Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Partners

Translator: 549690339

Xiang Kun was busy until after one in the morning, still helping the guests who arrived late at night adjust their hotel rooms.

Unconsciously, now during the wedding preparations, any problems were directly asked to Xiang Kun first, unless they needed to be personally confirmed by Chang Bin or his parents. This is because not only did Xiang Kun remember very clearly the process and details of tomorrow’s wedding, he even established a cognitive model in his mind. He knew what both parents’ demands were, knew which areas needed special attention, which ones had not been arranged yet, and would occasionally mention them to Chang Bin. Then he himself would run around, going to confirm things. Gradually, all parties also recognized him as a representative of Chang Bin for communication.

By midnight, Wang Han told Chang Bin that her brother, seeing Xiang Kun busily working, had privately praised him, saying that this young man from the wedding service company was very competent, clear-headed and diligent, and they should consider poaching him for their company.

In fact, from the start Xiang Kun did not plan to take on so much responsibility. He was simply planning to help receive guests and run errands, after all, he had never been married and was not an elder in Chang Bin’s family.

The problem was that once he started caring about something, he couldn’t help but build cognitive models for the various pieces of information he received. He would then consider everything, from the overall picture to nitty-gritty details, and unconsciously came up with some schemes, arranging the most efficient execution order.

If he wasn’t particularly interested in the matter, he probably wouldn’t propose any suggestions or make any fuss, regardless of his thoughts.

Yet, he couldn’t possibly not care about Chang Bin’s wedding. Therefore, whenever he saw some details that were not handled well or some arrangements that had issues, he couldn’t help but point it out. As he continued to make more and more suggestions, everyone listened to his explanations, realizing that they made sense. They felt that “this young man is pretty good.” In addition, since both the bride and the groom approved of his judgments, naturally, everyone let him make the decisions.

No matter whether it was the wedding company or the relatives and friends helping from both sides, or the guests who came from other places to attend the wedding, as long as he had met them, he could recognize them and remember their names. This made everyone feel that he was even more reliable.

Why not let things be a bit busier? After all, such laborious work was nothing for him. Chang Bin, Zi Cheng, Tang Baona, and others were more worried for him, afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle everything on his own. He couldn’t tell others that he doesn’t need to sleep and that he recovers quickly, but his direct display of mental state was enough to relieve some of their concerns.

Early the next morning, Xiang Kun came over early, coordinated with the wedding company staff, arranged the decoration of the wedding cars, and prepared the bouquets.

In the process, he took a break and casually sensed the numerous items he had established “super sensory contact” with. He discovered that the “bones” left in the uninhabited Qinling area had already left the mountains and were now on the highway.

These people have been in the mountains for quite a long time.

But it can be understood. Unlike Xiang Kun, they need supplies and rest, and not all terrains can be easily traversed. Their number is not small, and they are carrying a lot of equipment and items brought out from the mountains, so their speed can be considered fast.

Xiang Kun then sensed the “rabbit wood carving”. He could feel a sense of “relief” and “sigh of relief”. Those who entered the Qinling uninhabited area had already realized that the “rabbit wood carving” would affect their dreams while they were sleeping, so they kept their distance after falling asleep. But obviously, they still can’t realize that the “rabbit wood carving” can collect their emotions even when they are awake.

It seems that the “rabbit wood carving” exerts quite a psychological pressure on those who enter the Qinling uninhabited area. As soon as they leave the Qinling uninhabited area, they have a feeling of “escaping from a disaster”.

Xiang Kun didn’t continue to sense, the next thing to do was to see where the “bones” with the established super sensory contact were sent.

If it is sent to QiCheng City, that would be the best. He was already familiar with the place, and he had an established plan on how to infiltrate. By that time, the person behind “Divine Technology”, whether it is Lu Cheng’an or the “Mr. Liang” mentioned by Mijoe, is very likely to come in person.

With his various sensory abilities, as long as vampires or mutants appear, he will definitely be able to detect it in advance.

If not to QiCheng City, that’s also good. It would allow Xiang Kun to discover another secret research center related to “Divine Technology”.

Early in the morning, after Chang Bin got up, changed his clothes and got ready, he got in the wedding car. Xiang Kun already quickly told him some things to pay attention to, as well as the next steps, estimated time, and so on.

When Xiang Kun finished arranging, Chang Bin looked at him with a complicated expression. He whispered, “Thanks, buddy.”

“Since we’re brothers, don’t be polite.” Xiang Kun patted his shoulder and sat in the co-pilot position.

He knew that Chang Bin was not only grateful, but also had a lot of doubts or surprises. Because if it was before, asking him to run around would be fine, and it would be barely acceptable to greet familiar classmates, but making him frequently interact with strangers, deal with people he met for the first time, coordinate all sorts of details, discuss and negotiate with strangers, was harder than asking him to run a marathon. It’s not that he wouldn’t want to help, but simply that he didn’t consider himself capable of handling it well. Therefore, in the beginning, the “task” Chang Bin gave him was simply to receive their familiar college classmates and then help with transporting some things.

Luckily, Xiang Kun had already frequently displayed his changes throughout these past few months, especially on Christmas Eve when he was at Tang Baona’s house, which made Chang Bin realize his improvement in social skills. So, the present changes weren’t too abrupt.

When picking up the bride, Wang Han didn’t play any overly difficult games. After giving some red envelopes and playing some small games, the bride was quickly taken onto the car, ready to go to the bridal chamber.

As the best man, Xiang Kun naturally followed the whole process, constantly thinking about possible problems in the next process, which details had not been prepared well, what to do if there was an accident, what contingency plans were available, etc.

Getting married, in Xiang Kun’s mind, it was as if he was assisting a dignitary to attend an event, serving as both the head of security and the event director.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Although there were numerous contingency plans in his mind, no accidents happened.

During the wedding march, the groom Chang Bin and the bride Wang Han, dressed in wedding attire, entered the scene together.

Accompanied by the intentionally sentimental commentary of the host, Xiang Kun noted that many of the female guests attending the wedding were teary-eyed, deeply moved and nearly crying.

Tang Baoting, the maid of honor following behind the bride, was also like this, with tears in her eyes and quite emotional. This was not only because Wang Han was her old classmate and best friend, but also because she herself was discussing marriage dates, so she felt an identification with the situation.

Compared to her, Tang Baona was better off. According to her, she has attended numerous weddings and has been a bridesmaid many times, so she’s proficient and experienced.

Actually, Xiang Kun also had attended many weddings. However, when he saw other people’s weddings, the only word that came to his mind was—tiring.

And also—troublesome.

Back then, he would often think that if he got married, he would try to keep things as simple as possible, given the woman’s consent. Of course, the most likely thing was that these matters wouldn’t be up to him, they would be arranged by his parents.

However, this time, Xiang Kun had a slight feeling of envy and regret for the first time.

It was not because Chang Bin, his good friend, was getting married, nor was it because he was busy preparing for this wedding. Rather, it was because he knew that he would likely never have a normal wedding like this for the rest of his life.

To humans, it’s always the things they can’t obtain that they are most obsessed with.

The wedding continued, and Xiang Kun maintained his “surveillance” of the entire main wedding venue. Although it seemed somewhat pointless as he had attended countless weddings before without encountering any mishap. Still, observing and gathering information had become his instinct, and he could use it to perfect his understanding models of many guests. Who knew if it might come in handy later?

After the newlyweds entered, guests soon began to discuss the three bridesmaids who had followed the bride in, as all three of them were fresh, lovely, and very pretty.

Of course, the ones that discussed the most animatedly were the single males, considering various possible ways to ask the groom or the bride for an introduction.

Even the table of their university classmates was buzzing with discussion.

However, Zi Cheng waved his hand dismissively: “Don’t bother, all three of them are already taken! The tallest one is a classmate of the bride, and her boyfriend is sitting over there. See him? Yes, the most handsome one. Take out a mirror and see if any of you can compete with him. The one with chestnut hair is also a classmate of the bride, and she has a boyfriend who is currently in the military, the top-notch kind.”

“What about the cute girl with glasses? She looks like she just graduated from college, does she have a boyfriend too?” The one who asked this was Peng Xiao.

Zi Cheng laughed: “I’ve told you, all three of them are taken. Of course she’s no exception! And you all know her boyfriend.”

“Don’t tell me it’s you…” Peng Xiao said with a look of disgust.

“Buzz off, I’m talking about Xiang Kun! That girl is Xiang Kun’s!” Zi Cheng replied triumphantly.

Xiang Kun, who was accompanying Chang Bin toasting, overheard and felt a bit helpless. He hadn’t mentioned Tang Baona to Zi Cheng; Chang Bin must have told him.

Among these old acquaintances of Tang Baona, it seemed like everyone naturally thought of her and him as boyfriend and girlfriend, or destined to be so, based on his observations, including Tang Baona’s sister, prospective brother-in-law, and Yang Zhen’er.

This didn’t seem quite right…

Xiang Kun felt a bit troubled. He used to tell himself that he and Tang Baona were just ordinary friends, like how he hung out with Yang Zhen’er and Xia Libing. In reality, that’s indeed the case, their relationship didn’t go beyond friendship.

But if, over time, people around started to get the wrong idea, it might not be good for Tang Baona.

Fortunately, after the New Year, he should not be staying in this city most of the time, and people’s views would naturally change, right?

What surprised Xiang Kun was that there were even more guests discussing him than the bridesmaids.

“Xiang Kun has changed a lot, I barely recognized him when I saw him before.” A female classmate said.

“Yeah, now he’s bald, his body is more muscular, and I always feel like he’s grown taller. We used to be the same height, but now he seems to be a tad taller. I don’t know if it’s because he seems more upright after working out.” This was a classmate who used to play video games with them in the neighboring dormitory.

“It’s not just the appearance, I feel like his whole demeanor and personality have changed. If he didn’t introduce himself as Xiang Kun, I guess I wouldn’t recognize him even after spending a day with him.” Xie Jun said.

“Yeah, Kun used to be really introverted. He didn’t talk much at class activities. He only attended one class reunion in the past few years, and even then he only spoke with Liu Chuang, Chang Bin, and our class leader. He seemed very unsociable and aloof. But now…Have you guys seen how he treats guests? His manners are even better than mine and I’ve been in sales for five years!” Another male classmate lamented.

“Didn’t Kun always work at a tech company? If I remember correctly, he remained in technical work all these years, how could he change so much?” The first female classmate asked in wonder.

The class leader, Tan Lulu, explained: “Company Kun used to work at got closed down, now he’s taking up freelance jobs.”

“Freelance work? So he’s soloing and taking external contracts?” Someone asked.

Zi Cheng spoke up again: “Xiang Kun is far from your average outsourced worker. You see that lady over there, the one with short hair sitting by the main table? That’s Zhang Hongpu’s granddaughter. If you haven’t heard of Zhang Hongpu, you’ve at least heard of these companies, right?” He then named five well-known companies and then continued: “All these companies are owned by the Zhang family. This Miss Zhang herself manages a nationwide chain company. Despite her wanting to cooperate with Xiang Kun, it sure took her a great deal of effort to convince Xiang Kun all the way here in our city! She’s here attending Chang Bin’s wedding mainly because she wants to meet Xiang Kun!”

Zhang Qian came for the wedding too, having run into him previously at the suit store, and subsequently having dinner and drinks together. She got along very well with Wang Han, and they exchanged contact info. Wang Han probably invited her to the wedding along the way, and Zhang Qian did not stand on ceremony, readily accepting the invitation.

“Stop boasting, even if she’s really the Miss Zhang you mentioned and a powerful woman in charge of a company, the company’s team and professionals should be the ones handling the cooperation. It would be beneath her to step down and deal with it personally. Unless she has taken a liking to Xiang Kun!” Peng Xiao said, not quite believing Zi Cheng.

But a male classmate who hadn’t spoken much finally chimed in: “What Liu Chuang said should be true. I knew that Miss Zhang before, she really is Zhang Hongpu’s granddaughter, and she does manage a sizable company now. When I ran into her outside the hotel earlier, I greeted her. I remember her, but she doesn’t remember me. But when I mentioned that I was the groom’s university classmate, she immediately asked if I knew Xiang Kun? And then told me, Xiang Kun is currently her business partner.”

Upon hearing this, Zi Cheng said proudly: “See, I didn’t lie!”

Xiang Kun, who heard these conversations from afar, felt an urge to facepalm. He found out at the same time that Zhang Qian and Wang Han’s brother were also discussing something related to him.

“The bald classmate of my brother-in-law is really something, he knew all the processes and all the guests of the wedding, and arranged everything in an orderly way. My parents are very fond of him, they joke if they had another daughter, they might even want him as a son-in-law. I always tell my sister we should poach him to our company for management.” Wang Han’s brother laughed and told Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian smiled: “How about we make a bet, if you can persuade Xiang Kun to join your company, I’ll agree to that supply agreement you mentioned without getting our company to hold a meeting to discuss it. We can have our teams work out the details later.”

Wang Han’s brother was taken aback, and then quickly shook his head: “No bet, no bet.”

Now it was Zhang Qian’s turn to be amused: “Why? I haven’t even said what would happen if you lose yet?”

Wang Han’s brother replied gloomily: “I know your brother Zhang Chu…”

Zhang Qian immediately realized: “Was he badmouthing me? Let me guess, crafty, cold-blooded?”

“Hehe.” Wang Han’s brother avoided the question, instead asked: “Director Zhang seems to be quite interested in my brother-in-law’s classmate?”

“We are currently business partners.” Zhang Qian replied.

Hearing this, Xiang Kun felt a bit helpless. Why was Zhang Qian telling everyone that they were business partners? They only cooperated on one project! It’s just a client-provider relationship, not a partnership.