Chapter 633: Truly Fond of Her

“Junior?”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Qin snapped back to reality and found Cao Xinyue looking at him with a half-smile, “You just laughed like a fool.”

“I just think people sometimes rush ahead too fast and really need to settle down to think things through.”

After saying this, Jiang Qin continued, “Senior, if I didn’t have my current achievements, what kind of person do you think I’d be?”

Cao Xinyue squinted and thought for a moment: “Irresponsible, just unreliable at a glance…”

“Is that so, Yanzu?”

“No Yanzu, just irresponsible and unreliable.”

“Is that so, Yanzu?”

Cao Xinyue gave him a look, thinking to herself that the junior really was having a split personality moment.

Jiang Qin once again looked towards the rain curtain, picturing the little rich girl running around in his mind.

It took him four years to move from Linchuan to a national scale, defeating competitors one by one and sweeping the O2O market, pushing Alibaba and Tencent to ally but they couldn’t stop him.

In others’ eyes, he was a group-buying tyrant.

Clear goals, long-term plans, clever methods, young and promising.

Thus, when he suddenly did some very childish things, like racing with employees to drive the tour bus and acting tough in unbearable courses, it all seemed staged to others.

The real him would be strategizing grandly, dictating battles from afar, his words as roaring as a lion’s.

But, could it be possible that the grand strategy was all an act and the childishness was real?

Everyone likes people who shine brightly, but rarely do they take to someone ordinary.

Still, Jiang Qin felt that this lustrous self was just a cover.

Compared to his true self, he was more about letting himself go, breaking free from shackles, believing life was a buy-one-get-one-free deal, daring with nothing to lose only because this life lacked the constraints of the past.

Consequently, everyone loved him, feeling he was extraordinary.

Just like Qi Qi, who wasn’t really good-looking, but thanks to fierce makeup skills was always called a goddess during her university years.

Yet, such a goddess would never dare to step outside without makeup.

Jiang Qin felt this life’s self also seemed made-up, viewed as a male god, thus unwarrantedly receiving much affection.

But Feng Nanshu was different. She often said, “Brother, you are a bit silly, Brother, you are so dumb, Brother, you are so easy to fool,” which comforted Jiang Qin.

Some loves received made one feel unworthy, others made one feel secure.

Whether it was Hong Yan, Jian Chun, Song Qingqing, or Jiang Tian, in their eyes Jiang Qin was a man who couldn’t be anything but strong.

But to Feng Nanshu, he was just a bit dumb, his hair long enough to cover his left eye, bossed around by his mom at home, even a bit weird for liking to give her foot massages.

Nobody enjoys living a lifetime with a crafted persona. Jiang Qin wondered, if I suddenly became ordinary again, who would love me?

This hypothesis made many loves invalid, but Feng Nanshu’s still held.

Because she just wanted to stick to him, live in the same house, grow old together without ever parting, continuously calling him ‘Brother’.

Jiang Qin had proven he could be immensely powerful, yet he longed for someone to love his mediocrity.

Interestingly, this somewhat philosophical question was truly fascinating.

Reborn, Jiang Qin swore to focus on money, stirred up storms, vowed to avoid love, only to find later what he truly appreciated was not business growth but being able to protect Feng Nanshu.

At the end of the day, he was still love-struck…

Such is the contradiction of people.

You command the wind and summon the rain, yet you remain a naive romantic at heart.

Just then, the office door opened and Professor Yan walked in looking tired, but was quite happy to see Jiang Qin and even inquired about the ongoing developments of the group-buying business, just like Zhang Boiqing did.

Cao Xinyue invited him to join them for a meal but the old man waved her off, telling the young ones to have fun while he planned to take some medicine and get some sleep.

Jiang Qin poured him a glass of water before looking at Cao Xinyue, “Shall we go eat?”

“I’ve booked a table at Nanshan Restaurant. Remember to bring your good friend with you. I haven’t seen the owner of 208 for a long time and I kind of miss her.”

After Cao Xinyue spoke, she suddenly remembered a scene from four years ago.

That day, the sunlight was warm, the weather pleasant, a ridiculously pretty girl ran into the Xitian Milk Tea Shop and filled out a form blatantly writing her entrepreneurial goal was to become Jiang Qin’s boss lady.

At this thought, Cao Xinyue suddenly understood what Jiang Qin meant.

She only wanted to be that boss lady because of Jiang Qin.

“I’ll go to the dormitory to pick her up. Let’s meet at Nanshan Restaurant.”

“Alright, see you later.”

Jiang Qin opened his umbrella and left the entrepreneurship base, heading towards the girls’ dormitory of the School of Finance.

He thought the rain would stop soon but didn’t expect it to drizzle from morning till evening. Now, the ground was already pooling with streams of water, splashing about when stepped on.

Thankfully, it stopped just as the night was about to fall, and like a last burst of radiance, the sky suddenly lit up, as bright as the morning.

The air still carried the fresh, slightly cool and damp scent of rain.

Feng Nanshu received his call and in her Relaxing Bear pajamas, she stepped out of the dorm, opened the window from the fifth-floor corridor to glance down at him, then hurried back to change.

Then, as if her butt was on fire, she dashed downstairs.

“Little rich girl, I have a secret to tell you. Actually, I’m not as handsome as I appear. I’m really just a loser.”

“?”

Feng Nanshu stared at him blankly before reaching out her hand: “Hug.”

Jiang Qin stepped back seriously: “Feng Nanshu, what if the group-buying business collapses? What if I run out of money?”

“Your little rich girl has six million,” Feng Nanshu patted her small purse confidently.

“But what if I’m not that smart?”

Little rich girl glanced at him, fell silent for a while, and squinted seriously, thinking to herself, oops, brother seems to have realized he’s not smart.

Jiang Qin leaned in close to her face: “Say something.”

“Brother, hug.”

“All you know is hugging!”

Feng Nanshu snuggled into his arms, whining softly.

She didn’t know what was up with Jiang Qin today, but despite his fierce demeanor, he seemed to really need a hug.

Looking at the rich beauty in his arms, Jiang Qin spoke again: “Senior sister Cao is back. We’re having a dinner gathering tonight. I’ll take you with me.”

“Let’s ride the little pink scooter.”

“Not sure if it will rain again though.”

“But it’s been so long since we rode it together.”

“We have a car though.”

“The car is for driving home. At school, we ride the little pink.”

Jiang Qin smacked his lips, took Feng Nanshu to the bike shed, rode the little pink, and then arrived at Nanshan Restaurant.

Upon entering, three people were sitting in the private room: Cao Xinyue who was treating, the long-unseen Hong Yan, and her close friend Tang Lin.

Seeing the two enter, Tang Lin couldn’t help but stand up, her expression a bit nervous.

Ever since stepping out of university with group-buying and Zhihu, Linchuan University’s cafeterias played news about Jiang Qin every day, showing him attending various conferences and shaking hands with various celebrities. Now seeing him in person was understandably intimidating.

“A Linchuan Entrepreneur with No Interest in Money and His Gorgeous Wife, Jiang Qin”

Jiang Qin glanced at Tang Lin: “You want to salute me?”

“Ah?”

“Sit down, why so nervous? It’s not our first time meeting. Although times have changed, I’m still as handsome as before.”

Tang Lin said “Oh”, sat down, and involuntarily looked at Hong Yan.

Hong Yan was also assessing Jiang Qin: “Long time no see.”

“Long time no see.”

“Sister Nanshu, long time no see.”

Feng Nanshu looked at Hong Yan: “Long time no see.”

Meeting old friends after a long time indeed felt a bit awkward, so the atmosphere wasn’t very lively.

It was also because of the changes in status. With Mr. Ma sitting beside, who wouldn’t feel tense?

Hong Yan said she planned to intern at her family’s company and reminisced about their initial meeting, her expression becoming somewhat somber when mentioning Jiang Qin.

During those four years of university, she had only ever liked Jiang Qin, it was just unfortunate it hadn’t worked out.

Unlike Feng Nanshu, who had always been by his side.

Just by looking, it was clear: a lot had changed, but one thing that hadn’t was Feng Nanshu’s gaze towards Jiang Qin.

Hong Yan couldn’t understand it; she’d always said they were just friends, but Feng Nanshu could still like him so much while she was different, realising early on that she couldn’t move Jiang Qin and thus stopping early to avoid deeper entanglement.

“Excuse me, need to take a call.”

Midway through the meal, Jiang Qin received a call from Tan Qing. He had instructed in the morning to continue expanding the supply chain for Hungry Yet? in targeted cities, and Tan Qing was reporting back.

Left in the private room, the four girls shifted their conversation from group-buying and deliveries to gossip and relationships.

Especially Cao Xinyue, whose breakup was known by Hong Yan and Tang Lin, though they didn’t know the details. Seeing her seemingly recovered, they couldn’t help but ask a few questions.

“No way, he slept with another woman during your anniversary? Men truly are no good.”

“Exactly!”

Feng Nanshu listened to their conversation, stunned for a moment: “Can we not count Jiang Qin?”

Hong Yan hesitated, then softly spoke after a moment: “Sister Nanshu, actually… I used to like Jiang Qin.”

As the words fell, the private room fell quiet, Cao Xinyue and Tang Lin both turned to look at the two.

Feng Nanshu slowly raised her head: “Me too, but brother has no idea. I’m a genius at unrequited love.”

Cao Xinyue couldn’t help but hiss, thinking he still doesn’t know? He knows better than anyone that you like him, damn unrequited love genius.

“Sister Nanshu, are you still friends with him?”

Little rich girl nodded: “But I discovered I’m a bit more than just friends.”

Hong Yan was silent for a moment: “He always talks about being just friends, don’t you feel scared? What if he really doesn’t like you and you end up heartbroken after giving it your all?”

Little rich girl was stumped for a moment: “I…I hadn’t thought about that.”

“What about now?”

“Then I don’t know what to do. I only like him. I can’t like anyone else…”

Feng Nanshu pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowed, her mind blank.

Hong Yan, quite empathetic and facing the same person, seemed to understand what Feng Nanshu meant.

A rational end is because you believe, even if not him, there will be someone else, another choice.

But in Feng Nanshu’s heart, it seemed she had never considered so-called other choices, nor did she believe she could love anyone but Jiang Qin.

In other words, loving Jiang Qin was a choice for her, but for Feng Nanshu, loving Jiang Qin was her everything.

Just then, Jiang Qin, who had returned from his call, entered the private room: “What are you talking about? Why the silly looks?”

“Talking about how tasty the dumplings are.”

Feng Nanshu picked up a dumpling and deftly dipped it into the vinegar.

Jiang Qin: “?”