TL: Hua
“I had a lot to say to you that day, but Assistant Qi stormed into the office expressionlessly, putting on more airs than me and saying, ‘President Shen,everyone has arrived. Please convene a meeting immediately. There’s also a dinner party with local financial tycoons in the evening. The meeting is expected to last only an hour and a half. We have a total of five issues to discuss and come to a conclusion.'”
“I think he cares more about the work in South Africa than I do…”
The man said half-truthfully, “Why don’t I transfer him to work in South Africa after this business trip is over? There just happen to be a lot of high-level vacancies here.”
Xia Shu’an: “…”
He said without any emotion, “Assistant Qi just got married.”
Shen Boyan couldn’t care less: “I know; that’s why I think so.”
Xia Shu’an: “…”
Why can’t you act a little humane?
“Ahem.” Probably feeling that he had exposed too much of his inner demon, the man tried to save his image, and his voice returned to a gentle tone.
“Have you eaten? Have you eaten well recently?”
“Yes, yes.”
Xia Shu’an answered casually. Shen Boyan would ask about this almost every day on the phone, which reminded Xia Shu’an of his high school days. Every time he called his mom, she would ask him what he had eaten and whether he was wearing warm clothes.
Is this a common problem among all “parents”?
He thought absentmindedly, but Shen Boyan, on the other end, changed his subject: “I will be back in three days. Xia Shu’an, do you miss me? I miss you very much.”
The warm topic made Xia Shu’an a little uncomfortable. He lowered his head and then hummed after a while.
There seemed to be a chuckle coming from the other end, but the next second: “But I heard from Auntie that you come home late at night half of the week. Are you going out with friends?”
He said quietly, “You are having so much fun with your friends, so it’s hard to think of me, right?”
Xia Shu’an: “…”
Are you getting upset? !
Xia Shu’an felt that he should distance himself from Shen Boyan to create some peace. After all, one or two phone calls a day consumed too much enthusiasm. He wanted to hang up now! ! !
Sensing his dissatisfaction, the other end laughed again.
“….”
“Well, I’m being called outside again, so I’ll hang up now.”
“Um.”
After the phone screen dimmed, Xia Shu’an shook his head and walked back to the room from the balcony.
“An’an, are you done with the phone call? It’s time to eat.”
Xia Shu’an’s mother waved vigorously in the room. Xia Shu’an walked to the table and sat in his usual position.
Mother Xia: “Is Xiao Shen okay? Is he used to living in South Africa?”
Father Xia and Mother Xia had a good impression of Shen Boyan. After what happened last week, their favorability level was immediately maxed out. Now the two elders care about Shen Boyan more than they care about their son.
Xia Shu’an: “He’s fine and also very used to the food there, but he’s a little busy and doesn’t get much sleep.”
Mother Xia said, “I think it’s ok to avoid making phone calls for a while when he’s this busy. You’ll see each other soon anyway.”
Father Xia disagreed with this.
“It’s precisely because he’s busy that he needs more inner support. Seeing An’an and talking with An’an is what motivates him to work. I know this because when I came home and saw you two, mother and son, my motivation was rekindled.”
Xia Shu’an used to think that his father was a bit melodramatic, but as he grew up and faced some negative things in society, he realized that what his father said was the truth. Sometimes, spiritual support is indeed more needed than material support.
Mother Xia: “Okay, okay, I won’t say anything anymore. You are the only one who can say sensational things.”
She glared at Father Xia and gave Xia Shu’an a piece of meat.
Xia Shu’an: “…”
He now knows where his character, which can’t stand people’s pretentiousness, comes from.
Father Xia was quiet for a while after being scolded by Mother Xia. Suddenly he thought, “Is Xiao Shen coming back soon?”
“Yes, three days later.”
“It’s good to come back. Let’s take a break when he gets back, and then our family can have a meal together. This time can be regarded as overcoming the tribulation. Since we’ve overcome it, everything will go smoothly in the future. Eating a meal will wash away bad luck.”
Xia Shu’an smiled and said, “Okay.”
……
……
That night, Xia Shu’an didn’t go back. While Shen Boyan was in South Africa, Xia Shu’an lived at home for many days. The truth about Xia’s bankruptcy was clarified. Father Xia had mixed feelings for a while and was in a period of emotional vulnerability. Being with his family could help him get over the sadness faster.
This is what one of his psychiatrist friends said.
In the evening, Xia Shu’an rested as usual and went to work as usual the next day.
He returned to his normal routine three days ago. He is now very “famous” and can meet people who know him everywhere. However, most people at the school are friendly and reserved. Although he was greeted more often, there was no harassment beyond that.
On this day, the special forces driver sent him to school. As soon as he entered the laboratory, the senior sister immediately greeted him.
“Xiao Xia, look!”
She held up her cell phone.
Xia Shu’an approached her: “What is it?”
The senior sister exclaimed, “You and President Shen’s fanmade video!”
Xia Shu’an: “…”
This is a CP video that was pieced together based only on photos of Shen Boyan in financial reports and photos of the two of them that were revealed during hot searches. Netizens have excellent skills, and this scene looks more exquisite than a third-rate online drama. Paired with BGM, it’s sensational when it should be sensational and touching when it should be touching. They even added a campus setting where two teenagers were looking at each other under a big banyan tree, palpitating with excitement.
Senior sister: “Isn’t it awesome?”
“Awesome.”
“Let me tell you, you and President Shen are very popular on the Internet now. A lot of people became your fans. You also have a special CP super topic on Weibo, which has more fans than ordinary little stars.”
Xia Shu’an: “…”
After the senior sister finished speaking, she went back to re-appreciate the video. Xia Shu’an recalled the video just now and found that the shame and novelty in his heart were equal parts, and he didn’t know which one was more.
Being “famous” had some impact on Xia Shu’an’s private life, but fortunately, it had no impact on his work. After work that day, he went to the bar. Today was Zhang Shenchang’s girlfriend’s birthday.
Boss Zhang suffered a lot of bleeding today, and all the drinks in the venue were discounted by 15%.
It’s unknown whether, because Xia Shu’an is now a celebrity, they’re celebrating in a private room.
“cheers!”
When Shen Boyan and Xia Shu’an were on the hot search one after another, even their friends were very worried. The low pressure had been surrounding everyone, and everything was not going smoothly. But it’s possible that after reaching the bottom of their emotions, they will rebound. A week after the incident ends, everyone’s life and work are going very smoothly, and they are in a very good mood.
After drinking two glasses of wine, everyone started chatting. Xia Shu’an looked at the people in front of him, and his brows suddenly moved. He picked up his phone and took a picture of the cup on the table.
He then sent the picture to Shen Boyan and thoughtfully “poked” him on WeChat.
Shen Boyan must have been busy and didn’t reply for a while. It took about half an hour before he responded with a message.
[Shen Boyan: ? ? ? ]
Xia Shu’an left him alone for a while with a smile, and after listening to a joke from Zhang Mingpei that wasn’t funny, he picked up the phone again. He shook his phone with one hand and pointed his finger towards them with the other.
Zhang Shenchang immediately put his arms around his girlfriend’s shoulders and gestured to him.
Xia Shu’an sent the photo slowly, with the caption:
“Stop slandering me when I go out to have fun. I’m just trying to maintain your friendship for you.”
This time, Shen Boyan replied quickly. He sent a bowing figure, but the text said:
[Shen Boyan: No need to maintain it; what should be scattered? Let it be scattered! [Cool]]
Xia Shu’an almost spit out the wine after taking a sip.
Zhang Shenchang saw him playing with his mobile phone with his head down and said, “Is it Old Shen?”
Xia Shu’an lifted his head and nodded.
“Ah, that’s great.” Lu Cai, the only bachelor present, sighed:
“Boss can have sweet love; why can’t I?”
Zhang Mingpei: “You said it yourself; even Old Shen can have one. You can definitely have one if you work hard.”
“Then how should I work hard?”
Zhang Mingpei: “First of all, put your hands down on playing games and reduce your gaming time to at least half.”
Lu Cai: “Well, then let’s forget it…”
Several people laughed.
Xia Shu’an frowned slightly and moved a stool to sit near Zhang Shenchang while his girlfriend went to the bathroom.
Zhang Shenchang smiled and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Xia Shu’an: “You and Shen Boyan were high school classmates, and you were the first to contact him, right?”
“Sort of.”
Xia Shu’an tilted his head and asked, “Then can you tell me what he was like in high school?”
There are a lot of revelations about Shen Boyan’s student days on the Internet, but there are more fakes than trues. It seems that Shen Boyan wouldn’t have mentioned his high school years on his own, so he might as well say it himself, lest Xia Shu’an be instilled with wrong perceptions.
Thinking like this, Zhang Shenchang said slowly: “Old Shen was relatively withdrawn in high school, but he had already shown a different side from most of his peers. He has the temperament of a leader, fearless in times of crisis. I remember one time during our class’s autumn outing, during a group activity, a boy suddenly had severe stomach pain and was rolling on the ground.”
“Everyone else was frightened, but Old Shen carried him on his back without saying a word and ran to the road. Then he stopped a passing car and explained the situation and the class teacher’s number in a concise manner. The car owner saw that we were students and took us there. I also called the head teacher to explain the situation, and the head teacher arrived shortly after we rushed to the hospital.”
“Old Shen usually doesn’t take the initiative to participate in activities, but at sports meets, he is an absolute savior and a big star. Even the head teacher will be particularly gentle with him at that time.”
“Anyway, Old Shen is one of the stable ones whenever there is a need to fight for momentum. And not only does he have a strong physical aura, he also has a very flexible brain, with bold ideas and the courage to put them into practice. The head teacher always says, ‘As long as you use this strength for studying, well, of course, that’s impossible.’”
“So, although many people say they didn’t expect the most inconspicuous Old Shen to be so successful, I think he has shown his unique side since his student days.”
Xia Shu’an was thoughtful: “Sounds like the man of the hour in school.”
“That’s not true. After all, he is too detached and low-key. Only the people in our class know his true temperament. No one in the whole school really knows.”
“Then what happens after he transfers to another school? Did you keep in touch?”
Zhang Shenchang smiled.
“How is it possible? Do you think he is someone who can contact people? After he graduated from high school, the homeroom teacher was really uneasy about him. Once, during a high school reunion, he searched for his phone number and asked him to come back to attend the reunion. We met him again at that time, and our friendship actually started from there.”
“Is that so? Has he never told anyone about what happened after he transferred to another school?”
Zhang Shenchang shook his head. After a while, he seemed to remember something again and showed hesitation.
Xia Shu’an looked at his expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I seem to remember someone at the reunion asking him about how high school was after he transferred. He had a smile on his face at that time; his expression was very soft, and he said that he had a great time and that it was a wonderful year.”
“…That’s all?”
Zhang Shenchang nodded solemnly.
“That’s all!”
“…”
Well, it’s a reply that really fits Shen Boyan’s style; even his private life is as concise and inscrutable as his business talks.
Xia Shu’an couldn’t drink late and finished after ten.
When he got home, he looked up at the stars in the sky. It was now eleven o’clock in the evening. It was also five o’clock at Shen Boyan’s place. It was almost time to get off work. He wondered if the other party had to work overtime again tonight?
Under the effect of alcohol, Xia Shu’an quickly fell asleep in a daze. The mobile phone he placed on the cabinet lit up, popping out an updated message:
[Shen Boyan: Good night, my baby.]
