19 Chapter 19: Chloe and Jun Shan

It was almost lunchtime, and Shen Jun Shan was in the middle of finishing his task when his phone rang. He glanced at his phone and saw a string of number he did not recognise. Thinking that it could be someone related to business, Shen Jun Shan wasted no time to answer the phone call.

"Hello?" Shen Jun Shan answered in a business-like tone. The other end of the call was silent, so Shen Jun Shan let out a small cough before repeating his greeting.

"Hello?"

The other end was still silent, so Shen Jun did not want to waste any time with the call. He was about to hang up when he heard a voice, full of uncertainties, spoke from the other end.

"Jun Shan? Is that you?" A sweet and pleasing voice could be heard from the other end.

Shen Jun Shan had no idea about the caller, so he confirmed his identity in a formal way like how used to deal with his other business partners.

"Are you free today? Can we meet during lunch? I have something I need to discuss with you."

"May I know who this is?" Shen Jun Shan was nothing but polite.

"You didn't recognise my voice?" A trace of disappointment could be detected from the voice. "It's me, Chloe".

Shen Jun Shan was taken aback by the revelation. Right after their breakup during his university days, there were times when Shen Jun Shan would imagine that Chloe will call her back, asked him to meet up and they would reconcile after that.

But now, it was many years too late, and Shen Jun Shan already gave up on the thought of getting back together with Chloe. However, he said yes because he wanted to know what Chloe wanted to discuss with him.

Chloe set the lunch meeting at Wu Hotel Restaurant. Shen Jun Shan did not ask much about it and just agreed with Chloe's suggestion.

When Shen Jun Shan arrived at the meeting place, Chloe was already there. She was sitting in an isolated corner, and when she saw him, she waved her hand elegantly- like how she used to do.

"Thank you for coming to meet me". Chloe smiled at Shen Jun Shan. Shen Jun Shan nodded and sat down the opposite of her.

Shen Jun Shan looked at Chloe, who was sitting in front of him. She looked slightly different from how she looked back then. Chloe looked even better now that she was about to enter the entertainment business, but somehow, Shen Jun Shan thought that Chloe is not that beautiful after all.

He realised that Chloe had more makeup on her face and like his sister, Amy, always said, women with thick makeup are not to be trusted as natural beauty. Shen Jun Shan's thought drifted into certain someone who lives upstairs; Minimal makeup, dull hair and plainclothes but still look pretty even with a sweaty face and sticky hair.

"Jun Shan? Jun Shan?"

Shen Jun Shan snapped back into reality when Chloe called him a few times. He realised that the waiter was standing beside their table, ready to take their order.

"Are you okay? I call you a few times. I have already ordered mine". Chloe pursed her lips towards the menu in front of Shen Jun Shan. When Chloe did that, it looked as if she was pouting because she was ignored. The waiter shot an annoyed look at Shen Jun Shan; as if he was angry at the gentleman who was ignoring the beautiful lady in front of him.

Shen Jun Shan did not look at the menu, and he straightaway ordered a few dishes as if he memorised all the items inside the list.

When the waiter excused himself, Shen Jun Shan got straight to the point. "What do you want to discuss with me?"

Chloe hesitated, but eventually, she told Shen Jun Shan that she would talk about it after they have finish eating. Since Shen Jun Shan had no objection, Chloe was relieved.

Honestly, Chloe had a strange feeling seeing his ex-boyfriend after a long time. She never had the thought to contact him, but now that she had a favour to ask from him, Chloe felt a bit guilty. After all, she never contacted him after their breakup and then now, she only contacted him to ask for a favour. Chloe was quite worried about how Shen Jun Shan will react to this. But seeing how Shen Jun Shan was quite calm about the whole thing, Chloe felt better.

Shen Jun Shan ate quickly, and by the time he finished eating, Chloe was only halfway through her food. He did not mean to rush her, but he wanted to finish all his work earlier so that he could go back soon and went for jogging to distract a certain someone.

"Can you tell me what you want to discuss now?" Shen Jun Shan looked at his wristwatch.

Chloe was surprised that Shen Jun Shan was too straightforward. Previously, he would wait for her to finish eating before asking her question. Chloe wiped her mouth with the napkins gracefully before speaking.

"I want to ask a favour from you". Chloe paused to see Shen Jun Shan's reaction. Since Shen Jun Shan did not react badly to her, Chloe continued talking. "I believe that you know how thing goes between me and Tang Jin… Can you not tell anyone about our past relationship? You see, I am about to enter the entertainment industry, and a single gossip could ruin me. Just treat it as a favour for an old friend".

"Is that all?" Shen Jun Shan did not show any expression on his face, so it was kind of hard for Chloe to read his emotion.

"Also, about your new girlfriend, Jin's sister…" Chloe was talking about Qiao An.

"What about her?" Shen Jun Shan was quick to interrupt Chloe.

"I don't know if she had told you anything… We have some misunderstanding in the toilet during the charity dinner. But in case she mentioned something, I want to tell you that it was just a misunderstanding. I am talking with my friend, and she heard something. She got offended and said a few harsh words towards us. I say she wouldn't be too petty to complain to you about it, right?" Chloe wanted to say more, but she stopped because Shen Jun Shan suddenly signaled the waiter for the bill.

"Jun Shan…" Chloe's real intention was to ask Shen Jun Shan to tell Qiao An that everything was just a misunderstanding. She did not want Qiao An to tell Jin about the things happened in the toilet.

Shen Jun Shan paid for the food and stared at Chloe. "I understand. Don't worry, and I have no intention to talk about our past to other people. So, rest assured. You can continue eating your lunch. I have to go now since there is a lot of work in the office."

Shen Jun Shan stood up and walked away. After four steps, he stopped and turned back to see Chloe, who looked like he wronged her.

"Also, An An didn't say anything to me, but I heard some of your conversations when I went there to check on An An. She is not the type of girl to talk bad about other people, but if she did say something harsh to you, then most probably because you deserve it. Good luck in the future endeavour. Bye"

Chloe had a bad feeling in her heart, but she could not tell if it's about Shen Jun Shan or Qiao An. She looked at her unfinished meal and lost her appetite. Then, she called for Jin to pick her up.