Self-cultivation of spare tire

"Mr. Xu, the person who broke the news over there hasn't been found yet." The assistant handed the newspaper to the man's eyes, "But the public opinion can't be suppressed anymore."

In the newspaper, the news that Xu's project was unfinished almost occupied the entire page.

The speed of news dissemination in traditional paper media is not fast, but its influence is huge.

Xu Lanting sent someone to suppress the hot search, but Xu's stock had already begun to waver.

Several shareholders also began to play tricks behind their backs.

Xu Lanting was silent, slowly flipping through the newspaper with his fingertips.Seeing this, the assistant said, "I'm going to investigate the person who broke the news now!"

"No need." Xu Lanting threw away the newspaper, he could tell at a glance who was playing tricks behind the scenes, "Pay attention to the trend of public opinion, the public relations side will come up with a solution before ten o'clock today."

"Yes." The assistant led the group away.

The phone in Xu Lanting's hand rang, and it took him a long time to pick it up slowly.

"Mr. Xu, you arranged for our birthday party a few days ago, and we have already prepared it. The birthday celebration fireworks party and candlelight dinner on the hotel square—"

Xu Lanting interrupted the hotel manager coldly, "Cancel all of them."

The person on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, and then asked cautiously, "Yes, are they all cancelled?"

Xu Lanting looked at the flocks of birds passing by outside the window, and said slowly: "All, cancel."

He seemed to have finally remembered about Chen Zhu, and called his assistant in again.

Xu Lanting didn't even have extra time to deal with Chen Zhu's affairs alone. While dealing with his work, he asked, "Tell me briefly about Chen Zhu's affairs."

"Jiang Jianren hasn't made any moves yet. Of course, we won't let him have a channel to expose him." The assistant paused, and then said, "However, we really can't guarantee Chen Zhu's teacher and family. They don't know it at all."

After all, Jiang Jianren never wanted to expose this matter, but wanted to force the two to separate through the pressure of Chen Zhu's people around him.

Assistant: "But Mr. Xu, don't worry, this matter will never affect you."

Xu Lanting raised his eyes from behind the thin glasses, his eyes were cold.

The assistant quickly realized that he had said the wrong thing and shut his mouth tightly.

"About studying abroad." Xu Lanting glanced at him and continued to deal with the affairs in hand.

"The matter of studying abroad has been properly arranged, as long as Chen Zhu is willing to go abroad."

Xu Lanting paused, yes, the most important thing was that Chen Zhu didn't want to go abroad at all.

As long as Chen Zhu is willing to leave, the sky and oceans abroad will be vast, and the eyes of those insignificant teachers, friends, and classmates in the capital behind them are nothing?

If Chen Zhu hadn't been so stubborn, then they wouldn't have come into this predicament.

Thinking of Chen Zhu's stubborn and firm eyes, Xu Lanting became irritable for no reason.

He said coldly, "Send him away when necessary."

Seeing Xu Lanting's serious expression, the assistant also understood what Xu Lanting meant. Chen Zhu's wish was irrelevant at this time, and Xu Lanting would try his best to make him compromise.

The assistant felt sorry for that young man in his heart, offending someone like Xu Lanting, it was half a foot into the abyss.

Xu Lanting hastily "solved" Chen Zhu's troubles, and was finally able to devote himself wholeheartedly to his work. Like a machine running at high speed, he tried his best to push Xu to move forward.

Among the missed calls he ignored, Chen Zhu's number seemed so small and insignificant.

"Your call has not been answered at this time—"

Chen Zhu put down his phone and sat on the sofa without moving.After a while, he picked up the phone again and dialed Xu Lanting's number mechanically.

"Let's try."

"Chen Zhu, be my boyfriend."

"I like you, be my boyfriend."

But the man's whispered promise was replaced by a cold busy tone.

"The number you have dial can not be reached--"

Hearing the cold voice on the phone, Chen Zhu didn't understand.

What is Xu Lanting's so-called sincerity?

He was the one who confessed, he was the one who said he wanted to try, and he was the one who wanted to get along as a boyfriend.

However, he was the one who hadn't heard from him for several days, and he was the one who didn't answer the phone or text message.

He is the one who is gentle and affectionate; he is also the one who is hypocritical.

Chen Zhu put down his mobile phone, which was about to run out of battery, and leaned his head on the sofa.

He closed his eyes, but Jiang Jianren's angry accusations echoed in his ears.

"Chen Zhu, don't you know what kind of person Xu Lanting is? Why do you want to get involved with him? Do you know that this will ruin yourself?"

"What about your ideals, your pursuit, your integrity, and your beliefs? Chen Zhu, have you forgotten all of them?"

Chen Zhu opened his eyes, the light in the room was out, his whole body was plunged into darkness, and the night was full of desolation.

Jiang Jianren's words were like a basin of cold water, extinguishing Chen Zhu's enthusiasm and waking him up from the imaginary sweetness.

"Chen Zhu, do you know what you are in Xu Lanting's eyes?"

Jiang Jianren threw the recording pen to Chen Zhu, and Chen Zhu listened carefully to every word.

He huddled in a small room alone, listened to it once, and then listened to it a second time.

Chen Zhu was not a fool, so he naturally understood that what Xu Lanting said when facing Jiang Jianren's threat was actually protecting Chen Zhu.

The more Xu Lanting didn't care, the safer Chen Zhu would be.

Chen Zhu understands the truth, but maybe Xu Lanting's acting skills are too superb, Chen Zhu will inevitably get into the play.

The man's casual tone was like a pair of small knives, stabbing Chen Zhu's chest one after another.

Even if he knew the reason behind it, Chen Zhu was eager to hear Xu Lanting's explanation with his own ears.

He also wanted to tell Xu Lanting that he didn't care about the eyes of others and the expectations imposed on him by strangers.

Chen Zhu has cultivated the so-called "way of a gentleman" for more than ten years, but none of them told him that he should not be with the person he loves.

Chen Zhu asked himself frankly, and suppressed his hesitation and disappointment towards Xu Lanting.

"Brother, Jiang Jianren came to find me. I listened to the recording, and I know you are protecting me."

But the message Chen Zhu sent to Xu Lanting was like a stone sinking into the sea, and he didn't wait for Xu Lanting's response.The boy suppressed all his emotions and called Xu Lanting again and again.

He thought that even one sentence, even one explanation, would be enough.

But Xu Lanting didn't give him any response.

Chen Zhu fell into the summer night, and the busy tone echoed again and again on the mobile phone, which was especially clear in the narrow room.

Finally, the familiar call sounded again.

Chen Zhu opened his eyes and immediately picked it up.But the other end of the phone was the nurse who took care of Chen Wenguo.

"The old man suddenly said that he wanted to see you! Don't worry, he is fine, but he doesn't seem to be in a good mood."

While putting on his shoes, Chen Zhu said, "Okay, I'll go right away."

It was already late at night when he arrived at the hospital.The corridor was deserted, only the sound of hurried footsteps coming and going.

Chen Zhu pushed open the door of the ward, and saw Chen Wenguo slightly bowed and sitting on the recliner in front of the window.

No matter how strong Chen Wenguo was, he was already old, and his back was no longer as stalwart as before, but he still tried his best to sit upright.

Looking at his grandfather's no longer tall and straight back, Chen Zhu's heart moved. He thought that he could be upright in front of anyone, but only in front of Chen Wenguo, he was like a child who had made a big mistake, and his guilt almost overwhelmed him. submerged.

"grandfather."

"Come here." Chen Wenguo didn't turn his head, "Kneel down."

Chen Zhu was stunned for a moment, and then his mind buzzed.

The thing he was most worried about had happened.

Chen Zhu remained silent, and knelt at Chen Wenguo's feet.He lowered his head, his eyes fixed on Chen Wenguo's swollen ankle due to injury.

"Tell me." Chen Wenguo didn't look at him, but just looked at the thick night outside the window, "What's going on with Xu Lanting."

"Grandpa." Chen Zhu clenched his fists, "He is my...boyfriend."

Unexpectedly, Chen Wenguo didn't show any anger, but sneered, "Boyfriend?"

"Chen Zhu, what kind of person are you, and what kind of person is Xu Lanting?" Chen Wenguo finally lowered his head, looking at the child kneeling at his feet.

No anger, no harshness, only distress.

"Zhuer." The moment Chen Wenguo called out Chen Zhu's nickname, Chen Zhu finally couldn't help it, and tears fell on the cold floor.

"It's not that grandpa is not open-minded. If it were someone else, I would beat you up at most." Chen Wenguo raised his hand to wipe the tears off Chen Zhu's face, and sighed, "But who is Xu Lanting? Chen Zhu, do you think he is the same as you?" Are you together for eternity, or just for a while? The tricks played by those sons and sisters, why do you..."

Chen Zhu took Chen Wenguo's hand and tried to explain, "No, Grandpa, we are officially together, not just for fun."

After saying this, Chen Zhu realized that even he himself could not be confident enough.

After all, what is the difference between the status of a boyfriend and the status of a lover?

These days, Chen Zhu really didn't appreciate the difference.

Xu Lanting is still that unattainable phantom, and Chen Zhu is still waiting day after day for the warmth from the man's fingertips.

"Grandpa..." Chen Zhu held Chen Wenguo's hand in a daze, not knowing whether he was talking to him or to himself, "He said that we are officially together."

Chen Wenguo didn't speak any more, just kept silent, holding Chen Zhu in his arms.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Wenguo seemed to finally be able to calm down. He pressed the remote control and turned on the TV.

"Chen Zhu, kneel here today and take a good look at what kind of person Xu Lanting is."

After finishing speaking, Chen Wenguo stood up strongly, and left cruelly with the help of the nurse.

Chen Zhu stared blankly at the TV, hearing the cold news.

"Xu's stock has fallen again and again, but the person in charge of Xu's seems to have an intention of marrying Shen."

"Xu Lanting's secret boyfriend was exposed, and the other party is suspected to be the young son of the Shen family. The two grew up together, and their relationship—"

Chen Zhu suddenly had tinnitus, and he raised his hands to cover his ears.

When the sound disappeared, the picture became extremely dazzling.

On the TV, two men are walking side by side on the campus in the setting sun. They are very close, and the shadow behind them is dragged by the sun for a long, long time...

"Recently, the two revisited their alma mater, and their relationship is suspected to have been exposed."

Revisiting his alma mater... Chen Zhu looked at the backs of himself and Xu Lanting on TV, and remembered the way Xu Lanting smiled at him that day, and said to him "revisiting his alma mater with my brother".

Chen Zhu pursed his lips suddenly and laughed at himself.

How ridiculous, how ridiculous.

On the TV, the blurry figure beside Xu Lanting was him, but it wasn't him either.

Chen Zhu became Shen Zhixia's shadow, and was stepped on by Xu Lanting and Shen Zhixia as a spare tire.

He was like a stuntman who had done his job and was cast aside.

And Shen Zhixia was the man who stood with Xu Lanting—even though, the one who actually stood beside Xu Lanting in the news was Chen Zhu.

After all, he, Chen Zhu, could not be on the stage, how could he appear with Xu Lanting?

Xu Lanting deserved to be Xu Lanting, the man used the cruelest way to shatter Chen Zhu's unrealistic fantasy.

Chen Zhu closed his eyes in despair, and wiped away the tears she shed for Xu Lanting for the last time.

He knelt for a long, long time until he lost feeling in his knees, until Chen Wenguo beat and scolded him and forcefully pulled him up from the ground.

"Chen Zhu, get up!"

Chen Zhu didn't seem to know the pain, he let others push himself on the sofa, and sat for a while with a blank expression on his face.

"Grandpa." Only now did Chen Zhu realize that his voice was unbearably hoarse, he cleared his throat, "Grandpa, I'm going back first."

Chen Wenguo looked at Chen Zhu, and finally said slowly: "Zhu'er, think about it yourself."

"Okay." Chen Zhu got up, his knees trembled uncontrollably because of kneeling for too long.

When he got to the door, Chen Wenguo said suddenly: "Zhu'er, you don't need to worry about the money. I am the one who used the money, so treat it as I owe him."

Chen Wenguo paused, and then said: "You have to know, no matter what the situation is, there is still grandpa behind you—" Chen Wenguo didn't continue, he was always strong, so Chen Zhu couldn't recognize the choked voice.

Chen Zhu didn't speak, and gently closed the door.

When I walked to the lobby on the first floor, the electronic clock in the hospital beeped a few times.

Twelve o'clock... Chen Zhu looked at the time on the screen, he was 20 years old.

Chen Zhu sighed softly, is this the life he ushered in at the age of 20?

The boy looked at the 20-year-old who was rushing towards him, and whispered to himself in his heart, "Happy birthday"