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墨書 Inktalez
Luo Yi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze unwavering.
Zhou Yao also stared at him, rooted to the spot.
Luo Yi straightened up, extinguished the cigarette, and walked over to close the door. A beam of blinding light flooded the porch. Luo Yi looked down at her, cradled her face in his hands, and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.
Zhou Yao raised her eyes to meet his, but his expression remained unchanged. After a moment, he released her and stepped into the room, brushing past her.
Zhou Yao felt his shoulder bump against hers.
Luo Yi sat back down in the chair. Zhou Yao slowly turned to look at him. Luo Yi pointed his chin towards the bed, and Zhou Yao moved over to sit at the edge of the bed, facing him.
The two sat facing each other, the room so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
After a full two minutes, Luo Yi finally spoke:
“Zhou Yao. Were you serious about what you just said?”
Zhou Yao's small face was still wet; she nodded.
Luo Yi stared at her for a second, then lowered his head to pull out a cigarette from his pocket. He bit down on it and took out a lighter, frowning slightly in frustration. He took the cigarette out of his mouth, crushed it in his hand, and tossed it into the trash can.
He looked at her, a smirk forming on his lips: “You don’t believe me?”
Zhou Yao replied softly: “I believe you.”
Luo Yi locked his gaze onto hers.
Zhou Yao raised her arm to wipe her damp eyes: “I don’t trust Yan Lin, because I know what she’s like in front of you. Boss Luo, I can see how she looks at you—she really wants you. She’s also very manipulative. I know you don’t want to see her, but I guess she has something you desire and is using that to draw you in.”
Luo Yi remained silent, looking straight at her as she finished speaking.
"Boss Luo, don't you know better than I do? She's baiting you. Once there’s a first time, there will be a second and a third. She loves to play this way with you, like a taciturn old rival." Zhou Yao shook her head, feeling sad. "But I don’t like you playing with her, once, twice, three times. In the end, while you two are playing around, what am I?"
Luo Yi replied, "Zhou Yao, I have no interest in playing with her."
"I believe you."
"Since you believe me—" Luo Yi asked again, "What you said just now wasn’t said in anger; you were serious?"
Zhou Yao answered, "Yes."
Luo Yi pressed his lips together, paused for a second, and calmly asked, "Why?"
Zhou Yao pouted slightly, feeling wronged. "You treat her like a woman but see me as a child. You’ve never viewed me equally."
Luo Yi was slightly taken aback; he hadn’t expected such a response from her.
Zhou Yao took a light breath. "You always tell me to be obedient, but you never listen to me. Either we both don’t listen or you have to listen to me too."
She had held back for too long and poured it all out. "Boss Luo, I’m not your possession or your child. I don’t like the way you talk to me like a parent, always ordering me around, admonishing me, controlling me. You’re becoming just like my mother!"
She stubbornly looked at him, her lips trembling slightly.
Luo Yi was silent for a long time before leaning forward; his knee lightly touched hers as he held her hands.
On that hot summer night, her small hands felt icy.
He tightened his grip on her hands and looked up at her. "What else?"
"Boss Luo, I really like you; I’m liking you more and more." Zhou Yao opened her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. She quickly tilted her head back and blinked hard to disperse them before calming down again. "But I don’t want to become increasingly passive and insignificant. If that’s the case, I’d rather… not get too deep in the end and find it impossible to pull away."
Luo Yi bit his teeth slightly, his expression unusually calm.
Zhou Yao's last sentence made him realize that the situation was out of control.
He lowered his head and remained silent for a while, gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, still repeating the same question: "What else?"
Zhou Yao had finished venting, paused for a moment, and lowered her head: "Nothing more."
"How long have you been thinking about these words?"
"All night."
"You were thinking about this the whole time in your room?"
"Yeah." She hated the anxious and passive state she had been in all night and blurted out, "I prefer my usual self. I don't like having to guess and think when I'm around you."
"I don't like my self when I'm around you." Luo Yi repeated her words, lowering his head to stroke her hand again, falling silent for a while.
In this relationship, he was at ease while she felt like she was walking on thin ice.
He had always been controlling and wanted to dominate everything. His previous girlfriends were all mature and wise, able to match him. When he applied pressure, they could push back. It was equal and balanced, full of fun. But with Zhou Yao, who was still a novice, she could only absorb the pressure.
Just like in Yading, he had scolded her countless times: "Stand properly!" "Don't move." "Don't run around." And she would really stand there without moving.
She was clever, smart, obedient; but how could he have anticipated that she would also have thoughts of wanting to run away from him? Even when she clearly believed in him.
He instinctively tightened his grip on her hand as if she might slip away.
"Zhou Yao." He spoke calmly again.
"Yeah?"
"How many times have you been in a relationship?"
"A lot."
Luo Yi paused and said, "Going out for meals and watching movies doesn't count."
Luo Yi continued, "It's confirmed that we were in a relationship for over a month."
"Just one."
"When was it?"
"In high school."
"With Jiang Han?"
Zhou Yao's hand shrank slightly. "You know about that?"
Luo Yi raised an eyebrow. "Was your interaction with him back then the same as how you are now?"
"Yeah."
"How long did it last?"
"A whole summer."
"Nothing else? After starting college?"
Zhou Yao fell silent, deep in thought.
"Zhou Yao, I heard everything you just said. I will think seriously about it and do my best. But it's very likely that our way of interacting won't change in the short term. The idea is right, but the timing is off. We can't rush it; do you understand what I mean?"
Zhou Yao thought for a long time and nodded.
Luo Yi asked again, "Are you afraid of me?"
Zhou Yao immediately shook his head. "Not at all."
Luo Yi: "Instead of letting me not control you, do you actually want to be able to control me as well?"
Zhou Yao bit her lip lightly and honestly nodded.
After a few seconds, she complained, "You're too difficult."
Luo Yi smiled faintly and reached out to pat her head. "You can think of me as land. Consider your usual mindset."
Zhou Yao stared at him for a moment, suddenly understanding.
"The days are long; take your time. Is this satisfactory for you?"
Zhou Yao's eyes brightened. "Satisfactory."
The problem was resolved.
However, Luo Yi slowly withdrew the smile from his face and asked for the third time, "What you said earlier wasn't just in anger; you were serious? If I leave, you'll disappear?"
Zhou Yao paused for a moment and honestly replied, "No."
"Oh?" Luo Yi raised an eyebrow, and the controlling smile flickered back in his eyes.
"I'll talk to you about this matter. If you still don't listen, then we'll discuss it again." Zhou Yao lowered her head and admitted, "I didn't express myself correctly just now."
Luo Yi looked at her.
"Boss Luo, I was wrong with that statement." She apologized while being meticulous.
Luo Yi smiled without sincerity and firmly stated, "There won't be a next time."
Zhou Yao nodded vigorously.
Only then did Luo Yi relax his expression, reaching out to smooth her hair and gently touch her damp eyelashes.
He pulled her closer, and she leaned forward naturally. He kissed her eyes, and she kissed his neck and chin.
They comforted each other through their kisses.
Zhou Yao finally said, "If you have things to do, go ahead. I'll wait for you here. But you must first explain to me how important it is."
She lifted her chin and looked at him levelly, imitating him.
"Alright. Explain," Luo Yi said with a faint smile, holding her hand. "Actually, I came here to find someone named Gao, a Jade Boss."
Zhou Yao sensed something: "What issue did you uncover?"
"Oya changed its Procurement Department head two years ago to someone named Yuan Wei. The Jade Buddha Pagoda really went through him to enter Oya."
Zhou Yao thought for a moment: "His position is a crucial link. Could it be that he isn't just a minor player but directly knows Wu Ming and Dan Shan?"
Luo Yi nodded: "But Yuan Wei is currently missing. During his tenure, a new supplier named Gao appeared in Oya's list of partners, and after he left, Oya cut ties with Boss Gao."
"Do you think you can find Yuan Wei through Boss Gao?"
"Yes, but he's harder to locate than I imagined."
"Does Yan Lin have a way?"
"That's what she said."
Zhou Yao frowned and thought for a while: "But I still think you shouldn't go. It's not out of jealousy or because I don't want you to see her."
Luo Yi asked, "Hmm?"
"Boss Luo, is Yan Lin related to Dan Shan?"
Luo Yi smiled faintly.
Zhou Yao analyzed, "She knew in advance that you wanted to find someone with the surname Gao, so she must have had a plan. Even if you meet with someone named Gao, what information can you really obtain? How much of that information is true and how much is false?"
"I know," Luo Yi replied.
"Then why go? What if it's a trap set for you?"
"It’s not exactly a trap," Luo Yi said. "Either I get information and discern its truth, or I get nothing at all. Which one do you choose?"
Zhou Yao was taken aback and then said, "Go ahead. Be careful."
Luo Yi fell silent, quietly looking at her for a long time before cupping her face and deeply kissing her lips.
"Zhou Yao, I feel the same way."
After Luo Yi left, Zhou Yao climbed onto his bed to sleep, thinking about what Luo Yi had said before leaving—
……
"Boss Luo, I really like you. I'm liking you more and more."
"Zhou Yao, I feel the same way."
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