Until the car pulled up right outside his studio door, Jiang Muzhou still showed no signs of waking up.
Shang Shiru adjusted the air conditioning vent slightly to the side, then rolled down the car windows a bit to keep the air inside circulating.
He opened the car door, took one look at the sleeping person inside, stepped out, and shut the door behind him.
The sky was just beginning to grow light, and early-rising birds searching for food chirped among the tree branches.
Feeling a dull ache in his limbs, Jiang Muzhou groggily opened his eyes, only to realize he had somehow slept in the car for several hours.
He sat up and looked to his side. The seat was completely empty, with only the car left running with the AC still on.
He pushed open the door and got out, scanning his surroundings. There was no sign of anyone else; Shang Shiru must have already left.
Jiang Muzhou sent Shang Shiru a text message: When are you free, I will bring the car back to you?
After turning off the engine and pulling out the keys, he waited for a moment, but received no reply.
Back on the second floor of the studio, he plugged in his phone, took a shower, hastily dried his hair, and collapsed onto the bed for a deep, uninterrupted sleep.
When he finally woke up, it was already close to noon. Picking up his phone from the nightstand, he saw several notifications waiting for him.
There were messages from Tong Hui, as well as a few from the motorcycle riding group.
He listened to a bit of Tong Hui’s rambling, lengthy voice message before exiting out before it finished. In short, Tong Hui had fallen in love and was showing off his relationship with gusto.
He looked through the motorcycle group messages one by one and replied to a few.
There was a single message from Shang Shiru: No rush. I am out of Beijing these next few days, so just leave it with you for now.
Jiang Muzhou replied: Alright, let me know when you are back.
Throughout the weekend, Jiang Muzhou spent most of his time in the air-conditioned room. He had a video call with Tong Hui, primarily to hear all about Tong Hui’s latest romantic feelings.
As someone driven entirely by sensations, Tong Hui claimed every single romance was his true love, only for that true love to quietly expire by the time a breakup rolled around.
Jiang Muzhou couldn’t bring himself to empathize. You are unbelievable. Still, you should take it easy and avoid breaking anyone’s heart.
Tong Hui tied his long hair into a small braid and looked at Jiang Muzhou on the small screen. My moral baseline is very high. Which of my breakups has not been clean and amicable?
Jiang Muzhou replied with heavy sarcasm: Oh, absolutely sky-high, considering every single partner is your true love.
Realizing he was being mocked, Tong Hui hung up the call immediately.
A moment later, a text message came through: Just wait and see. This time, it really does not get any truer than this.
A day later, Tong Hui posted a photo on his WeChat Moments of himself and his new girlfriend holding movie tickets, with the caption: Movie time.
Jiang Muzhou looked closely at the photo and clicked his tongue. Wait, is this not that cousin of Shang Shiru from last time?
Did this guy not claim all his relationships started with him taking the initiative, and that he hated when people chased after him?
How did he get reeled in and conquered after just a few days? And he was still calling it true love?
It certainly was true enough.
Monday morning.
After finishing breakfast and returning to the studio, Jiang Muzhou saw Ale and a few others gathered around the car, inspecting it.
Catching sight of him, Ale called out: Boss, did you strike it rich? You finally splurged on a car.
Jiang Muzhou glanced at them and said: It belongs to a friend. I am returning it to him in a few days.
Oh. The group looked a bit disappointed.
What? Want to go out for a trip? Jiang Muzhou smiled. Once this expo is over, we can find a place to unwind, and I will cover all the expenses.
Hearing this, Zhu Zhu instantly lit up: Boss, is this considered a team-building trip?
Yeah.
Can we bring plus-ones?
Everyone can bring one plus-one.
Yes!
Can we go on a weekday?
Yes.
Jiang Muzhou was not the type to sell grand visions with empty promises, but in this moment, he suddenly appreciated the practical benefits of dangling a carrot.
The employees’ motivation skyrocketed, pushing the project’s progress forward at a rapid pace. By the afternoon, work efficiency had shot up significantly.
It even had him wondering if he should go online to watch some motivational videos on how to pump up a team and pitch grand visions.
With this atmosphere sustaining them over the next few days, the project advanced quickly, and the basic demo video was finally completed. Jiang Muzhou watched through it once, gave his feedback for revisions, and left the rest to the team to execute.
As everyone returned to their desks to work, Jiang Muzhou looked through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors and spotted Tong Hui pulling up in his electric car.
After waiting for a moment, Tong Hui did not come inside.
Jiang Muzhou stood up and walked outside the studio to check the situation, only to find Tong Hui holding a cardboard box and walking in circles around the large G-Wagon parked next to his car.
Seeing Jiang Muzhou come out, Tong Hui frowned: This car looks so familiar.
Of course it looked familiar.
Jiang Muzhou smiled: Think about it. Here is a hint: your little girlfriend.
Hearing the hint, Tong Hui looked entirely distraught.
He shoved the box into Jiang Muzhou’s hands, stuck his head through the doorway to peer inside the studio, and muttered: Is he not here?
Amused by his sneaky behavior, Jiang Muzhou asked: Are you hoping he is here, or hoping he is not? Are you not dating his cousin right now? Running into your future brother-in-law is a great way to build rapport.
Tong Hui shook his head frantically: We… we have not reached the meet-the-parents stage yet, and besides…
Jiang Muzhou waited for the rest of the sentence.
Tong Hui hesitated: …Besides, this big brother-in-law of mine does not seem all that easy to get along with.
Jiang Muzhou led Tong Hui into the lounge and set the box down.
Hearing this, he thought back to Shang Shiru’s usual demeanor.
Under normal circumstances, Shang Shiru was dead serious and rarely smiled, only showing expression when actively conversing.
Last time, Tong Hui had not even spoken to Shang Shiru; he had only caught a glimpse from afar and been completely intimidated by his presence.
Plus, Dong Qianwen loved threatening him on a daily basis, warning him that if he treated her poorly, her eldest cousin would not let him off the hook.
All these accumulated behaviors had given Tong Hui the false impression that Shang Shiru was difficult to approach, at the very least, like some stern, high-ranking executive.
Tong Hui picked up a pair of scissors from the coffee table and opened the box. Jiang Muzhou looked over as Tong Hui pulled out a bag containing a package of dried mushrooms.
Tong Hui explained: These are dried goods my mom mailed over, and I brought a box for you.
Then, his gossiping side took over: Let me just ask out of curiosity, is that President Shang guy actually easy to get along with or not?
Did you just say you had not reached the meet-the-parents stage yet? Jiang Muzhou’s eyes held a teasing glint. What is this? Change your mind and want to start sucking up to him?
Th-this… does the big brother-in-law not already know about us? Who knows when we might run into each other.
Ever since they were kids, Jiang Muzhou had never seen Tong Hui look this nervous. He chuckled: From my interactions with him, that guy…
Tong Hui waited for the verdict.
Well… he is indeed a bit difficult to get along with.
Ah?
Far away across the ocean, where he was sleeping soundly, Shang Shiru suddenly let out a loud sneeze.
And woke up.