After that day, You Shulang met Fan Xiao again soon.
Under the bright July sunshine, the shimmering suit failed to keep a low profile; the reflected light enveloped the tall man as he walked towards them leisurely.
Because of the distance, I couldn't see the expression on his face clearly. The blurred face actually highlighted his aura. His slender legs were wrapped in thin and smooth trousers, and his muscular lines were copied when he walked. His legs were crossed, his gait was steady, and every step he took was accompanied by a heavy sense of oppression, and he was very imposing.
But You Shulang knew that the smile on that person's face must be an impeccable and gentle smile.
Just as he thought, when Fan Xiao came closer, the warm aura around him instantly diluted his strong aura, and he became more approachable. The meticulous You Shulang even felt that the factory director beside him breathed a sigh of relief.
Today is the project communication meeting between Pinfeng Venture Capital and Bohai Pharmaceutical, which is an important part of the venture capital company's review and investigation of investment projects. Bohai Pharmaceutical, which is looking forward to capital injection, naturally attaches great importance to it. The team members were waiting at the company's door half an hour in advance.
The two sides were naturally warm when they met. Fan Xiao was courteous and polite, but he could see a hint of superficial coping. It was not until You Shulang stretched out his hand in front of him that the expression on his face changed. His smile became more genuine, and he joked familiarly like old friends: "Shulang, Director You, you know that I have a poor sense of direction, but you didn't greet me. If my inability to find the way delays the cooperation with your company, won't Director Liu hold you responsible for this?"
Hearing the word "Shu Lang", the person who couldn't pull his hand back paused for a moment, and couldn't help but think of the night filled with the smell of smoke and fire a few days ago.
That day, Fan Xiao drove his luxury car and followed his car all the way back to the city smoothly. The call from Fan Xiao jumped out from the dark mobile phone screen again. You Shulang pressed the hands-free button, and the clear voice like the night wind invited him to dinner again.
You Shulang felt a little angry for some reason. It might be because of the cold questioning that Fan Xiao just called a joke, or it might be because of the sense of control he couldn't hide when he held his company's business plan.
You Shulang has a mild temper, which is largely due to his upbringing and his way of dealing with things. To be fair, he is not a good-tempered person and he never wants to be controlled by others.
The car slid for a few more kilometers and stopped in a busy area. The deafening sound of music hit the wind in the wilderness, and the strong smell of barbecue came with the wind, penetrated into the nose, and awakened the taste buds.
You Shulang got out of the car and walked to the back car and knocked on the window just like when they first met. This time the window was quickly lowered. He asked, "Is this okay?"
Fan Xiao hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, and with that good-natured attitude of letting others do whatever they want, he replied, "Sure, it looks lively here."
The Summer Barbecue Festival is one of the essential activities for this city to cool off in the summer. This year, the event location has moved from the commercial district in the city center to the riverside square, and the scale has more than doubled.
It was around eight o'clock in the evening, which was the busiest time. You Shulang and Fan Xiao found an empty table that was not very clean in a corner at the side of the venue.
"You don't mind?"
You Shulang's question was very clever, and a few words blocked the other party's other answer. He pushed the plastic chair in front of Fan Xiao, who had his hands in his windbreaker pockets: "Sit down, I'll go buy something."
"It's a deal. I'll treat you."
You Shulang patted him on the shoulder carelessly and replied casually, "Next time."
When he came back with the skewers, he saw Fan Xiao wiping the table carefully, his body slightly bent, with two fingers pressing on the napkin, as if he was completing some extremely important project.
If You Shulang, the office director, could not have noticed that Fan Xiao had a mild mysophobia, all these years would have been in vain. He was always gentle and non-offensive in dealing with people, and was good at creating a comfortable environment for others, but this did not include the time when he was feeling depressed.
After putting the things on the long table, You Shulang said with a smile, "Have some wine and then drive for me?"
Fan Xiao looked at the cold beer with water droplets hanging on it in his hand without refutation.
The two talked about a wide range of topics, from the flower boats on the Mekong River to the current royal family, from the returning birds on the river to the techniques of surfing...
Fan Xiao ate very little, and even when he ate, he would tear a few pieces of meat from the middle of the skewer in a very uncivilized manner and chew them slowly, never touching the piece in the front.
The wind from the river got colder as the night went on, and some elderly people and children had already put on their coats. Fan Xiao pulled his clothes tighter, and sipped the cold beer in his hand in small sips.
You Shulang sighed softly, and suddenly felt extremely bored. He actually ignored such an issue that had nothing to do with interests or gains and losses. He was really feeling very alive.
He took off his suit, put it on the empty chair next to him, and asked casually, "Are you cold? If you don't mind, put it on."
Fan Xiao's expression was blank for a moment, and then his smile became brighter. He reached out for his suit and put it on inside his windbreaker. Seeing You Shulang's slightly surprised expression, he said, "Mr. You is so considerate, how can I not appreciate it?"
You Shulang, who was holding the skewers of meat, froze. His thick eyelashes fluttered twice, but he didn't respond. He just took the food in his hand seriously.
He first wiped the carbon ash off the top of the bamboo skewer with a paper towel, then used chopsticks to peel off the first piece of meat and put it on his plate, and then handed the skewer to Fan Xiao, saying lightly: "Eat, Master Fan."
Fan Xiao, who was ridiculed, laughed to himself, took the skewer and pulled the meat off with his teeth, and asked incoherently: "Mr. You, how did you know that I dislike the piece of meat near the stove wall?"
You Shulang leaned back in his chair, stretched out his arm to hold the wine glass on the table, and in his other hand he held a newly lit cigarette. The curling smoke was like the faint and elusive look in his eyes.
He tilted his head to look at the dark river surface, the lines of his jaw became clearer, and along with the smoke he exhaled a gentle sentence: "Eat, no nonsense."
Fan Xiao's eyebrows jumped. He was silent for a moment and then drank the cold beer in the glass in one gulp.
"I will call you Shulang from now on, and you should stop calling me Mr. Fan. Call me Fan Xiao. After all, we are so familiar with each other."
You Shulang slowly turned his head and stared at the man across the table. At this moment, he really wanted to ask Fan Xiao how he defined "familiarity"? However, his good upbringing told him that he could not reach out and hit a smiling man.
After pondering for a while, he nodded and agreed: "Okay, Fan...Xiao."
Thinking that the driver would come to pick him up, Fan Xiao watched You Shulang's car slowly slide out of his sight.
When the car in front disappeared, the handsome face seemed too tired to smile anymore, and a contemptuous expression appeared instead. A light laugh came out of his nose, revealing undisguised mockery: "You stretched out your claws like a kitten, I thought you would at least scratch me a few times, but I didn't expect you to be so soft-hearted. You're really easy to bully."
Lifting up his windbreaker, he lowered his head and sniffed the scent of another man that had long since dissipated from his clothes, and said faintly, "It smells good, just like the scent of my Zhenzhen."
Like a cat blocking a rat hole, Fan Xiao raised the corner of his mouth: "It's really abominable."