Chapter Twenty-Two

  The winter in City A is usually dry and cold, but with the arrival of a cold air mass from the north, it has been raining continuously for two days.

  Waking up to the sound of rain, I slowly came to, hugging my blanket and staring out the window at the gray sky for a long time, my consciousness still hazy.

  It was exactly 8 o'clock in the morning when her phone, which she had just grasped in her hand, vibrated softly.

  An Ran lowered his head and looked at the message from Wen Jingfan. The text was still in his usual concise style, with just one sentence that explained everything.

  "My work will be finished next Friday, let's go for a sound test together on Saturday."

  She blinked calmly and quickly replied: "Good."

  Yesterday evening, after he brought up the dubbing matter, her subconscious reaction was to refuse. But before she could say anything, he seemed to have already anticipated what she would say, took a sip of that medicinal liquid, and slowly said: "Don't rush to reject me, you have time to consider."

  His lips, stained with medicinal liquid, glistened with a layer of moisture, and his eyes were even more sparkling, reflecting the brilliance of the room, as he quietly gazed at her, calm and introspective.

  Wen Jingfan had always had a quality that made people involuntarily calm down, and in this quiet environment, he looked at her with such peace and tranquility, her heart which was turbulent just now suddenly calmed down.

  She thought for a moment and said: "I don't have any experience with dubbing... I'm completely clueless."

  Wen Jingfan had obviously thought about this problem, seeing that she was really thinking seriously, and smiled slightly with a curved lip: "Don't worry about this, I'll teach you."

  "But I learn things slowly..." Besides, letting her, a completely inexperienced person, match up with such an important female lead, is Lu Xi Fang's heart always this big?

  "You can trust me." He saw that Su Anran raised her eyes to look at him, and those eyes were as black as obsidian, clear and transparent.

  He pursed his lips and briefly explained, "I had no experience at all when I first paired up for business, it's not as difficult as you imagine. Both Lu Xifang and I think you're very suitable, so if you're interested, you can consider giving it a try."

  His voice was warm and gentle, with a hint of persuasion, making it impossible to refuse.

  She thought for a moment, and a "good" was on the tip of her tongue, but somehow she couldn't get it out smoothly.

  He waited even more patiently, his eyes fixed intently on her, without any extra expression, just this one focus... made An Ran even more unable to refuse.

  At that time, I was still able to think freely and jump out of it, but obviously I had already fallen deeply into something uncontrollable.

  She found that as long as it was his suggestion, no matter how many excuses or reasons she had, once she looked into his eyes... the only word that came out of her mouth was "good".

  "...Can I really?"

  Wen Jingfan glanced at her sideways for a while, then asked in return: "Why can't it be you?"

  Why can't it be you...

  The words still echoed in her ears, making her heart skip a beat.

  The hotel's staff is now sufficient, and with the resumption of normal working hours, everything has returned to order.

  On the third day of going to work at the hotel, after she had some free time, she first made a return call to Wen Jingfan's room. For hotel VIP customers, they will make a return call every three days to ask for their opinions.

  These two days, because she promised to try dubbing, she has been in contact with Wen Jingfan through text messages. He is busy with work and her time is irregular, so they have been chatting intermittently...

  "Hello, Mr. Wen. I'm Su Anran, the lobby manager of Shengyuan Hotel. May I take a minute of your time to ask for your opinion on our hotel service?"

  "Alright."

  The voice was mixed with a faint sense of fatigue, accompanied by a slightly hoarse tone, and it seemed to be in a state of having just woken up.

  "Are you still satisfied with the hotel's service?"

  "Satisfied." He seemed to smile this time, without any hesitation.

  Instead, it was Yan Ran who listened to his lazy and charming voice, being mesmerized to the point where her ears felt a little numb: "Thank you for your cooperation."

  "You usually return visits to guests like this?" His voice was clear, and the lazy feeling dissipated a bit.

  The words that had reached the tip of her tongue were interrupted by him, and she swallowed them back. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Yes, those who come back are all VIP guests of our hotel."

  After she finished speaking, she seemed to have thought of something and looked at the time, asking: "Did I disturb your sleep?"

  It was already 10 o'clock in the morning, and she had thought he would have gotten up and started work by now, which is why she chose this time to call him.

  "No." He probably sat up, and on the other end of the receiver, in addition to his voice, there were faint noises. He cleared his throat as she had just done, and added: "It's about time to wake up anyway."

  This answer is clearly telling her in a roundabout way that she's disturbing his sleep!

  Just as she was about to apologize, his phone rang. She paused and quickly said: "Then I won't disturb you..."

  The words had just been spoken when a clear voice was heard from the other end: "Hello?"

  Su Anran: "......" Sir, aren't your hands tired from holding onto both?

  She was about to quietly hang up the phone, and just as she moved the receiver away, she vaguely heard Wen Jingfan's gentle voice suddenly tense: "Is Fan Xi ill?"

  She took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. But eavesdropping on the guest's phone call was absolutely not allowed, she didn't even hesitate, quickly hanging up the phone.

  While dealing with the trivial daily work, she suddenly felt a tickle in her throat. After coughing several times, the feeling became even more intense. She got up to pour herself some tea and after taking a few sips, remembered that there was still half a box of lozenges left, so she went to pull out the drawer.

  As soon as she opened it, Su Anran saw the thermos that had been washed clean and neatly placed in the drawer.

  Since she took the medicine that day, her cold has improved a lot. At least during working hours, she won't feel drowsy after taking cold capsules.

  When returning the thermos to Wen Jingfan every other day, he first asked about the efficacy of the medicine and then turned his body sideways to let her see the large thermos placed among a pile of work documents. He said matter-of-factly: "It just so happens that it's been delivered, you can take some back to drink too, isn't it said that drinking it has an effect?"

  Then she just... took it back again.

  When I return it to him today, I must say she's already fine!

  But there's a saying: you never know what's going to happen until the very last minute.

  Su Anran took advantage of the lunch break to return the thermos cup, presumably knowing that she would come over during her lunch break. The door was already slightly ajar.

  Su Anran calmly raised her hand and knocked on the door.

  "Come in." The voice behind the door was calm and indifferent.

  He pushed the door open gently and turned around to close it properly before walking over quietly.

  He sat on the sofa, intently staring at the computer, the white light from the screen casting a gentle glow on his face.

  The indoor temperature was just right, he only wore a white shirt, the cuffs slightly rolled up, revealing a large section of his wrist. His hand bones were distinct, and even more set off by his slender and fair hands. At this moment, his ten fingers were quickly jumping on the keyboard, making a soft tapping sound, pleasing to the eye.

  She calmly walked over to the nearest sofa on the other side and sat down, gently placing the thermos in her hand on the table.

  The faint sound caught his attention, and he glanced over, the tapping on the keyboard also stopping as he shifted his focus.

  He didn't say a word, but his deep and profound eyes quietly watched her.

  "Uh... thanks, I'm feeling better from my cold now."

  "Is your cold better?" He repeated in a soft voice, his tone was light and it was hard to detect any emotion.

  He nodded and his tone became even more sincere: "I'm really fine."

  "That's just right, let's drink some of Xin Yi's freshly made chicken soup to nourish our bodies." He brought over the thermos, skillfully twisted open the lid, and poured it into his mouth.

  As soon as the lid was twisted open, the rich and delicious aroma of chicken soup burst out. The thermos cup had a good insulation effect, and since it had just been delivered not long ago, it was still steaming hot, with a layer of white mist rising from it. Even though An Ran had just eaten lunch, at this moment he felt that the aroma entering his nostrils was really appetizing.

  But as she saw the steaming chicken soup being poured into a thermos, her heart felt like it had been soaked in bitter orange peel, and she frowned slightly: "Wen Jingfan..."

  As soon as the three words fell, An Ran vaguely saw a shadow flying quickly towards her. She was startled and instinctively dodged backwards.

  At the same time, Wen Jingfan also noticed it, furrowed his brow and said in a low voice: "Fan Xi, come back."

  Just as An was calming down and her mind had just settled, she heard his words and only then did she focus her attention on the cat that had landed on the spot where she had been sitting earlier.

  It's a British Shorthair, landing lightly on the sofa cushion, still maintaining the posture it had when it jumped down, its body slightly arched back, leaving room for retreat. Its head is slightly raised, and a pair of bright green eyes are staring straight at her, with a hint of alert scrutiny, shining brightly and clearly.

  That azure color, dense and pure, is like a precious gemstone, shining brightly.

  Not just the cat was surprised, but also Van Gogh. What's even more surprising is this cat... how did it appear here?

  Wen Jingfan had already walked over to them, his hand reaching out to grab the back of Fan Xi's neck and pulling him into a hug. His fingers landed on its body, gently stroking its fur.

  "It's a bit uncomfortable being sent here to me. Having just changed to an unfamiliar environment, it will be very vigilant and defensive against strangers, but there is no malice."

  "...how did it get in?"

  "It was Aunt Xin who brought it in." He lowered his head to look at the cat, and his expression softened a bit. His hand, which had been smoothing its fur, changed to gently pinch, hooking his fingers under its chin and lifting it up lightly.

  Manxi also raised its head and looked at its owner with a slight squint, making a sweet "meow" sound.

  "Isn't this a no-pet zone?" He seemed to recall something and his fingers, which were hooked under her chin, paused for a moment.

  Looking at the cat, which was originally very alert and cautious, staring at the slender fingers with its eyes wide open, it slightly tilted its head, rolled up its tongue and licked him once. Suddenly, his heart softened a bit: "Yes, not allowed to bring in."

  Wen Jing's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her pale fingers gently tapped on its head: "It was originally left at Xi Fang's place, but he had to leave suddenly for a business trip, and Fan Xi had some stomach discomfort. The old man is also allergic to cat hair, so I could only ask Xin Niang to bring it here first..."

  "After a brief pause, he added: 'Later I'll find a home to send the pet to, and I will send it away.'"

  "Should I send it away..." She hesitated, looking at Van Gogh who had rested his head on her palm, thinking that he was still unwell and would have to be sent to a foster home, and a faint pang of heartache arose.

  She hesitated and reached out her hand, stroking its soft fur. As soon as she moved, Vanxi suddenly raised his head, and those emerald eyes stared at her like that.

  She was stared at by it and didn't dare to move, after a few seconds of stalemate, she surrendered first, and somewhat nervously withdrew her hand. Unexpectedly, as soon as her hand was halfway back, she heard its soft and gentle voice call out once, its head raised, and it came over to nuzzle her palm.

  That soft touch rubbed against her palm, delicate and soft, yet made her heart instantly turn into a puddle of water.

  It's probably due to the effect of that majestic and powerful display just now, at this moment it's taking the initiative to show its good side, and it seems to have a few more points of being pampered...

  Wen Jingfan also seemed somewhat surprised, his eyes falling on An Ran's face, as if in thought.

  Shanxi/Jiangsu/Wenxuecheng exclusive premiere

  No forwarding allowed

  The author has something to say: I was stuck yesterday and couldn't code, after organizing the outline and combing through the plot, I managed to code out one chapter at 1 o'clock.

  I've already announced on Weibo that I'm taking a leave of absence, and later I'll also put up a notice in the text, so those sisters who don't go on Weibo will know whether it's been updated or not just by refreshing.

  Then the rhythm is still updated daily, if there is no way to update, such as being stuck on a manuscript, going out for something, etc., please take a day off.

  Full-time workers can't afford to get hurt TAT.

  Tomorrow night will continue at 8 o'clock update.

  Hold on for my lovely sisters who throw thunderbolts~~~~

  Feng Yan threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-20 20:21:43

  A meat-loving cat threw a grenade. Time: 2014-10-20 18:42:29

  Miao threw a grenade Throw time: 2014-10-20 15:53:16

  Scallion explodes turtle meat_Meng Bei threw a landmine Throw time: 2014-10-20 10:07:50

  Zhou Rong threw a grenade Throw time: 2014-10-20 07:23:32

  Fearless threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-19 22:37:59

  Huang Dudou threw a landmine Throw time: 2014-10-19 22:21:52

  Fearless threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-19 22:18:39

  Ye Mi threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-19 22:18:17

  Ye Mi threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-19 22:16:29

  Ye Mi threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-19 22:15:50

  Xia Yu threw a landmine again Throw time: 2014-10-19 22:08:18

  Zhaoyang Yuchen threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-19 20:40:55

  Zhou Rong threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-19 19:34:44

  Scallion explodes turtle meat_Meng Bei threw a landmine Time: 2014-10-19 16:39:19

  Scallion explodes turtle meat_Meng Bei threw a landmine Time: 2014-10-19 16:38:50

  A woman like a cat threw a landmine Throw time: 2014-10-19 15:21:55

  Early summer threw a landmine Throwing time: 2014-10-19 14:53:45

  Xia Yu still threw a landmine Throwing time: 2014-10-19 14:24:52

  Dyed colors threw a landmine Throw time: 2014-10-19 14:13:53

  Zi Yun Wan Qing threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-19 12:59:30

  Sheep threw a landmine Throw time: 2014-10-19 12:58:08

  A meat-loving cat threw a landmine. Time: 2014-10-19 12:55:07

  Xia Yu threw a landmine again Throw time: 2014-10-19 12:13:48

  Zi Yun Wan Qing threw a grenade Throwing time: 2014-10-18 22:00:02

  Eileen threw a grenade Throw time: 2014-10-18 20:43:13

  Ji Yin Ke threw a grenade Throw time: 2014-10-18 20:40:00

  Just read a good book and threw a landmine Throwing time: 2014-10-18 20:28:46

  Thank you, guys! It was worth it!!!