Chew Slowly Chapter 26

Chapter 26 Chapter 26

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The meeting lasted for nearly two hours. After the meeting, Chen Zongqian was left alone to talk about partners.Chen Zongqian neither agreed nor refused, saying that he would give a reply after considering it.The big boss sighed. He always felt that he had slacked off a lot during this period and was not focused on business, as if he could leave at any time.

After leaving the conference room, she happened to see Yao Can coming out of the tea room stirring coffee. She didn’t even have time to hold the phone and only put it against her ear with her shoulder.After seeing Chen Zongqian, he said something silently. It looked like his mouth shape was “Surprise”, but his words and smile were both confusing to Chen Zongqian.

Yao Can had no time to pay attention to him and turned around to get the newly printed mediation letter.

He felt heartbroken and chest tight, and even unbuttoning two buttons didn’t relieve him.It felt wrong to open the door and face the air conditioner. He would turn off the air conditioner when no one was around.

There is a man sitting on the sofa without moving. If you look carefully, he has fallen asleep with his head tilted.Only then did Chen Zongqian understand what the phrase “Surprise” meant. It turned out to be this surprise.

Chen Zongqian saw that he was breathing evenly, so he must have been asleep for a while.Perhaps his posture was wrong, or perhaps the air conditioner was turned down too low. Xu Qiaochuan kept frowning and slept poorly.Seeing him frown, Chen Zongqian also felt uncomfortable.Thinking of all the things his brother has gone through these years without him, Chen Zongqian feels a lot of guilt. How should he make up for these?

His hair was slightly longer, and Chen Zongqian brushed away a strand of broken hair. Xu Qiaochuan felt uncomfortable and avoided the hand, frowning deeper. This resistance made Chen Zongqian feel even more depressed.

His hand was hit, and Chen Zongqian was grabbed by the wrist.Xu Qiaochuan seemed to be awake, but his eyes were only half open, and there was no response to calling his name.Chen Zongqian pulled a blanket from the sofa cabinet and asked him to lie down and sleep more comfortably.Xu Qiaochuan was afraid of light and cold. He hid in the blanket without reacting and soon fell asleep again.

Like a kitten, Chen Zongqian thought.

When I returned to my desk, I saw a barrage of harassing messages and phone calls on my phone, among which the word “Xu Jian” was particularly eye-catching.He looked back at Xu Qiaochuan and deleted these things indifferently.Yao Can also left a message, and Chen Zongqian asked her how long Xu Qiaochuan had been here.

The other party was very busy and did not reply immediately.Chen Zongqian packed up the information on the case, and someone knocked on the office door.Yao Can was outside the door. Afraid of disturbing Xu Qiaochuan’s rest, he whispered that Xiaoran was asleep and wanted to go out and talk.

The door was closed, and the sound of the locking bolt was short and soft, leaving the room in silence.

Xu Qiaochuan clutched the blanket so tightly that his fingers turned white. He didn’t dare to leave his disguise until the person left.He forgot when he was awake, and it seemed like he had never fallen asleep.He was not unaware of Chen Zongqian’s approach. On the contrary, he spent almost all his energy to restrain himself.

He indulged his greed through this drama of a good brother and a good brother. A little tenderness could make him wander and have his thoughts wandering, but Chen Zongqian was fundamentally different from him.

Xu Qiaochuan knew that the reason why that person tolerated all transgressions was just because he looked like Chen Xingran, and he really thought of him as Chen Xingran.

If he thought about it any more, he would inevitably burst into tears. He quickly closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down.The door opened, and the slight movement made Xu Qiaochuan’s heart surge.

“Did I disturb you?” Chen Zongqian saw him moving and lifted the blanket to reveal half of his head.Xu Qiaochuan shook his head and said nothing. Watching the person coming towards him, he immediately got up from the sofa and folded the blanket.Not liking to see him being restrained, Chen Zongqian comforted him, “Leave it alone, it’s okay.”

Xu Qiaochuan took a small bag, which contained some snacks such as shrimp crackers, dried fruits, and a can of low-fat yogurt.

This is a gadget that I begged from Yao Can. He and his brother have been separated for more than ten years. He didn’t know what Xiaoran’s taste would be, so he picked a variety of them.He had put fruit candies in the car before, but Xu Qiaochuan never touched them once, probably because he didn’t like them.

Xu Qiaochuan was stunned when he was suddenly fed. Chen Zongqian sat next to him, looking at his reaction and asked tentatively: “You don’t like this either?”

What does “also” mean?Xu Qiaochuan hesitantly opened the bag of shrimp crackers. He felt that it was not good to eat alone, so he gave another bag to the people around him.

The gloom in Chen Zongqian’s heart was cleared. He had been busy with many things recently, and he couldn’t spare the time even if he wanted to see Xu Qiaochuan. He didn’t want to come here by himself today.When asked why, Xu Qiaochuan just ate snacks and didn’t answer.Selfishly wanting to tease his brother into talking more, he deliberately said, “Are you here to play with me?”

Perhaps he had eaten too many shrimp crackers, and Xu Qiaochuan felt his throat was slightly itchy. He glanced at Chen Zongqian, shook his head and said that he was just passing by out of curiosity, and was led here by the kind lawyer Yao.

“Ah…where are you passing by?”

Xu Qiaochuan was stunned and could only make up for it with another lie: “Go to Cining Hospital to get the examination report. On the way…”

It’s not like Chen Zongqian didn’t know how far it was from the law firm to Cining Hospital. Seeing that he didn’t have anything on hand, he smiled without revealing Xu Qiaochuan’s little thoughts: “Okay then, should we go out for dinner or order takeout?”

He was lying down without looking at his phone, and his perception of time was very slow.Looking at the bright light inside and outside the window, I suddenly remembered that this busy city does not judge time by skylight.

“You go ahead, I won’t disturb you.” Xu Qiaochuan said without confidence. He felt that he was ridiculous and came here just to sleep in Chen Zongqian’s office.

He stood up. He couldn’t take the snacks in his hands, nor could he take them.The thing was very hot. Xu Qiaochuan was embarrassed for a moment, and then he was suddenly dragged back to sit on the sofa.Chen Zongqian let go so quickly that Xu Qiaochuan didn’t even have time to react.

“Then let me interrupt you and ask you to have dinner with me.” Chen Zongqian went to order takeout. He just accepted it without saying anything and carefully asked about his preferences and taboos.

After dinner, Xu Qiaochuan stayed at the law firm. When he went out to go to the bathroom, Chen Zongqian’s colleagues regarded him as a rare species and came back with a bag of snacks.

He sat in a daze, using his peripheral vision to pay attention to someone.Chen Zongqian made phone calls, Chen Zongqian read information, Chen Zongqian talked with colleagues… It turned out that he was usually like this.Xu Qiaochuan is obviously closer to Chen Zongqian than many people, but he feels that he is actually very far away, with an invisible ravine separating people at both ends.

After staying in the law firm until he lost track of time, Xu Qiaochuan missed the last train back.

He had forgotten, but Chen Zongqian deliberately did not remind him, pretending to be generous and enthusiastic, and did not mind Xu Qiaochuan taking a ride again.Of course, Chen Zongqian wanted to tell him that no matter where he went, his brother would be willing to pick him up and see him off, and it didn’t matter if he was in trouble for a lifetime.But these words were only in my mind, and I didn’t have the time to say them out yet.

Xu Qiaochuan drove the car past Xin’an Hardware and then continued to the market town.

“I rented a house here, and I won’t live in the factory anymore.” He held his seat belt and looked at Chen Zongqian in the rearview mirror.

Chen Zongqian was a little surprised. Although he didn’t know why he suddenly moved out, he suddenly thought about it.The machines in the factory run day and night, the noise and exhaust fumes are torture, and I have to be blocked by the access control.

The house he rents is a self-built house in a rural area. There is no good planning and many buildings are next to each other.The first floor of the building was rented out as a front door and engaged in the ceramic tile and building materials business. He set up a conspicuous small shed outside, and Chen Zongqian wrote down the location.

The small house is very ordinary, but the monthly rent is 1,200.Xu Qiaochuan does not pursue quality of life. He does not need to send money home and only eats meals in the factory cafeteria.The remaining money is enough to support his life, so he doesn’t mind renting this house.

From Chen Zongqian’s point of view, of course nothing is good here.Surrounded by buildings, the living room has almost no lighting. The balcony of the bedroom is surrounded by blue iron sheets and is separated from the neighbor’s rooftop vegetable garden.

Chen Zongqian pushed the iron sheet with his hand, and it became alarmingly loose.Seeing that the supporting wires and screws were all rusty, he even felt that the typhoon was blowing against it like pieces of paper.

But it’s not far or close to the factory, and the rent is affordable. It’s the best place Xu Qiaochuan can find at the moment.Chen Zongqian looked at him silently, feeling unspeakable in his heart.Xu Qiaochuan walked closer and closer to him, so close that he could reach out and catch her in his arms.

Every time this person hugged him, Chen Zongqian felt that he was shaking.Although he is obviously stressed about physical contact, he still hugs himself as he did when he was a child. Chen Zongqian really wants to ask him if he still remembers his brother and if he still likes him?

Unable to ask, Xu Qiaochuan only said good night while hugging her.

Full of thoughts and farewells, Chen Zongqian returned to his home from the dim little rental house.The place was spacious and bright, but it also made him feel empty. What he had in Xu Qiaochuan should also be there.

Chen Zongqian was upset and threw his coat on the sofa, but he caught a glimpse of a strange red corner protruding from the pocket.Chen Zongqian rarely stuffs things into his coat. What is this?

He pulled out a red envelope, which contained a stack of pink banknotes and a piece of note paper from his office.The handwriting is very neat, and Xu Qiaochuan wrote on it one stroke at a time – Chen Zongqian, good luck with your work.