Chapter 32: Neither Human nor Ghost

The proprietress approached at an opportune moment. She knew well enough that this was a private family matter and it was not her place to interfere, but she was certainly capable of easing the tension. Walking over with a smile, she said to Zhuo Nan, "Young man, the dishes are ready. Shall I serve them now?"

Zhuo Nan looked at the proprietress with a hint of gratitude. He nodded slightly and replied, "Yes, serve them now."

The proprietress acknowledged him and turned back to arrange the service.

Zhuo Nan turned his gaze back to Zhao Jiawen. Seeing that she was still glaring at him, he sighed and asked, "Jiawen, what is it you want me to do?"

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Zhao Jiawen’s face. "It’s simple. You must take responsibility for what you said. I want to be your girlfriend, and you must break up with those other two."

Zhuo Nan did not react strongly to her demand. He smiled and shook his head. "Jiawen, even if I broke up with them to be with you, can you guarantee that you are the one I truly love? Besides, if I can break up with them now, perhaps one day I could break up with you too. Do you really think a person like that is the one you are looking for?"

Zhuo Nan’s words were logical, forcing Zhao Jiawen to carefully consider what he had said. She sat to the side, brow furrowed in deep thought. Zhuo Nan did not disturb her; in his view, Zhao Jiawen had not come looking for him, but rather for a memory of her childhood. As long as he made the implications clear, he believed she would understand.

After a while, Zhao Jiawen lifted her head. Her eyes were slightly reddened, as if she had been dealt a blow. "Zhuo Nan, do you know? It’s been ten years. I’ve waited for ten whole years. Not a moment went by that I didn't think about seeing you again. When my family told me last year that we could return to Deqing, do you know how happy I was? During that time, I was so happy I couldn't sleep for nights on end. My mind was filled with your image. Although most of it was how you looked as a child, I still fantasized about what you looked like now. You might find it incredible, but I really have to tell you, I truly, truly love you..."

At this point, Zhao Jiawen could no longer control her tears, which began to fall drop by drop.

Seeing her like this—so pitiful, just like when she was bullied as a child—Zhuo Nan’s heart softened. When a man is soft-hearted toward a woman, the consequences can be quite severe. He sighed, pulled Zhao Jiawen into his arms, patted her shoulder gently, and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

Resting in Zhuo Nan’s arms, Zhao Jiawen felt no sense of awkwardness; it was as if his embrace had been waiting for her. She leaned into him with a sense of peace... Her tears soaked a large patch of his shoulder. Zhuo Nan knew that if a woman cried like this, it could only mean she was truly heartbroken.

Other patrons, seeing the young girl weeping so bitterly, felt even more contempt for Zhuo Nan. Indignant, they thought to themselves, "The best cabbage has been ruined by a pig."

Zhuo Nan looked at Zhao Jiawen and felt deep remorse. A single childhood remark had led this girl to pine for him for ten years. Yet, asking him to break up with Lan Qian and Fu Xinxin was absolutely impossible. Both women were devoted to him; how could he abandon them? Moreover, Lan Qian had given her first time to him—that alone meant he could never abandon her for the rest of his life. But with the woman in his arms weeping like a flower in the rain, Zhuo Nan felt a splitting headache as he struggled with how to handle their relationship.

Zhao Jiawen’s sobbing grew quieter. Estimating that enough time had passed, Zhuo Nan gently pushed her away. With eyes full of guilt, he said, "Jiawen, I’m sorry. I cannot break up with my current girlfriends. I have to take responsibility for them..."

"Then what about me? What am I supposed to do?" Zhao Jiawen gripped his arm tightly, looking at him with a pitiful expression as she asked urgently.

Zhuo Nan sighed. "Jiawen, I cannot harm you. I know I am in the wrong, but we are both still young. We haven't even lived a quarter of our lives. In the future, you will meet someone better. One day, you will forget me. Besides, I am planning to transfer schools. When that happens, you won't have to face me every day, and I believe you will be able to forget me faster."

"You're talking nonsense..." Zhao Jiawen’s emotions suddenly flared. The tears that had just stopped burst forth again. She cried out, "Can I forget? If I could forget, I wouldn't have waited ten years! Do you know that for ten years, I’ve hoped every single day to be with you? And what have I waited for? Only to hear that you have girlfriends? Others say men are irresponsible, but I always believed you were different. But you, Zhuo Nan, I hate you, I hate you..." With that, she grabbed her schoolbag and ran out of the restaurant like a madwoman.

Zhuo Nan tried to stop her but failed. "Jiawen, Jiawen..." He chased after her, only to see her flag down a taxi and leave. Zhuo Nan shook his head in defeat, gave a helpless, bitter smile, and walked back into the restaurant. The proprietress stood by the door with a look of pity. Seeing him return, she quickly said, "Young man, don't take it to heart. I think that girl is quite nice; she'll come around."

Zhuo Nan gave a weak smile, pulled two hundred yuan from his pocket, and said, "Proprietress, I won't be eating. Please take this money."

The proprietress chuckled. "Oh, young man, don't be so polite. It’s on the house; how could I take your money?"

Zhuo Nan had no energy for pleasantries. He nodded and said, "Thank you, proprietress. I’m leaving." With that, he walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

Too many things had happened in the past two days. First, he had acted rudely toward Xia Qianrou, and now he had hurt Zhao Jiawen’s heart. Zhuo Nan felt a sense of powerlessness—a powerlessness when facing women. Just as his "super-brain" had said, when it comes to matters of the heart, no one can calculate the outcome; only one can figure it out for themselves. But could he really figure it out? Zhuo Nan asked himself.

He stopped thinking about it. The more he thought, the messier it became. He didn't plan on attending afternoon classes; it would be too awkward to see Zhao Jiawen.

He decided to visit Du Fanhao to see how the QQ project was going. Besides, Qin Shanshan’s condition still required him to step in and make arrangements. With this in mind, Zhuo Nan hailed a taxi to Du Fanhao’s company.

Longhua Technology Network Co., Ltd. occupied an entire floor in the Fortune Building, the tallest office building in Deqing. Initially, Zhuo Nan had told Du Fanhao to buy the floor outright, but Du Fanhao had argued, "Deqing is a small city, after all. The company’s future lies in the major coastal cities. The market environment, policies, and regulations there are more mature, and with the unique geographical location and talent resources, if the company wants to grow strong, moving is inevitable." So, for now, they were just renting.

After reaching the Fortune Building, Zhuo Nan took the elevator to the 16th floor, where Longhua Technology was located. Upon exiting, he saw a massive feature wall engraved with the company name. Two pretty receptionists sat in front of it. Zhuo Nan had only been here once before, the time he met Dongfang Zhiyi. He didn't recognize the two receptionists; they must have been newly hired.

One of them noticed him walking toward them and stood up with a smile. Zhuo Nan was dressed like a student with a backpack, but he was quite tall. The girl couldn't tell who he was, but she remained polite. "Sir, hello. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Zhuo Nan was satisfied with her demeanor; at least she didn't judge a book by its cover. He smiled and said, "I’d like to see your President Du."

The girl was clearly stunned, but quickly recovered and smiled. "Sir, may I ask your surname and if you have an appointment? You should know that without an appointment, our President Du does not see visitors."

"Damn..." Large companies always had such rules. This kid Adu had also learned how to put on airs. An appointment? What kind of nonsense was that? He replied directly, "Just tell him my surname is Zhuo; he will see me."

Although the girl thought Zhuo Nan was arrogant, she was in a customer-service role and maintained her composure. She smiled and said, "Mr. Zhuo, is it? I’m sorry, but if you really wish to see President Du, please make an appointment. We will arrange a time. The company has its rules, and I hope you can understand."

Zhuo Nan nodded inwardly. This young lady was quite good; she followed protocol well and knew how to decline without making the other person feel too awkward.

Zhuo Nan continued, "If I make an appointment now, when would I be able to see President Du?"

The girl smiled and looked down at her ledger. After flipping through a few pages, she looked up with the same sweet smile. "Mr. Zhuo, if you make an appointment now, barring any special circumstances, President Du can see you next Friday."

Zhuo Nan sweated. Was Adu really that busy? Dammit, he was probably busy fooling around with his secretary all day. But that didn't seem right either; Sun Yan was also in the company—did he have the nerve?

While he was pondering this, the girl’s question interrupted his train of thought: "Mr. Zhuo, which company are you with, and what is your position? I need to register it..."

Just as Zhuo Nan was about to answer, the other receptionist—whose style Zhuo Nan found hard to admire; she was gaudy, extremely gaudy—spoke up. He figured this was probably the type Adu liked, otherwise why would he hire someone like her?

"Xiao Ling, why are you bothering with him? Look at him—he looks so shabby. He’s probably here to cause trouble. Only a silly girl like you would waste time entertaining him." Once the gaudy woman finished, the girl called Xiao Ling shook her head. "Sister Qi, you can't say that. Our job is to receive guests. Whether President Du sees them or not isn't up to us; we just need to do our jobs."

Zhuo Nan listened to their exchange and thought better of Xiao Ling. He turned to the gaudy woman, who flicked her hair at him in a show of defiance and said unceremoniously, "You’d better leave. Don't look for trouble. Our President Du won't see you. Look at yourself—putting on airs. You think our President Du knows you? Hmph..."

Zhuo Nan said nothing. He smiled, walked to the sofa nearby, took out his phone, and dialed a number. Once it connected, he said, "Du Fanhao, I'm at the company entrance. There’s a woman here who looks neither human nor ghost blocking my way and won't let me in. You handle it." With that, he hung up.

The gaudy woman had heard him clearly. This brat had actually called the President! But then she thought it was impossible—if he could contact the President, he wouldn't have been haggling with Xiao Ling at the door. He was clearly just posturing. Feeling relieved, and remembering him saying she looked neither human nor ghost, she was instantly enraged. She put her hands on her hips, marched over to Zhuo Nan, pointed at him, and scolded, "You little brat, who are you calling neither human nor ghost?"