C11 Find a Boyfriend

"Miss Jian?" Cheng Muze, however, glanced at Liancheng's retreating back before turning to Jian Yun. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" She forced a smile into her lips. The grip she had on her bag strap was so tight that the veins on the back of her hand bulged out. Even then, she didn't wince. Her bright eyes became glassy as her mother's words echoed at the back of her mind. Although it had always been like this, she still couldn't help but be affected by it all.

Wu Wenjing, who had listened in on the entire conversation, placed her arm around her shoulder. Without another word, the three walked out of the restaurant.

As they strolled down the pavements, Jian Yun saw Huo Liancheng leaning against the car from afar with a cigarette in his mouth. Despite the aloof expression on his face, he still attracted tons of passers-by, all desperate to get a better look at him. She could even spot a few women deliberately sizing him up without an inch of embarrassment in their actions.

"Mr. Cheng," she started, frowining. "We can take a taxi back ourselves. You've already done so much for us; we don't want to trouble you any further."

"That's right! This place is closer to my home, so taking a taxi would be easy." Wu Wenjing immediately jumped in agreement. Although she was mesmerized by President Huo's good looks, even she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by the man's cold demeanor. If Jian Yun was going to jump ship, the tension in the car might even be even more unbearable!

"I–of cou–" He was about to agree until he heard the car door being slammed close. Upon looking up, Cheng Muze caught sight of Liancheng's scowl and immediately changed his mind. Immediately, he waved his hands up in the air.

"It's really no trouble! Besides, getting a taxi this late at night might prove to be more troublesome."

She exchanged a glance with her friend before nodding reluctantly. It would be hard to refuse a request from their boss. On the bright side, the night was coming to an end, and soon enough, they'd be parting their ways.

Since Wu Wenjing wouldn't dare sit close to Liancheng, Jian Yun had no other choice but to sit between them as usual. When she glanced at the man beside her, she could tell that he wasn't in a good mood. His eyes were closed, and his lips were set in a thin line. He looked as if he was having a headache.

Not long after the car had driven off, her phone rang out. When she glanced at the screen, the corners of her lips quirked downward, and she had to suppress a sigh. Wu Wenjing peered closely. "Is it Auntie?"

Nodding, she muted her phone and threw it into her bag, knowing fully well that hanging up on her mother would lead to even worse consequences. However, even as minutes had passed, she could see her phone still flashing every now and then, displaying around twenty missed calls. Jian Yun winced. God, she was going to get an earful after this stunt.

"You should answer, or else Auntie might..." Wu Wenjing trailed off, but Yun already knew what her friend had wanted to say.

Biting her lips, she squeezed her eyes shut as she readied herself for another round of her mother's lecture. She clicked the answer button and immediately, her mother's hysterical screams shot through her eardrums. She winced. "You!" Mrs. Jian sputtered out. "Is this how you treat your mother now? Are you already turning into your father? All of you–do you want me to just go into a hole and die?"

"Ma, please!" Jian Yun subconsciously glanced at Liancheng. Seeing that his eyes were still closed, she immediately lowered her voice and covered her phone. Her hand was shaking as she tried to soothe her mother's anxiety. "I really had something to do earlier. That's why I wasn't able to answer."

Mrs. Jian stopped screaming, but just before the young woman could celebrate the peace, she burst into tears. "Do you know how many times that slut Lin Rong calls me up?" she wailed. "Not only had she stolen my husband, but her daughter also stole my daughter's boyfriend! Damn that family of homewreckers! Why am I such a failure? Why am I not dead yet? Does God really hate me that much?"

"Mom! Please–I–I'll listen to you, how about that? Just give me the address, and I'll go on another blind date." Jian Yun could feel her knees buckling. She tugged the corners of the leather seat, sucking up all the air into her lungs. She'd go on a thousand blind dates if she had to. All that ever mattered was mitigating her mother's tantalizing temper.

"You have to promise me that you'll find a boyfriend a hundred times better than that Xu Haiyang, okay?"

"I..." She smiled bitterly. How could she even find such a man? It wasn't as if she could go into a store and order Boyfriend 2.0! If only it were that easy! Xu Haiyang had been the man of her dreams, and now it seemed that he would forever be engraved into her dreams.

"Yun, the man you'll be meeting is Zhou Shaolong. You'll meet him on the third floor of Scorching Coffee Shop at 8 PM on Friday. Got it?" Mrs. Jian reported the address in one go before reminding Jian Yun to be on her best behavior. Once everything had been settled, she hung up.

Jian Yun felt her mouth had gone dry as she stared at the blank screen. It had always been like this. Her mother would panic and yell at her every time Lin Rong entered the picture, and she, being her daughter, had to follow every one of her biddings to calm her down. In fact, in this year alone, she had been on so many blind dates that she couldn't even count them all!

The car ride had gone quiet, and no one said a word. Soon enough, they were already parked by the entrance of the residential complex.

Jian Yun thanked Cheng Muze before getting out of the car. She had originally wanted to thank Liancheng as well, but seeing that his eyes were still closed, she didn't bother to disturb him. Instead, she gave one last wave before turning to the gates.

Worried for her friend, Wu Wenjing also got off the car and followed her. However, before the two could talk about the events that had transpired that night, Jian Yun opened her phone and made another phone call. She pushed the door and headed into the living room.

The call immediately connected, and an anxious voice sounded from the other end of the line. "I was just about to call you."

"Auntie Qin, is my mother okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Ah! If it wasn't for that woman, your mother would've been fine! We ran into her at the park today, and I tried to steer your mother away, but Lin Rong chased after us, and her words...they were just awful!" Auntie Qin was her mother's cousin, and she had worked as a nurse before her retirement. After the accident, it was her uncle who had insisted that they come over to take care of Mrs. Jian, and she was beyond grateful for their assistance.

Hearing this, Jian Yun took a deep breath. The creases on her forehead reappeared as she sank into her sofa. She avoided Wu Wenjing's questioning stare before speaking, "Have you already talked to my mom about moving to Qinghu City?" Although that was ultimately the last resort, getting out of this city might be the only chance they had to get away from Lin Rong.

The older woman sighed. "You know how your mother is, Yun. Although she's sick, she's still as stubborn as a mule. Besides, your father, he–"

"I don't even want to hear anything about him!" She raised her voice, silencing Auntie Qin almost immediately.

"I–fine, I won't say anything more. Don't worry about Lan, okay? Just take good care of yourself," she instructed. "And please do as your mother had asked, okay? She's stressed and anxious–it's not the best time to get on her nerves."

When she finally hung up, Jian Yun was already burying herself under the sofa's cushions. She hugged her knees, bending over as if she had wanted to vomit. Although she didn't make a sound, her shoulders shook and her fingers trembled. Why did it always have to be like this?

"Yun," Wu Wenjing whispered, sitting beside her. "Everything will be fine. You shouldn't worry too much."

Jian Yun shook her head. There were tears running down her cheeks, and her once bright eyes held so much darkness and resentment for her own father. "It's been six years, and that bastard still controls our life! I hate him! I hate him!"

Although the two were roommates back at the university and were co-workers at Ming's, Wu Wenjing knew very little about Yun's family matters. Seeing as how secretive her friend had been about her past, she decided to leave it at that. In fact, today was the first time she had even brought up her father's name.

"Why don't you go take a shower first? I'll be staying over for the night." Wu Wenjing initially wanted to persuade Jian Yun to come down, but she knew for a fact that her friend could be as stubborn as her mother. She waved her hand and pushed her towards the bathroom. Perhaps a warm bath can rid all those thoughts in her mind.

When Jian Yun finished, the redness in her eyes had grown faint, and the tear-streaks had disappeared. Yet, her face still looked conflicted as a thousand thoughts hounded at the back of her mind. Not wanting to think about it any further, she glanced at Wu Wenjing who was too busy scanning over her phone with an infatuated look painted into her features.

"What are you looking at?" She cocked up an eyebrow.

"What do you think?" Wu Wenjing passed over the phone as if she was offering a treasure box. She leaned forward, reiterating all the pictures she had of their boss. "Look at President Huo! God, he makes everything look a thousand times better."