As soon as the words left her mouth, a flicker of surprise flashed across Qingmian's eyes.
No wonder... She had felt something was off the moment she arrived here the other day. Yue Lan was already big enough, so why was there an extra building specially constructed beside it?
It turned out it was for Jiang Zhirou...
Si Moshen was even nicer to Jiang Zhirou than she had imagined.
Suddenly, Qingmian seemed to recall something. She turned to the person beside her seriously and asked, "Uncle Shen, do you think... does Si Moshen like Jiang Zhirou?"
After saying that, as if finding her question not precise enough, Qingmian added another sentence:
"I mean the kind of liking that makes him want to marry her."
After Qingmian finished speaking, she looked at Uncle Shen nervously.
This question really stumped Uncle Shen.
Back then, both Jiang Zhirou and Si Moshen were too young to understand anything about love. Moreover, considering their equally extremely proud personalities, it was unlikely that either of them would like the other.
But now Uncle Shen wasn't sure.
Because Si Moshen had been so persistent for so long.
He couldn't figure him out.
He wasn't sure what kind of feelings Si Moshen's persistence was based on, so he couldn't answer this question.
"I don't know," Uncle Shen shook his head and responded seriously to Qingmian's question.
The moment the word "know" left his mouth, the light in Qingmian's eyes gradually faded.
She didn't dare to take a gamble.
She didn't dare to bet on what kind of feelings Si Moshen had for Jiang Zhirou.
She was afraid that if Jiang Zhirou came back, Chiyu would have no place in his heart.
But Jiang Zhirou was his perfect girlfriend.
"Is this question really that important?"
Uncle Shen saw Qingmian's disappointed expression and asked with concern.
Qingmian was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter at Uncle Shen. "Actually, it's not that important. Your tone just now was so much like Si Moshen's."
"Really?" Uncle Shen didn't expect Qingmian to be laughing at this and laughed along. "I've been around him for too long. It's inevitable to be influenced."
"Forgive me."
"Let's go back, Uncle Shen. I should continue my rehearsal."
Qingmian stood up from the stone bench, patted her skirt, and scanned the surroundings.
She wasn't just looking around casually.
On the contrary, she was very serious, as if she wanted to engrave the scene in front of her in her memory.
The two of them walked out of the pavilion one after another. Before long, the courtyard fell back into its usual quiet and lifeless state.
...
When Chiyu received Tan Si's call, he happened to be in the building next to Ming'an Group.
Song Jinghao was very efficient. He had completed the formalities for the new company in no time.
He was here today to check out the venue of the new company in advance.
It was just one street away from Ming'an Group. Chiyu thought that when Qingmian came back, she could work here and often meet Chen Yu'an.
Tan Si wailed into the phone, "General Manager Chi, could you please persuade Mr. Chen? He's been on leave for almost half a month. The company really can't do without him. I really can't handle it. I'm on the verge of a breakdown."
Chiyu looked at the text converted from the voice on his phone screen and was stunned for a moment.
Chen Yu'an's workload was no less than his, and he had never heard of him taking a leave before. Why did he suddenly take a leave now?
A sense of unease welled up in Chiyu's heart unconsciously. He said into the phone:
"What's wrong with him?"
"Mr. Chen has been locking himself up at home every day. His leave is over, but he still hasn't come to work. There are a bunch of documents in the company waiting for him to sign."
Tan Si was extremely frustrated. From the phone, Chiyu could tell how painful Tan Si was.
Hearing Tan Si's words, Chiyu's face darkened.
He thought for a moment and then said into the phone.
"I'll go and check on him."
Tan Si thanked the person on the other end of the phone repeatedly. "Thank you, General Manager Chi. Thank you so much. You've really gone out of your way for us."
Chiyu couldn't hear him. Seeing the word "thank you" on the software, he simply hung up the phone.
Chiyu took the elevator to the underground parking lot, bent down and got into the car, and casually placed the documents in his hand on the passenger seat.
He stepped on the accelerator, and in no time, he drove out of the underground parking lot.
Chiyu had been to Chen Yu'an's new residence last time.
It wasn't far from Ming'an Group. It was about a ten - minute drive.
Thinking about what Tan Si had just said, Chiyu felt a faint sense of unease in his heart.
Actually, he had sensed that Chen Yu'an wasn't in a good state last time he went there. But he thought that Chen Yu'an would adjust himself in a couple of days.
Now it seemed that not only had he not improved, but he had even stopped going to work.
You know, Chen Yu'an regarded work as his life. He would choose work over Qingmian if he had to. His current state was really abnormal.
Chiyu pressed harder on the accelerator. The car, mingled with the summer heatwave, rushed out instantly.
Before long, Chiyu's car had already parked in the underground parking lot of Chen Yu'an's residence.
Chiyu soon stood outside Chen Yu'an's house.
He reached out and pressed the doorbell.
The doorbell rang for a long time, but no one came to open the door.
Chiyu's gaze fell on the password lock in front of him.
He thought for a moment, then reached out and entered Qingmian's birthday on the screen.
"Click."
The door opened.
Chiyu's face looked half a shade uglier than before.
The password was the same as his.
The room was pitch - black. He couldn't see anything.
Chiyu walked in, reached out and groped around in the entrance. It took him a long time to find the switch.
With a "snap," the light instantly illuminated the whole room.
The room was filled with smoke.
The smell of tobacco mixed with the smell of alcohol.
Chiyu subconsciously frowned. He quickly walked to the window, pulled open the curtains in the living room, and then opened the window.
Fresh air instantly rushed into the room, and the oxygen level in the room rose slightly.
Chiyu turned around, and his gaze fell on Chen Yu'an, who was curled up in the corner.
There were several empty wine bottles and broken glass shards scattered haphazardly beside the sofa.
The table beside was filled with finished cigarettes.
The stubble on Chen Yu'an's chin was a bit long, as if he hadn't shaved for several days. His hair was messy, and his white shirt was covered in wine stains and ashes.
Chiyu took a step forward and walked towards Chen Yu'an.
Because he couldn't hear, he didn't notice the picture playing on the screen right in front of Chen Yu'an until he got closer.
It was Qingmian.
Chiyu's breath caught in his throat. He let out a sarcastic laugh. He stood about a meter away from Chen Yu'an and threw the car keys in his hand at Chen Yu'an with a swish.
"What are you doing now?"
"Acting all lovesick?"
"Who are you acting for? Do you have an audience?"
"Or do you want me to take a picture of your current pathetic state and send it to Qingmian?"
As soon as Chiyu finished speaking, Chen Yu'an on the sofa slowly raised his head.
The light was too bright. He wasn't used to it for a moment. He squinted his eyes for a long time before he could see clearly that the person in front of him was Chiyu.
He stared at Chiyu for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter. "So it's Young Master Chi. You must be very proud now, finally having no one to compete with you."