Zhou Jinbei felt very panicked upon hearing about her second brother's condition.
However, seeing Jiang Nanfang, who was much calmer than her, she couldn't help but feel relieved.
"Alas, as expected, you truly love my second brother. Despite what happened, he refuses to acknowledge you and even rejects you, yet you still speak up for him."
Jiang Nanfang was very certain.
"Of course. I understand him. I can also feel his situation."
"If it were me, and someone forcibly erased my memories, I believe your second brother would treat me the same way."
"So what do we do now? We can't just stand by and watch my second brother get together with someone else, can we?"
Zhou Jinbei became worried again.
"I don't know if he's done anything with that woman yet. It's been so long, what if she ends up having a child..."
She couldn't bear to think about what would happen to Nancheng.
Jiang Nanfang wasn't too worried about this.
Zhan Beijue had some issues in that regard.
He had said many times that besides Jiang Nanfang, he wouldn't react physically to anyone else.
Moreover, looking at him now, he probably wasn't living a good life and wouldn't have the leisure to have a child so soon.
"I know my second brother's personality, and I also know how stubborn and persistent he is when he sets his mind on someone."
"So, at a time like this, forcing him to give up that woman and accept me, and accept everything about Nancheng, might backfire."
"Force won't work; we need to be strategic."
"Yes, yes, I agree with what you're saying. My second brother is indeed very stubborn."
"If you were to rush to him and acknowledge him, and say things from the past to make him change his mind, for someone who doesn't remember you, it might just be a burden."
"We need to be strategic. I believe with your charm and such beautiful looks, even without any emotional foundation now, as long as you interact more, he will fall in love with you again."
"Indeed, you are the one who knows me best, which is why I brought you here."
Jiang Nanfang smiled and patted Zhou Jinbei's hand.
"However, this matter must be kept secret for now. Don't tell anyone, including the old man."
"The mastermind behind the incident in Switzerland hasn't been caught yet, and that person might still be looking for him."
"If we expose him, he will become a target again. We cannot harm him."
Zhou Jinbei understood.
"Don't worry, I absolutely won't say a word to anyone. Starting tomorrow, I'll watch the child, and you can focus all your attention on finding my second brother."
Sigh.
Thinking about actually going to find him, and facing his lack of recognition and coldness, Jiang Nanfang felt a bit uncertain.
"To be honest, I'm not confident either. Since childhood, besides your second brother, I've never liked anyone else, nor have I ever actively pursued someone."
"Suddenly having to make my presence known to him, I really don't know how to do it."
"Especially since your second brother, when he dislikes someone, is so sharp-tongued and heartless."
Speaking of which, this was Zhou Jinbei's forte.
"Would you like me to give you a couple of ideas?"
The next morning, Jiang Nanfang rented a car and parked it downstairs at Zhan Beijue's hotel.
The hotel was not high-end and did not provide breakfast.
Jiang Nanfang waited downstairs until 8:10 AM, and he came out.
Today, he wasn't as heavily bundled up. He changed into black casual pants, black sneakers, and a black short-sleeved T-shirt.
His firm chest muscles stretched the T-shirt taut. He walked along, observing the shops on both sides of the street.
He was likely looking for a place to eat.
Jiang Nanfang drove very slowly, quietly following him from behind, constantly watching his back.
Although he was still as thin as before, his physique felt much more robust.
His chest and biceps were twice as large as before, bulging so much they were almost comparable to fitness enthusiasts who deliberately trained their muscles in the gym.
The veins on his arms and the backs of his hands were very prominent.
Moreover, she wondered how much hardship he had endured in the past six months.
His arms were covered in numerous small, purple scars from scratches that hadn't completely healed.
Jiang Nanfang thought that perhaps he still cared about these scars, which was why he was so heavily covered at the television station yesterday.
After walking for more than ten minutes, Zhan Beijue spotted a very ordinary steamed bun shop by the roadside.
Seeing him go in, Jiang Nanfang hurriedly parked her car and casually walked in.
"Two steamed buns, one bowl of mung bean soup without sugar. Sir, your breakfast."
The breakfast shop was very simple, about forty to fifty square meters, with four rows of tables along both walls.
They were very simple, low tables with thin tabletops, like fast-food tables.
Zhan Beijue, being so tall, looked small and comical sitting at such a table.
There was no one opposite him, so Jiang Nanfang strolled over and sat down opposite him.
Watching him pick up a steamed bun, take a bite, and then drink a mouthful of mung bean soup, she pretended to be surprised.
"Oh, Mr. Barton? What a coincidence. You're also having breakfast here?"
Zhan Beijue wasn't wearing sunglasses today.
Hearing this, he slowly raised his eyelids and glanced at the person opposite him.
Wasn't this the woman who mistook him for someone else at the television station yesterday?
Why was she here too?
Judging by her attire and demeanor, she didn't seem like someone with low spending power.
Why was she also eating at such a place?
Could it be that she was still persistent and deliberately came here to run into him?
Boring.
Zhan Beijue ignored her.
Jiang Nanfang's gaze fell on his left hand.
On his index finger, he wore a turquoise ring that was very out of place with his demeanor.
Yesterday, he had said he was engaged.
There was no engagement ring, only this. What did this signify?
It was clearly a decorative ring with the aesthetic of a middle-aged man.
Was his taste really that bad, or was it a gift from his girlfriend?
Giving something like this... did he really have a girlfriend?
"What are you eating? I was wondering what to eat, can I copy your order?"
Jiang Nanfang grinned and looked at his face again.
She was clearly making small talk.
At a steamed bun shop, what else could one eat besides steamed buns and porridge?
Zhan Beijue still ignored her.
Just then, the proprietress finished packing steamed buns for an outside customer and turned to greet Jiang Nanfang.
"Miss, what would you like to eat?"
"The same as him."
"Alright. Two pickled cabbage buns, one bowl of mung bean porridge without sugar."
Zhan Beijue, with buns the size of his palm, stuffed them into his mouth in two bites, completely lacking his usual refinement.
Moreover, he seemed to have lost his潔癖 (germophobia) as well; he picked up a bowl used by many people and drank directly from it.
Jiang Nanfang's breakfast hadn't arrived yet, and he was already reaching for his second bun.
"Mr. Barton, are you in a hurry? Why are you eating so fast? Eat slowly, don't rush, don't choke."
Crazy.
Are we that close?
Zhan Beijue, in order to get rid of her sooner, simply stuffed the entire bun into his mouth.
By the time Jiang Nanfang's breakfast was served, he had already finished eating.
He clapped his hands and asked the owner in English how much it cost.
"Four yuan. Scan or cash?"
The owner, thinking he was a foreigner, gestured to him.
Zhan Beijue subconsciously knew what the words meant.
However, he had only bought his phone before returning to China, and he hadn't downloaded many domestic apps, so he couldn't scan the code.
He patted his pockets. He had just changed clothes after waking up in the morning and had forgotten to bring cash.