Meeting

Chen Ju carried his heavy luggage and took two buses before finally reaching the place Jiang Zhou had mentioned. It was an upscale mall, with two uniformed attendants standing at the entrance.

People passing by cast odd looks at Chen Ju’s gear. He gripped the straps of his backpack and lowered his head as he walked into a dark, deserted corner.

If he went inside looking like this, they’d definitely take him for a homeless person.

His phone rang again. The sound seemed especially jarring in the corner, startling Chen Ju so badly that he fumbled to answer it.

“Have you arrived? Why are you taking so long?” Jiang Zhou’s displeased voice came through the receiver.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” Chen Ju said quickly. “J-just two minutes.”

“Two minutes? Are you sure?” At the mall entrance, Jiang Zhou swept his gaze around, but couldn’t see Chen Ju anywhere.

“Mm, two minutes. I’ll be there very, very soon!” Chen Ju gritted his teeth and hid his backpack and quilt in the greenery nearby.

The call ended before Jiang Zhou could say anything. He stared at his phone screen, his brows drawing together.

This was the second time today.

“Jiang Zhou!” a man called timidly. Jiang Zhou looked up. The man who hadn’t been there a moment ago appeared in the distance and jogged toward him.

Chen Ju stopped in front of Jiang Zhou, breathing slightly hard. It had been a long time since he’d run like this.

“Two minutes. I’m right on time, aren’t I?” Chen Ju’s lips curled up, and his bright, dark eyes were like a lake struck by a pebble, rippling.

Jiang Zhou looked at Chen Ju without saying a word.

Seeing the indifference in Jiang Zhou’s eyes, Chen Ju suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly lowered his head. The smile on his face was replaced by fear and awkwardness.

Oh no, when he’d come out just now and seen Jiang Zhou waiting at the entrance, he’d been so happy that he’d lost his head, thinking he was back in high school.

Hadn’t his attitude just now upset Jiang Zhou?

Chen Ju stared at his fingers, not daring to raise his head. Should he apologize? But he’d arrived on time. He hadn’t done anything wrong...

“Let’s go in,” Jiang Zhou said coldly.

Chen Ju looked up. Jiang Zhou had already turned and entered the mall, and Chen Ju hurried after him.

The mall was huge, filled with shops with English names. Chen Ju knew these brands were expensive; a single item could cost two months of his wages. What had Jiang Zhou brought him here for?

Jiang Zhou went straight into a clothing store. Chen Ju looked up at the sign and was startled, instinctively grabbing Jiang Zhou’s sleeve.

Jiang Zhou turned his head slightly, his brows faintly furrowed as he looked at Chen Ju coolly. “What is it?”

Chen Ju glanced around, leaned closer, and lowered his voice. “The clothes here are really, really expensive.”

“I know.” Jiang Zhou’s gaze fell on Chen Ju’s hand gripping his sleeve. Chen Ju hurriedly let go and drew it back.

As soon as Jiang Zhou entered the store, the sales associates immediately crowded around him, barely concealing their excitement. Chen Ju followed behind and heard them whispering.

“Eldest Young Master Jiang actually came to the store alone. Why didn’t anyone give us a heads-up?”

“Should we contact the manager?”

“Stop chatting. Since Eldest Young Master came alone, he doesn’t want to draw too much attention. Treat him like any other customer,” an older woman said. The employees gathered around her immediately dispersed.

Eldest Young Master Jiang... Chen Ju clenched the hem of his clothes. He’d forgotten that Jiang Zhou was now a wealthy boss, still treating him like the poor boy in high school who had to work every day. Now he was the poor one.

“Bring these three outfits for him to try on.” Jiang Zhou’s cool voice rang out.

His voice drew everyone’s attention to Chen Ju. Only then did the employees notice the almost invisible Chen Ju.

“Huh?” Chen Ju looked up, startled, and hurriedly waved his hands. “N-no, that’s not necessary. I have clothes to wear...”

“Little Orange, didn’t we agree?” Jiang Zhou walked over and naturally draped an arm around Chen Ju’s shoulders. His lowered eyes held a gentle glimmer. “Your birthday is coming up. This is your present.”

Chen Ju froze and stared at Jiang Zhou in surprise, wondering if he’d misheard—or if he was so sleep-deprived that he was having both auditory and visual hallucinations.

Jiang Zhou pinched the ticklish spot at his waist. Chen Ju jolted back to his senses, looked up, and caught a hint of warning in Jiang Zhou’s eyes. He quickly understood that they were acting and hurriedly said, “Oh, oh.”

“Go try them on first. If you don’t like them, we’ll pick something else, all right?” Jiang Zhou said gently. His expression was as unchanged as it had been before entering the store, but his whole presence seemed to have transformed.

“Mm.” Chen Ju lowered his head, his face flushed bright red. Even though he knew they were acting, he still felt flattered and overwhelmed.

While changing, Chen Ju made sure to check the price tag. The outfit cost over 10,000 yuan. If Jiang Zhou hadn’t been waiting outside, he wouldn’t even have dared touch it.

After changing, Chen Ju stepped awkwardly out of the fitting room. Jiang Zhou glanced at him, then suddenly walked over. Chen Ju jumped, straightened his back, and didn’t dare move.

Jiang Zhou stopped right in front of him, standing very close—almost face to face. Chen Ju’s heart pounded nervously. He swallowed hard, not knowing what Jiang Zhou was going to do.

Two large hands suddenly settled on his waist. Their warm palms radiated through the fabric to his skin. Chen Ju felt a tingling sensation; his waist seemed to lose all strength, turning soft and weak in an instant.

“You’re too thin.” Jiang Zhou bent down, his cheek very close. His warm breath brushed Chen Ju’s ear as he spoke. Chen Ju’s face flushed red, and his head felt like a boiling kettle, nothing but a buzzing in his ears.

“Bring me that white down jacket,” Jiang Zhou said in a low voice as he released him.

A sales associate hurriedly brought the down jacket over and, as usual, prepared to help Chen Ju put it on. Jiang Zhou raised a hand and said coolly, “Just give it to me.”

The sales associate froze for a moment, then quickly handed the down jacket to Jiang Zhou.

“Raise your arms.” Chen Ju obediently lifted his arms and let Jiang Zhou do as he pleased.

Jiang Zhou draped the down jacket over his shoulders and helped him into both sleeves. Then, with his eyes lowered, he gently zipped it up, pulled the collar of Chen Ju’s shirt out from beneath the knitted neckline, and carefully straightened it.

“There. Look in the mirror and see if you like it.” Jiang Zhou looked up, a trace of amusement rippling in his eyes. His fingers brushed past Chen Ju’s ear as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind it.

The places he’d touched felt scorching hot, as if burned by fire. Chen Ju nodded in a fluster and walked over to the mirror.

Even dressed in clean, neat designer clothes, the man in the mirror still had a faint flush on both cheeks, and his eyes revealed unease and discomfort.

Chen Ju hadn’t looked at himself in the mirror like this for a long time, so in his mind he’d always remained the boy from high school who hadn’t grown up.

And now, looking at the thin, unhealthy-looking man in the mirror, Chen Ju finally felt that five years had truly passed.