Tang Zhi put the gift for his mother in the corner of the suitcase, fixed it with clothes, and buckled the luggage belt.
The door was not closed when he left it, and Xu Sheng saw it as he passed by.
Tang Zhi was sitting on the floor. He was wearing a white hotel bathrobe and was concentrating on folding clothes. The exposed skin was almost the same color as the bathrobe.
Xu Sheng only glanced at it for a short time and walked away.
Therefore, Tang Zhi's tidying up appearance did not stay in his mind for too long.
They set off from the hotel at eleven o'clock the next morning.
Tang Zhi originally thought that he didn't need to go and could just relax and have a relaxing lunch. Unexpectedly, when Xu Sheng walked to the door and turned around to see Tang Zhi, who was staying in the room and was not about to move, he showed the expression he had when he was dissatisfied: "Why are you still dawdling?"
Tang Zhi had no choice but to stand up and follow him out.
While waiting for the elevator, Tang Zhi asked Xu Sheng smoothly: "Mr. Xu, you are going to eat later, where should I go?"
When Xu Sheng heard this, he glanced sideways at him and said, "Wait outside."
"..." Tang Zhi felt that Xu Sheng was very inhumane sometimes. I went on a date with Miss Zhao to a high-end restaurant, and asked Tang Zhi to blow the wind from the May streets of Dun City outside.
However, Xu Sheng had always been arbitrary, and he especially didn't like being questioned by Tang Zhi, so Tang Zhi had no choice but to say, "Okay."
It's not too far from the hotel to the restaurant, just over ten minutes' drive.
Tang Zhi watched Xu Sheng walk into the restaurant, stayed in the car with the driver for a while, and then got out of the car.
The restaurant is on the corner in the center of a commercial district. There are many shops around it, and there are food trucks selling food across the road.
Next to the fountain in the middle of the street facing the glass of the restaurant, there is a large landscaped lawn with iron benches beside it.
The sun is not too strong and there are rain clouds in the sky, but the temperature is moderate and you don't feel cold when you walk outside. It can be considered a good weather.
Tang Zhi first went to the independent bookstore nearby, bought a book, and then went to queue at the lobster hot dog food truck.
To be honest, Tang Zhi would rather hang out outside than go on a blind date.
Miss Zhao arrived on time at 12:30. She was fashionably dressed and had an outstanding temperament. Her appearance was almost the same as in the photo.
The two ordered food and chatted about some daily topics. Zhao Shao told Xu Sheng sincerely and directly that her parents were very feudal and had been trying to find a well-matched man for her to get married and have children since she turned twenty-six.
She looked at a dozen photos and resumes, and Xu Sheng was the first one she met.
"To tell you the truth, I haven't had enough fun," Zhao Shao said. "Only when I was a kid would I want to find a prince when I grow up and get married. Now I just want to find someone who is not ugly and doesn't care about me."
The Zhao family's relationship is relatively simple, and their interests are not as complicated as the Xu family's. Zhao Shao is the only girl in the younger generation of the Zhao family. She is very favored at home, so she carries an air of never being harmed in her every move.
Xu Sheng didn't dislike her directness, but he couldn't say he liked her either.
He was not unwilling to accept Xu Hefu's order to go on a date with Zhao Shao. From all aspects, Zhao Shao may be a very suitable wife for him.
For Xu Sheng, marriage is more like a contract of resource exchange. It has nothing to do with love. There is no matter whether you like it or not, only whether it is suitable or not.
"I don't go home before three o'clock in the morning every day, sometimes all night long," Zhao Shao winked at Xu Sheng, "If you get married, isn't this allowed?"
Xu Sheng smiled at her: "It's best not to do this every day."
Zhao Shao also smiled: "Okay, okay."
She lowered her head, took a sip of wine, then raised her face and asked Xu Sheng, "Then what kind of wife are you looking for?"
When Xu Sheng wanted to answer, he raised his eyes and suddenly saw Tang Zhi through the glass window.
Tang Zhi sat on the bench across the street and took a bite of something wrapped in paper that he bought from nowhere. There seemed to be a book beside his legs.
It seems very idle and boring.
Xu Sheng couldn't explain why he had to take him out. Maybe he was just upset that Tang Zhi slept in the hotel while he went on a blind date.
Xu Sheng looked back, looked at Zhao Shao, thought for a few seconds about what question she asked, and then answered: "Same as Miss Zhao, suitable."
Zhao Shao laughed, holding his face in his hands. The bracelet on his wrist reflected the delicate luster of the outdoor sunlight. She started chatting with Xu Sheng about her life, and Xu Sheng listened patiently, even though he had read most of it in emails from his grandfather.
She also asked Xu Sheng about his life. Xu Sheng talked in general terms, but Zhao Shao listened with rapt attention.
When the desserts were served, Zhao Shao invited Xu Sheng to participate in the charity auction she would organize with her friends early next month, and Xu Sheng agreed.
Xu Sheng was very focused while eating with Zhao Shao. He didn't look out the window again. It wasn't until Zhao Shao finally said that he wanted to go back to the hotel to catch up on his sleep that he paid the bill and sent a message to the driver before he looked at it again.
He saw a tall white man talking to Tang Zhi, holding a cone in his hand.
Tang Zhi refused at first, but later, for some unknown reason, he took the cone, then gave the other person a book, made a few gestures while talking, and licked the melted ice cream that was about to drip.
Xu Sheng no longer had high expectations for Tang Zhi's private life habits. He took Zhao Shao out of the restaurant, and the driver had already stopped at the door.
The driver came out to open the door for them. Xu Sheng helped Zhao Shao and let her get into the car first, then looked up at Tang Zhi.
Tang Zhi turned his back to them, still talking to each other, as if he didn't even notice Xu Sheng and the driver opposite.
"I'll call him." The driver said to Xu Sheng.
"No need." Xu Sheng stopped him before he could make any move, then withdrew his gaze, got into the car, and closed the door.
The car drove off the block.
Zhao Shao's hotel is more than 20 minutes' drive from the restaurant. The sun was still shining when they set out, but halfway through, it started to rain.
The rain came suddenly and fell very hard, which made people feel depressed.
But the car was very warm. Xu Sheng gave the gift to Zhao Shao. Zhao Shao opened it in surprise and accepted it happily, praising Xu Sheng's aesthetics.
At this time, Xu Sheng's phone vibrated. He took it out and saw that Tang Zhi had sent him a message.
Tang Zhi said: "Mr. Xu, why are you not here? The driver didn't answer the phone either. Is he driving?"
After two seconds, Tang Zhi said again: "The rain is a bit heavy."
Xu Sheng took the mobile phone, paused for a long time, and called Tang Zhi back. While waiting for the call to be connected, he felt Zhao Shao's inquiring eyes on him.
Tang Zhi answered the call and said nothing at first.
The car was quiet, so Xu Sheng heard the sound of pouring rain coming from Tang Zhi's end, and Tang Zhi's breathing.
"Where are you?" Tang Zhi asked him cautiously, "Are you leaving first?"
"Come back soon." Xu Sheng said to him.
Tang Zhi said softly "Yeah", and Xu Sheng said again: "Have you found a place to hide from the rain?"
"It's in front of the bookstore," Tang Zhi said, "I've been looking for it for a long time."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Sheng and Zhao Shao didn't speak again.
When arriving at the hotel, Zhao Shaocai told Xu Sheng: "Actually... I don't mind at all. Do you understand? I only want the right one."
Xu Sheng felt that she had misunderstood something, but he didn't want to explain anymore, so he sent her to the elevator. She asked, "Will you come to the charity shoot?"
Xu Sheng said yes, so she entered the elevator and waved to Xu Sheng inside.
The rain was still heavy and the road became a bit blocked.
Perhaps because of the change in weather, Xu Sheng became impetuous while sitting in the car. He urged the driver twice and finally returned to the door of the restaurant more than 20 minutes later.
He looked for Tang Zhi through the car window among a group of people standing on the porch. He couldn't find him, so he asked the driver to drive further and stop at the door of the bookstore. He called Tang Zhi: "It's at the door, come out."
After a while, Tang Zhi walked out of the bookstore holding his cell phone. Before he could reach the front of the car, Xu Sheng pressed the window of the back seat and said to Tang Zhi, "Sit in the back."
A few seconds later, Tang Zhi sat next to Xu Sheng.
Tang Zhi was slightly hunched over, looking very uncomfortable. He was even more wet than Xu Sheng had imagined. He took off his suit jacket and his white shirt clung to his body. His hair seemed to have been wiped with something, but Still dripping water.
He must have walked in the heavy rain for a long time before he got so wet. Maybe he was looking for Xu Sheng.
He took off his tie, unbuttoned his collar, and asked softly, "Why did you leave without me?"
Xu Sheng said nothing, and Tang Zhi didn't seem to mind. He unbuttoned the collar and whispered, "It's so cold."
Tang Zhi probably thought that Xu Sheng would not respond, so he became silent. He hugged his arms trembling slightly, rubbed them gently, and asked the driver: "Can you turn the air conditioner higher?"
The driver did not immediately comply, but glanced at Xu Sheng in the rearview mirror. Xu Sheng is his employer.
Xu Sheng said "ok" and then he turned up the air conditioner.
"Thank you." Tang Zhi said.
He still seemed to be out of the situation, without any resentment for being left behind, nor did he regret accepting what was handed to him just because he got caught in the rain.
Tang Zhi didn't know anything.
Even if someone in this car really regrets it, it's not Tang Zhi.
The light outside became very dark, the ambient lights in the car turned on, and the car became warmer, but it seemed that it was not enough for Tang Zhi, he was still shivering.
Xu Sheng looked at Tang Zhi for a while, then took off his suit jacket and handed it to Tang Zhi.
"You put it on," he said.
Tang Zhi was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand to Xu Sheng: "No need."
Xu Sheng ignored his refusal and put his coat on Tang Zhi's shoulders. He finally touched Tang Zhi's wet shoulder, and felt a cold touch on his fingertips.
Xu Sheng told the driver again: "Turn it up a little higher."
"Forget it," Tang Zhi shook his head, "We're almost there."
They did arrive quickly.
It was a little cold in the lobby. They walked into the elevator. Xu Sheng lowered his eyes and looked at Tang Zhi, who was wearing his coat and lowering his head. He felt that Tang Zhi must still be cold.
While hesitating, Xu Sheng moved his hand and when he was about to lift it up, the elevator door opened.