Chapter 1683: What Exactly Is He Nervous About?

From Xiaoshi's reaction, one could feel that he had returned to normal.

It was just that this reaction of his made Jiang Motian feel very helpless.

Before Jiang Baobao issued the invitation, Jiang Motian had already spoken to Xiaoshi, asking him to come to her home for a meal.

But Xiaoshi always found excuses to refuse.

This time, it was still the same.

Looking at Xiaoshi's unconfident appearance, Jiang Motian asked in confusion, "When is 'next time'? Xiaoshi, what are you afraid of?"

"I... I..."

Xiaoshi took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and said, "I'm afraid your parents won't like me!"

"You are very good; why wouldn't they like you? Besides, back then, you took great care of me. Even just for the sake of the bond from back then, my family would be very welcoming to you."

It would have been better if Jiang Motian hadn't mentioned the past.

Once she brought it up...

Xiaoshi lowered his eyes and said gloomily, "But the me now is different from the me back then; I don't even like who I am now."

"What 'you from before', 'you from now'—aren't they all just you?"

"It's different. I can feel that when you look at me, you are trying to look through the current me to find the shadow of the one from back then."

When Xiaoshi spoke, his tone was very flat.

Yet, within that flatness, there was a hint of bitterness.

Jiang Motian was stunned as she listened.

She thought she had hidden it well, but she hadn't expected... that Xiaoshi had sensed it after all.

In this instant, Jiang Motian felt somewhat flustered and also somewhat self-reproachful.

She lowered her eyes and murmured, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize; it's clearly my fault. Other people are becoming more and more outstanding, while I... sigh, you say, how can I have the face to go see your parents like this?"

"Don't negate yourself. You experienced those hardships yet were still able to maintain your original heart—that is already very good!"

Jiang Motian's approval did not make Xiaoshi's mood any better.

He gave a bitter smile as a response.

But Jiang Motian did not give up.

She continued, "If someone else were to experience what you have experienced, they might not necessarily perform better than you! In my heart, you are truly amazing!"

Xiaoshi gently pursed his lips, and the expression on his face loosened slightly.

"So it's not that you aren't good enough, but that you have experienced too much suffering. Now that you have met me, everything will be fine!"

The volume of Jiang Motian's voice gradually increased.

And her tone was firm.

Xiaoshi struggled for a moment, then looked up at Jiang Motian.

At this very moment, Jiang Motian seemed to have suddenly turned into the sun in his eyes.

Full of warmth and hope.

Xiaoshi stared fixedly, his lips moving slightly: "Really, can everything get better?"

"Of course it can!"

This time, Xiaoshi believed Jiang Motian's words.

He even laughed, saying in a slightly trembling voice, "Thank you, Tiantian."

"Hey, what are you thanking me for? Isn't this what friends are supposed to do?"

Friends...

Xiaoshi lowered his gaze and sighed, "Actually, it's also that I am a bit too sensitive; that's not good at all."

"You want to change?"

"Mm."

"Then let this change start with coming to my house for a meal!"

Xiaoshi did not expect that Jiang Motian still hadn't given up, and he couldn't help but be taken aback.

He still wanted to find an excuse to refuse.

But...

After hesitating for a moment, Xiaoshi gave up, and in the end, he followed Jiang Motian to the Li Family.

Jiang Baobao hosted him very warmly.

She could also see Xiaoshi's nervousness, so she took the initiative to chat with him to help him relax.

While they were chatting, Jiang Motian personally brewed tea for Xiaoshi.

However, while passing by the terrace, she accidentally heard Li Xingyan on the phone.

When Li Xingyan was speaking, he even mentioned a company...

But wasn't that Xie Wanyi's company?

Thinking of what Xie Wanyi had said when they bumped into each other in the suburbs...

Jiang Motian hid in a corner, and only after Li Xingyan hung up the phone did she walk out.

And she questioned him: "Brother, wasn't it agreed that you wouldn't target Xie Wanyi anymore?!"

Li Xingyan was startled by Jiang Motian, who had suddenly popped up.

When he saw that Jiang Motian was still holding the brewed tea in her hand, he took it and took a sip.

"Hey, that was brewed for Xiaoshi!"

Hearing this, Li Xingyan raised his eyebrows and asked in return, "Xiaoshi? That guy finally dared to come?"

Li Xingyan had been in the study handling work and did not yet know that Xiaoshi had come to visit.

At this moment, he was very curious about what method Jiang Motian had actually used to persuade Xiaoshi.

But was now the time for explanations?

Jiang Motian stared fixedly at Li Xingyan and pressed, "Will you answer my question first?"

"What question?"

"Xie, Wan, Yi!"

Jiang Motian seriously suspected that Li Xingyan was just pretending to be stupid on purpose!

Li Xingyan was not actually pretending to be stupid; he simply wanted to keep her in suspense.

Folding his arms, Li Xingyan said nonchalantly, "I didn't target him."

"Then on the phone..."

"It was just fair competition; who doesn't want to take on a profitable project?"

As his voice fell, Li Xingyan noticed that Jiang Motian was not saying a word, silently staring at him.

It was very obvious that Jiang Motian did not believe Li Xingyan's explanation.

Li Xingyan said with some helplessness, "Every step I took was in accordance with the rules; you can check it yourself. If Xie Wanyi couldn't compete, that is a matter of his own ability."

This second half of the sentence sounded very familiar.

It seemed... Xie Wanyi had said it too.

So, was she really being narrow-minded?

Jiang Motian began to doubt herself.

And at this moment, the sound of something shattering came from outside.

Following that was Xiaoshi's loud apology.

Jiang Motian was stunned, then turned and hurried to the living room.

As soon as she walked over, she saw Xiaoshi standing there awkwardly, head hanging low.

And at his feet was a very beautiful vase.

Unfortunately, that vase was already shattered into pieces.

Seeing Jiang Motian walk over, Xiaoshi was like a child who had done something wrong and hurriedly said, "I didn't mean to, I will pay for it!"

Li Moning also heard the commotion and walked out.

She looked at the vase and said while rubbing her chin, "I remember this vase, it seems to be worth over fifty thousand."

Fifty thousand...

This number made Xiaoshi's face turn a few shades paler.

He became even more flustered.

Jiang Baobao did not want to make things difficult for Xiaoshi and hurriedly said, "No need to pay, you were just being careless."

"No, I have savings, I can still... afford to pay, I, I will clean up the shards first!"

After making the promise, Xiaoshi seemed a bit dazed.

His body swayed before he started to bend down to pick up the shards.

How could Jiang Baobao let a guest do such a thing?

She immediately called for a servant.

But before the servant could come over, they heard Xiaoshi let out a "hiss."

They saw a bloody scratch appear on his finger; the wound was quite deep, and beads of blood quickly seeped out.

Seeing this, Jiang Motian hurriedly said, "Stop doing that, let me help you treat the wound first!"

She took Xiaoshi back to the room.

And Xiaoshi kept muttering as he walked: "It's all my fault, I was just too nervous."

This mutter drifted into Li Moning's ears.

And then she was surprised.

She even turned her head to ask Li Xingyan: "What exactly is this person nervous about? Are we going to eat him, or what?"