Chapter 20
Chen Ju was led away from the crowd by Jiang Zhou. The suffocating feeling in his chest faded, but a powerful sense of unease surged in its place.
He’d messed things up again.
What if, after the banquet ended, Jiang Zhou was so dissatisfied with him that he terminated their contract?
Although Jiang Zhou had been the one to approach him about working together, Chen Ju was the one who couldn’t afford to lose this arrangement. If the contract ended, there was no way he could come up with his mother’s hospital fees in six months.
“Chen Ju?”
A hand grabbed his shoulder. The pain jolted Chen Ju out of his panicked thoughts, and he looked up to meet Jiang Zhou’s pitch-black eyes.
Jiang Zhou frowned, a flicker of impatience in his eyes. “What are you thinking about? I’ve called you several times, and you didn’t hear me.”
“Nothing!” Chen Ju said at once.
Jiang Zhou stared at him, his large hand still gripping Chen Ju’s arm. “Chen Ju, do you know how terrible you are at lying?”
From back then until now, Jiang Zhou had always been able to tell at a glance when he was lying.
Chen Ju clutched the hem of his clothes and darted a nervous glance around. Then he pointed at the dessert table nearby. “I’m hungry. I was, was going to ask if I could have something to eat.”
As if to prove that Chen Ju was telling the truth, his stomach let out a series of growls as soon as he finished speaking.
Chen Ju’s face immediately turned bright red. He hurriedly covered his stomach with a hand. He’d eaten two big bowls of rice at lunch. Why was he still so hungry?
A soft laugh came from above. Jiang Zhou smiled. Chen Ju had always wanted Jiang Zhou to smile at him, but not like this—not mockingly.
The backs of Chen Ju’s ears burned, and his heart felt as if an invisible hand had seized it. Head bowed, he murmured, “I don’t want to eat anymore.”
Jiang Zhou took his hand. His was so much larger that it easily engulfed Chen Ju’s. He paid no attention to what Chen Ju had said and led him to a nearby table laden with sushi and other Japanese food.
“If you’re hungry, have some of this. I don’t want to hear you complaining about a toothache later,” Jiang Zhou said coolly.
Chen Ju glanced at the table with the desserts. It had been such a long time since he’d eaten any, and his cavity hadn’t hurt in ages.
He swallowed quietly and looked away. Several pieces of sushi were already on the plate in front of him. When he looked up, Jiang Zhou was standing beside him with a pair of serving tongs in hand. Frowning, he picked up another piece of sushi and put it on the plate.
“Take more if you’re still hungry,” Jiang Zhou said, setting down the tongs.
“Oh, thank you.” Chen Ju picked up the plate and put a piece of sushi in his mouth. Someone came over to chat with Jiang Zhou while he was eating, and Chen Ju hurriedly swallowed the sushi after barely chewing it.
He ate too quickly and choked. He hurriedly patted his chest several times before managing to swallow the sushi.
Thank goodness. That had almost been embarrassing. Chen Ju let out a breath of relief, then looked up to find a glass of water in front of him.
“Eat more slowly.” Jiang Zhou spoke to him, but didn’t look his way.
Chen Ju took the glass and quietly said, “Thank you.”
“Long time no see, Jiang Zhou.” The speaker was a young, handsome man about the same height as Jiang Zhou. He immediately noticed Chen Ju standing beside him and exclaimed in delight, “Where’d you find this kid? He’s so cute.”
As he spoke, he reached out toward Chen Ju. Unsure what the man intended, Chen Ju stood stiffly without moving.
The next second, the man’s hand was blocked. Jiang Zhou stepped in front of Chen Ju, frowning as he looked at the man with displeasure.
“Song Qingtan.” Jiang Zhou said the man’s name in warning, his gaze icy.
Song Qingtan showed no sign of alarm. Instead, he shrugged with a grin. “Are you serious this time, Jiang Zhou? I can’t even touch him?”
“It’s your party tonight. You wouldn’t want me to refuse to show you some respect, would you?” Jiang Zhou said with a faint smile.
“All right, all right, Young Master Jiang.” Song Qingtan chuckled and slung an arm over Jiang Zhou’s shoulder like an old pal. “No wonder I haven’t been able to get you to come out these past few days. You’ve got a new flame~”
Jiang Zhou’s gaze turned cold. He grabbed the paw draped over his shoulder, and the next moment Song Qingtan was yelping and begging for mercy.
“I was wrong, I was wrong! Young Master Jiang, please spare me!”
Not wanting to attract too much attention, Jiang Zhou let go. The moment he was free, Song Qingtan changed his tune and ducked behind Chen Ju. “Kid, take a good look at your boyfriend’s true colors. Leave him, quick!”
Chen Ju knew the man had misunderstood, but hearing the word “boyfriend” still made him happy. Blushing shyly, he murmured, “My name is Chen Ju, not ‘kid.’ I’m twenty-three.”
“Twenty-three?” Song Qingtan looked astonished. He leaned close and scrutinized Chen Ju, then clicked his tongue. “You’d never know. I thought you were in high school at most. But it really is a shame for a cute kid like you to be paired with a block of ice like Jiang Zhou. How about giving your Big Brother a chance instead?”
This was the first time Chen Ju had encountered a situation like this. He didn’t know how to react, so he stood stiffly and looked to Jiang Zhou for help.
Song Qingtan finished speaking with a radiant smile and reached out to drape a paw over Chen Ju’s shoulder. The next moment, Jiang Zhou grabbed Chen Ju’s arm and pulled him over to his side without a word.
Feeling Jiang Zhou’s warmth, Chen Ju’s tense nerves relaxed. He instinctively clutched the hem of Jiang Zhou’s clothes and tucked himself behind him.
“You’ve been awfully talkative tonight.” Jiang Zhou looked at Song Qingtan with a cold gleam in his eyes and curled his lips into a smile. “Looks like you can handle the contract we discussed yesterday on your own after all.”
“Oh, Young Master Jiang, I was joking! I’ll stop messing around, I swear!” Song Qingtan coughed twice into his fist, his expression turning serious. Then he bent at the waist and bowed to Chen Ju, calling out loudly, “Sister-in-law, I’m sorry about that!”
“Sister-in-law?!”
Chen Ju’s face instantly turned tomato-red, and his eyes grew hot. He clutched Jiang Zhou’s clothes and hid behind him, pressing his forehead against Jiang Zhou’s back to cover his whole face.
“Shut up.” Jiang Zhou couldn’t take it anymore and kicked Song Qingtan in the calf.
Song Qingtan was thick-skinned and didn’t get angry. He just chuckled. “By the way, speaking of the contract, there really is something I need to discuss with you.”
Jiang Zhou glanced at the hem of his clothes caught in Chen Ju’s grip. “Tomorrow.”
“It’ll only take a little while—less than twenty minutes, tops,” Song Qingtan said. “Don’t worry. No one would dare lay a hand on the kid at my place.”
Jiang Zhou paused for a few seconds, then turned his head to look at Chen Ju behind him. “I’ll be away for a little while. Wait here, and don’t wander off.”
“Mm.” Chen Ju reluctantly let go. He didn’t like being alone in a crowded place.
“If you’re hungry, have some sushi,” Jiang Zhou added.
Chen Ju nodded, clenched his hand, and looked up with a smile. “I-I’m fine. Go take care of your business.”
“Mm.” Jiang Zhou looked at Chen Ju once more before turning and leaving with Song Qingtan.