After they finished eating, went to the restroom, and even washed their faces, Chen Jian felt refreshed when he returned to the parking lot, but only mentally.
Physically, he was not very energetic.
“Damn,” he said, supporting his lower back with his hand. “My back is sore.”
“Where is it sore?” Shan Yu looked at him. “Be specific.”
“The erector spinae!” Chen Jian clicked his tongue.
“That’s more like it,” Shan Yu said, holding his waist and rubbing his erector spinae with his thumb. “Is it here?”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded. “Isn’t this the waist?”
“Kids don’t have waists,” Shan Yu said.
“…Have you been talking to Xiao Dou’er’s grandmother?” Chen Jian asked.
“What’s wrong?” Shan Yu smiled.
“Xiao Dou’er said her waist hurt, and her grandmother told her that kids don’t have waists,” Chen Jian said.
“All adults say that to kids,” Shan Yu said. “So kids just don’t have waists.”
“No one ever said that to me,” Chen Jian thought for a moment. “Maybe I never told my parents my waist hurt.”
“Mhm,” Shan Yu responded, still rubbing his back. “You were probably the kind of kid who wouldn’t tell his parents when he got hurt.”
“Would you?” Chen Jian tilted his head.
A few girls who looked like students walked past them. Two of them kept turning their heads to look at them.
“I would. I was always getting into trouble every day. When I got sick, I could see my mom at the hospital,” Shan Yu also turned his head to look at the girls.
The two girls who were looking at them smiled and jogged ahead.
“It’s not sore anymore,” Chen Jian said. “People are looking at us.”
“Mhm,” Shan Yu let go of the hand that had been holding his waist.
But the next second, just as Chen Jian took a step forward, Shan Yu’s arm came around from behind and hugged him. “Let them look.”
“Fine,” Chen Jian sighed and walked towards the car with him. “Should you drive for a while? I’m driving too slowly. After all, this isn’t a real trip today, it’s a business trip, right?”
“Mhm,” Shan Yu smiled.
“We still have to get to President Liu’s company to get the money before the end of the workday, right?” Chen Jian asked.
“Yes,” Shan Yu nodded, his chin tapping on his shoulder a couple of times.
“Then you should drive,” Chen Jian said. “Driving a big Mercedes like a tricycle is too embarrassing for your company.”
Shan Yu laughed and patted him on the back. “Get in.”
Chen Jian got in the car and leaned back against the passenger seat. He immediately felt that nothing hurt or was sore anymore.
Shan Yu first drove to fill up the gas tank. For the rest of the journey, they wouldn’t stop unless they urgently needed to use the restroom.
When the car got back on the highway, Chen Jian felt a sense of vindication for this car that had been so constrained all this way.
He didn’t have much of a feeling before he knew how to drive. It was only now that he could see that Shan Yu’s relaxed and skilled state was that of a true old driver.
“It’s still more comfortable to be a passenger,” Chen Jian said, taking out his phone and opening the camera, pressing it against the car window to take a video.
There wasn’t much scenery outside the window now, just some desolate, large fields. But after being framed by the camera, it was surprisingly beautiful.
The guardrails in the foreground were constantly flying backwards, and the large fields under the blue sky and white clouds were bathed in sunlight, one moving and one still.
The feeling of being on the road was particularly strong.
“Crazy,” Shan Yu suddenly said.
“What?” Chen Jian asked.
“Someone is flashing their lights at me when I’m at one hundred and twenty,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian looked back. A black car was following very closely behind them.
“Are they speeding?” Chen Jian asked.
After Shan Yu overtook the large truck in front, he moved to the adjacent lane.
The black car whizzed past them.
But after passing them, it didn’t just disappear into the distance. It just continued to drive in front of them.
“Crazy,” Chen Jian couldn’t help but say.
“At times like this,” Shan Yu moved back to the previous lane and followed behind the car, “you can’t drive with road rage. If he flashes, he flashes. If he overtakes, he overtakes.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded.
It was rare for Shan Yu to have such awareness. He still remembered the state of this person’s driving when they had first gone to the city, or rather, on a business trip, to see his dad at the hospital.
But the next second, he saw Shan Yu flashing his lights at the car in front.
“No road rage,” Chen Jian looked at Shan Yu.
“Mhm,” Shan Yu responded.
“Then what are you doing?” Chen Jian asked.
“Letting off some steam,” Shan Yu said.
“…He’s going to get out of his car and fight you,” Chen Jian said.
“Don’t always be thinking about stopping on the highway,” Shan Yu said.
The car in front moved to the side and even slowed down.
But Shan Yu didn’t overtake it. He also slowed down a bit.
“He’s letting you pass,” Chen Jian said.
“He’s letting my ass pass. He wants me to go up so he can flash me,” Shan Yu glanced at the navigation. “If he were just letting a car pass, why would he slow down?”
“What do we do now?” Chen Jian asked.
“Follow him,” Shan Yu said.
The car waited a few seconds, then accelerated and moved back into their lane.
Chen Jian stared at Shan Yu.
Shan Yu didn’t flash his lights again, just followed.
But after following for less than a kilometer, he flashed his lights at the car in front again, even honking the horn. After honking, he turned, drove onto the ramp, and left this highway.
Chen Jian glanced at the navigation and confirmed that they were indeed supposed to take the ramp.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
“Don’t be nervous,” Shan Yu said. “If we weren’t about to get on the ramp, I wouldn’t have done that.”
“Who knows,” Chen Jian said. “You’re just a trouble magnet.”
Shan Yu started laughing. “Really. After spending so much time with you, I’m very steady now.”
If you didn’t count what had just happened, Shan Yu’s driving was indeed very steady. He didn’t speed, didn’t change lanes randomly, and didn’t rush the car in front.
For the rest of the journey, he remained steady. Chen Jian looked at the speedometer. The car was consistently at one hundred and eighteen, very steady.
Chen Jian picked up his phone and opened the video camera, pointing it at Shan Yu.
“What are you doing?” Shan Yu asked.
“Recording a steady Shan Yu,” Chen Jian said. “Don’t look at me, look at the road.”
“I’m not looking at you,” Shan Yu sighed.
Chen Jian smiled, slowly moving the camera from Shan Yu’s face to the side, filming the road ahead, then turning to the window on the passenger side, and finally turning it back to himself.
His hair was a bit messy. He raised his hand to fix it, then smiled at the camera.
A long-distance road trip was very interesting as long as you weren’t the one driving. Chen Jian had recorded a lot of videos, chatted with Hu Pan and the others, asked about the situation at the shop, and ate and drank…
He didn’t even know when he had fallen asleep.
It was only when Shan Yu braked twice in a row that he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up straight. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Shan Yu said. “Just telling you we’re almost there.”
“Are we off the highway?” Chen Jian saw the line of cars in front that had clearly slowed down, looked at the shops on both sides, and then turned his head back. There was no sign of a highway exit behind them.
“We’ve been off for a while, baby. We’re almost at President Liu’s company,” Shan Yu said.
“Huh?” Chen Jian wiped his mouth in shock and pulled down the sun visor to look in the mirror.
“It’s fine,” Shan Yu said. “You can just wait in the car later. I’ll just go to her company for a quick chat. It’s just a formality, mainly to sign a few things…”
“Oh,” Chen Jian suddenly relaxed and leaned back in his seat. But then he thought for a moment and sat up straight again. “And then we’re going to a restaurant for dinner, right?”
“Mhm,” Shan Yu glanced at him. “I’ll have President Liu and the others go there themselves.”
Chen Jian relaxed again.
Although he was quite familiar with President Liu and the others, she was still Shan Yu’s mother, and he would still feel a bit awkward.
The car had already entered the city. Chen Jian’s eyes never left the car window.
He stared at the street scene outside. This was Shan Yu’s city. He was born here, rebelled here, grew up here…
Actually, it didn’t look much different from their side, with the same bustling streets and the same abundance of shopping malls. But you could still feel at a glance that this was a strange city.
And this strange city exuded a hint of familiarity because of Shan Yu.
“I used to hang out in this area a lot,” Shan Yu said. “See that building with the big screen over there?”
“I see it,” Chen Jian said.
“That’s where Yue Lang and I liked to go for karaoke the most,” Shan Yu said.
“Mhm,” Chen Jian looked over there.
“There’s a very delicious private kitchen behind that building,” Shan Yu said. “We don’t have time these two days. Next time we come, we’ll make a reservation in advance, and I’ll take you to eat.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded.
“The road to the left up ahead,” Shan Yu continued to slowly tell him, “all the way to the end, that’s where I used to rent a place.”
“You rented in such a central location?” Chen Jian asked.
“It was convenient for fun,” Shan Yu said.
“The rent must have been very expensive,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu smiled without speaking and reached out to touch Chen Jian’s face.
President Liu’s company was not in the most prosperous central area, but it was not far either. It was a very new-looking building, with the Yuxing sign visible on the outside, on the twenty-sixth to twenty-eighth floors.
As the car drove into the garage, Shan Yu dialed President Liu’s number.
“I’m at the parking lot.”
“Come directly to the conference room,” President Liu said. “Xiao Ye and I will be there shortly.”
“Does the front desk know?” Shan Yu asked. “Don’t let me in later.”
“If they don’t let you in, just make a scene,” President Liu said.
“And then the front desk will have the security guards come and get me,” Shan Yu said, driving the car into a parking space with the Yuxing sign. “President Liu isn’t thinking of backing out, is she?”
“It’s just a verbal agreement,” President Liu said. “There is indeed a risk before the final signing.”
“Then I’ll still choose to believe President Liu,” Shan Yu said. “The development prospects of Hongye Town are obvious to all. With President Liu’s judgment and vision…”
“Hurry up and come up,” President Liu said, hanging up the phone.
Chen Jian couldn’t help but laugh.
Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
After parking the car, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to Chen Jian. “Hey, manager.”
“Hm?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“Come closer,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian unbuckled his seatbelt and also leaned in front of him.
Shan Yu kissed him on the cheek. “Wait for me here.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian smiled.
Shan Yu got out of the car and took a folder and his laptop out of his bag in the trunk.
“Let me know when you’re done,” Chen Jian said, getting out of the car with him. “I’ll go take a look outside.”
“Mhm,” Shan Yu tossed him the car keys. “It probably won’t be too long.”
Chen Jian nodded and watched as Shan Yu turned and walked towards the elevator.
Shan Yu was dressed as usual, in a black down jacket and a pair of cargo pants. But every time he was about to do something serious, his aura would be a little different.
The same casual attire, which usually looked lazy, now looked inexplicably elite.
Chen Jian walked out of the parking lot. This was not a commercial area, so it was relatively quiet. But there was nowhere to go, so he could only sit on the edge of a flower bed and look at the street scene.
The pedestrians on the road were all walking very fast. In this weather, besides the people who worked nearby coming out for a smoke, an idle person like him sitting on the side of the road seemed a bit out of place.
Because his act of sunbathing in the north wind was too leisurely, the security guard at the parking lot even strolled over to look at him.
After staying for a while, it was really a bit awkward. The second time the security guard strolled over, he went to a coffee shop across the street and bought a cup of coffee.
He regretted it as soon as he bought it.
What the hell, a cup of latte for twenty-eight yuan!
And it was such a small cup!
But the taste was okay, better than the twenty-five-yuan cup at the highway rest stop.
He took the coffee back to the parking lot, sat in the car, and after fumbling around for a long time, he turned on the music.
Drinking coffee, eating small biscuits, and listening to music—it was a very wonderful experience. And the location, in the parking lot of a high-end office building, was even more wonderful.
He had never thought before that he would be in such a scene.
Leaning back in his seat with his eyes half-closed and daydreaming, he slowly started to feel sleepy again.
At this moment, a familiar melody suddenly sounded in the car.
After listening for a couple of lines, he started singing along.
“Life is like,” he waved his hand, “a great river… sometimes calm, sometimes crazy…”
Then he skipped the unlucky lines and waited for the auspicious ones.
“I know the kind of happiness I want!” he sang louder and louder, patting the car door. “It’s in that higher sky—I want to fly higher! Fly more…”
Someone knocked on the car window.
Is Shan Yu done with his business?
He sang as he rolled down the window, “Like a mad wind, dance—”
The person standing outside was wearing a gray coat, a woman’s.
“…dance,” Chen Jian was stunned. The person bent down and looked into the car.
“Xiao Chen is practicing his singing?” President Liu asked with a smile.
“President Liu… Auntie!” Chen Jian was so scared he almost choked. He fumbled to turn off the music, but after pressing for a long time, he couldn’t turn it off. He quickly opened the car door.
President Liu smiled and stepped back two steps, watching him get out of the car.
“Why did you come down?” Chen Jian glanced towards the elevator, but didn’t see Shan Yu.
Boss Shan! What are you doing!
Look what you’ve done!
“Shan Yu and Xiao Ye are still discussing some details. I found it annoying,” President Liu said with a smile. “So I came down to take a look. It’ll be done in a few more minutes.”
President Liu, your work attitude is not correct.
You just don’t listen because you find it annoying?
It’s a matter of taking money out. Can you just walk away because it’s annoying?
“Oh,” Chen Jian smiled.
He didn’t know what to say.
To ease the awkwardness, he reached into his pocket and took out two small biscuits. “Would you like a biscuit?”
“Afternoon tea?” President Liu smiled and took one, glancing at the coffee he had left in the car.
“I guess so,” Chen Jian said.
“Are you tired from the journey?” President Liu asked as she tore open the biscuit wrapper.
“Not tired. It’s like a trip,” Chen Jian said. “Shan Yu drove the second half of the journey.”
“This is like a trip?” President Liu laughed. “After the snow season, you should take a vacation and go out and have some fun.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded.
The elevator on the other side dinged. Chen Jian quickly turned his head.
His savior, Shan Yu, walked out of the elevator, followed by a girl who should be President Liu’s assistant, Xiao Ye.
“Why did you come here?” Shan Yu jogged over.
“To get some fresh air,” President Liu said.
“What fresh air is there to get here?” Shan Yu said. “It’s all exhaust fumes.”
“I came down to listen to Xiao Chen’s concert,” President Liu said, then asked Xiao Ye, “Is everything sorted out?”
“Mhm,” Xiao Ye nodded. “The rest is up to President Shan.”
“Alright then,” President Liu looked at Shan Yu. “Should you two go to the restaurant first?”
“Of course,” Shan Yu said. “Are you still going to hitch a ride with me?”
“I still have to pick up your dad,” President Liu said.
“Doesn’t he ride his electric scooter rain or shine?” Shan Yu asked.
“He’s riding on a sick leave note. He’s riding an electric scooter,” President Liu said as she walked towards the elevator. “You two can go ahead.”
“Oh,” Chen Jian responded.
Shan Yu looked at Xiao Ye.
“Professor Shan went fishing on his electric scooter the day before yesterday,” Xiao Ye said in a low voice as she quickly followed President Liu, “He has a bad cold.”
Shan Yu clicked his tongue, turned his head, opened the car door, reached in to turn off the music, and then turned to look at Chen Jian, the smile on his lips unstoppable. “Were you singing just now?”
“Don’t mention it,” Chen Jian said, watching the elevator door close and leaning against the car. “I was halfway through my wailing when President Liu suddenly knocked on the window.”
Shan Yu laughed out loud. “I didn’t even think she would come down.”
“I couldn’t even turn off that damn music…” Chen Jian sighed. “Why did President Liu suddenly come down? I thought she had something to tell me, but she didn’t say anything, just chatted for a couple of sentences.”
“She just wanted to see you,” Shan Yu said, getting into the car. “She really likes you.”
Chen Jian walked around to the passenger side and got in. “Really?”
“Mhm. I think besides the fact that you’re really likable, it might also be because…” Shan Yu turned his head to look at him. “My mom has never seen what I was like at twenty.”
Chen Jian was stunned. After a moment of silence, he leaned over and kissed Shan Yu on the lips.
