Chapter 374

"Oh right, there are these two as well!"

Zheng Xun said, pulling an energy drink and a pack of protein bars out of his bag. "These are also business deals. Just pick them up and eat or drink a little during your livestream occasionally. They're both well-known brands, and the ingredients are all safe; I've verified all of this."

"So many?"

"Not many. The business email I'm in charge of managing for you exploded yesterday. I just picked a few at random from it. I'll definitely have to take a good look when I have time today; there will only be more business deals coming up, not fewer."

Pili: "..."

"If you want to make money, then as the head of your team, I must serve you. Aside from the gifts from livestream tips, product placement is the fastest way to make money. Hurry up and change your clothes. Once the light reflector is brought back, we'll start the stream!"

Pili came back to her senses a beat late and hurriedly called out to Zheng Xun, who was about to leave: "Brother Xun..."

"Yeah?"

Zheng Xun turned his head to look at her, his expression puzzled: "What's wrong?"

Pili hesitated for a moment before saying: "Try to speak nicely to them in the future, and don't lose your temper so much."

It wasn't that she wanted to interfere with Zheng Xun's way of doing things, but his reputation in the company was already being criticized by everyone. A person as smart as him couldn't possibly be unaware of it, so he couldn't just give up on himself, right? He still needed to be careful!

Zheng Xun was slightly stunned, and in the end, he actually smiled and nodded: "Alright, then I'll try to restrain myself a bit. You hurry and get in the car to change your clothes."

Approaching noon, Shen Ci changed her clothes and prepared to go out.

"A-Ci, Jiang Lingchuan is downstairs. Help me send him away!"

Gu Lianxing lay on the bed and said to Shen Ci, who was about to head out.

Shen Ci turned her head and blinked in surprise: "Huh? Why?"

Gu Lianxing pursed her lips: "I don't want to see him."

She didn't want to see Jiang Lingchuan?

This was a novelty. Every time Jiang Lingchuan appeared downstairs at the dormitory building, it was to bring her things, and Lianxing would always trot downstairs to get them.

What was wrong today?

"Had a falling out?" Shen Ci frowned, then walked to the balcony to look downstairs.

Jiang Lingchuan was standing under the tree directly facing the dormitory entrance. At this moment, he was also looking up toward their dormitory window. Seeming to have spotted Shen Ci, Jiang Lingchuan waved his hand.

Shen Ci returned a smile, then walked to the side of Lianxing's bed and looked at her, asking: "Is it because of what happened last time?"

Gu Lianxing's eyes dodged for a moment, but in the end, she nodded: "I think what that girl said was right. I shouldn't 'monopolize' him like this; I should give him the chance to get close to others."

Looking at her aggrieved expression, Shen Ci couldn't help but sigh.

After a long while, she said: "About this matter, there's actually no problem with whatever you do; after all, you didn't force him, it was his own willingness. But I can also understand your choice to keep your distance. It's just that hiding is useless; you should just clarify things."

"I'm not ready yet." Gu Lianxing pouted bitterly: "I don't even know how to tell him."

"Oh, A-Ci, just help me send him away today. I have to go get a manicure in a while, otherwise I won't be able to go out."

Shen Ci nodded helplessly: "Alright then, but you still need to think it through clearly. No matter what, you should make things clear, otherwise where can you hide? You'll run into each other sooner or later!"

"I know, I know!"

Shen Ci didn't say anything more, casually picked up her Chanel bag, and headed downstairs.

"Classmate Shen Ci!"

As soon as she appeared, Jiang Lingchuan hurried up impatiently: "Where's Lianxing? She's not still sleeping, is she? I sent her messages and she didn't reply!"

Looking at his fair and handsome face, Shen Ci couldn't figure out why Lianxing didn't like him.

"Do you have something to find her for?"

As she spoke, Shen Ci saw that Jiang Lingchuan's hands were empty; clearly, he had nothing to deliver.

Jiang Lingchuan's expression dimmed slightly, and as his eyelashes drooped, he couldn't hide the melancholy in his eyes, looking like a broken boy: "I feel like her state hasn't been right lately. Does she have something on her mind?"

As he spoke, his tone became increasingly urgent: "Classmate Shen Ci, if she has something going on, you have to tell me. She's just like that—sometimes she likes to act tough, loves to bottle things up inside, and also..."

"Stop right there!" Shen Ci interrupted him, clearly feeling that Jiang Lingchuan was losing his head out of concern.

"She's fine, don't worry blindly." Shen Ci said, glancing at the time—Tang Song should be waiting at the school gate—then looked at Jiang Lingchuan and said: "I'm running out of time. Take me to the school gate, and I'll tell you on the way."

"But..."

Jiang Lingchuan looked up at the dormitory window with reluctance, but Shen Ci reached out and forcibly turned his head back: "Stop looking. She's hiding from you on purpose; if you don't leave, she won't come down!"

"Huh? Why is she hiding from me?"

Shen Ci tilted her chin forward and started walking first. Seeing this, Jiang Lingchuan looked up at the dormitory window with an eager expression again, then hurriedly followed.

Shen Ci told Jiang Lingchuan exactly what happened that day. Jiang Lingchuan was stunned as he listened, and in the end, he said anxiously: "No, I—I didn't agree to that girl!"

"This has nothing to do with whether you agreed to others or not; it's just that Lianxing realized on her own that she shouldn't be like this. And the level of care you show her—even many couples might not be able to be so thorough and considerate. It's perfectly normal for it to lead to misunderstandings!"

Even she had misunderstood at the beginning!

"Besides, you must have noticed yourself that there are many more female students around you since the start of this semester, right?"

"Don't always keep your attention on Lianxing. If you find someone you think is good, you can try it out too. You've grown up this big and haven't dated yet, right?"

Shen Ci talked as she walked, and only after a long while did she realize Jiang Lingchuan hadn't made a sound.

She turned her head...

Eh?

Where was he?

She looked around, but there was no sign of Jiang Lingchuan anywhere.

What was going on?

Did she waste her breath?

After leaving the school gate, Tang Song's Jeep was parked across the street. He was wearing a dark gray casual outfit and standing by the roadside smoking.

Seeing Shen Ci come out from afar, he hurriedly extinguished the cigarette butt on the tree trunk, flicked his finger, and accurately tossed the butt into the trash can by the road.

Shen Ci didn't like the smell of smoke, so he always hid to smoke secretly.

And Shen Ci didn't force him to quit smoking; the pressure of being a criminal police officer was already high, and smoking was one of the few ways they had to relieve stress.

When she got close, before Shen Ci could speak, Tang Song pulled her into his arms impatiently: "Let me hug you for a bit first."

It had been quite a few days since they last saw each other. Although they occasionally video-chatted, every time after a video call, Tang Song's longing would become even more intense.

Shen Ci didn't resist and let him hold her. There was a faint scent of tobacco in her breath; in this atmosphere, the smell of tobacco actually made her feel a unique charm.

(End of chapter)