Chapter 48: Afraid You’ll Get Clingy
Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Afraid You’ll Get Clingy
Chen Xiao smiled. "We’re not going to end up together, so don’t worry too much."
Hua Jiao let out a sound of surprise. "Huh, you’re quite self-aware. That makes things easier!"
"Chen Xiao, let me tell you, if you really want to find a girlfriend and settle down, you first need to work on self-improvement. Just look at Bai Jie!"
"He works at a big corporation as a solutions expert and makes 20,000 a month!"
"And he works in artificial intelligence—it’s high-tech, with unlimited potential!"
’He’s also in AI, huh? Looks like I’ve run into a colleague.’ Chen Xiao glanced at Bai Jie.
"Yes, very impressive. A successful man!"
"Plus, he already owns a house and a car. He bought the house five years ago, and his mortgage is only a little over 4,000 a month. He can support a whole family on his salary alone!"
"Oh, and he drives a Tiguan L now. You two are about the same age, just look at the difference!"
"I didn’t bring him here today to provoke you. I did it out of respect for Teacher Wang, to show you what kind of person you should strive to be. Bai Jie is the goal you should be working toward!"
Chen Xiao was getting a headache listening to all this. He asked nonchalantly, "What do you do for work? The education industry?"
She missed the sarcastic undertone in his voice. "I used to be, but starting tomorrow, I’ll be working at Bai Jie’s company. I’ll be in the AI field too!"
"Congratulations. That’s quite the career jump," Chen Xiao said perfunctorily.
"Not really. I’m in finance. Making payments is the same everywhere, isn’t it?"
’Ugh, so she’s a cashier or an accountant. Then it really is the same anywhere.’
Just then, Bai Jie spoke his first words of the meeting. "It’s fine even if it’s a big jump. I’m at the company, so I have some pull. They’ll take good care of her!"
Chen Xiao gave him a strange look. ’His voice is so effeminate. And he’s a solutions expert?’
’Solutions experts do pre-sales work—from product definition and market research to roadshows. With a voice like that, would his roadshows even be effective?’
’What company is that blind? Would the sales team even be able to close deals with pre-sales support like him?’
’Don’t hit a man in the face, and don’t expose his shortcomings.’ He was only here to go through the motions and give Aunt Wang an answer. After today, there was no chance they would ever contact each other again.
There was no need to get into a verbal sparring match. So he just smiled and said, "So, are we calling it a day?"
Hua Jiao laughed. "You’re actually a pretty decent guy, Chen Xiao. I was afraid you’d get clingy and not let me go."
’Lady, do me a favor and look in a mirror. Even if I were doomed to be single forever, I sure as hell wouldn’t be clinging to someone like you!’
"You were worrying for nothing."
Bai Jie stood up and shook his hand. "Chen Xiao, right? You’re not bad. You know when to let go. If you need any help in the future, you can come to me. I’ll look out for you!"
’Look out for me with what? We didn’t add each other on WeChat, and we didn’t exchange contact info. What a perfectly empty gesture.’
After the two of them left, Zhao Xiangjun came over and immediately slumped onto the table, but Chen Xiao could see her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
"Are you done laughing yet?"
"Haha... Just let me laugh a little longer!"
’Fine, laugh all you want.’ He moved over as if he was going to tickle her.
"Don’t, don’t, Chen Xiao, I’m ticklish..."
He was just trying to scare her a bit. He wouldn’t go so far as to make a scene in public.
The two didn’t linger. Chen Xiao had helped her receive a lot of household items at Bihu Twin Seals that afternoon, so it was a good time to go over, tidy up, and put everything in its place.
Bai Jie and Hua Jiao walked hand in hand down to the parking garage.
There are no truly platonic friendships between men and women these days. What kind of ’friends’ were they supposed to be?
"I didn’t expect your blind date to be so sensible!" Bai Jie was referring to Chen Xiao.
"It’s because you’re too outstanding. He didn’t have the courage to pester me!" Hua Jiao said sweetly, laying on the flattery.
Bai Jie held his head high as he led Hua Jiao by the hand. "People are divided into classes," he said. "He’s probably been in his own circle for so long that he thinks he’s doing okay. Once he meets someone far superior, he has no choice but to face reality."
"You truly are an expert. That was a perfect summary! Bai Jie, where should we go tonight?"
"I’ll take you for a drive. I know a place with a great environment. A relative of mine works there and can let us in."
"What kind of place needs someone to let you in? A restricted military zone?"
"You’re overthinking it. What’s there to see in a place like that? I’m taking you to a high-end residential complex. It has a 120,000-square-meter artificial lake inside. The environment is even more beautiful than Bailu Lake."
"But be careful when we go in. The people who live there are either rich or powerful. A single apartment costs nearly ten million!"
Hua Jiao’s eyes lit up. An apartment for ten million! The thought successfully ignited her longing for the good life.
"Let’s go, let’s go! We can get a taste of how the rich live!"
The two were so busy chatting that they couldn’t remember which section of the parking garage they’d left the car in. It took them a while to find it.
Sitting in the car, Hua Jiao said, "I’m going to text Teacher Wang right now and tell her we met and both feel it’s not a good match."
There, the message was sent.
"Hey, Jiaojiao, look. Isn’t that Chen Xiao?"
The car had just started when Bai Jie pointed to a man and a woman walking toward them in the distance and asked Hua Jiao.
Hua Jiao looked in the direction he was pointing. It really was him!
Both of them froze for a moment, but for completely different reasons.
Hua Jiao: ’How is he with such a beautiful girl? They’re talking and laughing, and even holding hands.’
Bai Jie: ’How can a girl be that beautiful? She’s way more gorgeous than any of those celebrities on TV. Compared to her, Hua Jiao... no, Hua Jiao isn’t even worthy of being compared to her!’
Lost in their own thoughts, they both stared blankly as Chen Xiao and Zhao Xiangjun walked past the front of their car. Then, Chen Xiao took out his keys.
The lights of a Mercedes-Benz CLS flashed twice, and the daytime running lights came on.
Bai Jie and Hua Jiao stared at each other in bewilderment. "He drives a Mercedes-Benz?"
Hua Jiao quickly checked her phone. It was too late. She had sent the message to Teacher Wang too soon. She frantically hit the "unsend" button, but the time limit had passed. The message couldn’t be retracted.
Just then, Teacher Wang replied: "Okay, Jiaojiao. I hope you find your Prince Charming soon too~!"
At that moment, she really wanted to sing a line from a song: "My lovebird has already flown away..."
"Driving a Mercedes-Benz is no big deal," Bai Jie rationalized. "A lot of people can’t afford a house, so they just give up and buy a nice car to enjoy themselves. But I don’t approve of that kind of consumerist mindset!"
Hua Jiao thought about it and agreed. ’He probably can’t afford a house, gave up on himself, and used his down payment money to buy a car instead. That kind of hedonism is extremely irresponsible!’
With that thought, she instantly felt much better. ’That gorgeous woman must be blind. I’m much smarter than her.’ Thinking this, she felt she had finally found an area where she was superior to the stunning beauty from before.
They ended up driving out of the parking garage one after the other, with his car right behind Chen Xiao’s white Mercedes-Benz. To Bai Jie’s surprise, they kept going in the same direction.
"Hmph," Hua Jiao sniffed. "He must have seen us. He’s deliberately showing off his Mercedes-Benz, thinking I might change my mind. Am I that shallow?"