CH 20

Translator: Lynn

Upon Long Zichen’s return to the company, several staff members immediately informed him, one after another, “The boss has taken Jian Jie to his office in a mysterious manner!” Alarm bells rang in Long Zichen’s mind. He knew all too well about Yuan Chao’s character. It was one thing to take a beautiful colleague somewhere to “chat,” but what could he possibly want with Xiaojie? Long Zichen was furious that someone dared to have ill intentions toward Jian Jie.

“Dachen, you came back so quickly today. Did the recording go well? Hahaha…” Yuan Chao quickly averted his gaze.

Long Zichen wasn’t fooled and continued to glare ominously at Yuan Chao, who was nervously smiling, and said coldly, “Oh, I came back too soon, did I ruin your plans? Why are you lingering by the office door? And why is the door closed so tightly? What exactly are you up to?”

“Ahaha!” Yuan Chao scratched his head in embarrassment, feeling guilty for bringing his relatives to the company to meet celebrities. “Well, you know my cousin Qianqian. She listened to Xiaojie’s song and was extremely impressed. That’s why I brought her to meet him. It’s good for young people to connect.”

Hearing Yuan Chao’s explanation, Long Zichen’s expression grew even darker, thinking that he was in the room. He lowered his voice and said fiercely, “Didn’t I tell you not to bring people to the company to meet celebrities? Do you understand what it means to lead by example?”

“I was wrong!” Yuan Chao burst into tears. “My cousin is so cute, how could I reject her? I promise there won’t be a next time!” Yuan Chao cried inwardly, “Dachen is so terrifying, who will save me?”

At that moment, the office door suddenly opened. Jian Jie stood there, glanced at Long Zichen, then at Yuan Chao, and said curiously, “I overheard someone talking, so Mr. Long, you’re back. Why are you standing at the door instead of coming in?”

“Xiaojie is also here. I just got back, so I have something to discuss with Mr. Yuan,” Long Zichen couldn’t help but feel relieved when he saw Jian Jie. He smiled and asked Jian Jie, “Was the recording session challenging?”

“I just spoke a bit and answered some questions from the radio host. I don’t know if my responses were good or not,” Jian Jie honestly replied.

Long Zichen nodded and said, “When I arrived, the audio-visual ear training class in the vocal music classroom had just begun. You can still attend for an hour.”

He knew that Jian Jie enjoyed this class the most, and he simply wanted to dismiss Jian Jie and give Yuan Chao a good lesson. As expected, Jian Jie became energized upon hearing this and said happily, “Then I’ll go to class.”

“Well, let’s go,” Long Zichen said, pleased that his plan had succeeded.

At that moment, Sun Qianqian, who had been sitting in the office, approached the door, saw Long Zichen, and sweetly said, “Brother Chen.”

“Qianqian, come and join us. Would you like me to give you a tour?” Long Zichen wasn’t angry with Sun Qianqian; he couldn’t possibly show his displeasure to the adorable young girl.

Jian Jie, who was standing beside them, thought for a moment and asked Long Zichen, “By the way, Mr. Long, Mr. Yuan, Qianqian is also very interested in music, and she plans to apply to Anping Conservatory of Music. Can I take her to sit in on the training class?”

Young people always make friends quickly. Jian Jie and Sun Qianqian looked at Long Zichen and Yuan Chao expectantly. Naturally, Yuan Chao couldn’t disagree, but he didn’t dare to make the decision himself. He said, “You should ask Dachen. He’s in charge of music.”

“Go and listen,” Long Zichen forced a smile. His mood was truly complicated.

Jian Jie and Sun Qianqian didn’t notice anything strange about Long Zichen. They happily thanked him and went downstairs together to attend the class. As they walked side by side, attracting everyone’s attention, particularly because Sun Qianqian’s appearance was comparable to that of a star, everyone was curious about the girl next to Jian Jie. Who was this pure beauty?

Despite the ongoing music in the classroom, Jian Jie and Sun Qianqian quietly entered and found seats in the back row. Jian Jie softly explained the class content to Sun Qianqian, and they both enjoyed the music with great interest. They whispered a few words to each other.

As soon as the class ended, Tong Liangliang rushed over, blushing, and asked Jian Jie shyly, “Brother Jian Jie, is that classmate your friend?”

Sun Qianqian blinked and introduced herself, “Hello, my name is Sun Qianqian.”

“Hello, Qianqian, I’m Tong Liangliang!” Tong Liangliang replied excitedly, “Brother Jian Jie and I are good friends. We even sang a song together.”

“I’ve heard it before, it’s really nice,” Sun Qianqian smiled at Tong Liangliang. Then she turned to Jian Jie and said, “Thank you for bringing me to the class. I know it must have been inconvenient for you. I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll go find my cousin.”

“Okay,” Jian Jie also smiled.

After Sun Qianqian left, Tong Liangliang bombarded Jian Jie with questions, “Brother Jian Jie, is the girl we just met your girlfriend? She’s so beautiful, just like a big star!”

Jian Jie blushed and responded, “No, she’s Mr. Yuan’s cousin. She really loves music, so I brought her here to check out the class.”

“Oh,” Tong Liangliang instantly felt disappointed, “Mr. Yuan’s family must be very wealthy. I don’t stand a chance…”

Jian Jie couldn’t help but laugh, “Are you in puppy love? Maybe she doesn’t care about family background.”

“But my family is so poor, I dropped out of school after junior high. She seems well-educated, and her family probably wouldn’t approve of someone like me,” Tong Liangliang lamented. Oh, why does fate play such tricks on people?

Indeed, young love is always poetic. Jian Jie stifled his laughter and advised Tong Liangliang, “Then focus on singing and building your career.”

“Yeah!” Tong Liangliang clenched his fists and regained his determination. “I’ll work hard! Brother Jian Jie, I’m going to the dance studio to practice!”

Seeing Tong Liangliang filled with enthusiasm as he headed to dance training, Jian Jie couldn’t help but feel joyous.

While he was in a happy mood, little did he know that Long Zichen was feeling extremely bored on the other side.

Long Zichen returned to his office from Yuan Chao and couldn’t shake off his unease. It was their first meeting, yet Jian Jie called Sun Qianqian so affectionately, while he, after such a long time, was still addressed as “Mr. Long.” This bothered Long Zichen. After holding back his anger for a while, he figured it was about time for Jian Jie’s class to end, so he made a phone call.

“Is the class over?” Long Zichen unconsciously softened his tone upon answering the phone, not wanting to startle anyone.

Jian Jie replied, “Just finished. What’s the matter, Mr. Long?”

“It’s nothing. By the way, Xiaojie, I have a question for you. We’re so familiar with each other, why do you always call me ‘Mr. Long’?” Long Zichen couldn’t help but complain.

Jian Jie was momentarily puzzled but then said after thinking, “I guess it comes naturally. Aren’t you happy with that?”

“No, no, no, I’m not unhappy. I was just curious,” Long Zichen felt embarrassed, regretting why he asked such a foolish question. He then asked, “Are you still with Qianqian?”

“No, she said she was going to find Mr. Yuan. She’s already left.”

Long Zichen suddenly felt elated, as if the dark clouds had dispersed, and the weather became exceptionally clear. He turned his head and thought of something, immediately saying to Jian Jie, “You know, I’ve been quite busy lately, and you have your own work. We hardly have a chance to talk despite being in the same company. Zhou Jia told me that you’ve been doing great. So, how about next Wednesday afternoon? You have a class, and afterward, I’ll take you out for some leisure time. Just relax, and we won’t go anywhere troublesome.” Long Zichen was slightly apprehensive, afraid that Jian Jie would think he was going on a date with the cute girl.

It had been a while since Jian Jie had gone out, so he replied, “Okay. But, well, Mr. Long, I’m afraid of heights. I’m fine with climbing mountains or going to amusement parks, but nothing too high.”

“It definitely won’t be high,” Long Zichen said cheerfully. “You should head home early. I have to work overtime and finish a few tasks. How pitiful!”

“Mr. Long, you’ve worked hard. Take care of yourself,” Jian Jie’s comforting words immediately lifted Long Zichen’s spirits. He thought to himself, “Huh, what’s a little beauty? Xiaojie is still the closest to me! Besides, puppy love is the most annoying thing; it must be nipped in the bud!”

On the topic of puppy love, Long Zichen, and Brother Jian coincidentally reached a consensus, though Brother Jian may have a different opinion about who Jian Jie is closest to.

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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