activa-t Chapter 197 Encountering a Scumbag
Chapter 197 Encountering a Scumbag
Encouraged by Qiao Simei, Chang Xingyu's fighting spirit was rekindled.
The hospital organized a spring outing, and the department head, wanting to curry favor with Zhang Jianjun, signed both Zhang Jianjun and Chang Xingyu up. Chang Xingyu's father knew a vice president of the hospital, who intervened during the department transfer, so the department head took good care of Chang Xingyu.
Chang Xingyu went to see the director and asked him to notify Zhang Jianjun on the last day, otherwise Zhang Jianjun might not go. The director thought about it and agreed, realizing it was indeed possible.
On the last day before departure, just before leaving get off work in the afternoon, Zhang Jianjun received the news that he was going on a spring outing. He was thinking of turning down the spot, but the director said it was no longer possible to change it.
After informing Wu Fenglan and Qiao Sanli, I went to the meeting point early the next morning.
The meeting point is in the square because the road near the hospital is too narrow for buses to get through.
When Zhang Jianjun arrived, the bus was already waiting. After putting down his luggage, Zhang Jianjun boarded the bus and found that Chang Xingyu was also on board.
Chang Xingyu had been keeping an eye on the door. When he saw Zhang Jianjun arrive, he waved to him, "Jianjun, over here!"
After the New Year, Chang Xingyu changed his way of addressing her, no longer as playful as before, but with a touch more intimacy.
"You're here early!" Zhang Jianjun sat down next to Chang Xingyu as instructed, greeting him while sizing him up.
Chang Xingyu looks beautiful today; she seems to have put a lot of effort into dressing up.
The striped sweater she wore, an ordinary garment, transformed into a work of art on her. The delicate texture and colors intertwined, outlining her elegant figure. Her pigtails were playful and cute, with two small pearls on the hair ties resembling twinkling stars in the night sky, complementing her bright eyes, yet overshadowing them in her lively gaze.
The faint smile at the corner of her lips was like a flower blooming in spring, exuding a captivating fragrance. That smile seemed to contain endless gentleness and kindness, making one want to explore the warmth and goodness behind this beauty.
Chang Xingyu smiled, ignoring Zhang Jianjun's words, and took out breakfast from her bag—a scallion pancake. "Have you eaten? I brought you breakfast." She had gotten up early to make breakfast, but she hadn't timed it right and arrived too early.
Zhang Jianjun took the scallion pancake and said, "Thank you!"
Although I've already eaten, my strengthened stomach says I can digest another pancake without any problem.
Soon everyone was present. The head of the administration department was in charge. He directed a young man to check the list. Once everyone was present, the bus departed.
The bus was probably nearing its end. Zhang Jianjun felt that apart from the horn, which wasn't very loud, everything else was very noisy. In particular, the vibrations were very strong, and passengers on the bus could clearly tell whether the road surface was smooth or not, even with their eyes closed.
After a two-hour drive, the car slowly came to a stop.
Everyone got off the bus to rest! That's right, everyone was very tired from the journey, really tired! Standing up and moving around made them feel much better.
The spring outing was to Shiguo Mountain. The rocks here are famous; the mountain is covered in strangely shaped stones, very eye-catching, especially a large rock that looks like a pot, which left a deep impression. It's said that jade was once found here, but the quantity was so scarce that no one continued to develop the area.
After getting off the bus, you are free to do as you please, just be back here to meet up before 5 o'clock.
Chang Xingyu followed Zhang Jianjun without hesitation.
Why didn't you go hiking with the group?
Chang Xingyu did not back down again. "I just want to be with you."
Zhang Jianjun didn't expect Chang Xingyu to be so direct. He smiled slightly and said, "Let's go then. Let's go for a walk in a secluded place."
Zhang Jianjun also enjoys a moment of tranquility in nature, preferably finding a place where no one else can find him, so he can completely relax.
Instead of going up the stone steps, the two of them started walking sideways along a path that didn't really look like a road.
After wandering around for a long time, Zhang Jianjun finally found a quiet and secluded place. Here, several towering trees, which would require one person to encircle them with both arms, stood beside a babbling brook. Their lush and dense branches intertwined, like a natural umbrella, creating a perfectly cool and shady place.
The stream was truly as beautiful and picturesque as a poem. The river was only a little over a meter wide, its water extremely shallow, barely reaching a person's ankles. In the crystal-clear water, colorful pebbles were clearly visible, some smooth and round, others sharply angular, lying quietly on the bottom, as if telling stories of bygone eras. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the water's surface, creating shimmering, dreamlike ripples. Occasionally, a few small fish darted among them, their nimble forms flashing by, adding a touch of liveliness and life to the tranquil scene.
Zhang Jianjun sat down in a very comfortable position.
Chang Xingyu followed Zhang Jianjun's example and sat down next to him.
"Why is your shoelace untied? Luckily you didn't trip!" After sitting down, Chang Xingyu noticed that one of Zhang Jianjun's shoelaces was loose, so he pulled Zhang Jianjun's foot over and tied it for him.
Zhang Jianjun tried to pull his foot back, but said, "I'll do it myself!"
Chang Xingyu pressed him down, "I'll tie it securely for you! You can't be careless in a place like this!"
Zhang Jianjun stopped insisting and let Chang Xingyu do as he pleased.
Zhang Jianjun casually picked up a stone and tossed it gently into the water, creating ripples on the calm river.
Chang Xingyu first washed his hands by the stream, then spread out a thin blanket when he came back. He then took out some food from his bag, including peach shortbread, honey-glazed pastries, mung bean cakes, and even a can of fruit.
It's clear that she put a lot of thought into this trip.
"Xingyu, what kind of person do you think I am?" Zhang Jianjun stared at the slowly disappearing ripples, without looking at Chang Xingyu.
Chang Xingyu thought for a moment, "I think you're a mysterious person, someone I can't understand, but I know you're a good person!"
"A good person? Maybe I'm just a bad person." Zhang Jianjun threw out another bombshell. "You know about Sanli and me, right?"
From Chang Xingyu's unusual behavior, Zhang Jianjun guessed the general course of events. Of course, Zhang Jianjun was unaware of Qiao Simei's involvement.
Chang Xingyu didn't argue. "Actually, you can try to accept me. I think I'm no worse than Qiao Sanli!"
Zhang Jianjun nodded. "Of course you're great too! I would be very sad if either of you left me."
"That's what I was saying earlier, I think I'm a terrible person. I sensed your feelings for me from the very beginning, but I never explicitly rejected you."
"But, Xingyu, you don't know, from beginning to end, I never thought of leaving Sanli! Not before, and not in the future!"
"So, Xingyu, will you blame me?"
Chang Xingyu's face turned pale. "You mean... I understand. I'll submit my resignation when we get back." After saying that, she hesitated for a moment, but still made a request, "Jianjun, can you hug me?"
Chang Xingyu was devastated. Nine years! She had liked Zhang Jianjun for nine years! How many nine-year periods does one have in a lifetime? Where else could she find someone to invest so much emotion in again?
Two lines of clear tears slid gently down her cheeks, but Chang Xingyu ignored them and just stared straight at Zhang Jianjun.
Zhang Jianjun turned around, opened his arms, and pulled Chang Xingyu into his embrace. "Xingyu, aren't you curious about why I was able to skip several grades in a row when I was in school? And why I could learn everything so quickly?"
"Aren't you curious why I was able to start learning Traditional Chinese Medicine at the age of five?"
"Aren't you curious why I'm so sure it's Qiao Sanli?"
Chang Xingyu wanted to feel Zhang Jianjun's warmth one last time, so he closed his eyes and immersed himself in his masculine aura. Hearing Zhang Jianjun's words, he looked up with some confusion, "Isn't this because you're smart?"
Zhang Jianjun shook his head. "Of course not! I was able to do all this because I have memories of my past life!"