"The plane will land in 20 minutes. Passengers, please remain seated, check your belongings, and secure your luggage. Thank you."
The chief flight attendant's voice over the loudspeaker was quite loud, startling Jin Ru awake.
Blinking a few times to clear her head, she unconsciously glanced at the person beside her.
Chen Jiancheng leaned his head back, his eyes half-closed. She guessed he was still tired and hadn't heard the announcement.
Just as she was about to sit up straight, she suddenly realized her hand was tightly clasped in his.
She was surprised, then panicked. Had she, in her sleep, unconsciously held his hand?
But this warmth was something she hadn't felt in a long, long time.
Jin Ru looked at their clasped hands, a lump in her throat, then turned to look at him.
She wished she could hold his hand like this forever.
Chen Jiancheng slowly opened his eyes. His face showed no emotion as he tilted his head to look at her.
Jin Ru was startled by his sudden gaze. She quickly pulled her hand away and stammered,
"I'm sorry!"
He looked at his now empty hand, frowned, then asked her,
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
Jin Ru's eyes widened as she looked at him. She remained silent for a long time.
She didn't understand what he wanted to say, nor could she comprehend the meaning behind his current expression.
She just lowered her head and softly said,
"I'm sorry!"
Chen Jiancheng said nothing more. He let out a soft sigh and stopped looking at her.
The atmosphere between them grew more awkward.
After the plane landed, he still walked calmly ahead of her.
Jin Ru bit her lip, wondering what she was hoping for. Hadn't she always wanted to see this man again for the past four years? Why, now that she was facing him, did she lack such courage?
"Chen Jiancheng!" After a moment of hesitation, she called his name.
He stopped, but didn't turn to face her, nor did he say anything.
"I do have something I need to tell you!"
She spoke without confidence.
Chen Jiancheng turned around and asked,
"What is it?"
"But not now, at least not here."
He looked at her for a moment, then took a business card from his jacket pocket and said,
"My phone number. You can call whenever you want!"
He paused for a moment, then added,
"I'll take you home!"
"No need, no need. Let me think things through a bit more, then I'll call you."
"Alright then… See you again."
He didn't make things difficult for her and turned to leave.
She stood there, lost in thought, watching his retreating figure. She asked herself if she should or shouldn't.
After returning home to rest, before she could even close her eyes, she received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello?"
"Sister?"
"Who is this?"
"I'm Cai Kang."
Jin Ru frowned in annoyance.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing, just wanted to check if it was really your number."
"You have too much free time. I'm hanging up."
What did this kid want? He spoke nonsense at the party, and now he was being so annoying after it?
"Oh, don't…" Cai Kang quickly said.
"What is it? I don't want to joke around with you."
"I wanted to ask if you've returned to the city yet? The weather is really bad right now."
Jin Ru was silent. She relaxed her facial muscles and replied in a gentle tone,
"I'm back, just arrived. Thank you for your concern."
"You're back so early? I booked a flight for midday, but it's raining heavily now."
"My 6 o'clock flight was delayed by three hours. It wasn't easy."
"Oh, well then, you should rest. See you again."
"Mm!" Jin Ru hesitated for a moment, then said,
"Be careful on your way."
"Thank you, Sister. Good night!" Cai Kang smiled on the other end of the line.
Jin Ru hung up, letting out a sigh.
She truly disliked this young man, but if he behaved with such a gentle attitude, she couldn't keep frowning and being annoyed with him.
The reason she took the earliest flight back was because she wanted to go home and rest. After all, she still had business trip leave, so she had to make the most of it and return early. She would spend more than half a day sleeping.
She had made her decision.
The next few days, she still went to work as usual. Her mood wasn't very good because KT Group had decided to choose Cai Kang's company as the main contractor for the Nora project.
Manager Shan called to express his regrets to her.
For Si Yun Company, not being able to cooperate with KT was obvious. Si Yun's scale was inherently smaller compared to all three other candidates.
If KT Group had decided to choose Si Yun, that would have been the truly puzzling thing in the business world.
What made her sad was that if they didn't cooperate, she wouldn't have the chance to meet him.
Seeing her looking down, Sister Mei next to her comforted her.
"It's okay, the result was decided from the start, but everyone saw your efforts."
"I know, Sister!" She smiled.
A while later, as she was sitting and preparing for her lunch break, she received another call from Cai Kang. She picked up.
"Hello?"
"Sister?"
"What is it?"
"I'm free tonight."
"So?" Jin Ru asked, puzzled.
"Aren't you going to treat me to dinner? My company got the project, you know!"
"But what does that have to do with me?"
"You still owe me a meal. Why not make it tonight?"
"..." Jin Ru was silent for a long time.
"Hello?"
"Alright, you pick the place. Just this one meal!"
"Alright, see you then, Sister."
Jin Ru hung up. She didn't understand whether she really owed him anything or not.
In the evening, Jin Ru chose a very simple outfit for herself.
A loose shirt paired with jeans.
Cai Kang chose a Hong Kong-style restaurant, a hotpot and barbecue place, so she chose relatively simple clothes. Even if she ate a lot, it would hide her full stomach.
Cai Kang, who came with her, was also dressed quite simply. Without any prior arrangement, they both wore shirts of the same color, looking just like a couple.
Jin Ru also smiled and complimented his fashion sense, while Cai Kang complimented her on her beauty.
During the meal, Cai Kang actively spoke about many topics. Because his attitude was very relaxed, Jin Ru also responded casually.
"Does your Si Yun want to cooperate with me?"
"I don't know, the company isn't mine."
"Then come work for me. The company will be yours."
Cai Kang said something full of hidden meaning.
Jin Ru stared at him and asked again.
"What do you mean?"
"To be frank with you, from the first time I saw you, I felt a connection.
Why don't you consider me a little?"
Cai Kang said with a smile.
"You should consider me a little!" She had once said that to Jian Cheng.
"No consideration!" She replied to Cai Kang.
"No consideration, you're too young!" Jian Cheng had once replied to her like that.
"Slowly is fine. I know you're a bit annoyed with me.
But I feel very fond of you, so I will persevere."
Cai Kang said with a smile that wasn't a smile.
"Didn't you talk to me very impolitely the first time?" Jin Ru asked, frowning.
"Are you still holding a grudge? Then I apologize, I just didn't know how to start a conversation with you. If that bothered you then..."
Cai Kang paused.
"I apologize, Sister!" Cai Kang offered a gentle smile.
"No matter what, I cannot consider falling for you."
Jin Ru replied seriously.
"I already have someone I like!" She continued.
"It's okay, keep eating."
Tai Kang gently said to her.
Afterward, the two changed the subject. Tai Kang knew how to make the atmosphere lively, so Jin Ru no longer felt awkward about the earlier rejection.