Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 90
Chapter 90 Innocent Little Things
2024-10-13 07:34 Category: Four-Faced BuddhaTurn off the lights
The high-performance sports car drove smoothly on the road, and You Shulang, sitting in the passenger seat, answered the video request.
Huang Qimin is getting old and has been lacking in energy lately, so he rarely appears in the lab. Work communication relies entirely on conference calls. He is also a spontaneous person, and the phone will come on whenever he wants, regardless of the time. Fortunately, he is pragmatic and never procrastinates.
In just a few minutes, the multi-person conference call ended. Tian Xiaotian, holding a bowl of noodles, grinned through the screen: “Brother You, turn the camera to the left. I want to see who’s driving. If they’re not handsome enough for our Brother You, I’ll make a scene.”
Upon hearing this, the others in the conference room moved closer to the screen, turning into big-headed dolls. Even Huang Qimin sat back down with his teacup in hand, his reading glasses perched on his nose.
Even from a bad angle, You Shulang is still handsome on screen. He casually extinguished everyone’s gossip: “Xiao Tian, remember to wipe your mouth after you finish eating your noodles. Also, have a great weekend, everyone.”
After leaving the meeting room, You Shulang put away his phone and said to the person next to him, “Sorry, my colleague was just joking.”
“It’s alright.” A young, icy face turned towards him. “I would be very happy if Minister You could turn the camera on me.”
“I’ve already left Hengtong, so please don’t call me Minister You anymore, Mr. Qin.” You Shulang was adept at deflecting criticism with a light touch, continuing with an unimportant topic.
Qin Zhiyang was quick to adapt, immediately changing his form of address: “Then Shulang, please don’t call me Little President Qin anymore, you can call me Zhiyang.”
You Shulang looked out the window and corrected, “Just call me Brother You, Xiao Qin.”
After a long pause, Qin Zhiyang, who had been staring straight ahead, finally responded with a faint “Okay.”
Upon arriving at the restaurant, the car was parked. Qin Zhiyang answered a phone call, during which he gestured to You Shulang to open the trunk for him.
Press the switch, and the trunk lid slowly opens, releasing a burst of flame. The trunk space is filled with fiery red roses, adorned with colorful lights, making them exceptionally vibrant.
“Happy birthday!” Qin Zhiyang walked over. “I’ve been trying to get you here for three days, and I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to get you today.”
You Shulang rarely found himself helpless, but this time he had truly experienced it firsthand. The way a child pursues someone is beyond words; Qin Zhiyang, despite his unapproachable appearance, is even more troublesome than Lu Zhen was back then.
He clicked his tongue softly, pressed the button again, and shut the car full of roses back into darkness.
“dislike?”
“Today is not my birthday. The date on my ID card is just a random number. The flowers are beautiful, but they don’t suit me.”
After all, he was only in his early twenties, and even with his cold expression, Qin Zhiyang’s embarrassment was evident.
“When is your birthday? I’ll celebrate it for you again.”
Originally intending to find an opportunity to talk things out with Qin Zhiyang, seeing his stubbornness at this moment, You Shulang also went straight to the point.
“Mr. Qin, oh, Mr. Qin, I understand your feelings, but we’re not a good match. Thank you for what happened before; you helped me a lot. But gratitude is gratitude, and feelings are feelings; they can’t be mixed up. If you think we can still be friends, then let’s continue to stay in touch as friends. If you don’t think we can, then it’s fine to break up.”
Seeing Qin Zhiyang’s stunned expression, You Shulang patted his shoulder: “This matter is not urgent. Take your time to think about it. We can still eat even if we don’t celebrate your birthday, right? I’m hungry.”
Just as she turned around, she heard Qin Zhiyang’s voice behind her: “Take your time to think about it. I’ll answer you now: we won’t be just friends. I’ll pursue you until the day you fall for me.”
You Shulang stopped in his tracks, resisting the urge to rub his forehead. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and turned to walk back.
Only when she was extremely close to Qin Zhiyang did she turn her head and whisper in his ear, “I’m not some kind of spiritual Plato, and you innocent little thing like you better stay away from me.”
After saying that, You Shulang stepped aside, turned around, and walked towards the entrance of the parking lot.
“You Shulang!” Qin Zhiyang, whose face was as red as a shrimp, remained expressionless. “Okay, I’ll sleep with you.”
Damn it! You Shulang wondered what sins he had committed in his past life that made his life so unsettling.
He didn’t turn around, but simply raised his hand and said lazily, “I’m not interested in you.”
You Shulang was in a bad mood, so he bought a cup of coffee and sat in the central square, letting his mind wander.
In the bustling area, crowds thronged, and the late summer breeze carried a chill. Occasionally, a fallen leaf would drift by, landing on the hard stone slabs, unable to turn into spring mud, adding a touch of regret.
The coffee cooled down quickly, and it was cold when it reached my stomach. You Shulang didn’t have the habit of wasting anything, so he sipped it slowly.
Across the street, a luxurious furniture store has a whole facade decorated in gold, which is so brightly lit by the setting sun that it hurts your eyes.
Just as You Shulang was about to look away, he saw a familiar, beautiful figure walk out of the door, accompanied by a man who was bowing slightly, his face full of wrinkles and a smile.
With a slight frown and a moment’s hesitation, You Shulang called out, “President Shi.”
The glamorous woman was pleasantly surprised. Seeing You Shulang approach, she hooked her arm around his: “What a coincidence, meeting you here.” She glanced at him and asked with a smile, “Just you? Where’s your troublesome friend?”
Holding a coffee cup, You Shulang said with a hint of helplessness, “How old is that? Why is President Shi still bringing it up?”
“And who is this?” You Shulang’s topic instantly shifted to the man accompanying him, and he gave him a friendly look.
“Ah, the owner of the furniture store, his surname is…?”
“Qi, Qi Tiansheng.” The man quickly handed You Shulang his business card.
You Shulang glanced at the business card in his hand, gave a perfunctory “hmm,” and casually handed the coffee cup to the man.
“Mr. Qi, could you please take this? I’ll keep your business card for safekeeping.”
The friend of the renowned businesswoman “Mrs. Shi” must be someone of considerable influence. Qi Tiansheng respectfully accepted the coffee cup, holding it with both hands.
Despite saying it was for safekeeping, the business card was simply slipped into his pocket. You Shulang took out his wallet, pulled out a hundred-yuan bill, and then smiled as he accepted the coffee cup.
“Thank you for your hard work, Boss Qi.” He then handed over some money, saying, “This is your tip.”
“What?” Qi Tiansheng was taken aback.
“Not enough?” You Shulang went to check his wallet again.
“No.” Qi Tiansheng glanced at the woman who was watching with great interest, and said with a forced smile, “It was just a small favor, there’s no need to talk about tips.”
“Although you are the boss, you are still a waiter in the service industry, so you still have to give a tip, right, Mr. Shi?”
The woman raised her eyebrows, then nodded: “That’s right.”
Qi Tiansheng’s face was somewhat distorted, but when he thought of the big order the woman had just placed, he could only suppress his anger and grit his teeth to take the banknotes from You Shulang’s hand.
“Thanks then…”
Before he could finish speaking, the man holding the coffee cup split his fingers, and the banknote fluttered to the ground.
The malice was blatant, obvious to anyone. You Shulang even kicked the banknotes, saying insincerely, “Sorry, I couldn’t hold onto it.”
The car had already driven quite a distance, but the woman was still laughing.
“I didn’t expect him to actually pick it up. He’s willing to lose all his dignity for a single deal. You’ve really pushed him to his limits.”
“I owe it to President Shi’s influence.” With the iced coffee churning in his stomach, You Shulang cupped his stomach with his hand and said gratefully, “Whenever President Shi has time, please do me the honor of letting me express my gratitude.”
The woman smiled and nodded, then asked, “You have a grudge against that man surnamed Qi?”
His eyes flickered, and You Shulang replied, “I suppose so.”
He rubbed his stomach a couple of times, then pointed ahead: “My home is in that neighborhood, Mr. Shi, just park your car in front of me.”
The car slowly came to a stop, its headlights illuminating a clear patch of the already dim sky.
The woman let out a long “Oh!” and laughed, “Is that your old almanac? Is it waiting for you?”
Upon hearing this, You Shulang looked towards the entrance of the residential area and saw Fan Xiao, dressed in work clothes and with a free and unrestrained demeanor, leaning against his old motorcycle, his brows furrowed and eyes deep, seemingly confronting someone.
The person standing opposite him was someone You Shulang had just met today—Qin Zhiyang, who had so easily given up on spiritual Plato.
My stomach hurts even more now.
