Zhou Jinxiu's eyes went starry from the impact, his internal organs feeling like they were being pulverized.
Fearing that a single heavy punch would end his life, he quickly covered his shoulders, used his arms to shield his face, and lay on the ground, wailing loudly.
"It's me! Nanfang, stop hitting, it's me!"
"I'm Zhou Jinxiu's sister! Elder sister, you're about to beat me to death!"
Hearing his voice, Jiang Nanfang pulled his arms away and looked, retracting her knee.
"So it's you. Why did you ambush me when you could have just walked the proper path?"
Zhou Jinxiu's stomach hurt terribly, and he curled himself into a shrimp shape.
"Who ambushed you? I haven't seen you for months. I was so happy to run into you here again, I wanted to give you a hug, but I didn't expect..."
"Ouch, it hurts so much. What have you been doing lately? Practicing martial arts again? You're going to smash my internal organs."
Jiang Nanfang was very apologetic. While saying sorry, she helped him up. It took them a good few minutes to get back upstairs.
Entering Jiang Nanfang's room, Zhou Jinxiu finally felt a little better. He pressed her for what she had been doing lately, saying he couldn't find her anywhere and her number had become a dead line, making him think she had left Nancheng.
So much had happened in the time they hadn't seen each other.
Jiang Nanfang didn't know where to begin, so she could only be concise.
"It's a long story, let's not talk about me. What about you? What have you been busy with lately?"
"You look well. Have you found a new girlfriend again?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinxiu couldn't help but pour out his grievances.
"You must have a misunderstanding of the words 'look well'."
"I'm almost driven mad by the new project, working overtime and staying up late every day. I'm either on a business trip or on my way to a meeting. My complexion is sallow, if anything. How could it be good?"
"Besides, after meeting you again, would I be intimate with any other woman? My heart is all yours, I can't possibly find a new girlfriend anymore."
Jiang Nanfang dismissed his words as nonsense and didn't take them seriously.
"Is it still that project you opened in Sanya? Hasn't it finished yet?"
Zhou Jinxiu said, "My second brother can't stand me and is deliberately trying to mess with me. I've made the proposal so perfect it's practically blooming, but he's never satisfied every time I submit it. How could it possibly be finished?"
"I've lost count of how many proposals I've submitted to him. I've changed the planning team more than eight times. I can't continue with this job."
"I've come back this time to talk to him face-to-face. If he agrees, fine. If not, then forget it."
"If you want me dead, just say so. There's no need to drag this out. It's been three months, and if it continues like this, I'll die an unnatural death."
Jiang Nanfang was puzzled. "Is it that exaggerated? How bad must your planning team be that it still hasn't passed after three months?"
Zhou Jinxiu sighed.
"It's not about the planning team being bad at all. It's about my second brother having psychological issues..."
"Alright, I won't talk about this with you anymore. Since we've finally met again, let's talk about something happy."
"To appease him, I haven't been to a bar for three months. Anyway, after I talk to him tomorrow, I don't plan to continue. How about we go out and have some fun together today?"
"..."
Zhou Jinxiu grabbed Jiang Nanfang's hand, and the man, over six feet tall, began to act coy.
"You don't know how sad I've been during the days I couldn't contact you, and how happy I am to see you again today."
"Let's go, I promise I won't do anything rash. I'll pursue you properly and won't take advantage of you when I'm drunk. Let's go out and have some fun~"
Jiang Nanfang pushed his hand away.
"I'm not really afraid of you taking advantage of me, it's just..."
"Afraid you'll take advantage of me? That's fine!"
Zhou Jinxiu shrugged off his coat and struck an exaggerated pose, leaning back.
"I can dedicate myself to you anytime, even without responsibility! If you're willing, I'll risk anything!"
Jiang Nanfang was torn between laughter and tears by his persistence.
But honestly, if she didn't have such a carefree friend in her life, she would have lost a lot of fun.
In the days without Zhou Jinxiu, she had almost forgotten how to laugh.
"Alright, I'll accompany you out for a bit. But it can't be too long, we have to be back before ten."
Zhou Jinxiu happily drove her out.
To avoid running into Zhan Beijue at a bar he invested in, Jiang Nanfang requested a change of venue.
They found a well-regarded quiet bar nearby, thinking it would be nice to sing, drink, play billiards, or go bowling.
Who would have thought that fate could be so peculiar?
Just when Zhou Jinxiu found a quiet place, Zhan Beijue also happened to be meeting someone there.
The drinking area was divided into two halves by a row of natural wood blinds.
Each half had six tables arranged on either side.
Zhan Beijue and his companion sat on the left side, at table number three from the right. Jiang Nanfang and Zhou Jinxiu were led by the waiter to the right side, at table number three from the left.
An hour later, separated by only a decorative partition, the two were seated together again.
After sitting down, Zhou Jinxiu first generously ordered a pile of food and drinks, then continued to pour out his troubles to Jiang Nanfang.
"If you ask me, he's a pervert with psychological issues caused by a lack of contact with women for a long time. Otherwise, why would he be so fond of tormenting people?"
"He definitely has some hidden difficulties in that area. Let me analyze it carefully for you."
"You know Dr. Lu Mingzhe, the psychologist, right? You've met him? And his younger brother, Lu Qingxu, you've met him too, haven't you? Isn't he handsome and refined?"
"And his assistant, Ah Zhong, isn't he a pretty boy like the two of them?"
"So many people can't stay by his side, yet these few have been with him for so many years, and they're all the same type, belonging to the handsome category?"
"The key is that all these people have been single for a long time."
"Lu Mingzhe and Lu Qingxu must earn a lot of money every year, right? Handsome, young, good income, and still single for so long... tsk tsk, I can guess what's going on with my eyes closed."
Next door, Zhan Beijue's brow slowly furrowed as he heard the familiar voice and names.
Zhou Jinxiu continued, "Look at his attitude towards men, and then look at his attitude towards women."
"You're beautiful enough. I, Zhou Jinxiu, have seen countless women in my life and would call you a goddess. Not only is he not interested in you, but he even treats you like a man and messes with you..."
"Hey, you know, maybe I should just cater to his preferences. I won't bother with the proposal anymore. I'll just find two handsome men and send them to his room, maybe..."
As someone who had had an intimate relationship with Zhan Beijue, Jiang Nanfang naturally knew that Zhou Jinxiu's speculations were baseless.
But who told him to provoke her, and his mother, who looked down on everyone?
After provoking her, Jiang Nanfang, did he expect her to speak up and vindicate him?
"I think that's a good idea. Since you suspected he had hidden difficulties long ago, you should have done it sooner."
"If you had sent people over earlier, perhaps your proposal would have been approved long ago."
Zhou Jinxiu became more animated as he spoke. To deal with the frustrating job that had tormented him for nearly three months, he immediately took out his phone.
"Then I'll find them for him right now! There are so many young, handsome, and success-hungry men in the world!"
"As long as he likes it, it's not a problem to have thirty different ones a month!"