Chapter 1179: Chapter 1179: Shen Jiayi’s Visit
Just at that moment, Xiao Zheng’s phone suddenly rang.
He took it out and glanced at it, showing an unfamiliar number, and immediately became alert.
His first reaction was that this must be Wang Zixin still playing tricks.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he carefully pressed the answer button.
"Hello?" Xiao Zheng asked into the phone.
There was no response from the other end; it was silent.
Xiao Zheng almost concluded in his mind that this was Wang Zixin’s prank.
But at that moment, the person on the other end spoke.
"Xiao Zheng?"
The voice was gentle, like a clear mountain spring, or the echo in a valley.
Just by calling his name, Xiao Zheng felt a shiver run through him and instantly knew who it was.
Shen Jiayi!
"Jiayi..." Xiao Zheng began, but didn’t know what to say.
"Long time no see," Shen Jiayi continued.
Xiao Zheng chuckled in response, still unsure of what to say. Despite the somewhat odd atmosphere, Xiao Zheng didn’t feel the least bit awkward. He and Shen Jiayi never had anything between them, but Xiao Zheng wasn’t a fool; he could sense a little about Shen Jiayi’s feelings towards him.
Though he wasn’t entirely certain, Xiao Zheng sincerely hoped things wouldn’t develop that way between him and Shen Jiayi.
He had always thought of Shen Jiayi as his little sister.
"It’s been a long time. Do you have time now? Let’s meet up," Shen Jiayi suddenly suggested.
Xiao Zheng agreed without much thought; it had indeed been a long time since he last saw Shen Jiayi.
They agreed to meet at a small restaurant.
There was no grand setting; their meeting and interaction were always like this, flowing like a gentle stream.
When Xiao Zheng arrived at the small restaurant, he found that Shen Jiayi was already there.
She was sitting quietly by the window, so serene that it seemed a shame to disturb her.
She was a delicate girl, staring out the window in a daze, with her eyebrows slightly furrowed, making anyone feel a pang of sympathy just looking at her.
Xiao Zheng slowly walked up to her, but didn’t interrupt Shen Jiayi; he just watched her.
He didn’t know how long had passed before Shen Jiayi came back to her senses, turned her head, and suddenly realized Xiao Zheng was standing beside her, clearly startled.
"You’re here?" Shen Jiayi asked, a slight blush appearing on her face.
They had known each other for so long; she had always followed Xiao Zheng around when they were younger, but she still felt shy in front of him, blushing from time to time.
"Yes, I’m here," Xiao Zheng replied simply.
He sat across from Shen Jiayi, looked at her, and said with a smile, "It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. You look much prettier now."
Shen Jiayi’s face turned even redder, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet Xiao Zheng’s eyes.
"When did you get here, and why didn’t you call me?" Shen Jiayi asked.
Being watched by Xiao Zheng without her noticing made Shen Jiayi feel intensely nervous; even thinking about it made her uneasy.
"I just got here too," Xiao Zheng said casually.
He called the waiter and ordered some dishes. The slight awkwardness from not seeing each other for so long began to fade.
The awkwardness disappeared, and the conversation flowed.
Shen Jiayi asked, "Why haven’t you contacted me for so long?"
"I..." Xiao Zheng gave a couple of dry laughs and said, "I’ve just been too busy. By the way, your phone number today was unfamiliar; did you change your number?"
He quickly changed the subject because he didn’t know how to explain himself.
As children, they could play together, and Shen Jiayi could follow behind Xiao Zheng like a well-behaved shadow.
But now, everything was different from before.
Xiao Zheng knew his life was no longer the same; it was exciting and rich, but not suitable for Shen Jiayi.
Shen Jiayi was a quiet girl; her life should be serene and tranquil, like a lotus in an ancient painting.
Staying with Xiao Zheng would make him feel like he was breaking this delicate lotus, and while they could be friends, and always were, they couldn’t cling to each other constantly.
Xiao Zheng didn’t want his life to affect her.
"I changed my number later. I also sent you a message," Shen Jiayi said, looking up at Xiao Zheng.
"Really? Haha... maybe there were too many spam messages, and I didn’t see it." Xiao Zheng awkwardly scratched his nose.
It was true; Xiao Zheng never bothered with phone text messages.
Nobody sends texts these days, and any notification usually turns out to be annoying ads, which Xiao Zheng had already blocked for peace of mind.
He intended to change the topic, but somehow it circled back to this issue.
Fortunately, Shen Jiayi was smart; she smiled and said, "It’s also my fault. I should’ve just called directly. There are just too many ad texts now."
Xiao Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Shen Jiayi, asking, "How have you been lately?"
"Same old job," Shen Jiayi said casually.
"That’s not so bad," Xiao Zheng nodded.
Shen Jiayi’s job, as a flight attendant, although sometimes tiring, was still considered prestigious by many, especially for a girl, being a flight attendant was a recognition of her potential.
They chatted, on and off, time passing quickly.
"Brother Xiao, can I ask you for a favor?" Shen Jiayi suddenly asked.
"Tell me, whatever it is, I’ll brave fire and water," Xiao Zheng replied with a playful grin.
Shen Jiayi chuckled, "You’re still the same, so cheeky."
"Hehe... my nature’s hard to change," Xiao Zheng said with mock seriousness. "So, what do you need my help with?"
"I... I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend," Shen Jiayi hesitated for a moment before finally biting her lip and saying it.
"Huh?" Xiao Zheng was taken aback, "What... pretend, boyfriend?"
"Let me explain. My colleague at the airline is getting married, and I have to go..."
Shen Jiayi, worried Xiao Zheng might refuse or misunderstand, hurriedly explained.
It turned out that in the airline where Shen Jiayi worked, a girl was getting married, and Shen Jiayi was invited.
But that’s not why Shen Jiayi wanted Xiao Zheng to pretend to be her boyfriend.
She didn’t have a particularly good relation with this colleague, not that there was any enmity; with Shen Jiayi’s nature, conflicts were rare, but the issue was about this colleague.