Chapter Thirteen I Want to Help Him

  Many people are used to talking freely about their own struggles after achieving success in front of their juniors, but the so-called successful people that Chu Jingyan knows seem to not have this habit.

  The elderly in China seem to be particularly enthusiastic about this, but Chen Shuo and Bai Jiming are not. Chu Jingyan rarely hears them say things like "when I was young" from their mouths. In theory, Chen Shuo and Bai Jiming can already be considered very successful, but even at the wine table, they rarely do so.

  After each major cooperation succeeded, apart from the company's internal celebration party, Chen Shuo and Bai Jiming would find a quiet restaurant, set up a few tables of hometown fine wine, and then invite Chu Jingyan. Many times it was just the three of them, taking turns drinking cup after cup, and leaving when they were satisfied.

  To them, these things seem to be no capital for showing off. What makes them look so calm and composed is something that Chu Jingyan still doesn't quite understand even now.

  Chu Jingyuan held up the document and said to Bai Jiming: "I want a personal one from you."

  Bai Jiming turned his head and asked: "Li Qi?"

  Chu Jing smiled and said, "After all, it's been so long since I've used it under my hands, it feels very natural."

  "Okay."

  Bai Jiming agreed to Chu Jingyan's request and continued, "Also, this project has many collaborators. The one you saw at the president's poker table last time, that is, Gao Shouzhang, is one of them. He likes to do things personally, so you will have many opportunities to work with him. This person has a bit of a strange temper, I don't want to say more, you can think about it yourself."

  Chu Jing nodded: "I will."

  Speaking of which, Bai Jiming suddenly laughed and said: "I heard that you have a good relationship with Gao Shouzhang's precious daughter. I'm not very clear about other things, but Gao Shouzhang really treats his daughter as the apple of his eye. Sometimes many things need an entry point, why don't you try?"

  Chu Jing spoke with a bitter smile: "Actually, I'm not really familiar with that person."

  "Don't get hung up on this topic," said Bai Jiming, "Go take a look at your office. Qing Rong has returned from the US and should be in the office next to yours. It's been a long time since you've seen each other, go catch up."

  Qī Qīng Róng should be considered Chǔ Jǐng Yán's only friend in Korea, the kind that shares everything. They are of the same age and often help each other out. Before Chǔ Jǐng Yán gained a foothold in Cheongdam-dong and before Qī Qīng Róng went to study abroad in America, the two were through thick and thin together.

  Nothing is unsaid, which means Qi Qingrong knows all about Chu Jingyan's past.

  More than half a year ago, Qi Qingrong said he would be back soon, and time really flew by. Chu Jingyan left Bai Jiming's office, accompanied by the secretary, and headed downstairs.

  Pushing open the door to his office, a young man in a suit and tie was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine. Seeing Chu Jingyan enter, he raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Two years without seeing each other, you're living even more comfortably, this surprises me."

  Chu Jing said with a smile: "You actually didn't get played to death by Da Yang Ma, I'm also very surprised."

  After finishing speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled, hugging each other briefly.

  Bai Jiming once said that he would send an assistant to Chu Jingyan, but Chu Jingyan was initially resistant. Many things, so-called helpers are just troublesome existences, and it's even more likely that internal power struggles will give rise to an uncontrollable existence for Chu Jingyan, which would be a very thorny issue.

  But if it's Qi Qingrong, then there won't be any problem at all.

  He sat down, and Chu Jingyan pointed to the stack of materials on the table and said: "Originally, I still had a bit of guilt. If I couldn't quickly get familiar with these things, I would feel very embarrassed. Fortunately, as long as you didn't waste your time studying for two years, I think you should be able to teach me something useful."

  "You're still so sharp-tongued and critical, how can you possibly have girls like you?" Qi Qingrong shook his head and said, "On the plane back, I roughly went through these things, there's no problem with the engineering, but there are too many unstable factors."

  "What's it like?"

  Qī Qīng Róng picked up the cup of coffee on the table, took a sip and said: "For example, from within the company, or other participants, many times even in turbulent times power struggles will not stop, let alone such large-scale funding long-term project development."

  Chu Jing thought for a moment and said: "But if we don't participate in it, we won't know who will give us trouble."

  "So it's a tough job."

  Chu Jingyan looked at Qi Qingrong, extremely serious, and said: "Since we can't solve it for the time being, let's go back to what you just said. What makes you say that no woman will like me?"

  Qī Qīngróng spread out his hands and smiled: "Isn't this obvious?"

  "Isn't it obvious?"

  Qī Qīng Róng smiled but did not speak.

  Long-unseen friends are still friends because they can pick up where they left off without missing a beat, and this kind of friendship comes from many years of living together and helping each other.

  Just like now, mutual ridicule without mercy has replaced the courtesy of reunion.

  After a moment of silence, Qi Qingrong pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed one to Chu Jingyan before lighting one for himself. As the smoke curled around him, he said, "That thing you asked me to do, I had someone check it out in Los Angeles. That couple has indeed returned to Seoul."

  Chu Jing spoke with his head down and smoking.

  Qī Qīng Róng is a friend of Chǔ Jǐng Yán, so he naturally knows everything about him. Two years ago, Qī Qīng Róng went to the United States for further study, and Chǔ Jǐng Yán had told him about this matter.

  Qī Qīngróng went to investigate seriously and understood a lot.

  "That's good." Chu Jingyan took a puff of his cigarette.

  Qī Qīng Róng took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Chǔ Jǐng Yán, saying: "This is their current address."

  Chu Jingyun didn't go see the address written on that piece of paper, and instead bowed his head to smoke.

  If he wanted to investigate, Chu Jingyan had the ability to find out where the couple was a few years ago. As long as they were in Seoul, it would be impossible not to find them. But when it came time to face them, Chu Jingyan unexpectedly started to hesitate.

  It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I dare not.

  Sometimes men are more indecisive than women, and even Chu Jingyan is no exception.

  "Actually, you've never been prepared. In other words, you still can't untie that knot until now. You feel abandoned, but you haven't even asked any questions. How do you know there's no hidden reason? It's not hatred, it's just that you don't dare to face it."

  "This doesn't seem like our style of doing things?"

  Chu Jing smiled and said, "You also know that most of the time I'm just pretending."

  "Cruelty should be towards others, not oneself." Qi Qingrong extinguished the cigarette butt and said, "Anyway, you've already got the address in your hands, whether or not to go is up to you. There are few people who can cherish a lifetime, it's good to take a look, see if you're overthinking or if there's really been a misunderstanding."

  Chu Jing said, putting the note in his pocket: "Let's wait until this busy period is over."

  Qī Qīng Róng stood up and smiled: "Don't think about these things anymore, go have a drink?"

  Chu Jingyan pinched out the cigarette and nodded: "This is a must."

  Back home in the dead of night, Chu Jingyan lay motionless on the sofa, slightly drunk, his tie tossed carelessly to one side. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and examined the address on it carefully.

  It's just a few blocks away from here, and it only takes half an hour to drive there. Chu Jingyan put down the note.

  Covering his stomach, he crawled up, took out a bottle of medicine from the drawer, poured out two pills and swallowed them, drank a few mouthfuls of hot water, and the pain slowly subsided. He spat out a mouthful of turbid air, and Chu Jingyan closed his eyes.

  I didn't have good living habits since I was young, and after coming to Seoul, I didn't know how to take care of myself, so I got a very serious stomach disease. In the past, when it hurt, there was the female owner of that house who took care of me with care, but that feeling is already a thing of several years ago.

  Chu Jingyan's impression of the mistress of that house had become somewhat vague, but she was really good, whether it was to her two daughters or to Chu Jingyan.

  Covering his stomach, Chu Jingyan stood in front of the window and looked at the face reflected on the glass, saying: "It turns out that even after so many years, you're still this timid."

  The girl's dormitory is generally decorated in soft tones, the fat girl loves pink to the point of madness, bedding, pillows, curtains, tables, chairs, as long as it can be changed to pink, all become pink.

  Kim Tae-yeon sat cross-legged on the bed of a small fat woman, sucking on a lollipop and said: "If it weren't for accompanying you, I would still be having a comfortable life in Jeonju now. How are you going to compensate me?"

  Xiao Feipo is doing leg slimming exercises, after hearing this she wiped her sweat and said to Kim Tae-yeon: "Want me to introduce you to a man?"

  Kim Tae-yeon hummed: "No need."

  "What did you think of the person we met last time?" asked Little Fatty, unwrapping a stick of rock candy from the table. "Didn't you say he was hard to understand?"

  "Being older than us, they naturally have more life experiences, so it's only natural that we can't understand." Kim Tae-yeon and Xiao Fei Po lay side by side on the bed, saying, "Suddenly bringing up that friend of yours, what's the point?"

  The little fatty said: "I always feel that he is hiding something from me."

  "So?"

  She thought for a moment and continued, "A long time ago when I met him in Los Angeles, although he was very rude and scary, I could feel that he's actually a good person."

  "What now?"

  "Now I feel like he's become very closed off, even if he doesn't show it, I still think he's changed from before."

  "Even if we haven't known each other for a long time and didn't have many chances to interact, you still saw it, even if he was just slightly kinder to people, it's palpable."

  "He took care of me a lot, so I also want to help him."

  "So you think it's something you don't know about that made him like this?"

  The little fat woman nodded.

  Kim Tae-yeon shook her head and said, "I can't help you."

  "No, you can." The little fatty smiled very cutely, also with a bit of slyness.