27: Chapter 27 Misunderstanding

[Today's Intel (Blue): Xiao Jianxin is actively preparing for his wedding. However, his fiancée lacks a sense of security.]

[Urged by her younger brother, she decided to increase the bride price by 380,000 yuan to provide herself with a safety net for the future.]

[Xiao Jianxin could not withstand the immense pressure and committed suicide by jumping into a river.]

As soon as he opened his eyes, the intel light screen impatiently displayed itself.

The drowsy Zhao Jian didn't see the content clearly at first and let out a yawn.

Then.

"What?"

He woke up instantly.

Xiao Jianxin was his good friend of four years from university; because of his round physique, he looked like a yurt.

He was nicknamed Baobao.

When he couldn't find a job after graduation and had no money for rent or food, out of the five roommates in their dorm, only Xiao Jianxin lent him two thousand yuan.

Everyone indeed had their own difficulties just after graduation.

But whether one lent money or not, the sentiment was naturally different.

In a life-and-death matter, Zhao Jian didn't dare to be careless. He immediately called Xiao Jianxin.

No one answered.

He sent another message: "Baobao, don't do anything foolish. Tell me how much money you need."

Then he headed out.

Baobao was not in Xiong City.

Back when they graduated from university and went their separate ways, Zhao Jian didn't want to go to the big cities to compete with top graduates, so he looked for opportunities in Xiong City.

Xiao Jianxin, on the other hand, went to the Capital.

The two places weren't considered far apart, but the intel was a prediction for the entire day today.

Taking a train would be too late.

He hailed a car on an app, a direct carpool to the Imperial City.

This was a big order.

It was accepted almost instantly, and the driver drove over as fast as possible.

"Last four digits 1989. I'll pay the highway tolls. Driver, please be fast."

The speed at which Zhao Jian reported his phone's last digits upon entering the car was barely slower than if he were running for his life.

The driver wasn't old, only about thirty.

Sensing Zhao Jian's urgency, he agreed with a smile, "Don't worry. My nickname is Hundred-Mile Flying Swallow. Once we're on the highway, I'll let you experience the feeling of flying."

Zhao Jian thought to himself: Oh no, the whole trip is over two hundred miles, but he can only fly for a hundred.

He'd have to walk the rest of the way himself.

Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary.

The driver delivered him to his destination as promised.

As he got out of the car, Zhao Jian dialed Baobao's number again. Still, no one answered.

Frowning, he opened the phone's navigation.

He selected a route based on the company address previously mentioned.

He had already checked it once before carpooling; the drop-off point wasn't far from where Baobao worked.

It was just a few minutes' walk.

"Lei Fugui Advertising Design, this is it." Zhao Jian walked into the not-so-glamorous office building.

His target was on the ground floor, right by the entrance.

This company had no reception, or rather, all employees were the reception.

Two Young Girls were sketching and drawing, their work invisible from his angle.

There was also a middle-aged woman sitting at a computer, typing away.

Seeing Zhao Jian, one of the girls wearing red-rimmed glasses said softly:

"Hello sir, what business are you here for?"

"I'm looking for someone. Does Xiao Jianxin work here?"

Hearing he was looking for someone, the girl with glasses glanced at the middle-aged woman, who didn't react.

Only then did she say to Zhao Jian:

"Xiao Jianxin didn't come to work today. We can't reach him by phone, and we don't know where he is."

Absent without leave?

That wasn't like him.

Based on Zhao Jian's understanding of Xiao Jianxin, he might take a day off for binge-watching shows all night.

But he wouldn't just disappear.

According to Xiao Jianxin himself, this was the "Golden Mean" of an ordinary person.

Not taking things to extremes.

Leaving Lei Fugui Advertising Company, Zhao Jian walked down the street.

He didn't know Baobao's rental address.

Aside from the company, he knew nothing about the other's personal details.

Just as he was about to give up searching and call the police directly.

Zhao Jian saw a slender figure that looked very familiar.

That figure also noticed him.

The sound of high heels clicking on the pavement changed from slow to fast as the figure ran toward him.

"Zhao Jian, I didn't expect to run into you here. Are you... here in the Capital to work?" The newcomer was Su Wanyin.

She was carrying a bag of porridge.

Because she ran too fast, the cup inside the plastic bag was tilted.

"I'm here to find Xiao Jianxin."

He didn't elaborate. After all, Xiao Jianxin was just out of contact, and besides, it wasn't good to let too many people know about his private affairs.

"What about you? Couldn't get used to living in Xiong City and came back to the Capital?"

After saying that, he looked the woman up and down; she had lost weight.

And she had dark circles under her eyes.

It seemed her work in the Capital wasn't going very well?

How satisfying.

"My mother is hospitalized, so I took leave to take care of her for a few days." Su Wanyin managed to squeeze out a faint, delicate smile.

In front of Zhao Jian, she didn't want to cry.

Because she was afraid.

Afraid that this man would not only lack sympathy but would even mock her.

Zhao Jian's expression stiffened.

He felt a tiny bit of guilt in his heart.

During the four years of university, he had never met Su Wanyin's family.

But they had spoken a few times over the phone.

Her mother had repeatedly praised Zhao Jian back then and instructed Su Wanyin that as a couple, they should respect each other and consult Zhao Jian before making any decisions.

Zhao Jian's evaluation of her mother: She was a good person.

He hadn't expected her to fall ill.

"Which hospital is it? I'll visit your mother once I'm done with what I'm doing."

Finding Xiao Jianxin was still more urgent right now.

"No need, no need. She'll be discharged soon." Su Wanyin waved her hand, then pointed in the direction she had come from:

"I think I saw him on my way here just now, but I didn't look closely, so I'm not sure if it was him."

Zhao Jian felt encouraged.

As long as his brother was still alive, everything would be manageable.

However, in that direction, there was a river on the navigation map.

He immediately rushed off.

Watching Zhao Jian leave, Su Wanyin stared at his back until he disappeared, then walked toward the hospital.

Zhao Jian ran straight toward the river according to the navigation.

Finally, he spotted Xiao Jianxin near the riverbank.

"Baobao! Think of your parents, think of your family! Is it worth dying like this?"

His voice arrived before he did.

Xiao Jianxin turned around in shock.

The moment he saw Zhao Jian, a smile appeared on his face.

But then he laughed and cursed:

"What nonsense are you talking about? What's all this about life and death?"

Something was wrong!

Zhao Jian thought to himself that this was not the attitude of someone seeking death.

He stared at Xiao Jianxin, making the other feel uneasy.

"I say, Old Zhao, what have you been through in the three months since we last met? You used to love looking at Young Girls and wives, so why are you staring at a grown man now?"

"You're sick; you need treatment."

"I went to your company to find you. They said you didn't go to work and didn't ask for leave."

Zhao Jian didn't know if the event predicted by the system hadn't happened yet, or if Xiao Jianxin had mastered the "Self-Cultivation of an Actor" and was pretending to be strong in front of him.

"I resigned; I sent the resignation letter by email last night. Haven't I been preparing for the wedding lately? The supervisor wouldn't approve my leave. She wanted to buy my freedom for three thousand yuan a month? She's really dreaming!"

Xiao Jianxin didn't look like he was faking.

Only then did Zhao Jian breathe a sigh of relief.

At Xiao Jianxin's invitation, Zhao Jian went to his rented place.

It was a basement.

The area was much larger than Zhao Jian's rental.

The rent was also much more expensive.

They chatted freely in the basement about their experiences since graduation.

Until Xiao Jianxin's phone, which had been charging in the rental, received a call.

"What? Three hundred and eighty thousand! Wu Mengmeng, do you know what you're saying? Not getting married? Marry or don't, I don't care!"