Chapter 1387: Comfort and Warmth

"Xie Da Qiao? What's wrong?"

Wang Yan sat beside her, asking with curious concern.

Xie Da Qiao turned her head, saw it was Wang Yan, then quickly turned back, covering her face with her hand.

"I'm fine, I just want to cry for a bit; you go, Wang Yan, I'll be okay after crying alone for a while." Xie Da Qiao sobbed, her speech broken and halting.

"Aren't you just fooling an idiot? You're nearly passing out, and you say you're fine?"

Wang Yan took a tangerine out of a large plastic bag and began peeling it. "Let me guess—did you confess to your 'Little Boat' brother and get rejected?"

……

"N-no..."

"How insincere; of course it is." Wang Yan shook his head with amusement. "One look tells me it didn't work. Did he tell you he's always seen you as a little sister?"

"How did you know?"

"That's how it always goes with childhood sweethearts. If you were older and he confessed to you, you'd say you see him as a little brother too." Wang Yan smiled. "To sum it up: you're too familiar; you can't bring yourself to make a move."

"Nonsense. Then how come other childhood sweethearts end up together?"

"Are you arguing with me on purpose? Other people die too; does that mean you have to die as well? What kind of talk is that? Everyone's situation is different, so naturally the results differ. Don't you understand even this much dialectics?"

"Go away! I don't need your comfort; the more you talk, the more I want to cry. Boo-hoo..."

Xie Da Qiao's tears burst forth like a breached dam; she looked at Wang Yan with tear-filled eyes, bubbles forming at her nose.

Often it is just like this: crying alone, one can still suppress it somewhat, but if someone comes along to offer a few words of comfort, it becomes uncontrollable—the more one cries, the more one wants to cry.

"Scientists have studied this and said crying is good for the body; suppressing it only makes things worse. Cry away; it's no sin for a woman to cry."

Xie Da Qiao said, "It's no sin for a man to cry either. Don't you ever cry?"

"Rarely." Wang Yan seemed to recall something. "My parents never told me that a real man must be strong, but I don't know where I heard it; indeed, I rarely cried. Later, when I wanted to cry, no one cared about me anymore; they would only mock me more and despise me."

"You've really had it hard."

"You still have the heart to pity me? Then you're truly kind."

"I said you've had it hard, not that I pity you. Your net worth is tens of millions; I'm the pitiful one—my whole family is pitiful."

"In vain; I don't have much money on hand either." Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. "Those are all valuations; they're illusory. If the company develops well, it's indeed worth more, but if it develops poorly, it'll be worth nothing at all. It sounds nice to say now: my company is worth ten million US dollars, I hold seventy-two percent of the shares, valued at over fifty million red bills. But in reality? I've only got a few thousand yuan in my pocket; I'm just a hollow shell."

"But Wang Ying said that even if your company goes under, you could still land a job with an annual salary of a million."

"You're falling for her bluffs. If you were the boss of another company and I built one up only to drive it into bankruptcy, would you let me work for your company?"

"The fact that you could build one up shows ability; there will definitely still be opportunities."

Wang Yan nodded solemnly. "Right, you're correct; Lu Bu thought the same. Didn't he also build something up? Later, after his military defeat, he wanted to throw in with Old Cao, but what happened? Old Cao chopped his head off without a shred of mercy."

"Except that I haven't sworn myself as a sworn son to anyone or stabbed anyone in the back, my overall trajectory is pretty much like Lu Bu's. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand, but I don't think it'll come to that. Because you're too formidable; if you go for an interview, the company boss will be bluffed by you until he's lame."

"If possible, I hope we can change the subject, because this conversation isn't going well; it's as if my company is bound to go bankrupt and I'm destined to work for someone else."

"So your heart has gone ice-cold?" Xie Da Qiao asked with a laugh through tears.

"Oh my, it's far too cold."

Wang Yan laughed as well and handed over the half-eaten tangerine. "Eat something; replenish yourself so you'll have more strength to cry."

"You're so annoying; I was about to stop crying, and you're still mocking me."

"I'm comforting you; I've even brought out distraction therapy, and it still doesn't work?"

In the end, Xie Da Qiao took the tangerine and began eating it, then immediately screwed up her face. "Sour!"

"Sourness dispels bitterness; eat it—this is your medicine."

"You're so childish; you've been holding that in for a long time, haven't you?"

But Xie Da Qiao ate it anyway.

Wang Yan smiled, pulled a tissue from his pocket, and said, "Wipe yourself; you're covered in snot and tears."

"Thanks," Xie Da Qiao mumbled, adding, "This tangerine is really sour."

"If it's sour, why are you eating it? I thought you liked sour things."

"You said sourness dispels bitterness and that it's good medicine." Xie Da Qiao looked at Wang Yan with eyes swollen red from crying.

"Do you think so?"

"I say it's not."

Xie Da Qiao resentfully stuffed the rest of the tangerine into her mouth, then wiped away her tears and blew her nose.

"I've always had a question I wanted to ask you."

Wang Yan nodded. "Ask."

"Earlier, when you talked about universal love and sincerity, was that real or fake?"

"What do you think?"

"I feel like you were joking, yet you spoke as if it were true; I'm not sure, which is why I'm asking you."

"You really have too much leisure time; you've just been rejected after a confession, crying as if your life were over, and now you're onto gossip." Wang Yan shook his head with amusement. "What's this? Have you taken a liking to me now and want me to exercise some universal love? I have no objection to that."

"Get lost; your mouth is so sharp."

"I yield."

Wang Yan clasped his fists and bowed slightly. "It seems I'm quite skilled at comforting people; this was highly therapeutic."

"Thank you."

"Between us, who needs to stand on ceremony?"

"Do you want to cry a bit longer to savor the feeling, or what?"

"You go; I'll stay a little longer. My eyes are still red; if I go back, they'll definitely ask me." Speaking of this, Xie Da Qiao gave a sudden start, turned around to look at Wang Yan, and said, "Don't tell Qianxi; you can't be a traitor."

"Being rejected after a confession isn't such a big deal; there's nothing to be ashamed of. If not, next time you can prepare yourself and confess to me; I'll give you an enthusiastic response."

Seeing her still glaring at him, Wang Yan said with amusement, "Alright, alright, I won't say it, I won't say it, I'd rather be beaten to death than say it."

"As long as you're fine, that's what matters; I was just afraid you might overthink things, smash a hole in the ice, and jump into the lake."

"You're the one who should jump in the lake; hurry up and leave, will you?"

"Hey~ truly authentic."

"I'm begging you, please go; otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist taking you down with me."

"So I'm really leaving?"

"Go, go." Xie Da Qiao waved her hand.

"Here, let me get you two more tangerines; these two are guaranteed to be sweet; anyway, they were all bought for you lot."

"Then it's still thanks to Qianxi's influence."

"Can't it be the boss showing concern for the employees? I'm off."

Wang Yan nodded his head at her, then immediately carried the large pile of fruit and continued toward the dormitory building where Xiao Qianxi and the others stayed...

Xie Da Qiao watched Wang Yan's figure recede into the distance, then used a tissue to wipe away her tears and snot, before still peeling a tangerine and starting to eat.

It really is sweet...

"Why did you buy so much?"

"Not that much; the four of you will finish it in two or three days. We're all friends; I'd feel awkward buying just that little bit for you, right, good sisters?"

"Exactly, exactly; you're the one with awareness, good brother. But it really depends on Boss Lady Qianxi being so good; following her around to eat and drink for free all day, I've even gained weight."

Wang Yan looked at Xu Lin: "It seems your workload isn't saturated then, good sister; your bone structure is extraordinary, making you a natural for sales; why don't you go out and do promotion instead? I guarantee you'll lose three jin in two days."

"I'm not going. You two can go be lovey-dovey; I'm off." Xu Lin lifted the heavy bag of fruit and left, moving with great efficiency.

"Let's go; what do you feel like eating?"

Wang Yan and Xiao Qianxi walked together, hands in their pockets, swaying leisurely as they headed outward.

"That beef noodle shop at the school gate?"

"Sure; haven't eaten there in a long time. It's just a bit far."

"No problem; a little extra walking is good, and we can eat a bit more once we get there. Ever since I learned that set of exercises you taught me, I feel my appetite has improved a lot, yet I haven't gained much weight."

"You need to leave others a way to live; you need to allow yourself to be a bit heavier; if you're so thin your skin wraps directly over your bones, it doesn't feel comfortable when I touch you either."

Xiao Qianxi hummed in agreement: "Then I'll eat a bit more."

This was where she differed from others; even though her face was slightly red, she didn't feel overly embarrassed; she had her own principles, yet she also considered Wang Yan's feelings deeply.

Wang Yan smiled broadly as he put his arm around her shoulders: "You are a bit too thin; gaining another five, seven, or eight jin would be just right; everything would be much better in all aspects, and your health would improve too."

He was certainly not such a superficial person, although he didn't reject it either; however, his intention clearly lay in Xiao Qianxi's health; he had checked her pulse, and currently, it was quite good, with no signs of illness.

Presumably, Xiao Qianxi's illness mainly resulted from her time in the entertainment industry; previously, as a trainee, she trained all day, worried excessively, stayed up late, and had to control her figure; this unhealthy schedule and lifestyle habits led to the emergence of her disease.

At present, time was still early; he had taught her strengthening exercises, and with good food and drink every day plus few troubling matters on her mind, her overall condition was quite good...

"Okay."

Xiao Qianxi nodded, then changed the subject: "What are your plans for the New Year?"

"Just work hard; more than half the people in the company aren't going home, and since there's no one in my family anyway, it's the same wherever I am."

"I'll keep you company."

"No need. You might not even realize that since you passed the college entrance exam and left your hometown, after four years of university, you've only spent about half a year at home. Once you start working in the future, there will be even less time to return home, maybe just ten days or half a month a year. Calculating it out, over ten years, the time spent together might not even add up to one year. Before you realize it, you are already saying goodbye to your parents."

Wang Yan said, "Go home for the New Year; buy some things for the family to make your parents happy. Let's see next year; if there's time, I'll go back with you to meet your parents and perhaps build a new house or something."

Xiao Qianxi fell silent for a moment, then softly hummed: "I'll listen to whatever you say."

The two shared affectionate moments as they went outside the campus for dinner, and of course, they did not return to the school afterward...

"Qiaoqiao, where did you go? You were missing all afternoon; why are you only back now?" Xu Lin happily gnawed on a dragon fruit while showing concern for her good sister.

"I... went home for a bit and came back after dinner."

Xie Da Qiao changed the subject: "Did Wang Yan buy these?"

"Who else would it be?" Wang Ying said while eating a banana.

"Has Qianxi gone out?"

"Definitely; she's not coming back tonight." Xu Lin shook her head, wearing an expression of moral decline: "She doesn't even bother renting an apartment; every time they go out, they stay in a hotel; it's so wasteful."

"You're quite involved, worrying about Wang Yan's money?" Wang Ying looked at Xu Lin in amazement.

"You are truly filthy, Young Lady. You look like a white lotus, but in reality, your mouth is dipped in poison."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Xu Lin said: "But you eating so happily is something I didn't expect."

"It would be foolish not to take advantage of a free benefit." Wang Ying snorted: "I'm working for him for free anyway; he pays others salaries but hasn't paid us; isn't eating some fruit only right?"

"You're invincible." Xie Da Qiao gave a thumbs-up: "Didn't Wang Yan also have us rotate through various departments? It wasn't in vain; I feel I've learned quite a lot."

"The Young Lady is being two-faced; Qiaoqiao, don't pay her any mind; she's just stubborn."

"Screw you." Wang Ying glared at Xu Lin, who always undermined her every single day.

She let out an 'ai', leaned closer, and stared at Xie Da Qiao: "Qiaoqiao, why do your eyes look so swollen? Did you cry?"

"Hm?" Xu Lin also leaned over: "You really did cry; what happened?"

"No, it's just that the wind outside was strong, and something got in my eye; I rubbed it myself when I came up just now." Xie Da Qiao made up an excuse.

Xu Lin looked somewhat suspicious: "Really?"

"Oh my, why would I lie to you? Really..."

"That makes sense; here, you eat a dragon fruit too." Xu Lin placed the dragon fruit into Xie Da Qiao's hand. "Oh, right, Qiaoqiao, your foreign boyfriend video-called you earlier; I answered, and he asked where you were, saying he couldn't reach you."

Xie Da Qiao took out her phone and checked it, acting as if she had just discovered it: "The phone ran out of battery; I'll call him back in a moment. Thanks."

Of course, the phone hadn't run out of battery; she had turned it off.

Because she was heartbroken at the time and had nowhere to pour out her feelings, she called Qin Li Chuan hoping to talk, but she cried so uncontrollably that she could barely speak clearly; feeling that talking to Qin Li Chuan was pointless anyway, she hung up the phone.

But Qin Li Chuan kept calling her relentlessly; while she was already crying her heart out, the barrage of calls only irritated her, so she turned off her phone...

After chatting for a while with Xu Lin and Wang Ying, she pretended to replace the battery in her phone, then went outside to call Qin Li Chuan back, only to find no one answered.

She tried calling two more times, but still couldn't get through, so she stopped worrying about it and returned to the dormitory to continue chatting idly with Wang Ying and the other.

"Hey, the new feature is live; they say you can review anything now," Xu Lin said, fiddling with Wang Ying's computer and browsing the Zhwo Network.

Currently, the Zhwo Network, here at Beiqing and even across universities nationwide, had almost entirely replaced individual campus forums, boasting an extremely active user base.

Furthermore, up to the present moment, campus beauty contests had been continuously held everywhere without ending; whether prestigious universities, ordinary first-tier, second-tier, or third-tier institutions, or other vocational colleges, all were successively holding their own campus beauty vote selections.

Nowadays, the number of involved undergraduate institutions exceeded one hundred, truly creating a massive storm.

"Take a look, this review feature is really interesting; there are reviews of our teachers, of our own school, and even of outside restaurants—so many that it's dazzling. The comments are the most entertaining part; they're killing me with laughter..."

The three of them sat in the dormitory watching the computer and sharing jokes, yet inevitably, Wang Yan's name frequently came up in conversation.

Xie Da Qiao suddenly recalled what Xu Lin had told her earlier: to compare Brother Little Boat with Wang Yan...

?? Daily thanks to the dear brothers who generously donate, cast monthly tickets, submit recommendation votes, and silently read the book for their tremendous support!

? (End of Chapter)