Chapter 30

Chapter 30 - 30 029 Bumped into so petted Chapter 30: 029: Bumped into, so petted Chapter 30: 029: Bumped into, so petted So, without waiting for Wen Changling to speak, Jiahui boldly declared, “Give a kiss!”

Wen Changling: “...”

Wen Changling really wanted to cover Jiahui’s mouth.

No one else made a peep, but there was Jiahui, a glaringly obvious presence, still chanting, “Give a kiss! Give a kiss!” She even rhythmically cheered herself on, as if she were rallying a crowd in the streets.

Wen Changling tried to silence Jiahui with a look, but it was no use, Jiahui was already too hyped up. She looked at Xie Shang to see if he was annoyed.

Xie Shang was looking at her too.

She seemed anxious and at a loss.

Xie Shang understood what she meant, “That might not be possible.” He took a clean glass from the tray, filled it with wine, and downed it in one gulp, “Don’t make it too hard for her.”

His reason for refusal was not to embarrass Wen Changling.

Jiahui was touched by the subtlety of his words: Ahhh, so indulging!

She declared, she was going to ship this couple!

Because the door was open, and the neighboring door was open too, sounds came through—someone was singing rock music, loud and chaotic. Xie Shang stepped a little closer, lowered his head, and bent down to talk to Wen Changling, “Is there anything else?”

It was clear to everyone that they knew each other.

“No.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Mmm.”

“You guys continue to have fun, I won’t disturb you any longer.”

After Xie Shang greeted everyone and left, always polite and measured in his conduct, never showing any impatience or indifference, he maximized Wen Changling’s dignity and comfort.

Once he was gone, the women present all looked at Wen Changling in unison.

Jiahui rushed to join the gossip at the front line—Wen Changling’s neighbor: “Wen Changling,” she gives a thumbs up, “impressive.”

Wen Changling fiddled with her glasses, looking up and looking down, avoiding eye contact with her colleagues. She didn’t want to be gossiped about or noticed.

But Jiahui wouldn’t let her off so easily, “Spill the beans.” Jiahui tried to keep her voice down so that a third person wouldn’t hear.

Wen Changling couldn’t keep up with Jiahui’s pace, “What?”

“You two know each other privately, right?”

Jiahui still didn’t know Xie Shang’s name and stuck with the codename she had previously come up with.

Based on those two steps the Gu Family’s darling had taken towards her and the angle at which he bent down, Jiahui was certain there was more than meets the eye. With her experience in shipping couples, she felt they were already halfway there.

Wen Changling honestly admitted, “We know each other.” She immediately added, “But we’re not close.”

Jiahui was thrilled, more so than if she were in a relationship herself. Watching others fall in love was indeed more exciting. She made up her mind; they were dating, “Quick, spill the details. How did you meet?”

“We are neighbors.”

Jiahui had a knack for pinpointing the essentials, nearly jumping up, “You also live in Flower Chamber Hall!!!”

That was the coveted, pricey Flower Chamber Hall!

The gazes of her colleagues once again shot over to her.

Wen Changling wished she could shake her head off, “No, no, I don’t live there.” She lowered her voice to tell Jiahui, “Xie Shang’s storefront is next to my landlord’s.”

“What a twist of fate.” Jiahui made a fist with her right hand and whispered in a beseeching tone, as if entrusting her final hopes to Wen Changling, “Wen Changling, seize the moment. Our sisterhood’s future depends on you.”

“...”

As Wen Changling looked up, she met Qiao Yi’s gaze.

Qiao Yi looked like she wanted to glare holes through her.

Ho Ye was happily taking delight in others’ misfortune: “Isn’t your best friend’s childhood sweetheart busy? Seems he’s not that busy after all.” Seeing Qiao Yi unhappy, Ho Ye was overjoyed, and thus her gaze towards Wen Changling became much kinder, “It’s still our Changling who holds the most sway.”

We...Changling?

Wen Changling swore that besides at work, she had never spoken to Ho Ye. She was taken aback by the attention.

Qiao Yi picked up her bag, huffed, and left.

She went out to call Fang Jiyin.

“Yingying.”

Fang Jiyin’s voice sounded delicate and gentle, “Is there something urgent this late?”

“Do you know Wen Changling?”

“Don’t know her, who is she?”

“A nurse at our hospital, just now, we were playing a truth or dare game, and she brought Xie Shang over.”

Fang Jiyin’s tone changed immediately, asking anxiously, “Was Old Four also there?”

“Not with us, he was in another private room having fun with friends.”

Qiao Yi spoke as if she were reporting.

She and Fang Jiyin were in the same high school but different classes and had known each other since then. Although she always told others that Fang Jiyin was her best friend, she was well aware that a famous and wealthy daughter like Fang Jiyin wouldn’t possibly see her as an actual best friend. Fang Jiyin simply needed someone to run errands, someone to chat with, someone to help carry shopping bags on outings without posing any threat to her own status.

“What else did that nurse do?”

Qiao Yi said, “Nothing much, Xie Shang just showed up to make an appearance.”

Fang Jiyin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, “When Old Four is in a good mood, as long as the other person doesn’t overstep, he’s quite agreeable and wouldn’t mind doing a small favor for your colleague.”

But Xie Shang doesn’t give a damn about your face at all. Qiao Yi smartly swallowed these words before they escaped her lips.

Xie Shang returned to the private room, and before he could settle down, He Dongzhou came to ask.

“That person just now, do you know her?”

He Dongzhou wasn’t the gossipy type, but such a situation was unprecedented. Xie Shang, though polite with the opposite sex, had a very strong sense of boundaries and never allowed others to overstep them while he himself was even more rigorously moral, almost strangely aloof from the mundane world.

Xie Shang certainly never played games involving romantic affairs.

His response was, “Neighbor.”

He Dongzhou was skeptical.

Suddenly, Gu Yihuan popped up from behind the couch like a ghost, “Her voice sounded so familiar, I didn’t see her face clearly, but the glasses looked familiar too.”

Previously, when Old Mr. Gu returned home from the hospital, Wen Changling was one of the two nurses accompanying him, and Gu Yihuan must have encountered her at Flower Chamber Hall.

But Gu Yihuan’s memory wasn’t the best.

Xie Shang gestured towards the screen with a nod of his chin, “Your song.”

It was Gu Yihuan’s original song.

Gu Yihuan dreamed of becoming a singer, an original songwriter. But reality was harsh, and to make his songs available in KTV he had shelled out a considerable amount of money. His singing career, so far, continued to be a money pit.

Gu Yihuan immediately grabbed the microphone and began to sing with passion.

Xie Shang and He Dongzhou talked sporadically, discussing wine, tea, Noon Ferry’s perfume, business, with no fixed topic.

Normally, the most popular topic among men would be women, but Xie Shang didn’t care for it, nor did He Dongzhou.

“You’ve been a bit odd lately,” He Dongzhou commented.

Xie Shang poured himself a drink, “Odd in what way?”

Xie Shang wasn’t a heavy drinker; his alcohol tolerance was quite poor, and he seldom drank unless it was necessary, rarely pouring for himself.

“Can’t quite put my finger on it,” He Dongzhou pressed his palm against his left ear, really bothered by Gu Yihuan’s loud singing, “How’s the business since you moved the shop?”

“Not great.”

“You’re not cut out for business,” He Dongzhou lay back listlessly, propping his face with one hand. Even in such a pose, his demeanor was flawless, each casual gesture picture-perfect, toying with an orange in his hand, “There must be something on Lotus Pond Street that interests you greatly, like that female neighbor just now.”