Chapter 706 Afraid That I Will Eat You
Nan Xing quickly explained, “That’s not what I meant. I just—”
“That is what you mean!” Ning Ran said angrily.
“I-I was wrong. I said something I shouldn’t have.” Nan Xing regretted it very much.
Ning Ran snorted coldly before falling silent.
Just then, the phone rang. It was a video call from Nan Chen.
Nan Chen had just had a video call with his kids. After learning that Nan Xing and Ning Ran had gone out, he was worried about them, so he called Ning Ran to ask her what happened.
On the phone, Ning Ran told Nan Chen about her entire conversation with Huang Zichao.
After hearing it, Nan Chen told her without thinking, “Just do as he says.”
Ning Ran put the phone on speaker mode so that Nan Xing, who was next to her, could hear it too.
He did not expect that his brother would actually listen to Huang Zichao. “Chen, what right does he have to boss us around? He was the one who invited Ning Ran to the show, but now, he’s asking her not to go. How can he do whatever he wants? Who does he think he is?”
“Did he personally invite Ning Ran to the show before?” Nan Chen asked.
Ning Ran quickly clarified, “No. There is no such thing.”
“Well, that means it was all coordinated by the agencies previously, and Huang Zichao didn’t know about it. Even if he knew, he must have thought it was just another job. But now that he’s asking you to quit in person, and he is willing to pay for it, this shows that he is not doing this for profit. If it’s not because of profit, it must be because there are other risks. If it’s risky, why bother going?”
There was nothing wrong with Nan Chen’s reasoning.
“But if he is the only one who is at risk and Ning Ran is not, why should we listen to him?” asked Nan Xing.
“Since there is a risk, why should we still go there? We should avoid whatever risk there is,” Nan Chen said.
Hearing that, Nan Xing could not find a retort. “You’re right, Chen. You have considered everything thoroughly.”
After Jiang Zhe drank his first glass of red wine at a private club in Flower City, his face began to turn red.
He also started to stutter. With glassy eyes, he looked at the woman in front of him.
The woman was Yu Xiang, a senior he had a crush on in high school. He had not seen her for ten years, but she still looked beautiful.
In the past, Yu Xiang was the leader of the student union. Being a very eloquent person, she represented her school many times in public speaking competitions in the city and won many awards.
Jiang Zhe was a shy young man at that time. He had a scrawny build and ordinary looks. He even wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses that covered almost half of his face.
Every time there was an event in the school, Yu Xiang would always be the one who was in the limelight by either winning awards or being the host of ceremonies.
Oftentimes, Jiang Zhe could only sit in a remote corner, watching Yu Xiang’s talents blossom like a flower on the stage through the lenses of his black-rimmed glasses.
Jiang Zhe also tried to sign up for the school’s public speaking interest group but ended in failure when he gave a speech on stage for the first time.
He originally prepared a five-minute speech, but he only managed to squeak out the words “Thank you, everyone” after taking the stage.
Then, he ran off the stage.
At that time, everyone in the audience laughed at him, except Yu Xiang who chased after him and comforted him. She told him to train hard and develop self-confidence as she believed that he would be successful in the future.
To a frustrated teenager, any words of encouragement from his idol were extremely valuable.
Later, Jiang Zhe read hard and practiced his speech ability in front of the mirror.
The vast amount of knowledge gave him self-confidence and allowed him to say goodbye to his inferiority complex.
Those efforts finally paid off after many years. In the competition for the job as Nan Chen’s assistant, he stood out from the thousands of elites who participated in it and became the closest and most trusted person in the entire company to Nan Chen.
But after so many years, his alcohol tolerance had not increased despite the increase in his knowledge, abilities, and income.
Yu Xiang raised her glass again. “You are now the most outstanding person among our classmates. Here’s a toast to you.”
Jiang Zhe quickly waved his hand. “I can’t drink anymore, Yu Xiang. I’m going to get drunk if I drink any more. I hardly drink usually.”
“Hey, don’t rain on my parade, will you? I haven’t seen you for so many years, so we have to drink to our heart’s content.” Yu Xiang held up her glass and refused to put it down.
Jiang Zhe had no choice but to take another sip.
He did not dare to drink anymore or he would get drunk.
“Yu Xiang, I haven’t seen you for many years. You are still so beautiful, and you look even more graceful than before. It seems that time has been kind to you,” Jiang Zhe praised.
“Oh, look at you. You are so good at talking now. You’re completely different from before.”
“Please don’t mention the past, Yu Xiang. I was too cowardly at that time and became the laughingstock of everyone. Fortunately, you comforted me,” Jiang Zhe said embarrassingly.
“Hey, tell me honestly, did you have a crush on me back then?” Yu Xiang asked with a smile.
Jiang Zhe was already blushing, but after hearing that, his face flushed even more.
“Yu Xiang, do you want to hear the truth?” he asked, grinning.
“If the truth will hurt me, I’d rather listen to lies.” Yu Xiang smiled at him charmingly.
“Then I’ll keep it a secret for the time being. Whether it’s the truth or a lie, I won’t say it first. You’ll find out in the future,” replied Jiang Zhe with a smile.
He reckoned that that was a smart approach, for he knew that once some words were spoken, it would change their current harmonious relationship.
Therefore, the best way was to not say anything, keep the status quo, and observe each other slowly.
“Okay, then don’t say it. I guess you are still shy, huh?” Yu Xiang remarked, laughing.
“Yeah, I’m still that shy junior. My heart still pounds whenever I see you,” Jiang Zhe replied as he smiled.
“Really? Is your heart pounding now?” Yu Xiang raised her glass again.
“Yes. It is pounding three times faster than usual.” Jiang Zhe manned up.
“Really? I don’t believe it!” Yu Xiang’s smile grew even more charming.
No longer the young man he used to be; Jiang Zhe could understand the ambiguous meaning hidden in her words.
He had not seen her for many years, but she suddenly asked him out that day and acted overly friendly with him.
Jiang Zhe was willing to believe that it was because of their friendship, but he had to consider other factors as well.
Therefore, he played along with her while still keeping to his boundaries.
“How can I make you believe it?” Jiang Zhe asked, smirking.
“If you let me listen to it, I will believe it,” replied Yu Xiang.
Jiang Zhe smiled and said nothing.
“What? Are you afraid that I’ll eat you or something?” Yu Xiang continued to flirt with him.
“No, of course not. You can listen to it.” Jiang Zhe spread his arms.
Although he wasn’t someone who liked to mess around, he could not act too cowardly in front of girls either.
In response, Yu Xiang actually leaned over and placed her ear against his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
A faint fragrance filled Jiang Zhe’s nostrils, making his heart skip a beat.
His childhood crush was right before him. For a second, he wanted to reach out and hug her.
He moved his hand a little before he finally decided to hold back.
As everything was happening too fast and too suddenly, it was impossible for the usually smart Jiang Zhe to not suspect anything.
After all, when something was too good to be true, it was either a scheme or a trap.
Since he wasn’t an average Joe, Jiang Zhe would not fall into other people’s traps easily. Otherwise, he would not have been Nan Chen’s assistant.
