Chapter 169: Wasted Time
"Dad, why did you come?" Li Jingjing called out softly.
Mr. Lao stood up from the staircase, holding a cigarette. He had been quietly smoking alone before, seemingly lost in thought.
"Just to check on you, I'm not worried," Mr. Lao smiled kindly at Li Jingjing and then looked at Yang Chen, saying, "Little Yang, you're here too. It's been a long time since we've seen each other."
Yang Chen could tell that Mr. Lao was somewhat uneasy, and he probably understood why. He smiled and said, "Yeah, there have been a lot of things going on lately, but I still go to the market to buy breakfast. It's just that I haven't bumped into you."
Mr. Lao nodded, hesitating as he glanced between Li Jingjing and Yang Chen. "What have you two been up to?"
"Dad, Big Brother Yang took me to buy some furniture and came here to see the place I live," Li Jingjing explained. "Don't think too much about it."
Mr. Lao sighed, "Jingjing, don't blame me for being meddlesome. Your mom hasn't been in a good mood lately. It's one thing for you to move out alone, but you shouldn't ignore her words. Marriage is a serious matter and not something to joke about."
Li Jingjing lowered her head, remaining silent.
Yang Chen knew that Mr. Lao was actually talking to him. It's just that Mr. Lao was giving him face and not directly asking him to leave Li Jingjing.
"Little Yang, don't blame me for being meddlesome. Jingjing is my only daughter," Mr. Lao said with a dry expression. "I heard from Jingjing that you're already married. You should also consider the consequences. If you get too close, it's not good for both of you."
Yang Chen nodded understandingly and glanced at Li Jingjing, whose face was a bit pale. He felt helpless.
He still couldn't fit into the role of an ordinary person well. Indeed, as parents, how could they tolerate their only daughter being with a married man, especially when she was so young, beautiful, and innocent?
He had always simplified things too much, often neglecting the feelings of ordinary people.
In the current situation, he shouldn't make things difficult for Mr. and Mrs. Lao. Perhaps it would be better for everyone if he kept some distance from Li Jingjing in the future.
"Jingjing, I'll go now. Knowing that you live in a safe place, I can rest assured. Listen to your dad and don't make your mom worry," Yang Chen said.
Li Jingjing's eyes reddened slightly, but she nodded slightly, "Got it."
Yang Chen didn't stay any longer. After greeting Mr. Lao, he left the apartment.
On the way back to the company, Yang Chen thought about the joyful moments he had spent with Mr. Lao's family when he first returned to the country. He felt guilty towards them and decided that even if it was for the sake of Mr. and Mrs. Lao, he wouldn't actively contact Li Jingjing anymore.
Back at the office, a group of female PR staff were busy, even the youngest ones who were usually restless were working hard, burying themselves in tasks or engaging in gentle communication with clients over the phone.
Yang Chen suddenly felt a bit out of place. It was fine when everyone was idle, but during such busy times, he felt awkward being the only one not occupied.
Walking to his desk, Yang Chen turned on his computer. After playing games for a while, Zhao Hongyan, who sat closest to him, walked over with a document and placed it on his desk, saying, "Yang Chen, could you please give this document to Mingyu in the office? I have to go meet a client. Thanks!"
With that, Zhao Hongyan, with her package wrapped around her, hurriedly left in her red skirt.
Yang Chen chuckled silently, picked up the document, and went to knock on the door of Liu Mingyu's office.
"Come in."
Pushing open the door, Yang Chen entered. This was his first time in this office since Mo Qianni left, and now the woman sitting in the chair was Liu Mingyu.
Seeing Yang Chen come in, Liu Mingyu, who was facing the computer screen, was somewhat surprised but quickly smiled warmly.
"Zhao Hongyan asked me to give this to you. She's busy meeting a client," Yang Chen said as he placed the document on her desk.
Liu Mingyu nodded, "Thank you."
Seeing that she was busy, Yang Chen turned to leave. But just as he was about to step out, Liu Mingyu called him back.
"Yang Chen, can you do me a favor?" Liu Mingyu asked.
"Of course, I'm the least busy person in the department," Yang Chen said with a smile.
Liu Mingyu rolled her eyes at him, "Well, here's the thing. This afternoon, I plan to go to the venue of the autumn fashion show to meet with the people from Donghua Technology. The models from various modeling agencies have already started rehearsing, and I need to check on the progress of the venue setup and see how the models are doing on the runway. Can you accompany me there?"
Although she held a position as a department head in the company, Liu Mingyu hadn't bought herself a car. On one hand, it was due to financial constraints at home, and on the other hand, buying a car in Zhonghai wasn't as convenient as taking a taxi.
Yang Chen naturally had no objections. Although he didn't understand why Liu Mingyu wanted him to accompany her, he figured it was better to be her driver than to sit in the office feeling like an oddball.
"Those international models are mostly flat-chested anyway, nothing to envy," Yang Chen muttered. "Flat-chested?" Liu Mingyu couldn't help but giggle. "The reason why most international models have smaller busts is to better support various fashion outfits. But the way you put it, they sound like pitiful runways." "It's all bones, no feeling when you touch them," Yang Chen replied, uninterested. "As if you've actually touched them," Liu Mingyu scoffed. Yang Chen chuckled, thinking that he indeed had touched quite a few, but there was no point in mentioning it. "To be honest, instead of envying their job, it's more about envying their ability to freely showcase the beauty of young girls," Liu Mingyu said with a hint of infatuation as she looked at the models on the runway. "I don't mind telling you this. In another year or two, I'll be hitting thirty. Yet, I haven't even worn a set of sexy clothes or experienced a complete love affair, let alone the crazy and exciting things that young people do nowadays. Sometimes I think about it, and I've just been drifting through these years." "Don't you have a boyfriend for several years?" Yang Chen remembered Liu Mingyu mentioning her boyfriend who went off to the military and never returned. Liu Mingyu smiled bitterly. "Yes, we met in college. Before he went off to the military, he asked me to wait for him. But since he enlisted, he never contacted me again. Some of my friends say if it were them, they would have moved on long ago. But I'm afraid that if he ever comes back, he'll accuse me of betraying his feelings. So, I haven't found another boyfriend. Actually, even now, although I occasionally think of him, I sometimes can't even remember what he looks like. Am I too foolish?" Yang Chen felt a bit sorry for Liu Mingyu, considering the cost of her wasted youth waiting for a man who may never return. But it was her private matter, and he didn't want to say too much. He simply said, "If you think it's worth it, then it is." "Is it?" Liu Mingyu smiled faintly. "Perhaps." Seeing that it was getting late, Liu Mingyu suggested, "As a token of appreciation for being such a diligent driver and helping me fend off annoying flies, how about I treat you to dinner?" "Where to?" Yang Chen also felt hungry. "The usual place," Liu Mingyu winked.