At his uncle Ma Chaoyun’s place.
Bumping into Li Xiaoxiao, his company’s customer service manager, here of all places, Wu Jun couldn’t help but marvel at how small the world was.
They had just parted ways at the company when their shift ended. Less than an hour had passed, and here they were again.
What’s more, her aunt lived right across from his uncle. The fact that they were both visiting their respective relatives on the same day made it feel like fate had a hand in it.
Li Xiaoxiao had a cheerful and lively personality. She had gotten along with everyone shortly after joining the company and was even promoted to a manager position by Wu Jun.
Aside from the relatives from the Ma Family, there were also some of Wu Jun’s personal acquaintances, like Xu Fei and Wang Qidong.
Strictly speaking, Li Xiaoxiao was the first outsider to enter the upper management of Junheng Trading Co., Ltd. Wu Jun intended to groom her to be capable of handling things on her own.
"President Wu, Director Dong, Manager Ma, what a coincidence! I just came over without saying anything. I hope I’m not interrupting?" Li Xiaoxiao asked playfully, blinking her eyes.
"Not at all, not at all," Ma Chaoyun said after inviting Zheng Jingshan and Li Yueling to sit down. "Our family and your aunt’s have been neighbors for seven or eight years. Isn’t it normal to pop over for a visit?"
Dong Lizhu also said, "Brother Zheng, take your things back with you when you leave. We live so close, there’s no need to bring gifts. You’re being too formal. We have everything we need here."
Li Yueling quickly replied, "Lizhu, we only found out you all work at the same company when Xiaoxiao came over and told us today. Thank you so much for taking care of Xiaoxiao. These are just some small, inexpensive things. Don’t be so formal with me."
After the polite exchange, Dong Lizhu went back to the kitchen to get three more pairs of chopsticks. The already small dining table became a bit crowded with the addition of Li Xiaoxiao and her family.
Dong Lizhu and Ma Chaoyun were squeezed together, as were Zheng Jingshan and Li Yueling.
Li Xiaoxiao was seated next to Wu Jun. Whenever they moved slightly to grab some food, their arms would bump into each other.
This was the first time Li Xiaoxiao had been in such close contact with Wu Jun. Her heart fluttered uncontrollably, and she often snuck glances at his profile when she thought no one was looking.
After interacting with Wu Jun for a bit, Li Yueling felt increasingly satisfied with the young man, and also increasingly regretful.
He wasn’t just handsome with refined features and a gentle demeanor; he was also the boss of a big company at such a young age. During their interaction, he came across like one of their own younger generation, without a hint of looking down on them.
Zheng Jingshan, having drunk a glass of liquor Ma Chaoyun had poured for him, was also marveling at how low-key his old neighbor had been all this time.
The bottle of liquor he’d brought was a premium brand worth over 500 yuan a bottle, a gift from Li Xiaoxiao when she visited during the New Year. He had thought it was a very presentable gift.
Only after sitting at the table did he realize that his old neighbor and his nephew were drinking a liquor that cost over 1,000 yuan a bottle—one of theirs was worth two of his.
This bottle was from a case Wu Jun had bought during their first dinner at the Shimen Grand Hotel. Ma Chaoyun had taken the unfinished case home but couldn’t bring himself to drink it. He had only brought it out today because Wu Jun was staying for dinner, unintentionally showing off in the process.
Listening to Li Yueling sing Wu Jun’s praises, Dong Lizhu was absolutely delighted. Six months ago, she had found fault with this and that, but now she wished this dinner was a wedding banquet for Wu Jun and her niece.
She didn’t harbor any resentment toward Li Yueling. A failed matchmaking attempt wasn’t enough to turn them into enemies; it just made their encounters a little awkward.
Li Yueling showered her with compliments: her complexion was looking better, she was looking younger and more elegant, and her clothes were so beautiful and stylish. "Where did you buy them?" she asked. "You have to take me to get the same outfit one day!" After a few such flattering remarks, the two were chatting warmly again.
Ma Chaoyun and Zheng Jingshan, old neighbors who hadn’t sat down together in a long time, were deep in an animated conversation, leaving Wu Jun and Li Xiaoxiao unable to get a word in.
"I’m going to the balcony for a smoke." Wu Jun felt the urge to smoke. Seeing that there were three women in the room, he made his excuse and got up to walk toward the balcony.
"I’ll go get some air too." Li Xiaoxiao stuck her tongue out playfully and got up to follow Wu Jun to the balcony.
Seeing her niece be so proactive, Li Yueling sighed internally. ’If only I had tried to set them up sooner,’ she thought. ’I might have been a grand-aunt by now.’
On Ma Chaoyun’s small balcony.
Wu Jun took a cigarette from his pocket, followed by a lighter.
The cigarettes were a very common brand. He’d tried other kinds, but he was most accustomed to this one—it was smooth but strong, with a mellow taste.
The lighter was even more ordinary, a common one-yuan lighter from a convenience store.
By now, his net worth had surpassed a hundred million, but he hadn’t started indulging in daily extravagances or a life of debauchery just because he’d struck it rich. In the small details of his life, not much had changed.
He felt there was no need to change. It was good to just be himself.
CLICK. CLICK. He flicked the lighter several times, but it wouldn’t light the cigarette. Wu Jun brought it closer to his face and saw it was out of fluid, a look of helplessness on his face.
"Let me light it for you." Li Xiaoxiao came out and happened to see Wu Jun’s helpless expression. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a kerosene lighter, and dangled it in front of him.
"You carry one of these?" Wu Jun was surprised to see a girl carrying a lighter. He offered the cigarette pack to Li Xiaoxiao and asked, "Want one?"
"No way." Li Xiaoxiao gave Wu Jun a bashful glare and said, "This is my dad’s ’instrument of crime’ that I confiscated this morning."
"Oh, I see. I can do it myself." Realizing his mistake, Wu Jun reached for the lighter.
"Let me do it." Li Xiaoxiao’s heart began to beat a little faster as she said this.
She took a small step, moving in front of Wu Jun. Her long, slender, pale hand, trembling slightly with excitement, flicked the lighter open. She held the lighter with its small flame in one hand and cupped her other hand to shield it from the wind. Her posture for lighting someone’s cigarette was surprisingly professional.
Wu Jun leaned down slightly, bringing the tip of his cigarette to the flame. He took a deep drag to light it, then straightened up, turned, and exhaled a puff of smoke out the window before saying, "Thanks."
As Wu Jun leaned toward the flame, he was also leaning toward Li Xiaoxiao. It was the first time they had ever been this close. Li Xiaoxiao was so nervous she could barely breathe, almost fainting from holding her breath.
Only after he straightened up and turned away, putting some distance between them, did Li Xiaoxiao finally let out a long sigh of relief.
At the same time, as the distance between them grew again, a sense of loss welled up in Li Xiaoxiao’s heart.
’I confiscated Dad’s lighter and told him not to smoke, but here I am, using it to light a cigarette for another man. What would Dad think if he knew?’
At this thought, a smile crept onto Li Xiaoxiao’s lips.
’I have to keep this lighter safe! It’s the one I used to light President Wu’s cigarette!’
"President Wu, I remember you didn’t used to smoke. You went on a trip and came back a smoker?" Li Xiaoxiao carefully put the lighter back in her pocket, took two steps forward to stand level with Wu Jun, and tilted her head to look at him, her face full of curiosity.
"I smoke occasionally, to clear my head," Wu Jun said calmly, his gaze level with the glowing red tip of his cigarette.
The burning cigarette tip and the rising blue smoke reminded him of the supermarket fire set by Xu Penghui. He and Xu Fei had almost died in there. The incident had served as a huge wake-up call for him.
Seeing the melancholic look on Wu Jun’s face, Li Xiaoxiao felt as if her own heart were being squeezed tightly. She desperately wanted to step forward and give him a hug, but she felt that would be too greedy of her.
’I should be content just to stand this close to him.’