Page 5

Xin Chun turned and left.

Grandpa Zhao looked at Owen. Though he was mixed-race, his features leaned more foreign; he was tall, and his eyes were green. Grandpa Zhao looked thoroughly intrigued.

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 those were the characters.

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

But Grandpa Zhao sighed. "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 still remember, 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 Xin Chun's grandfather would pass away first? Alas.

The smile on Owen's lips slowly faded. "Then how did Xin Chun answer at the time?"

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

"The girl should preferably be around 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, she didn't need to be too tall?" Xin Chun walked over just then, having picked out the fertilizer.

Grandpa Zhao said, "We were talking about what kind of girlfriend you said you wanted before. You're not getting any younger; it's time you found someone."

"Want Grandpa Zhao to introduce you to someone?"

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

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

"Isn't there a saying: 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 ring it up.

"Grandpa Zhao, we'll be leaving now. 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 leave. After thinking it over, he lowered his head and opened his phone's contact list, 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..."

On the road, Owen drove and asked as if casually, "You like cute-looking girls?"

Xin Chun turned his head. "Mm."

Owen's expression remained unchanged, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Yet in 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 and said, "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 Country Y, and the two openly showed off their affection in front of Owen, Xin Chun, and Li Ze.

After kissing goodbye and hanging up, Ivy thought it might have been Xin Chun's first time seeing such a thing. In the spirit of friendly communication between colleagues, 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 her brows. "That's good. You're not like Li Ze, who looked completely inexperienced the first time he saw it."

Li Ze's face reddened as he said, "Ivy, I was embarrassed! You two kissed right in front of me!"

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

"Okay, okay, I didn't consider your tolerance level." 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 become an obstacle, including sexual 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."

"Mr. Xin, you've actually never dated?" Li Ze asked in surprise.

"Yes."

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

Xin Chun savored those words.

His previous life had been the complete opposite: thrilling and awful, 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 quite some time.

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

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

Li Ze said, "A blind date right after graduating from university? That's way too rushed."

"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 we had the same major in university, though not at the same school."

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

Age and major.

Ivy also said, "Mr. Xin, we're partners, so why talk about requesting leave? Your time is naturally your own. Blind dates should be taken seriously. Want me to teach you how to treat a girl?"

She had plenty of experience.

Xin Chun looked at the silent man beside him. Sometimes, he jokingly called Owen "boss," just as he had a moment ago.