Spellbound Hearts - Chapter 96 - Aren't We Friends?

Ji Xuan only saw Song Zhaoli and Xie Yao leaving the banquet and didn’t notice him coming out. Hearing his voice, she glanced around and lowered her voice to ask, “You came out?”

Song Zhaoli feigned ignorance, “What came out?”

Ji Xuan realized Song Zhaoli didn’t know she was at the birthday banquet and whispered, “I was at Miss Xie’s birthday banquet and just saw you.”

Song Zhaoli replied indifferently, “Oh.”

Ji Xuan asked, “Where are you now?”

Song Zhaoli said, “In my car, where are you?”

Ji Xuan glanced towards the parking lot and spotted Song Zhaoli’s car in the front row, whispering, “Could you wait for me a few more minutes?”

Song Zhaoli turned his head to look at her through the car window, his thin lips curving slightly, “How long?”

Ji Xuan said, “Ten minutes.”

Song Zhaoli agreed readily, “Okay.”

After ending the call with Song Zhaoli, Ji Xuan turned back to continue chatting with Yu Hui. Yu Hui had a good impression of Ji Xuan, and with the support of last year’s project, he couldn’t help but chat a bit more. A beautiful and smart woman, pleasing to the eye and able to discuss work, few people would dislike her. If there were any, it would likely be due to competition.

After chatting for a while, Ji Xuan said goodbye to Yu Hui, “President Yu, sorry for taking up so much of your personal time. If you have any cooperation intentions, I will visit you another day.”

Yu Hui half-jokingly said, “If I don’t have cooperation intentions, will you give up?”

Ji Xuan smiled and replied, “No, I will keep trying.”

Yu Hui said, “I’m going on a business trip to Changsha tomorrow, let’s meet next week. Bring your cooperation proposal to me then.”

Ji Xuan sincerely thanked him, “Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

As Ji Xuan left, Yu Hui gave her a business card and half-jokingly said he wanted to recruit her to Bi Sheng. Ji Xuan accepted the card and thanked him again, “You’re flattering me.”

Leaving the banquet, Ji Xuan didn’t dare to directly get into Song Zhaoli’s car. With so many eyes around, she didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention. She walked out of the banquet hall, crossed a street, and then picked up her phone to call Song Zhaoli.

Song Zhaoli answered, and Ji Xuan gently said, “President Song, why don’t you drive directly to my place? I’ll buy some groceries and take a cab back.”

She had just had some alcohol, though only a couple of sips, but she couldn’t drive anymore.

Song Zhaoli was right behind her at that moment, didn’t reply, but placed one hand on the steering wheel and honked twice.

Hearing the noise behind her, Ji Xuan instinctively turned around. Seeing it was Song Zhaoli, her expression froze for a moment, then she looked around and quickly ran to the back seat of the car, afraid that if she moved too slowly, someone would see her.

As soon as Ji Xuan opened the car door, Song Zhaoli lifted his eyelids to look at her in the rearview mirror, half-smiling, “Treating me like a driver?”

Ji Xuan paused her leg that was stepping into the car and quickly withdrew it, “Then I’ll sit in the front passenger seat?”

Song Zhaoli raised his hand to unbutton two buttons on his shirt collar, “Hmm.”

Ji Xuan closed the back door and moved to the front passenger seat. In that short distance, she thought a lot. First, Song Zhaoli must be in a bad mood right now. Second, he seems to really consider her a friend.

Walking to the front passenger seat, Ji Xuan bent down to get in the car, and Song Zhaoli slowly turned the steering wheel, “How did the conversation go?”

Ji Xuan knew he was asking about the project and answered truthfully, “Just made a familiar face.”

Song Zhaoli asked in a deep voice, “Can you close the deal?”

Ji Xuan didn’t dare to boast, “I’ll try my best.”

Song Zhaoli turned to look at her, “Need my help?”

Ji Xuan was stunned for a second, only to hear Song Zhaoli naturally say, “Aren’t we friends now? It’s normal for friends to help each other.”

Ji Xuan, “…”

Ji Xuan wasn’t very good at making friends. Perhaps she was before, but ever since the Ji Family incident, she saw the shallowness of human relationships. Compared to genuine friendships, she believed more in mutual interests. Though it sounds unfeeling, it’s indeed more reliable.

So, suddenly hearing Song Zhaoli say he considers her a friend, Ji Xuan felt a bit… overwhelmed.

After Song Zhaoli spoke, seeing her silent, he raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Xuan was embarrassed to tell the truth and hurt him, so she curved her lips slightly and said, “No need, I can handle it myself.”

Song Zhaoli said, “Okay, if you have any issues, let me know anytime.”

Ji Xuan replied, “Alright.”

With that topic concluded, they fell silent for a moment. After a while, while waiting at a red light at an intersection, Song Zhaoli lit a cigarette and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Ji Xuan, do you look down on me?”

Ji Xuan didn’t understand what he meant, “What?”

Song Zhaoli removed the cigarette from his lips and flicked the ash into the car ashtray, his eyes lowered, “On the surface, it looks glamorous, but in reality, being manipulated by others means nothing. Life is rotten to the extreme, rotten to the core…”