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He Jingxiu personally wasn’t much of a gossip, nor was he particularly interested in his friends’ relationships. However, Luo Xiao was a bigmouth.
He had pursued Gu Ning for so many years without success, while Pei Yan and Sheng Chun would occasionally flaunt their affection in front of him, stimulating him. When these two quarreled and broke up, Luo Xiao naturally had to shout it out, announcing to all his friends and family that he was finally not the only single dog.
Thus, the news of Pei Yan being dumped by a woman spread among their circle of friends.
Pei Yan choked on his words, wanting to hang up several times, but he held back.
He gritted his teeth and asked, “Are you coming or not?”
“...”
He Jingxiu thought about it. Bo Ying might have to work overtime late. He hesitated for three seconds, “I’ll first ask Bo Ying until what time she’s working overtime, then I’ll get back to you.”
Pei Yan directly hung up the phone.
He Jingxiu smiled, wanting to call Bo Ying, but worried about interrupting her thoughts. He thought for a moment and left her several messages, asking her to call him when she finished, and he would come pick her up.
The address Pei Yan sent was a bar, specifically Jiang Chen’s bar.
He Jingxiu was surprised, and also a little headache. It would have been fine if he hadn’t run into him, but if he did, he really wouldn’t know how to greet him.
When he arrived, Pei Yan was sitting in a booth in the corner of the first floor, and Luo Xiao was calling friends over to see the heartbroken Pei Yan.
He was currently by his side, teasing and ranting about all the outrageous things Pei Yan had done in the past.
He Jingxiu happened to hear a line as he sat down, “Don’t you know showing off affection leads to a quick demise?”
Luo Xiao blabbed, “You and Sheng Chun used to torture us so much; isn’t it seeing the end so quickly now?”
“...”
Pei Yan didn’t even spare him a glance.
He Jingxiu took a sip of the juice on the table, then lifted his eyelids to look at Luo Xiao, “What did you just say?”
Luo Xiao choked, “Did I say anything?”
He turned to ask his friend, “I didn’t say anything, right?”
“You’re such a coward, Brother Xiao.”
“Exactly, own up to what you did.”
Luo Xiao shamelessly said, “I didn’t do anything.”
He just said a couple of things.
He Jingxiu looked at him with a half-smile, then scoffed softly.
He turned his gaze to the silent Pei Yan, and unusually, asked with concern, “How are you doing?”
Pei Yan gave him a look, then, seeing the juice in his hand, frowned, “Bo Ying won’t even let you drink alcohol?”
He Jingxiu: “That’s not it.”
He slowly said, “But, I’ll be picking up my girlfriend later, so I can’t drink and drive.”
Pei Yan: “...Then what are you doing here?!”
He Jingxiu shrugged, saying very casually, “Came to see the miserable state of our spirited CEO Pei’s breakup.”
“...”
Pei Yan now just wanted to break ties with these people.
He sneered, “You wait, you’ll be just as miserable sooner or later.”
He Jingxiu raised an eyebrow, confidently saying, “I won’t.”
He said, “I’m not you.”
Pei Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “Women are so troublesome.”
He Jingxiu chuckled, “If Sheng Chun hears you say that, you’ll be lonely for the rest of your life.”
Pei Yan opened his mouth, then silently swallowed the words he was about to say. But he really didn’t understand what Sheng Chun was thinking.
The argument between them was clearly initiated by her, yet he ended up being the one responsible.
She even called him a jerk.
Pei Yan really wanted to ask her where he was being a jerk.
Unfortunately, she didn’t give him the chance to ask and just ran off.
Thinking of this, Pei Yan took another gulp of wine.
He Jingxiu watched him, chuckled, and then meaningfully raised his glass to clink with him, “CEO Pei.”
He said earnestly, “Put down your pride.”
Pei Yan glanced at him.
He Jingxiu thought for a moment, then said softly, “Sheng Chun actually isn’t complicated. If you’re willing, she’s easy to coax.”
Pei Yan: “How do I coax her?”
He Jingxiu: “...She’s your girlfriend, if you ask me, who should I ask?”
He said, “Bo Ying and Sheng Chun don’t have the same personality. I really can’t give you advice on this.”
Pei Yan was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly sneered, “Sheng Chun isn’t that easy to coax.”
Her temper was terrible; whenever something wasn’t to her liking, she’d make him sleep on the sofa. How was he supposed to coax her? Moreover, she was unreasonable; sometimes, even when it was clearly her fault, she’d always manage to twist it around and make it his mistake.
Pei Yan had a headache and took another gulp of wine.
He Jingxiu looked at his massive intake, curling his lips slightly, “CEO Pei, are you planning to get drunk tonight and cause trouble?”
“...”
Pei Yan’s hand holding the glass paused, and he gave him a warning look.
He Jingxiu smiled, no longer making fun of him.
He reluctantly took a glass of wine and clinked it with him, “I wish CEO Pei an early release from the pain of heartbreak.”
Pei Yan: “...”
It would have been better not to clink glasses at all; the sarcasm was so obvious. Did he really think he couldn’t hear it?
When Bo Ying’s message came, He Jingxiu was discussing work with Pei Yan.
The reason he came over, of course, wasn’t just to see his friend’s plight, but also to discuss some official business.
Pei Yan was in no mood to discuss work with him at the moment, but there was a constant buzzing in his ear, annoying him greatly.
Finally, he glared at He Jingxiu and urged, “Get out of here immediately.”
He Jingxiu “tch-ed” and said with a half-smile, “CEO Pei, you’re so heartbroken that you can’t even talk business anymore?”
He said, “That shouldn’t be the case.”
Pei Yan couldn’t be bothered with him.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
He Jingxiu’s playful tone vanished, his expression becoming serious in an instant.
Pei Yan watched him, then remarked, “Hypocritical.”
He Jingxiu just smiled without speaking, then sent Bo Ying his location.
Bo Ying: [Huh? Isn’t this Brother Jiang Chen’s bar? How many of you are there?]
He Jingxiu: [Pei Yan and Luo Xiao, and a few other friends from the circle. Want to come?]
Bo Ying: [A little, but it’s not very convenient today.]
He Jingxiu: [Why?]
Bo Ying explained: [The production crew has to come home with me, and after getting home, the cameras have to stay on. I can only turn them off when I sleep.]
He Jingxiu was startled, about to reply, when Bo Ying’s other message came in.
Bo Ying: [So CEO He, we can’t openly date these next few days. I’ll get off work in half an hour and drive home myself.]
He Jingxiu: [...Alright.]
He turned off his phone, and Pei Yan glanced sideways, “Not picking up Bo Ying?”
“Filming,” He Jingxiu took a sip of his drink and said calmly, “It’s not very convenient.”
Pei Yan snorted, “That’s just a woman’s excuse.”
Upon hearing this, He Jingxiu subtly raised an eyebrow and looked at him, “Did Sheng Chun used to deal with you like that?”
Pei Yan gulped down half a glass of wine.
He Jingxiu chuckled, “Bo Ying genuinely can’t; it’s not like Sheng Chun deceiving you.”
Pei Yan continued drinking.
Despite his words, He Jingxiu stayed in the booth for a while longer, then still left.
He found a designated driver and drove back to the company.
When they arrived downstairs at the company building, the designated driver looked back at him with a puzzled expression, “Sir, are you waiting for someone?”
He Jingxiu “mhm-ed,” looking towards the parking lot exit, “She should be coming out in a few minutes.”
Designated driver: “...”
Five minutes later, Bo Ying’s little mini appeared in their sight.
He Jingxiu chuckled and signaled to the designated driver, “Follow that car, but don’t follow too closely.”
“...”
The designated driver was stunned for a few seconds, then hesitantly said, “...Sir, stalking is illegal.”
He Jingxiu was speechless.
He sighed helplessly, pinching the bridge of his nose, and said, “That’s my girlfriend. It’s not very convenient for me to pick her up, but she doesn’t like driving at night, so I feel more at ease watching her.”
However, after saying it, He Jingxiu remembered that Bo Ying had undergone laser eye surgery and no longer had astigmatism.
But memory made him follow her.
Thinking of this, he smiled helplessly.
He had forgotten when this habit formed, but he always remembered every word Bo Ying said.
Even if it was insignificant, as long as it concerned her, he would inexplicably remember it.
Yet, his memory wasn’t very good for these small details in life.
The designated driver looked at the smile on He Jingxiu’s face, unsure whether to trust this man.
But seeing that he was handsome, his face looked familiar, and he drove expensive cars worth tens of millions, he guessed he wasn’t a bad person.
“So that’s really your girlfriend?”
He Jingxiu: “Yes.”
He smiled and asked, “Do I look like a bad guy?”
The designated driver smiled helplessly, “Not really, it’s just late at night, just in case.”
He said, “After all, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
He Jingxiu nodded, indicating he understood.
He smiled, and said softly, “It’s always right to be cautious.”
Whether it’s a driver or a passerby, with one more cautious person in the world, there will be one less victim.
He Jingxiu looked at him, unusually in the mood to chat.
“Are you a full-time designated driver?”
The designated driver chuckled, “No.”
His main job was a very ordinary, even somewhat looked-down-upon, security guard. But security guard wages were low, and he needed to support his family and children, so he did part-time work after getting off duty.
He Jingxiu understood, chatted with the driver for a bit, and chuckled, “Where do you work as a security guard?”
The designated driver was startled, but didn’t hide it.
He Jingxiu noted it down; it was at an ordinary shopping mall.
He nodded, and as the car stopped in the residential complex, he said jokingly, “If you don’t want to work there anymore, you can come find me here.”
He rummaged around and found Qi Xuezhen’s business card in the car, handing it over.
The designated driver was momentarily stunned. He looked down at the company address on the business card, then looked at He Jingxiu in surprise.
“Thank you, thank you.”
He Jingxiu smiled, “You’re welcome. Drive safely back.”
Before leaving, the designated driver kept saying thank you.
He Jingxiu got out of the car, stood quietly downstairs in Bo Ying’s building for a while, then called her.
Bo Ying was currently sprawled on the sofa, looking lazy, “Hello.”
She looked around at the cameras and whispered, “Are you done on your side?”
He Jingxiu chuckled, “I’m done. What are you doing?”
“Just lying around,” Bo Ying closed her eyes, very tired, “So tired.”
She mumbled softly, “I want to eat cake.”
Whenever she was busy with work, she needed sweets to relieve stress. Only sweets could restore her energy.
He Jingxiu was speechless and asked softly, “Should I order takeout for you?”
“...Okay,” Bo Ying thought for a moment, “But I don’t know if the cake shop I want delivers.”
He Jingxiu: “I’ll find a delivery service.”
Upon hearing this, Bo Ying instantly brightened up.
“Then I want a cream and strawberry cake.”
“Okay.”
After placing the order, neither of them spoke again.
Through the rustling of the current, they listened to each other’s breathing, feeling a sense of quiet tranquility.
After a while, Bo Ying said, “Then I’ll go take a shower first.”
The takeout should arrive by the time she finished showering.
He Jingxiu: “Go ahead. Call me before you sleep.”
“Okay,” Bo Ying promised with upturned lips.
Forty minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Bo Ying walked out, drying her hair, and asked at the door, “Who is it?”
“Delivery.”
Bo Ying opened the door, and upon seeing the man standing at the entrance, her eyes widened, “You...”
He Jingxiu glanced back, then pulled her out.
“What about me?”
Bo Ying suppressed a laugh, looking up at him, “You lied to me. Where’s the delivery driver?”
“Hmm?” He Jingxiu held up the cream and strawberry cake she wanted, and asked softly, “In front of you. Just started a part-time delivery job. Miss Bo, will you sign for it?”