall..."

"What do you mean, not too tall?" Xin Chun asked as he walked over after choosing the fertilizer.

Grandpa Zhao said, "We were talking about what kind of girlfriend you said you wanted before. You're not getting any younger—you should find someone."

"Want Grandpa Zhao to introduce you to someone?"

Xin Chun glanced at Owen without a trace, then smiled. "No need, Grandpa Zhao. I'm busy with my career right now. How would I have time to find a girlfriend?"

"Besides, I'm not in the mood for it. I shouldn't hold anyone else up."

"Isn't there a saying that you should settle down before building a career? Finding someone and working don't interfere with each other. How can you not have time?" Grandpa Zhao said disapprovingly.

Xin Chun smiled and replied with a few more words, then had Grandpa Zhao pack up all the fertilizer he had selected and settle the bill.

"Grandpa Zhao, we're leaving. We'll come visit you again next time. Take good care of yourself." After the fertilizer was loaded into the car, Xin Chun waved goodbye.

"Alright, alright. Drive slowly on the road. Safety first."

Grandpa Zhao watched the car drive away. After thinking for a moment, he lowered his head and opened his phone's contacts, muttering, "I remember Keke is about the same age as Xin Chun. Why not have them meet on a blind date? They should get along well..."

On the road, Owen drove as he asked casually, "You like girls with cute looks?"

Xin Chun turned his head. "Mm."

Owen's expression did not change, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Yet the next second, the person in the passenger seat spoke again.

"But that was what I liked before. Now, my standards have changed." After saying that, Xin Chun faced forward again. "They've become... completely different."

Owen did not get Xin Chun to reveal what his new standards were. Xin Chun merely smiled at him, raised his right index finger to his lips, and softly said, "Secret."

There was also one time when Ivy answered a video call from her girlfriend in Y Country. The two of them openly showed off their affection in front of Owen, Xin Chun, and Li Ze.

After they kissed goodbye and hung up, Ivy thought it might be Xin Chun's first time seeing something like that. Believing colleagues should communicate and get along amicably, she asked, "Did that scare you?"

Xin Chun smiled. "What's so scary about that? Do you think I came from feudal society?"

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "That's good. Unlike Li Ze—when he first saw it, he looked so inexperienced."

Li Ze blushed and said, "Sister Ivy, I was embarrassed! You two kissed right in front of me!"

Having just arrived and suddenly witnessed foreigners' passion and openness, was he not allowed to be surprised and embarrassed?

"Okay, okay. I didn't take your tolerance into account." Ivy looked at Xin Chun. "Mr. Xin has adapted quite well. If you don't mind me asking, what's your sexual orientation?"

Owen's dark green eyes turned toward him.

Xin Chun said, "My orientation might be true love."

"Hm?"

"If I meet the right person, nothing will be an obstacle, including orientation." Xin Chun spread his hands. "I don't think gender is a problem."

"However, I've never been in a relationship, so I'm not too sure about this either."

"Mr. Xin, you've never been in a relationship?" Li Ze asked in surprise.

"That's right."

Li Ze said, "I wonder who will become Mr. Xin's first love. I think first love is usually the most unforgettable—innocent and beautiful."

Xin Chun savored those words.

His previous life had been the exact opposite—exciting and terrible, like a speeding car, jolting and shaking.

*

It had to be said that after Ivy's video call with her lover, Owen remained in a good mood for some time.

But that mood vanished completely after Xin Chun received a phone call.

"Boss, I need to take some time off. I'm going on a blind date." After hanging up, Xin Chun looked helpless. "Grandpa Zhao introduced me to a girl. She just graduated from college and is coming to Jingu Town for an internship."

Li Ze said, "She's going on blind dates right after graduating from college? Isn't that a bit too soon?"

"Her family is probably pressuring her. Her home is in the city, and she's related to Grandpa Zhao. She's about the same age as me." Xin Chun said, "Oh, and she majored in the same thing as I did, though we didn't attend the same school."

Li Ze said, "Those two conditions sound pretty compatible."

Age and major.

Ivy also said, "Mr. Xin, we're partners. Why talk about taking time off? Your time is naturally your own. Blind dates should be approached carefully. Want me to teach you how to treat girls?"

She was very experienced, after all.

Xin Chun looked at the silent man beside him. Sometimes, he jokingly called Owen his boss, just like he had earlier.