I Hate Everything About You

Chapter 4: Distance Between Us

In the office, as it was near the end of work, people worked even faster than usual.

Chen Sui was busy making a report but still listened to her colleagues chatting as she worked.

“I don’t know if I’m hallucinating, but lately, I’ve been seeing a handsome guy standing downstairs very often. Lemme tell you, he looks like that photographer Jian!”

The girl sitting in front was infatuated with Jian Ming Xi, so hearing that, she immediately retorted, “Are you daydreaming? He’s so busy, how can he come here?”

That’s right.

Chen Sui just opened the report, questioning and curious in silence.

Wasn’t Jian Ming Xi very busy? How could he have time to run to her every day?

Not only bothering her every day when she went to work and got off work, he even managed whether she ate breakfast and worked overtime or not, making her feel like she suddenly had an extra father.

Anyway, what does he want to do?

Chen Sui’s typing on the keyboard stopped. She suddenly remembered that the year Jian Ming Xi went to study abroad happened to be when her father was seriously ill. Not a few months later, her father passed away. It was also when he was taking his final exams, and the two of them were still in the cold war, so she did not tell him to come to the funeral.

[T/N: The cold war in this case is when friends get into a conflict and stop contacting each other.]

Is Jian Ming Xi trying to compensate me?

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

If that was the case, she definitely would not be his fake daughter. She did not want to accept this man’s kindness this way.

While thinking that, her Wei Xin message rang.

Obnoxious Guy: [I had some urgent business on the road just now, coming over to pick you up now, wait for me, okay?]

Chen Sui had not answered yet, and the colleague beside her continued to talk about the previous topic.

“It’s impossible for him to come here. Look at the Weibo post, he still has to take photos for a supermodel this afternoon.”

Chen Sui raised her head, “What Weibo?”

“Jiang Qiong just posted on Weibo,” her colleague with a ponytail showed it to her, “Here, [Thank you, Teacher Jian, for your company this afternoon, the cooperation was great. I hope to collaborate with you more in the future]. See? Even the top model has to flatter my male god!”

“Jian Ming Xi normally doesn’t take photos of public figures. If you want him to take a photo, you must be someone with a great reputation and pay a high price.”

The female model also posted a photo of Jian Ming Xi. In the photo, the man lowered his head and fiddled with the camera, while absentmindedly, he glanced up again with a warm smile. This could be considered a sweet boyfriend-material photo.

Chen Sui could not hear anything at this moment.

She was like a green frog boiled in a pot of warm water for too long, then suddenly was awakened when being hit by an iceberg. While her body temperature immediately dropped, there was a slight feeling of relief, which she had expected.

That was right.

How could she almost forget… 

Jian Ming Xi once said that the person he liked must be in his circle of relationships, have the same interests, compatible personality, and suitable family.

There was no way he would consider her a nice girl, nor would he consider someone with poor family background and a bad temper like her as his childhood sweetheart.

This guy… 

Always looked down on others and only liked those who were on the same level as him. He really was, very obnoxious.

Chen Sui lowered her head and replied, [You don’t need to come to pick me up, I’m already off work.]

[And there’s no need to pick me up again in the future.]

Be polite. After all, they would not see each other again in the future anyway. It was best to leave him a good impression of her in the end.

Thinking about it, Chen Sui pursed her lip, and for the first time in her life, she politely typed two words back, [Thank you.]

… 

After nearly a month of silence, Chen Sui’s life seemed to have returned to normal.

Saying that he did not need to come to find her, Jian Ming Xi really did not show up again.

Chen Sui typed on the keyboard to write a business plan, biting her coffee straw while thinking. As expected, she and he were incompatible with each other. They could not have an intersection again in their life.

Jian Ming Xi did not look for Chen Sui, but someone else looked for her.

Lin Zhi Xiang was Chen Sui’s high school classmate. He was trying to invite her to his evening bachelorette party, “Come, old friend. Haven’t seen each other in so many years, I’m about to get married, and this is my last bachelorette party. Since you’re in Shang Hai as well, why don’t you come?”

“Everyone gathers to eat, drink and sing, someone already paid the bill, so there’s no reason not to come!”

Chen Sui knew that an acquaintance had paid the bill, but she did not know that this person was Jian Ming Xi.

The moment she pushed open the door, the man sitting in the corner of the sofa was drinking wine and looked up at her with his weak eyes, “Sui Sui.”

Chen Sui stood stunned at the door for two minutes.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit strange, the accomplice Lin Zhi Xiang hurriedly smoothed things out, “What’s wrong? We’re all old classmates, what’s there to be awkward about? What’s the matter, are you two arguing?”

“No,” Chen Sui found a seat as far away from Jian Ming Xi as possible, pretending to be calm, “All old classmates, how could we argue?”

Lin Zhi Xiang was short of words, so he whispered for help to Jian Ming Xi, “What do we do now?”

Jian Ming Xi smiled and said, “Right, what do we do now?”

Even if she was angry, she was still cute.

All the classmates were present, and after three rounds of drinking, the topic of conversation immediately reached the person next to them.

“Looking at you guys getting married and some getting divorced, I’m probably the only one here who’s still single.”

“Who said that? Chen Sui and Jian Ming Xi are also single.”

“Brother Jian, I admire you two, childhood sweethearts. Isn’t it often said that there is never a pure friendship between a man and a woman? I didn’t expect that after all these years, you guys are still just friends.”

“Long live friendship, come on…”

Chen Sui did not pay attention to anyone and did not say a word. She just kept drinking from one glass to another.

After drinking wine, her emotions also emerged, suddenly feeling a little sulk and a little wronged.

She was not his childhood sweetheart who grew up with him.

When she was a child, everyone around her joked that she and he were a perfect match. However, when she grew up, people around her hoped that the two of them were just simply friends. Even she knew that they were no longer a perfect match, but how could it be so easy… 　

How could it be so easy to give her heart and ask for it back?

…

Chen Sui was so drunk that, in a trance, she felt like her whole body was being hugged and carried straight out of the KTV door by someone.

She struggled to open her eyes, trying to see who was holding her, then wriggly slid down from Jian Ming Xi’s chest.

Jian Ming Xi supported the little drunk stumbling in front of him, “You’ve drunk too much. I’ll take you home, okay?”

“Why?” Chen Sui asked vaguely.

“Why what?”

Chen Sui frowned, her small face blankly asked, “Why is it that my childhood friend, the one who grew up with me… Must be you?”

Jian Ming Xi patiently looked at her as he smiled slightly, using his fingertips to gently stroke her curved eyelashes, “If it’s not me, who do you want it to be?”

“Anyway… It can’t be you,” Chen Sui blinked, still frowning, “You’re too obnoxious.”

Jian Ming Xi restrained his smile and asked in a low voice, “How obnoxious am I?”

This question, Chen Sui did not answer.

She searched through her memory, but it seemed she still could not find the answer. After staring at Jian Ming Xi silently for a long time, without any warning, she suddenly slapped his face very lightly with her hand.

After that, she tapped on his face a few times and said faintly, “Go away…”

Chen Sui’s strength was not strong at all. Her soft palm rubbed against his face, and he could vaguely smell the sweetness of her raspberry hand cream.

“Haven’t we already missed each other? This time, it was you who appeared in front of me first,” Jian Ming Xi took her hand and slowly coaxed her, “I’ll take you home first, okay?”

Who appeared in front of him??

After a moment of silence, Chen Sui’s absurdity rose again, “What are you to me? Who are you to take care of me? Managing what I do and where I am… Did you buy this karaoke place? Why did you kick me out?”

“No one kicked you out,” Jian Ming Xi looked at her and suddenly found it funny. He helplessly said, “Little friend, why are you sulking? Isn’t it me who should be sulking?”

Chen Sui wondered, “What do you have to sulk?”

“Nothing,” Jian Ming Xi intended to wait for her to sober up and talk properly, so he directly said, “I’ll take you home.”

Unexpectedly, Chen Sui refused, “No need.”

Jian Ming Xi sighed softly, “What do you want?”

He seemed to be questioning her.

Chen Sui’s arrogance suddenly dissipated. She became more obedient, only using a small voice to say, “Go find your Jiang Qiong instead of bothering me, don’t let her misunderstand.” And don’t let me misunderstand.

Stunned for two seconds, Jian Ming Xi finally remembered who Jiang Qiong was.

He laughed so much that there was a flash of light in his eyes. With a hint of a smile in his eyes, he said to her, “Yeah, there will be a misunderstanding.”

Hearing that, Chen Sui was a little upset. She lowered her head and did not look at him, “Then go, what are you doing here?”

“If you keep being like this, I’ll misunderstand that you’re borrowing wine to flirt with me.”

“…” Chen Sui’s eyes widened, “What…?”

“You pushed me away many times, so I thought you hated me. I was very nervous and hesitant,” Jian Ming Xi looked straight into her eyes, “I’ve been waiting for so many years, and I was about to give up, but this time you provoked me first.”

Chen Sui’s mind was blank, “What do you mean I provoked you…”

This time, he did not give her a chance to finish speaking.

Jian Ming Xi directly held her chin and gently kissed her.