CH 83

Jiang Sihan didn’t really have anything important to discuss with Luo Bei. It was mainly because he was too busy and stressed lately, so when he finally had some free time, the first thing he thought of was inviting Luo Bei to have a meal and chat.

The buffet restaurant was located on the 20th floor and had a view of the city. Jiang Sihan had reserved a small private room. As a well-known celebrity now, he put effort into his appearance when going out, wearing a wig and a hat. In short, after his transformation, even Luo Bei, walking into the private room, thought she had walked into the wrong place.

Jiang Sihan chuckled self-deprecatingly, “It’s something a senior taught me. I actually left home when I called you, but I was afraid of paparazzi following me. I almost circled the city before making sure no one was following me before coming up. Luckily, it’s almost off-work time now, and there’s a lot of traffic.”

Luo Bei was not worried at all about being photographed eating with Jiang Sihan. The plot of the novel was set, after all. From Jiang Sihan’s debut to becoming a movie star, he had never been caught up in any real scandals, nor had he been photographed.

“All celebrities are like this. Having popularity means having resources and, at least compared to ordinary people, it’s easier to make money. But that also means they don’t have as much freedom as ordinary people do,” Luo Bei comforted him. “The feeling of being in the public eye is not something everyone has the qualifications to enjoy, nor is it something everyone can bear.”

Jiang Sihan continued to help her peel the shrimp and put them in the plate in front of her. He looked up and smiled, “I can understand and accept that, but, Beibei, you’re not an ordinary person to me.”

Luo Bei burst into laughter, “Of course I’m not an ordinary person. I’m the best friend of a future superstar.”

“No,” Jiang Sihan shook his head, “Beibei, your aura gives people a very comfortable feeling, and you’re also expanding your business more and more. I have a feeling that you will have a very bright future.”

Luo Bei thought for a moment, and if nothing unexpected happened, she might actually be an extraordinary person for a while.

Now Zhou Jianguo’s identity has also been confirmed. He is a domineering CEO like Lei Yuhao, and she has feelings for him as in a woman’s to a man. And Zhou Jianguo is indeed single. As long as there is no major deviation, she thinks she might date Zhou Jianguo. However, they have to face the disparity between them, and whether this love will last a lifetime or just a while remains to be seen.

Luo Bei feels that whether it lasts a lifetime or just a while, as long as the current feelings are genuine and they truly like each other, it is enough.

Demanding a future or an outcome, that’s too much pressure.

“Well, I’ll accept your blessings then.” Luo Bei picked up the cup of juice and clinked it with him. “But I do have some ambition this year. I plan to save up for a down payment on a small apartment by the end of the year. Although my family has a building, my childhood dream was to live in a high-end apartment like the female lead in a TV drama. It’s a goal I’m striving for.”

Goals that used to seem unattainable are now becoming more and more within reach. At least she and Zhou Jianguo have calculated that it won’t be a problem to save up for a down payment on a small apartment by the end of the year.

Jiang Sihan was a little surprised. “That’s really impressive.”

Nowadays, the down payment for a house is not cheap, even for a small apartment, it takes several tens of thousands.

He knew that Luo Bei’s business was doing pretty well, but he didn’t expect it to be this good.

“You’re even more amazing. You’ve almost saved enough for the down payment now, right?”

Jiang Sihan shook his head. “It’s not that easy to make money in this industry. The pay for the web dramas and TV dramas I took before wasn’t high, but Brother Liu is currently in talks for the next two TV dramas. If everything goes smoothly, the pay will be quite substantial.”

“When I buy an ordinary house, you might already be living in a villa,” Luo Bei laughed.

Jiang Sihan just smiled and didn’t say anything.

He envied Luo Bei and Zhou Jianguo for having goals ahead of them, and they were more passionate about their work than anyone else. But for him, buying a house or a car had never been his goal, and it was difficult to arouse his interest.

Looking at Luo Bei, Jiang Sihan couldn’t help but think that she might have more resonance and topics with Zhou Jianguo when it comes to talking about this kind of thing.

After a meal, Luo Bei was so full that her stomach was sticking out. Jiang Sihan said he wanted to stay overnight in the urban village and let the driver pick him up tomorrow. Luo Bei had no objection, as it had been a long time since he had been back to the urban village. The two of them got in the car and returned to the urban village. Although it was lively at this time, everyone in this building was a familiar face. Even if someone recognized Jiang Sihan, they only greeted him casually. As soon as they parked the car and walked through the security gate, they saw Zhou Jianguo coming down from upstairs with a lunch box in his hand. Grandma Luo made a lot of dumplings, and Zhou Jianguo planned to eat them every day for these few days. He just finished eating and went downstairs when he saw Luo Bei and Jiang Sihan coming. For a moment, his expression was a little complicated.

Zhou Jianguo and Jiang Sihan have always had a good relationship, and they greeted each other directly.

“Beibei, I need to talk to you about something. Let’s meet on the first floor in twenty minutes,” Zhou Jianguo said to Luo Bei.

Luo Bei was a bit confused, “What is it about?”

“Business matters,” Zhou Jianguo replied before heading back to the basement with Jiang Sihan.

As Luo Bei climbed the stairs, she was wondering if Zhou Jianguo had come up with another good business idea and wanted to discuss it with her. This is a possibility. However, they were both so busy lately. Would they even have time for it? She decided that no matter what he wanted to talk about, she wouldn’t ask him about whether they had time for it.

But even if Zhou Jianguo didn’t look for her, she would still need to talk to him.

She thought for a moment and decided to tell him as soon as possible that Teacher Zhou was his grandfather. Otherwise, if she waited too long, she wouldn’t know how to bring it up. She had already planned it out. After all, Zhou Jianguo was not a fragile person, and he had a heart as strong as a diamond, so he should be able to accept it.

Jiang Sihan and Zhou Jianguo returned to the basement without saying much. They just exchanged some simple pleasantries. However, before Jiang Sihan entered the door, Zhou Jianguo stopped him and said solemnly, “Xiao Jiang, I may no longer be your brother.”

Perhaps no one in this world except Zhou Jianguo can understand the meaning of his words, not even sages could.

Jiang Sihan isn’t a sage, so naturally he can’t understand. He was taken aback for a moment, “What do you mean?”

Zhou Jianguo smiled. “I reminded you of something a long time ago. Well, let’s not talk about it now. You’ve been busy lately, so you should rest. I still have something to do.”

At that moment, Jiang Sihan was completely bewildered.

What was Xiao Zhou talking about?

Zhou Jianguo washed his hair and took a shower with the shortest time possible. When he arrived on the first floor, Luo Bei was already waiting for him.

“Why are you so early today? You even arrived ahead of schedule?”

Zhou Jianguo was surprised, but not in a bad way. Every time he arranged a meeting with Luo Bei, she was always punctual, which was better than someone who was always late.

Luo Bei thought that since they had important matters to discuss, she didn’t want to argue with him. “Let’s go to the dessert shop. I’ll treat you.”

Zhou Jianguo shook his head, “It’s not that cold today. Let’s go to the park for a walk. You just finished a big meal, and walking will aid in digestion.”

“Okay.” Luo Bei touched her stomach, feeling quite full after eating a lot today. She had planned to only eat vegetable salad to cleanse her stomach from tomorrow.

The two walked side by side towards the park outside the urban village, and along the way, they met many acquaintances. Zhou Jianguo had a good reputation in the village, and everyone assumed he was Luo Bei’s boyfriend, so they treated him with exceptional kindness.

The park here was quite large, and Zhou Jianguo deliberately led Luo Bei to a quieter direction. Luo Bei didn’t notice this as she was preoccupied with her thoughts.

“Okay, this spot is good.”

Hearing Zhou Jianguo’s voice, Luo Bei suddenly came to her senses and realized that she had been led to a secluded corner of the park where there were very few people.

Luo Bei had come here for walks during her high school years and had seen a couple from the urban village secretly dating here…..

It was clear that this place was relatively hidden.

Talking about business matters here? Luo Bei looked at Zhou Jianguo suspiciously.

In fact, Zhou Jianguo was also hesitant about confessing his feelings to Luo Bei. After all, he knew the outcome before even trying, as Luo Bei would not accept him. But he was persuaded by the apprentice, and Zhou Jianguo rarely did anything without absolute confidence, but this time is an exception.

It didn’t matter whether he was afraid of someone else stealing her away, as she was never his to begin with. It also had nothing to do with what the apprentice had said about occupying her attention for a while, as he was not that childish.

It was probably a strange feeling that he had never experienced before.

He wanted to express his liking for her, and the outcome no longer mattered. He just wanted to say it.

Before, he wanted a certain result, absolute certainty, but now he didn’t care about anything else. He just wanted to tell her that, no matter what the future held, he liked her at this moment.

Without waiting for Luo Bei to speak, Zhou Jianguo put his hands in his coat pockets, looked into her eyes, and slowly said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever done anything immoral before, and I don’t know if what I’m doing now, saying these words, is considered immoral. But don’t worry, I’m not asking for a result. You can still stand in your territory and abide by your rules. Just stand here and listen to me.”

He was so clear in his words that it was impossible for Luo Bei to not understand. She couldn’t help but hold her breath and look at him, and suddenly she couldn’t remember anyone or anything else.

She had been confessed to before, many times since childhood, but none had been like this. Obviously it was winter, and the temperature wasn’t high, she felt her cheeks heat up, spreading throughout her body.

Zhou Jianguo was not as calm as he appeared, he was also very nervous.

When he reached this point, under her gaze, the prepared lines didn’t come out.

It wasn’t as romantic and heartwarming as depicted in TV dramas. He didn’t even prepare a bouquet, there was no candlelight dinner, no stars as the backdrop. The two of them stood in this remote corner, braving the cold wind. Luo Bei’s nose had even turned red, and no matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a good place or time for a confession.

Zhou Jianguo reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a watch. He brought it close to Luo Bei, took her hand, and placed the watch in her palm.

“After I lost my memory, I didn’t have a wallet or any identification, and all my clothes were torn. But this watch was still in perfect condition. I looked it up online, and it’s a limited edition worldwide. If it’s real, its value should be enough to buy you a house. If it’s fake…just forget I said anything,” Zhou Jianguo paused. “I don’t have any other valuable things to give you except for this here….” he pointed to his chest. “That’s all I have. Beibei, I always tell you that I’m sure I don’t have a partner, but the fact is, I have no memory. It’s just a feeling, but the truth is the truth. I won’t ask for any response from you. Today, just take it as me acting on impulse. Although I haven’t had many impulses in my life…

“If this watch is real, it means I was very wealthy before. If one day I recover my memory and have a partner, it would be immoral for me to give you anything else. But this watch is an exception. I want to give you a light in the midst of all these worldly possessions. Even if I never recover my memory and no one confirms whether I have a partner or not, you can rest assured that today is the first and last time I will say this to make things difficult for you.

“Beibei, I respect you more than I like you because you have principles and rules that you cannot abandon. Even though I’m not a good person, I’m willing to follow your rules for the sake of being with you. Because if you’re unhappy, I’ll be unhappy too. The most important thing for two people being together is happiness, isn’t it? If you’re happy, I’ll be happy. Liking you doesn’t necessarily mean being with you. I just want you to be a little happier.”

After saying this, Zhou Jianguo fell silent.

The emotional matter is always simple. He was the one who had complicated things before.

When you don’t need a result and don’t force an outcome, many things become less important.

Luo Bei looked at the watch in her hand. Just as she was about to sniffle from the cold wind, suddenly a sound of footsteps came from afar. She and Zhou Jianguo both turned to look.

For the first time in her life, she had the opportunity to witness a scene that could only be seen on TV dramas.

Several men in black suits walked up to Zhou Jianguo and stood in front of him. They respectfully said, “Vice President, the boss wants us to take you back.”

Not only Luo Bei, but even Zhou Jianguo was dumbfounded.