Reservoir Dogs chapter 68
Returning
The false heat only lasted for a day.
When he woke up again, he saw the ruby ring on his finger.
He took off the ring, which was surrounded by a circle of small diamonds, sparkling and very beautiful.
He remembered everything from the night; he hadn’t drunk to the point of blackout and didn’t suffer from memory loss. He recalled what he had said and Jiang Chengyuan’s silence.
As for the meaning of the ring, he couldn’t think too much about it.
He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom on the boat to take a shower.
Opening the wardrobe, he found it filled with plain cotton T-shirts and long pants, all soft and comfortable.
He had placed the ring on the bedside before the shower. After hesitating for a moment, he put the ring back on before going out.
When he left the cabin, the dining table was set outside. The white tablecloth fluttered at one corner, greeting the sea breeze and sunlight.
Jiang Chengyuan was sitting there, holding an Ipad and occasionally scrolling through the news. When he saw him coming, he looked up briefly before returning his gaze to the screen, simply asking him to sit down in a natural manner. The other meal on the table was still complete and warm.
A servant helped Xiao Zhou pull out a chair. Before sitting down, Xiao Zhou quickly removed the ring and tucked it into his pants pocket.
The voyage lasted only two days before they disembarked and took a plane back.
As soon as they left the airport, someone was waiting outside to pick up Jiang Chengyuan. Two other groups arrived: one from the office, with Sun Xu at the front, giving Xiao Zhou a wink, and another group whose origin was unclear. Jiang Chengyuan spoke with the leader of that group for a while, then made a hand gesture, after which Sun Xu approached. Jiang Chengyuan pointed at Xiao Zhou, indicating that they should send Xiao Zhou home first.
After a while, Jiang Chengyuan came back and said to Xiao Zhou, “I have some matters to attend to and might not come back tonight. Just go home and rest, don’t wait for me.”
Xiao Zhou nodded, having no objections.
Before leaving, Jiang Chengyuan again reached out and gently pressed the back of his neck before turning to leave.
It was a very intimate gesture. When Sun Xu came over to help with the luggage, he clicked his tongue slightly. “Where did you and the boss go? You’ve been missing for several days, and we couldn’t get in touch.”
Xiao Zhou helped load the luggage into the trunk. “He had something to handle, and I accompanied him.”
Sun Xu closed the car’s rear hatch. “Thinking about it, it’s quite strange. Even though it wasn’t a long time, first you disappeared, then you both disappeared together. I used to think your relationship was quite awkward and mismatched, but now it seems to work.”
Xiao Zhou opened the car door and raised his eyes when he heard this, “Is there a difference?”
Sun Xu smiled, “I don’t know. Just seeing you two together now looks harmonious and comfortable, not as awkward as before. If he brings you in again and tries to fool me saying you’re just the driver, I wouldn’t believe it. I’d think he got himself a young lover fresh out of society and just found a place to hide you. I wouldn’t dare use you recklessly and would have to treat you well.” As he spoke, he started the car. The office car was smooth and quiet as it began to move.
Xiao Zhou knew Sun Xu was just joking and not serious, so he smiled casually and asked, “Oh? Has he ever had any young lovers?”
Sun Xu turned his head and saw Xiao Zhou’s calm demeanor, “Tsk, your tone.”
Xiao Zhou turned to him with a very calm expression, “What’s wrong?”
Sun Xu turned back to the road and smiled, “Nothing. You’re the only one.”
Xiao Zhou’s mouth curled into a slight smile from the teasing. He habitually tilted his head to look out the window, enjoying the warm sunlight coming through the glass and relaxing.
Sun Xu said, “Anyway, at least something went smoothly.” He sighed and tapped the steering wheel, “Things have been tough lately. I’ve been staying up all night for several days.”
“What happened?” Xiao Zhou asked. On closer inspection, Sun Xu looked quite worn out, with dark circles under his eyes. Although he seemed to have tidied himself up for the airport pickup, he still looked haggard.
Sun Xu sighed, “I don’t know if the new Judge Liang has a grudge against anyone in our office, but all the cases at our firm are progressing terribly. Whether it’s court dates or acceptance, everything is delayed. Criminal cases are one thing, but even civil cases are affected. Everything is time-sensitive, and now it’s been delayed by two months. Lawyer Lin tried to invite him out for a meal but got no chance. This person looks gentle and refined, but is unexpectedly difficult to deal with. Really stubborn and unyielding.”
Xiao Zhou was surprised to hear Liang Hanqing’s name. It could be that some law firms are used to taking shortcuts and are exaggeratedly complaining when faced with a judge who adheres strictly to rules and procedures.
Knowing that he couldn’t contribute to this conversation, Xiao Zhou let Sun Xu continue, “So, the firm is planning a gathering in a few days, using the boss’s birthday as an excuse. Zhou Zhou, have you prepared any gift for the boss’s birthday? This will be your first birthday together, right?”
Xiao Zhou was momentarily stunned, “When?”
“You don’t know?”
Xiao Zhou actually did know; he had read Jiang Chengyuan’s information before, but he hadn’t thought about it.
Sun Xu said, “It’s more than a month away. The firm is planning a birthday party, not really to celebrate but to use it as a pretext to build relationships. The firm wants to expand and bring in more top clients. Lawyer Jiang is a living advertisement, so they need to make a big deal out of it.”
“Using his name for this, will he agree?”
“They haven’t told the boss. Lawyer Lin is doing this secretly. If the boss knew, he might not even come.”
Xiao Zhou could guess that Jiang Chengyuan, although not unsociable and quite adept at handling social situations, probably didn’t like such self-promotional and grand events.
Xiao Zhou fell silent again, pondering what to prepare for Jiang Chengyuan’s birthday. Something too expensive would seem too eager, while something too ordinary would seem dismissive. Under normal circumstances, given their relationship, if there were no emotional foundation, he wouldn’t need to prepare anything. But now, things were different.
Looking back, a couple of days ago at sea, he felt he had said too much. It was Jiang Chengyuan’s actions in the water that had clouded his judgment. Jiang Chengyuan was probably shocked, perhaps originally wanting Xiao Zhou to soften his attitude, but ended up hearing such heartfelt words. Xiao Zhou was too candid, just putting his heart out there for everyone to see, without fear of scaring people.
Slowly feeling the ring in his pocket, Xiao Zhou rested his head against the car window glass.
Sun Xu mentioned some other things, but Xiao Zhou didn’t listen.
Jiang Chengyuan got into the car and saw Ji Yang sitting in the back seat, dressed in a flamboyant pink suit, looking both flashy and stylish.
Not too surprised, he sat down beside Ji Yang and said as the car started, “Since you’re already here, why didn’t you get out of the car to meet me?”
Ji Yang sat up straighter and sneered, “Watching you and that little omega flirting? Spare me, please.”
Jiang Chengyuan said calmly, “Get used to it, you’ll see him often.”
Ji Yang stared at him for a while and couldn’t hold back, “I’m just curious, why did you take him to the island? He’s just a parolee, and you’re this invested? There are plenty of better omegas. If you don’t want to choose, I’ll help you. Just sit there and wave, I guarantee a line of them will come, all different.”
Jiang Chengyuan turned his head, focusing on something else, “You investigated him?”
Ji Yang nodded, his fox-like eyes narrowing a bit, “So what? You can flaunt him around, but I can’t check his background? Since you’re so high-profile, I’m probably not the only one who’s checked.”
Jiang Chengyuan replied coldly, “He doesn’t have any background, just a kid, no need to cling to it.”
Ji Yang sneered, “A kid? He killed someone, that’s quite mature.”
“That wasn’t his fault.”
Ji Yang said, “I know you protect him, but every time I say something, you counter me.”
Jiang Chengyuan glanced at him, “Why are you so angry?”
Ji Yang held back, “I just feel like you’re bewitched. Do you really like him?”
Jiang Chengyuan closed his eyes, “You’re overthinking it.” After a pause, he added, “You were in such a hurry to find me, what’s going on?”
At this, Ji Yang’s face showed annoyance, “It’s about the young master who just took over the Jiang family’s project. He doesn’t know anything. You had everything sorted out. But assigning work, placing people, and negotiating takes time, so naturally, some people are unhappy. It’s a process of negotiation, requiring patience. But he wanted to start work early, so he sent people with high-pressure water guns to drive away the protesting unemployed workers, injuring several people. Now there’s an uproar, and it’s serious. Someone’s eye was injured and hospitalized, constituting minor injuries. It can’t be settled easily…”
Understanding the situation, Jiang Chengyuan nodded, indicating he understood. “Chairman Jiang and the young master are both here?”
“Yes, they’re upstairs waiting for you.”
“I’ll go up first. You go buy some fruit baskets and flowers and arrange a visit.”
Ji Yang didn’t ask Jiang Chengyuan what he planned to do, agreeing readily.