Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

The next morning, Wen Zhi returned to Qionglou.

Shang Hexing had not yet left the house, and she entered the living room just as Shang Hexing came downstairs.

Meeting his gaze, Wen Zhi found herself unsure of where to place her hands, but she ultimately was the first to speak up and greeted him, "Mr. Shang."

She noticed that Shang Hexing was not wearing his usual executive jacket but a very formal suit with a business vest underneath, dignified yet steady.

He was likely attending an important banquet rather than an important event.

Shang Hexing responded to her from the staircase and passed by her after descending, "Come have breakfast."

Wen Zhi could clearly sense his indifferent attitude. She took a deep breath, turned around, but her feet did not move.

When Shang Hexing reached the dining table and sat down, he saw that Wen Zhi was still standing there and asked her, "Did you have breakfast before you came back?"

Wen Zhi shook her head, "No."

"Then you have no appetite." Shang Hexing withdrew his gaze, "You came back so early, go upstairs and get some more sleep, and rest up."

Wen Zhi pursed her lips, on the verge of saying something, but stopped.

At that moment, Chen Jinhai came in. He saw Wen Zhi at a glance, politely greeted her, and then walked towards the dining table.

With her sensitive mind, Wen Zhi naturally noticed Chen Jinhai’s attitude was different from usual.

In the end, she said nothing and turned to go upstairs.

After Shang Hexing finished breakfast, he called for Aunt Lin.

"Sir." Aunt Lin immediately came out of the kitchen.

Shang Hexing gave to-the-point instructions, "Cook some porridge, and remember to call her to eat."

Aunt Lin nodded.

Shang Hexing, "Also..."

Aunt Lin quietly waited for further instructions.

But Shang Hexing just retracted his words, "Nothing else, go and cook the porridge, remember not to add seafood, she doesn’t like it much."

Aunt Lin nodded and went back to the kitchen.

Chen Jinhai went upstairs to retrieve a box and opened it in front of Shang Hexing; inside was a tie clip made of gold and ceramic, adorned with a ruby and crafted with a pattern that was symbolic of traditional ceramic art. Every detail signified the considerable value of the tie clip.

Shang Hexing picked up the tie clip, "Do you think I should take the initiative to find her?"

Chen Jinhai looked surprised for a few seconds, as he had not expected Mr. Shang to ask for his opinion.

"Does Mr. Shang want to bring Miss Wen with him to the event?" Chen Jinhai had to guess at Mr. Shang’s thoughts.

Shang Hexing’s expression was cool and detached, "Right now, she can’t avoid me fast enough; she won’t accompany me."

Chen Jinhai hesitated to speak, "Mr. Shang..."

Shang Hexing, "Speak your mind."

Chen Jinhai immediately said, "It seems to me that Miss Wen has never taken you to heart."

"..."

It was a painful truth to hear.

But it was also the reality that Chen Jinhai observed.

Of course, he hoped that Mr. Shang and Miss Wen would be happy together, but seeing Mr. Shang’s one-sided initiative with Miss Wen giving no response, Chen Jinhai, despite his best wishes, still felt it wasn’t worth it for Mr. Shang.

If only Miss Wen would change her temperament.

Of course, he knew well that a person’s temperament, unless through major ups and downs and experiencing right and wrong, was difficult to change.

Shang Hexing fastened the tie clip to his tie, "The person capable of taking her heart will indeed not be me."

Chen Jinhai suggested, "Maybe Mr. Shang should talk to Miss Wen again."

"There’s nothing to talk about." Shang Hexing removed the tie clip and threw it back into the box, "She will just run away; she won’t talk to me."

The tone of the speech was neither light nor heavy, as if it were deliberately meant for someone to hear.

And just so happened, Wen Zhi was standing in the middle of the corridor, perfectly still, neither ascending nor descending.

She heard the conversation between Shang Hexing and Chen Jinhai, and she was sure that his last sentence was intended for her ears.

Because he had heard her descending the stairs.

"Miss Wen." At that moment, Chen Jinhai also saw Wen Zhi and nodded his head in greeting.

Wen Zhi had changed into a new outfit, a flesh pink form-fitting top paired with denim bell-bottoms, which accentuated her height and made her look incredibly slender.

She walked towards Shang Hexing and asked, standing in front of him, "Are you going out?"

Shang Hexing looked at Wen Zhi, who was approaching him proactively for the first time, and his gaze became involuntarily tender, "Master Zhou’s birthday celebration is at noon; I’m off to collect a birthday gift."

Master Zhou was the former Premier of Bai City, having retired a decade ago. It was the year Shang Hexing started his official career. Master Zhou had given him guidance and advice, a senior and a teacher. Shang Hexing would naturally attend the event in full dress.

Moreover, this was an influential figure with even more prestige than Lin City’s Master Tan.

Wen Zhi asked, "Will your colleagues also be attending?"

Shang Hexing: "A few will, a highly select few. Master Zhou’s birthday celebration is low-key and not to be publicized."

Wen Zhi then asked, "How will your colleagues be getting there?"

Shang Hexing gazed at Wen Zhi and said, "Accompanied by their wives, daughters, and other family members."

In such occasions, the married naturally bring their spouses, and those unmarried who could attend were also not young, so of course they needed to bring a presentable female companion along.

The first person who came to Wen Zhi’s mind was Xie Weiyue.

After a moment of hesitation, just when she was about to ask, Shang Hexing beat her to it, "I don’t have a companion to accompany me."

Wen Zhi was slightly taken aback.

Chen Jinhai, standing beside them, seemed a bit out of place. Understanding the situation, he discreetly moved aside, ready to wait outside.

"Chen Zhu, wait a moment."

Wen Zhi suddenly called out to Chen Jinhai.

Chen Jinhai stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Wen Zhi: "Miss Wen?"

Wen Zhi’s gaze fell on the box in Chen Jinhai’s hand, and she reached out, "May I take a look?"

Chen Jinhai unconsciously glanced at Shang Hexing, only to see Shang Hexing slightly tilting his head, indicating that he should show it to her.

Chen Jinhai then came back, opened the box, and presented it to Wen Zhi.

Wen Zhi picked up the tie clip and examined it carefully. It was made of gold, her favorite, adorned with ceramics and embedded with rubies.

It was beautiful and quite expensive.

"Do you like it?" He saw an unhidden admiration in her eyes.

Wen Zhi did not answer whether she liked it or not but suddenly reached out and grabbed Shang Hexing’s tie.

This movement was so unexpected that Shang Hexing, caught off guard, was pulled forward by Wen Zhi, leaning in as his body inclined slightly towards her.

Fortunately, he had a solid stance and quickly regained balance. When he looked down, he saw Wen Zhi attaching the tie clip to his tie.

Don’t ask what Shang Hexing’s reaction would be.

Chen Jinhai beside them was dumbfounded but quickly realized his presence was conspicuous. He quickly closed the box and stepped out first, leaving this rare moment of privacy to them.

After securing the tie clip, Wen Zhi took a moment to admire it: "It suits you very well."

Shang Hexing was silent for a while, quietly observing her.

Wen Zhi lifted her small face, her eyes smiling, "Don’t you like it yourself?"

It took Shang Hexing a good while to find his voice again, "I didn’t like it initially, but since you’ve put it on personally, I like it very much."

"That’s a stretch." she said.

A smile finally formed at the corner of Shang Hexing’s lips, "Would you like to hear the truth?"