What do you want in life

Chapter 58 Don't Want to Lose Your Smile (9)
Hearing someone coming in, several people in the conference room turned their gazes to the door at the same time, and Mr. Qiao got up enthusiastically to introduce them, "Mr. Shen, come, let me introduce you. This is Fan Zhijun, the vice president of marketing of Kelan. Boss, Boss Fan has served Kelan for seven years. He is the oldest senior manager among all senior managers and the boss who can best grasp the direction of Kelan. We specially entrusted this project of your company to Boss Fan. Come to operate, and hope that with his experience and strength, the cooperation between our two companies will be smooth!"

Fan Zhijun was filled with disdain when he heard Qiao Zongxin's nonsense, but it was undeniable that in order to set off Ke Lan's emphasis on Shen, he deliberately elevated his position in Ke Lan. Even though it is filled with water, it is still very comfortable to listen to.

Over there, Shen Juncheng had already stood up, shook hands with Fan Zhijun who was facing him in the corridor, and the host and guest sat down again.

Xiaoying chose the seat farthest away from the guests and at the same time the most inconspicuous, and carefully hid herself in it. Unfortunately, the oval table is so long, no matter how she dodges, everyone can be seen in full view , including Shen Juncheng.

Shen Juncheng sat in the center of Shen's guests, just diagonally to Xiaoying. She only needed to raise her head slightly to catch his gaze. This awkward angle made Xiaoying have to look at his face all the time. Left and right to avoid gaffes when making eye contact with him.Even so, she still saw him clearly after three years of absence in the process of shifting her gaze randomly.

In the air-conditioned room, which is as warm as spring, he only wears a silver-gray shirt, the buttons on the cuffs are fastened meticulously, and his hair is still cut short. His dressing taste seems to be the same as three years ago, and he talks about The attitude of smiling freely and that mature and steady face made her feel strange.Even if his eyes occasionally passed her face, Xiaoying did not feel the slightest touch and influence from the past.

He and her, sitting in this office, are like two strangers, strange and full of distance.

When Xiaoying's eyes touched his hands casually placed on the table, her heart felt as if she had been stung by something, and finally felt a little pain. His slender, white fingers were not a little clean. As an extra, she subconsciously touched the wedding ring on her right ring finger.

Most of the time, it was this little thing that I didn't care much about at ordinary times, reminding myself at critical moments that today is different from the past, they have long been separated by a small ring, and there is no longer any relationship between them.

Xiaoying took a deep breath, forcing herself to get out of the trance memory, and fully integrate into the hot spot that everyone is paying attention to.

When hearing bursts of cheerful laughter and ridicule one after another, Xiaoying realized that the prospect of this cooperation should not be too bad.

When she raised her head again, her eyes just fell on the woman sitting next to Shen Juncheng.

This is probably the legendary Xiao Yuxin, because she is the only woman among Shen's guests, and from the beginning of the chapter to the present, she has spoken more than Shen Juncheng, and she can always have a small climax at the end of each episode. It made everyone laugh out loud.

Amidst the laughter, Xiao Yuxin's eyes glanced at Shen Juncheng from time to time, those slightly smug eyes were like a child who got good grades in an exam and was waiting for his parents to praise him.

Looking at those eyes, Xiaoying suddenly understood Xiao Yuxin's hidden thoughts. Perhaps only a sensitive woman like Xiaoying could fathom this kind of thoughts.

Knowing that her state of mind was boring, Xiaoying couldn't help but secretly glanced at Shen Juncheng, hoping to get some kind of confirmation from his face, but unexpectedly, his eyes just happened to be projected in this direction——

The unexpected four-eye contact caused the smile on his face to freeze for a short time, like a smooth song in which a note was suddenly missed, causing the whole song to break, and every trace of true meaning followed that. The rift overflows unstoppably...

Xiaoying was stunned for a moment, forgetting why she wanted to see him, and even more where she was.

And Shen Juncheng quickly brought back all his thoughts in time almost at the same time when he lost his mind, he didn't even miss that crucial reminder from Mr. Qiao.

"For us, Shen's will be one of the biggest customers we strive for in the future, but on the other hand, maybe we will become Shen's customers someday, haha! We already have a dedicated person for this business From this point of view, the cooperation between Ke Lan and Shen's is definitely a win-win situation!"

Shen Juncheng smiled and said: "If this is the case, it is naturally the best. Shen's newcomer, apart from the original business volume, of course, hopes to have a leap in customer expansion. H City is an economic center on the southeast coast, with logistics It is also based on this fact that my team is willing to leave home and follow me!" He turned his head and glanced at Xiao Yuxin, Xia Bin and others, and said humorously: "You all heard Right? When the decoration of Shen's factory building is completed, remember to invite Mr. Qiao and Mr. Fan over there first!"

Xiao Yuxin smiled and said, "I just don't know if Mr. Qiao will give you the honor then?"

Mr. Qiao laughed loudly, "Definitely! Definitely!"

Amidst the lively discussion, Shen Juncheng smiled, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked unfocusedly at the corner on the diagonal.

Xiaoying lowered her head, she must have put a notebook or something on her lap, her concentrated expression showed that she was recording something, Shen Juncheng could only see a few strands of hair hanging slightly on her temples and her The bun at the back of the head that appeared when he bowed his head.

She sat behind the crowd, in the shadow of the bustle, lonely alone, just like he saw when he first met, like when he reunited with her in Nanxiang.

After three years, he finally saw her again, and she still seemed to be wearing a lonely cloak, quietly drifting away from the hustle and bustle, looking at the flowers indifferently by the water.

In this way, he unconsciously felt the pain that he hadn't visited for a long time.

After the brief meeting ceremony, it was time to visit the workshop. Mr. Qiao personally led the explanation, and Fan Zhijun was suddenly reduced to a foil. Even Xiaoying, a bystander, could read the strange atmosphere in it. She quietly glanced at Fan Zhijun. Trying to smile, the smile is somewhat far-fetched.

His carefully prepared visit schedule is still solemnly placed on the desks of the members of the project team, but it has become a piece of waste paper.

It's just that things on the scene must be maintained by rationality after all, and we can't act emotionally. Fan Zhijun has to hold on no matter what. When necessary, he will take the initiative to explain a few words to the guests like a follower of Mr. Qiao.

Seeing that his hard work for many days was taken away by others, even Xiaoying felt sorry for him.

As usual, there was a grand dinner at noon, and Mr. Qiao's secretary had reserved seats at the Bao Chi restaurant near the company in advance.There were a total of more than ten people who went together. It was too crowded to sit at one table, and it was not enough to be divided into two tables. However, in order to let everyone eat more comfortably, Mr. Qiao still asked to sit at two tables. He and Fan Zhijun were both at the main table. On the morning, Xiaoying went to the next table with several soldiers and crab generals from the department. This arrangement made her feel relieved, at least she didn't have to tense up even when eating.

"Really, the project was obviously brought up by Mr. Fan, but now Mr. Qiao has taken over the project, what's the matter? Are we working in vain? Just look at it, the performance appraisal at the end of the quarter, this list will definitely not It fell on us!" Xiao Jiang muttered in a low voice angrily, not only for Fan Zhijun, but also for himself.

Wang Kai glanced at the laughter at the main table, and sighed: "It's too early to say this now, the bid has not been cast, and the contract has not been signed yet! But then again, if this matter fails , you just wait and see how Mr. Qiao shrinks back."

"Come on!" Xiao Jiang filled his own juice glass with Coke, and then filled it up for Xiaoying who was beside him, "Not to mention that it's useless, since we're here, we can't come in vain, let him have a good meal Besides! Xiaoying, do you think this makes sense?"

Xiaoying nodded with a smile, raised her glass and clinked glasses with the two of them.

The dishes really lived up to expectations and were delicious, but Xiaoying's appetite was affected by her mood, and she still couldn't eat as much as Xiaojiang and Wang Kai.

During the dinner, she went to the bathroom, and when she washed her hands in the mirror by the sink, a feeling of deja vu rose from the bottom of her heart.

Four years ago, she was in another restaurant just like she is now, standing by the pool and looking at herself, and at the other end of the restaurant, Shen Juncheng was also sitting.

The only difference is that at that time, she knew nothing about the twists and turns of the road ahead. Although her face at that time was as calm as it is now, under the calmness, it was difficult to hide a trace of longing for the future , After all, young, young is the capital.

But now, the path she should take has been arduously walked.Now, she is someone else's wife and the mother of a boy, so there is no suspense for her about what will happen next.

She straightened her loose hair with her wet hands, and looked at her beautiful self in the mirror, but she couldn't smile anymore.She took out a tissue from the box next to her, quickly wiped her hands and walked out of the bathroom, not allowing herself to be a bit distracted.

The corridor with white walls on both sides looked narrow and deep from this end. The sunlight came in from the open window at the end of the opposite corridor, making Xiaoying dizzy. At that moment, there was one more person in front of him.

Under the backlight, she couldn't see the other party clearly, thinking that she was also a guest who wanted to go to the bathroom, so she turned sideways to avoid the guest, but the other party stood still.

The moment Xiaoying turned sideways, her vision was finally no longer affected by the sunlight, and she saw a somewhat familiar figure out of the corner of her eye, and her heartbeat accelerated as if out of control.

"Hi!" Shen Juncheng faced her face to face, with a smile from the box on his face.

"...Hi." Xiaoying tried to hold up a smile that was as natural as his, "...unexpectedly, we..." She admitted that she was in a very cramped mood at the moment, so cramped that even the words she said were messy, "we ……meet again."

In fact, she intended to say this in a humorous tone. After all, three years later, neither she nor he could rekindle the same passion as before.

Their relationship has long been burned and turned into a pile of ashes, which can only be cherished silently by each other when no one is around.

But once she uttered it, it seemed to bring a bit of bitterness and melancholy. When she heard it in her ears, she couldn't help but feel her nose sour. She hurriedly deepened the smile on her face, no matter what, You can't cry in front of him at this moment, here.

"Yes!" Shen Juncheng lowered his head and smiled, then cast his eyes on her face again, "I want to thank you for helping us to find a good supplier."

Xiaoying sniffed her nose vigorously, and successfully defeated the tears surging in her body with a smile, "Really? That's really... great, I hope the cooperation can be successful."

Knowing that he did all this because she was here, knowing why he valued Ke Lan so much, but she couldn't even say a word of sincere gratitude.

Once she said it, it showed that she understood everything.However, how could she calmly accept all that he bestowed upon her?
Shen Juncheng stared at her intently, his tone gradually softened, "How have you been all these years?"

"Yeah." Xiaoying nodded heavily, as if to prove her status quo with firmness, "Of course, I'm fine—how about you?"

"...It's okay." He replied lightly.

For some reason, Shen Juncheng read a hint of sadness in her thick smile, as if she was trying her best to cover up something.

"Are your parents in good health?" Xiaoying continued to ask in a deliberately cheerful voice.

Shen Juncheng's face darkened slightly, and after a few seconds, he said: "My father is okay, but my mother...is no longer here...she left at the beginning of last year."

Xiaoying was stunned, "That's really..." She didn't know what words to use to express, and at the same time, many indistinguishable feelings surged in her heart, "I'm really sorry."

Regarding her regret, Shen Juncheng could only smile, because it was really a topic that could not be commented on for the two of them.

A guest going to the bathroom happened to pass by beside him, and Shen Juncheng walked towards the other end of the corridor. Xiaoying hesitated for a moment, but followed, her feet seemed to be pulled by a magical force.

The two stopped by the window, and she realized that he still had something to say.

"I looked for Li Zhen a while ago." The sadness on Shen Juncheng's face quickly calmed down, but his expression was still gentle, "I wanted to bring him to Shen's, but he refused me."

"I heard him mention it." Xiaoying lowered her head unknowingly, "He...is used to the current company, so..."

"Is he nice to you?" Shen Juncheng asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Xiaoying was taken aback, her thoughts were still immersed in how to find a more suitable excuse for Li Zhen, and she was a little dazed when he interrupted her like this, but she quickly realized it.

"Very good." She emphasized emphatically, "He is not good at words, but he takes good care of his family."

Shen Juncheng seemed to smile in relief, "I heard that you...cough, your son is very cute, what's his name?"

Finally slipped into a topic that made Xiaoying feel at ease, and the smile on her face had some real meaning at this time, and Shen Juncheng took all of this into his eyes.

"Li Zhi, almost three years old, very naughty." She showed a helpless and satisfied expression.

"Take him out for a meeting when you have time, I mean, you and Li Zhen, your whole family together." Shen Juncheng said, looking out of the window, "I will stay in City H for a long time, and I hardly have any friends here. "

"...Okay, when you are free, we... must come out and have a good time together." Even though she knew that this promise would be difficult to fulfill, at this moment, Xiaoying couldn't say no to it anyway. Come.

And her mood gradually calmed down from the initial bewilderment, as if she just met an old friend she hadn't seen for many years. That feeling was no longer trembling like she was on thin ice. She has a completely different sense of calm and security from three years ago.

Perhaps, this is the way they should get along now.

"I'm... very happy to see you like this." Shen Juncheng stared at her and said something insincere.

And Xiaoying, after covering up all the emotional memories of the past, when she heard him say this to herself, she felt at ease and safe, so she also smiled and said: "You have to hurry up and get married earlier. The feeling of home is completely different.”

Shen Juncheng doesn't know what her definition of "family" is, but he understands that she has always valued family very much. Perhaps, she valued family even more than her desire for love, so she was able to marry herself so resolutely back then. Going out not only fulfilled his family, but also gave her a home of her own.

There are thousands of emotions, but it is difficult to express them in words. Shen Juncheng hides all his emotions in his heart, and only smiles humorously: "There is little hope in the short term. Someone told my fortune before, saying that if I get married before the age of 40, I will be able to bring happiness to my wife. The chances of happiness with the family are slim.”

After all, she had been intimate with him before, and Xiaoying was deeply impressed by his occasional humor, so naturally she didn't care, she shook her head and pursed her lips into a smile.

She raised her watch and glanced at the time. Unexpectedly, the two chatted for more than ten minutes without knowing it, and an uneasy expression immediately surfaced on her face, "Should we go back to the box?"

Shen Juncheng nodded at her, "Okay, you go back first, I'll go there later."

He was probably worried that it would be difficult to explain if someone bumped into him. It was really lucky that they were not discovered by acquaintances after chatting here for a while.

She felt relieved, "Then I'll go in first."

"it is good."

Shen Juncheng looked at her figure getting further and further away from him, slowly reached into his trouser pocket, and took out the cigarette case.

This is how nature plays tricks on people. When you were young and frivolous, you ignored everything and thought that as long as it was what you wanted, you would definitely get it.

Now, at the age of [-], after so many years of experience in the business field, his skills are becoming more and more sophisticated, but the blood in his body is gradually disappearing.In the end, I had to bow to fate, helpless and numb.

All living beings are suffering, and he gradually realized the bitterness in the Buddhist Zen saying.

These experiences of his cannot be told to others, even Xiaoying no longer opens her heart to him and listens to his whispers.

Amidst the smog, he vaguely saw his adoptive mother Wu Qiuyue, with a sickly face but a peaceful expression.

When she left, she was very peaceful. All the family members surrounded her, and none of them was absent. In her own words, she felt that her life was considered "complete".

Is it really "complete"?
When her frail eyes turned to Shen Juncheng, the son she had raised for nearly 30 years, there were not only gratification, but also regret and guilt in those wet eyes.

Shen Juncheng didn't hate Wu Qiuyue very much. Even though she broke him and Xiaoying apart many times, he couldn't force himself to hate her wholeheartedly like an enemy. For so many years, the love she gave to him was also a part of his life. It's deeply rooted in his blood.

And the only resentment he had towards her was completely eliminated in a long conversation between the two of them half a year before her death.

On that day, their whole family went to Huang Yiyun's wedding together. She married a newly promoted deputy director of the Transportation Bureau of J City. She was young and handsome with a bright future, which fully met her criteria for choosing a spouse.

The handsome couple standing on the stage won rounds of applause and applause from the audience. Under the enthusiastic host voice of the emcee, the smile on Evian's face in a white dress was as perfect as the flowers she held in her hands. , there was no cloud on her face, which also indicated that she had already walked out of the pain that Shen Juncheng brought her.

For Shen Juncheng, Huang Yiyun's happiness is also a relief from the burden of his heart. He is sincerely happy for her, but when his eyes accidentally glanced over Wu Qiuyue's face next to him, he saw the deep scar on her face. Deeply lonely.

(End of this chapter)