nucmednet Chapter 871: Get in the car, why are you standing there?
Chapter 871: Get in the car, why are you standing there?
When Jiang Chengyu returned to Kuncheng, it was almost dusk. The orange-red sunset glow spread over the rows of high-rise buildings, but it could not warm the emptiness in his heart.
The taxi stopped in front of the "Zidong International Group" building. He paid, pushed the door and got out. The evening breeze blew on his face with a chill, making him subconsciously shrink his neck.
I rubbed my still heavy temples. The drunkenness from last night had not yet dissipated. My head ached from time to time, as if a thin needle was drilling into it.
There were a few emergency lights on in the company lobby, the light was dim, because it was the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The front desk, which used to be bustling with people, was now empty. Only security guard Lao Li was sitting in the duty booth, squinting his eyes and smiling at his mobile phone screen.
Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, Old Li looked up and saw that it was Jiang Chengyu. He quickly stood up and came to greet him, the smile on his face becoming even more intense:
"Boss Jiang, Happy New Year! Why are you here today? It's New Year's Day, and all the employees are going home to reunite with their families."
Jiang Chengyu raised his hand and patted his shoulder, his voice a little hoarse: "Happy New Year, Lao Li. I came to see Shengxue."
"Oh—that little white horse," Old Li nodded happily and pointed towards the elevator entrance.
"Ever since you left for G City, it's been staying in the office. It's been feeling lonely. Go check on it! I just finished my inspection and I didn't see it wandering around."
Jiang Chengyu responded and walked straight to the CEO's elevator. The metal door slowly closed, revealing his exhausted face in the mirror. His stubble had turned a bit blue, and the redness in his eyes hadn't faded.
As the elevator hummed upward, fragments flashed through his mind—the red mark on Mu Xiaoji's neck,
The other person's neat movements when buttoning his pajamas, and the dazzling sunlight on the top floor of the hospital when I left without saying goodbye.
The elevator door opened with a ding. He strode to the door and pushed open the office door. The familiar aroma of cedar mixed with a faint smell of dust hit him in the face.
The huge space was empty. The sunset outside the floor-to-ceiling window dyed the desk a warm red, but the little white horse that always liked to rub against his trouser legs was nowhere to be seen.
"Shengxue...Shengxue?" He walked lightly, calling out as he walked, his eyes sweeping over the sofa and green plants.
He even looked under the desk, but the little guy who used to run out whenever he came back was nowhere to be seen today.
He turned around and looked in the tea room, lounge, and even the bathroom, but they were still empty.
A sense of panic suddenly surged in his heart. He took out his cell phone and found the name "Jiang Li" in the address book.
The phone rang twice before being picked up. A burst of boisterous laughter followed by Jiang Li's flustered voice: "Hello, Mr. Jiang? Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year," Jiang Chengyu's voice calmed down. "Do you know where Shengxue is?"
The laughter on the other end of the phone stopped abruptly. Jiang Li seemed to cover the microphone and said in a low voice:
"Uh... Mr. Jiang, it's the New Year holiday, and you haven't been home. I saw that Shengxue had no one to take care of it in the office, so I... I brought it back to my house."
As soon as she finished speaking, a faint "hissing" sound came from the receiver, as well as the laughter of several girls, as if they were teasing it.
Jiang Chengyu was stunned for a moment, and tightened his grip on the phone: "I'm back, in the office."
"Ah? You're back?" Jiang Li's voice rose a little, then fell back down. Jiang Chengyu heard her make a gesture to silence the people around her, and the background noise instantly quieted down.
Several heads gathered around Jiang Li's phone, their eyes full of gossip - it's New Year's Day, and the boss suddenly looks for Little White Horse, this is a new thing.
"Then... Mr. Jiang, shall I take the subway to take Shengxue back to you now?" Jiang Li's tone was a little cautious.
Jiang Chengyu glanced out the window. It was already dark, and the streetlights were gradually lighting up. "No need," he said. "Send me the location and I'll drive over to pick it up."
"Okay, okay, Mr. Jiang, I'll send it right away!" Jiang Li responded quickly. After hanging up the phone, his fingers quickly tapped the location on WeChat.
Jiang Chengyu walked out of the office with the car keys and took the exclusive elevator directly to the parking lot on the underground first floor.
Under the dim light, he walked towards the black business car, pressed the unlock button, and with a light "click", the car door opened.
The moment he got into the driver's seat and started the engine, he calmed himself down, stepped on the accelerator, and the car slowly drove out of the parking lot and merged into the evening rush hour traffic.
The female voice in the navigation system announced the route, but his hands on the steering wheel tightened a little, and his eyes drifted to the street scenes passing by outside the window from time to time.
What kept flashing in his mind was not Shengxue's shadow, but Mu Xiaoji's back when he turned and walked out of the ward. The back looked tall and straight, but a little lonely.
When the car stopped steadily in front of the milk tea shop, the wind chimes on the glass door were jingling.
Jiang Chengyu pushed open the car door, and the evening breeze blew in the sweet aroma of milk cap. He walked quickly into the store, and the warm yellow light fell on his body, dispelling some of the coldness.
"Gentlemen, would you like to order?" As the waiter came over, he was waved away by him.
Jiang Chengyu glanced around the store and quickly locked onto a corner where five or six girls were sitting.
There were seven or eight cups of milk tea in front of them. They were huddled together looking at their phones, and bursts of lively laughter broke out from time to time. One of them was Jiang Li.
Shengxue, who was surrounded by them, stretched her neck and snatched the dried carrots from Jiang Li's best friend's hand.
Suddenly, its ears perked up, as if it had caught a familiar scent, and the snack in its mouth fell onto the table with a "click".
He turned and rushed towards the door, his pony hooves making rapid "clacking" sounds on the floor.
"Hey, where is Shengxue going?"
"Why are you running so fast!" The girls stood up and chased after him, but they saw the little white horse rushing straight to Jiang Chengyu's feet.
She threw her head back and let out a light neigh, rubbing her head affectionately against his long legs, her snow-white mane brushing against his trouser legs, with a hint of coquettishness.
A smile instantly spread across Jiang Chengyu's face. That smile was like ice melted by the sun, dispelling most of the gloom between his brows.
He squatted down and gently stroked Shengxue's soft mane with his fingertips. The little guy squinted his eyes comfortably and rubbed his cheek back and forth on the palm of his hand.
He looked at its round belly, with mixed emotions in his eyes - relief and guilt.
There was also an indescribable sense of melancholy, as if through this little white horse, he saw another figure that needed his care.
"Wow, Mr. Jiang looks so handsome when he smiles!"
The girls behind him hurriedly raised their phones and took photos of him and Shengxue.
"This picture is so healing, a white horse with a handsome guy!"
"Save it quickly, this is what the top CEO looks like in private!"
Jiang Chengyu stood up and nodded to Jiang Li and her friends who had gathered around him, his tone sincere:
"Thank you for taking care of Shengxue during this period. Look how strong it has become. It's all thanks to you."
He glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. It's a rare opportunity for us to get together. You guys choose a place and I'll treat you."
"Wow, President Jiang is so generous!"
A girl in a pink sweatshirt immediately raised her hand, "Let's go to Xingteng Restaurant! The food there is delicious, and there's a dance hall in the basement. It's New Year's Eve today, so it's perfect for some fun!"
Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat - she had been with Jiang Chengyu for many years and knew that he did not like noisy occasions.
He quickly pulled the girl's arm and said, "We can have dinner. Mr. Jiang is usually very busy. After dinner, we can go out and have fun on our own. Don't disturb his rest."
Jiang Chengyu smiled, his tone relaxed: "It's okay, it's rare for everyone to be happy, today I will listen to you." He pointed to the door and said, "The car is outside, let's go."
Shengxue seemed to understand, and rubbed his trouser leg affectionately as he walked towards the door, his tail wagging happily.
The girls followed behind chattering, unable to hide the excitement in their eyes - who would have thought that they could have a dinner with a top-tier CEO during Chinese New Year.
Jiang Chengyu opened the side door of the business car, and Shengxue jumped in skillfully and lay down in the empty seat in the middle.
A few girls smiled and got into the back seat, leaving only the passenger seat empty. Jiang Li stood by the car, feeling a little awkward, clutching the corner of her clothes, at a loss.
"Get in the car, why are you standing there?" Jiang Chengyu turned his head to look at her, his tone urging.
"Oh, okay." Jiang Li quickly opened the passenger door and got in. He had just fastened his seat belt when
Sheng Xue poked her head out from the middle and stretched out her tongue to lick Jiang Chengyu's cheek.
"Shengxue, be good and stop making trouble." She quickly reached out and pushed the little white horse's head back. "Boss Jiang is driving. It's not safe for you to harass him like this."
Jiang Chengyu stared straight ahead, his expression focused as he started the car. With a soft hum of the engine, the car smoothly merged into the traffic flow, heading towards the Xingteng Restaurant.
The streetlights outside the window were rapidly receding, and in the carriage the sound of girls' quiet laughter and Shengxue's occasional whispers drifted.
Jiang Chengyu's hands were steady as he held the steering wheel, but a barely perceptible trance would occasionally flash across the depths of his eyes, as if this moment of excitement could not fill the emptiness in his heart after all.
When the car stopped steadily in the parking space in front of Xingteng Restaurant, the neon lights at the door were flashing warm yellow light.
Everyone got off the car one after another. Shengxue was led by Jiang Li, and the pony's hooves made a light "clacking" sound on the stone road.
Jiang Chengyu took the lead and walked towards the hotel gate, the hem of his black coat swaying slightly with his steps.
The aura surrounding him made the waiter at the door immediately bow and greet him: "Welcome, please come in."
As soon as I walked into the hall, I bumped into two figures. A man was being supported.
He was almost reeking of alcohol, and another woman was struggling to hold his arm, trying to steady his staggering steps.
Jiang Chengyu subconsciously dodged to the side and glanced at him indifferently, not recognizing the other person.
The drunk man suddenly stopped, squinted his drunken eyes and looked at Jiang Chengyu for a moment, then suddenly laughed strangely.
The voice was so shrill as if she was pinching her throat, and it carried an indescribable vulgarity: "Hey, isn't this Mr. Jiang from Zidong International Group? What a rare guest."
Jiang Chengyu frowned slightly, with no expression on his face. It was obvious that he had no impression of this person.
The man, however, was getting more aggressive. His eyes swept over the girls behind him, and the smile on his face became more and more greasy.
"Boss Jiang is known for not being interested in beautiful women. What happened today? The sun is rising from the west?"
He deliberately dragged out his words, adding a hint of sarcasm, "But you have to take it easy. Your body is precious, don't overwork yourself."
"Haoyu! What nonsense are you talking about!" The woman holding him, Chang Miaomiao, quickly signaled him to shut up.
His face turned red and white, and when he turned to Jiang Chengyu, his tone was full of apology.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang, he's drunk. Please be magnanimous and don't bother with him. We'll be leaving now. Enjoy your evening."
After saying that, she half-dragged and half-pulled Qi Haoyu out the door. The man was still struggling to turn back, mumbling some unclear obscene words.
Jiang Chengyu's eyes fell on the backs of the two people leaving, his brows furrowed even tighter, and he turned to ask Jiang Li beside him: "Who is this person?"
"He's the assistant to Mr. An of Antai Technology, his name is Qi Haoyu." Jiang Li explained quickly.
There was a hint of discomfort in his tone, "You're usually very smooth-talking, and today you've drunk too much and you've lost your temper."
Jiang Chengyu didn't say anything, just looked at the figure disappearing at the door with a look of disdain.
But for some reason, the way Qi Haoyu's eyes wandered around the girls, and the sarcastic teasing he made,
It felt like a tiny thorn piercing my heart, causing a vague sense of unease.
He calmly withdrew his gaze and said to everyone, "Let's go upstairs."
The light from the crystal chandelier in the hall fell on his face, reflecting a bit of melancholy - this sudden episode,
Like a drop of ink falling into clear water, it spreads out silently, adding an indescribable sense of stagnation to the originally relaxed atmosphere.