Chapter 118: Fan Jian
"Xiao Han, happy New Year," Liu Xiaolei chuckled.
"Sister Xiaolei, happy New Year!" Xiao Han nodded hurriedly.
"Heading out?" Liu Xiaolei eyed Xiao Han up and down.
Xiao Han was dressed in brand-new clothes, which he had bought a few days ago with Big Fatty. He wore black slim-fit pants paired with a light gray mid-length wool coat. Underneath was a white long-sleeve shirt, and on his feet, a pair of casual leather shoes. He looked very sharp.
"Yes!" Xiao Han nodded and said, "I plan to visit a few elders' homes to wish them for the New Year."
"Perfect, take me with you!" Liu Xiaolei hurriedly said, "I haven't been there in years, and this year you can take me to get familiar. What do you think?"
"Sure!" Xiao Han nodded.
"Xiao Han, you look quite handsome today!" Liu Xiaolei giggled.
"Really?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Han looked down at himself.
"Yes!" Liu Xiaolei nodded, then added, "Hasn't any girl told you that? Haha, right, I forgot you're still a high school student. You probably haven't started dating yet, have you?"
Flushed by Liu Xiaolei's tease, Xiao Han's face turned even redder.
As they left Xiao Han's house, Liu Xiaolei kept her arm interlocked with his. Xiao Han, at 1.8 meters tall, was tall and broad, while Liu Xiaolei stood at 1.66 meters, with a well-proportioned and slender figure. The curves of her body were quite nice. The two walking together resembled a young couple.
Furthermore, Liu Xiaolei's attire was very fashionable, having stayed in the coastal city of Shenzhen. As a result, her style of dress was much more fashionable than that of the Mainland cities.
The two walked along the road inside the Fuxing Community. They encountered many people along the way.
Whoever saw Liu Xiaolei couldn't help but give her second glances, especially the male workers in the factory and many young men who had returned from other places. Suddenly seeing such a strange and beautiful girl in the factory area, people were naturally curious and took a few more glances.
"Xiao Han, is she your girlfriend?" A young man nearby asked with a smile.
"No, not!" Xiao Han shook his head quickly and said, "She is Old Liu's daughter, Liu Xiaolei!"
"Ah?" The young man was surprised and looked at Liu Xiaolei in astonishment. He exclaimed, "Xiao Lei, is that you?"
"Who are you?" Liu Xiaolei asked, baffled.
"A classmate from primary school," the young man hurriedly said. "I'm Fan Jian!"
"Fan Jian?!" Liu Xiaolei was stunned.
"No no, the Fan in Fan Weiqi and the Jian in Jian Guo's great career!" Fan Jian quickly clarified.
"Oh… it's you?" Liu Xiaolei suddenly remembered. But since everyone had parted ways to different middle schools after elementary and eventually spread far and wide, it was inevitable they'd become somewhat estranged over more than ten years.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Fan Jian eagerly looked at Liu Xiaolei and said, "I never imagined, really never thought you would become so beautiful!"
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"Thanks for the compliment!" Liu Xiaolei smiled politely, then said, "Classmate Fan, Xiao Han and I are off to visit a few elders' homes now, so we'll be going!"
"Wait, wait, wait, I'll come with you," Fan Jian hurriedly interjected. "I need to go there too."
"What do you mean?" a few friends nearby protested. "Didn't we just come back from there? Why are you going again?"
"Let's go, let's go, I didn't even go!" Fan Jian waved frantically at his friends to follow his lead.
The group looked helpless.
Liu Xiaolei had seen all sorts of people, and she knew full well what Fan Jian intended. Obviously, he was smitten with her beauty, wanting to accompany her and get closer. Liu Xiaolei didn't refuse, she simply smiled and said, "If you want to come along, then let's go."
After speaking, Liu Xiaolei nudged Xiao Han with her elbow.
Xiao Han immediately caught on and continued walking forward. Fan Jian hurriedly caught up from behind. This guy walked on Liu Xiaolei's left side, constantly trying to make conversation.
"Xiao Lei, have you had breakfast?" Fan Jian asked concerningly.
"I've already eaten," Liu Xiaolei replied.
"Then…" Fan Jian chuckled and said, "How about having lunch together?"
"This…" Liu Xiaolei hesitated.
Fan Jian quickly added, "I'll call a few old classmates at noon, all from the same factory. We haven't gathered together for many years, so let's find a chance to meet. We're usually scattered from Southern Sky to Northern Land, rarely together. We finally have a chance, what do you think?"
"Okay!" Liu Xiaolei nodded, and turned to Xiao Han saying, "Xiao Han, you'll join me later."
"Eh…" Fan Jian hesitated and said, "Xiao Han is several sessions younger than us. Is it appropriate for him to join?"
"If it's not appropriate, then forget it." Liu Xiaolei smiled and said, "Xiao Han, I'll take you out to lunch later."
"Don't worry, let's all go together," Fan Jian quickly nodded.
Fan Jian was a resident of Fuxing Community, and his parents were former deputy directors of the Fuxing Factory. Although the factory had closed, his parents were still involved in the work for the Municipal Committee. After graduating from university, Fan Jian also got a job through internal recruitment and became a staff member at the Southern City street office. He was an insider.
This year, twenty-four and unmarried, Fan Jian laid his eyes on Liu Xiaolei the moment he saw her and planned to pursue her.
Watching Fan Jian follow Liu Xiaolei, his companions were speechless.
"Fan Jian is really being cheap, prioritizing romance over friendship!" Xiao Han's buddy couldn't help but respond irritably.
"Come on, if you met such a beautiful girl, you'd probably be over the moon too," quipped another companion, laughing.
A few friends couldn't help but laugh.
All along the way, Fan Jian had been chatting with Liu Xiaolei, making Xiao Han feel somewhat superfluous. Xiao Han felt quite helpless.
"Xiao Lei, where do you work?" Fan Jian asked curiously.
"Just got back from Shenzhen and planning to stay in LJ City," Liu Xiaolei sighed. "Big cities are a bit overwhelming for me; I still prefer home."
"Exactly. LJ City is quite nice too," Fan Jian chuckled. "It's great for living; the environment and air quality are good. By the way, have you found a job yet?"
"Not yet!" Liu Xiaolei shook her head.
"I can introduce you to some people!" Fan Jian perked up. "I know quite a few entrepreneurs, and I'm acquainted with several CEOs in LJ City. Like Heng'an Group and Meida Group... If you're looking for a job, just let me know!"
"Sounds good!" Liu Xiaolei nodded.
By the time they left the houses of several elders, it was already ten-thirty in the morning.
Fan Jian followed along the whole time and didn't speak to Xiao Han at all, treating Xiao Han as an outsider. Xiao Han felt extremely helpless.
"Xiao Lei," Fan Jian looked at Liu Xiaolei with a grin and asked, "Have you had a boyfriend in all these years you've been away from home?"
"What's that to you?" Liu Xiaolei asked.
"Uh…" Fan Jian hurriedly shook his head.
"And what does that have to do with me finding a job?" Liu Xiaolei asked again.
"N...no!" Fan Jian hastily shook his head again.
"Then I don't need to answer that," Liu Xiaolei smiled.
Fan Jian suddenly felt incredibly awkward.
"Well... I'll go contact a classmate now," Fan Jian hurriedly said. "Xiao Lei, give me your phone number. I'll call you once I've found a place. Then you... you and Xiao Han can come along."
"Sure!" Liu Xiaolei nodded.
After they exchanged phone numbers, Fan Jian hurried out of Fuxing Community.
Watching Fan Jian rush off, Xiao Han breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sister Xiaolei, Fan Jian obviously has a crush on you, didn't you notice?"
"Of course, I noticed!" Liu Xiaolei nodded.
"Then why did you still..." Xiao Han frowned.
"There are plenty of people in this world who fancy me, should I pay attention to all of them?" Liu Xiaolei giggled, saying, "Don't worry, I'm not a reckless person, I can handle my social relationships well."
"That's good to hear!" Xiao Han nodded.
Xiao Han and Liu Xiaolei walked around Fuxing Community. Many people mistook her for Xiao Han's girlfriend, and every time they were misunderstood, Xiao Han had to painstakingly explain. The more he explained, the more tangled it got. Eventually, Xiao Han got tired of explaining.
"Sister Xiaolei, please don't hang onto me like this," Xiao Han said awkwardly. "It's causing too many misunderstandings."
"What? Do you think I'm taking advantage of you?" Liu Xiaolei turned to look at Xiao Han.
"I... I didn't mean that," Xiao Han shook his head hurriedly, then said, "I'm worried about people misunderstanding you. You're not married yet, what would people at the factory think? Plus, people there talk a lot, they gossip a lot."
"I'm not scared at all!" Liu Xiaolei dismissed with a shake of her head. She clung tighter to Xiao Han's arm, almost snuggling into his embrace.
At eleven-thirty, Fan Jian called.
"Xiao Lei, come quickly," Fan Jian shouted into the phone. "We're at No. 7 Restaurant, all the old classmates are here, just waiting for you."
"Okay!" Liu Xiaolei nodded.
Afterward, Liu Xiaolei and Xiao Han hailed a taxi and headed straight for No. 7 Restaurant.
Nowadays, regardless of being first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen or second, third, or fourth-tier cities in the mainland, agri-tourism is very popular. Big hotels or restaurants are becoming less favored. The consumer groups in cities are gradually moving to the outskirts. Many agri-tourism restaurants in LJ City are on the rise, and several more are under construction.
It took half an hour to drive from Fuxing Community to No. 7 Restaurant.
No. 7 Restaurant is located at the junction of urban and rural areas in Wangjiang District.
The entire No. 7 Restaurant is actually a five-story farmhouse that was renovated and has now become a large agri-tourism site. Many cars were parked at the entrance, including high-end brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Porsche.
The entrance had been newly decorated, adorned with a large photo, and enclosed by gray bricks. Inside the courtyard, numerous children were playing around. The courtyard had many flower beds, and within these, a swing set where children played joyfully.