Chapter 701
He's Actually in Love
Xu Bo'an, who was still asleep, heard the phone ring. He groggily opened his phone and saw that it was his mother, Tang Rongzhi, calling. Xu Bo'an pressed the answer button and said, "Mom, is there something urgent that you're calling me so early in the morning?"
Tang Rongzhi said, "You brat, you're my son. Can't I call you if it's not something important? Honestly."
Xu Bo'an said, "Mom, that's not what I meant. I'm away from home all year round because I'm worried about you two."
Upon hearing her son's words, Tang Rongzhi finally smiled and said, "You little rascal, you do have a conscience. I called you this time to tell you that your aunt's daughter, Jing Shu, is going to have her eighteenth birthday celebration on the 26th of this month, which is eight days away. She's inviting us, her closest relatives, to come and celebrate. Are you busy lately? Do you have time to come?"
Xu Bo'an's mother, Tang Rongzhi, had five siblings. Tang Rongzhi was the eldest, with one younger sister and three younger brothers. Xu Bo'an's aunt was the youngest among Tang Rongzhi's siblings.
My aunt and uncle both work for a state-owned enterprise. Because they are a dual-income family, they only had one daughter named Bai Jingshu many years ago due to the one-child policy. Before my aunt got married, she was very good to Xu Bo'an.
Later, after I started working, I would often buy Xu Bo'an a lot of school supplies, snacks and toys whenever I saw him. Later, after my aunt got married, Xu Bo'an was still in elementary school. Whenever he had a holiday, he would stay at my aunt's house for a while. Every time he went to her house, my aunt and uncle would cook delicious meals for him and take him to the amusement park to play. Therefore, Xu Bo'an liked to stay at my aunt's house when he was a child.
Later, as he grew older and entered junior high school, the academic pressure gradually increased, and his aunt and uncle also had their own daughter, so Xu Bo'an didn't visit them as often.
Moreover, as Xu Bo'an's maternal grandparents got older, in order to keep them from feeling lonely, Tang Rongzhi and her siblings usually gathered at their grandparents' house for holidays and festivals.
However, whenever it was Xu Bo'an's birthday or during holidays, his aunt and uncle would always send him a red envelope or buy him some gifts, so Xu Bo'an felt that his aunt and uncle were very close to him.
Now that Xu Bo'an heard his mother say that his aunt's daughter was having her coming-of-age ceremony, Xu Bo'an naturally had to go.
Thinking of this, Xu Bo'an said, "My aunt and uncle were so good to me when I was little, so I definitely have to go to Jing Shu's coming-of-age ceremony now."
Tang Rongzhi said, "Okay, then my parents will visit you in a few days, and our whole family would like to come along."
Xu Bo'an said, "Okay, let me know in advance when you and Dad are coming so I can pick you up!"
Tang Rongzhi said, "Okay, I'll let you know when the time comes. Take care of yourself while you're away alone!"
Xu Bo'an said, "Okay, Mom!"
The mother and son exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up the phone.
Xu Bo'an was startled awake by his mother's phone call. Now wide awake, he got up, ate breakfast, and with nothing to do, he lay on the sofa and started scrolling through short videos on his phone. After a while, his phone rang again. Seeing that the phone was always on, Xu Bo'an answered the call.
Then Shi Changliang said on the other end of the phone, "Brother Xu, I'd like to invite you to lunch. Would that be convenient for you?"
Xu Bo'an was quite surprised that Shi Changliang, this straight-laced engineering student, had actually invited him to dinner. Xu Bo'an said to Shi Changliang with a teasing tone, "Oh? Has the sun risen in the west? You actually invited me to dinner?"
On the other end of the phone, Shi Changliang truthfully replied, "Oh...oh, Brother Xu, it's like this, Shu Yu said that you helped him last time and wanted to invite you to dinner, so he asked me to call you. I wonder if you're free at noon, Brother Xu?"
Xu Bo'an asked, "Shu Yu? Which Shu Yu?"
Shi Changliang said, "Oh, Brother Xu, that's my classmate Qin Shuyu, do you remember her?"
Xu Bo'an clearly remembered that Chang Liang used Qin Shuyu's real name before, so why did he change his address today? Xu Bo'an's intuition told him that there must be something fishy going on between the two of them.
Then Xu Bo'an said half-jokingly, "Hey, Xiao Liang, you're addressing this female classmate quite affectionately! Is there something... um? You know what I mean!"
On the other end of the phone, Shi Changliang said somewhat embarrassedly, "Um...um...that...Brother Xu, Shu Yu and I are now boyfriend and girlfriend, so the way we address each other has naturally changed."
Xu Bo'an thought Qin Shuyu and Shi Changliang were a good match, and said with a smile, "Not bad, Xiao Liang, I didn't realize you were so capable. Congratulations, as your older brother, I definitely have to go."
Shi Changliang said, "That's great. I'll tell Shuyu later, and I'll send you the address once she's booked the restaurant."
After exchanging a few words, the two hung up the phone.
A short while later, Xu Bo'an saw a WeChat message from Shi Changliang. Upon opening the message, he saw the restaurant address that Shi Changliang had sent him.
Xu Bo'an spent the morning enjoying his leisure time. Around 11:30 a.m., he went to the garage, got into the car, set the navigation, told Shi Changliang on WeChat, and then drove towards the restaurant that Shi Changliang and the others had booked.
About twenty minutes later, they arrived at their destination. After parking the car, Xu Bo'an walked towards the restaurant entrance. Chang Liang and Qin Shuyu were already waiting at the restaurant entrance before Xu Bo'an arrived.
Shi Changliang said, "Brother Xu, you've arrived. Let's go inside quickly."
After greeting Xu Bo'an, Qin Shuyu and Xu Bo'an walked together into the restaurant. It was a high-end Western restaurant with an elegant ambiance. They found a seat by the window and sat down.
Then a waiter came over and politely said, "Please order."
Qin Shuyu spoke first to Xu Bo'an, saying, "Brother Xu, just have some."
Xu Bo'an didn't stand on ceremony. He took the menu, ordered, and said to the waiter, "Okay, that's all." After the waiter left, the group started chatting. Qin Shuyu had encountered Chen Zhengqian making things difficult for her while shopping last time, and Xu Bo'an had rescued her. Chen Zhengqian had even threatened Qin Shuyu, saying he would make sure she couldn't work at Dongjiang Mining. After Qin Shuyu told Xu Bo'an, who happened to know Lu Yan, the vice president of Dongjiang Mining, he called him and asked him to look after Qin Shuyu. That's how Qin Shuyu was saved from being fired.
Qin Shuyu wanted to invite Xu Bo'an to dinner to thank him for his help.
Qin Shuyu spoke first, saying, "Brother Xu, thank you so much for what happened last time. Not only was I not fired, but I was also promoted ahead of schedule."
Upon hearing Qin Shuyu's words, Xu Bo'an thought to himself that Lu Yan's ability to handle this matter well meant that Lu Yan, the second-in-command of the mining group, was not as simple as he seemed, and that he possessed considerable strength. Xu Bo'an said, "It's nothing, no need to be so polite. Besides, you are now Xiao Liang's girlfriend, which means you are my sister-in-law. Helping you with this is what I, as the elder brother, should do."
The two young people, who had just started dating, were a little embarrassed when they heard Xu Bo'an say that. Qin Shuyu smiled at Xu Bo'an, while Shi Changliang raised his hand to adjust his glasses and said to Xu Bo'an with some shyness, "Brother Xu, you are too kind to me."
As the group was talking, the dishes were being served one by one by the waiters.
Shi Changliang said, "Brother Xu, let's eat quickly."
Just as Xu Bo'an picked up his chopsticks to eat, a very arrogant voice suddenly rang out, "Waiter, come here quickly, what's going on?"
Upon hearing the voice, Xu Bo'an, Shi Changliang, and the others instinctively looked towards it.
The waiter quickly went to the customer, bowed his head, and said very respectfully, "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
The customer who had spoken loudly earlier pointed at the spot where Xu Bo'an and his group were and said, "We clearly reserved that spot first, how come someone else has taken it? Make room for me right now."
Upon hearing the customer's words, the waiter quickly explained, "Sir, I'm so sorry, I didn't receive any prior notice that that table had already been booked."
The arrogant man said, "I really don't know how you provide service. We were just sitting there, but something came up and we had to leave temporarily before we could order, and someone else took our seats. Make them move out of the way!"
The waiter said timidly, "I'm so sorry, this table was empty just now. We thought there were no customers at this table. You see, the guests at that table have all their food served. It wouldn't be right to ask them to move now. There are other seats in the restaurant. Would you like to choose another one?"
The arrogant customer practically yelled at the waiter, "I don't care, we were here first! You better make room for me right now, or my brother will see us and you'll be in big trouble! You'll be out of a job!"
The waitress was young, clearly someone who had just started working. Hearing the threatening words, her eyes instantly filled with tears, and she didn't know what to do for a moment.
Xu Bo'an couldn't stand it any longer, so he stood up from his chair and said to the customer in a low voice, "What kind of skill is it for a grown man to make things difficult for a young girl? Aren't you ashamed?"
Upon hearing Xu Bo'an's words, the man strode aggressively toward Xu Bo'an. After getting close, he pointed at Xu Bo'an and shouted, "You've taken someone else's spot and you still think you're right? Get out of my way!"
Xu Bo'an was too lazy to argue with such a hothead. The purpose of going out to eat was to have fun, not to get into a fight. Besides, Xu Bo'an saw that the waiter had just started working and it must have been tough for him. Xu Bo'an said calmly, "Since this seat is yours, we can just make room for you. You can sit here."
The arrogant and domineering man instantly felt as if he had punched a cotton ball, and he didn't say anything more.
Just as Xu Bo'an was about to call a waiter to move the things, another person walked over and said to the arrogant man from before, "What's going on?"
The arrogant man explained to the newcomer. When Xu Bo'an turned around, he saw that the newcomer was actually an acquaintance. After listening to the explanation, the newcomer also looked towards Xu Bo'an. When he saw that it was Xu Bo'an and Qin Shuyu, he was furious.
Last time, because of Qin Shuyu, he was really messed up by Xu Bo'an. Afterwards, he wanted to get revenge on Xu Bo'an and Qin Shuyu. He wanted to make Xu Bo'an lose his job and prevent Qin Shuyu from getting a permanent position. However, he heard from his father that Lu Yan of the mining group had a very powerful background. He didn't know what the relationship was between Lu Yan and Qin Shuyu. It was said that Lu Yan had specially arranged for Qin Shuyu to get a permanent position. He couldn't touch Qin Shuyu for the time being, so he could let the little girl have her way for a while. It was said that Lu Yan was only using this place as a stepping stone and would be transferred again after a while. He wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Qin Shuyu after a short time.
Chen Zhengqian was planning to mess with Xu Bo'an, but after making inquiries, he discovered that Xu Bo'an had already been fired from the company. Before he could even make a move, Xu Bo'an had already tripped up himself, which suited Chen Zhengqian's wishes perfectly, saving him the trouble of doing it himself.
Chen Zhengqian already harbored resentment towards Xu Bo'an because of the previous incident. Now that he knew Xu Bo'an had been fired from the company, he said to Xu Bo'an with disdain, "Heh, you have to move the table when you're told to. You've become much more obedient since being fired from the company."
Xu Bo'an saw that Chen Zhengqian was in cahoots with the arrogant man from before. Xu Bo'an originally planned to clear the table, too lazy to argue with them. Unexpectedly, Chen Zhengqian was deliberately walking into the line of fire. It seemed that he hadn't been beaten into submission last time. Since he wanted to run into the line of fire this time, then let him run into it even more fiercely.
Thinking of this, Xu Bo'an said to the waiter, "Don't bother with the paperwork, let's sit at this table."
Upon hearing Xu Bo'an's words, the waiter's expression instantly soured. He thought to himself, "Why am I so miserable?" He felt caught in the middle, caught between a rock and a hard place. He realized he should have studied harder back then; being a waiter was no easy job. He felt like a pitiful punching bag, his face full of pain.
Xu Bo'an noticed the waiter's troubled expression and kindly reminded him, "This is none of your business. We sat at this table ourselves, it has nothing to do with you. You can leave now."
Upon hearing Xu Bo'an's words, the waiter quickly ran away, feeling a surge of relief.
Chen Zhengqian was completely furious with Xu Bo'an and didn't care about anything else; whether the waiter was there or not was none of his business.
Even when Xu Bo'an was the head of Dongjiang No. 2 Construction Company, Chen Zhengqian didn't take Xu Bo'an seriously at all, just because his father was the head of the mining group.
Not to mention that Xu Bo'an is currently unemployed, so Chen Zhengqian would be even less likely to take Xu Bo'an seriously.
(End of this chapter)