Xie Qian knew Song Foxiang had approached Zou Weijun. When Zou Weijun got home from work, he subtly steered the conversation towards it. Zou Weijun brushed it off, “I don’t have the energy for that. I flat-out refused.”
Just as Xie Qian had guessed.
He figured his mother wouldn’t be interested in planning someone’s biography publication.
Zou Weijun thought her refusal had put an end to the matter of planning a biography for “Mr. Zhao.” Xie Qian, however, knew it wouldn’t be so simple.
If Xie Qian had to say this was connected to Xie Jinghu, he’d find it hard to speak.
Whatever Xie Jinghu’s intentions were, they were utterly disgusting!
Xie Qian could only bring up his own situation, “Mum, this Zhao Dong you mentioned, I think I know him.”
Xie Qian briefly recounted how Zhao Qian had pestered him, including how Zhao Dong tried to “bribe” Wen Ying by offering to send her abroad. Zou Weijun listened, dumbfounded.
Was she that out of touch with society? Were there really such people?
Wen Ying was such a grounded girl, yet Zhao Dong, to get his sister to befriend Xie Qian, tried to ship Wen Ying overseas?
Was he out of his mind?
Thankfully, Wen Ying wasn’t fooled by Zhao Dong.
Zou Weijun frowned, “Is that girl, Zhao Qian, still bothering you?”
Xie Qian had been popular since childhood, and Zou Weijun knew it.
From kindergarten, girls were clamouring to “marry” Xie Qian.
When Zou Weijun picked him up from school, the teachers often teased her about it.
Zou Weijun didn’t find the girls’ behaviour excessive. Everyone loves beauty, and the little girls just instinctively wanted to play with Xie Qian, not understanding what marriage even meant. There was no malice.
But Zhao Qian’s case was different.
Relying on her family’s wealth, thinking she could have anything she wanted, Zou Weijun couldn’t control how others spoiled their kids.
But was Xie Qian an object?
No!
He was a living person!
Ignoring Xie Qian’s own wishes, insisting on “being friends” with him, even enlisting her parents’ help—this girl was too overbearing and disrespectful!
Zou Weijun’s imagination ran wild, “So you think Zhao Dong asking me to plan his biography is just a roundabout way to help his sister?”
Not quite.
Zhao Dong had already given up on making Xie Qian and Zhao Qian “friends.”
Xie Qian couldn’t tell the truth and was happy to let Zou Weijun misunderstand.
“Who knows what he’s thinking? It just feels like too much of a coincidence. With so many people in the publishing department, he specifically asked for you. I’m not saying you’re not excellent at your job, but it feels off, like he’s doing you some big favour.”
Exactly!
Zou Weijun wanted genuine recognition, not this vague “favour.”
This was an insult to her abilities. She worked to set an example for Xie Qian and to find herself.
Now, Zou Weijun not only had a bad impression of Zhao Dong but also lumped Song Foxiang and Editor Wan, who’d lobbied for him, into the category of untrustworthy opportunists.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Anyone willing to run errands for Zhao Dong couldn’t be any good.
“Is Zhao Qian still pestering you?”
“Zhao Qian transferred to Beijing last summer.”
With Beijing so far from Rongcheng, Zhao Qian couldn’t pester him even if she wanted to.
Zou Weijun understood: Zhao Qian must have transferred to Beijing for Xie Qian, only for Xie Qian to transfer to Rongcheng, causing them to miss each other.
Zou Weijun wanted to ask why Xie Qian hadn’t told her sooner. Then she remembered “last summer,” and her mood sank.
She couldn’t blame Xie Qian for not telling her.
Last summer, even if he had, she wouldn’t have cared about such a “small matter.”
Back then, her mind and heart were elsewhere.
What an unfit mother she was!
Xie Qian, sensitive to his mother’s mood shift, followed the psychologist’s advice to distract her when she was low. Not wanting to dwell on Zhao Dong, he brought up Wen Ying, “Wen Ying went to Hunan this weekend with Teacher Yuan. They secured an endorsement deal for Li Mengjiao and also pushed for Tianjiao’s first drama, which is nearing completion.”
Zou Weijun’s attention shifted, “Wen Ying’s that capable?”
Xie Qian was always fair in his words. If he said Wen Ying helped, she must have contributed.
Xie Qian had a few friends at school, but he was closest to Wen Ying, and Zou Weijun was most familiar with her.
Hearing Wen Ying went to Hunan to pitch the drama, Zou Weijun was puzzled, “Why didn’t you go with her? You invested three million in that drama. Don’t you care at all?”
No matter how capable a girl is, she shouldn’t handle everything alone. Good friends should share the burden, especially since Xie Qian invested money. Wen Ying, a screenwriter, was concerned about whether the drama would sell, so Xie Qian, as an investor, should care about its progress.
And since it was Xie Qian’s own money, why did he insist on Zou Weijun delivering it to Tianjiao? She couldn’t quite figure it out.
Was this a trait of teenage psychology?
*The Shush, Little Secret* series really should continue.
Zou Weijun felt she needed to understand Xie Qian better, unaware her question stumped him.
Why didn’t he go to Hunan?
He was too busy being annoyed.
Because Hamster was running around with Yuan Fenghui, wasting an entire weekend.
And going to Hunan was one thing, but doing it secretly showed a guilty conscience.
If he’d gone to Hunan, how could he still control Hamster?
Prompted by Zou Weijun, Xie Qian pondered the issue. His scholar’s mind, sharper than most, quickly found a reasonable excuse: next time, he’d bring a stack of test papers to Hunan, and Hamster couldn’t question him then.
“Yeah, I know what to do next time.”
…
“Achoo!”
Recording a song on day one, shooting an ad on day two, then flying back to Rongcheng overnight—Li Mengjiao was exhausted, and even Wen Ying was drained.
Yuan Fenghui, like a triumphant general, might have slightly less stamina with age, but her energy and intellect were at their peak. After a hectic weekend, she was still vibrant. Wen Ying sneezed loudly as they left the airport, and Yuan Fenghui reminded her to take cold medicine at home.
“Mengjiao, you too. You’re not used to this high-intensity travel pace.”
Li Mengjiao truly wasn’t, but Wen Ying felt she was used to it in a past life.
Sneezing right off the plane? Someone must be talking about her.
At the airport exit, Wen Ying spotted Old Wen’s second-hand Fukang.
She instinctively shrank back, then bent down to check. Only Old Wen was in the car.
Manager Chen wasn’t there?!
Wen Ying’s neck snapped back to normal.
Li Mengjiao’s family came to pick her up, also giving Yuan Fenghui a ride. Wen Ying slid into the passenger seat, noticing up close that Comrade Old Wen looked haggard.
“Dad, didn’t sleep well this weekend?”
Wen Dongrong gripped the steering wheel tightly, giving Wen Ying a smile that was all skin, no heart.
A man who slept in the car for two nights would, of course, look worn out. And Wen Ying had the nerve to bring it up!
