Chu Shichen felt that he must have lost his mind. He didn't get drunk late at night, and without any doors or walls to cover himself, he hugged Xiang Mingzhang in broad daylight in the company.
The wild cat couldn't stand it anymore and jumped back into the bushes and disappeared.
Chu Shichen's hand on Xiang Mingzhang's back seemed to be burned. He curled his fingers slightly and moved them to his waist to push Xiang Mingzhang out.
However, Xiang Mingzhang used his rock climbing strength to hold him and said, "This is compensation."
Compensation with a hug was so ambiguous, but Chu Shichen couldn't help but continue, "Why should I compensate you?"
Xiang Mingzhang turned the tables: "Then I will compensate you, what do you want?"
Chu Shichen said helplessly: "I need you to let go first. If someone sees me, I will have no choice but to resign."
Xiang Mingzhang let go of his hand, and Chu Shichen took a big step back from him, breathing lightly, his chin resting on his shoulder, turning it red.
After that night in the office, the two of them had such close contact for the first time. The implicit restraint was briefly broken. They were afraid of crossing the line, but they had already crossed it more.
The lunch break was almost over. Xiang Mingzhang straightened his crooked tie and asked, "Are you still hiding from me?"
Chu Shichen replied: "If I were to hide from you, I wouldn't come to work."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "So what if you came? You still treat me like air."
Chu Shichen bent down to pick up the empty lunch boxes on the bench and retorted: "Aren't you ignoring me too? You came in the morning and went straight to the meeting. You plan to stay in the R&D center in the afternoon. What, you don't dare to go back to the office?"
"Yes, a little bit." Xiang Mingzhang said, "I was afraid that you, Master Chu, would hold a grudge, so you hid a knife in the document when you asked me to sign it."
Chu Shichen's smile was provocative, his eyebrows were raised, and he looked very lively: "Why bother? If I were Jing Ke, I would just put a little poison in your coffee when I made it."
Xiang Mingzhang heard this and said: "Why don't you sink into the vodka? The probability that I will drink it will be higher."
Chu Shichen understood that if he had a stronger sense of shame, he would lose. He flattened the lunch box and said, "Okay, when you pass out, I'll put you on the desk and let you feel it."
Xiang Mingzhang sincerely asked: "What do you feel?"
Chu Shichen had been holding it in for a long time. The hard surface of the desk made him feel uncomfortable. For the next three days, his shoulder blades ached even when he lay flat on the bed. He said, "You can go back to the office and lie down for a while. I'll keep watch at the door for you."
Xiang Mingzhang suppressed his smile and said, "Unfortunately I don't have time. I have to take you to get the injection first."
Chu Shichen raised the back of his hand. His skin was pale, and the red and swollen scratches had become a bloody mark. However, he didn't care about this minor injury: "I'll go get the fight after get off work."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "When you get off work, the place where you get the injections will also be closed."
Chu Shichen was waiting at the entrance of the park. Xiang Mingzhang drove out and went to the hospital together to get rabies vaccine.
The temperature rose in the clear afternoon. Chu Shichen took off his coat and tie for the injection. He was too lazy to put them on again. He put his suit on his elbow and wrapped his tie around his other wrist, swinging it just enough to cover the scar on the back of his hand.
After coming out of the hospital, both of them were a little hungry, so Xiang Mingzhang turned the steering wheel and changed the route.
Half an hour later, Lanxin Cultural Industry Park.
After parking the car, Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen bought two tickets. Although it was a weekday, the traffic in the park was still good. Chu Shichen came here for the first time and asked, "What is this place?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "It can be considered a tourist attraction."
Chu Shichen knew that Xiang Mingzhang would not come shopping for no reason, so he guessed, "Is it related to this cultural tourism project?"
"Yeah." Xiang Mingzhang admitted, "Let's go eat first."
The cultural park covers a very large area and is divided into several major areas according to different eras, from ancient times to modern times, and then to the millennium, restoring the historical street scenes and styles to the greatest extent.
In addition to artificial construction, the park also has archives, art galleries, cultural experience centers and other places. There are various types of performances on weekdays. In terms of consumption, there are theme restaurants, hotels and shopping centers.
Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen entered a restaurant, which was purely Chinese style. Every table and chair was antique. It was past dinner time and there were not many people in the hall, so they chose a seat by the window.
The dishes include restored ancient menus, as well as new and improved dishes. After ordering, the pocket stove on the table for brewing tea was steaming. Chu Shichen said curiously, "This place is quite interesting."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "At the beginning, the city wanted to build an oriental, Chinese-style paradise that combines eating, drinking, playing, shopping, and has a cultural purpose, and then established this Lanxin Industrial Park." Chu Shichen asked: "Did Xiang Yue also participate?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "The specific design proposal was made by Baiyi, and Duan Hao found me. This is the first cooperation between the two parties."
In fact, Lanxin’s project is not big for Xiang Yue, but the requirements are very detailed. The entire system is highly complete, and is both robust and comprehensive.
Chu Shichen related the content of the morning meeting. The second and third points were internal issues. Only the first point, "project selection", was an external issue. He asked, "Does it have anything to do with this selection team?"
The tea was ready. Xiang Mingzhang said as he poured the tea: "The general manager of the Lanxin project is named She. He was the director of the operation support center at that time. He is the technical leader of the selection team for this cultural tourism project."
This is undoubtedly good news. Chu Shichen analyzed, "With Lan Xin as a case study, Director She has a certain degree of recognition of Xiang Yue. This is a positive cooperation. Xiang Yue has both the experience advantage and the connections."
Xiang Mingzhang nodded: "Another point, we are in the same city, so we are close to each other."
All the dishes were served, each one was very exquisite. Chu Shichen picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. The taste was delicious. Just when he had eaten half of it, their table was the only one left in the hall.
Two screens blocked off a space in which only the sounds of cups and chopsticks could be heard. Suddenly, there was a burst of polite laughter, which was obviously a farewell after a business event.
Chu Shichen felt that the voice sounded familiar. He turned around and looked through the gap in the screen. In the direction of the box, Li Zangqiu and a man came out after dinner and walked out with smiles on their faces.
He turned around and said, "What a coincidence, I meet Li Zangqiu here."
Xiang Mingzhang also saw it and looked away: "I didn't expect there would be a better coincidence."
Chu Shichen asked sharply: "What do you mean?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "The other man is Director She."
Chu Shichen was stunned for a moment: "Li Zangqiu knows Director She?"
Xiang Mingzhang was not sure: "Maybe."
The ringing of the cell phone interrupted his thoughts. Xiang Mingzhang picked up the call. It was Uncle Qi calling from the hospital. He said that Xiang Xingzhao needed to undergo several tests today and was not cooperating.
After hanging up, Xiang Mingzhang said, "I'm going to the hospital later and won't be returning to the company."
Chu Shichen was already full and said, "Director Xiang is the most important. Let's go now. I'll take a taxi."
The industrial park is far away from Xiang Yue, and it is almost time to get off work after going back to the company. Chu Shichen waved for a taxi and went straight home.
I didn't have time to take a closer look today. Along the way, Chu Shichen held a travel guide written by Lan Xin in his hand. He flipped through it back and forth, thinking about what the meeting between Li Cangqiu and Director She meant.
Since the appointment was made in the industrial park, it was most likely Li Zangqiu who took the initiative to visit, during working hours on a weekday. Excluding personal relationships, what official business did Li Zangqiu have to contact Director She
When he got home, there were two tire tracks on the garden tiles. Chu Shichen remembered that once Li Zangqiu came home and used Li Heng's jeep, which had such wide tires.
The door to the side hall was open, and Mrs. Chu poked her head out: "Xiaochen, you got off work early today."
Chu Shichen responded and walked in. There were several gift boxes piled on the coffee table in the hall. The packaging was too exquisite. He asked, "What are these?"
Mrs. Chu said, "It was a gift that Li Heng bought for his business trip. It turns out that he also went to Beijing a few days ago."
Chu Shichen said: "Is he back?"
"Not yet. He will be back tonight." Mrs. Chu pointed to one of the gift boxes. "He bought a roast duck and sent his assistant to bring it back first. He was afraid that it would not taste good if it was left there for a long time."
Chu Shichen said: "He was thoughtful. The duck arrived before the man did."
Mrs. Chu smiled and said, "We'll eat after Xiao Hui gets off work. It's state banquet quality, so it should taste pretty good."
Chu Shichen's mind moved slightly. He pushed aside the ribbon on the top of the gift box and pulled out the restaurant card underneath. Mrs. Chu exclaimed, "Xiaochen, how did your hand get hurt?"
"It's okay," Chu Shichen said, "I was scratched by a wild cat in the company. I got an injection."
Mrs. Chu said, "I am most afraid of cats and dogs, so you should be careful."
Chu Shichen went upstairs to change his clothes and waited for Chu Shihui to come back. They had roast duck for dinner together. Although it was not as good as freshly baked due to the bumpy ride, the taste was not much different.
After taking a bath in the evening, Chu Shichen stayed in the reception room on the first floor to read a book. Occasionally, he looked up and saw the statue that Chu Zhe loved the most.
The desk lamp was dim, and half of the statue's face was hidden in the shadow. Chu Shichen pieced his thoughts together intermittently.
Li Heng did not attend the project mobilization meeting, but was on a business trip in Beijing.
As soon as the members of the selection team were determined, Li Zangqiu met with Director She.
The missing link in the middle... Zhongguancun, Guoyan Restaurant, and the CEO of Zhitian Chuangxiang, Shang Fusheng.
The hand that was pressing on the footer loosened and the book closed. Chu Shichen stroked the eagle on the ring for a long time, and the cold agate became warm. He picked up his mobile phone and dialed Xiang Mingzhang's number.
After four or five rings, Xiang Mingzhang answered: "What's up?"
Chu Shichen asked: "Are you still in the hospital?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Yes, I just finished the examination with the old man."
Chu Shichen said: "I have something to tell you."
"Are you in a hurry?" Xiang Mingzhang said, "I have to stay in the hospital tonight. Grandpa is clamoring to go home. I will go back to Jingpu tomorrow morning to handle the formalities. I will be free in the afternoon."
Li Heng will be back tonight, and tomorrow is a day off. Chu Shichen said, "Then I'll go to the hospital to find you. Is that convenient?"
Xiang Mingzhang thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
After hanging up the phone, Chu Shichen put on a coat and went out.
When they arrived at the hospital, the inpatient building was quieter than during the day. As soon as Chu Shichen got out of the elevator, Xiang Xingzhao's assistant Uncle Qi was standing outside waiting for him.
Chu Shichen followed Uncle Qi into the ward. There was no one in the living room. Xiang Mingzhang was feeding Xiang Xingzhao porridge in the treatment room.
Uncle Qi opened the door and said, "Mr. Xiang, Secretary Chu is here."
Xiang Mingzhang sat on the edge of the bed, holding the porcelain bowl in his big hands. He fed him two spoonfuls, paused, and wiped Xiang Xingzhao's mouth with a handkerchief, showing rare patience.
Chu Shichen stopped at the end of the bed and said softly, "Will it disturb Director Xiang's rest?"
"It's okay, he refused to sleep." Xiang Mingzhang said helplessly, "He didn't remember eating and insisted on having another meal."
At this time, the doctor came over and the results of the afternoon's examination report were out. Uncle Qi went out to communicate and asked about the precautions after being discharged from the hospital tomorrow.
Xiang Mingzhang was afraid that the old man would get an upset stomach, so he said, "Grandpa, I don't want to eat anymore."
Xiang Xingzhao hummed, which sounded like a protest. When he saw that Xiang Mingzhang was no longer feeding him, he reached out and grabbed the edge of the bowl to grab the food.
Some of the porridge spilled out and got all over Xiang Mingzhang's hands. He took the bowl and left the bedside, saying, "Please keep an eye on it for me. I'm going to go wash my hands."
There was no one else in the treatment room. Chu Shichen walked to the bedside and said soothingly, "Mr. Xiang, please be patient. Mr. Xiang and Uncle Qi will be back soon."
Xiang Xingzhao looked much better than before. He waved his hand in the air.
Chu Shichen was not very good at taking care of people, and he reacted a little slowly. He took a tissue and helped Xiang Xingzhao wipe the porridge stains off his fingers.
Xiang Xingzhao looked at him, but stopped making a fuss. He suddenly asked, "Who are you?"
Chu Shichen replied: "I am Mr. Xiang's secretary."
Xiang Xingzhao said with great effort: "Chu...Chu..."
Hearing that the patient with brain degeneration was confused and lucid at times, Chu Shichen didn't know if Xiang Xingzhao remembered him, so he said, "Mr. Xiang, my last name is Chu, and my name is Chu Shichen."
Xiang Xingzhao pulled back his hand, dropped it on the quilt with a "clack", and denied it: "You're not, you're not."
Chu Shichen was slightly startled, then raised his eyes to meet Xiang Xingzhao's cloudy eyes.
When he was not sick, these eyes must have been extremely sharp, but unfortunately, the radiant light is now covered with a layer of cloud.
Xiang Xingzhao stared at him, his wrinkled lips trembling, and asked with difficulty: "Who are you?"
(End of this chapter)